Chapter 665 - Meeting the 'fake' brother

Guan Xixin's mind almost crumbled. He just had faced his grandfather's death and now he also learned that his third brother was really gone...

He wanted to scream. He wanted to vent his anger to himself, to his foolish family, and to the unjust world.

He only got hold of himself with Zhou Linfeng's reminder.

There were still those bastards who deserved death.

After asking Zhou Linfeng and Xiong Zhi to give the evidences to all the trusted national news media he had connections with, Guan Xixin finally went to the Guan Empire. 

Seeing his unrepentant brother who was still stuck in denial, the tears that he thought were already dried up once again welled up in remorse. 

How were they both so foolish?

Even grandfather!

Guan Xixin blamed Guan Gu Ri, his grandfather, and also himself.

"I told Grandpa many times not to send little Huan away! I told you both so, so many times that that guy is not our brother! The doc.u.ments said that the auditory system might still be active back then! Our brother might be unconscious, but he must be waiting for us, for our voices! If only we…!"

For a long time, Guan Xixin's cries and sobbing echoed inside the chairman's office. 

Guan Gu Ri numbly accepted Guan Xixin's cries of blame. He stood frozen in place, his world shaken and destroyed bit by bit.

It seemed like a suffocating eternity had passed. 

After a long while, Guan Xixin's cries calmed down. 

His red eyes looked at the blank face of his eldest brother. 

"Brother, right now, I just want to punish myself and destroy the people who played with my brother's life like he's a tool. I am ready to do everything. Even if the Guan Empire falls as a consequence and our family is tainted in everyone's eyes, I won't stop until I destroy that fraud and whoever is behind him. You must not stop me this time, brother."

Guan Gu Ri did not answer. 

He did not have the energy to utter a word.

*****

After recalling what happened yesterday, Guan Gu Ri closed his eyes. 

He lowered the hand that was carrying the files. One of the doc.u.ments contained the report of the investigation, verifying that all of those coincidences were real--the fire, the hacking issue, and the death of the doctors.

He felt as if his heart was emptied out and ten years of life were drained away from him.

His third brother.... was really gone?

Then all this time.... What had he been doing? 

He thought of the times which he spent with his third brother, or the person whom he thought was his third brother. Guan Gu Ri had truly wanted to get along with him before.

Guan Gu Ri's lips trembled.

...If his second brother was really right, if the man was really not Guan Gao Huan... How could he go on?

Guan Gu Ri's eyes looked blank as he stared in empty space.

In all his daze, he did not notice that his intercom vibrated three times. After not getting a response for a while, the butler knocked on the door.

"Headmaster."

Guan Gu Ri woke up from his daze. However, his eyes were still living in a complete nightmare.

"What is it?" He hoarsely said.

"The chairman is sighted in the parking lot. He should be on his way to the presidential floor."

The chairman... was Guan Gao Huan.

"...!!!"

Guan Gu Ri suddenly stood up. 

The blurred emptiness in his eyes went away. He was filled with apprehension and caution.

Guan Gao Huan was here? 

No...

The name Guan Gao Huan might not even be appropriate for this man whom he always considered as his brother... 

But nothing was confirmed yet. 

He had not confirmed it himself yet. 

Guan Gu Ri's eyes slowly became firm. 

He must look into it right now. If he was really not his third brother...

He would not be able to forgive himself, nor would he forgive those people who plotted all of this.

"Headmaster?" The butler called in worry. His master had not been in a good state since yesterday.

Guan Gu Ri woke up from his own thoughts.

Right. He should pretend to side with Guan Gao Huan right now and gather more information from the man. 

Guan Gu Ri swallowed to moisten his throat. 

Guan Gu Ri looked at the mess in the chairman's office then at the files he had gathered. He picked up the files.

"Lead him to my own office first, I'll meet him there. Clean up here."

"Yes, Headmaster."

The butler called in the assistants to clean up the chairman's office. 

Only then did Guan Gu Ri go to the bathroom and wash his face to sober up his mind.

While changing to a clean suit, he suddenly thought of a way to confirm his doubts. 

He called his secretary and instructed him of a few things.

When he finally left the private room, Guan Gao Huan was already in the office. 

The secretary was serving him some black tea. 

"Eldest brother," Guan Gao Huan greeted.

The man was clean and tidy. There was no evidence on his body that he was affected by the 'fake' news which were solely targeting him.

He glanced at Guan Gu Ri, who was also subtly observing every bit of his expression.

Guan Gu Ri returned his greeting as if he did not know anything.

"Third brother, how are you doing right now? I tried to call you a few times since yesterday but you won't answer. Are you feeling alright?"

While speaking, Guan Gu Ri's heart thumped faster.

Without the layer of filter he used to have in the past, he finally noticed a lot of things that he had overlooked.

Why did he not see it before? He only noticed today the way that his brother looked at him. 

It was not of affection, but full of caution and calculation.

Meanwhile, Guan Gao Huan took the cup that the secretary handed to him. 

He was relieved and at the same time disdainful.

The foolish man before him was still the same as before--as clueless as ever. It seemed that this dumb Guan Gu Ri did not believe the news about him.