Chapter 127 — Bearing a Great-Grandson

Shen Mubai took a few bodyguards and took a detour to intercept Gu Yan, dragging him into a black business van and beating him mercilessly.

"Gu Yan, you are nothing but a bastard!"

When Shen Mubai was in his teens, he had been sent to the military by the elder Mr. Shen for several years. Although his combat skills were not as cold and agile as Gu Beicheng's, dealing with scum like Gu Yan was an easy task.

"Let go of me!"

Gu Yan was pinned to the back seat of the van by the bodyguards. His face was tightly gripped by Shen Mubai’s hands, and his neck was pressed against by Shen Mubai’s knee, leaving him completely unable to move.

"Take your damn filthy legs off me! Shen Mubai, you really are just Gu Beicheng’s lapdog! Let me go!"

Gu Yan pushed his body upward with all his might, trying to break free from the man pressing down on his chest. But the harder he struggled, the heavier the weight became. He felt as if his neck were about to snap.

"A lapdog? I’m happy to be one. Gu Beicheng is worth it! Let you go? What do you take me for? I’m afraid you’ll hypnotize me!"

Gu Yan stopped struggling, his face pressed against the car seat, and he let out a cold snort. "I heard that. In your heart, you are both afraid of me and hate me, yet you can do nothing to me. You have to resort to sneak attacks."

Gu Yan knew that Shen Mubai dared not do anything to him, because of Mu Ran... His hypnosis could only be undone using his unique methods; no matter how hard other psychologists tried, they could not save anyone he had hypnotized.

"Shen Mubai, aren't you trying to win back your ex-girlfriend? It’s not going very smoothly, is it? In fact, isn't Li Li about to get engaged to someone else?" Gu Yan curled his lips, his tone long and drawn out with disdain and mockery. "Shen Mubai, you are truly pathetic. Li Li is such a wonderful person, yet you insist on hurting her."

"Gu Yan! Stop reading my mind!"

Shen Mubai gripped Gu Yan’s neck tightly, his knee digging into his back, using every ounce of his strength, wishing he could strangle him to death right there!

Gu Yan choked, unable to catch his breath. "I’m not reading your mind. Li Li is my patient. It was she who asked me to hypnotize her so she could forget you. Haven't you noticed these past few days, during your time together, that there is simply no sign of you in her eyes? Hahaha, it’s all karma!"

"What? You hypnotized Li Li too?" Shen Mubai’s gaze went blank, his mouth slightly agape, and the force in his hands suddenly vanished. He released his grip, looking at Gu Yan in disbelief. "You damn bastard, you actually hypnotized Li Li!"

A trace of red bloodshot his eyes, and his handsome face turned abruptly gloomy, becoming leaden and dark. Gritting his teeth, he flipped Gu Yan over so the man had to face him.

"Gu Yan, die!"

Shen Mubai radiated murderous intent. The bodyguards behind him shivered involuntarily, quickly stepping out of the car to stand guard outside. Having spent over a decade with Gu Beicheng and being a retired soldier, the hostility Shen Mubai exuded when angry was particularly intense.

"Shen Mubai, you can't kill me. If I die, Li Li and Mu Ran will remain trapped in hypnosis forever. You will never win back that woman’s heart in this lifetime, and as for your good brother, Mu Ran will hate him forever."

Gu Yan clawed at the man’s bulging, vein-covered hands. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead; he had read Shen Mubai’s mind. The man before him truly wanted him dead.

"Heh, reading my mind again? Gu Yan, I won't kill you."

Shen Mubai’s sharp, bloodthirsty eyes tracked the man’s gaze. When he caught the flash of triumph and malice in Gu Yan's eyes, he gradually calmed down. He knew that the other man was trying to provoke him.

"Gu Yan, you had better pray that Mu Ran stays safe. Otherwise, it won't be me standing here to deal with you. Look at those disgusting scars on your hands and think about your life—do you still want it?"

After saying this, Shen Mubai leaned down slightly, fished the jade pendant out of the man’s pocket, and threw it out the window. Gu Yan heard clearly the sound of the passing vehicles crushing the jade.

