CHAPTER 221: CHAPTER 221: THE PERPETRATOR BEHIND

Liu Zhiwen was touching up her makeup in front of the mirror at the sink. The restroom had poor lighting, and the lights kept flickering, causing her lipstick to smear out of place.

She moved closer to the mirror to wipe it off when suddenly a hand rested on her shoulder from behind. Liu Zhiwen turned her head to see An Junxi’s pale face flickering in and out of the dim light, her lifeless eyes staring blankly at her.

Liu Zhiwen screamed in fear, pushing An Junxi away and frantically climbing onto the sink, babbling incoherently, "Don’t come for me, don’t come for me!"

An Junxi was almost knocked over. A waiter rushed in from the restaurant outside, asking, "What happened?"

Gong Xiaoyu and Zhang Miaoyan had just arrived at the restaurant when they heard the terrifying scream from the restroom. Many customers were frightened, and the manager reassured them, "The bathroom light malfunctioned and scared a female patron. We are truly sorry for the disturbance. We will provide a complimentary dessert for every table, hoping it doesn’t affect your dining experience."

After speaking, the manager told Gong Xiaoyu and Zhang Miaoyan, "Miss An is in the restroom."

They hurried inside. An Junxi stood in a corner while one waiter tried to calm Liu Zhiwen, and another waiter replaced the light bulb, restoring the lighting to normal.

Seeing An Junxi, Zhang Miaoyan exclaimed excitedly, "Jun Xi, you’re finally back!"

She and Gong Xiaoyu approached, Zhang Miaoyan grabbed An Junxi’s hand, asking in confusion, "Why is your hand so cold?"

Gong Xiaoyu asked Liu Zhiwen, "What the hell were you screaming about? You scared us to death."

An Junxi had goosebumps all over her body. She stared at Liu Zhiwen, who had completely calmed down by now. Liu Zhiwen wiped her damp clothes with a tissue, forcing a stiff smile, "Jun Xi suddenly tapped my shoulder, and I got scared."

An Junxi said, "It was my fault for being abrupt, Zhiwen."

Liu Zhiwen hastily packed her makeup bag, saying, "I have friends waiting for me to have dinner, I can’t let them wait too long, let’s talk next time."

She barely looked at An Junxi and walked out of the restroom along the wall, her back showing clear signs of panic.

An Junxi then supported Gong Xiaoyu, her legs trembling a bit.

Why did Liu Zhiwen react as if she’d seen a ghost when she saw her and said, "Don’t come for me"?

In the two years she had been away from Yan City, everyone thought she had simply left. Even if they saw her return, they wouldn’t react so dramatically, except for Liu Zhiwen, who clearly thought she was dead, hence the fright.

Why did she think she was dead?

Gong Xiaoyu sensed something was wrong and asked, "Jun Xi, what happened between you two? Your hand is so cold."

An Junxi said, "Let’s talk outside."

They walked out of the restroom, and An Junxi asked the manager for a different private room.

The manager arranged the best private room for them. Once seated, An Junxi directly asked Zhang Miaoyan, "What exactly happened with the Gu Family two years ago, and has Gu Kuangxia returned to headquarters?"

Zhang Miaoyan had long suspected the company’s events were orchestrated. She said, "Two years ago, negative news about the headquarters burst out one after another, as if someone was setting it all up. Every employee was in a state of panic. However, Gu Kuangxia never showed up. The police considered him a suspect in the murder of Seventh Uncle and issued a city-wide manhunt, but there was no news, and gradually he was forgotten."

An Junxi’s hands were sweating. She asked Gong Xiaoyu, "Senior, have you heard Xiao Yang talk about Gu Kuangxia? Is he dead, or did he flee abroad?"

Gong Xiaoyu shook her head, "I haven’t heard him mention it. I guess the Gu Family handled it tightly, with no information coming out."

An Junxi was uneasy, "Call him now and ask him."

Gong Xiaoyu immediately called Yue Xiaoyang. After much difficulty, she got a definite answer from him and said, "Gu Kuangxia was shot dead by Mr. Gu’s men. The Gu Family didn’t want to attract media attention, so they handled it secretly. Xiao Yang insisted that this matter must not be disclosed to outsiders."

An Junxi breathed a sigh of relief, that demon was really dead.

She remembered Gu Kuangxia telling her that it wasn’t him who wanted their lives, it was his partner who wanted to exterminate them completely.

Who exactly was that person, and why would they target her family?

He took such a big risk to help Gu Kuangxia return to the country. They must have made some deal, one of which was her death.

Gu Kuangxia certainly wasn’t easy to negotiate with. He wanted to keep them as leverage to negotiate with Gu Yikun.

There is a possibility that Gu Kuangxia and that person appeared to be partners but were in fact harboring their own suspicions and didn’t trust each other. Gu Kuangxia didn’t follow the partner’s orders to kill her, wanting to keep her for more, only to die in Yikun’s crossfire.

Back to the earlier point of doubt, An Junxi had a bold hypothesis floating in her mind: Why would Liu Zhiwen think she was dead unless Liu Zhiwen had some connection to Gu Kuangxia? Or, she was the person who had always wanted to harm her.

An Junxi drank several sips of hot water to suppress the chill in her heart. Could it be? That considerate girl was actually a ruthless killer? What was her objective?

If it were true, Liu Zhiwen had indeed hidden it very well.

An Junxi calmed herself down. Although everything was speculation, Liu Zhiwen’s reaction just now made her suspicious. The most important thing now was to find evidence.

That person caused her to leave Yikun, prevented her from attending Seventh Uncle’s funeral, and forced her and her parents to live on an island in exile for two years. Ai Xi’s first time calling someone dad could only recognize Yikun’s face through a magazine cover. Ai Xi didn’t even understand what a father was, thinking it was just a fun title to call.

The suffering she endured in those two years couldn’t be explained in a few words.

If she ever found out who the culprit was, she would repay it tenfold personally!

The cold light in An Junxi’s eyes scared Zhang Miaoyan, who tugged at Gong Xiaoyu’s clothes. Gong Xiaoyu was also a little panicked.

She cautiously asked An Junxi, "Jun Xi, where have you been these two years, what exactly happened?"

An Junxi snapped back to reality and said, "Things are too complicated. I’ll explain to you slowly in the future."

Zhang Miaoyan nodded and whispered to Gong Xiaoyu, "Let’s not push her for now."

Gong Xiaoyu had a pile of questions in her mind, but since Zhang Miaoyan had said so, she didn’t press further, "Alright, if there’s anything we can help with, just let us know."

An Junxi asked Zhang Miaoyan, "Miaoyan, what position do you hold in the HR department now?"

"Supervisor, practically the same as a manager."

An Junxi gripped her hand tightly, "Is there a vacancy at Wanling Entertainment? I want to join." To find evidence, she had to take the initiative; she couldn’t be passive anymore.

Before, the enemy was in the dark while she was in the open. Now she wanted to change the game.