Chapter 36: Mutual Unmasking

Things have taken a turn different from my past life.

Song Shiyu went to the Chengfeng Gambling House today. Though she did not fully achieve her goal, it was not a complete failure. She took out the IOU of the Li family that Xiong Tianqiang had returned to her. "I originally intended to burn it at the gambling house, but I was afraid you wouldn't feel at ease. After thinking it over, I decided you should do it yourself."

Li Xubai checked the document line by line. It was indeed a massive debt. He raised his eyes to look at Song Shiyu. "How did you get this back? You didn't pay them back with your body, did you?"

"..." Song Shiyu was so embarrassed and angry that she wanted to slap Li Xubai across the face.

"Just kidding, I'm just kidding. Don't be angry," Li Xubai said. "The Imperial Guards were scouring the streets today, and they also went to the Lulu Tong Carriage Agency."

Song Shiyu said in a low, heavy voice, "Yes, I saw it too. They said two people from the Gu family had escaped. I don't know if they managed to get out."

Whenever she thought of this, Song Shiyu felt a bitter taste in her mouth. In her past life, the entire Gu family was rounded up; not a single person escaped. But in this life, she had seen with her own eyes that among those being escorted away, neither her biological younger brother from her past life nor Gu Shiyan were present. She remained deeply anxious. She was afraid that they wouldn't make it out, yet equally afraid that they would. If they escaped to the ends of the earth, she might never see them again in this lifetime.

"What exactly is your connection to the Gu family?" Li Xubai made up his mind; this would be the last time he asked. If she continued to conceal the truth, he wouldn't blame himself for keeping the whereabouts of Gu Shiyan and the child a secret, leaving her in constant fear for the rest of her life.

Song Shiyu could not bring herself to say it. Her experience was far too shocking. She was afraid!

"What are you afraid of?" Li Xubai's playful expression vanished. "Are you afraid that if you say it, you'll be burned as a monster?" He paused for a moment. "If you don't say it, and I don't say it, who would ever know?"

Song Shiyu's resolve wavered. "Li Xubai, can I trust you?"

Li Xubai spread his hands. "It seems you don't have any other choice besides trusting me."

Hearing this, Song Shiyu fell into a brief contemplation. After a long while, she finally made up her mind and spoke frankly to him. "Li Xubai, what would you do if I told you that I am not Song Shiyu?"

The suspicion in Li Xubai's heart was finally confirmed, and he relaxed completely. "I thought it was something big. You're not Song Shiyu, and I'm not Li Xubai. We’re both just characters in a ghost story; let’s not judge each other."

Song Shiyu's own guess was also confirmed, and her tightly wound heartstrings finally snapped. "I know. In my past life, the Li Xubai of this time was long dead."

"Holy crap, you're a reborn soul?" Li Xubai’s eyes lit up with excitement as if he had struck gold. "Quick, tell me, when are there opportunities to get promoted and get rich? I need to go scoop up some luck."

Song Shiyu was caught between laughter and tears. "At this time in my past life, I was only five years old. I don't remember anything."

Li Xubai slumped in despair. He knew there was no such thing as a free lunch! To think he finally encountered a reborn person, only for them to be an idiot!

Li Xubai let out a long breath. "Then, who were you to the Gu family in your past life?"

With the truth out in the open, Song Shiyu stopped covering it up and spilled everything. "In my past life, I was the legitimate eldest daughter of the Gu family's eldest son."

"Then what happened to the Gu family, and what happened to you?"

Song Shiyu’s face was filled with sorrow. She wanted to cry, but she had no more tears. "In my past life, the entire Gu family was exiled to Lingnan. Most of them died before they even reached it. Among them..." She covered her face. That past was years ago, yet the pain lingered like a long-standing shadow. "My mother and my three-year-old brother both died on the way to exile."

"Wait," Li Xubai said in surprise. "Your brother? How many sons did your father have?"

Song Shiyu was confused. "Just this one son."

"Then that's it." Li Xubai grabbed Song Shiyu's wrist. "Come on, I'm taking you to see someone."

"See who? Let go, I can walk myself." Song Shiyu quickly broke free from his grip and followed him into the main room, where he turned on the lights.

"It's you!"

"You're in cahoots with that female bandit!"

Song Shiyu and Gu Shiyan spoke at the same time.

Gu Shiyan clutched the child in her arms even tighter, acting as if she were facing a great enemy. "What do you want? I already gave you all my money; I don't have a single cent left on me." She paused and continued, "My brother doesn't have any either! Get away from us!"

Song Shiyu ignored Gu Shiyan's words, her eyes fixed in a daze on the child in Gu Shiyan's arms as she took a step forward.

"A-Man."

Song Shiyu pulled the child out, seeing that childish face. How many years had it been? Twenty years. The way this face looked at the moment of death had appeared in her dreams repeatedly. Every time she woke in the middle of the night, her heart would ache as if it were being twisted. Now that she saw this face again, the pain rushed over her like a tidal wave, causing her to break into a cold sweat and nearly faint.

"What are you doing! Let go, let go, you're hurting A-Man!" Gu Shiyan was fiercely protective of her young charge, and seeing Song Shiyu looking like a madwoman, she began to slap and push at her.

Gu A-Man was also terrified and opened his mouth to wail. Seeing the situation spiraling, Li Xubai reached out and covered Gu A-Man's mouth.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, can you calm down? Do you want to bring the Imperial Guards here and get us all killed?"

The words snapped her back to reality. Song Shiyu let go of Gu A-Man. Gu Shiyan stopped her assault. Li Xubai kept his hand over the child's mouth. Gu A-Man stopped crying but looked around in terror.

Song Shiyu took two steps back. That’s right—she had nothing to do with the Gu family now. She had nothing to do with A-Man. She was just a stranger.

Song Shiyu tried her best to make her voice calm. "Gu Shiyan, how did you manage to bring A-Man and escape?"

Gu Shiyan did not think twice about how Song Shiyu knew A-Man's pet name, but that did not stop her from being hostile toward her—after all, this female bandit had robbed her of all her private savings. She had scrimped and saved to scrape that money together; was it easy for her?

"Why do you care? What, are you going to report us now?" Gu Shiyan stood her ground.

Li Xubai interjected coolly from the side, "If you don't let her care, then she won't help you get out of the city, and you can just wait to be found by the Imperial Guards sooner or later."

"..." Gu Shiyan doubted, "Is she even capable of that?"

Song Shiyu said, "You can try."

Gu Shiyan thought for a moment. She had no one else to trust right now. At the very least, these two had not turned her in yet. They should be trustworthy enough.

"After I returned to the manor from Qishan, I was punished by the mistress to kneel in the ancestral hall. On the day the Imperial Guards raided the manor, everything was in chaos. The mistress knew she couldn't escape, so she had a little maid take A-Man out through the back door. But the maid and A-Man got separated, and the maid was caught by the guards. I came out of the ancestral hall, happened to run into A-Man who had lost his way, and knowing there was a dog hole in the back wall, I hugged him and ran out." Gu Shiyan was still terrified, her voice growing sadder as she spoke.