Chapter 98: A Gift from My Eldest Brother

Gu Changrong and Gu Ci checked the totals together.

In the end, they found that only the bone-healing formulation had leaked out through Meng Yueling’s side; the rest was still intact.

The matter of the skin-healing ointment was more complicated.

Cheng Ming had already been selling those ointments on the open market, and he had not stopped even when the extract incident broke out.

So the skin-healing formulations still in the laboratory were only part of the stock; the rest had already been sold by Cheng Ming to his customers.

That was not something Gu Changrong alone could handle.

After thinking it over, he called the relevant authorities and asked them to intervene.

As for the Songdu Research Institute, its credibility had already fallen sharply in Gu Changrong’s eyes. It had become, without question, his last choice.

On the way home, Gu Changrong could not help sighing. “This Cheng Ming was selling that miracle drug, and the very first time, this happened. You can see it clearly enough: a person really should not do wicked things.”

Gu Ci fell briefly silent.

In truth, Gu Changrong did not know that the miracle drug in Meng Yueling’s hands had not been sold by the person in charge at all, but had been accidentally sold to Meng Yueling by Shi Xuetong.

Even Gu Ci had not initially thought of Shi Xuetong.

Yet this time, the extract had undergone a mutation. The Meng family was powerful, and the matter could no longer be concealed. It had once again drawn the attention of those above.

By then, it no longer mattered where Meng Yueling’s formulation had come from.

As for why the director and the supervisor had fallen to such a state, it all came down to eight words: ill luck and misfortune at every turn.

Still, even if someone knew the reason, no one would consider the two of them wronged.

They had been the ones to use the extract in violation of the rules.

And after the investigation was brought to light, it was also they who secretly hid the ointments made from the extract and continued selling them.

Even if this incident had never happened, sooner or later it would have come to light anyway...

At last they returned home, where Su Wan and Gu Jinling were already sitting on the sofa, clearly waiting for them to eat.

Gu Changrong took off his coat and hung it on the rack, then asked in surprise, “Didn’t I tell you to eat first? Why are you all still waiting?”

Su Wan gave him a graceful eye roll.

“Don’t flatter yourself. Who’s waiting for you? We’re waiting for Aci, all right?”

Her gaze turned to Gu Ci.

At once, it softened into warm affection.

“You must be starving, Aci. The food has been kept warm in the pot. Let’s eat now.”

As she spoke, Su Wan pulled Gu Ci toward the table with visible concern.

Today Gu Jinyan was not at home, so Gu Jinling had already served out two bowls of rice, giving one to Gu Ci and the other to Gu Changrong.

Gu Changrong deliberately glanced at Su Wan, looking smug. “See? My son is thoughtful.”

To be fair, after all that had happened at the hospital today, he really was hungry.

At that moment, Gu Jinling brought out two more bowls of rice.

Su Wan took one, snorted proudly at Gu Changrong, and said, “Honestly, what were you thinking? If you had business to handle, you could have gone by yourself. Why did you insist on dragging Aci along and making her go hungry with you? You really are regressing with age.”

Gu Changrong rubbed his nose, rather embarrassed, and muttered awkwardly, “Wasn’t I just a little too excited to see Aci?”

In truth, the moment he had dragged Gu Ci away, he had already felt a touch of regret.

He really should not have involved her in his work.

But when he thought about what had happened today, he could not help feeling fortunate that he had brought her along.

Otherwise, he might truly have been powerless against the director and the others, let alone discover that they had been secretly making the healing ointment.

What Gu Changrong did not know at all was that if Captain Yang’s men had not intercepted the people from that laboratory today, a huge black pot would soon have come crashing down on his head and on his research institute in Songdu...

Right now, Gu Changrong only wanted to boast properly to his wife and sons about Gu Ci. “You have no idea. If it hadn’t been for Aci today, I would have been completely—”

Gu Ci did not like talking while eating, but that did not stop her from enjoying listening to the Gu family speak.

It was just that hearing Gu Changrong praise her the whole time made her feel a little embarrassed.

After dinner, the Gu family still sat in the living room chatting as they helped themselves digest.

Su Wan suddenly smiled and said, “Aci, I’ve received the gift you gave me. Your big brother already handed it over to me, and I love it.”

The gift Gu Ci had given Su Wan was a set of skincare products.

Su Wan could not tell what brand it was, but she was still smiling from ear to ear, and she opened it up and used it right away.

Perhaps because she was in such a good mood, she truly felt that after using it, her skin had improved even more.

The only regret was that Gu Ci had been taken away by Gu Changrong, so she had missed the chance to receive the gift from her own hands.

Thinking of that, Su Wan felt a little regretful, and at the same time she shot Gu Changrong a fierce look.

“As long as you like it,” Gu Ci said with a faint smile at the corner of her lips.

Turning the pads of her fingers together, she wondered if she could develop another line.

One suited for people like Su Wan.

With his keen ears, Gu Changrong caught the words “gift” and could not help coughing. “What gift? Was it from Aci?”

“Of course it was. Aci and I are the closest.” Saying that, Su Wan lifted a hand to touch her face. “See? Doesn’t my skin look better after using it?”

Gu Changrong could not help nodding. “It really does.”

Gu Jinling glanced at Su Wan, then turned to Gu Ci. The usually stern lines of his face softened slightly into a gentle smile. “Little Sister, I liked your gift very much too.”

Gu Changrong felt sour in the teeth, sour in the bones, sour all over.

So in the end, was he the only one who had not received a gift?

He did not quite believe that and, feeling a little jealous, asked, “What did Aci give you?”

Gu Jinling’s eyelid twitched faintly. Without changing expression, he said, “In any case, the effect is very good.”

Noticing Gu Changrong’s hesitant, dejected look, Gu Ci suddenly felt guilty.

She then remembered the top-grade warm jade chessboard she had once taken from Director Yuan, and her eyes lit up.

She remembered that her second uncle’s hobby was chess.

Just then, Gu Changrong, stung by envy, began picking at Gu Jinling. “Aci gave you a gift as her younger sister. Don’t tell me, as the older brother, you didn’t prepare anything at all?”

Gu Jinling’s lips curved faintly. “Of course I prepared something.”

With that, he led Gu Ci to the balcony and pointed to the truck parked below. “Little Sister, this is the gift Big Brother gave you.”

The right eyelid of Gu Ci began twitching wildly all at once, and a very bad feeling rose in her heart.

Gu Changrong looked down once. “What’s in there?”

Surely it could not be better than the antique calligraphy and paintings he had given Gu Ci last time.

Gu Jinling curved his lips with confidence. “Study materials.”

Gu Ci looked at the huge truck below and slowly had a question mark appear on her forehead.