Chapter 123: It Is Truly Treasonous

Mu Ran gave Gu Yan a cold, sidelong glance, a sharp glint flickering in her eyes as if she were contemplating flaying him alive. She sneered, her tone dripping with disdain and repulsion, "Is your face itching again? Do you want to be slapped?"

Before her voice had even faded, Gu Yan’s expression grew visibly icy.

A flash of malice crossed Gu Yan’s eyes. He took a deep breath, subconsciously tightening his grip on the pendant in his hand, and let his brazen gaze sweep up and down the woman’s body. "Heh, no need for that."

He had only refrained from dealing with this cold, beautiful woman and her violent methods earlier because the situation had been critical. If he hadn’t stepped in to hypnotize everyone, he would have died along with this crowd.

In all his life, Gu Yan had never encountered a situation where a woman rode roughshod over him like this. Today, he found himself seeing Mu Ran in a new light. She was worthy of being the woman Gu Beichen had chosen—ruthless enough. However, Mu Ran would soon no longer be that man’s woman.

At this thought, a deeply sinister and eerie look flickered across Gu Yan’s slightly distracted face.

"Gu Yan, you had better not provoke me; otherwise, I will make you experience hopeless agony."

Mu Ran had caught the malice in his intent. She did not fear him; as long as she refused to look at that pendant, she could not be hypnotized.

"Heh, Mu Ran, what are you saying? Trust me. I’m going to hypnotize Captain Gao first."

Gu Yan’s face shifted, turning unnervingly serious and solemn. He toyed with the pendant in his hand, swinging it nonchalantly in front of Captain Gao twice.

Suddenly, Captain Gao stood up abruptly. His voice was hoarse and his tone composed as he looked at Mu Ran as if she were a total stranger, despite the fact that they had just been speaking.

"Madam, please return to your seat. The plane is currently in danger. Please remain calm and relaxed; our entire flight crew is here to ensure the safety of all passengers."

With that, Captain Gao turned to the crowd of passengers and repeated his script. "Dear passengers, please rest assured, the entire flight crew will guarantee your personal safety. Please stay relaxed."

Yet, the eerie thing was that the passengers in the cabin seemed unable to hear him. They remained indifferent, completely immersed in their own worlds, showing no signs of panic or agitation despite the plane’s emergency.

Everyone was calm. Calm to the point of being eerie and terrifying.

Captain Gao frowned, utterly bewildered by the passengers' reaction. What was going on? Were passengers these days so mentally resilient? The plane was in a rapid descent. How could they smile while their bodies were leaning sharply forward and the plane was nose-diving? Some passengers were even sleeping soundly?

"Captain Gao, please get to the cockpit as soon as possible! You are needed there!" Lin Chong scrambled up from the floor, stumbling toward the captain. He gripped the man’s calloused hand tightly, his voice trembling with urgency.

"Very well."

After nodding at Lin Chong, Captain Gao helped him into the seat he had just vacated. His demeanor was calm, his temperament exuding an innate confidence, and a glint of light shone in his somewhat weary eyes. "Sir, rest assured, everyone will be fine."

With that said, Captain Gao walked toward the cockpit with practiced ease.

"Xiao Ran, what is going on? Didn't this Captain Gao go deaf?" Lin Chong clutched his seatbelt with one hand to keep from being thrown forward by the violent dive, gesturing toward his own ears as he looked at the cold, expressionless Mu Ran.

Wasn't the captain deaf? Why did he answer when he spoke to him? That meant he wasn't deaf anymore! Was the hypnosis of this creepy, detestable man really that powerful?

Gu Yan, sitting beside Lin Chong, reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling hard. Lin Chong’s body, which had been about to hit the floor, finally leaned back against the seat. Gu Yan retracted his hand and glanced at the bald man, who was staring at him with a look of investigation and wariness. A sneer curled his thin lips as he spoke airily, "Can you use your brain when you think? Hypnosis isn't an illusion; how could it possibly cure Captain Gao’s deafness?"

