Linfeng's suspense was very effective. The room was still and the atmosphere turned tense.
The man who was ignored all this time, Eugine, drank his tea quietly as he suppressed his presence more.
His perked ears though stood in attention.
It's coming! Some kind of delicious rumor!
The drawling masculine voice continued.
"I have heard... you are suspecting that Guan Gao Huan is a fake."
"....!"
The air stilled.
The gossiping Eugine was frozen.
Come again?
Guan Xixin was surprised for a moment, before he narrowed his eyes.
So it seemed that the rumor was finally spreading?
That's great.
Guan Xixin leaned back on his chair. He did not deny it and confidently said, "That's right. The reason I am fighting hard to win the title of the heir is because of him. I will not let an outsider take over the Guan Empire."
Eugine: Σ(°□°) .....Big news!!!
Linfeng stared deeply at Guan Xixin.
In fact, when he first heard his spy's report, he was shocked.
Linfeng had heard about the close relationship among the Guan heirs when he was a kid. It was when he studied the backgrounds and the situations of the legendary families back when he was still a butler in training.
If Guan Xixin doubted Guan Gao Huan's identity, then there must be a reason why.
If Guan Gao Huan was really a fake, then some questions that bothered Linfeng could be answered by this.
However, even more questions appeared.
Linfeng hoped to meet Guan Xixin right away and ask about this.
Also, when his Young Miss heard the matter of the fight for succession in the Guan family, she told him that they should express their sincerity in supporting Guan Xixin. They must not allow Guan Gao Huan to have a chance and become the heir.
Therefore, Linfeng volunteered to handle this matter.
He continued. "Why are you doubting his identity? You are brothers. And based on my understanding, you two are quite close since young, correct?"
"..."
Guan Xixin stared at Linfeng for a while.
After contemplating that it would help if someone knew the reasons why he was doubting that fake, Guan Xixin decided to tell them everything that he found suspicious.
...No one in the family believed him. Now that a party came knocking whom he was sure was not on that man's side, then he could gamble his chances.
So that in case he suddenly rolled off and die, there would be people remaining in the know.
His eyes deepened as a flash of determination filled them.
"Since you are interested in this, then I'll tell you." He took a deep breath.
"I knew the real Gao Huan the most since young. His temperament, his behavior, his hobbies, and the things he likes or dislikes. He also has a scar on his brow that could not be erased unless he went under facial surgery to fix it. However, the Gao Huan I knew is extremely weak to pain, I had confirmed it as his physiological peculiarity. He did not want me to let the others know because he was afraid of bothering them...
"But the Gao Huan who came back five years ago was nothing like him. Not a single trait of my little brother can be seen from him. Even the shades of his eyes were slightly weird, the bone formation of his face and body is a bit off, the direction of the swirl on top of his head was slightly lower, and most especially, that unique aura of my brother, that breath coming from him...."
Guan Xixin's breathing became heavier with each passing second as he went on and on.
His grandfather and his older brother told him that he just remembered wrongly, or that Gao Huan's growth made those changes, but he just knew that he was definitely different!
Yet, those DNA tests claimed otherwise!
Guan Xixin seemed to go back to the past...
When he first met Guan Gao Huan after many years, he was frozen for a long time due to a sudden chill enveloping his body.
Then he asked that person, "Who are you?"
The young man smiled gently. "I'm your brother, second brother Xin. It has been a long time."
Even though that man was smiling, Guan Xixin could feel the coldness in his fake smile and the eyes that held no warmth.
"You... Who are you really? You are not my brother!"
Even though he yelled that on the first day, his elder brother and his grandfather did not believe him.
Why?!
Why can't they remember how my little brother looked exactly is!
Guan Xixin was very disappointed with his family.
"....My elder brother and my grandfather are both blind. They might relate some resemblance in him to my little brother's previous appearance, but that's all to it. How can I not be suspicious of him when all those times that he was abroad, I never got to meet him as if he was avoiding me? Even when I came to the hospital, they won't let me meet my little brother. And then he suddenly showed up, with vast differences, claiming to be my little brother!"
Guan Xixin's eyes were red. He had long forgotten about whatever business deal. Finally finding an outlet for his pent-up emotions, he just wanted to let everything out. "Now that I think about it, maybe my little brother has been changed to that fake since that time..."
His heart suddenly trembled painfully.
If that was really true, then his brother might be....
The same ominous chill which plagued him before enveloped him once more.
The room was silent for a much longer time.
Eugine tremblingly drank more tea as he tried to reduce his presence further.
"Do you have evidence?" Linfeng suddenly asked.
The second young master of the Guan family closed his eyes.
"...I tried to gather evidence, but the several DNA tests and the doctors' testimonies from abroad are all saying that he is my little brother. But there's a gut feeling in me. My instincts have never been wrong. My vivid memories about my little brother is definitely not wrong. He is not Gao Huan."
Linfeng was quiet.
It seemed like proving that the man was a fake through medical means was not reliable.
Also, what if... this Gao Huan was indeed not the real Gao Huan, but was still blood-related to them?
Such as an illegitimate child....
Which was why the DNA tests failed, if not faked?
The other man continued to express his suspicions.
"Also, when he came back to the country, he suddenly became busy, too busy that he was barely staying at the mansion. How can he become busy when eldest brother and grandfather did not even give him any job to do? They just let him do whatever he wanted. There are times when he went to someplace and disappeared for days. I don't know where he went, even when I had someone tail him closely. How could that be a coincidence? You probably think it is only a teenager's way of relaxing. But no, every action of that person is suspicious. Even my recent accident... I am sure he is the cause of it."
******