THIP Chapter 51

No matter how angry Luo Chen was or how much Luo Jin wanted to acknowledge Gu Changran as his daughter again, in Gu Changran’s heart, the person she trusted and cared about the most was still Mu Liuyin. So in the end, she returned to the Gu household with him.

Gu Changran looked a little dazed. She softly called out, “Brother.”

Before this, she had imagined what she would do if she turned out to be the daughter of the Luo family. But all those imagined scenarios fell apart when she faced the truth—she couldn’t bring herself to say the words “Dad” or “Brother.”

It wasn’t that Gu Changran didn’t want a family. It was just that they came into her life far too late. No one had been there when she needed them most. And now that her hopes had long been worn away, they suddenly appeared.

But now, she already had someone who loved and cherished her.

Gu Changran didn’t blame the Luo family. To her, they were like strangers connected by blood.

Mu Liuyin gently patted her as she clung to him.

“What should I do?” Gu Changran choked out in a trembling voice.

“It’s simple,” Mu Liuyin said. “Just like I told you before—my sister, Gu Changxi’s sister, doesn’t need to worry about this kind of thing.”

Gu Changran looked up at him with tears sliding down her face and gave a small nod.

After the DNA test results came out, the Luo father and son began visiting Gu’s house often to see their daughter. Every time they came, they brought plenty of gifts. Even when they didn’t have time to visit in person, they sent assistants to deliver gifts they had picked out for Gu Changran.

Gu Changran didn’t immediately agree to return to the Luo family, but she also didn’t reject their efforts. Or rather, she tried to reject them, but it didn’t work.

Mu Liuyin, on the other hand, was annoyed. What, did they think he couldn’t afford those things? Or that Gu Changran was living poorly in the Gu household?!

Still, since they were her biological father and brother, Mu Liuyin had no right to stop them from expressing their love. He could only accept it with frustration.

Especially since every time Luo Chen saw him, he had something sarcastic to say, accusing him of keeping the Luo family’s daughter and harboring ulterior motives.

Mu Liuyin always replied with a gentle smile: “Well, it’s not my fault Changran likes me.”

Luo Chen: “……”

But Luo Chen had his suspicions about why Gu Changxi adopted Gu Changran in the first place. After all, Gu Changxi already had a beloved adopted sister—Bai Qi—whom he’d raised from a young age. So why suddenly adopt Gu Changran, an orphan, three years ago?

Even if Gu Changran seemed to have no value at the time, Luo Chen refused to believe Gu Changxi would adopt her on a whim. Not with how cold and calculating he was.

And since he was suspicious, he naturally started investigating. Luo Chen wanted to know what kind of life Gu Changran had lived before her adoption.

Looking over the reports of her time in the orphanage, Luo Chen was livid. The orphanage was in poor condition and lacked proper oversight. The children often fought over food, and Gu Changran had been bullied frequently.

Before being adopted, she even showed signs of mild autism. No wonder she had clung so closely to Gu Changxi during the birthday banquet.

But when he flipped to the last page of the file, Luo Chen’s brows furrowed. A hospital under the Gu Corporation had once provided free comprehensive health screenings to the orphans at that very orphanage.

And not long after that, Gu Changran was adopted by Gu Changxi.

Meanwhile, Bai Qi, who had a congenital heart condition, had been sent abroad for treatment by Gu Changxi.

“Heart condition…” Luo Chen murmured the words, a chilling thought suddenly flashing through his mind.

Could it be… that Gu Changran’s heart was a match for Bai Qi’s?

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that this might be the real reason Gu Changxi adopted Gu Changran. His face turned grim as he picked up his phone and called someone, instructing them to check whether any other orphanages had received similar free screenings from Gu Corporation hospitals.

But if Gu Changxi did adopt Gu Changran for her heart, then why let her go to school? Why bring her to a public event like the birthday banquet?

Luo Chen couldn’t make sense of it.

Yet when he received the follow-up reports a few days later, he felt even more certain.

It turned out that hospitals under the Gu Corporation had indeed offered free health screenings to multiple orphanages.

At that point, if it wasn’t about finding a heart for Bai Qi, Luo Chen simply wouldn’t believe it.

“Gu Changxi!” Luo Chen growled through clenched teeth. “What a f***ing bastard!”

He shot to his feet, nearly rushing off to the Gu Corporation to beat Gu Changxi to death.

Staring at the stack of documents on the table, Luo Chen forced himself to calm down. He neatly arranged the papers, planning to confront Gu Changxi that very evening at the Gu house.

Luo Chen knew that, given how dependent Gu Changran was on Gu Changxi, she wouldn’t believe anything he said. And even if she did, he didn’t want to be the one to convince her to leave him. That would only hurt her deeply.

