Chapter 40

“Bring Ji Cheng to City A. Since Gu Ziyu is supporting him from behind, let him make contact,” Lu Zhiyuan’s voice was icy. “If Gu Ziyu doesn’t give up his attack on Black Hawk, inform… Third Master. We can only protect either Gu Ci or Gu Ziyu.”

“Yes, sir!”

After leaving the study, Li Jiang disposed of the documents in the shredder. In the side mirror, Lu Zhiyuan caught a glimpse of himself, his lips bruised. He touched the corner of his mouth, his gaze dark and brooding.

Downstairs, Gu Ci and Gu Ziyu were having dinner together, but Lu Zhiyuan did not join them.

“Should we call Dad to come down for dinner?”

“Oh, he’s probably been avoiding me lately,” Gu Ci calmly ate her meal.

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“Why?”

“Maybe he’s shy!” After all, with such an embarrassing incident, Lu Zhiyuan would surely avoid her.

Gu Ziyu had a lingering doubt in his mind but didn’t say much. “Mom, is tomorrow the day when the college entrance exam results are released? Which university did you get into?”

“In my previous life, my exam scores were erased, so I’m not sure. But I can make an estimate, and I think I did alright.”

“But weren’t you a poor student? Can you really make an accurate estimate?” Gu Ziyu questioned.

“Darling, how could your mother, who gave birth to a son as intelligent as you, be a poor student?” Gu Ci chuckled.

“But didn’t I inherit from Dad?” Gu Ziyu pondered for a moment. “Besides intelligence, I feel like I’m nothing like him.”

Gu Ci burst into laughter. After finishing her dinner, she scrolled through her social media feed and suddenly came across a post from Qiao Yamei. It was a group photo featuring Qiao Yamei, Chen Ying, Gu Chuyun, and Zhang Xin. They were known as the “Four Princesses of City A” on social platforms, famous for their wealth and beauty. The photo was taken at the Lu family’s residence, and Gu Ci recognized the phoenix tree in their yard.

Gu Ci glanced at the date and her expression changed slightly. Tonight was the day when Zhou Jinjin had her accident. Amidst all the chaos she had experienced since her rebirth, she had almost forgotten about it. Tonight was also the night of Xu Tingting’s birthday banquet, while Lu Shijie remained in detention awaiting his sentence. To compensate for Xu Tingting, Lu Ze had organized a lavish birthday celebration at the Lu residence.

It was during this birthday banquet that Zhou Jinjin had her accident and became a vegetative state. Three years later, she was declared brain dead and her death was pronounced. Zhou Jinjin was Gu Ci’s only friend.

As Gu Ci descended the stairs, she called Lu Zhiyuan. The phone rang for ten times without anyone picking up, furrowing Gu Ci’s brows. Normally, Lu Zhiyuan would answer her call instantly unless he was in training. Just as she was about to hang up, the call connected.

“Lu Zhiyuan, I want to go to the Lu residence. Can you accompany me?” Gu Ci asked.

“Training!” Lu Zhiyuan’s response was concise and his voice was colder and more somber than usual.

“Fine then.”

Gu Ci knew that the training of an F1 race car driver was extremely demanding. With the June race just ten days away, scheduled to be held in Country M, Lu Zhiyuan had a heavy training workload. As she descended the stairs after ending the call, she was met by Li Jiang who was waiting for her.

“Miss Gu Ci, I will accompany you to the Lu residence. It’s an order from Master Lu,” Li Jiang said.

“Okay.” Gu Ci didn’t refuse and casually asked, “You used to call him ‘Third Young Master’, when did it change to ‘Master’?”

Li Jiang’s expression changed slightly. “Those who give orders are addressed as ‘Master’.”

Gu Ci didn’t dwell on it and proceeded to call Zhou Jinjin. Zhou Jinjin had always been at the top of her friend circle. Recently, they had a disagreement over a trivial matter and were in a silent battle, both refusing to back down. Gu Ci’s thoughts had been focused on Lu Zhiyuan and Gu Ziyu since her rebirth, causing her to forget about Zhou Jinjin.

“Li Jiang, drive faster!”

“Alright!”