Lin Chong: "Then why isn't he deaf anymore?"

Gu Yan spoke slowly and languidly, "His deafness might not have been a physical ailment. Perhaps it was a psychological issue—he was so resistant to things related to flying that he went deaf."

Lin Chong nodded thoughtfully. Perhaps this man was right; at the very least, he was a psychologist. "We’ll just wait for good news from Captain Gao!"

Lin Chong glanced at Mu Ran, who was sitting with her eyes closed in contemplation, then at Gu Yan, who was radiating evil energy. Suddenly, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and a strong sense of impending crisis welled up. This man named Gu Yan definitely had ill intentions toward Xiao Ran. He couldn't let this man get close to her!

"Impossible, baldy. I know what you're thinking. Mu Ran is likely beyond your protection now."

Gu Yan’s wicked gaze followed his words, landing on the woman nearby. His eyes held a powerful sense of certainty. "Baldy, do you know why I have telepathy? I don't want to see what's in people's hearts; those hearts are all filled with filth, selfishness, and utilitarianism."

Just moments ago, while reading Lin Chong’s mind, Gu Yan had seen the man's recent dream. This plane could have landed safely in Country B, but all the misfortune had started because of Mu Ran. In Lin Chong's mind, Mu Ran was a person with a unique destiny, one that seemed to bear the signs of rebirth.

Unique destiny? Signs of rebirth? Gu Yan savored the two traits he had read about Mu Ran in Lin Chong’s mind. A wanton grin spread across his face, his playful gaze gradually settling on the face of the woman, whose lips were slightly pale, lost in thought.

Unexpectedly, Mu Ran snapped her eyes open. A cold light shot directly into Gu Yan’s unguarded eyes, striking straight at the man’s soul. This woman was far more powerful than he had imagined.

"What are you looking at?" Mu Ran’s voice was even colder than her gaze—piercing, bone-chilling, and heart-wrenching.

Gu Yan raised a hand to touch his nose and coughed dryly. "Nothing."

He couldn't touch this woman now. Her defenses were too strong; it wasn't the right time. Gu Yan shifted his gaze to the bald man beside him. "Baldy, can you tell my fortune?"

The plane gradually leveled out. A man, stripped of his flight jacket and cap, wearing only his uniform trousers, was shoved out of the cockpit in a disheveled state. He lost his footing and nearly fell at the entrance of the economy class.

Lin Chong, Mu Ran, and Gu Yan all glanced at the man and snorted in unison. If this plane had truly crashed, one reason would have been the calamity Mu Ran had diverted for Gu Xiao. The other major reason would have been this pilot who had gained his position through nepotism. However, there were destined paths in the universe; with Captain Gao present, everyone on the flight would return safely to the Imperial Capital.

Mu Ran breathed a sigh of relief, her hands gripping the armrests tightly to avoid any unnecessary contact with Gu Yan. She was worried that he might take the opportunity to hypnotize her.

"Hey! Baldy, I'm talking to you. Tell my fortune—tell me about my marriage luck." Gu Yan nudged Lin Chong’s shoulder, his mouth drooping, his tone sinister. "Did you hear me? Do you want me to hypnotize you?"

"I hear you, I hear you. Just let me hold your wrist." Although Lin Chong wasn't afraid of Gu Yan, he was indeed worried about being hypnotized. If he were under a spell, who would protect Xiao Ran? But why were all these men surnamed Gu so obsessed with marriage luck? At the SY gala, Gu Xiao had entrusted Xiao Ran to have him calculate his marriage luck. This Gu Yan was the same. Were all these men surnamed Gu such hopeless romantics?

Lin Chong bent his arm and placed his hand on Gu Yan’s wrist, slowly closing his eyes to feel the pulse. He could determine a person’s destiny through their pulse.

"Damn it! You! You are rebellious and wicked!" Lin Chong suddenly let go, his whole body trembling involuntarily. He looked at the man smirking at him with horror. "How... how could you do that! You will be struck by divine retribution!"

