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Lin Mi could obviously sense that something was amiss in the atmosphere, especially after Quan Shaoqing emerged from Ai Xiang’s house, his expression unrelentingly gloomy.

He remained silent as if the whole world had abandoned him.

"Stop the car!" Quan Shaoqing suddenly spoke up.

Lin Mi immediately pulled over to the side of the road, looking back at him in confusion, "What’s wrong? We haven’t gotten home yet."

Quan Shaoqing stayed silent, taking out a cigarette and lighting it.

In this moment, he seemed to be enveloped in darkness, the tiny spark from the lighter briefly illuminating his cold, half-hidden face.

"Lin Mi, they all lied to me. Tell me, what exactly happened?" Quan Shaoqing, with a cigarette sandwiched between his fingers, stared back at Lin Mi, his tone serious.

His voice carried an uncompromising chilliness.

Lin Mi pursed his lips, his mind a whirl of confusion.

Just then, his phone buzzed with a message.

[If he asks, tell him the truth!]

Upon seeing it, Lin Mi realized the message was from Gu Xiaoxi.

He gripped his phone tightly, turning back to explain, "Because you were afflicted with the Nascent Soul’s Love-Forbidding Curse, you couldn’t fall in love with anyone.

That’s why Ai Xiang gave you the Oblivion Grass to eat, which Miss Gu personally fed you. "

"I love her? ... Does she like me?" Quan Shaoqing exhaled a ring of smoke, his voice stiff as he asked.

Lin Mi froze for a second, remembering Gu Xiaoxi’s instructions that no matter what,

he could always say that they used to be in love!

Ai Xiang had also warned him that one misstep in his words could lead to disaster!

"Although you like her... but she doesn’t like you!" Lin Mi said through clenched teeth, his tone resolute.

Even at this moment, Quan Shaoqing still didn’t believe it.

He tossed away the cigarette and, bending over, snatched Lin Mi’s phone from his hands.

Seeing the message, his heart instantly felt ice cold.

If Gu Xiaoxi had told Lin Mi to tell the truth, then surely he had spoken the truth.

He liked Gu Xiaoxi?

But Gu Xiaoxi didn’t like him?

"Ha! What a load of crap! Lin Mi, was I insane before to fall for a woman like Gu Xiaoxi?" Quan Shaoqing scoffed.

Suddenly, he felt that his past feelings were so unworthy!

Now, knowing the truth, understanding the rationale,

he wasn’t so concerned about pursuing the past he shared with Gu Xiaoxi anymore.

Because forgetting her had also chilled his heart.

He would never be foolishly interested in her again...

"Drive home!" Quan Shaoqing firmly stubbed out the cigarette butt, his hand not even feeling the burn as the ember scorched his palm.

*

Gu Xiaoxi was seated by the window. Not until the car of Quan Shaoqing had disappeared from view did she lower her head.

"It looks like he’s truly heartbroken this time," Ai Xiang said, walking through the door with a sorrowful gaze.

"When you have time, check on his health again. As long as he keeps living well, our actions will have been worth it."

Gu Xiaoxi stood up, a bitter smile appearing on her lips as she said, "I should leave now. In the future, when we meet, you should be able to tell the real Ye Yuwei from the fake one, right?"

"Of course, I know. Xiao Xi, make sure you come back alive. It wouldn’t make any sense for us to do all this if you’re gone while he is still alive," Ai Xiang said sternly.

Gu Xiaoxi nodded, her gaze determined.

"I will come back alive."

Gu Xiaoxi left Yearn Residence, and taking her suitcase with her under cover of night, she arrived at Ye Yuwei’s parent’s home.

It was an apartment located in the city center, and from what she gathered, both of her parents were from the working class. They had just one daughter and the family lived harmoniously together.

Gu Xiaoxi rang the doorbell.

A moment later, Mother Ye opened the door.

When Mother Ye saw Gu Xiaoxi, she instantly mistook her for her own biological daughter.

"Yuwei, how come you’re back?"

Embarrassed, Gu Xiaoxi lowered her head, "Auntie, take another look."

On hearing the unfamiliar voice, Mother Ye finally snapped back to reality, opening the door wider for Gu Xiaoxi, "Come in quickly."

The police had previously briefed them in private, explaining clearly that Gu Xiaoxi was impersonating their daughter and going undercover at Sunshine Group.

Moreover, they were sensible people, instantly grasping the situation.

After entering, Father Ye kept praising how Gu Xiaoxi, when impersonating Ye Yuwei, looked exactly like their real daughter.

"Uncle, auntie, I’m going to be a bother during this time. Apart from going to work, I will also be living here with you," Gu Xiaoxi said.

"This is not a bother, it’s our honor!"

The Ye parents were straightforward people.

Gu Xiaoxi got along well with them and then proceeded to understand more about Ye Yuwei.

