Volume One, Chapter 19: The Father and Daughter in the Sanatorium

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Gu Moting was fine as long as Feng Ting wasn’t mentioned, but once it came up, Gu Cangpeng’s anger flared uncontrollably. Feng Ting belonged to the Gu Corporation, but after Gu Moting took over, within just one week, he had severed almost all of Feng Ting’s ties to the Gu family.

These “ties” referred to the relatives of the senior members of the Gu Corporation’s board who held minor, sinecure positions in various subsidiaries. For a large, functioning conglomerate, sprinkling a few placatory roles was normal.

Yet Gu Moting acted decisively and without mercy, giving Feng Ting a thorough cleansing from top to bottom. He was also very shrewd—he started by purging the nepotistic personnel in the human resources, research and development, and IT departments, which were prone to laziness, while temporarily retaining the overworked finance, marketing, and sales departments, imposing a series of new regulations to restrain them.

In the blink of an eye, the board members’ phones were bombarded with calls from their disgruntled relatives. Many vested interests were too delicate to openly discuss; the older, more cunning board members quietly recorded their grudges, waiting for an opportunity to sabotage him later.

Being targeted for revenge was far from a good omen. Gu Cangpeng had already warned Gu Moting not to offend people and make enemies as soon as he returned to the country. Gu Moting’s response was nearly identical to today’s.

It seemed he not only intended to antagonize the senior executives but also planned to offend his own elder brother.

Gu Cangpeng took a deep breath and switched to the emotional approach: “Alright, I won’t ask you about Feng Ting anymore. But Moting, you’re my younger brother, and it’s normal for me to care about you. I advise you to release Xiaotao quickly and send her back to Gu Shengjie. You need to know your place! Xiaotao is the daughter of our second brother, who is from a different mother. They and we are naturally at odds. If you treat Xiaotao well, when she grows up, will she side with you or her biological father? They share blood and bone! Don’t wait until she stabs you in the back, and then you…”

“Beep!” Gu Moting hung up directly.

Gu Cangpeng’s words were cut off abruptly. He looked down at his phone and cursed angrily, “That little brat!”

Xiaotao lay on Gu Moting’s broad shoulder, a bit uneasy as she asked, “Uncle, whose call was that?”

Gu Moting replied, “Someone who has nothing to do with you.”

“Then, does it have something to do with Grandma? Uncle... would you be angry at Grandma because of me? If so, was that person on the phone sent by you to deal with Grandma? Uncle, could you please not go looking for Grandma…”

Gu Moting paused, his dark eyes looking at her deeply.

So that was what she feared.

In recent days, Zhuang Jian had tried every method to find the video. Apart from the minor car accident two months ago, no relevant footage had been found.

The nurse Chen said that Lu Xiaoqian had a cold disposition and was usually taciturn, but became irritable and violent at the mention of the woman who smelled of alcohol, so Chen dared not probe further.

Today, Gu Moting drove to the nursing home to see Lu Xiaoqian. Besides the video segment, he also brought a photo of Jiang Zifei.

On the way there, he received a call informing him that Xiaotao had been harmed.

He still had to visit Lu Xiaoqian’s place afterward.

Gu Moting asked, “Xiaotao, do you dislike your grandmother?”

“No, but Xiaotao is afraid of her…”

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“Then, will Xiaotao go to see her in the future?”

Xiaotao was momentarily stunned, her little face filled with conflicted struggle.

Her complexion was gradually improving, but the bruised area on her cheekbone—red and swollen—became increasingly conspicuous.

As if she had finally made up her mind, Xiaotao, with reddened eyes, said, “Xiaotao won’t go to her anymore. If she hurts Xiaotao again, the police will arrest her, and Uncle will punish her too. Grandma is already lonely and desolate. She’s so pitiful.”

Gu Moting wiped away the tears that had fallen again. “I’m asking you seriously—why have you never said who told you about what happened at the nursing home?”