"Shen Mubai, the pendant!"

He sat up and looked out the window, and in the next second, his eyes fell upon his own hands gripping the car window frame. They were covered in scars, a mix of new wounds and old marks. Gu Yan turned back to look at Shen Mubai, who stood by the car door, with a venomous expression. "The pendant is gone. I have no way to undo the hypnosis."

***

Shen Mubai sneered. "Don't act so high and mighty. Stop feeding me nonsense. You lot, lock him in my lakeside villa. Tie his hands up, and make sure he doesn't hypnotize you."

The bodyguards outside were handpicked by Shen Mubai—men without parents or girlfriends, whose minds were pure. Against someone as sinister and cunning as Gu Yan, who was adept at mind-reading and hypnosis, Shen Mubai had certainly made full preparations.

These bodyguards were simple-minded and knew nothing. Gu Yan had no way to manipulate them. When dealing with Gu Yan in the past, Shen Mubai hadn't taken him seriously. He had just found a few people to watch over him, but those people were eventually hypnotized by Gu Yan, providing him with an opportunity to approach Gu Beicheng. The fact that Gu Yan had hypnotized Gu Beicheng and used his hand to attempt to kill the Second Master of the Gu family was a steel needle stuck in Shen Mubai’s heart.

Back then, Gu Beicheng had repeatedly warned him not to take Gu Yan lightly, but he...

So... it didn't matter if Gu Yan called him a lapdog. In any case, Shen Mubai knew he had failed Gu Beicheng. It was his own negligence that led to Gu Beicheng being accused of attempting to murder his own uncle, eventually being cast out of the family by the Elder.

"Gu Yan, you will pay the price for what you've done."

Shen Mubai stood on the spot, watching the van carrying Gu Yan speed away, his eyes filled with determination and murderous intent.

Meanwhile, with his hands bound and his eyes covered, Gu Yan hummed a little tune, offering no resistance at all. He knew that no matter where he fled, Gu Beicheng would find him. Furthermore, he didn't want to run. Because the current Mu Ran was no longer Gu Beicheng’s; she was his. When Mu Ran woke up, what kind of attitude would she show toward not loving Gu Beicheng anymore?

The bodyguard driving the van suddenly felt a chill and glanced at the rearview mirror. Even though Gu Yan’s eyes were covered, that eerily upturned mouth made one’s scalp tingle.

***

At the mountain villa—

Gu Beicheng sat by the bed, tightly gripping the hands of the woman who lay with her eyes closed. The corners of the man’s mouth trembled slightly. His pupils shone with love, heartache, and regret.

Standing by the bed, the elder Mr. Gu saw that his grandson was not in a good state and immediately walked over, patting his shoulder. "Beicheng, don't worry. Didn't the doctor just say that Xiao Ran is fine? You must not get trapped in a dead end. Turbulence on a plane is normal, and didn't the lost plane come back safely? Xiao Ran is fine, so don't blame yourself."

The elder tried to persuade the cold and fierce man with earnest words. He understood his eldest grandson; he knew that the boy must be suffering and blaming himself.

"Grandfather, regarding Gu Yan, I hope you do not interfere."

The man who had been silent for a long time raised his head, his black eyes, filled with brewing storms, fixed on the old but spirited face of the elder.

As the words fell, the old man’s face changed. He pressed his lips together, his right hand gripping his cane so tightly his knuckles turned white, and he tapped it against the floor with a slight force. He stared at Gu Beicheng without saying a word.

Others in the room remained standing, not daring to breathe loudly, fearing they would disturb the confrontation between grandfather and grandson.

Finally, the elder sighed and conceded. "I won't interfere. Gu Yan is no longer my grandson. It was I who failed you back then, letting you suffer for so many years. Now, do whatever you want. You are the head of the Gu family now; I am old and don't want to meddle in these matters. My only wish now is for Xiao Ran to wake up quickly, for you and Xiao Ran to get married soon, and to give me a great-grandson!"

