The shadow bodyguard tapped on the phone, going through the folders one by one. A few seconds passed.
Everyone was waiting quietly.
Then, the bodyguard suddenly gasped.
"What is it?" Xu Qian asked quickly.
The guard looked up, his face shocked.
"There is indeed a photo of him and Miss Gu together."
The crowd went silent again.
Even Gu Jichun looked confused. "What...?"
Xu Qian stepped forward, tense. "Show us the photo."
The bodyguard turned the phone around.
On the screen was a picture of the black cloaked man standing next to a girl who looked exactly like Gu Jin.
They were in what looked like a quiet tea shop. The girl was smiling softly, and the man had his arm resting on the back of her chair.
Whispers filled the air.
"It really looks like her..."
"They were together..."
Gu Jichun’s eyes widened. "No! That’s not right! That can’t be her!"
Gu Jin stared at the photo. Her face was calm, but her eyes narrowed.
"That isn’t me," she said clearly.
The bodyguard frowned. "It looks like you, Miss Gu."
Gu Jin stepped forward and pointed to the picture.
"Look closely. That’s not the same tea shop from the city. The cups are different. And look at the birthmark—there’s none under her chin."
She tilted her head slightly and showed the small, barely visible mark under her own chin.
"This is the real me."
The bodyguard zoomed in on the picture.
And sure enough—no birthmark.
"Wait... she’s right."
"That girl in the photo doesn’t have it."
Gu Jichun smiled again. "See? I told you it wasn’t her!"
Mr. Gu nodded firmly.
"Someone used a face-changing spell. A good one. But not perfect."
Xu Qian’s face was filled with regret. "So... someone made a copy of her face."
The black cloaked man suddenly shouted, "No! That was her! It was her! She used a spell to hide the birthmark!"
"No," Gu Jin said calmly. "If I wanted to hide it, why would I show it now?"
The bodyguard ran another scan over the photo. Then he nodded.
"These photos are likely to be photoshopped."
Gasps filled the air again.
"So it really wasn’t her?"
The black cloaked man’s hands started to shake.
"No... no... I swear... it was her... it was always her..."
But no one believed him now.
Gu Jin stood tall and looked at him.
"You tried to destroy my name. There must be a reason, right? Who are you?"
The black cloaked man stared at Gu Jin with wide eyes. His lips trembled.
"I belong to the Wei Family. They had funded my education, and because of you, the head of the Wei family was kicked out...so I was taking revenge on their behalf."
Gu Jin raised an eyebrow.
Of course, she knew what had happened with the Wei family and the other three alchemy families.
Because of their blatant attack attempt during the live stream, everyone knew their true face and started to boycott their goods.
Even the Magic Alchemy Association had to take action against them, though it was purely because of the pressure caused by Beijing University and the Alchemy Association in Fujio City.
In the end, all four of the family heads were removed from their position and expelled.
Gu Jihu stared at the black cloaked and said with conviction,
"You are lying! The Wei never had anyone like you."
The black cloaked man didn’t back down and said,
"How can you be so sure?"
Gu Jihu smiled with a hint of madness in his eyes and said,
"Because I killed all of Wei Shiming’s subordinates with my own hands."
The crowd gasped loudly.
"You... you what?" someone whispered.
The black cloaked man’s eyes widened. "That’s not possible..."
Gu Jihu stepped forward, his face serious and cold.
"You said you were one of Wei Shiming’s people. But I remember every single one of them. I hunted them down one by one. And I never saw you."
The man stepped back, suddenly nervous. "You’re lying..."
Gu Jichun crossed her arms. "Why would he lie when you were the one caught red-handed?"
The man looked at Gu Jin again, like he was still hoping someone would believe him. "I’m telling the truth! The Wei Family trained me in secret!"
Gu Jihu shook his head slowly.
"Heck no! I am damn sure, you aren’t. Now tell me who your real master is."
