"Then you just have to make her believe she’s the only one you truly love. Women like Gu Jin... They act strong, but deep down, they want to be cared for. If you play your cards right, she’ll never leave you."
Wei Lin wasn’t so sure. "She doesn’t seem like the forgiving type."
Wei Shiming waved his hand.
"That’s because no one has broken her yet. If we control her world—her business, her family, her opportunities—she’ll have no choice but to depend on you.
Then, she’ll convince herself that no matter what you do, you’re still the best option."
Wei Lin leaned back in his chair. "That sounds like a lot of work..."
One of the elders chuckled. "A grandmaster alchemist is worth the effort."
Wei Lin sighed. "Fine. I’ll try."
Wei Shiming smiled and said,
"I know you can do it. With your looks and personality. You can definitely do it."
Wei Lin didn’t answer, but his confident smile said everything.
Gu Jin returned to Beijing.
As soon as she arrived at the teleportation array of Beijing, she saw her family members waiting at the side.
A warm current surged in her heart.
Walking toward them, she noticed that Mrs. Gu’s eyes were red and Gu Jin frowned,
"Eh? No." Mrs. Gu shook her head with a stiff smile as she hugged Gu Jin.
Gu Jin looked at Gu Jichun, whose eyes were red too, but she too shook her head.
"Don’t worry, Jin, they just missed you." Mr. Gu said, the corner of his eyes was red too.
That was when Gu Jin realized that Gu Jihu was missing, and her heart tightened,
"Where is second brother?"
Seeing her panicked expression, Gu Jichun said with a forced smile,
"Don’t worry...he is fine. He is not in the Capital and has gone on a business trip."
"Are you all hiding something from me?" Gu Jin asked stubbornly.
Gu Jichun bit her lips to stop herself from crying and shook her head.
"What is it?" Gu Jin asked, her eyes flashing with coldness.
"Nothing. Let’s drop you off at the university." Mr. Gu said stiffly.
Gu Jin’s eyes turned sharp.
"Father, don’t lie to me."
Mr. Gu opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say. Mrs. Gu lowered her head, gripping Gu Jin’s hand tightly.
Gu Jichun sniffled. "Jin... please, don’t ask."
Gu Jin’s heart sank. Something was wrong.
She took a deep breath. "If no one tells me, I’ll find out myself."
She pulled out her phone and quickly dialed Gu Jihu’s number.
Beep... Beep... Beep...
Gu Jin’s grip tightened around her phone.
"My second brother never ignores my calls."
Mrs. Gu’s eyes filled with tears. "Jin, please don’t make this harder..."
Gu Jin’s patience snapped. "Tell me what happened."
Mr. Gu sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Jihu... He... He was arrested."
Gu Jin’s blood ran cold.
Gu Jichun wiped her tears.
"The police took him one day ago. They said he was involved in financial fraud, but that’s impossible! Jihu would never do something like that!"
Gu Jin’s fingers curled into fists.
Mr. Gu’s expression darkened. "We don’t have proof, but... we suspect the Wei family."
Gu Jin let out a cold laugh.
"The Wei family, huh?"
Mrs. Gu grabbed her arm. "Jin, don’t do anything reckless! The Wei family is too powerful! If we go against them—"
Gu Jin gently pried her mother’s hands off.
She turned, her eyes colder than ice.
"I won’t do anything reckless."
I’ll do something much worse.
"First, take me to my second brother." Gu Jin said.
Mr. Gu hesitated. "We... we can’t."
Gu Jin’s gaze turned sharp. "What do you mean?"
Mrs. Gu’s voice trembled.
"They won’t let us see him. The police said it’s a ’special case’ and that no visitors are allowed."
Gu Jin’s fingers twitched.
That only meant one thing—someone was pulling strings behind the scenes.
And she already knew who.
"The Wei family thinks they can trap my brother and I’ll just sit back and do nothing?" Gu Jin’s voice was dangerously calm.
Mr. Gu sighed. "Jin, please. We need to be careful. The Wei family—"
"I know exactly who they are." Gu Jin interrupted. "And they clearly don’t know who I am."
She pulled out her phone and dialed another number.
"Boss?" A deep voice answered.
"Find out where my brother is being held," Gu Jin ordered. "And make sure he’s safe."
