34 Threat

The vast, boundless high seas were shrouded in darkness. Most of the passengers on the "Voyage" had already drifted into dreams, but for some, the night’s excitement was only just beginning.

This evening’s auction was personally launched by Gu Cuiying, aunt of Gu Zhixu, the CEO of the Gu Group. It was not only the debut of her personal auction career but also a grand event for the entire business and collector world. To support his aunt, Gu Zhixu had traveled thousands of miles from the Xia Kingdom to be aboard the ship.

Fortunately, the auction was a resounding success. All the collection pieces fetched satisfying prices, with several rare treasures selling for staggering sums that quickly became the talk of the town. As the gavel fell on the final lot, the event concluded perfectly, and Gu Cuiying finally allowed her tightly wound nerves to relax.

Next came the victory banquet. The ballroom was ablaze with lights, filled with the clinking of glasses and the soft rustle of guests in fine attire. Everyone wore silver masks covering half their faces; even if one guessed another’s identity, there was a tacit understanding to leave it unspoken. The auction had been specifically held on the high seas precisely because some items presented were of a sensitive nature. Thus, the guests raised no objections to the anonymous, masked bidding process.

A woman in her thirties with a distinguished air stood in the center of the crowd. Her hair was elegantly pinned up, and her matching emerald jewelry shimmered under the lights. She wore a dark red haute couture gown that perfectly accentuated her curves. As people surrounded Gu Cuiying with congratulations, some eyes drifted toward the window, where a man sat quietly in a wheelchair.

The man also wore a silver mask. The exposed half of his face was sharply defined, his hair swept back; after a long evening, the styling gel had loosened, leaving a stray lock of black hair hanging over his forehead. This unintended detail added a touch of defiance to his appearance.

A wealthy socialite, unable to curb her curiosity, asked softly, "Mr. Gu is not yet thirty, is he?"

"Zhixu turns twenty-eight next month," Gu Cuiying replied with a beaming smile.

"Oh, what a talent for one so young," the surrounding ladies chimed in with praise. Those with marriageable daughters at home felt a stir of interest. "Ms. Gu, does Mr. Gu have a girlfriend?"

"Not yet," Gu Cuiying said, a hint of worry crossing her face. "My nephew always claims he’s too busy to look for one. It worries me to death."

"A man being busy is fine—career comes first, but one shouldn't neglect life’s most important matters. Let me tell you, I have a niece who..." The ladies were instantly enthused, launching into endless introductions.

Yang Wen walked over to Gu Zhixu with a glass of juice. He nudged Gu Zhixu and teased, "Ms. Gu is trying to set you up on another blind date."

Gu Zhixu, using his leg injury as an excuse, had declined all toasts that evening. He sat in his wheelchair, idly flipping through a document. Upon hearing Yang Wen’s jest, he merely responded with a faint hum, not even lifting his eyelids.

He respected his aunt, but that did not mean he would obey her every whim. As long as she did not overstep, he was willing to cooperate slightly, if only to give his elder some face. He glanced at his watch; it was already 3:00 AM in the Xia Kingdom. The hospital began discharge procedures at 8:00 AM, and he needed to return by then.

Fortunately, the banquet was drawing to a close, and guests were departing. The ballroom lights dimmed, leaving only Gu Group employees and the ship’s staff to clear the venue. Seeing the ballroom doors closing, Yang Wen pushed Gu Zhixu over to bid Gu Cuiying farewell.

*Bang!*

The ballroom doors were shoved open from the outside, slamming against the walls with a thunderous crash. Gu Zhixu frowned as two middle-aged men, accompanied by several bodyguards, stormed in aggressively. One of them charged straight at Gu Zhixu. Smelling the overpowering stench of alcohol on him, Gu Zhixu wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"Mr. Gu, you’re quite impressive!" The man grabbed Gu Zhixu by the collar. Despite the man’s brute strength, Gu Zhixu did not budge an inch.

Gu Zhixu calmly brushed the man’s hand away and adjusted his collar without haste. "Uncle, I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"You don't know?" Gu Yichen, the third son of the Gu family, looked flushed, whether from rage or drink. He stumbled over to Gu Cuiying. "Gu Cuiying, do you look down on your brothers, too?"

