Gu Jin replied calmly,
"There were hundreds of people at the tea garden. Are you going to accuse everyone who talked to your son?"
"That’s different," he said. "You had a motive."
Gu Jin raised an eyebrow. "And what motive would that be?"
The man stepped closer.
"You humiliated my son in public. People were laughing. Do you think he didn’t tell me?"
Gu Jin stayed still. "Then you also saw your son hitting my little sister first. Right?"
The man didn’t answer.
"Your son pushed my sister to the ground. I stepped in and told him to behave. If I let it go, he would’ve done it again. Isn’t teaching manners something all adults should do?"
Some people nearby nodded quietly.
"If she didn’t speak up, that little girl could’ve gotten hurt again."
Gu Jin looked directly at the man.
"Your son was rude and arrogant. You don’t like hearing that because you’re his father. But just because you’re powerful doesn’t mean the truth changes."
"You want to blame me, not because I did anything wrong, but because it’s easier than facing the truth that he is indeed kidnapped."
The man’s expression turned dark. "Watch your mouth."
But Gu Jin didn’t stop. "Or maybe you think I’m easy to bully. Just a teenage girl, right?"
Mr. Gu frowned and looked at the man and stepped him,
"Xu Qian, do you think my daughter would stoop so low?"
Xu Qian looked at Mr. Gu and was stunned,
"Mr. Gu, you...Is this young lady your daughter?"
"Indeed." Mr. Gu nodded, and Xu Qian’s hope shattered.
The Gu Family was a well-known, wealthy family.
Why would the daughter of the Gu Family even kidnap some kid due to a small issue?
Just then, one of the shadow bodyguards stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"Sir, we checked the pavilion. The child’s footprints lead toward the forest. But there are also signs of struggle. Someone dragged him away."
Xu Qian’s eyes widened. "Dragged?"
"Yes, sir. We believe it was an outsider. Possibly a professional."
The nanny gasped. "No... that can’t be..."
The bodyguard glanced at her. "Also, we found the young master’s toy beside a broken tree branch. The girl, Gu Jin, was nowhere near that spot. She stayed with her family the whole time."
Now, everyone looked at Xu Qian.
Gu Jin folded her arms.
"So, is this your version of justice? Accuse an innocent person just because you’re scared someone might be targeting you?"
Xu Qian stayed silent for a long moment. Then he finally said, "I..."
Just then, one of the shadow bodyguards ran back quickly, his face serious.
"Master, please wait!" he called out.
Everyone turned to look.
Behind him, two more bodyguards were dragging a man dressed in a black cloak. In his arms, he held a small boy — Xu Qian’s missing son!
The little boy looked scared but unharmed.
"Son!" Xu Qian shouted, his eyes wide with relief. He rushed over and snatched the child from the man’s arms, holding him tight.
"Thank the heavens... you’re okay."
The black cloak man didn’t struggle. His head was lowered.
One of the bodyguards stepped forward and pressed him to the ground.
"Kneel," the guard ordered coldly.
The black cloak man dropped to his knees without a word.
Xu Qian gently checked his son, patting his back and touching his face.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
The boy shook his head, eyes still full of tears. "No... I was scared, Daddy."
Xu Qian turned sharply to the kneeling man, his voice like ice.
"Why?" he asked. "Why did you kidnap my son?"
The man looked up slowly. His face was pale and full of regret.
"I...I was blinded by greed. I wanted money."
Xu Qian’s eyes narrowed. "Don’t lie. You’re too calm for someone blinded by greed. Who sent you?"
The man shook his head quickly. "No one. It was just me."
"You expect me to believe that?" Xu Qian snapped.
"I swear!" the man said. "I acted alone!"
Just then, a small voice broke the silence.
He pointed a finger at someone—straight at Gu Jin.
"It was her!" he cried. "That Gu Jin girl told him to kidnap me!"
Gu Jin blinked. "What?"
Xu Qian’s eyes turned sharp again. "What are you saying?"
The boy clung to his father’s arm.
"After he took me, I heard him on the phone! He called someone named Gu Jin! And... and his phone wallpaper had her face!"
Gasps spread through the crowd.