Still, Gu Changran was now their daughter. No matter how ruthless Gu Changxi might be, he surely wouldn’t dare lay a finger on her.

The charge of attempted murder—even as the head of the Gu Corporation, Gu Changxi couldn’t afford to bear that.

That evening, just as Mu Liuyin returned to the Gu household, she discovered that Luo Chen was already there, talking with Gu Changran. She had no idea when he had arrived.

“Brother!” Gu Changran beamed and called out the moment she saw Mu Liuyin walk in.

Mu Liuyin returned the smile with a soft “Mm.” Then she raised an eyebrow slightly and said, “President Luo came to visit?”

Luo Chen shot her a cold glare, his anger barely restrained. He turned to Gu Changran and said, “Changran, I need to talk to Gu Changxi about something.”

Gu Changran blinked in confusion, unsure what this was about.

Mu Liuyin, finding it a bit amusing, led Luo Chen into the study and asked, “President Luo, don’t tell me you’re still here to demand I return Changran to your Luo family?”

There was nothing she could do if that were the case.

Luo Chen’s voice was frosty. “I came here today for one reason: I want to know why you adopted Changran.”

Outside the door, Gu Changran, who was secretly eavesdropping, perked up her ears.

Hearing the question, Mu Liuyin felt a flicker of guilt. She gave a breezy smile. “I adopted her because I liked her. Is that a problem?”

“Oh?” Luo Chen clenched his fists and gave a cold laugh. “Then let me lay it out for you. Before you adopted Changran, the Gu Corporation’s hospitals conducted free full-body checkups at multiple orphanages as part of a charity initiative. Her orphanage was one of them.”

“And then, you discovered that her heart was a perfect match for your sister with congenital heart disease. So just a few days later, you adopted her.”

His voice grew colder, eyes filled with rage.

Mu Liuyin was momentarily speechless. She hadn’t expected Luo Chen to investigate the reason she had adopted Gu Changran. Regaining her composure, she said calmly, “President Luo, I adopted Changran simply because I liked the girl. As for Bai Qi, I’d already sent her overseas for treatment. If what you’re accusing me of were true, why wouldn’t I have just sent Changran abroad too?”

Luo Chen genuinely didn’t understand that part either. But a few simple lines from Gu Changxi weren’t enough to dispel his suspicion.

He stared at her coldly. “Gu Changxi, you’d better not be harboring such intentions. Because even if Changran likes you, our Luo family will never let you off.”

Outside the door, Gu Changran’s hands and feet had gone cold. At first, she’d only been worried her brother might try to take her back to the Luo family—but she hadn’t expected to overhear this.

Gu Changxi had never told her what exactly Bai Qi’s illness was. He’d never explained why he chose to adopt her either.

There were so many children in that orphanage. Why her?

But just like he said—if that was his intention, he could’ve sent her abroad from the start. No one would have noticed a missing orphan.

Gu Changran’s mind was in turmoil. She couldn’t tell what was real and what wasn’t.

She quietly left the door and returned to her room.

Curled up in bed, tears streamed down her face without her even realizing it.

After his confrontation with Gu Changxi, Luo Chen had calmed down. He wanted to talk to Gu Changran again, but she was no longer in the living room.

“She’s probably in her room,” Mu Liuyin said flatly.

Luo Chen shot her a glare, then walked toward Gu Changran’s room.

He knocked on the door. Inside, Gu Changran—startled like a frightened rabbit—sat up, quickly wiping away her tears with a tissue. After making sure there were no visible signs of crying, she opened the door.

Both Luo Chen and Gu Changxi were standing outside.

“Brother, Luo-ge,” she said with a smile. “I was just feeling a bit tired and wanted to take a nap.”

“Then get some good rest,” Luo Chen said gently. “I’ll be heading out now.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Gu Changran offered.

He gently patted her head. “No need. Go back inside.”

She smiled sweetly. “Okay. Drive safe, Luo-ge.”

After Luo Chen left, Gu Changran lay back on her bed, her thoughts unusually clear. Every word she’d overheard echoed in her mind like needles pricking at her heart.

She placed her hand over her chest, listening to the sound of her heart beating. Tears once again slid from her eyes.

She thought about all the kindness Gu Changxi had shown her. And she thought: even if Gu Changxi had adopted her just for her heart, she’d still be willing to give it.

But… there was still a deep unwillingness in her heart.

Why her heart?

Just imagining Bai Qi living on with her heart, staying by her brother’s side forever—it made jealousy bloom like poison in Gu Changran’s chest.

She had wanted to be the one to stay by his side forever too.

In the dark room, the lights were off, and Gu Changran lay with her beautiful eyes wide open, lost in thoughts only she knew.