Phoenix’s Revenge: The Business Battle

Chapter 9:Family Trust

Gu Wanqing’s mind felt as if it had been plunged into a cryogenic freeze, Shen’s father’s words echoing within her skull like a distorted, incessant hum. Each syllable resonated with the chilling precision of an icy blade, piercing the very core of her being. She stared, transfixed and incredulous, at the gaunt, weary figure before her, the man who had just confessed, with chilling candor, to orchestrating the very accident that had stolen Shen Xubai’s memories.

“Uncle… Uncle, what did you just say? Please… say it again,” Gu Wanqing’s voice wavered, a fragile whisper barely audible above the frantic thrumming of her own pulse. She desperately clung to the hope that she had misheard, that this was nothing more than a grotesque and terrifying nightmare from which she would soon awaken.

Shen’s father raised his gaze slowly, his eyes, pools of torment and remorse, meeting hers. “Wanqing,” he began, his voice low and heavy with the weight of his confession, “what I said is true. Xubai’s accident… it was no accident. I… I had it done.” The words, though spoken softly, landed on Gu Wanqing’s heart with the crushing impact of a colossal boulder.

Gu Wanqing stumbled backward, her face draining of all color, leaving it ashen and spectral. She could not fathom the depths of such paternal cruelty, the unimaginable act of a father inflicting such harm upon his own son. Was it merely because he disapproved of their relationship? The notion was so utterly bizarre, so devoid of any semblance of reason or humanity, that it bordered on the monstrous.

“Why? Uncle, please, tell me why! What have we done to deserve this? Why would you do this to us?” Gu Wanqing’s voice finally broke free, a torrent of unrestrained anguish and fury.

Shen’s father released a long, weary sigh, his eyes reflecting a profound sense of helplessness and exhaustion. “Wanqing, you cannot possibly understand. Our family… the Shen family… we carry burdens far too heavy for you to comprehend. Some stains, once they mark you, can never be washed away. I did not want Xubai to follow in my footsteps, to be consumed by the darkness that has haunted our lineage. I simply wanted him to have a life of peace and stability.”

“Peace and stability?” Gu Wanqing couldn’t help but scoff, a bitter, hollow sound that escaped her lips as tears streamed down her face, hot and relentless. “Is this your idea of peace and stability? To strip him of his memories, to obliterate the very essence of the person he loves, to leave him adrift in a void of nothingness? Do you truly believe that this is happiness for him?”

Shen’s father fell silent, his gaze fixed on the still, unconscious form of Shen Xubai in the hospital bed, his face a mask of profound suffering.

“I… I know it was a cruel thing to do, but… it was the only way I could think of,” Shen’s father confessed, his voice choked with emotion.

Gu Wanqing stared at him, her heart a churning vortex of disappointment and rage. She had initially perceived Shen’s father as a stern, traditional patriarch, perhaps overly protective of his son, but she had never imagined the darkness and twisted nature that resided within him.

“Uncle,” Gu Wanqing began, her voice trembling with indignation, “you speak of doing this for Xubai’s well-being, but did you ever once consider what he truly desires? Did it ever occur to you how devastating it would be for him to lose his memories, to have his past erased?” Her voice cracked, raw with emotion.

Shen’s father avoided Gu Wanqing’s accusatory gaze, his head bowed low, his voice heavy with a sense of grim finality as he murmured, “There are things you do not need to know yet, Wanqing. When everything is over, I will tell you.”

“Over? What will be over? What else do you intend to do?” A chilling premonition snaked its way into Gu Wanqing’s heart. She had a growing, unsettling feeling that Shen’s father’s machinations extended far beyond the mere erasure of Shen Xubai’s memories.

Shen’s father offered no reply, simply turning away, his gaze drifting towards the window. He stood there in silent contemplation, staring out at the overcast sky, his silhouette etched against the grey expanse, radiating an aura of profound weariness and the indelible marks of a life lived with regret.

Gu Wanqing knew that she would likely glean no further useful information from Shen’s father. With a monumental effort, she suppressed the tempest of fury and sorrow that threatened to consume her, turning and walking back to Shen Xubai’s bedside.

Gazing down at his still, unconscious form, Gu Wanqing’s heart felt as if it were being slowly and meticulously torn apart. She gently clasped his hand, her fingers tracing the delicate network of veins beneath his pale skin, feeling the faint, rhythmic pulse that offered a fragile reassurance. Tears blurred her vision once more, each drop a testament to her anguish and unwavering love.

“Xubai, you must wake up. You must remember me. No matter what happens, I will never give up on you,” Gu Wanqing vowed silently, her words a sacred promise whispered from the depths of her soul.

