Chapter 11
Zhang Yue stiffened under Gu Xi's cold gaze.
Why did this delicate, pampered young woman suddenly seem so… dangerous?
"Manager Zhang?" she asked, her tone sharp, cutting through the thick silence. "Why the hesitation? Afraid to answer?"
Zhang Yue forced a laugh. "Of course not. There's no one inside the building."
"Then you won't mind if we check for ourselves." She turned without waiting for a reply.
Zhang Yue's lips parted, a protest rising in his throat—but when Gu Xi's eyes flicked back toward him, he froze. There was no mistaking the warning in her expression. The words died before they could leave his mouth.
What the hell is going on today? he thought bitterly. Why does she hate me so much? We've barely exchanged more than a few words before…
He watched her retreating figure, eyes narrowing with suspicion.
Gu Changan gently took Gu Xi's hand, carefully leading her over the broken doorway. The floor creaked under their steps as they made their way inside.
"Be careful," he said, his voice soft but tense.
Gu Xi turned to him, her eyes growing warm. For a moment, all the fear, suspicion, and calculation faded.
She was a daughter again. A daughter who had spent ten long years without a father, used like a pawn, crushed under guilt and pain. Her eyes stung, and it took everything in her not to cry.
She was back. Back to the days when her father was alive and still strong. Back to the time when everything could still be saved.
Even if it was a dream, she wanted to live inside it a little longer.
They moved deeper into the small building, Zhang Yue and a few others trailing behind them. The space was tight—claustrophobic with four people inside. Dust hung in the air like smoke. Above them, the ceiling sagged dangerously. The excavator had torn a large hole in the roof.
"I'll check upstairs," Gu Xi said without hesitation.
"Xixi, wait!" Gu Changan's voice cracked with concern. "Be careful up there."
She nodded.
The staircase groaned under her weight as she climbed. Broken tiles and splinters littered the steps. She reached the second floor. One glance told her what she didn't want to see: the place was empty.
No one.
Her heart sank.
"There's no one," she called down.
Zhang Yue exhaled loudly, almost in relief. "See? I told you—no one's here."
Gu Xi descended slowly, her brows furrowed.
Why does something still feel wrong?
Could her rebirth have shifted the timeline?
But if there was truly no one in the house, why had Zhang Yue's expression been so off earlier? And what about Xiao Fan? In her last life, he'd blocked the hospital gates and refused to let her and her mother leave. What had he known? What was he trying to stop?
No. This wasn't adding up.
"Xixi, since we've confirmed it's empty, let's go," Gu Changan said gently, worry etched across his face. "This place could collapse at any moment."
"Just one more look," Gu Xi insisted, turning back.
"Xixi, don't be unreasonable." Gu Changan's brows drew together. "Come with me now."
"Miss Gu," Zhang Yue interjected, voice calm but insistent, "Boss Gu hasn't eaten all day. He's been waiting for this demolition to finish. And the roof's already half gone—this building could come down on us."
Another man, one of Gu Changan's trusted aides, stepped forward. "Miss, please. Let's go before something happens."
Gu Xi stood frozen, caught between her father's concern and her own gnawing doubt.
Something was wrong.
She could feel it in her bones.