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Gu Ziyu emerged from the restroom and calmly stated, “No need. Ji Chi took him away.”

“Indeed, it was him!” Gu Ci breathed a sigh of relief. If Ji Chi had taken his brother, at least his brother wasn’t in mortal danger. In his previous life, he had protected his brother, and there was no reason he couldn’t do so in this life. Lu Zhiyuan was still alive.

“Ji Chi?” Dr. North furrowed her brow. “Why did he take the master?”

Gu Ci and Gu Ziyu exchanged a glance, their expressions somewhat subtle. Dr. North continued, “Black Hawk and the Jidao have been at each other’s throats recently. If he took the master, his life is in danger. I have a few familiar assassins; I’ll send someone to find Ji Chi’s whereabouts in Paris.”

“Master, please don’t worry. This… Ji Chi taking my brother might actually be a good thing. He won’t harm him.”

“Black Hawk and the Jidao have been at each other’s throats lately. If he took the master, what good could come of it?” Dr. North reasoned.

Gu Ci spoke softly, “Ji Chi taking my brother might not be related to the Jidao and Black Hawk.”

“What else could it be?” Dr. North was baffled.

Gu Ci and Gu Ziyu couldn’t reveal Jiang Junlin and Ji Chi’s private matters. Jiang Junlin had never admitted it. Gu Ci said, “Ji Chi and my brother have a good relationship. He won’t harm my brother.”

“But the master’s personal freedom shouldn’t be restricted either,” Dr. North was quite rational. “If he remains missing for an extended period, someone might take his place.”

“That’s the outcome Ji Chi wants!” Gu Ci finally understood. Ji Chi was going all-in and believed that as long as someone replaced Jiang Junlin, Jiang Junlin wouldn’t be the Jidao’s leader. He wouldn’t be caught in this dilemma anymore.

“From New Year’s Day until now… seven days of disappearance. If there’s no news soon, we’ll have to assume he’s dead,” Gu Ci sighed. This was a tricky situation. When Ji Chi went crazy, Lu Zhiyuan couldn’t control him.

And now, Lu Zhiyuan wouldn’t care about this matter either!

As long as Jiang Junlin wasn’t in mortal danger, he wouldn’t care how long Ji Chi imprisoned him. What Jiang Junlin would lose, Lu Zhiyuan wouldn’t mind. Gu Ci realized this clearly. If his brother was indeed hidden behind the Jidao, manipulating them all along, he would know too many secrets. If someone had replaced his brother, his brother would either lose his freedom or have to make a sacrifice!

Dead people wouldn’t reveal secrets.

She couldn’t just sit idly by. Gu Ci glanced at the time; it was almost dawn. Gu Ziyu was nodding off beside her, and Dr. North looked deeply concerned. Gu Ci asked, “Master, does my brother want to replace Pei Qiuying?”

“Yes, he mentioned it before Christmas that he wanted to replace Pei Qiuying!” Dr. North said. “I figured he wanted to wait for Chen Rushi to bring his industry into the Jidao and then engage in infighting with Pei Qiuying. He’d clean up the mess and then dispose of Pei Qiuying.”

“Who does he hope will replace Pei Qiuying?”

“I recommended you, but he didn’t want you to get involved in the Jidao and Black Hawks’ vendetta. He didn’t want you to risk your life. He declined my proposal.”

Gu Ziyu squinted his eyes, half-dozing while keeping an ear open.

“Why did the master recommend me?”

“The Jidao can’t keep changing leaders. Three changes in ten years are very detrimental to the master’s plans. Only one person he cares about, who can be entrusted with life and death, can sit in the position of Jidao leader. He can be at ease. Light and shadow must support each other, rather than suspect and guard against each other,” Dr. North explained. “If you sit in that position, you won’t even think about betraying your loved ones. Even if you deeply love Lu Zhiyuan, you won’t do anything to betray your family. It’s a win-win situation.”

“I will convince him!”

“Cici?” Dr. North looked at her in surprise. “Do you want power within the Jidao?”

“Pei Qiuying can hold power, why can’t I?” Gu Ci said with a cold smile. “This time, with the trouble she’s caused Lu Zhiyuan, she can’t escape responsibility. She cares deeply about the Jidao, and if I can take it, I want her to lose it completely.”

“But the master is missing now,” Dr. North reminded her. “You have no authority. How can you infiltrate the Jidao?”

Gu Ci contemplated, “Do you think my brother trusts me?”

“He does!” Dr. North said lightly. “He trusts only you!”

Gu Ci chuckled, “He and Gu Chuyun were siblings for over a decade, but he treated her with extraordinary indifference as if she didn’t exist. Why would he trust me?”

“Perhaps you two are a different kind of people!”

Gu Ziyu said casually. “Blood ties are quite mysterious, Mom!”

“You’re still awake?”

“I was listening to your conversation, couldn’t fall asleep,” Gu Ziyu said. “Anyway, Ji Chi… won’t harm him.”

Dr. North had been busy lately and was a bit fatigued. Gu Ci told her to go rest, but Gu Ci couldn’t sleep. Even though Ji Chi wouldn’t harm her brother’s life, her brother couldn’t be kept at Ji Chi’s place for too long.

Gu Ci had slept for two hours, and it was already dawn. Gu Ci called Jiang Minghua, “Uncle, are you at home today? I’m coming over for a meal, and I have some things to discuss with you.”

“Come, come, both your uncle and grandmother really miss you!”

Gu Ziyu had stayed up all night, and it was the weekend, so Gu Ci let him sleep in. She packed up the auction items and drove to the Jiang family. Jiang Minghua hadn’t expected her to come so early.

“Where’s Ziyu?”

“He stayed up all night writing his thesis and is sleeping soundly. I’ll bring him over in a few days.”

The old lady pulled Gu Ci to have breakfast together. “How come you lost weight after a trip? Look at those dark circles. Haven’t you been sleeping well lately? You don’t look very energetic.”

Gu Ci wasn’t the type to act cute, so she lightly smiled. “I had trouble adjusting to the foreign environment, and after coming back, I’ve been catching up on my coursework. So, I haven’t been sleeping well. Grandma, take a look at the gifts I brought for you. These are artworks from the auction, and these are prepared by my brother. He asked me to bring them first; he’s going to be busy for a while.”

Opening gifts are always delightful, and the items Gu Ci brought back were all works of art. The old lady and the old man hastily finished breakfast and went to appreciate them. Lin Chunli was particularly pleased with the bag Gu Ci had chosen and went to show it off to her sisters.

“Uncle, how about 1 accompany you for a walk?”

“Sure, let’s go!” Jiang Minghua could tell that Gu Ci had something to discuss and walked with her in the garden. In winter, there were no blooming flowers in the garden, but the layout was still elegant. Gu Ci asked, “Uncle, I won’t beat around the bush. You got married early and had children early, right at the peak of your youth. Why did you hand over all the power at Hualan Bank to my brother so quickly?”

Jiang Minghua, like Gu Ci, was a prominent figure in the financial world and a high-achieving individual. He had indeed inherited the family business, but his early retirement and his brother’s assumption of power at Hualan Bank were unusual.

In family-owned businesses, it’s relatively uncommon for those in power to relinquish control, especially at a relatively young age. Some business leaders continue to be actively involved well into their seventies or eighties.. So, why did Jiang Minghua step aside and allow his brother to take over as the president of Hualan Bank when he was still relatively inexperienced in the corporate world?