Even Madam Gu looked surprised. "What nonsense is this?"
Xu Qian looked at the guards. "Check his phone. Now!"
One of the shadow guards stepped forward and searched the black cloak man. He pulled out the black cloaked man’s phone.
He tapped it once, and the screen lit up.
A picture showed on the lock screen.
It was Gu Jin’s face.
Some people started whispering again.
"Why would he have her picture?"
"Was she really behind this?"
"Did she plan all of it?"
Gu Jin frowned, her eyes cold now. "That’s not my phone. I don’t know that man."
But Xu Qian’s face was dark.
The bodyguard unlocked the phone with a magic scan and looked through the call history.
"There’s a call from someone named ’Gu Jin,’" he said.
Xu Qian looked up sharply.
"Well?" he asked, staring at Gu Jin. "What do you say now?"
But Gu Jin didn’t panic. Instead, she turned to the black cloak man.
Her voice was calm, but it cut like a knife.
"Tell them the truth. Who made you do this? Why is my name and face on your phone?"
The black cloaked man looked at Gu Jin with pain and said,
"Jin’er, please don’t lie anymore. I am feeling guilty, and I can’t accompany you anymore."
Gu Jihu walked straight in front of Gu Jin and pulled her behind him protectively.
His eyes burned with rage as he glared at the black cloaked man.
"You better watch your mouth," Gu Jihu snapped. "Don’t drag my sister’s name through the mud!"
The black cloak man didn’t flinch.
"I’m telling the truth," he said calmly. "She was my secret lover."
"You’re insane!" Gu Jihu shouted.
Before anyone could say more, another voice joined in.
Gu Jichun stepped beside them. Her face was just as cold.
" Secret lover? Why don’t you call Earth your property? She would never be involved with someone like you," Gu Jichun said. "Stop lying!"
The crowd looked shocked. The Gu siblings stood together, surrounding Gu Jin.
Madam Gu stepped forward too. She pulled Gu Jin close and held her hand tightly.
"Don’t be afraid, Jin’er," she said gently. "We’re all here."
Mr. Gu stood tall beside his wife and children, his face calm but firm.
"If you lie again," he told the black cloaked man, "you’ll regret it."
But the man didn’t stop.
He looked around at the crowd and said loudly,
"I helped her do terrible things. Things in the dark. She has many faces... She acts kind, but when she gets angry, she turns into someone else."
The people gasped again. Some looked unsure. Others frowned.
"I... I did what she told me at first because I loved her," the man went on. "But later, I saw how wrong it was. She made me hurt people. Innocent people."
"That’s a lie!" Gu Jichun shouted. "My sister would never hurt anyone!"
"She’s always helped others," Gu Jihu added. "Even when it wasn’t easy."
But the black cloak man shook his head. "She fooled everyone... just like she fooled me. But I couldn’t live with it anymore."
Xu Qian looked confused now. He stared at Gu Jin, trying to figure out if the man was telling the truth.
Gu Jin stepped out from behind her brother. She looked tired but strong.
"You keep talking about love," she said calmly. "But I don’t even know your name."
The black cloaked man looked heartbroken and asked,
"Jin’er, are you planning to abandon me now? Why are you pretending not to know me?"
Gu Jin didn’t flinch.
She looked at the black cloaked man and said clearly, "If you’re so sure I was your secret lover, then show us a picture. Just one. A photo of the two of us together."
For a moment, he said nothing. He didn’t even blink. His fingers twitched slightly, and he looked away.
The crowd grew quiet.
Gu Jichun’s eyes lit up. She stepped forward, her voice sharp.
"Aha! He’s lying!" she said loudly. "He paused! That means he made everything up!"
She turned to the guards. "Now we should punish him! He’s trying to ruin my sister’s name!"
People started nodding again. Some looked angry now, not at Gu Jin, but at the black cloaked man.
But the man suddenly spoke.
"I don’t have any photos," he said slowly. "Just give my phone back!"
Xu Qian frowned. He waved a hand. "Don’t return the phone. Search it carefully."
"Yes, sir," the bodyguard said.
Gu Jichun smirked and crossed her arms. "They won’t find anything. There’s no proof because it’s all lies."