“That’s true, but she’s different from when she was a child.” Wen Shouyi smiled and adjusted Qin Zhining’s collar.
Qin Zhining felt itchy all over and couldn’t even walk steadily. He walked back to Gu Nianzhi’s room like he was treading on clouds and fog.
Gu Nianzhi saw that his face was red and asked curiously, “… What’s wrong? Did you run too fast? Look at your red face.”
Qin Zhining wiped his face in embarrassment and smiled sheepishly. He picked up the infrared detector and began to examine Gu Nianzhi’s room.
Gu Nianzhi had lived in this room when she was a child. Many years had passed, and many of the things in it were still the same as they had been in the past.
For example, in a row of cabinets that looked like a treasure house by the wall of the living room, there were dolls of all sizes. They wore all sorts of clothes and had long and short hair.
The sofa wasn’t big, but it wasn’t small either. The workmanship was very fine. The pink and purple color was worn-out, and it matched perfectly with the white carpet on the floor.
The white curtains floated slightly in the breeze, and there was a red bubble chair by the wall. It was very comfortable to sit in it, as if one had nestled into a soft sponge.
Watching Qin Zhining busily work around, Gu Nianzhi held a bottle of mineral water and sat on the sofa.
He checked Gu Nianzhi’s room from top to bottom, including the bathroom and closet. He didn’t leave a single corner untouched. After making sure that there were no hidden cameras, Gu Nianzhi dared to take a shower in the bathroom.
She hadn’t showered or washed her hair in days. After washing up, she went through a full set of maintenance procedures. This way, she could shower from noon until three o’clock in the afternoon.
When she came out of the bathroom, she found Qin Zhining asleep on the sofa.
She didn’t wake him up either. Instead, she sat beside him and browsed the news on her iPad to continue to learn about the world.
Qin Zhining slept until night, when Gu Nianzhi kicked him back to his house.
Gu Nianzhi’s first day at the He family’s house wasn’t bad overall.
After she made this conclusion, she went back to sleep.
People who didn’t do anything wrong were able to sleep peacefully.
The next day, Gu Nianzhi woke up in the morning light and stretched.
Yesterday, she had dreamt that she had returned to the other side of the world. She had gone out to eat hotpot with Huo Shaoheng and the people from the Special Operations Forces. After eating, she had gone to karaoke. It was merry and lively.
When she woke up, she saw that the entire room was still and quiet. She felt extremely melancholic.
She sat quietly on the bed for a while before getting up to wash up and get dressed.
No one came to wake her up, nor did anyone bring her breakfast.
Gu Nianzhi decided to go downstairs to find something to eat.
As soon as she opened the door, she saw Qin Yaoguang and Wen Shouyi standing at the door with a few tall and handsome men.
Gu Nianzhi held the door with her hand and nodded with a smile. “Good morning, Ms. Qin. Why are you up so early? I’m going downstairs to have breakfast.”
Qin Yaoguang waved her hand, and someone walked over with a food box. He bowed humbly and said, “Miss Gu, this is breakfast for today. Please enjoy.”
Gu Nianzhi took the food box and said politely, “Thank you, but who are you?”
The man looked up at her and said, “I’m the He family’s breakfast chef. My surname is Xu.” He then showed Gu Nianzhi the nameplate on his chest.
Gu Nianzhi saw that the nameplate had a name, a photo, and a row of numbers. She quietly memorized it and smiled. “Thank you.”
She picked up the box and asked Qin Yaoguang, “Do you have anything else? I’m going to eat breakfast.”
Qin yYaoguang nodded. “I’m also very busy, but there are some things that I want to discuss with you. You don’t have to worry about me. You can have your breakfast by yourself. I’ll leave after I’m done.”
Gu Nianzhi thought about it for a moment and moved aside. “Sorry about that.”
She had taken drastic measures just yesterday to persuade He Chengjian to appropriate the Qin family’s memory removal surgery for public benefit. Why had Qin Yaoguang come to her instead of begging He Chengjian?
Gu Nianzhi was also a little curious.
Moreover, Qin Yaoguang’s appearance made it hard for her to refuse.
Qin Yaoguang followed her in.