In the days that followed, Gu Xiaoxi continued to impersonate Ye Yuwei, attending her final year classes at university for a few days.

No one realized she was an imposter.

Everybody knew there was something off about Mi Xi, the president of Sunshine Group, but they were helpless due to a lack of evidence. Even the International Alliance had no way to deal with him.

This time, Gu Xiaoxi’s mission was to uncover the true purpose behind the establishment of a Sunshine Group company in Liuli Country.

And to find out whether the recent human trafficking was connected to Mi Xi.

Of course, as a fresh graduate, Ye Yuwei’s attempts to join the Sunshine Group would be no easy feat.

Gu Xiaoxi was not going to pin all her hopes on the job interview.

As a result, she decided to orchestrate a casual encounter with Mi Xi and then make some meticulous plans to catch his attention and pave the way for her interview.

Mi Xi was internationally renowned as an evergreen heartthrob. Not only that, he was handsomely featured and had a penchant for red.

Thus, he was like a poisonous flower blooming at hell’s gate, alluring countless eyes with his lethal charm.

Women flocked to him, yet he remained unmarried at forty.

His agelessness was one thing, but not having changed a bit in twenty years really raised suspicions.

At that moment, it was noon.

In a coffee shop, Gu Xiaoxi, dressed in a floral dress popular with girls, sat by the window.

"Mi Xi will be coming to City A in three days and has a reservation at the International Trade Hotel. We need to know about any plan you make, Gu Xiaoxi." The man who was meeting with Gu Xiaoxi was a middle-aged man who had spent years working undercover in society.

"I plan to approach him beforehand, but I haven’t figured out how yet. However, I will be careful," Gu Xiaoxi explained.

"Hmm! I will keep an eye on you and wait for your report."

Afterwards, the man left early.

Gu Xiaoxi sat in the café for a little while longer.

She thought and thought, embodying a girl about to start working.

How could she best play this societal role?

Gu Xiaoxi felt it was a pity not to pursue a career in acting in this lifetime.

Therefore, she walked the streets, preparing to learn more about the life of a graduate.

As night fell, she came across a bar located in a relatively secluded place, but with very low prices.

Gu Xiaoxi thought this must be a favorite haunt for graduates.

It was a place where one could wildly vent youthful frustrations, and the cost was within what Ye Yuwei could afford.

When Gu Xiaoxi entered the bar, the noisy atmosphere didn’t excite her; instead, the scent of alcohol in the air triggered a feeling of loneliness and sadness within.

They say alcohol can weaken a person’s will and at that moment, she understood this to be true.

She sat at the bar and ordered a few drinks.

They were concoctions the Bartender had devised especially for the ladies.

"Purple Dream, Red Mansion, Blue Ice, Green Affection, all these suit heartbroken girls!" the Bartender said to Gu Xiaoxi with a smile.

"The names are certainly appealing, but I wonder about the strength of the drinks."

"Thirty percent alcohol! They’re tasty and beautiful to look at, but too many can get you drunk!" the Bartender replied.

Gu Xiaoxi wasn’t a heavy drinker, but she was willing to give it a try.

The drinks, tempered with fruit juice, tasted delightful and even made one want another after finishing the first.

Gradually, she felt tipsy and stood up to leave.

However, as she got up, she accidentally bumped into someone.

A man with sharp features and shining eyes.

In the bar’s kaleidoscope of lights, she couldn’t make out the exact color of his clothes, but she found his face to be striking.

Cold yet graceful, noble yet casual, and paired with the flickering lights, he had a surreal, gallant aura.

If it were not for the lighting and Gu Xiaoxi being slightly intoxicated, she would have recognized him immediately.

At that moment, Gu Xiaoxi felt dizzy and only wanted to return as soon as possible.

After bumping into someone, she immediately apologized politely to the person.

The other party didn’t seem to mind, but after Gu Xiaoxi left, he suddenly turned back to look at her.

That gaze seemed extremely sharp...

Gu Xiaoxi stood on the street, and as a breeze blew by, her dizziness slightly eased.

She just hadn’t expected to encounter an old acquaintance of Ye Yuwei in such a place.

It was Xiao Xia, a fellow college student.

Another woman with beautiful features and, moreover, from a wealthy family.

Compared to Ye Yuwei’s working-class parents, Xiao Xia’s ran a shopping center. It wasn’t an international chain, but it was quite popular in City A.

They had once had a conflict over a boy named Jiang Huaiyi. As far as Gu Xiaoxi knew, the details of the dispute were unclear, however.

Jiang Huaiyi’s family’s financial situation was similar to Ye Yuwei’s. Initially her boyfriend, he was later ensnared and manipulated by Xiao Xia, leading to their breakup.

In the end, the man ended up with Xiao Xia, and both were now busy job hunting after their final year of university.