Chapter 13: Spiral (Part One)

  Back in the room, after taking a bath, Gu Tianxi changed into more casual clothes and walked slowly to the desk. On the table, a newspaper had already been prepared, along with a cup of steaming Assam red tea, its rich dark color filling an intricately carved bone china cup adorned with Arabian Nights designs, making it especially inviting.

  Gu Tianxi sat down, picked up the bone china cup and took a sip of red tea before opening the newspaper. He habitually started reading from the financial section, then moved on to the social section, automatically skipping the entertainment section.

  Behind him stood a man, no more than twenty-five or six years old, with a neat hairstyle, wearing frameless glasses on the bridge of his nose, and a serious and cold expression on his face, standing there respectfully, waiting for his master's instructions.

  After a long while, Gu Tian Xi put down the newspaper and picked up the red tea that was just right in temperature and taste. As he sipped it lightly, he said slowly, "Mu Yang, go find some information about women's teacher training schools. I want to see it before visiting Xiao Li at the hospital tomorrow."

  "Yes." The man took a step forward, placed one hand on his chest, and bowed slightly, listening to the master's orders with an air of respect.

  "Has the investigation I had you conduct yielded any results?" The eyes gleamed with complex light, and Gu Tianxi's face turned exceptionally cold and stern under the lamplight, his fingertips tightening slightly around the bone china cup.

  The man handed a stack of paper to Gu Tianxi and slowly said, "From the surface, this kidnapping incident was indeed due to the carelessness of the criminals, so they mistakenly took Miss as Miss Chu. The criminal had thoroughly investigated Miss Chu's travel schedule before the kidnapping, so when Miss appeared at the school gate ahead of time, it should be one of the reasons for their mistake."

  Gu Tianxi flipped through the analysis report page by page, looking thoughtful. "One of the reasons? You mean there are other reasons? For example... Aunt and Uncle intentionally confusing their identities in front of everyone?"

  Everyone outside thought that the Chu family had two daughters, and didn't know that Miss Huan Lian was actually surnamed Gu. The man's eyes were hidden behind his glasses, making it hard to read his expression. He pushed up his glasses and continued, "Mr. Chu has never hired a piano teacher for Miss, all her piano lessons were completed at school. Moreover, I found out that the Cijun Primary School band is going to their sister school in England for an exchange this summer, and Miss is already scheduled to be the piano soloist."

  "Oh?" Gu Tianxi raised his head, slightly surprised, looking at the man with a soft murmur, "Xiao Li's piano skills are so good? Two years ago she was still clueless about playing the piano."

  "The young lady's life is very lonely." The man said in a flat tone with no expression, "Miss Chu has strong interpersonal skills, so she easily isolated the young lady who excelled academically. And the introverted young lady seems to be enjoying this reclusive life as well."

  Gu Tianxi's expression turned somewhat gloomy, and he frowned with a bad mood. "Apart from the piano, what other hobbies does Xiaolong have?"

  "If writing letters and drawing greeting cards for the old master, madam, and young master can be considered a hobby, then Miss's hobbies can also include this one." The man replied.

  Gu Tianxi smiled, but his eyes clearly darkened, "What? Are you expressing dissatisfaction?"

  The man replied in a serious tone, "I'm just stating facts."

  Gu Tianxi returned the report to the man, his hands clasped together lightly on the desk, his eyes narrowed slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips. "So, after investigating for a whole day, this is all you've come up with?"

  "Mr. Chu did not want the young lady to go to England." The man paused for a moment, seemingly thinking about something, and after about a minute of silence, he continued, "This kidnapping case, although it was not done by Mr. Chu, but he indeed played a role in stirring up the situation. And the variable is the phone call the young lady made to the young master."

  "Marrying my aunt and getting that dowry still can't satisfy his ambition, unfortunately, he forgot...” The corners of Gu Tianxi's lips curved upwards, her black gemstone-like eyes gazing at him, "The future ruler of the Gu family is me, not Xiaoli."

  "Young master, after all, this is the Chu residence. Please be careful with your words." The man's voice was soft, but it carried a warning that could not be ignored.

  "So..." Gu Tianxi still smiled elegantly with her eyes half-closed, and asked the man, "Have you found anything interesting in this guest room?"

  "Six cameras, and four microphones." The man's tone was slightly softer as he said calmly, "After entering the Chu residence, we first checked Miss's room, then during Young Master's bath time, we also checked the guest room."

  Gu Tian Xi's eyes became calm at this moment, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk, suddenly, he laughed lightly, "Xiao Li occasionally being able to stir up so many things, is indeed interesting. Father, what do you have to say about this matter?"

  "The old master's order to his subordinates is: everything follows the young master's arrangement."

