Chapter 64

Luo Guodong had initially thought these people had come aggressively to cause trouble for his wife. But after he and his wife were each given a pill by a young woman, he found himself unable to move, while his wife seemed to be under some kind of mind control, answering every question asked of her.

At first, he suspected they were part of some criminal organization. But as he listened to their conversation with his wife, he suddenly realized there was a shocking secret hidden here—something about swapping babies, about a child dying young… His wife had even taken money from someone. No wonder she had so much money back when she wanted to open a supermarket!

How could his wife do something so immoral? Every child is precious to their parents. Not only was an innocent baby swapped, but the child who was brought in to replace him also died young. As parents, how could anyone accept such a cruel reality?

She shouldn’t have done it. Even if she was afraid of retaliation, she could have secretly informed Ms. Pei Yuanning. How could she have taken the money with a clear conscience and let Ms. Pei Yuanning be separated from her own child for over thirty years? Did she never have nightmares about it all these years?

Luo Guodong looked at his wife, her eyes vacant, and felt a deep sense of disappointment.

Shen Lihuan fed him the antidote, and Luo Guodong gradually regained his mobility. His previously straight posture hunched over, as if he had suddenly aged ten years. After a long silence, he spoke hoarsely, “My wife has wronged you. I will make her turn herself in.”

His father had been a soldier, and he had always taught him to be responsible and to have integrity. Luo Guodong had lived by that principle his entire life, never doing anything that would weigh on his conscience. Who would have thought that the woman he had shared a bed with for over thirty years would commit such an act?

Gu Qinglan saw the despair on his face and nodded. “It’s good if you’re willing to turn yourselves in. Either way, we’re taking this case to court!”

Even if Liang Fangqi didn’t turn herself in, the police would come for her eventually. Surrendering might at least reduce her sentence slightly.

As for Gu Xiujin and Luo Jiangyue—she wouldn’t let a single one of them off!

The pill Shen Lihuan had given Liang Fangqi only lasted for half an hour. Not long after they left, she gradually regained her senses.

Confused, she looked up and met her husband’s face, which was filled with anger and disappointment. Her body trembled uncontrollably. “What happened? I feel like I blacked out for a while. Where are those people? Did they leave?”

She glanced nervously around the hospital room and, seeing no one else present, let out a sigh of relief, assuming she had managed to get rid of them.

“You should turn yourself in,” Luo Guodong said suddenly.

“What did you say? Guodong, what are you telling me to do?”

Liang Fangqi’s heart pounded in panic. She stared at Luo Guodong in disbelief. “Say that again!”

“You should turn yourself in. Those people will definitely report this to the police. If you surrender now, you might be able to get a lighter sentence.”

Luo Guodong repeated himself, his voice filled with unwavering determination.

“What have I done that I need to turn myself in? Guodong, stop joking around!”

Liang Fangqi’s eyes darted around anxiously, and she unconsciously clutched the bedsheet tightly.

“I’m not joking. You just confessed to everything. You took someone else’s money and swapped their child. Do you realize the consequences of your actions? Even if you were scared at the time, you could have secretly told Ms. Pei Yuanning later when no one was around. But you didn’t. You never said a word.”

“For more than thirty years, you never even tried to tell Ms. Pei Yuanning the truth. How could you live with yourself after doing something so terrible? No wonder you had nightmares last night—this is your karma.”

Luo Guodong’s words drained the color from Liang Fangqi’s face. It was over. Everything was over. Now that the truth was out, her life was ruined.

“Go and turn yourself in. No matter how many years you’re sentenced to, I’ll wait for you to come out.”

He had spent a lifetime by her side, and even though she had done wrong, he wouldn’t abandon her.

“Guodong…” Liang Fangqi sobbed for a while, but seeing that Luo Guodong wouldn’t relent, she finally gave in. With people as wealthy and powerful as the ones who had just left, how could she possibly fight them?

She had no choice but to go to the police station and surrender.

—

After leaving the hospital, Gu Qinglan and the others headed straight to the police station to file a report. Even though the officers had seen all sorts of bizarre cases, they were still shocked to hear that Gu Xiujin had swapped his legitimate child with the child of his mistress, pulling off a classic “Prince and the Pauper” switch.

“Is this guy out of his mind? In ancient times, this would be the equivalent of favoring a concubine and destroying his legal wife!”

“Swapping out his own legitimate son for an illegitimate child—what kind of hatred must he have had to do something like that?”

The officers couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for Gu Tingyu and Gu Qinglan. Having a father like that was nothing short of a lifetime of bad luck.

—

Meanwhile, in his office, Gu Xiujin was reviewing documents when his assistant suddenly burst in, looking panicked.

Frowning in irritation, he asked, “What happened? Why are you so flustered?”

“Chairman, the police are here… They say they need to see you.”

The assistant looked nervously behind him. Following his gaze, Gu Xiujin saw several uniformed officers entering the room.

“Mr. Gu Xiujin?” A tall officer, holding a warrant, said sternly, “We’ve received a report that you were involved in child abduction. Please come with us to the station to assist in the investigation.”

“You must be joking. How could someone of my status be involved in child abduction?”

