Love is a mistake that cannot be escaped

"Yan Yan, don't be afraid. I have found out everything. Du Yue is the real mastermind."

Gu Yichen cupped my face in his hands, his tone gentle yet firm.

I nodded, but tears welled up in my eyes again. All the grievances and fears I had felt over the past few days found an outlet at this moment.

Gu Yichen gently wiped away my tears, his deep eyes flashing with determination: "I will make Du Yue pay the price, and I will prove your innocence to everyone."

We decided to expose Du Yue's true colors at the Gu family's annual family dinner.

To ensure the plan went perfectly, we and Lu Mingxuan devised a meticulous scheme. Lu Mingxuan used all his connections to invite several highly respected elders and influential shareholders of the Gu Group to the dinner. I knew that this time, we were going to ruin Du Yue's reputation and leave her nowhere to hide.

On the eve of the banquet, a tense atmosphere hung in the air, as if a storm was brewing. I could clearly feel the resentment and panic in Du Yue's eyes as she looked at me. She seemed to have sensed something, yet she was still making a last-ditch effort like a trapped beast.

She tried to sow discord between me and Gu Yichen, but Gu Yichen interrupted her intentionally or unintentionally.

I noticed that Gu Yichen, who had always been frail and sickly, had an unusually firm look in his eyes at this moment. Standing next to me and Gu Yichen, he seemed like an invisible barrier, keeping all malice out.

After dinner, Du Yue, under the pretext of caring about my postgraduate entrance exam, knocked on my door with a cup of hot milk.

I looked at her warily, but pretended to be flattered: "Auntie, what brings you here?"

Du Yue approached with a forced smile, patting my hand affectionately: "Yan Yan, I've heard about you and Yi Chen. I've been through this before. It's normal for young people to date, but you should also consider the impact, don't you think?"

I sneered inwardly. This was clearly an implication that I shouldn't be delusional; Gu Yichen wouldn't marry me. I nodded obediently, "Auntie is right, I'll be careful." Seeing how sensible I was, Du Yue smiled with satisfaction and handed me the milk, "Drink it, Auntie warmed it up especially for you."

I looked at the steaming milk and felt a wave of nausea. It was obvious Du Yue had tampered with it. Just as I was thinking about how to refuse, the door was suddenly flung open from the outside. Gu Yichen stood there, pale-faced, his voice urgent: "Sister, something terrible has happened! Dad's suddenly feeling unwell! You have to go see him right away!"

My heart tightened, and I looked at Gu Yichen with concern: "What happened? What's wrong with Dad?" Gu Yichen shook his head, his eyes reddening: "I don't know either. Dad was fine just now, but suddenly he said his chest hurts. The maid has already called the family doctor. You should go and see him!"

Du Yue's expression changed, clearly not expecting her plan to be interrupted by Gu Yichen. She glared at me resentfully, her tone carrying a hint of warning: "Yan Yan, Yichen's father's matter is important, you should go and see him quickly."

I nodded, calmly poured the glass of milk into the sink, and then hurriedly left with Gu Yichen.

……

The banquet arrived as scheduled. In the magnificent banquet hall, elegant ladies and graceful ladies mingled, and glasses clinked in celebration.

I stood in the crowd, took a deep breath, and tried to calm my nervousness.

I know this is my only chance, and I must seize it.

When it was my turn to give a speech, I slowly walked to the front of the stage. The lights shone on me, and I could almost feel everyone's eyes on me. I composed myself, picked up the microphone, and spoke slowly in a clear voice: "Distinguished elders, honored guests, good evening! I am Fu Yan, a friend of Gu Yichen…"

I paused, ignoring the surprised looks from the audience, and continued, "Today, I would like to take this opportunity to tell you a story, a story about deception, framing, and the truth..."

My gaze swept across the audience, finally settling on Du Yue, whose face was deathly pale. A mocking smile curled at the corner of my lips. Then, I began my narration, revealing to the public, without reservation, Du Yue's actions over the years...

My words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, and the entire banquet hall fell silent instantly.

The crowd looked at Du Yue with shock and suspicion, while she, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, was pale and her eyes were filled with panic.

"You're talking nonsense!" Du Yue finally couldn't help but scream. She pointed at me, trembling all over. "You're slandering me! What evidence do you have to prove that what I said is false?"

I gave a cold laugh, having expected her to deny it outright.

Just then, Gu Yichen stepped out from the crowd. He walked to my side, gently took my hand, gave me a reassuring look, and then turned to face the crowd, his voice low and powerful: "I have evidence."

He pulled a USB drive from his pocket and held it up to everyone: "Inside, there's evidence of Du Yue transferring company assets over the years, a recording of her bribing a doctor to forge my father's critical condition notice, and even a video of her drugging and framing me to stop me from being with Fu Yan..."

As Gu Yichen finished speaking, the atmosphere in the banquet hall plummeted to freezing point. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the small USB drive, as if it were the key to unlock Pandora's box.

Du Yue panicked completely. She tried to rush forward and snatch the USB drive, but was stopped by Gu Yichen's bodyguard.

She struggled frantically, screaming, "No, it can't be! You're framing me! You've all conspired to frame me!"

However, her explanations proved futile in the face of irrefutable evidence. Gu Yichen gave her no further chances, handing the USB drive to the police who had already arrived after receiving the report. Du Yue was ultimately taken away by the police in full view of everyone; I still can't forget the venomous look in her eyes.

Everything had settled down, but I didn't feel the relief I had imagined. This victory was hard-won; we had all paid too high a price. I looked at Gu Yichen beside me; he still appeared calm and collected, but I knew that his heart was far from at peace.

"Can we really go back to the way things were before?" I asked softly, a hint of unease in my voice.

Gu Yichen looked down at me, my image reflected in his deep eyes. A gentle smile appeared on his lips: "We may not be able to go back to the past, but we can create the future together."