Gu Cuiying quickly steadied the drunken Gu Yichen, soothing him gently, "Third Brother, what are you saying? How could I ever look down on you?"

Gu Yichen shoved her away. Gu Cuiying staggered and nearly fell, but was caught by someone nearby. She stabilized herself and turned to look at Gu Tingzheng, who had caught her, eyes pleading for help. "Second Brother..."

To her surprise, Gu Tingzheng pulled away and said coldly, "You really hurt your brothers' hearts this time. You held such a massive auction without even telling us. Big Brother was so upset when he found out that he couldn't eat and is currently lying at home."

Gu Cuiying’s expression dimmed instantly. Her lips moved, wanting to argue—to say that she had told their eldest brother first, but he had dismissed it as nonsense and a waste of the Gu family's resources. However, she swallowed the words; it was meaningless to say them now.

Gu Zhixu watched the farce with a sneer. Not telling them? Did they really not know the truth in their hearts? When Gu Cuiying first began planning, they had all stood by with folded arms. Now that she had achieved results, they came to hold her accountable—was it not just because they had misjudged the situation and were now furious that they couldn't reap the rewards?

Gu Yichen was incensed by the mocking smile on Gu Zhixu’s face and lunged forward again, swaying. He pointed a finger at Gu Zhixu and turned to snap at Gu Cuiying, "You spend all your time sucking up to the son of that bastard..."

"Third Brother!" Gu Cuiying cut him off, afraid to look at Gu Zhixu’s darkening expression. She quickly signaled for the staff to take Gu Yichen to rest. "You’re drunk. Let’s talk about this tomorrow."

"I’m not drunk!" Gu Yichen shook off the staff and lunged frantically toward Gu Zhixu’s wheelchair. Before anyone could react, he pulled out a gun from somewhere and pressed it against Gu Zhixu’s forehead. "What are you laughing at, you bastard? You’re a cripple now, what is there to be smug about?"

"Third Brother! Don't be impulsive!" Gu Cuiying screamed.

Gu Zhixu’s face went completely cold. "Uncle, you really don't learn, do you?"

Before the words had finished, he grabbed Gu Yichen’s hand holding the gun and twisted hard. With a *crack*, Gu Yichen’s wrist dislocated, and the pistol fell into Gu Zhixu’s hand. In the next heartbeat, he kicked Gu Yichen hard in the chest. Before the man could dodge, he was sent sprawling to the floor.

As Gu Yichen struggled to rise, a gunshot rang out. The bullet grazed his scalp, leaving a trail of severed hair and a smoking hole in his hairline.

The events of those few seconds left everyone frozen in place; the world seemed to have stopped. Only Yang Wen pushed the wheelchair toward Gu Yichen. Gu Zhixu leaned down, just as Gu Yichen had done, and pressed the muzzle against Gu Yichen’s forehead, his index finger tightening slightly on the trigger. His eyes were icy and grim. "In this life, I hate nothing more than having a gun pointed at my head."

The barrel, still hot from the recent shot, brought the alcohol-addled Gu Yichen to his senses. His eyes bulged, and he let out broken syllables: "I, I..."

Their movements acted like a "play" button, and the frozen time began to flow again. Gu Tingzheng was the first to recover, hurrying over with a fawning smile. "Zhixu, your uncle was just joking with you. Don't take it to heart."

"Yes, yes," Gu Cuiying quickly intervened. "You know your uncle is a reckless man; don't lower yourself to his level."

"Joking?" A corner of Gu Zhixu’s mouth curled upward. His gaze swept over Gu Yichen’s missing earlobe before he looked back down at the man. "I’m playing with Uncle, too. Uncle, is it fun?"

Gu Yichen’s face, previously flushed with drink, had turned deathly pale. His body trembled uncontrollably. He wanted to shake his head but feared the gun in Gu Zhixu’s hand might go off. He stammered, "It's not fun. I won't play with guns anymore. Zhixu, can you move the gun away? It would be bad if it went off by accident."

"You're right," Gu Zhixu said softly, as if he had actually listened.

He slowly moved the pistol away, and just as everyone exhaled in relief, a *bang* echoed through the room.

The gun in Gu Zhixu’s hand had gone off.