Chapter 254: A Terrible Idea

The atmosphere in the private room was incredibly tense.

Gu Yang's gaze never once left Kong Nian.

Lu Feng felt very awkward, but he also realized something was wrong with Gu Yang, so he simply chose to keep his mouth shut.

At this moment, Kong Nian's reaction, however, was somewhat incomprehensible to him.

Kong Nian did not show any expression of surprise or confusion due to Gu Yang's questioning; instead, she looked at him with great composure.

She was so calm, it was as if she already knew Gu Yang would have such an emotional reaction.

*Are all exorcists this forward-thinking?*

A few seconds later, Kong Nian still asked back very calmly, "I was merely recounting things that happened when I was a child. Is Editor Gu really that agitated? Did something similar happen to Editor Gu when he was young?"

The words were already at the tip of Gu Yang's tongue, but he forced himself to swallow them back down.

His expression became extremely unsightly, and his mind was a complete mess.

Lu Feng looked at this one and that one, and an absurd thought surfaced in his mind.

Based on his understanding of Gu Yang, it seemed Kong Nian was indeed right.

But how could that be possible?

At this moment, Gu Yang stood up from his seat. "I'm feeling a bit unwell, so I'll head back first. You guys go ahead and eat."

He left directly without even waiting for a reaction from the two of them.

Such behavior could be considered a loss of composure, but Lu Feng was more worried about what exactly had happened to him.

A moment later, only Lu Feng and Kong Nian were left in the private room.

As Lu Feng looked at Kong Nian again, his expression became much more complex.

"Miss Kong, please don't take it personally. Gu Yang isn't usually like this; perhaps he really is just feeling unwell."

He offered a stiff explanation.

Fortunately, Kong Nian did not show any signs of anger or displeasure.

As Gu Yang walked out of the restaurant, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he looked utterly lost.

It absolutely couldn't be a coincidence.

But besides him and Su Yan, even the father who punished him wasn't entirely clear about the details of what happened.

And after Su Yan fell seriously ill as a child, she had completely forgotten everything.

Yet now, Kong Nian was repeatedly saying that those were things she had experienced.

Her surname was Kong, the same as Auntie Kong.

Suddenly, a terrifying thought rose in his mind.

Fourteen years ago, Auntie Kong had taken Su Yan back to her maiden home.

After returning, both Auntie Kong and Su Yan fell gravely ill. Auntie Kong didn't make it and passed away, and after that, Su Yan remained in a daze from her illness, unable to even remember her past.

At that time, he had only seen the ailing Su Yan once, and hadn't even spoken a single word to her before she was sent to a rural area thousands of miles away.

If the person Auntie Kong brought back wasn't Su Yan, but another girl who looked very similar to Su Yan, wouldn't everything be explained?

When he first met Kong Nian, he indeed felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Su Yan's memory loss, Kong Nian's appearance...

When Gu Yang realized what he was deducing, his entire being felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

He must be crazy to have such an absurd thought—to actually question Su Yan's identity?!

At this moment, he wished he could slap himself twice.

But before he could act, he heard the piercing screech of tires.

A car braked violently, stopping precariously only a meter away from him.

"Hey! Are you looking to die?"

The person in the car poked their head out, cursing, still shaken from the fright.

Only then did Gu Yang realize he was standing right in the middle of the road. If the other party hadn't braked so hard, he would definitely have been hit.

"I'm sorry, I was lost in thought."

After apologizing, he left as quickly as possible.

***

At the hotel.

Su Yan was discussing the disappearance case with the Ma Chulong siblings when a sudden, urgent knocking sounded at the door.

The three paused, and Su Yan stood up to open the door.

The moment the door opened, before Su Yan could even react, she was pulled tightly into someone's embrace.

Her breath hitched; she was about to fight back when she realized the person was Gu Yang.

"Brother Gu, what's wrong?"

She tried to push him away, but unexpectedly, he held her even tighter.

"Yan Yan, let me hold you for a moment, just a moment." Gu Yang was truly terrified.

He didn't know why Kong Nian knew about what happened to them when they were children; he only wanted to confirm his feelings for Su Yan at this very moment.

Sensing his abnormality, Su Yan's brow furrowed deeply.

At this time, the Ma Chulong siblings also approached. Seeing the state of the two, they were all stunned for a moment, but quickly understood the situation.

A few seconds later, Su Yan spoke again, "Brother Gu, have you been drinking?"

Otherwise, why would he be acting so out of character?

Gu Yang shook his head, greedily feeling all the emotions of the present.

"Did something happen?" Su Yan was becoming increasingly worried about him.

"Brother Gu, are you okay?" Even Ma Chulan could see something was wrong and took the initiative to show concern.

Only then did Gu Yang notice there were others present. He finally regained some semblance of rationality and reluctantly let go of Su Yan.

His face was somewhat pale, and his gaze was incredibly complex.

"Brother Ma, you are here as well."

Seeing the Ma Chulong siblings, he forced himself to calm down.

Su Yan motioned for him to come inside to talk. "Brother Gu, what happened?"

She was certain something had occurred.

Gu Yang hesitated to speak, his mind still in chaos.

How could he say it?

He couldn't exactly tell her that a girl around her age had suddenly appeared, and the things she had experienced were exactly the same as what they had experienced.

Besides, she didn't even remember.

Three pairs of eyes were staring straight at him, waiting for his answer.

"I... encountered some trouble at work. It's been very distressing, so I came to see you."

Gu Yang lied after all, saying a silent "I'm sorry" in his heart.

Su Yan's gaze was sharp, as if she wanted to see right into his heart.

"Is it very troublesome?"

Although she didn't understand publishing work, as an editor-in-chief, he shouldn't often have things that caused him to become this agitated and lose control, right?

Gu Yang could only nod.

Ma Chulong immediately said, "I have some connections in the capital. If you need help, Brother Gu can just say so."

As Su Yan's friend, he had long since regarded Gu Yang as a friend as well.

"Thank you for the kind offer, Brother Ma, but it's not necessary for now. It's getting late, and I have other things to attend to, so I'll be heading back." Gu Yang did not enter the room but instead took the initiative to take his leave, fearing that staying even a second longer would allow Su Yan to see through him.

Su Yan was uneasy. "Brother Gu, let me see you out."

"No need, I'll go straight back to the publishing house."

Watching his departing figure, a clear look of worry appeared on Su Yan's face.

"Su Yan, I think Brother Gu's state is very bad. Is he really okay?" If even Ma Chulan could see it, how could Su Yan not?

But Gu Yang was clearly avoiding her, not wanting her to interfere. Even if she wanted to find out what had happened, there was nothing she could do right now.

(End of Chapter)