Counterfeit Goods

Liu Xiao's eyes flickered for a moment, and after a few seconds, a trace of a smile actually crept onto that stiff face of his.

"Seems... that's right. The coffee machine is over there. If you don't know how to use it, you can ask the servants."

He pointed the way, then turned and left.

Watching Liu Xiao's retreating figure, An Changqing's smile faded.

Long Ao stepped out from around the corner, his face ashen.

"Damn, he actually dared to admit it."

Chen Guan wasn't even from the same school as them!

The mystery was solved.

An Changqing looked at Chen Guan, his voice laced with coldness.

"Now it's certain. This Liu Xiao is a fake."

Chen Guan said nothing. He turned and walked in another direction.

"Where are you going?" Long Ao asked.

"To find someone else," Chen Guan's voice came from ahead.

"Someone who might know something."

...

At the golf course.

Liu Feiyu, basking in the sun, listened to Chen Guan's brief account. The lazy expression on his face vanished, replaced by a somber one.

"You're saying my second brother is a fake?" His voice was as unpleasant as his expression.

The succession struggle mainly revolved around his eldest brother, but he and his second brother had a good relationship growing up, often covering for each other.

That unspoken understanding lasted until Liu Xiao went abroad, and they lost contact.

Though they had grown distant, in Liu Feiyu's heart, he still felt some attachment to this second brother.

Seeing that the anger on Liu Feiyu's face didn't seem feigned, Chen Guan continued, "That's what Liu Tiancheng's distress letter said."

Liu Feiyu stared at the calm lake before him, his chest heaving violently, a terrible thought flashing through his mind.

"My eldest brother is meticulous in everything. If he wanted to deal with my second brother, he wouldn't just lock him up."

"Unless..."

He turned to Chen Guan, a chill in his eyes.

His real second brother was probably already dead.

For someone to have impersonated his brother flawlessly without any slip-ups, his brother's death must not have been a simple slit throat.

He recalled that Liu Xiao had been frequently going back and forth to the lakeside these past days. Could there be... a problem over there?

"Follow me."

Liu Feiyu led Chen Guan to the pavilion at the center of the lake. He took off his jacket without a moment's hesitation.

"Ocean Affinity."

Blue water-element energy enveloped his entire body, forming a streamlined water mass. Liu Feiyu glanced at Chen Guan.

"Guard this place. No one is to come near."

With that, he silently sank into the pitch-black water of the lake.

Chen Guan stood at the shore, and Baal's lazy voice echoed in his mind.

"Interesting. This kid's ability is pretty convenient. He could double as a corpse fisher."

"There's something fun buried in the mud at the bottom of the lake. A very thick aura of death."

Time ticked by.

Just as Chen Guan thought it would take a while, the lake's surface broke with a splash.

Liu Feiyu's figure reappeared above the water.

He swam to the shore and collapsed onto the ground, completely drained.

"I found him..." His voice trembled uncontrollably, filled with grief.

"I found my second brother..."

"He's in the mud at the bottom of the lake, pinned down by a black pillar. His blood... almost completely drained."

Chen Guan remained silent, pulling the cufflink he'd found at Su Qing's apartment from his pocket and holding it out to Liu Feiyu.

Liu Feiyu stared blankly at the familiar cufflink. The tiny engraved character "Xiao" stung his eyes.

After a long moment, he let out a low, bitter laugh.

"Well played. Truly well played."

"Kill my second brother, then have someone impersonate him, and finally pin the assassination on him."

"My dear eldest brother. What a fine brother I have."

...

In the main hall of the Liu family estate.

Liu Chengjun was listening to the head of the guard's report, his face cold with murderous intent.

"Young Master Liu."

An Changqing's voice rang out.

Chen Guan, Long Ao, Hong Yuan, and Liu Feiyu walked in together, blocking the path of the "Liu Xiao" standing beside him.

Liu Chengjun frowned.

"An, what is the meaning of this?"

An Changqing ignored him, staring coldly at the "Liu Xiao" before him.

"You've disguised yourself well."

His voice carried clearly across the entire hall.

"But your act is over."

The expression on "Liu Xiao's" face froze. He looked at the people surrounding him, then at the grim-faced Liu Chengjun beside him, and understood.

He suddenly smiled.

That smile was eerie and twisted, nothing like Liu Xiao at all.

His body emitted a series of cracking sounds. His skin began to peel and slide off, revealing a completely unfamiliar man's face radiating an ominous aura.

He worked his new neck, sneering and flashing a row of gleaming white teeth.

"Well, well. Been found out, have I?"

"I was hoping to play a few more days."

The man's aura surged. A terrifying pressure, far beyond anyone present, engulfed the entire hall.

Ninth rank!

He licked his lips, eyeing the visibly shaken Liu Chengjun with keen interest, and uttered a sentence that sent chills down everyone's spine.

"Young Master Liu, our deal isn't finished yet. Are you really in such a hurry to burn the bridge?"

Liu Chengjun's face darkened completely.

He stared at the unfamiliar, grinning face, retreated cautiously, his voice coated in ice.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

The fake Liu Xiao's smile grew wider, as if he'd heard the funniest joke.

"Young Master Liu, at this point, still putting on airs?"

He cracked his neck, the joints popping, his gaze sweeping over everyone present before landing maliciously on Liu Feiyu.

"Don't you want to know how your real second brother died?"

Liu Feiyu's body shook violently. The man spread his hands and said in a dramatic, singsong tone, "I killed him, that's right. They call me Thousand Faces."

"But the one who hired me? Your dear eldest brother."

He pointed at Liu Chengjun, his smile brimming with the thrill of tearing everything down.

"The plan was perfect."

"I replaced Liu Xiao, found the right moment, and pinned the assassination attempt on your father onto you, Liu Feiyu."

"Then, with one son a patricide and the other an accomplice, wouldn't everything fall neatly into the hands of the filial eldest son?"

"As for your father?"

Thousand Faces clicked his tongue twice.

"A madman's words carry no weight. Once he's signed over all the property transfer agreements, he can rest in peace forever."

Silence.

The entire hall fell into dead silence.

Liu Feiyu had long known that Liu Chengjun was ruthless and held no illusions about family bonds.

"You killed my second brother!"

Before the words even faded, Liu Feiyu's ability exploded with full force.

A giant wave surged from the lake outside, manifesting in the hall in an instant, carrying a fury that threatened to devour everything, and slammed straight at Liu Chengjun.

Facing this rage-fueled attack, Liu Chengjun's expression didn't waver. He didn't even lift an eyelid.

"Overreaching."

He snorted, raising his right hand.

Crimson flames rose from his palm, instantly forming a wall of fire that evaporated the massive wave without a trace.