Becoming the Caged Canary of a Forced Love - Chapter 19

“Ahem—”

Xiao Yuan cleared his throat, attempting to sweep away the previous awkwardness. He picked up a file bag sitting nearby, opened it, and pulled out a stack of documents, handing them to Pei Jichuan.

Pei Jichuan casually set aside his book and took the materials to look through them.

“This is everything that could be investigated,” Xiao Yuan said, propping his chin up with one hand on the desk.

“Lin Nuo’s father was previously a police officer. During an international smuggling case, he shot and killed a drug dealer. That dealer happened to be the younger brother of Li Yong, a minor leader of the ‘Black Crow’ organization in Country F. The two sides essentially formed a blood feud.”

Xiao Yuan paused, but Pei Jichuan continued to flip through the documents, seemingly absorbed.

“Later, his father took a leisure post back in their hometown due to a work injury. When Lin Nuo was just born, Li Yong sent people to cause trouble it seems they snatched something away. However, too much time has passed, and surveillance wasn’t well-developed back then, so it’s nearly impossible to trace. Now that his parents are gone, Lin Nuo has become Li Yong’s new target.”

Xiao Yuan shifted his posture, slumping back against the chair.

“Heh, though I bet he never imagined in his wildest dreams that Lin Nuo is currently here with you, under your protection,” Xiao Yuan let out a low, heavy chuckle.

Pei Jichuan’s eyes darkened, a flash of murderous intent flitting through his gaze. He sank into thought for a moment as if realizing something, and his brow furrowed.

“I heard that Black Crow has some connection with the Tianyu Group?” Pei Jichuan asked seriously.

Xiao Yuan wasn’t surprised; he replied nonchalantly, “Black Crow is the largest underworld organization in Country F, and Tianyu is the largest financial conglomerate there. They’ve coexisted peacefully for so many years who would believe they don’t have mutual interests?”

Xiao Yuan reached into the stack of documents, pulled out a single sheet, and handed it to Pei Jichuan.

“This is some of the information we found on Black Crow. It was originally a family-inherited organization, but the newly appointed leader is Gu Congnan’s adopted son. No one knows how long he plotted before killing Gu Congnan to take the throne. He then purged Gu Congnan’s followers with thunderous efficiency. However, this new person in power has never appeared in public; there isn’t even a clear photo of him. He’s been keeping a very low profile these past two years, almost as if he’s vanished.”

Xiao Yuan scratched his head, pondered for a second, and added, “This guy hasn’t left any information behind. All we know is that he’s quite young only in his twenties and he seems to be named… Gu Nian?”

Pei Jichuan’s hand paused while flipping through the pages. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

He felt that the name was strangely familiar for some reason.

He looked over the profile of Li Yong. This man was indeed a perpetrator of every imaginable evil, but he actually dared to lay a hand on Lin Nuo.

Pei Jichuan carelessly rubbed the corner of the document, his eyes brimming with lethal intent. This man must die.

Xiao Yuan swung his legs boredly. He naturally understood his friend’s thoughts; Li Yong’s fate was already sealed. It was just that the Black Crow side was a bit troublesome…

However, the things giving Xiao Yuan a headache didn’t stop at just one.

“This investigation also inadvertently uncovered a major event.” Xiao Yuan leaned back and sighed helplessly.

“Hmm?” Pei Jichuan looked up, returning a questioning glance.

“My ‘cheap’ old man didn’t he marry a young master from Country F? He’s hidden it quite well all these years, never bringing the person back to the country once. I originally thought it was because he didn’t want to face the family’s criticism, but I didn’t expect…”

Xiao Yuan suddenly sat bolt upright, gritting his teeth as he continued, “That marriage partner is actually the biological brother of Gu Congnan, the previous boss of Black Crow!”

This news was like a sudden bolt of thunder; Pei Jichuan’s expression instantly became extremely grim.

“Are you certain?” Pei Jichuan asked, his brow tightly knit.

Although the major groups had many collaborations and shared interests on the surface, they were still competitors in reality. In particular, the Xiao family’s pharmaceutical group was in a fierce battle with the pharmaceutical groups of Country F. If this relationship led to the leak of any important secrets, it would absolutely cause economic instability in Country Z.

The smile on Xiao Yuan’s face had long since vanished. He said through gritted teeth, “I am absolutely certain!”