Gu Yan sneered. "What did I do?"

Lin Chong’s lips twitched, his pupils trembling. "Patricide!"

Lin Chong’s eyes were wide, meeting Gu Yan’s gaze. The man’s eyes seemed capable of probing a person’s heart, making Lin Chong shudder. "Gu Yan, you will surely face divine retribution for this! Your telepathy was gained after you used Gu Beichen to kill your father, wasn't it?"

Lin Chong let out a long sigh. Although he was only thirty, he had seen many walks of life. This was the first time he had ever encountered such a rebellious and vile piece of trash as Gu Yan.

"Vile trash? Thank you for the compliment." Gu Yan sneered, his overbearing gaze fixed on Mu Ran, his desire for possession and control radiating along with a sinister air. "Telepathy was an accident. I don't want to pry into what others think, but there's no helping it. Since I have this ability, I will use it to deal with those I want to possess or destroy."

Lin Chong’s eyes were blank. "You are so twisted."

He had seen the man’s destiny. Just now, an image had surfaced in his mind: this Gu Yan before him would pay the price for everything he had done. And the people who would make him pay were Mu Ran and Gu Beichen. Everything was fate; it could not be changed. Lin Chong could only be a bystander; he could not interfere. Just like the matter of Gu Xiao—if he interfered and changed someone's destined path, he would surely suffer a backlash.

The plane had leveled out. The broadcast chime sounded.

"Ladies and gentlemen, due to severe turbulence, the plane has been experiencing heavy shaking for the past hour. However, thanks to the tireless efforts of our entire flight crew, the plane has returned to normal flight. Due to excessive fuel consumption during the turbulence, the Civil Aviation Administration of the Imperial Capital has decided that the plane will return to base. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your support."

As the announcement finished, everyone who had been hypnotized by Gu Yan instantly regained their normal consciousness. People cheered, and friends and lovers embraced tightly.

Mu Ran opened her eyes and stood up, preparing to return to the first-class cabin. Gu Yan and Lin Chong followed her back. The three returned to their seats and let out a long sigh in unison.

"Interesting."

Gu Yan’s eyes held a subtle, indescribable amusement. His tone was rising, but laden with hidden meaning. Seeing that neither Mu Ran nor Lin Chong paid him any mind, he stood up, walked over to Lin Chong, picked up the sunglasses left by the side of the seat, and toyed with them.

"Mu Ran, I can't see what's in your heart. Gu Beichen’s either—I can't read his mind. But years ago, I successfully hypnotized him into killing my father."

The man’s tone grew more amused, his voice smooth, but the words he spoke were shocking.

"So what? Your father died? You succeeded in your patricide? Or are you saying you finally brought down Gu Beichen?" Mu Ran drooped her eyelids lazily, propping her face up with one hand, a mocking, disdainful smile curling her lips. "You haven't succeeded in any of it, have you?"

After saying this, Mu Ran gave a symbolic snort of laughter. She had heard what Lin Chong and Gu Yan had said earlier. As expected, this man’s purpose in approaching her was for Gu Beichen—to bring him down. People with ulterior motives always thought she was Gu Beichen’s Achilles' heel. How ridiculous, how delusional.

Gu Yan leaned over, his cold, pale face drawing close to Mu Ran’s calm, carefree face. "I want to hypnotize you; it would be easy."

He reached out, attempting to trace her delicate features with his finger, but the woman slapped his hand away.

"Slap—"

Mu Ran stood up slightly and gave the man a loud, crisp slap across the face.

"Get lost."

Mu Ran’s slightly pale lips were returning to their natural color. As her lips parted slightly, she said, "You cannot hypnotize me."

Gu Yan rubbed his reddened hand and sneered. "Is it Liang Jingru who gave you the courage to say that to me?"

Mu Ran glanced at the man and said no more.

—

Chengxing Group.

"Chairman! Mr. Gu! Mr. Shen! The plane! Miss Mu’s plane is safe! It’s on its way back!"