In the days that followed, Gu Wanqing maintained a steadfast vigil at Shen Xubai’s bedside, her presence a silent testament to her unwavering devotion. She spoke to him constantly, her voice soft and soothing, recounting the stories of their shared past, showing him the countless photographs and videos that chronicled their journey together, desperately hoping to rekindle a spark of recognition within the dormant chambers of his mind.

Slowly, gradually, Shen Xubai began to emerge from the depths of his unconsciousness. His eyes fluttered open, and he would sometimes fix his gaze on the ceiling, a flicker of awareness returning to his features. However, the memories remained elusive, locked away behind an impenetrable wall. When he looked at Gu Wanqing, his eyes held a disconcerting blend of unfamiliarity and polite curiosity, as if she were a stranger he had just encountered.

“You… you are truly my girlfriend?” Shen Xubai asked one day, his voice barely a whisper, tinged with an underlying uncertainty.

Gu Wanqing’s heart felt as though it had been pierced by a thousand tiny needles, each prick a fresh wave of pain. Yet, she forced a reassuring smile onto her lips, offering a gentle nod. “Yes, Xubai, I am your girlfriend. My name is Gu Wanqing.”

Shen Xubai furrowed his brow in concentration, a visible effort to grasp at the wisps of memory that danced just beyond his reach. But his mind remained a frustrating blank canvas. A wave of confusion and unease washed over him, a profound sense of something vital being missing.

“I… I cannot recall anything,” Shen Xubai confessed, his voice laced with a palpable sense of frustration and despair.

Gu Wanqing gently squeezed his hand, her touch a silent offering of comfort and unwavering support. “It’s alright, Xubai. Take your time. You will remember. I will be here with you, every step of the way, until you recall everything.”

Shen Xubai’s father continued his visits, but the chasm between father and son remained stubbornly wide. Shen’s father would often sit in silence, his gaze fixed on Shen Xubai, his eyes reflecting a complex tapestry of emotions – regret, guilt, and a desperate yearning for connection – yet he rarely spoke, the weight of his secret acting as an invisible barrier between them.

Gu Wanqing knew that she had to uncover the truth behind Shen’s father’s motivations, to understand the nature of the “family secret” he had alluded to. Only then could she truly help Shen Xubai reclaim his past and protect the fragile bond that still existed between them.

Once Shen Xubai’s condition had stabilized somewhat, Gu Wanqing resolved to seek an opportunity to speak with Shen’s father privately. She knew it would be a difficult and potentially volatile conversation, but it was a necessary confrontation.

One afternoon, Gu Wanqing found Shen’s father in the hospital garden, sitting alone on a bench, lost in his thoughts. He appeared even more haggard than he had just days before, his face etched with deep lines of worry, as if the weight of his actions had aged him prematurely.

Gu Wanqing approached him hesitantly, her footsteps soft on the gravel path. “Uncle,” she began gently, her voice barely above a whisper, “may we speak for a moment?”

Shen’s father looked up, his eyes widening slightly as he recognized Gu Wanqing. A flicker of hesitation crossed his features before he offered a weary nod.

They sat together on the park bench, the silence stretching between them, thick with unspoken anxieties. After a long moment, Gu Wanqing broke the stillness. “Uncle,” she began, her voice measured but firm, “I know you believe you acted in Xubai’s best interest, but have you truly considered whether your actions will bring him happiness?”

Shen’s father sighed, his gaze distant and troubled as he looked out at the manicured flowerbeds. “Happiness? Wanqing, you are far too naive. Sometimes, what we perceive as happiness is merely a mirage, a fleeting illusion that shatters upon the slightest touch.”

“I don’t understand what you mean,” Gu Wanqing replied, her brow furrowed in confusion.

Shen’s father remained silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts, before speaking slowly, his voice tinged with a profound sadness. “Our family… the Shen family… we have made mistakes in the past, irreparable errors that cling to us like a curse, passed down from one generation to the next. I did not want Xubai to walk the same path I did, to be consumed by the same darkness and suffering.”

“The mistakes you speak of… what were they?” Gu Wanqing pressed, feeling as though she were finally on the precipice of uncovering the long-guarded “family secret.”

Shen’s father’s face paled visibly. He hesitated, his lips trembling slightly, before finally yielding to the weight of his confession. “Ten years ago… the shooting on the campus of Columbia University… do you remember it?”

Gu Wanqing’s heart lurched violently within her chest. How could she ever forget that tragic event, the incident that had unknowingly intertwined her destiny with Shen Xubai’s?

“I remember it vividly,” Gu Wanqing replied, her voice barely a whisper, laced with a growing sense of dread. “That shooting… it was connected to your family, wasn’t it?”

Shen’s father offered a slow, agonizing nod, his eyes filled with a profound mixture of pain and remorse. “Yes… that shooting… it was a consequence of a decision I made.”

