Two weeks after Gu Wenxi returned home, Gu Yuching’s fifty-fifth birthday celebration proceeded as planned. The venue for the cocktail party was set at the most upscale buffet restaurant in the city.

Gu Wenxi left his apartment and arrived at the venue, where the family assistant Zhou was busy confirming the procedures and checking the sound system. He had indeed arranged everything very well, so there was no need to worry too much. Gu Wenxi arrived early, greeted him, signed a document, and took a stroll around the hall, where he encountered some unfamiliar or unsavory-looking people.

Although he was not shy, sometimes he felt tired of socializing. After eating some fruit, he wandered outside the hotel alone, intending to wait for his family to arrive before going in.

The buildings across from the hotel were lifeless office buildings, with only the facade of the family bookstore looking unique, surrounded by dark green wooden frames, displaying a few hardcover books inside. Since he got used to reading on his phone and tablet, he rarely visited physical bookstores anymore. Now that he had time to kill, he casually went in to take a look.

The most conspicuous books displayed at the entrance were new releases, with various beautiful covers that dazzled the eye. Gu Wenxi bypassed them and walked to a low cabinet near the corner, where he caught sight of a book that someone had pulled out and forgotten to put back—”Border Town.”

This edition was different from the one Du Yunyan had, it should be a new release, with a cover that looked like it was painted with watercolors, with cliffs on both sides and a girl rowing a boat in the middle of the water. He flipped through the table of contents, and the first piece was the one they had discussed before, “Border Town,” followed by several other short stories by Shen Congwen.

As he perused the book, he walked along the aisle and didn’t notice that he had already reached the cashier. The cashier asked him, “Hello, would you like to buy this book?”

“Huh?” Gu Wenxi reacted and simply handed the book over. “Oh, I’ll take it.”

“I’ll pay with my card.”

“Do you need a bag?”

He thought he could put the books in the car first. “No, thanks.”

Across the street, he saw more people at the hotel entrance, most likely there to attend Gu Yuching’s birthday party.

Gu Wenxi went to drop off the books first and bumped into Gu Wenheng, who was strolling around the hotel grounds.

“Ge, I was just looking for you,” Gu Wenheng noticed the books in his hand. “Did you go to the bookstore?”

“I arrived early and got bored,” Gu Wenxi smiled apologetically. “I’m just going to drop off the book.”

“Then I’ll join you; I need a change of scenery.”

There was still a garden-like courtyard between the main building and the parking lot of this garden hotel, with winding paths.

“Hey, ge,” Gu Wenheng said curiously, “do you love reading such literary books?”

“Literary?” Gu Wenxi weighed the book in his hand. Actually, he didn’t think so at all. The writing style was quite plain, but he felt a bit embarrassed for some reason. “I just thought the cover looked nice.”

“Mr. Lu, we’ve arrived.”

Just as Gu Wenxi closed the car door, a black Bentley pulled up in the empty parking space next to them. A man in a suit walked around to the back seat to open the door for another person, probably the so-called “Mr. Lu.”

“Mm.”

“Mr. Lu” got out of the car leisurely. Gu Wenxi caught a glimpse of his profile and felt he looked somewhat familiar. The man’s gaze suddenly swept over to them.

“Uncle Lu?” Gu Wenheng recognized him first. “Long time no see. Thank you for coming to my dad’s birthday party.”

Uncle Lu? Gu Wenxi remembered now. This was Lu Changming, the old boss of the Lu family, who had some business dealings with their family, slightly older than Gu Yuching.

“Wenheng, indeed it’s been a while, and you’ve grown more sensible,” Lu Changming said kindly, then looked at Gu Wenxi. “Wenxi is here too? It’s a rare sight.”

Although he was still smiling, Gu Wenxi felt it was very insincere, full of sarcasm. Gu Wenxi retorted somewhat irritatedly, “Uncle, How could I not come to my own dad’s birthday?”

Lu Changming coughed slightly awkwardly. “I heard… you had a little unpleasantness with Mr. Gu? If not, that’s great.”

No matter how much Gu Wenxi and his family quarreled, the severity was clear, and the Gu family’s family matters were not something outsiders could mock. His expression became even more gloomy, but he didn’t forget to add a similarly hypocritical smile, “You’re joking, Uncle Lu. How can there be long-standing grudges between father and son? Regardless of the situation, I will always stand by my dad’s side.”

Lu Changming’s expression became even more awkward. Gu Wenheng signaled to Gu Wenxi, trying to smooth things over, “Yes, Uncle Lu, actually my dad is always doing it for our own good…”

Gu Wenxi’s patience was wearing thin, standing aside waiting for his brother to send this annoying old boss away. Gu Wenheng appeared to be a simple and obedient student, but his social skills were not inferior to Gu Wenxi’s at all. In no time, he managed to coax Lu Changming into smiling happily.

