I was exposed for adding my female boss to my group of female friends.

Objectively speaking, it is indeed impossible for Chen Ya to rescue Yingying through legal means.

From God's perspective, they can say in hindsight that Chen Ya took great care of Yingying.

But at that time, who could prove that a stranger like him could genuinely be good to Yingying?

How can he prove that he wasn't trying to profit from Yingying?

The status of a single stepfather is already sensitive; how can he prove that he will not molest a girl?

Putting ourselves in their shoes, if Qin Yun Chu and the others were in a few years ago, as bystanders, they wouldn't have so easily given Ying Ying to Chen Ya.

"If it wasn't through legal means, how did he manage to adopt Yingying?" Gu Yuanzhen murmured to herself.

Asking this question is equivalent to automatically receiving an answer:

Since adoption through legal channels is not an option, illegal means are the only recourse...

"Could it be..." Qin Yun Chu asked Liu Ru Yan with wide eyes.

The phrase "trading people" stuck in her throat; she couldn't bring herself to say it.

Liu Ruyan shook her head.

"The teacher legally adopted Yingying."

Everyone looked at each other.

Seemingly knowing that the people wouldn't easily believe her, she led them to a room.

After searching through a drawer for a while, I finally pulled out a file folder.

The documents taken from the file folder were laid out on the table and displayed to everyone:

Certificate of Guardianship Transfer, Certificate of Adoption, Certificate of Guardianship Relationship...

Gu Yuanzhen carefully examined each document, noting the signatures and official seals—everything was complete.

There are even handprints of Chen Ya and Yingying's uncle and aunt.

It is indeed a legal adoption, which is good.

"How did you do that?"

Gu Yuanzhen stared wide-eyed at Liu Ruyan.

Liu Ruyan shook her head: "I don't know."

"what?"

Liu Ruyan said, "I met the teacher very late, much later than the other girls, so... I don't know as much about the teacher's past as they do."

Qin Yun Chu said, "Do we have to ask them to get the answer?"

Liu Ruyan tucked a strand of hair behind her ear: "Mm."

Qin Yun Chu was getting anxious.

It feels like you're reading a novel you love, and then the author suddenly stops writing it halfway through.

How come you don't know the most crucial part?!

She finally understood why some people resort to the bizarre method of sending razor blades to urge updates.

This feeling is awful!

It would have been better not to listen in the first place!

Liu Ruyan seemed unusually aware that something was amiss, so she tucked her sideburns back once more and said calmly, "There is another way."

"any solution?"

“Actually, the teacher left some personal belongings in his workroom,” Liu Ruyan said. “Going to see those items might help us understand the teacher’s past.”

He Shiying's eyes lit up: "That's right! Isn't he just bragging that he's a great writer? Let's go see if he's actually written any books, and see what kind of persona he's hiding!"

Gu Yuanzhen said with a smile, "His books might not even sell as well as yours."

As everyone entered the workshop, Liu Ruyan squatted down and opened the opaque wooden cabinet door below, a book fell out.

Qin Yun Chu picked up the book.

"The Sentimental Swordsman and the Ruthless Sword," Gu Long?

Chapter 13 Jin Yong and the Ancient Cage

Below the bookshelf are small storage cabinets, which are filled to the brim with books.

The books were stacked up, teetering on the verge of collapse.

Because there were so many, some were even crammed in, which is why one of them fell out just now.

"Heh, judging by this setup, are they doing wholesale?"

Gu Yuanzhen squatted down, took out a book from inside, and saw that the plastic wrap was still intact.

He blew on it, sending dust flying, then patted it down, the gold lettering on the book cover reflecting light.

The Legendary Twins.

"Hey, this is my favorite book." He Shiying, who was standing next to me, quickly snatched the copy of "The Legendary Twins" from me.

Gu Yuanzhen glared at her: "You can read books?"

He Shiying retorted angrily, "How am I not studying? Are you looking down on me? I got a perfect score in Chinese when I was a kid!"

Qin Yunchu smiled, pursing her lips.

She knows her best friend very well; even when she reads, her focus is different from others.

"Hua Wuque is incredibly handsome, and Xiaoyuer is also charmingly roguish. They were initially tense and confrontational, but later their chemistry was explosive. If it weren't for this book, I wouldn't have known that the twin brothers' pairing was so appealing..."

Sure enough. Qin Yun Chu smiled even more broadly.

Gu Yuanzhen covered her face: "You're actually a fujoshi (a female fan of male-male romance)..."

"What do you know? Before meeting a guy you like, every guy thinks he's heterosexual."

Gu Yuanzhen decided to ignore her and continued taking books out of the cabinet.

"The Wandering Swordsman, The Legend of the Great Banner Hero, The Legend of the Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty, A Step into the Past... Sure enough, this cabinet is full of Gu Long's novels."

Qin Yun Chu squatted down beside him and asked, "Are Gu Long's novels good?"

Gu Yuanzhen nodded: "A groundbreaking author, he accounts for half of the martial arts novel genre."

"The creation of heaven and earth?" Qin Yun Chu didn't quite understand.

“China had never had martial arts novels before. Suddenly, two authors and two books ushered in a new era of martial arts novels. One of them was Gu Yuanzhen’s ‘The Sentimental Swordsman and the Ruthless Sword’,” Gu Yuanzhen said.

Qin Yun Chu said, "I've never heard of it."