  "Father is still as aloof and busy as ever." Gu Tianxi pondered for a moment, then looked up and said, "However, Xiaoluo's emotional side also needs to be properly educated. Although this time's kidnapping incident, her rationality is commendable, but living in the Chu family has put herself in a passive and weak position, such things are absolutely not allowed to happen to the Gu family members."

  "Please, young master, look at this matter rationally and don't be too harsh on the young lady, or it will have the opposite effect."

  Gu Tianxi was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing. His amber eyes sparkled with a piercing chill, "Having no goals is easily achievable. However, this excessively arrogant hope is a thought that I, as an older brother, naturally harbor."

  "Young master has outstanding talent, so it's decided that failure is not allowed to happen. However, this determination is a bit too confident. Therefore, I hope that even if you strive for your goal, please maintain a humble attitude. Otherwise, one day you will fall, after all, your goal is not an easy place to reach. Of course, this is also my being presumptuous, please forgive me."

  Gu Tian Xi's eyes seemed to have a flowing light, and he said with a playful tone, "Huh? In other words, in this matter, we both have arrogant reasons, and at the same time, we must also bear rationality and caution?"

  "Yes, young master."

  "For the master, letting the master learn a lesson and take it as a warning is also part of the job... No wonder Father praised you as a good housekeeper." Gu Tianxi gave a low, cold laugh, then looked up with a serious expression, "However, as a loyal dog, you still have a great distance from my expectations."

  "If young master's orders are reasonable and well-timed, I will naturally do my best to complete them."

  "Doing my best isn't enough?" Along with the low, teasing voice, Gu Tianxi's slender fingers intertwined on the desk trembled slightly as he lowered his eyelids, his long eyelashes quivering. After a while, Gu Tianxi raised his eyes, his thin lips curling up into a perfect arc, "Because in my world, it's either black or white. Even in chaos, one must wield a sharp sword to cut through the uncertainty."

  The man's right hand was lightly placed on his chest, and he bowed. "Yes, whether it is the young master's command or wish, I will fulfill them one by one for the young master."

  "I'm looking forward to it..." Gu Tian Xi said with a smile at the corner of his mouth, "the day you break your promise. Although I also look forward to that day never coming. But in this world, there are no saints or sages, nor absolute perfection, and certainly no forever."

  The man remained silent.

  "Continue the investigation, why my respectable uncle doesn't want Xiaoli to go to England." Gu Tianxi's voice suddenly became exceptionally firm, with a piercing light flashing in his eyes. "Also, I don't want people to know about Xiaoli's differences, so do what needs to be done properly and don't leave any loopholes that can be exploited."

  "It's easy for others, but what about Yu Qinglan from Universal Medical Group and Luo Yichen from Luoshi Media? How do you plan to deal with them?"

  Gu Tianxi lowered his head, and in the dark shadows, the corners of his lips were bitter and heavy. When he raised his head again, those eyes had turned pitch black and sharp, "When speaking with intelligent people, truth is easier than lies. Moreover, someone who could save Xiaolong in that situation would not stand idly by and watch Xiaolong be harmed by others."

  "Yes, young master is right." The man replied with a expressionless face, but his eyes were surging with a bloody flavor, "How does the young master plan to deal with Mr. Chu and..."

  "Although she's my aunt, if someone makes a mistake, especially one that hurts Xiao Li, whether or not they're related to me by blood doesn't matter. Since they can be so ruthless, there's no reason for me to hold back on being cruel." Darkness gradually spread over, brushing against Gu Tianxi's black hair, he slowly said, "This time, let's just give them a small punishment as a warning."

  A murderous glint flashed in the man's eyes as he replied, "Yes, young master."

  Gu Tianxi didn't say anything else, he stood up and walked to the door, slowly opening it. The long corridor outside was dimly lit, and every day Xiao Li would walk through here, on one hand looking forward to the end of her temporary stay, and on the other hand enduring loneliness.

  "Brother Tianxi! You finally came out!" Chu Lianyu flew into his arms from the other end of the corridor, pouting her cute face and smiling, "I'm really sorry earlier, Brother Tianxi is very magnanimous, please don't be angry again...... Eh! Who are you! How did you suddenly run into someone else's home!" She turned her head, looking at the cold and stern man standing behind Gu Tianxi, and shrieked.

  "Miss Chu, goodnight." The man bowed slightly and said in a low voice, "I am the steward of Young Master, He Muyang."

  "Housekeeper?" Chu Lian gazed up at the handsome yet icy man, her eyes blinking with curiosity. "Are you the kind of housekeeper who irons and folds the newspaper every morning before presenting it to the master?"

  "Yes." This is one of his daily tasks that he must complete.

  Chu Lian's eyes were full of question marks, "You won't iron the newspaper flat?"

  "I won't."

  "But... newspapers are made of paper, and the iron's temperature is so high, why won't it break? Moreover, you can just look at the newspaper as is, why do you need to iron it?"