The elder felt guilty toward Gu Beicheng. Back then, in his senility, he had wrongly believed that his grandson, in order to avenge his parents, had intended to kill his own uncle, and so he had driven the boy out of the house and adopted Gu Xiao instead.

That year, Gu Beicheng was only fifteen.

It was only later that the old man learned his eldest grandson had been framed and hypnotized by Gu Yan. That boy, Gu Yan, was just like his father—sinister and corrupt at a young age.

A teenager, actually capable of hypnotizing another's mind to commit patricide!

Upon learning the truth, the elder thought that he must have committed sins in his youth on the battlefield, which was why the Gu family was suffering such retribution. His second son was corrupt, framing his own brother and sister-in-law for the sake of the family fortune. His youngest grandson was even more sinister and vicious, hypnotizing his own cousin to try and kill his father!

In those years, the elder’s health had collapsed day by day, and he was in agony. It wasn't until Gu Beicheng returned home and he handed over all the family assets to his eldest grandson that the old man’s health began to improve.

"Beicheng, Grandfather knows you are kind-hearted. I am also furious that Gu Yan touched Mu Ran this time, but this is a society ruled by law; you must not do anything foolish."

The elder patted the man’s shoulder heavily, glanced at Mu Ran on the bed, and then left the room with his attendants. He knew that with him, an old man, standing there, the younger generation would feel uncomfortable, so he gave them space.

"Beicheng, we are all here."

Mu Lang walked to Gu Beicheng’s side, nudged his shoulder, and smiled lightly. "Don't worry, Xiao Ran will be fine. I have many friends who are psychologists. What is a little hypnosis? Don't worry."

Gu Beicheng glanced at him briefly, then turned to look at the group of people standing there. He pursed his lips and nodded at them. "Everyone, go out. Ranran, she..."

Gu Beicheng was deeply annoyed. Things were not as simple as Mu Lang said. Gu Yan’s hypnosis was extraordinary; he had started researching it in his teens. And by the time he was a teenager, he had already hypnotized himself to carry out those deeds. Gu Beicheng was convinced that Gu Yan’s current hypnosis skills were even more powerful and harder to break.

"Xiao Ran! Xiao Ran is awake!"

An Lan ran to the bed and exclaimed to the three Mu brothers, "Xiao Ran finally woke up!"

The few people who had just been about to leave the room immediately turned around and gathered around the bed upon hearing An Lan’s excited scream.

The three Mu brothers asked the woman on the bed, who had a rosy face but a body that seemed filled with resistance, in unison: "Xiao Ran, do you remember who we are?"

An Lan couldn't help but mock, "Xiao Ran was hypnotized, not suffering from amnesia!"

"Big Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, why are you here? Didn't I tell you not to enter my room? I am grown up now; don't treat me like a child anymore!"

What was she saying? What "don't enter her room"?

The three Mu brothers looked at each other, shook their heads in unison, and turned their eyes back to the woman on the bed. Mu Ran’s demeanor was still cold and unreachable, but the vibe she gave off was different from the previous Mu Ran.

"Xiao Ran, what are you saying? They have never entered your room, have they?" An Lan leaned over the bed, her small hand resting on the thigh under the quilt and shaking it gently.

How exactly did Gu Yan hypnotize Mu Ran? Why did it seem like Mu Ran had become a different person? Her words and actions were very similar to the original Mu Ran, but something was off.

Mu Ran’s attitude toward the three Mu brothers was as spoiled and willful as if she were talking to her own brothers. But they were clearly her god-brothers, and Mu Ran’s previous attitude toward them had been one of respect.

"Aren't you that agent?" Mu Ran furrowed her brows, pulling the quilt tighter around herself. "I don't want to be an actress for now. I want to ski; I will become a world champion."

An Lan stood up, her face full of distress. "Uh... I am indeed an agent, and I am your agent. Forget about skiing; you’ve already retired, so what are you going to ski? Besides, you are already a world champion. You were already a women's Grand Slam champion years ago..."