He roughly ran a hand through his hair and spoke again: “The year before last, the Old Lady made me go to Country F to visit him. I saw that man. You know my father basically doesn’t return to the country now. It was only recently while investigating Black Crow and seeing Gu Congnan’s photo that I confirmed it. The two brothers look identical!”

Xiao Yuan slumped back dejectedly. “I suspect they are twins. However, their builds are somewhat different; this one is significantly more frail and scholarly than Gu Congnan.”

Xiao Yuan paused, picked up the teacup on the desk, and took two large gulps.

“But after all these years, it hasn’t caused any chaos. It seems my old man still has a brain; he probably hasn’t leaked the group’s secrets.”

The situation was unexpected, but fortunately, the problem wasn’t catastrophic. Since they had been at peace for years, Pei Jichuan wasn’t interested in other family secrets—but Li Yong had to be dealt with. He would not allow any threat to Lin Nuo’s life to exist.

“You’d better have someone keep an eye on your father’s side. Although Gu Congnan was overthrown, there’s no guarantee that some old loyalists aren’t still following him. However, the fact that your father could stay in Country F for so many years proves he has the ability to keep things in check.”

Pei Jichuan lowered his head, staring at the Black Crow files.

“This Black Crow is not to be trifled with… there isn’t a business they won’t touch.”

Li Yong must die. As for the Black Crow organization, there is nothing that cannot be resolved with tangible benefits.

A cold glint flashed in Pei Jichuan’s eyes.

Xiao Yuan smoothed out his crumpled clothes and let out a long sigh.

“That Jiang Wensu—what’s the situation between you two? After what happened with your father, can Old Lady Xiao really accept it?” Pei Jichuan suddenly spoke up, asking the question weighing on his mind.

Xiao Yuan chuckled twice and replied calmly, “There’s no other way. With my father as a precedent, Grandmother seems to have already mentally prepared herself.”

“You don’t know, Jichuan. I fell in love with him at first sight. Do you believe in love at first sight?”

Xiao Yuan suddenly slapped the table.

“The first time I saw him was at a concert. The moment he appeared, he was so stunning I forgot my own last name! There was only one voice in my heart: I must have him!”

Xiao Yuan clenched his fist, a burst of uncontrollable fanaticism erupting in his eyes.

“Ahem…”

Perhaps realizing he had lost his composure, Xiao Yuan coughed lightly into his fist.

Pei Jichuan wasn’t surprised at all, because he felt the same way the first time he saw Lin Nuo. Except, a voice would occasionally rise in his heart: Hide him away, don’t let anyone find him. From now on, Lin Nuo belongs only to Pei Jichuan.

Just as Pei Jichuan was about to ask further details, there was a sudden knock on the door.

Xiao Yuan looked over in confusion. He had clearly instructed that they were not to be disturbed.

Gu Nian stood at the door and raised a hand to knock gently. Jiang Wensu’s words had clearly been polished; he had deliberately hidden many things.

It was still the same boring, old-fashioned “love at first sight” drama, but Gu Nian’s intuition told him that Jiang Wensu was unwilling.

What “love at first sight”? It was nothing more than lust at first sight.

A sharp light flashed in Gu Nian’s dark eyes. This person can be used.

It was already 12:00 sharp. Living life a second time, he wouldn’t allow anything to interfere with his health. The body is the capital of revolution; at lunchtime, one must eat!

“What is it?” Xiao Yuan called out, turning his head in confusion.

Hearing the response, Gu Nian opened the door directly. He accurately pinpointed Pei Jichuan’s position.

Gu Nian held up his phone, the screen displaying the time.

“It’s 12 o’clock. I’m hungry,” Gu Nian said decisively with a stoic little face.

Pei Jichuan was stunned. He had been so focused on the discussion that he forgot to check the time. He turned his gaze toward Xiao Yuan.

Xiao Yuan hurriedly stood up. “Oh, it’s my fault! I lost track of time. Let’s go, let’s go, time to eat. I specifically had the auntie prepare high-quality ingredients; you guys will definitely like it!”

As Xiao Yuan turned around, his eyes suddenly widened. He saw that Gu Nian was holding a book in his hand the very one he had just thrown away!

Gu Nian stared blankly at the book. Just now, as he took a step forward, he saw a book on the floor. He picked it up to take a look.

What to Do When a Sow Won’t Mate?

Gu Nian’s mind was instantly filled with question marks. Was the Pei family going bankrupt? Had they switched careers to pig farming?