Chapter 656 - Fake

The elders at Guan Gu Ri's side shook their heads and grumbled.

"Tsk, we have done everything we could yet we still lost in the end. The former head's votes is the one that made the third young master win this succession war. So much for all that claimed fairness."

Although he heard the complaints, Guan Gu Ri did not comment. 

Although the elders were displeased, they could not do anything but brace themselves for the changes that would occur in the Guan Empire. 

They should preserve as much power and authority as they could now. For sure, the third young master would not allow them to continue to gain more power in the Guan Empire. 

They really have lost terribly.

Guan Xixin's faction was too little to make a splash. With the absence of their contender, they could only bow their heads to the new master of the Guan Empire. They knew that they would not be able to participate in this discussion and gain more benefits from the empire. They could only preserve whatever they had and hope that their most profitable projects and most talented employees would not be transferred to others. They were thinking of transferring their resources overseas, since there was still hope for further development in the overseas business under Guan Xixin.

While various people were thinking of ways to adapt to the changes or show their support to Guan Gao Huan, his butler suddenly ran inside towards Guan Gu Ri. His face was grave as he whispered. "Headmaster, there is an emergency!"

Guan Gu Ri immediately thought of Guan Xixin's previous accident. He shot up in sudden worry and nervousness. 

"An accident? I-is Xixin safe...?"

"Ah, no, it's not like that, Headmaster, there is breaking news about the third young master that came in just now!"

Just as Guan Gu Ri exhaled and sat down, he froze again. 

"Breaking news about Gao Huan?" 

"I just received a call from the PR department head. Different media platforms and channels delivered news that the third young master is a fake Guan!"

Guan Gu Ri's mouth was agape.

The butler had a serious face as he opened his tablet. "I think it's better for the headmaster to check the news and see it for yourself."

Guan Gu Ri was in a daze. 

The first thing that came to his mind was his second brother. Since the people's attention was on the man on the chair of the Chairman's position, they did not notice Guan Gu Ri and his butler's little episode.

Guan Gu Ri's mind was still confused when several phones in the conference room vibrated. 

The secretaries standing on one side quietly took out their phones, read something, and were shocked. They hurriedly stepped to their immediate bosses and whispered the same news.

Several people's faces changed.

Guan Gao Huan also noticed the sudden change in the atmosphere. 

At this moment, his butler ran over with a grave face.

"Third young master, this is bad!" The butler whispered in a low tone. "There's a rumor going around about you!"

"What rumors--"

His question was not even finished yet when the large screen on the wall flashed again and changed into a news channel.

[...are from the files containing the medical doc.u.mentation of the Third Young Master Guan Gao Huan in XX Institute in Country XY...]

Two blurred pictures portraying a child in each of them were shown on the news channel side by side.

[The photo on the right is the real Guan Gao Huan from the Guan family's direct bloodline, while the photo on the left depicts the alleged fake Guan Gao Huan, whose real name is only known as Gunan--]

"!!!!!"

Clatter.

Guan Gao Huan stood up in shock and the chair he was sitting on fell off. 

His eyes turned wide. 

What was happening? Why was this kind of thing all over the news!

The people in the room were equally shocked as him.

This news was outrageous!

The exclamations and whisperings in the room erupted like a constant buzzing that filled everyone's ears. The people inside who all wore dumbfounded expressions turned to look at Guan Gao Huan with disbelieving eyes.

"Chairman... This news... This is obviously fake, isn't it?" one of his supporters asked carefully. 

It was a foolish question. Of course, it should be fake!

However, no matter how much a rumor circulated in the society, for it to appear in the news, there must be some sort of either a small bit of reason in it, or a fire that caused the smoke. 

Some people were hesitant.

Were the enemies of the Guan family making moves based on the previous rumors that originally came from the Second Young Master Guan Xixin's claims? Come to think of it, the Second Young Master Guan Xixin himself had been against the Third Young Master Guan Gao Huan, because the former allegedly believed that the latter was fake, or so they say....

But most people chose to believe in the newly appointed chairman, since all of their hard work and benefits were related to him. 

Not only that, saying that this person was fake was just absurd. The Guan family must have validated their descendants' DNA as soon as the rumors or claims started to spread.

To heck with these blasphemous brumors!

"These are outrageous! Do people think that real life is a drama?"

"It must be the work of the people who are targeting the Guan Empire! Since Chairman has been just been appointed, they are targeting him!"

"That's right, there's no way it is true! Chairman, there's no need to worry, we will handle this!"

Guan Gao Huan's faction would not believe the news at all.

Their good future was already at hand, they would not let someone take it away from them!

One by one, each director called their own subordinates to take care of the matter and stop the news channel from reporting this fake piece of news.

Unexpectedly though, they were all rejected.

"What do you mean 'they can't'?! This is defamation! Tell them that the Guan Empire will sue them!"

"You can't stop it? Call the police and stop this audacity!"

The room was chaotic as Guan Gao Huan's faction were on their phones, calling various people and using their names and power to stop the fake news from spreading.

All the while that these were happening, the person involved, Guan Gao Huan, stayed rooted on the spot. 

He felt his heart tremble. His surroundings were a blur and he could only see the two blurred pictures posted on the news channel.

'Fake Guan'

'Gunan'

How...

How did they come to know his true identity? Where did they get all these?!

He had been sure that none of the past could affect him now. 

He already erased all the traces that were related to him. Even those doctors had disappeared from the world.

So how come they dug this out!

Who was behind this?

Was it Guan Xixin?!

Anger and panic were growing in Guan Gao Huan's heart, yet at the same time, a mind-numbing chill slowly started to spread from the tips of his toes, up to his limbs, and spreading to his heart.

Guan Gao Huan trembled. 

It was as if he could see the tower that he had painstakingly formed from his blood and sweat in all these years and crafted with his own two hands, slowly crumbling.

A figure suddenly entered his mind.

His father.

Ming Zhi Yi.

He must not see this.