She ended the call and turned to her family.
"Go home. I’ll handle this."
Mr. Gu frowned. He motioned Mrs. Gu and Gu Jichun to go back and turned toward Gu Jin,
"Jin’er, I have already deployed my people, but even they can’t find and protect your brother...you...how can you...find your brother?"
"Don’t worry, father. I am not a country bumpkin, I have my own resources."
In the past 3 years or so, she had made her own connections.
Her alchemy brand wasn’t the only trump card.
She had treated many people in the past 3 years and gained more than 3 powerful connections along the way.
Unless needed, Gu Jin never planned to use them. But now, hearing of Gu Jihu’s arrest, Gu Jin felt the need to use one.
The one who holds the most power and still resides in Fujio City.
Gu Jin took a deep breath and dialed another number.
This time, she wasn’t calling an ordinary person.
The call connected almost immediately.
A deep, lazy voice answered, "Little miracle doctor, it’s rare for you to call me first. Did something happen?"
Gu Jin’s eyes darkened.
"Mr. Shang, I need your help."
On the other end, Shang Zhengyi chuckled. "Interesting. You never ask for favors. What do you need?"
"My second brother, Gu Jihu, was arrested," Gu Jin said coldly. "I want him out, and I want him safe. If anyone had harmed even a single strand of his hair...I want them dead."
There was a brief silence on the other end. Then, Shang Zhengyi chuckled.
"Ah... I see. Someone dared to touch your family."
Gu Jin’s voice was ice-cold. "Can you do it or not?"
Shang Zhengyi sighed dramatically. "Little miracle doctor, you wound me. Of course I can do it. But..."
Gu Jin’s patience was razor-thin. "But what?"
Shang Zhengyi smiled. "Nothing. I just wanted to hear how serious you are. Consider it done."
Gu Jin clenched her phone. "How long will it take?"
Shang Zhengyi hummed. "For you? Less than a day."
"Good." Gu Jin’s voice was firm. "Call me the moment he’s safe."
Shang Zhengyi laughed. "You’re scary when you’re mad, little doctor. I like it."
...........................
Wei Lin sat comfortably on a couch, sipping tea. His father, Wei Shiming, was standing by the window, looking pleased.
"Everything is going as planned," Wei Shiming said. "Gu Jin must be panicking by now."
Wei Lin smirked. "It’s only a matter of time before she comes to us for help."
"Yes. Once she realizes she can’t fight back, she’ll have no choice but to rely on our family."
Wei Lin leaned back. "And once she owes us, she’ll never be able to leave."
Wei Shiming smiled. "Exactly."
Just then, a servant rushed in, looking pale.
"Patriarch! Bad news!"
Wei Shiming frowned. "What is it?"
The servant swallowed nervously. "Gu Jihu... has been released!"
Wei Lin nearly dropped his tea. "What?!"
Wei Shiming’s face darkened. "Impossible. The police should have kept him locked up for at least a month!"
The servant shook his head. "Someone interfered... Someone powerful."
Wei Lin clenched his fists. "Who?"
The servant hesitated. "Shang Zhengyi."
The entire room fell silent.
Wei Lin’s face turned pale. Even the elders looked shocked.
Wei Shiming’s expression twisted. "...Shang Zhengyi?"
The servant nodded. "Yes, Patriarch. He personally ordered the release. No one dared to go against him."
Wei Lin’s heart pounded. "But why would Shang Zhengyi help Gu Jin?"
Wei Shiming’s grip on the table tightened.
"That girl... just how many powerful people does she know?"
Silence filled the hall.
Then, an elder spoke cautiously. "Patriarch... Should we continue the plan?"
Wei Shiming’s face was stormy, but after a moment, he took a deep breath.
"Yes," he said coldly. "Shang Zhengyi may have helped her this time, but he won’t interfere forever."
"But if Gu Jin has connections like that, won’t she just crush us the moment she finds out we were behind this?"
"Not if she doesn’t have proof."
Wei Lin hesitated. His father was right. Without solid evidence, Gu Jin couldn’t directly attack them.
Wei Shiming continued, "For now, let’s lay low. We’ll act like we had nothing to do with this. But soon... we’ll find another way to control her."
Wei Lin nodded slowly.
He didn’t realize it, but deep down... he was starting to feel nervous.