Gu Wanqing’s mind reeled, struggling to reconcile the image of the kind, albeit misguided, elderly man before her with the horrifying reality of a deadly shooting.

“You… what exactly did you do?” Gu Wanqing asked, her voice trembling.

Shen’s father released a long, shuddering sigh and began to recount the events of that fateful day ten years prior. He explained how the Shen family’s business dealings in the United States had once involved collaborations with certain unsavory elements. A fierce conflict had erupted over control and profits, and the shooting at Columbia University had been a tragic spillover from that brutal power struggle.

In the chaos of that day, Shen’s father, in a desperate attempt to protect the then-young Shen Xubai, had taken certain clandestine measures. However, his actions had inadvertently led to a devastating outcome, resulting in the deaths and injuries of innocent bystanders. Shen Xubai had been present at the scene, a horrified witness to the c*****e, an experience that had left indelible psychological scars.

“I have lived with the regret of that decision every single day since. I never wanted Xubai to be exposed to that darkness again, which is why I vehemently opposed his return to China and, even more so, his involvement with your family, the Gu family,” Shen’s father confessed, his voice heavy with anguish.

“Why our family? Why the Gu family?” Gu Wanqing asked, her confusion deepening.

Shen’s father looked directly at Gu Wanqing, his gaze filled with a sorrowful complexity. “Because… because among the innocent victims of that shooting ten years ago… was someone from your family.”

A jolt of pure, unadulterated shock coursed through Gu Wanqing’s body, the fragments of memory and understanding clicking into place with chilling clarity. She finally understood. She understood why Shen Xubai had felt compelled to save her that night three years ago, why Shen’s father had so vehemently opposed their relationship, and why the emerald jade thumb ring on Shen Xubai’s hand had always seemed so hauntingly familiar.

Ten years ago, on the campus of Columbia University, Gu Wanqing’s beloved older brother, Gu Mingyuan, had been one of the innocent lives tragically cut short by the violence stemming from the Shen family’s clandestine affairs. And Shen Xubai, burdened by guilt and remorse, had silently watched over her from afar, his conscience finally compelling him to intervene on that rain-soaked night three years prior.

And Shen’s father, desperate to sever their connection and bury the truth of his past actions, had resorted to the ultimate betrayal: orchestrating the car accident that had stolen his own son’s memories.

A wave of profound grief and incandescent rage washed over Gu Wanqing, threatening to drown her in its bitter depths. She could scarcely believe the cruel twist of fate, the devastating irony that her love for Shen Xubai was inextricably linked to the very tragedy that had claimed her brother’s life.

“Uncle… how could you be so utterly ruthless?” Gu Wanqing’s voice trembled uncontrollably, the words laced with a raw, visceral pain.

Shen’s father looked at her, his eyes mirroring her torment, filled with a desperate, helpless sorrow. “I know I have been cruel, Wanqing, but… it was the only way I could see to protect him. I couldn’t bear the thought of him learning the truth, of him having to carry that crushing burden.”

Gu Wanqing stared at the frail, weary old man before her, her heart a tumultuous mix of conflicting emotions. She hated him for his selfishness, for the callousness of his actions, but a part of her also recognized the twisted, misguided love that had driven him.

“But did you ever stop to think,” Gu Wanqing asked, her voice choked with tears, “whether Xubai, stripped of his memories, would truly be happy?”

Shen’s father remained silent, his gaze fixed on the still form of his son in the hospital bed, his eyes reflecting a deep, inconsolable sorrow.

Gu Wanqing knew that she could no longer rely on Shen’s father for answers. She had to seek the truth herself. She had to help Shen Xubai recover his memories. And she had to find a way to seek justice for her brother, Gu Mingyuan.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Gu Wanqing fought to regain her composure. She looked at Shen Xubai, lying so vulnerable in the hospital bed, her eyes filled with a newfound resolve. No matter the obstacles that lay ahead, she would not falter. She would unearth the truth, and she would ensure that those who had caused them so much pain would ultimately pay the price for their actions.

Gently, she clasped Shen Xubai’s hand, leaning down to whisper in his ear, her voice filled with unwavering determination. “Xubai, don’t worry. I will make you remember everything. Our story is far from over.”

As she spoke those words, Gu Wanqing’s gaze fell once more upon the emerald jade thumb ring, still clutched tightly in Shen Xubai’s father’s hand. The ring, bathed in the soft afternoon light filtering through the hospital window, seemed to shimmer with an almost ethereal glow, as if holding within its polished surface the key to unlocking the long-buried secrets of the past. A nascent understanding began to dawn within Gu Wanqing’s mind: this ring, this seemingly insignificant piece of jewelry, might very well be the catalyst that would unravel the intricate web of deceit and finally reveal the full, unvarnished truth.