Finally, when Lu Changming reluctantly left, Gu Wenxi casually approached his brother, “Are you very close to him?”

“Not really,” Gu Wenheng wiped his forehead. “He’s quite annoying.”

Gu Wenxi chuckled a bit unkindly, but Lu Changming did indeed rub people the wrong way. “He’s really annoying.”

“Maybe he has problems in his own family and can’t stand seeing others doing well.”

“He has problems in his family?”

“Yeah,” Gu Wenheng glanced around the garden, making sure there was no one else, then whispered to his brother, “His own son is an art fanatic, knows nothing about the family business, and can’t possibly inherit the Lu family. Now, the power in the Lu family is gradually tilting towards his nephew’s side.”

These were things Gu Wenxi had only heard a little about. He had only met Mr. Lu once. If it weren’t for Wenheng’s mention, he wouldn’t have known what kind of person he was at all.

The Lu family was established by Lu Changming’s father back then, a bit later than the Gu family’s prosperity. Later, it was handed over to Lu Changming and his brother to manage together. His brother had no business acumen and was simple-minded. In reality, Lu Changming was the one in control. But who would have thought that his brother’s child would be exceptionally skilled in this area. After reaching adulthood, he had been staying in the company and gradually gained recognition and trust from the company’s senior management. If things continued like this, Lu Changming would probably have to watch all the hard work of these years being handed over to others.

“He only has one son?” Gu Wenxi asked again.

“Not exactly,” Gu Wenheng lowered his voice even more, mysteriously saying to Gu Wenxi, “Don’t tell anyone, but he has an illegitimate child.”

“Huh?” Gu Wenxi was fascinated by gossip for the first time. “Who told you?”

“Uncle Zhou did, so don’t let Dad know we’re talking about this privately, or Uncle Zhou will be scolded.”

Assistant Zhou was not someone who spread rumors recklessly. If he said so, it was most likely true.

“What about the child? Did he go back to the Lu family?”

“Of course not. Lu Changming has never cared about that child. Who knows where he is. He might be older than you.”

“How could that be?” Gu Wenxi was astonished. “Did he cheat as soon as he got married?”

“It’s not cheating,” Gu Wenheng looked at him with a complicated expression. “He had a girlfriend he had been dating for a few years before he got married. After she had a child, he immediately married someone else, leaving the matter clean and neat.”

Lu Changming’s wife was the daughter of the once prosperous Wu family. He married her to gain the support of the Wu family and to restrain his own elder brother. Now that the Wu family had fallen, even worse than the Lu family, it was no wonder he was anxious.

Gu Wenxi couldn’t help but sigh after hearing this piece of aristocratic gossip. Compared to this, Gu Yuching was already a diligent parent. At least he didn’t let either him or Gu Wenheng end up as wild grasses drifting outside.

Gu Yuching didn’t marry Wen Nan for benefits. With his abilities, he didn’t need to form alliances with others. His wrong choice was at most a mixture of foolishness and impulsiveness. The two families had been close friends for decades, and coupled with their argument with Zou Hui at that time, in order to please his increasingly frail father, and out of impulse, he accepted the family’s proposal.

“Is he planning to acknowledge that child?” Gu Wenxi asked curiously.

“I don’t know about that, but even if he wants to find the child…it’s definitely not for compensation.”

A chill ran down Gu Wenxi’s spine. His brother’s speculation was not without reason. With such a selfish and ruthless father, he would never search for an abandoned child unless it was for his own benefit.

As they walked to the entrance of the buffet restaurant, the guests were probably all here. Apart from the staff in front of the signboard, there were only a few restless children playing with balloons.

“Ge, let’s go in.”

“Mm.”

After entering the restaurant, Gu Wenxi absentmindedly picked some food and sat down at a table with his Gu family members.

Around 7:30, the birthday ceremony began. The host followed the prepared procedures step by step. Gu Yuching and Gu Wenxi also went on stage on behalf of the family to give simple blessings, improvising as they went along. The company’s employees made a delicate montage, collecting blessings from the company’s employees and some daily scenes of Gu Yuching in the company. Gu Yuching symbolically cut the cake, followed by several bands’ entertaining performances, and the main venue shifted to the garden.

It was already past half of the eleventh lunar month, not yet full, and the colored lights in the garden dispelled the chill of the lonely night.

Gu Wenxi stood in a corner of the terrace, sipping wine, with people of all shapes and sizes passing by him with smiles. Those who noticed him would come forward and chat for a few words. He responded calmly, trying not to let others perceive his perfunctory attitude.

He was still thinking about what Gu Wenheng had told him. Although Lu Changming was an exception, he still felt confused. It seemed like everyone around him had become a stereotype.

He didn’t know how many untold pasts were behind these smiling faces, or how many unbearable secrets had to be covered up?