C13 It Was Strange That He Died

Afterward, the two of them arrived at a breakfast diner, chatting as they ate.

Huo Sinian looked at Gu Beixue and asked, "Why did you call me over in such a hurry? What's going on?"

Gu Beixue paused, setting down her fork, her expression calm and neutral. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You should know, we've uncovered what happened five years ago. That person is now at Yi Mountain. I went to find him yesterday, but the local villagers chased me away before I could even see him."

Huo Sinian was well aware of the events from back then. The Gu family had collapsed overnight, leaving them in ruins. He nodded slightly and said, "You want me to investigate?"

"Exactly. I can't show my face anymore. Only you can find him and figure out what really happened."

After speaking, Gu Beixue watched Huo Sinian, waiting for his response. Seeing his hesitation, she quickly added, "If you don't want to, I won't force you."

Huo Sinian reached out to hold Gu Beixue's hand, but she quickly pulled away. With a hint of frustration, he said, "Do you still have feelings for him? If it weren't for him, your family wouldn't have been destroyed!"

"You're overthinking it. We divorced a long time ago. We were never meant to be together."

"Good to know. He's the one who ruined your family."

After a moment of silence, Huo Sinian said, "Nianyu, don't worry. I'll help you get to the bottom of this. I don't expect anything in return, just let me stay by your side."

Gu Beixue didn't know what to say, so she quickly shifted her focus and picked up her fork again.

Using the information Gu Beixue provided, Huo Sinian made his way to the village. As he entered, he noticed how peaceful it was. Unlike Gu Beixue's visit, the place was quiet, with hardly anyone around, as if the village had vanished into thin air.

Gu Beixue was perched halfway up the hill, observing everything through binoculars, and she found it all quite unbelievable.

Huo Sinian soon reached the villa nearby. After walking for so long without seeing a single person, he couldn't help but feel a bit anxious.

He crouched by the window, able to see everything in the villa's living room. Suddenly, a family portrait caught his eye.

Without thinking much, Huo Sinian quickly snapped a picture of it through the glass with his phone and hurried away.

As soon as Gu Beixue saw Huo Sinian, she quickly asked, "How did it go?"

"Nothing much," he replied. "The village is completely deserted. What's going on?"

Hearing that Huo Sinian found nothing, Gu Beixue was visibly disappointed and shook her head.

"But I did find a clue," he added.

Gu Beixue perked up, as if revived, and eagerly asked, "What clue?"

Without speaking, Huo Sinian took out his phone and showed her the photo.

Looking at the picture, Gu Beixue smiled and said excitedly, "That's him. He's definitely in this village."

After the initial excitement, Gu Beixue fell silent again. What was going on? Lee Jiutian was clearly here, so why did everyone say he wasn't? She was more convinced than ever that someone was orchestrating all of this.

Gu Beixue was determined to find out who was behind it all, going to such lengths to stop her.

Just then, the sound of horns reached their ears.

Gu Beixue quickly looked through her binoculars and saw a large group of people in mourning attire slowly approaching them.

Neither of them dared to linger and quickly hid in the nearby bushes as the sound of the horns grew closer.

Gu Beixue peeked out and seemed to freeze, then quickly looked again.

She glanced at the photo on her phone, stunned, and the phone slipped from her hands to the ground.

Huo Sinian noticed her reaction and was unsure what was going on. He gently asked, "Nianyu, what's wrong? Don't scare me."

"Lee Jiutian is dead," Gu Beixue said calmly.

Huo Sinian looked incredulous. "How is that possible? How do you know?"

Gu Beixue paused for a moment before replying, "I just saw through binoculars. Someone was carrying his portrait, and they were all there to see him off."

Hearing this, Huo Sinian believed her, and it took them both a while to process the news.

They watched as the group headed up the mountain. Gu Beixue felt this was no coincidence. She had just arrived, and now Lee Jiutian was dead. It was hard for her not to be suspicious.

To uncover the cause of Lee Jiutian's death, she knew she needed to ask them directly. Gu Beixue was prepared for the worst, as his family might have similar suspicions.

However, now wasn't the right time. They needed a few days to handle everything first.

Later, the two returned in silence. Huo Sinian noticed Gu Beixue's unhappiness and chose not to speak. Seeing her like this left him feeling uneasy.

They sat facing each other, and Huo Sinian, feeling sorry for her, said, "Nianyu, let me tell you a joke!"

Gu Beixue remained silent, but Huo Sinian continued with a slight smile, "There were three students discussing who was the most patriotic. The first said he never bought foreign goods. The second said he never watched foreign movies. The third student burst out laughing and said he never passed a foreign language exam."

Huo Sinian chuckled at his own joke, but Gu Beixue showed no reaction, her eyes filled with confusion, lost in thought.

No matter how funny Huo Sinian tried to be, Gu Beixue didn't laugh. Helpless, Huo Sinian decided to let her have some quiet time alone.

In that small village, Mrs. Lee, the woman in question, lingered at the graveyard, unwilling to leave. She recalled Lee Jiutian's words to her: no matter what, no one could know about his secret. But as soon as Gu Beixue came looking, Lee Jiutian died, and she felt there had to be some connection between the two events.

Now, it was just her and her child. Although Lee Jiutian had left them some money, it seemed useless without him around. The villagers had helped them by keeping Lee Jiutian's name out of things, each receiving a sum of money for their silence. Yet, they remained unsure about the true reason behind their actions.

When the village children started talking, the parents stepped in, instructing them not to mention it again. If anyone else came asking, they were to inform their parents immediately.