Jiang Muwan felt somewhat dazed when she heard Gu Jiangnian's name once more.
Her gaze towards the elder drifted slightly.
Recalling the past, a disdainful sneer escaped her throat.
"So what if I have?" Her response was equivocal.
The elder pressed his palm down on the armrest of the Taishi Chair and spoke with a deep and resolute voice, "Gu Jiangnian is extremely ruthless, you should stay away from him."
"Really?" She retorted with a sneer, indifferent to the elder's warning, "In my view, Gu Jiangnian is the epitome of kindness."
It was a statement that went against the grain, yet years later, Jiang Muwan would know that the elder's words were not the slightest bit wrong.
Gu Jiangnian is indeed extremely ruthless.
The boy who once would dive into water without a second thought to save someone had turned into a cold-blooded tycoon on the business battlefield, so much so that even an elder with deep roots like Mr. Jiang had to keep his distance.
In the late autumn of '92, Jiang Lin and Song Rong were nearing the end of their decade-long marriage, Jiang Muwan witnessed firsthand the cracks in her parents' relationship, watching her mother leave C City for the Capital.
In her youth, she thought her parents merely had an unhappy marriage, only to realize later that this was not the case.
In the late autumn of '92, just a step away from the depths of winter, Jiang Lin brought home a woman he had kept on the side, and with her, a boy.
That day, rage consumed her, and she lured the boy, two years her junior, to the artificial lake in the community and pushed him in, thinking that he would undoubtedly perish.
However, someone unexpected shattered all her plans.
Who was that person?
It was Gu Jiangnian.
And now, when the elder spoke of Gu Jiangnian being the most ruthless,
she could only sneer and say, Gu Jiangnian was the epitome of kindness. Was there anything more than kindness? He was also the Guanyin Bodhisattva who rescued those in agony.
While he saved others, he cast her into hell,
making her the target of public criticism, turning her into an attempted murderer.
Outside the house, the light drizzle gradually lessened, while the atmosphere upstairs and downstairs was starkly different. Ever since Jiang Muwan's return, a faint gloom had enveloped the Jiang Family.
And what broke this gloom was the uninvited guest on this rainy night.
A knock on the door of the second-floor study sounded, and the butler's voice rose from outside, "Master, Mr. Gu has arrived."
In C City at present, the only one who could be called Mr. Gu was Gu Jiangnian.
It was a title of honor and of awe.
As soon as the butler's words settled, the elder's look towards Muwan carried a profound significance, and after a long time, he let out a faint smile.
And Jiang Muwan thought to herself how countless were the sinister ties of this world.
Jiang Muwan and the elder left the study one after the other. When they reached the stairwell, she saw a man in formal attire sitting on the sofa with his back to her. From a distance, his silhouette alone gave one a taste of what was meant by peerless grace.
Gu Jiangnian, at his prime, had ascended to high positions. Fame, power, and status—all were within his grasp.
When this man with perfect looks stood at the center of the CBD, he could captivate the hearts of the elite, with everyone aspiring to the esteemed position of Mrs. Gu, to look down upon the multitude.
Who wouldn't love to stand at the center of power?
Perhaps sensing the unfriendly gaze behind him, or perhaps hearing the tapping of the cane, the man stood up in a very gentlemanly manner, turned around, and politely addressed the elder Mr. Jiang, perfectly humble and courteous, leaving no room for reproach.
Gu Jiangnian was excessively ruthless; his mere silent presence was enough to exhibit the demeanor of someone superior.
Even under someone else's roof, his innate arrogance remained undiminished.
"This night of flimsy rain curtains has blown in Director Gu," the elder said with laughter, his words teasing.
Standing by the sofa in black attire, Gu Jiangnian's words were humble, but his posture remained arrogantly unassailable, "My subordinates mishandled matters, I have come personally today to apologize, and I hope Mr. Jiang won't take offense."
No sooner had Gu Jiangnian finished his words than he met a gaze filled with murderous intent.
Following that gaze, what he saw was Jiang Muwan standing at the edge of the stairs, smiling faintly at him.
It seemed that the moment was merely his illusion.
Jiang Muwan knew that Gu Jiangnian's words had shattered what she had just said to the old man.
So what if it was?
In fact, it wasn't at all.
Why did Gu Jiangnian come to apologize? Was there something other than asking for a loan? Probably not.
The old man, being of a venerable age with profound experience, didn't directly respond to Gu Jiangnian's words. Instead, he introduced him to her, saying, "Director of Junhua, Director Gu."
The two of them had met in their youth, and Muwan harbored a grudge.
Even if she couldn't remember Gu Jiangnian's face, she remembered his name.
Today, the old man's introduction was laden with deep implications.
Jiang Muwan stood at the top of the stairs, slightly nodding her head, "I've long heard of your great reputation, Director Gu."
Their estranged words sounded as though they were meeting for the first time in this life, utterly courteous.
"I don't deserve such praise, Miss Jiang."
Gu Jiangnian had an immense charm that was unrelated to his handsome appearance.
It came from years of accumulated experience; his composure and elegance were enough to drive throngs of young girls mad.
And his own entrepreneurial journey had made him an idol in the eyes of many young men, revered and enshrined in their halls.
Yet, such a man had provoked a murderous intent in Jiang Muwan.
This murderous intent had been buried in her heart for sixteen years.
Did Gu Jiangnian know?
He knew.
In his youth, he had been fortunate enough to witness the Jiang family's young lady in tearful agony, and her venomous desire to tear him to pieces.
It would have been better not to mention those old events.
But just now, with that one glance, Gu Jiangnian knew.
That past had not passed.
Jiang Muwan didn't want to listen to the old man's pleasantries with Gu Jiangnian, nor did she want to give Gu Jiangnian the chance to "apologize."
Thus, as the old man walked toward the sofa, she headed in the opposite direction.
She picked up her bag, intending to leave.
The old man, bending over and just about to sit on the sofa, saw her leaving and stood up again.
Watching her figure, he suppressed his feelings and asked, "What did you promise me?"
For outsiders, there is perhaps nothing more awkward than witnessing a family dispute while being a guest in someone's home.
Gu Jiangnian didn't stay long that evening.
Naturally, he didn't achieve his purpose.
He left to avoid any suspicion, his gaze sweeping over Jiang Muwan with a faint smile.
As they brushed past each other, the edge of his clothing grazed the back of her hand, causing her to frown slightly.
The discord in the family began with Gu Jiangnian's arrival and paused with his departure.
In between the rise and fall, it was all because of Gu Jiangnian.
Jiang Muwan had thought that he should be gone by now.
But the truth was, he hadn't left.
When she saw him at the place where the past incident had occurred, her heart felt colder than a rainy night, the coldness buried within her rapidly climbing.