Wen Shouyi followed her in and sat next to Qin Yaoguang.
The tall and handsome men stood at the door and didn’t come in. They were like bodyguards.
Gu Nianzhi glanced at them and didn’t ask. She closed the door and turned back to open the food box. She took out the porridge, little steamed buns, a few exquisite pickles, and placed them on the coffee table. She sat cross-legged in front of the coffee table and began eating breakfast as if there was no one else there.
Qin Yaoguang sat on the sofa elegantly with her legs crossed. She watched Gu Nianzhi eat a few mouthfuls of porridge and suddenly said, “I’ll peel an Apple for you. You loved apples when you were young.”
Gu Nianzhi’s hand paused.
Actually, she didn’t like apples. Or rather, when she was with Huo Shaoheng, she didn’t really like apples.
But when Qin Yaoguang said she would peel an apple for her, she realized she couldn’t refuse.
There was a hole deep in her heart that she longed to fill.
She didn’t look up, but nodded slightly.
Qin Yaoguang smiled slightly and reached out to the side. “Give me a fruit knife.”
Wen Shouyi got up and searched the house for a while before she found a sharp fruit knife in the cupboard next to the refrigerator in the storage room. She took it out.
Qin Yaoguang took the fruit knife and began to peel an apple for Gu Nianzhi.
She was very patient and careful with the peeling. The skin of the apple fell evenly from the apple. It was long and didn’t break at all.
After Qin Yaoguang peeled the apples, Gu Nianzhi finished her breakfast.
She put the bowls and chopsticks into the food box and watched as Qin Yaoguang placed the apple on the small plate in front of her. The sharp fruit knife was next to it.
Gu Nianzhi didn’t eat. She wiped her mouth with a tissue and asked, “Where’s General He? Is he back yet?”
Qin Yaoguang smiled. “He’s back. He just got back early this morning. He had a meeting for more than ten hours, but he hasn’t woken up yet.”
Gu Nianzhi was relieved to hear that He Chengjian was also home.
She looked up at Qin Yaoguang and said in a much gentler tone, “Miss Qin, you didn’t come looking for me to peel an apple for me, did you?”
“It’s not just to peel an apple for you.” Qin Yaoguang waved at her. “Come, Nianzhi, sit by my side.”
There was something else in her smile, and she had a somewhat different expression. Gu Nianzhi stood up like she was possessed and sat down obediently by her side.
Wen Shouyi had already stood up and sat across from them.
She didn’t speak and looked at the two of them silently.
Qin Yaoguang pushed Gu Nianzhi’s hair behind her ear and caressed her face. Her fingers lingered on her lips.
She retracted her hand and her smile faded. She said softly, “Nianzhi, be a good girl and do the surgery. Don’t make things difficult for General He.”
Gu Nianzhi felt as if she had been splashed with a bucket of cold water. She instantly sobered up from Qin Yaoguang’s warmth.
However, she maintained her obedient appearance and said with a smile, “Miss Qin, could you please give me a rough idea of how it was done? I’m a little scared…”
Qin Yaoguang nodded with a smile. “Okay, then I’ll give you a simple explanation.”
She picked up an apple with one hand and a fruit knife with the other. She gestured on the apple. “Actually, the surgery is very simple. It’s to use a gamma knife to remove the hippocampus, which is responsible for certain memories, from your brain. Only a very small part of it will be removed. It will definitely not cause any damage to your brain. You won’t feel much either. At most, it will feel like cutting a finger while cutting a fruit.”
Gu Nianzhi was almost furious when she heard this.
Removing a part of the hippocampus from the brain was comparable to cutting a finger with a fruit knife?!
Using this method as an analogy was either stupid or vicious.
Gu Nianzhi suppressed the anger in her heart and the smile on her face grew wider. She put on an innocent and stupid expression and asked curiously with her big bright eyes widened, “Really? There won’t be any other side effects?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll do the surgery properly. There won’t be any risks.”
Gu Nianzhi spat in her heart several times.
Who would dare say that there wouldn’t be any risks in the brain surgery?!