Gu Yuanzhen smiled slightly: "President Qin, you may not have heard of the book title, but you can't possibly have never read it. It's a national-level work."

Is it really that powerful?

Gu Yuanzhen smiled and turned around, saying, "How about we make a bet? I bet that President Qin has heard of the characters in this book."

He Shiying immediately said, "I bet I know."

Liu Ruyan, who is usually aloof, actually joined in this time, saying, "I'll bet on who knows."

Qin Yun Chu was speechless: "How come you guys are more confident than I am? Are you so sure I know?"

Gu Yuanzhen said, "I'll just say one name: Li Xunhuan."

"what!"

Qin Yun Chu immediately let out a small cry.

She actually knew the name.

So she was exposed, and now she can't pretend she doesn't know anything.

Everyone wore enigmatic smiles.

Qin Yun Chu blushed slightly and covered her mouth: "So Li Xun Huan is from this book?"

Gu Yuanzhen explained, "The book's title is not famous, but the characters in it are all outstanding, such as Li Xunhuan, A Fei, and Lin Xian'er. Many later books have borrowed from these characters."

Liu Ruyan, standing behind, said, "Weapon Ranking and All-Knowing Scholar are also frequently used settings."

Qin Yun Chu was a little shocked: "So the weapon rankings all originated from this book?"

"Yeah, what did you think..."

"Seeing so many books have these settings, I thought they were something that actually existed in history..." Qin Yun Chu blushed even more.

He Shiying said excitedly, "What they're saying is too profound. Yun Chu, let me tell you, it's incredibly sweet! Every time I read about the CP between A Fei and Li Xunhuan in this book, I get so envious. I really want to see Li Xunhuan pin A Fei against the wall!..."

Gu Yuanzhen ignored her and turned to ask Liu Ruyan, "Chen Ya is a huge fan of Gu Long? It seems he writes martial arts novels himself?"

Liu Ruyan shook her head.

"I've never heard the teacher mention the ancient cage before."

Gu Yuanzhen stared at the books in the cabinet: "Then why did he collect so many books about antique cages?... Oh, right, if he really liked antique cages, he wouldn't have left some of the books still in their plastic wrap."

Qin Yunchu said, "It's just a simple collecting desire. I sometimes do that too. I buy a lot of books, but then I don't read them after I get home."

Gu Yuanzhen also complained quietly: "Buying books is like an avalanche, but reading them is like pulling silk... However, I read martial arts novels like an avalanche, and sometimes I even stay up all night reading them. I just can't stop."

He Shiying asked, "Which book did you read the most captivatingly?"

Gu Yuanzhen said: "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber".

Qin Yun Chu frowned: "Is 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber' also from Gu Long?"

Gu Yuanzhen smiled: "No. It belongs to Jin Yong."

He Shiying's eyes widened: "You! We were having a perfectly good chat about the ancient cages, and you actually dared to bring up Jin Yong?!"

Gu Yuanzhen glared and said, "What's wrong with Jin Yong? Jin Yong's writing is much better than Gu Long's."

He Shiying looked incredulous: "You actually said that Jin Yong is prettier than Gu Long? In what way is Jin Yong prettier than Gu Long?"

"It's a consensus that the Kin Yong is more attractive than the Gu Long, okay?"

"What world's consensus is this? I don't know about it."

"That's definitely a consensus on Earth. Are you from Mars?"

"Alright, alright, alright!" Qin Yun Chu quickly stopped the two of them. "How can you keep arguing like this?"

Liu Ruyan covered her mouth and laughed, "These two groups' fans are often like this."

He Shiying was still angry and crossed her arms, saying, "Gu Yuanzhen, are you going to rebel? Do you still want to pursue me?"

Gu Yuanzhen's arrogance subsided slightly, but she still insisted on reasoning with him:

"This is a battle of beliefs, not personal feelings. I may pursue you, but Jin Yong is more attractive than Gu Long. That's an indisputable truth. I love you, but I love the truth more..."

He Shiying pouted: "Stop making excuses. We need to get this straight today. I can't accept a boyfriend who thinks Jin Yong is better looking than Gu Long. Even if we're together, we'll definitely break up because of this!"

Qin Yun Chu knew she couldn't let them argue any longer, so she quickly changed the subject:

"Who is Jin Yong? I haven't read many martial arts novels, could you tell me about him?"

Upon discovering an opportunity to promote her idol, Gu Yuanzhen immediately began preaching with great enthusiasm:

"If Gu Long's 'The Sentimental Swordsman and the Ruthless Sword' fired the first shot in the development of wuxia novels, then 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes,' published just one month later, truly laid the foundation for wuxia novels."

"The martial arts craze sparked by 'The Sentimental Swordsman and the Ruthless Sword' was just a small fire. When 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes' was published, the streets were packed and everyone went crazy!"

Chapter 14 The Twin Peaks of Wuxia

Qin Yun felt a little relieved when she saw that her attention had been diverted and that the two of them couldn't get close for the time being.

But then she immediately became curious: "Isn't 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes' also very famous?"

Gu Yuanzhen immediately chimed in: "It's more than just famous; this book is practically the king of martial arts novels."

He continued, "I first saw this book in a bookstore when I was 15 years old. I picked it up and glanced at it, and I was immediately captivated, turning the pages one by one."

"I read from noon until dusk, and only left when the bookstore owner asked me to. That was the first time in my life I skipped class."