Xiaotao’s expression stiffened. After a long while, she whispered, “Uncle, Xiaotao promised not to say.”

“What if I insist on knowing?”

“I can’t say,” Xiaotao cried. “If I tell, they will hurt Grandma!”

Gu Moting’s dark eyes turned icy cold in an instant. “Someone is threatening you by using your grandmother?”

“Don’t ask, Uncle, please don’t ask!” Xiaotao sobbed hysterically, her expression turning terrified. “They really kill people! They killed a little dog, skinned it, and showed me the photos!”

Gu Moting was shocked. Jiang Qiong and Zhuang Jian, standing at the door, also widened their eyes.

The two quickly entered. “Miss Xiaotao, who is it?!”

“My little ancestor, you must tell us!!”

Gu Moting suddenly spoke in a low voice: “You two, get out!”

Jiang Qiong and Zhuang Jian looked at him. “Mr. Gu...”

Gu Moting controlled all his anger in his chest. “Xiaotao just woke up.”

Those four words snapped Jiang Qiong and Zhuang Jian to attention.

The doctor had specifically warned that she must not be subjected to severe emotional shocks.

Xiaotao cried loudly, throwing herself into Gu Moting’s arms, her small body trembling. “Uncle, I really can’t say, sob sob!”

After quite some time, Gu Moting finally calmed her down.

Xiaotao, exhausted from crying, fell asleep in his embrace.

Jiang Qiong and Zhuang Jian were furious.

“This is outrageous! Who is so heartless?”

“Find them and kill them! Tie their hands and hang them over a cliff!”

Gu Moting tucked the blanket around Xiaotao, straightened up, and his tall figure loomed over the hospital bed, his handsome face cold as an iceberg.

“Not many people have access to Xiaotao,” Gu Moting said gravely. “This will be easy to investigate.”

Zhuang Jian said, “Jiang Qiong and I…”

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“I only trust the two of you for now,” Gu Moting turned to look at them. “But if you can’t find anyone else…”

Jiang Qiong immediately said, “Don’t worry, Mr. Gu, we will definitely find out!”

Zhuang Jian added, “If we can’t find them, we will kill ourselves to atone!”

Jiang Qiong nodded. “I won’t object this time!”

Gu Moting looked at Jiang Qiong. “Come with me.”

In the corridor, Shao Shanshan, clutching her handbag, was still waiting there.

Seeing Gu Moting walk out, Shao Shanshan hurried over. “Senior!”

Gu Moting glanced at Jiang Qiong, then turned toward the window at the end of the hall and lit a cigarette.

Jiang Qiong stopped Shao Shanshan. “Miss Shao, please wait here.”

Shao Shanshan’s lips turned pale. “Senior, he…”

Jiang Qiong smiled politely and turned to follow.

Outside the window, the wind howled and clouds scudded by. The autumn air was dry and noisy at this height, while below, car lights stretched like golden dragons weaving a grand human feast across Haicheng.

Gu Moting inhaled his cigarette and spoke slowly, “This afternoon, a father and daughter went to Lu Xiaoqian’s ward. How much contact have you had with them?”

Jiang Qiong was startled. “Could it be them? Do they have issues?”

Gu Moting had mentioned in a phone call this afternoon that an elderly father and daughter had been looking after Xiaotao.

Gu Moting said, “Just answer.”

Jiang Qiong nodded. He hadn’t had much contact; recalling briefly, he finished quickly.

Gu Moting remained silent, listening quietly as the cigarette smoke blurred the sharp contours of his handsome profile.

His eyes were deep, like the nightfall over distant mountains outside the window.

After several minutes, he broke the silence. “Call the nursing home and retrieve that footage from the surveillance cameras.”

“Yes.”

Gu Moting tossed his car keys.

Jiang Qiong hurried to catch them.

“Focus on the time near the nursing home entrance. After watching, give me the taxi driver’s information.”

“Yes, sir!”