The Protagonist 'Gong' Became my Wife - Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Giving Up the Mission? (Includes Mini-Theater)

Early the next morning, a piercing phone ring woke Jiang Yanning. He reached out, fumbled for his phone, and brought it to his ear without looking.

“Hello?”

His throat was so overused he could barely make a sound; Jiang Yanning coughed softly. The vibration of his chest caused Gu Zhuo to regain a sliver of consciousness.

“Who is it? Calling so early?”

Jiang Yanning scrambled to cover the phone, but he was a step too late. On the other end, Jiang You’an sounded as if he had received a massive shock, his voice trembling.

“Brother? Brother, you and him? You guys…?”

Jiang Yanning closed his eyes helplessly, explaining with his wrecked voice, “This isn’t your business. Why are you calling? Is there something you don’t understand about the documents again?”

During this time, Jiang You’an had been studying under Jiang Yanning. Most of the time, Jiang Yanning stayed at his own company while Jiang You’an stayed at the Jiang family’s company. If there were issues, Jiang You’an would video call and follow Jiang Yanning’s instructions. After studying for so long, Jiang Yanning felt Jiang You’an shouldn’t have many major problems left.

On the other end, Jiang You’an composed himself and said guiltily, “It’s not me, it’s the old man. He mentioned yesterday that the Mid-Autumn Festival is coming and wants you to come back for a meal.”

Jiang Yanning agreed. “Don’t worry, I’ll go back to see him.”

But it wouldn’t be during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Because the “Old Man” Jiang never considered Jiang Yanning a part of a “family reunion.”

After hanging up, before Jiang Yanning could feel any melancholy, Gu Zhuo moved closer.

“Gege, I want to go back with you too.” To see how that old fogey bullies you.

Jiang Yanning arched an eyebrow. “I never intended to leave you behind anyway.”

…

Jiang Yanning chose a day when Gu Zhuo had fewer classes to return to the old family mansion. The Jiang family mansion was very large, but very few people lived there. Jiang Yanning’s mother and Jiang You’an’s biological mother had both passed away here. Jiang Yanning had moved out, and Jiang You’an didn’t want to stay either. Only Father Jiang and a few elderly servants remained.

The moment Jiang Yanning stepped inside, he felt a chill run through his body. Especially when meeting the eyes of Father Jiang sitting in the main seat, he felt a wave of discomfort. He forcibly suppressed the urge to turn around and leave, holding Gu Zhuo’s hand as they walked in.

“Why did you call me back?”

Father Jiang didn’t answer him. He simply used those cloudy eyes to stare fixedly at Gu Zhuo. Had it been anyone else, they might have hidden behind Jiang Yanning, but Gu Zhuo showed no fear, returning the gaze calmly.

After a long silence, Father Jiang spoke unhurriedly. “You are indeed different; no wonder he took a liking to you.”

Was he complimenting him? Gu Zhuo felt it wasn’t that simple. Sure enough, with the next sentence, Father Jiang started seeking death.

“But I know what people like you want. Do you like money? I can give it to you, but you must leave him!”

Gu Zhuo was almost moved to laughter from anger. He reached out to stop the furious Jiang Yanning and asked directly, “How much can you give?”

A flash of mockery appeared in Father Jiang’s eyes as he pushed a pre-prepared check across the table. Gu Zhuo picked it up to look at.

A mere ten million?

He tucked it away without hesitation. Meeting Jiang Yanning’s panicked gaze, he shook his head calmly.

“Old man, this is far too little. It’s not even as much as the pocket change Yanning gives me. I’ll take the money, but if you called us here just for this, then we’ll be leaving now.”

Gu Zhuo turned to leave, and Jiang Yanning naturally followed. Behind them came Father Jiang’s out-of-breath roar.

“Jiang Yanning! If you dare bring this poor kid home, don’t you ever come looking for me again!” “Li Chuan has been abandoned; you are the one with the best hope of marrying Li Xianyue! This is the best opportunity for our Jiang family to rise!” “Jiang Yanning! Stand still! If I knew you’d be this unfilial back then, I should have killed you sooner!”

The shouting gradually faded. Jiang Yanning didn’t stop his pace; by the end, he was practically pulling Gu Zhuo along as they ran. It wasn’t until they were in the car that he looked dazed, breaking out in a cold sweat as if recalling something terrifying.