Li Jiang accelerated, but Zhou Jinjin didn’t answer any of Gu Ci’s three calls. Li Jiang asked, “Miss Gu Ci, what are you going to the Lu residence for? Lu Shijie is still in custody awaiting trial, and the Chairman cares about his reputation. He won’t be sentenced.”

Gu Ci no longer cared about Lu Shijie’s situation. “It’s fine, he can’t escape.”

If Lu Shijie were to be released and cause trouble again, he would inevitably get entangled with the people from the Black Hawk Group. Gu Ci also wanted to know who was helping him and expose that person, so that Gu Ziyu could be at ease.

The Lu family banquet was a grand affair with luxury and elegance. The engagement banquet held by the Lu family was in a different league. The guests in attendance were all wealthy and influential individuals. It was well-known that Lu Ze favored Lu Zhiyuan, so when it came to Lu Shijie and Gu Chuyun’s engagement banquet, it couldn’t be held at the Lu residence. Lu Ze was too preoccupied with Lu Zhiyuan and intentionally suppressed Lu Shijie.

With Li Jiang’s presence, it was easy for Gu Ci to enter the Lu residence. The Lu residence was a large five-story European-style mansion with a vast estate. The party was taking place on the lawn, and the atmosphere was lively.

Gu Ci immediately caught people’s attention as she entered the venue. She had become the talk of high society recently. The friends of Gu Chuyun, who had spent over a decade berating her as the illegitimate daughter of a mistress, were now stunned to realize that she was the legitimate heiress of the Gu family.

However, it seemed that their group of friends had conveniently forgotten about this fact. Even though Gu Ci was now recognized as a young lady of the Gu family, it didn’t change the fact that the Gu family was under the control of Lu Man and Gu Wenliang. She still had nothing

To many people, Gu Ci was still an orphan. The attitude of the Jiang family was not easily discernible to outsiders, but Old Madam Jiang still doted on Gu Chuyun. Tonight, Gu Chuyun wore a set of emerald jewelry, which belonged to Old Madam Jiang. As soon as she arrived, she made sure to inform her group of friends that it was a gift from her grandmother. It was a way of telling everyone that even if the truth about her false status as the phoenix and the true identity of Gu Ci were exposed, it wouldn’t affect her. The twenty years of favoritism from her grandmother had long nurtured a deep bond between them.

Gu Ci’s sudden appearance at the banquet alone was very intriguing. Many people were waiting to see her make a fool of herself. Jiang Junlin’s best friend sent him a text message.

The lively atmosphere of the banquet seemed to come to a halt as Gu Ci entered. She stood out amidst the glamorous ladies, creating a stark contrast.

“Look at what Gu Ci is wearing. How embarrassing!”

“Oh my, is she trying to be funny? Coming to the Lu family’s banquet dressed like that, she clearly has no regard for the Lu family.”

“Lu Man has truly spoiled Gu Ci. Even if their identities were swapped, it’s still undeniable that Gu Chuyun and Gu Ci are worlds apart.”

While others whispered and gossiped, Gu Ci paid no attention. Her gaze scanned the room in search of Zhou Jinjin’s figure.

Chen Ying sneered, “Gu Ci, don’t you have enough money to buy a decent gown? Even the waitstaff here is dressed better than you. It’s truly embarrassing.”

Gu Chuyun, in her expensive custom-made dress, looked down on Gu Ci with arrogance. Tonight, she appeared under pressure to remind everyone that her identity and status remained unchanged.

Even if their identities were swapped, it would still only highlight her as the proud swan while Gu Ci remained the ugly duckling.

“Gu Ci, you’re being so rude,” Gu Chuyun covered her mouth and laughed. “No wonder, you’ve never attended a banquet before. I’ll teach you the proper etiquette next time.”

Her group of girlfriends beside her also reveled in schadenfreude.

“Even if you wore an imperial robe, you still wouldn’t look like a crown prince,” Gu Ci sneered. “You’re just a sorry excuse, pretending to be a princess.”

Gu Chuyun’s expression turned ugly.

Gu Wenliang stormed over angrily, “What are you doing? Don’t you feel shame? Go back home immediately.”