Chapter 197: Chapter 197: Besides Acting Pitiful, What Else Can You Do?
In the shadows, Jiang Youchen exuded a cold, heavy aura, his gaze a silent, oppressive weight.
Gu Nian stared back, his face devoid of expression.
Jiang Youchen’s chilling gaze swept him up and down before he scoffed in disdain. "What can you do besides play the victim?"
The young man raised an eyebrow. "I can also kill."
The words had barely left his lips when a dagger appeared in Gu Nian’s hand. Like an arrow loosed from its bow, he shot straight toward Jiang Youchen.
The dagger reflected a cold, blindingly white light.
The man stood his ground, motionless.
Just as the blade was about to reach him, Jiang Youchen suddenly looked up.
In that instant, the very air seemed to stretch. Outside the window, the swaying leaves froze mid-arc, and Gu Nian’s movements slowed to a visible crawl.
Jiang Youchen’s Superpower was "Time Stop."
As the name implied, it could slow or briefly halt the flow of time.
For an Assassin, speed was the deadliest weapon.
Jiang Youchen raised his hand, and just as he was about to touch Gu Nian’s dagger, Gu Nian took a sudden step back and vanished into thin air.
The next second, the dagger appeared behind his back.
Without looking, Jiang Youchen reached back and precisely caught the blade between two fingers.
He squeezed, and a crack spiderwebbed across the dagger.
But the sharp edge had also broken his skin. A trickle of blood slowly seeped out from between his fingers.
Gu Nian raised an eyebrow and withdrew his hand.
In the blink of an eye, he reappeared in front of Jiang Youchen.
"You’re injured. Did that vixen do that to you?"
Gu Nian’s eyes scanned him, as if debating whether to finish him off while he was weak.
Jiang Youchen tossed the broken dagger at Gu Nian’s feet, his voice cold and heavy. "It’s more than enough to kill you."
"My, aren’t you confident," Gu Nian chuckled. "Why are you so obsessed with killing me?"
Jiang Youchen’s eyes darkened. "You know why."
"So I doctored my file a bit. But if I hadn’t, I never would have met my dear sister," Gu Nian shrugged. "Besides, I haven’t blamed you for implanting a chip in me, or for leaking my location and sending a horde of people to kill me."
The two faced off, staring coldly at each other from a distance, neither willing to back down.
The feud between Gu Nian and Jiang Youchen had begun three months before the marriage matching.
At that time, Jiang Youchen had obtained Jiang Qingli’s genetic matching report ahead of schedule.
Among Jiang Qingli’s potential marriage partners, Gu Nian’s Match Value was second only to Qin Muye’s.
There was a high probability that he would be matched with Jiang Qingli.
Jiang Youchen had someone investigate, and the file he received showed that Gu Nian had grown up in an orphanage in the Twelve Cities. He was said to be an excellent student with an upstanding character—kind, simple, and a well-behaved child praised by all.
Ten men staked out the orphanage for half a month before finally reporting back to Jiang Youchen that everything about Gu Nian matched the file.
He had a handsome, delicate face and a wonderful personality. He smiled sweetly at everyone he saw and was praised by all at the orphanage. He was also modest, even helping old ladies he passed on the street.
When it came to Jiang Qingli’s marriage partner, Jiang Youchen had a powerful need for control.
He had to help her choose the absolute best.
Qin Muye’s status as a Prince could guarantee her safety; the noble status and exceptional abilities of the Yuan Family twins meant they could support her. Any of them would do... But the status of the first two would inevitably make them arrogant, so she also needed a male who could win her affection.
And Gu Nian fit this role perfectly.
His status was low, and with no connections in the First District, he would have to rely on her to survive. He was handsome, which would satisfy her preference for pretty faces. His personality was docile, so he could always keep her happy...
If all went well, he would likely become her favorite.
Jiang Youchen forced himself to stay calm and spared Gu Nian’s life.
