Chà Chà Novel

Gu Xichao did not respond.

As though he had finally remembered something, Yu Wei took a faded leather document pouch from the briefcase beside him. A trace of hesitation crossed his face.

“There’s something I never intended to bring out. It’s the will my father left before he died. My mother has kept it all these years.”

Gu Xichao’s gaze settled on the pouch.

“See for yourself.”

Yu Wei removed the documents, turned to one of the pages, and pushed it across the table toward Gu Xichao.

Gu Xichao lowered his eyes and scanned the document.

The paper had long since yellowed with age. At the bottom were Yu Zhenhong’s signature and the date, both written in his own hand. Its contents concerned the division of the family estate and provisions for the future lives of his two sons. There was no earth-shattering secret hidden between the lines, but it was enough to show that before his death, Yu Zhenhong had indeed considered the relationship between his two children.

After reading every word, Gu Xichao returned the document to Yu Wei.

“What are you trying to prove by showing me this?”

Yu Wei lowered his eyes to his father’s signature and smiled bitterly.

“That while my father was still alive, he truly had made arrangements for my mother and me. Afterward, my mother took control of the Yu Group, but she never intended to drive Yu Yan into a dead end. Although she sent him away to be raised by another family, she continued to provide for him. She never mistreated him or allowed him to go without food or clothing. It was Yu Yan who showed my mother and me no mercy.”

He paused.

“All these years, outsiders have only seen my mother and me occupying our places within the Yu family. But no one knows what truly happened in that household after my father died.”

“My mother was only a widow, raising me alone within the Yu family. She had to keep the corporation running while protecting the interests of countless people. Perhaps she made mistakes, but surely she didn’t deserve to be denied even the chance to survive?”

Gu Xichao looked at him.

“So you intend to use this will to bargain with Yu Yan?”

“What right do I have to meet him?”

Yu Wei laughed self-deprecatingly, his voice gradually turning desolate.

“My mother and I are no longer capable of fighting him for anything…”

“Xichao, I brought this here today only because I wanted you to know that I haven’t lied to you.”

With that, he carefully placed the documents back inside the pouch.

Gu Xichao still did not appear completely convinced.

“All I want is for him to withdraw the economic-crime charges against my mother and me.”

A helpless fury born of being cornered flickered in Yu Wei’s eyes, but he quickly suppressed it, refusing to let it show.

“My mother and I don’t want to keep wandering in a foreign country. But the moment we return, we’ll have to face Yu Yan’s accusations. We have no one to rely on. When the time comes, all we can do is let him send us to prison.”

Gu Xichao frowned slightly.

“If the two of you truly committed financial crimes, why should he withdraw the charges?”

Yu Wei did not attempt to defend himself. Instead, he answered with faint irritation.

“Must everything really be pushed to the point of utter ruin? The corporation is already back in his hands, and my mother and I have left the Yu family. He has everything he wanted. Why can’t he leave us even the smallest path to survival? I won’t fight him for the family estate anymore. All I want is for him to let us live.”

Gu Xichao considered his words. Yu Wei did not press him, merely sitting there in silence as though already prepared to be rejected.

After a moment, Gu Xichao asked:

“If all you want is for him to withdraw the charges, why not approach Yu Yan directly?”

“He’s an important man now. Of course I can’t get an audience with him. Besides, if he discovered that I had returned, he might call the police and have me arrested without even bothering to hear my side of the story.”

Yu Wei lowered his eyes, resignation filling his voice.

“What happened before is over. The victor becomes king, and the loser is condemned. I accept that I lost. If our positions had been reversed, I might not have done any better than he did.”

Those words made Gu Xichao look at him again.

Yu Wei seemed not to notice. He merely let out a quiet sigh.

“That’s why I wanted to ask you for a favor.”

“What favor?”

“Arrange a meeting with him in your name.”

Yu Wei looked pleadingly at Gu Xichao.

“All I need is somewhere quiet, with as few people knowing as possible. You don’t have to speak on my behalf or put in a good word for me. I’ll go alone. I only want to talk to him face-to-face.”

After speaking, he looked earnestly at Gu Xichao.

“Xichao, I know this request puts you in a difficult position. I have no right to interfere in whatever happened between you and him. Asking this of you may be unreasonable. You saved me when we were children, so I should be the one repaying you… But now, I truly have nowhere else to turn. I’m sorry.”

Gu Xichao fell silent. He disliked being manipulated through old debts of gratitude, and he wanted even less to become entangled in the Yu family’s grievances.

Yet Yu Wei’s behavior today was entirely different from what Gu Xichao had imagined. He had not asked Gu Xichao to help him reclaim the Yu Group, nor had he tried to force Gu Xichao to take his side. He had not even demanded that Gu Xichao believe he was completely innocent.

From beginning to end, Yu Wei had made only one reasonable request: arrange a meeting with Yu Yan so they could talk. All he wanted was for Yu Yan to show mercy and spare him and his mother.

While Gu Xichao was deep in thought, Yu Wei seemed to remember something. He picked up his phone and opened a video.

“There’s one more thing. I thought you might need it.”

Gu Xichao raised his eyes toward him.

Yu Wei turned the phone screen in his direction.

“A friend gave me this footage. It took considerable effort to buy the original recording from him.”

The video began to play. The footage was dim, but the people in it could still be identified by their clothing and builds.

Gu Xichao’s expression gradually darkened.

It was surveillance footage from two months earlier.

That night, Gu Xichao had been drugged and barely conscious. Yu Yan had been the one to take him back to Xilin Manor. Unbeknownst to them, the hotel’s security cameras had recorded everything that happened afterward—Yu Yan had injured President Li and Chairman Chen of Yuanhang Fund while trying to save him.

Only now did Gu Xichao learn that Yu Yan had gone so far for his sake.

That little wolf was still as impulsive as ever, acting without considering the consequences. He truly had not matured in the slightest.

Gu Xichao’s brows drew tightly together, his gaze remaining fixed on the footage.

Yu Wei had been quietly observing his expression. Only after confirming that Gu Xichao had seen everything clearly did he slowly speak.

“Ultimately, I have no connection with anyone from Yuanhang, nor do I intend to interfere in what happened between you and them. But if this footage fell into the hands of someone with malicious intentions, I’m afraid the consequences would be unpleasant. So I bought it first.”

Shadows flickered through Gu Xichao’s eyes.

“So you’re threatening me?”