Wen Shouyi interjected, “There definitely won’t be any side effects. Even if you don’t trust others, you have to trust Auntie Qin. Auntie Qin is the only person in the world who knows this kind of technique.”
She stared wide-eyed at Qin Yaoguang’s gentle face and asked calmly, “Is that so? Are you really the only person in the world who knows how to perform this kind of surgery?”
Qin yaoguang nodded proudly, “Of course. I once taught someone, but he passed away many years ago, so now, I’m the only one who knows how to do it. The next generation of the Qin family is still being groomed, and we haven’t found a suitable candidate yet.”
Gu Nianzhi was even more curious. “Who’s the person who passed away many years ago? Is he a member of the Qin Family?”
Qin Yaoguang didn’t want to talk about this person, so she said aloofly, “He’s not really a member of the Qin family, so he didn’t learn some of the core techniques. Besides, he’s already dead, so there’s no point in talking about him anymore.”
Gu nianzhi replied with an “oh” and didn’t continue asking.
Qin Yaoguang waited for a long time, but Gu Nianzhi still didn’t speak, so she had no choice but to speak up herself. “Nianzhi, I know you’re very resistant to this surgery, and I understand how you feel, but I promise you that as long as you agree to do this surgery, I’ll teach you all of this technique when you recover, and let you be the sole heir of the Qin family, okay?”
The temptation was too great, and Qin Yaoguang was sure that no one could resist it.
Many people had surrounded her at all costs, just to learn a little.
Gu Nianzhi, however, was very surprised, and said, “But I’m not a medical student? How can I learn your technique?”
“… This technique doesn’t require too much medical knowledge. All you need to know is how to operate a gamma knife and how to select the hippocampus.” Qin Yaoguang said enthusiastically, “And you’re still young. Even if you don’t know anything, I’ll start teaching you from now on. In less than five years, you’ll become a first-rate medical master! Especially in the field of brain surgery.”
Everyone knew that the most precise surgery was the brain surgery.
Every brain surgeon had a pair of highly skilled hands.
Gu Nianzhi chuckled and tilted her head to pretend to think for a moment. “Why? We’ve never met before. Why would you teach me such an precious skill?”
Qin Yaoguang averted her gaze and looked at the dolls on the treasure pavilion by the wall. She said lightly, “Maybe we’re fated. Besides, as long as you agree to learn this technique, I guarantee that Brother He won’t nationalize it.”
After all, she still wanted to make a final struggle. She didn’t want to give this skill to the state.
Gu Nianzhi understood why Qin Yaoguang had come. She was disappointed, sad, and a little disdainful.
Her hands couldn’t help clenching into fists. She said lightly, “Your conditions are indeed tempting, but the risk is too great, so please forgive me for not agreeing.”
“Too great a risk? How can that be?” Qin Yaoguang tried to persuade her patiently, “The key content of our Qin family’s medical skills is taught by hand and orally. It has never been written before, so as long as I teach you, you will definitely be able to learn it. There’s no risk at all.”
Gu Nianzhi slowly leaned against the back of the sofa and distanced herself from Qin Yaoguang, “I’m not talking about this kind of risk. You want me to undergo the surgery before you teach me how to do it, but if this memory-stripping surgery removes all my memories, then you can go back on your word. Who am I going to cry to?”
Qin Yaoguang seemed to be very impatient when she heard this. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and her expression turned cold. “Gu Nianzhi, don’t be so shameless. I’ll give you one last chance. Do you agree to the surgery or not?”
“Of course not.” Gu Nianzhi was also angry. “Miss Qin, if you’re here to beg me, you’d better be more lenient. Is this how you negotiate with people?”
“I never negotiate with people. I’m just here to inform you.” Qin Yaoguang stood up. Her voice was aloof and airy, as if it was mixed with the wind and snow. It was bone-chilling. “Since you refuse to repent and refuse to accept the hard way, then I won’t be polite.”
She clapped her hands. Gu Nianzhi’s room door was suddenly pushed open, and a few tall and handsome men stormed in aggressively.
“Give her an anesthetic.”
One of the men had already raised the anesthetic gun in his hand.
Gu Nianzhi’s mind raced. She immediately jumped up from the sofa, rolled her body, and used Qin Yaoguang to block in front of her.