Gu Zhuo gripped his hand firmly, pulling back his attention. “Gege, what’s wrong? I scammed him out of ten million; you aren’t unhappy, are you?”

Jiang Yanning blurted out, “How could I be? I’m very happy. I… I stopped considering him a father long ago.”

He took a few deep breaths, and as if making a mental preparation, he lifted a corner of his shirt. On his abdomen was a hideous scar, still clear after many years; one could imagine how horrific the wound had been.

“This was left three years ago. Since then, I no longer consider that man my father.”

Three years ago the second year after Li Tong’s death Li Chuan had disguised himself well, making everyone believe he had moved past his sister’s death. Thus, he was allowed to leave the house to see Jiang Yanning. Back then, Jiang Yanning was naive, thinking their relationship could return to how it was, so he foolishly followed him around.

That day, Li Chuan suggested going mountain climbing. Jiang You’an was still small and liked to cling to Jiang Yanning, so he wanted to tag along. Li Chuan didn’t stop him. But at the foot of the mountain, all three were kidnapped.

The kidnappers tied Jiang Yanning and Jiang You’an in one room and sent a message to Father Jiang. If the ransom wasn’t paid within a day, they would kill the hostages. The ransom for one person was ten million.

In that dark room, Jiang Yanning was trembling with fear but remembered to hold Jiang You’an and comfort him. But upon hearing Father Jiang’s words, his heart turned cold, as if falling into an ice cellar.

“I’ll only give you ten million. Just give me the younger one. Do whatever you want with the older one.”

The room’s soundproofing was too poor; Jiang Yanning easily learned the truth of his abandonment, his teeth chattering. Jiang You’an had a fever, muddledly snuggling into his brother’s arms. Jiang Yanning held his small hand but ultimately did nothing, allowing the kidnappers to send Jiang You’an back.

Because Jiang Yanning couldn’t get the money, the kidnappers didn’t dare kill him yet, and Father Jiang hadn’t called the police. Jiang Yanning stayed hungry, alone in the small dark room, locked up for another three days. During those days, no matter how many times the kidnappers called, Father Jiang refused to pay for him, even stating that no matter what they did to him, he wouldn’t mind. Consequently, Jiang Yanning even received a few sympathetic looks from the kidnappers.

By the fourth day, he couldn’t hold on anymore; Father Jiang was determined to abandon him. He had to save himself. Dragging his weak body, he managed to block the attacks of four strong kidnappers simultaneously. As long as he had a breath left, he would crawl back up and rush for the door. This time, he touched the door handle.

At the same time, a knife was plunged into his abdomen. Fearing he would report them to the police upon returning, a kidnapper stabbed him in a fit of rage. The moment he fell, the door was kicked open from the outside. Several police officers rushed in and subdued the kidnappers. It was Jiang You’an who, after returning, begged Father Jiang to call the police.

Due to excessive blood loss, Jiang Yanning slowly lost consciousness. Before fainting, he saw Jiang You’an hugging Father Jiang’s leg, crying and shouting for him to save his brother. He didn’t know what happened after that. In short, Jiang Yanning survived. After a few days in the hospital, he was taken away by his grandfather to Country M. Shortly after, Grandfather investigated the truth: that group of kidnappers had been found by Li Chuan.

In the year Jiang Yanning turned twenty-five, he encountered many betrayals. The one who hurt him most was his biological father.

“So, from then on, I treated him as a stranger. You don’t need to pay him any mind.”

Gu Zhuo blinked slowly, his cool fingers sliding back and forth along the scar. “It must have hurt a lot, Gege.”

Jiang Yanning froze. “It probably did. I don’t really remember.”

Gu Zhuo didn’t speak, extending his spiritual power to scan the entire wound. He formed a rough impression in his mind and quickly matched it to a similar pain deep in his memories. He had suffered many injuries himself. The first time he entered the Colosseum, he had a similar wound on his abdomen. He wasn’t eligible for a medical pod and had to rely on his Alpha physique to heal himself. Looking back, it was nothing. But the moment he thought about Jiang Yanning experiencing the same pain, he couldn’t suppress his murderous intent.

He withdrew his hand, his tone returning to normal. “Gege, I should go see your grandfather; he is your real family. As for this old man, we don’t need to see him ever again.”

Jiang Yanning naturally nodded. “What a coincidence, Grandfather also said he wanted to see you. Mid-Autumn Festival is in a few days; shall we go to Country M?”

