Chapter 663 - Choices

Lu Jin's eyes trembled. He doesn't mean it like that.

"Gunan... It's too dangerous."

Gunan was still determined despite his friend and brother's look of plea. "Watch me, Lu Jin. This is just a temporary obstacle like any other I experienced. I will find out who is helping Guan Xixin and make them pay with their life. I will come out of this unscathed, and become the winner. So you don't need to worry."

Gunan turned around and walked away. 

His steps echoed in the hallway.

"...." Lu Jin's expressionless face finally broke. He strode to the door. "Gunan!"

But Gunan had already ridden the elevator. The hallway was empty.

"...." 

Returning inside the room, Lu Jin stood alone for a long time. 

His dark eyes showed unsettling worry and concern.

Lu Jin was worried. His sixth sense was telling him that this time, Gunan could likely not take it alone. This was why Lu Jin came here to warn his friend to keep hiding until the matter died down.

In any case, the Guan Empire was only a stepping stone for them and it was not necessary to get it to their side, although it would have made things much simpler if they did.

However, Gunan was adamant on taking this alone and proving himself. 

Lu Jin sighed heavily. 

"Gunan... Is it worth it?" He whispered to no one.

Gunan was like a moth and the Guan Empire was the flames. No matter how dangerous it was, he kept flying back to it. 

Lu Jin really wondered what was with the Guan Empire that made Gunan abandon reason and become desperate in getting it.

Was proving oneself truly more important than one's life?

Lu Jin's eyes slowly lowered. 

His pitch black eyes emptied out from all its light.

What could he do? Should he be like his father and watch Gunan struggle in a futile attempt and watch him fall over into the deepest pits? 

Until they come out like heroes and save him?

Lu Jin had already lost his mother, lost his grandfather's affection, lost his brother's trust and love.... 

Gunan was his sworn brother, his closest friend whom he treated as his only family in this dark circle that Ming Zhi Yi made.

He did not want to see Gunan suffer terribly.

Lu Jin was silent for a very long time.

It was at times like this that he felt strongly the shackles that his father had put on him.

The sunlight was peeking through the closed blinds of the floor-to-ceiling windows of the chairman's office of the Guan Empire's building.

Guan Gu Ri was blankly sipping on his coffee with dark bags under his eyes. 

It was his third cup of coffee already, yet he was still reading the same information over and over. 

After the news was released yesterday to the society, the Guan Empire worked nonstop to stop the news channels and delete it. They managed to erase the related news in all channels painstakingly after a few hours. 

However, unlike yesterday, despite their attempts today, a lot remained and even small time channels and platforms kept repeating the same news over and over.

They had done their best to manage the blow for the current chairman. But in the end, they still could not stop everyone from pointing fingers at them.

And there was a big reason for it.

Aside from the identity fraud, there were people who died in the news. Not just one, but five. And all of them were respected doctors.

Guan Gu Ri lit up the last stick of his cigarette. He never finished one stick whenever he smoked before because he was the kind of person who took care of his health. However, he managed to finish an entire pack all night until this morning. 

However, it was not a scene worthy of admiration. It was a scene of decadence.

The person who was holding the stick in the smog had dark circles under his eyes. His crumpled shirt was that of yesterday's and his hair was disarrayed. 

Guan Gu Ri had done everything he could so that the Guan Empire would not receive a heavy blow from the scandal. 

Alas, people from the business industry had quick instincts. 

Since a mysterious great power was trying to screw over the Guan Empire twice, a lot of people felt that there was a large chance of an incoming great catastrophe in the Guan Empire itself. There might be a fight that would occur soon. And no matter what kind of conflict it was, as long as it concerned the business empire, it would be a weakness against the business empire itself. 

Thus, many stock speculators withdrew. Although Guan Gun Ri's party did their best to insert funds and keep the stocks stable, the stock prices of many brands and companies under the Guan Empire still showed signs of falling.

In this scandal, even though it was only directed to a single individual, the Guan Empire received huge damage. 

This was only day two. If what his brother said was true, then the Guan Empire might really fall into a deeper pit and Guan Gu Ri would not be able to stop it.

Guan Gu Ri closed his eyes and leaned his head on the chair's headrest.

....

Guan Gu Ri: "Guan Xixin, where have you been? I have been looking all over for you!" 

Walking into the room, Guan Xixin's pale face was expressionless. His voice was hoarse. "Eldest brother, how did the succession go?"

Guan Gu Ri sighed and approached his second brother. 

Due to the funeral, Guan Xixin did not have much appetite to eat. He also did not sleep well in the past seven days. 

Right now, his second brother looked thin and more wretched than the last time that he saw him.

His second brother's eyes had lost their vigor. 

Before, they still showed his rebelliousness and energy. Now, they were cold and chilling. He could even feel killing intent in those eyes.