She pulled Qin Yaoguang’s arms and rolled them around her back. She grabbed the sharp fruit knife on the coffee table and pressed it against Qin Yaoguang’s throat.
She wrapped one hand around Qin Yaoguang’s neck and used the sharp fruit knife in her hand to press against the major artery at the side of her neck. Her other hand was grabbed by her wrists from behind. She whispered softly in her ear, “If you dare touch a single hair on my head, I won’t hold back. Tell them to get out.”
“Gu Nianzhi! Let go of me!” Wen Shouyi turned pale with fright and stood up from the sofa. Her frightened eyes looked between Gu Nianzhi and Qin Yaoguang. “Don’t be rash!”
“Let go of Director Qin!” A few tall men rushed in from the door and shouted at Gu Nianzhi.
Qin Yaoguang was furious. “How dare you threaten me?! I’ve never been threatened!” As she spoke, she struggled with all her might and managed to break free from the grasp of Gu Nianzhi’s right hand.
Gu Nianzhi’s hand that was holding the fruit knife instinctively tightened. Qin Yaoguang couldn’t breathe from the strangulation. She used both her hands to grab Gu Nianzhi’s arm that was strangling her throat and kicked her back.
Gu Nianzhi’s knee was kicked so hard that she could barely stand.
At that moment, Qin Yaoguang used all her strength to pry away the arm that was holding her neck.
Gu Nianzhi knew that she couldn’t let go now. If she let go, she would fall into Qin Yaoguang’s hands, and she would truly be doomed.
She used all her strength to pull her arm back, but Qin Yaoguang’s hands slipped and grabbed the edge of the fruit knife.
As Gu Nianzhi exerted more strength, the fruit knife in her hands slashed at Qin Yaoguang’s hands, causing blood to spurt out like an arrow.
“Ahhh!” Qin Yaoguang let out a heart-wrenching scream. Her wrists and fingers were bleeding profusely, and the pain was heart-wrenching. She fainted and fell in front of Gu Nianzhi.
Wen Shouyi suddenly saw Qin Yaoguang’s hands hanging bloody in front of her. She looked like she was crippled.
Her eyes were red as well. Without thinking, she pounced on Gu Nianzhi and hugged her tightly from behind. She whispered in her ear, “Are you crazy?! She’s your biological mother! You killed your biological mother!”
Gu Nianzhi froze.
The words “biological mother” echoed in her mind like a curse.
With her eyes closed, Qin Yaoguang’s unconscious face perfectly matched the face of his dead wife in Gu Xiangwen’s submarine.
When she first saw Qin Yaoguang, she already had such a terrifying guess.
Now, she finally had proof from Wen Shouyi.
She didn’t want to accept this fact. She didn’t want to believe that her mother was this kind of person.
Her feelings were extremely resistant, but her rationality told her that it was very likely to be true…
Gu Nianzhi was held by Wen Shouyi and unable to move. Her mind was a mess and she was unable to think.
She saw the handsome man with the tranquilizer gun walking towards her.
Oh no, Gu Nianzhi only had one thought in her mind: I killed my own mother…
She watched as the dark muzzle of the gun drew closer and closer. She made up her mind and about to stab the fruit knife into her chest, she closed her eyes!
Bang! Bang!
Two intense gunshots rang out. Gu Nianzhi’s body trembled, but she didn’t feel any pain. She only felt Wen Shouyi, who was behind her, release her and fall to the ground while clutching her arm.
The handsome man who had aimed the tranquilizer gun at her earlier also held his own wrist and drops of blood dripping from his body, he fell to his knees with a thud.
In the direction of the door, the travel-worn He Zhichu stood there with a gun in his hand. He looked at the people in the room with a ruthless expression. “All of you, face the wall and crouch down with your hands on your heads. Whoever dares to move…”
He didn’t say another word, but there was a gunshot. The man who had tried to make a small move earlier had his leg broken by him. He cried out and fell to the ground.
The others didn’t dare to disobey him. They all crouched down with their heads facing the wall.
Only Gu Nianzhi was still standing in the middle of the room. Her eyes gradually turning red, she looked at him fixedly.