The man opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Xu Qian’s face darkened, and he looked at the black cloaked man with a grim expression,
"Since you are so stubborn, don’t blame me for being ruthless. Men, hold him and conduct an investigation on him..."
The moment Xu Qian finished his words, the black cloaked man fainted.
From the corner of his mouth, a thin line of black blood dripped down.
The bodyguard rushed over and checked his pulse. His face turned pale.
"He’s poisoned! He took something just now—probably hidden in his tooth!"
"What?!" Gu Jichun shouted. "He just killed himself?"
"No..." the bodyguard said, shaking his head. "He’s still alive... barely. But he won’t wake up for a while."
Xu Qian’s face was cold. "He must’ve had a poison pill in case he was caught."
Gu Jin looked at the unconscious man. Her voice was calm but sharp.
"He didn’t act alone. Someone told him what to say and what to do."
Mr. Gu nodded. "And whoever it was, they’re still hiding in the shadows."
Gu Jihu’s eyes glinted. "Then we’ll drag them out one by one."
Xu Qian turned to his guards. "Take him to the healer. Don’t let anyone near him without my permission."
The guards picked up the black cloaked man and rushed him away.
But they were still a step too late, and in the end, the black cloaked man died.
The crowd slowly began to calm down, though they were still whispering.
"Someone tried to ruin her again..."
"How scary... these people won’t stop until she’s destroyed..."
"But she saw through it again. She’s amazing..."
Gu Jin stood quietly, her eyes deep in thought.
Whoever was behind this had gone to great lengths to frame her. Photoshops, fake photos, and even a false identity.
But not careful enough.
And somewhere in the shadows...
A figure watched from a rooftop far away. Hidden in a black robe and mask, the person whispered,
"She ruined the plan... again."
A second person spoke behind them, voice low and full of anger.
"Then we’ll try something she can’t stop."
The first figure nodded slowly. "Let’s begin the next phase."
The Gu family was traumatized by the outing and decided in their heart that they wouldn’t plan a family outing in public spaces.
On the third day, it was time for Gu Jin to go to the national training camp.
The Gu family set her off.
Gu Jin first reported to Principal Lan about her arrival, because the bus to the national training camp was going to set off from Beijing University.
Once she entered, she found that Long Yifan was sitting on the sofa while Principal Lan wasn’t present at all.
The moment Gu Jin saw Long Yifan, she raised an eyebrow but didn’t greet him.
Long Yifan smiled and walked up to her,
"Going for the national training camp?"
"Hmm." Gu Jin nodded.
"Did you have fun spending time with your family?" Long Yifan continued to ask.
Gu Jin paused and nodded again.
"You won’t ask why I didn’t try to meet you?" Long Yifan pouted.
Gu Jin rolled her eyes,
Long Yifan continued anyway,
"Because I knew you were spending time with your family, and I didn’t want to interrupt your special moments with your family."
"Thank you for your noble sacrifice, then." Gu Jin said sarcastically.
Long Yifan smiled and ignored the sarcasm,
"Jin’er, I am going to the International Magic Tournament. If I win, would you forgive me?"
Gu Jin smiled and turned toward,
"Why? Winning a competition for the nation, can atone for your sins?"
Long Yifan scratched the back of his head and gave a small laugh.
"Well... maybe not everything," he said. "But I want to prove that I’ve changed. That I’m not the same as before."
Gu Jin looked at him, her eyes calm.
"Then don’t say it. Prove it."
Long Yifan’s smile faded a little, but he nodded seriously. "I will."
Just then, the door opened, and Principal Lan finally walked in with a stack of papers.
"Oh, you’re both here already. Good," he said.
Gu Jin gave a small bow. "Principal."
Principal Lan waved his hand.
"No need for formalities. The bus will leave in fifteen minutes. The others are gathering outside. Go join them when you’re ready."
Gu Jin nodded and turned to leave.
Long Yifan followed her, walking beside her quietly.
Principal Lan frowned and shouted at him,
"Where are you going?"