Seeing Gu Zhuo looking forward to it, Jiang Yanning habitually rubbed his hair. As the car pulled away from the old mansion, the glass window reflected Gu Zhuo’s eyes utterly cold.

77, in the original plot, how long did that old man live?77 searched the plot tremblingly.Host, he lived quite a long time, another ten-plus years.Gu Zhuo snorted.Evil people live for a thousand years.Host! Just ignore irrelevant people! If you take action, this small world will collapse. I beg you to show mercy and let me off!77 was going crazy, fearing Gu Zhuo wouldn’t listen and would go assassinate the man at night.Oh right, Host, I can provide you with a list. Aren’t you going to see Jiang Yanning’s grandfather? If you buy according to this, you definitely won’t go wrong!

Gu Zhuo’s expression softened slightly as he leaned back and closed his eyes.Send it to me.

Jiang Yanning, who was driving, had no idea what 77 was going through. From time to time, he glanced at Gu Zhuo sleeping in the sunlight, and the corners of his lips couldn’t help but turn up. Thoughts flew through his mind: He’s so good-looking, Grandfather will definitely like him.

…

The day before going abroad, Gu Zhuo was putting clothes into his suitcase. Unfortunately, for every piece he put in, 77 threw one out. Seeing Gu Zhuo’s dark expression, 77 gathered its courage to glare back.

Host, you’re a liar! I thought you were only going for a day or two, so I didn’t stop you. Now you’re saying you’re going for over half a month? I won’t allow it!Gu Zhuo refolded the clothes.Why do I need your permission? Because I need to finish the mission? But you forgot, we’ve already gone through all the available plot points.77 was silent, then burst into tears.Waaaah! What do I do! The completion rate is less than 60%! My first mission is going to fail!Gu Zhuo shrugged. Tell you what, I’ll try my best to help you finish the first mission if you help me with a favor. How about it?What is your favorite?

Gu Zhuo told it the answer through his actions: it was forcibly shut down by his spiritual power!

This shutdown lasted for two months. When it was turned back on, Gu Zhuo and Jiang Yanning had just gotten off a Ferris wheel abroad. Both of their lips were red and swollen; anyone with eyes could see what they had experienced up there. But 77 couldn’t care about that anymore. Its program ran at high speed, integrating the information from the past two months into its database.

The next second, it let out a sharp “sonic boom” scream. Gu Zhuo frowned, regretting letting it out, and flicked it away. Not far away, Jiang Yanning walked over after finishing a call, his eyes full of smiles.

“Xiao Zhuo, Wen Xiyu and Gu Xiao are together now. They plan to invite us for a gathering tomorrow. When do you want to head back?” Gu Zhuo: “…Anytime.” He looked as if he had suffered a major blow, his smile forced. Jiang Yanning wanted to ask more, but Gu Zhuo diverted his attention.

On the way back, 77 was more serious than ever. 【Host, the plot completion rate is less than 60%, and there are only two months left on the timeline. If you can’t complete any single task within two months, you won’t be able to be resurrected. Please don’t take any chances. If the mission fails, you will also die in this world. You must make a choice.】

Gu Zhuo fell silent. Jiang Yanning, on the other hand, was in a great mood, using the flight time to handle work and asking his assistant to prepare gifts. From time to time, he would lean over to Gu Zhuo and hold his hand.

After getting off the plane, the two went straight to their destination, a newly built hot spring resort. When they arrived, everyone else was already there. Gu Zhuo observed carefully: except for Qi Chi, Li Chuan, and He Wenyun, the five gongs (attackers) were all present. It was convenient for completing the mission. His target was Wen Shi.

During dinner, the atmosphere was perfect. Ji Zenan brought several bottles of good wine, eager for everyone to taste. As Wen Xiyu’s brother, Wen Shi also sat at the table, taking a few symbolic sips. Gu Zhuo had 77 keep an eye on him. Seeing him leave the table early, Gu Zhuo followed quietly.

Gu Zhuo’s movements were swift: knock him out, lay him down, search him. He found nothing. But as he opened the room door, he ran into Jiang Yanning, who had been standing there for who-knows-how-long.

Gu Zhuo reflexively threw a hypnosis skill at him. However, Jiang Yanning’s expression grew even uglier. He forced a smile, his eyes filled with sadness and helplessness.

“Is this your purpose for getting close to me? What do you want to get from them? Gu Zhuo, or perhaps I should call you… Ding You?”