Gu Xiujin let out a laugh of disbelief. If he went with them now, his reputation would be ruined!

“I’m calling my lawyer. This is defamation!”

“Mr. Gu, please do not interfere with our investigation. Thirty-four years ago, you took Ms. Pei Yuanning’s newborn child. Your actions constitute a crime.”

The officer’s words made Gu Xiujin’s face change dramatically. How had this secret been exposed? It had been over thirty years—how could it still come to light?

“Please come with us. If you resist, we will be forced to take stronger measures.”

The officer warned him for the third time.

Gu Xiujin forced himself to stay calm. This matter could be considered big or small—after all, he was the child’s father, so what was wrong with taking his own child? Didn’t Tingyu still call him “Dad”? What difference did it make?

After thinking things through, Gu Xiujin brushed off his sleeve. “Fine, I’ll go with you.”

Then he turned to his assistant. “While I’m away, have President Lin take full charge of the company’s affairs.”

Lin Yixi was the general manager of Gu Corporation and handled most of the company’s operations. The assistant nodded blankly. “Understood.” Then, he watched as Gu Xiujin was taken away.

Oh my God. No wonder the name “Pei Yuanning” sounded so familiar—wasn’t that the name of Chairman Gu’s ex-wife? Back in the day, Pei Yuanning was a renowned dancer, often referred to as “The Orchid of the Secluded Valley” for her elegance and mesmerizing presence.

The assistant had even watched videos of her dancing when he was a kid. But how could Chairman Gu have taken his wife’s child? And wasn’t Pei Yuanning known to have only one daughter—the current young madam of the Shen family? Where did this second child come from? No matter how he thought about it, the assistant couldn’t make sense of it. At the same time, he started to worry about the company’s future. No matter how you looked at it, having the head of a corporation dragged into the police station was a terrible look.

With that thought, the assistant hurried to President Lin’s office.

—

News of Gu Xiujin and Luo Jiangyue being summoned to the police station spread quickly, as did the shocking revelation that Gu Tingyu was actually the legitimate son of Gu Xiujin’s ex-wife and the full-blooded younger brother of Gu Qinglan.

No one could believe it was true. If Gu Tingyu was Pei Yuanning’s son, then how had he ended up as Luo Jiangyue’s child?

Was it a case of mistaken identity? A mix-up?

Or did Luo Jiangyue deliberately swap her child with Pei Yuanning’s?

And if Luo Jiangyue was the one behind it, why was Gu Xiujin also taken to the police station?

Could it be that they had worked together?!

Curious onlookers flocked to Gu Qinglan and Gu Tingyu to ask about the situation. The siblings had no intention of covering for Gu Xiujin and Luo Jiangyue, so they answered bluntly: Gu Xiujin had lost his mind over a mistress and had knowingly swapped his dying illegitimate child with Gu Tingyu.

This explosive revelation didn’t just rock high society—it set the entire internet ablaze.

Online Discussion:

> “WTF, is Gu Xiujin out of his mind?! How could he give his legitimate wife’s child to a mistress to raise? How much must he have hated his wife and legitimate son? I’ve heard of illegitimate children replacing legitimate ones, but never the other way around!”

“If I were Gu Tingyu, I’d be sick to my stomach. He spent years calling the woman who stole his mother’s place ‘Mom’… what a nightmare.”

“Holy sh*t, this is the juiciest gossip of the year! Just imagine the psychological trauma for Gu Tingyu!”

“Psychological trauma? More like enough rage to tear Gu Xiujin and Luo Jiangyue apart! He was a legitimate heir who got downgraded to an illegitimate son, then had to endure years of ridicule. If he were the vengeful type, this would be his villain origin story!”

“Oh my god, this is so tragic. I heard Gu Tingyu and Gu Qinglan have had a terrible relationship for years. Gu Qinglan even left the capital for over a decade without ever contacting him. They’re real siblings but were forced to become enemies—how messed up is that?”

“Yeah, it must be awkward as hell. Before, Gu Tingyu was seen as Luo Jiangyue’s son. From Gu Qinglan’s perspective, he was just the mistress’s illegitimate child. Would you be kind to a homewrecker’s kid? And now, after all these years, they’re supposed to act like normal siblings? Impossible.”

“Gu Xiujin and Luo Jiangyue are a perfect match—scumbag and scheming b*tch, made for each other!”

“Gu Xiujin doesn’t deserve to be a father! He ruined Gu Tingyu’s entire life!”

“Damn, this is making me tear up. Gu Tingyu got completely screwed over by his own father. PS: I heard he’s 6’1″ and still single.”

“Wait, what? 6’1″ and handsome? Is this real?”

“It’s real! I’m a nobody at LY Corporation, but I’ve seen our CEO in person—absolute heartthrob with killer long legs. His aura is off the charts. The only downside is he’s ice-cold—I’ve never seen him smile even once.”

“AAAAAH! Why are CEOs from other companies always so hot?!”

“…Hey, why are we suddenly talking about how hot Gu Tingyu is? Weren’t we here to gossip?!”

“Oh right, back to the drama! Gu Tingyu is this good-looking, and Gu Xiujin still treated him like crap?! That old bastard better prepare to face the consequences!”

“…”

“…”

Heh, women.