Becoming the Caged Canary of a Forced Love - Chapter 33

Gu Nian rested his chin on his hands, watching Pei Jichuan eat.

In a prestigious family like the Pei’s, dining etiquette was something drilled into them by specialists from a young age. However, ever since meeting Lin Nuo, Pei Jichuan had tossed all such decorum to the wind. Even while eating, his eyes remained fixed intently on Gu Nian.

Gu Nian smiled softly and reached out to wipe a trace of sauce from the corner of the man’s mouth. Pei Jichuan’s breath hitched. No matter how many times he saw this face, he was consistently captivated by it; from that single glance amidst the explosions of his childhood, this image had been deeply seared into his heart.

Zhou Yi’s reaction was a bit strange, Gu Nian thought, maintaining his submissive persona while his mind raced. He had never seen Zhou Yi lose control of his emotions like that, except… for that time he had refused to marry the daughter of another conglomerate.

Gu Nian pondered it deeply and could only conclude that Zhou Yi was simply overexcited to see him “returned from the dead.” He looked back at Pei Jichuan; the man’s face was indeed very much to his taste.

Pei Jichuan finished his meal and lowered his head to tidy himself. His deep eyes were full of Gu Nian’s reflection. Despite the vast disparity in their backgrounds, the man offered a rare, genuine affection amidst the world of power and wealth. Next year, they would travel to Country F to marry and become a legal couple.

Gu Nian tilted his head. Country F was his home turf. He wondered just how large a piece of the Pei family’s massive commercial empire a “legal wife” could tear away after her husband’s death.

Pei Jichuan was adjusting his clothes when he felt Gu Nian’s suddenly intense gaze. He looked up. Seeing him look back, Gu Nian’s lips curved into a brilliant, radiant smile.

“Stop the car.”

Little Wang jolted and slammed on the brakes. He looked cautiously toward Gu Nian in the backseat. “Young Master, what’s wrong?”

Gu Nian’s head was turned, his eyes fixed on a shop by the roadside: Anstel Coffee.

“Wait for me here a moment. I’m going to buy some pastries.” Gu Nian lightly licked the corner of his mouth.

He had sent a message to Zhou Yi the previous night to meet at this café at this specific time. Lately, he had been delivering lunch to Pei Jichuan every day; today, he had purposefully left a little early.

Little Wang looked inside the café. Although it was only ten in the morning, the shop was already more than half-full. Logically, since this commercial street was surrounded by offices, there shouldn’t be this many people at this hour. There was even a long queue at the counter.

“Young Master, it’s too crowded. Why don’t you tell me what you want and I’ll buy it for you?” Little Wang suggested considerately.

Gu Nian raised an eyebrow and turned back. His pitch-black eyes were so cold they made one’s skin crawl. “No need. I’ll go myself. Just wait in the car.” With that, Gu Nian pulled open the door and stepped out.

Little Wang wanted to argue further, but Gu Nian’s gaze cut him off, leaving his throat tight.

Gu Nian didn’t enter the shop immediately. He turned back to Little Wang and said, “Move the car forward a bit. Don’t block the entrance.”

Little Wang complied and restarted the engine, moving the car slowly forward. Gu Nian watched for a moment before turning to enter the shop. The second he stepped inside, several customers suddenly stood up and crowded the counter area, chatting and blocking the view.

Gu Nian scanned the room warily. He looked through the window at the car not far away. A few customers moved to the window to arrange their desserts for photos, creating a visual barrier. Gu Nian used the gap to head straight for the back.

He pushed open a door to the inner staff area. The employees continued their work as if he were invisible. He approached a wall in the corner where there was a hidden door; without looking closely, one would assume it was just a plain wall usually obscured by storage racks.

Gu Nian pushed the door open forcefully and entered. The hidden door was thick and made of specialized materials even if someone tapped on it, they wouldn’t realize there was a space inside.

Zhou Yi had been waiting for a long time. The moment Gu Nian entered, he stood up in excitement. He took two steps forward, his hands lifting as if to embrace him, but he suddenly froze in place. He remembered that Gu Nian detested unnecessary physical contact. He slowly withdrew his arms and nervously fiddled with the hem of his clothes.

Gu Nian, however, acted as if he hadn’t seen the gesture at all and sat down on the sofa.

“I’ve reviewed the intelligence. Be careful with Li Yong. He hasn’t survived in Black Crow this long by being a fool. If you can’t kill him in one shot, then keep him stabilized for now.”

His dark eyes looked straight at Zhou Yi, as if the man were merely an ordinary subordinate. Zhou Yi had gone to great lengths to disguise himself today, even covering his prominent blonde hair with a wig.

Gu Nian’s childhood had been nothing but slaughter; he had always been cold and ruthless, and the twisted people around him had gradually warped his psyche.

“Understood. I have people monitoring Li Yong. As for the things you wanted to investigate… this is all we’ve found so far.” Zhou Yi handed over the documents on the table.

Gu Nian took them, his eyes scanning ten lines at a time. He already knew most of the general information.

“Pei Jichuan appeared at an A-University social mixer as a philanthropic donor. Lin Nuo was one of the hosts for that mixer; that was likely their first meeting. Afterward, Pei Jichuan appeared frequently near A-University, seemingly looking for Lin Nuo. But after only a few times, he took Lin Nuo away directly, and the boy never returned.” Zhou Yi observed Gu Nian’s expression as he spoke.

Gu Nian kept his lips pressed thin, his face showing no emotion. He had already seen the details regarding Lin Nuo’s parents on the software Zhou Yi used.

“Regarding Lin Nuo’s parents… they indeed had twins. Right after Lin Nuo was born, Li Yong’s men came to cause trouble and snatched the other twin. This happened a long time ago; we only found out through Li Yong’s old subordinates. Because the child was taken so early, there was no time to register him, so Lin Nuo became an only child. As for that other child…”

Zhou Yi paused because Gu Nian had suddenly looked up, his sharp gaze piercing right through him. Even Zhou Yi, who controlled all of Tianyu, felt his spirit tremble under such a look.

He steadied his nerves and continued: “That child was likely you. Li Yong’s men handed you over to make up their recruitment quota, which is why you grew up in the rainforest.”

Part of Black Crow’s personnel consisted of child soldiers. They were gathered from all over the world and raised from a young age, fighting for their lives in secret bases deep in the rainforest. Only the elite survivors could enter Black Crow to serve the Gu family. He and Gu Nian were among those few.

Gu Nian lowered his head and flipped through the files. A low-pressure aura radiated from him—a sign of his foul mood. Zhou Yi sat on the opposite sofa with his back ramrod straight.

“How did they die?” Gu Nian asked in a low voice.

“They took a car to the Pei estate to find you. They were in a car accident on a small road. There were three people in the car: the driver and… your parents. They died instantly. There were no surveillance cameras near that stretch of road, making it difficult to investigate.”

“However,” Zhou Yi continued, his expression grim, “our people found that while the driver himself had no abnormalities, a massive sum of money was deposited into his wife’s account from two sources. We haven’t traced the origin of the funds yet, but we can be certain their deaths were no accident.”