CHAPTER 444: CHAPTER 444: BEGIN TO SUSPECT

"President Gu, we should hurry up and leave here," Assistant Li was already sweating nervously, unsure of what was happening or why Gu Qixiao was stubbornly convinced that the situation before them was related to him.

"Assistant Li, you definitely didn’t tell the truth earlier. I must know this woman. The moment I saw her, I felt something unique."

Gu Qixiao had always trusted his instincts; sometimes, intuition was the most accurate gauge.

Assistant Li truly had no idea what to say; perhaps it was because everything in front of him seemed so painfully frustrating.

"But they all said they don’t know you, and they’ve already left. Don’t you think continuing like this might seem somewhat impolite?"

This kind of behavior was indeed a bit impolite, but he couldn’t give up on the woman who was connected to him.

Without saying anything further, he returned to the hotel and began investigating Ji Yu.

Ji Yu promptly dumped Jiang Huai.

When she went back, her heart was uneasy.

Not just because Jiang Huai appeared today, but even more so because Gu Qixiao suddenly turned up here.

"Yu, what’s wrong? Did something upset you? If anything did, talk to your dad—I will certainly help you handle it."

Hu Jianyu could never bear seeing his daughter looking upset. When he saw Ji Yu’s expression, he worried if something serious had happened.

"Dad, do you know why Gu Qixiao has been showing up here lately? I keep feeling like something about all this isn’t right."

She couldn’t grasp why the situation suddenly felt out of her control.

"Gu Qixiao does have a collaboration here recently. You can simply avoid him."

Hu Jianyu was aware of the matter, but didn’t expect the two of them to cross paths so quickly.

"Dad, we met today. I’m worried that next time we meet, he might remember certain unpleasant things. If he does, it could end up hurting him again like before."

During that time, neither of them felt anything but pain.

No one wanted to relive those memories.

"If that’s the case, stay home for now. I’ll go check on things over there," Hu Jianyu understood all too well that it was his turn to step in.

Meanwhile, Gu Qixiao had unearthed some information in his investigation, but all traces of their shared past had long been erased. In the photos he found, there were no records of their connection.

"Could it be that I really don’t know you? But why do I feel such familiarity whenever I see you?" He never denied himself; once he was certain, he would pursue the truth. He couldn’t shake the feeling in his heart—a hollow emptiness, as though he’d lost something precious.

This kind of situation was undeniably perplexing.

Gu Qixiao decided he had to see for himself what was truly going on.

When Ji Yu saw Gu Qixiao standing at her door, her expression was filled with shock.

"Why are you here? I’ve told you before, we don’t know each other, and we never will. Can you please leave now?"

She couldn’t believe the situation had escalated this far.

Looking at her impatient face, Gu Qixiao felt an inexplicable discomfort in his heart.

"Even though I don’t know who you are, seeing you feels oddly familiar. I think we must know each other."

He never doubted his intuition, and from the moment they met, Ji Yu’s cold indifference seemed misplaced—not how one treats a stranger. It was more like how someone treats an enemy or deliberately avoids certain truths.

"From the way you’ve acted from the beginning, I believe we do know each other, and we must have been close. Why don’t you just tell me what our relationship was?"

Ji Yu had no idea why he was so determined—why he kept pursuing things better left to rest.

"Gu Qixiao, can you please stop appearing in front of me? We really have no connection, and I don’t want anything to do with you."

Such matters only pushed her closer to the brink.

"I don’t think I mentioned my name earlier, did I? Since you know my name, that means we’ve met before."

His sharpness, at times, was unsettling.

If only he were a little more naive, perhaps things wouldn’t have come to this.

"Gu Qixiao, you’re so famous, don’t you think people would know your name? Your company is massive—I obviously know who you are."

Ji Yu wouldn’t let her guard down now. They had resolutely worked to keep the situation contained, and if anything went wrong now, everything would be lost.

Perhaps sensing her animosity toward him, Gu Qixiao couldn’t help but feel a pang of helplessness.

He had simply wanted to ask about the truth, but her hostility only piqued his curiosity further—what was their past?

"If you don’t leave immediately, I’ll call the police."

Gu Qixiao chuckled, "It’s impossible for familiarity to be hidden. You’ve made yourself very clear from the start. No matter what, I believe we know each other."

He wouldn’t give up so easily—this was only the beginning.

"I apologize for bothering you today. I’ll come back again soon. I hope next time we can meet as friends, and perhaps you can come up with a more plausible excuse."

Before leaving, he didn’t forget to leave these parting words for Ji Yu.

Ji Yu felt a mixture of frustration watching him leave, one she couldn’t quite place.

"Gu Qixiao, you really drive people to despair. But now that you’ve gone back, please don’t come near me again."

At the very least, she wanted to wait until everything was resolved.

Lin Zhiyuan saw Ji Yu standing at the door and thought something had happened.

"Yu, what’s wrong? Why are you standing at the door all by yourself, lost in thought?"

Ji Yu shook her head. "It’s nothing, I just saw someone familiar, and I don’t know how to deal with them."