But he also made contingency plans, ordering someone to implant a chip in Gu Nian.
If Gu Nian ever showed any disloyalty toward Jiang Qingli, he would be instantly electrocuted to death.
Gu Nian didn’t resist and agreed to everything, just as docile as his file suggested.
Driven by certain unspeakable, negative emotions, Jiang Youchen never met Gu Nian in person. He simply had him trained in etiquette to avoid embarrassing the Jiang Family in the Upper City District.
Until the matching results came out.
The moment before Gu Nian’s departure, Jiang Youchen reluctantly had a single video call with him.
Within just a few minutes, Jiang Youchen discovered something suspicious.
He ended the conversation without betraying a thing and immediately ordered his men to move.
But by the time his men arrived, Gu Nian had already fled.
The agents sent after him also failed, one after another.
A few days later, a new, authentic file was delivered to Jiang Youchen—
Aside from his age, everything about Gu Nian was a lie.
This delicate-looking, rabbit-like young man wasn’t a pitiful little thing at all—he was an overlord of the Underground City!
Sold to an auction house as a child, he fought under the codename "520" in the Beast Fighting Arena, winning every battle. Later, he was sent to work as an Assassin and never once tasted defeat. In the end, he even killed his own superior and took his place.
...
Seeing the dark expression on Jiang Youchen’s face, Gu Nian had a good idea of what he was thinking.
The young man spoke in a calm tone. "But haven’t I done everything I promised you? I haven’t betrayed my sister. Now and forever, I will only love her."
Jiang Youchen scoffed. "Wishful thinking."
"She wouldn’t be interested in your type."
"You’d only dare say that to me." Gu Nian put away the dagger, wiping the blood from it, his eyes crinkling into a smile. "But it’s okay, I’ll forgive you. After all, you’re my sister’s brother. My dear brother-in-law."
"A family should love each other, right?"
He enunciated every word clearly, his sweet voice grating on the ears.
Jiang Youchen’s dark eyes reddened, and rage churned madly beneath his calm, handsome exterior.
He took a step forward.
But before he could make another move, footsteps echoed from downstairs.
The fury on his face instantly froze.
Jiang Youchen paused for a moment, then retreated into the shadows and turned to leave.
Gu Nian turned to see the girl walking toward him with light steps, a gift box in her arms and a smile on her lips.
"You seem happy, Sister. Did you get a present?" he asked, his eyes curving into a smile.
"That auction house sent me another set of jewelry."
Jiang Qingli opened the gift box.
Inside was a set of diamond jewelry. A massive diamond was set into the necklace, glittering so brightly under the hallway light that it hurt to look at.
It wasn’t hard to imagine how dazzling she would look wearing this set at a banquet.
Gu Nian blinked in surprise, looking from the jewelry to Jiang Qingli, and said with sincerity, "It would definitely look beautiful on you, Sister."
Jiang Qingli beamed. "Right? I’m planning to wear it next week!"
She had him hold it for her and pushed the door open to go inside.
When she looked back, she noticed Gu Nian staring at the jewelry box, a slight frown on his face.
"What’s wrong?" Jiang Qingli asked.
Gu Nian shook his head. "It’s nothing."
Once inside the room, however, he seemed somewhat distracted.
’I remember that when I chose this jewelry set, it included a diamond bracelet of an exquisite design.’
’How is it missing now?’
After entering the room, Jiang Qingli went to take a shower.
As the sound of the shower started, Gu Nian took out his terminal, found a number, and sent a demanding message: "Something’s missing. Who got greedy?"
The terrified reply came back instantly: "Boss, you’ve got it wrong! How would we ever dare take your things! When Miss Jiang signed for it, I checked it carefully myself. Everything was there!"
Gu Nian froze.
As if sensing something, he turned his head and met the girl’s clear, dark eyes.
She was leaning against the door, her head tilted in a slightly quizzical manner.
"Who are you messaging?"
