When Ye You was not around, and only the two of them were left alone, an inexplicable awkwardness lingered.

After watching Lu Youze finish his milk, Gu Xuanzhe finally spoke again, his expression indifferent. “Youze, I know you must really dislike this situation. You probably want to do something about it. But things are complicated right now. Until we expose the fact that Yu Li’s so-called suicide was nothing more than a self-directed act, you cannot appear in public.”

Noticing the change in Lu Youze’s expression, Gu Xuanzhe deliberately paused. His usually cold voice softened slightly compared to before. He reached out as if to comfort the other, but just as his hand was about to touch Youze’s arm, he suddenly realized—there was no one else here now. He no longer had a reason to touch him. His hand froze awkwardly in mid-air for half a second before he withdrew it.

“Youze, can you trust me one more time?” Suppressing the emotions stirring within him, Gu Xuanzhe looked directly at Lu Youze. “For now, I’ll take you back to your apartment. More people will start showing up soon.”

Lu Youze stared at Gu Xuanzhe in disbelief. This person always seemed to know what he was thinking, yet never asked anything—just quietly went along with his thoughts.

“You’re not taking me back to the hospital?” Lu Youze couldn’t help but ask.

“If you don’t want to stay there, it’s fine not to go back.” Gu Xuanzhe replied. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything. Youze, I only have one request—whatever you want to do, just tell me first. I’m not trying to restrict your freedom, but this is a critical time. I’m just worried you’ll get caught by the paparazzi or run into Yu Li’s more extreme fans…”

“I understand.” Seeing Gu Xuanzhe’s urgency in trying to explain, Lu Youze relented. “I was too reckless this time. Next time, I’ll let you know first.”

After sitting for a while longer, Gu Xuanzhe took Lu Youze back to his apartment. After saying goodbye at the entrance, Gu Xuanzhe returned directly to his company.

A battle that could only be won was about to begin.

——

Back at the company, Lu Youze first handed over all the documents he got from Ye You to Yuan Baiyue, then held an emergency meeting. He emphasized one thing: “At all costs.” This was a morale boost for the PR department, allowing them to act decisively without worrying about financial constraints.

With Yuan Baiyue overseeing PR, he didn’t need to interfere too much. He returned to his office and called in several key executives from the HR department for a brief meeting. Their mission was clear—root out all the spies who had infiltrated the company.

Unexpectedly, they stumbled upon something much bigger.

Gu Xuanzhe’s face darkened as he read the documents in his hands. After all these years, it was time to put an end to the nightmare once and for all.

Once everything was handled, an hour had passed—just enough time for Gu Xuanzhe to make a call to Ye Xing.

There were many people with the surname Ye, but in B City, only one Ye family stood above the rest. They possessed an unparalleled intelligence network and, along with the Gu, Lu, and Ou families, were considered the four untouchable families of B City.

The moment he met Ye You, Gu Xuanzhe had already guessed his identity, but confirmation would be best.

“Ye Xing, do you know someone named Ye You?” Gu Xuanzhe asked directly over the phone.

“You’ve met him?” Ye Xing chuckled upon hearing the familiar name. “That little brat is quite capable. He’s the old man’s most beloved grandson. Young Master Gu, you really have some skills, huh? With Ye You helping you, you basically have access to the entire Ye family’s intelligence network.”

As expected, his guess was right. Gu Xuanzhe didn’t say much more.

With the Ye family’s intelligence network backing him, getting detailed information on an ordinary doctor within an hour wasn’t a challenge at all.

After confirming what he needed, Gu Xuanzhe didn’t bother with further pleasantries and hung up.

A while later, Ye You sent a voice message. He had gathered all the requested information, and the two agreed to meet at the company. In person, Ye You handed him the documents.

“I’ve done what you asked,” Ye You said, looking at Gu Xuanzhe. “President Gu, now it’s your turn to take action.”

“I stand by what I said—I won’t let Youze suffer any more injustice.”

“I hope you’re not just making empty promises.”

Ye You wasn’t interested in staying longer, but before leaving, he begrudgingly added, “If you need anything, you can contact me.”

After all, restoring his idol’s reputation was his top priority.

——

Gu Xuanzhe meticulously examined the information Ye You had gathered, reading it over and over. Once he was certain he had found the opponent’s weak spot, he picked up his phone.

“Dr. Li, hello. I’m sorry to bother you at this time, but I have something I’d like to discuss with you. Can we meet?”

“Who are you?” Dr. Li asked warily.

“You’ll know once we meet.” Gu Xuanzhe had no intention of revealing his identity in advance—that would only give the other party time to prepare. “Dr. Li, there’s no need to hang up so quickly. I know you’re busy, but if you can’t meet me, I can always reach out to your son instead. I hear he’s quite promising—a young and talented director of the hospital’s medical equipment department. A bright future ahead. I happen to have a certain list that he might find very interesting…”

“Who exactly are you?” Dr. Li’s tone turned tense.

Gu Xuanzhe didn’t bother explaining further. He simply provided an address and told Dr. Li to meet him there in ten minutes. Whether he could make it on time was his problem.

Of course, Gu Xuanzhe was certain Dr. Li would show up.

Dr. Li was a well-respected figure in the medical field, known for his integrity. Unfortunately, his son had taken advantage of his position in the medical equipment department for personal gain.

When you walk by the river often enough, your shoes are bound to get wet.

Thanks to Ye You’s connections and the intelligence he provided, Gu Xuanzhe now had the leverage he needed for negotiations. And once he found a weakness, he never lost.

Just as he predicted, Dr. Li arrived at the meeting spot. No matter what, a parent’s instinct is often to protect their child—even at the cost of their own reputation.

Gu Xuanzhe assured Dr. Li that he would keep the secret forever, as long as the doctor was willing to correct his mistakes. If he continued down the wrong path, however, it would be out of his hands.

With that agreement in place and the Gu Group’s PR department pushing the narrative, Dr. Li publicly admitted that he had exaggerated Yu Li’s condition in exchange for money. He revealed that Yu Li had merely suffered a superficial cut on his wrist—nothing life-threatening. Yu Li was fully aware of this fact but still chose to stage his act.

Dr. Li also provided transfer records and hospital examination reports as proof.

In an instant, Yu Li’s suicide scandal once again dominated Weibo’s trending topics. Fans, haters, and bystanders fiercely debated the issue, crashing Weibo multiple times in a single day.

Though the Gu Group had deployed hired commenters to stir the discussion, the sheer scale of the public reaction proved Yu Li’s immense popularity—and the terrifying power of his fanbase.