Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 327: Gaining Trust

Chapter 327: Chapter 327: Gaining Trust

Gu Fan chuckled intriguingly, "It seems like old man Tian knows quite a lot. If I remember right, you were initially reluctant to lead the team. However, after going into the house and taking a phone call, your attitude changed dramatically. If I’m not mistaken, you knew that a large group of people was heading towards Yuxueyun Mountain, and you came to see what was going on."

The old man Tian did not verbally respond, his face was clouded and terrifying, expressing an unusable attitude that gave others a headache.

Gu Fan paid no mind to this, then turned to Qin Jia and said, "Girls shouldn’t stay up late, it’s not good for your skin. You and Ning Qi should go to sleep."

"Ah...um..." Qin Jia was reluctant because she wanted to hear the upcoming discussion.

Even more displeased was Ning Qi: "Gu Fan, what do you mean by trying to get rid of me? Is there something that you do not want me to know? Aren’t we companions? I thought we had established trust along the way. I’ve shared my secrets with you, Gu Fan, how can you treat me this way?"

Hearing Ning Qi’s almost tearful complaints, Gu Fan was portrayed as a heartbreaker, drawing weird looks from others, and sparking suspicions about their relationship.

Feeling everyone’s strange glances, especially Lin Xi’s contemptuous stare, Gu Fan felt a headache coming on. With no other options, he turned to Su Hui for help.

But Su Hui was calm, unhurried, and left Gu Fan helpless when all he could do was flaunt a pitiful begging look.

Seeing Gu Fan’s pitiful state, Su Hui finally stepped up and said, "Ning Qi, we don’t distrust you. It’s just that the less you know about certain things, the better for your safety. Besides, your secret is only known by Gu Fan, no one else knows it, right?"

"Alright, I get it. You’re saying that I haven’t earned everyone’s trust. Is it that everyone here, except me, knows the secret that is hidden in this mountain? Do the people out there know that too, and I’m the only one being kept in the dark?" Ning Qi replied, assuming an attitude of unfairness. After saying that, she glanced at Gu Fan, hoping he would speak up for her.

Gu Fan was deep in thought, considering whether it was necessary to involve Ning Qi. Considering the current situation, walking step-by-step would most likely reveal something to Ning Qi later.

Qin Jia spoke up, "Gu Fan, do you remember when we went to that other place? You and others hid the true purpose from Professor Luo, almost angering him."

"This is different, not all secrets can be shared with people you trust." Gu Fan had a point, just because I trust you doesn’t mean I have to tell you everything.

Ning Qi frowned, after some hesitation, she asked: "What if people who trust each other share secrets?"

Gu Fan was troubled by this, "This secret isn’t mine alone, it belongs to everyone. I’m sorry Ning Qi, but I have no right to decide to share everyone’s secret with you."

"In that case I’ll share my secret with everyone." Ning Qi appeared ready to spill, "I love hunting and visit the forests at the foot of Yuxueyun Mountain yearly. Once, Hu Bo and a few others unexpectedly discovered a spot housing a buried treasure. We thought we were going to strike it rich, and wanted to take the treasure then and there. But we kept our cool and did not inform the others, as Hu Bo wanted to keep the number of people aware to a minimum to prevent an increased division of the treasure. We acted as if nothing had happened and returned with the group. Hu Bo suggested that we return on a certain day to retrieve the treasure, which is why only five of us came on this hunting trip as opposed to the usual ten-plus."

"I see!" Su Hui’s brow furrowed, she cast a serious glance at Ning Qi, and asked, "What happened that day, when the four of you suddenly left? Were you looking for the treasure? Why was it that in the end, only you returned with Gu Fan? Surely it wasn’t just an encounter with a wolf pack."

Ning Qi nodded, "We encountered a pack of wolves, but I underestimated human greed. Hu Bo killed the other two to monopolize the treasure. If I hadn’t played along, making Hu Bo think he could have both the treasure and the girl, I’d probably be in trouble too."

Everyone was stunned to hear this, and they turned to Gu Fan, hoping for a confirmation.

Gu Fan sighed, "By the time I found them, two people had already died. I don’t know what happened prior, but Hu Bo saw me and wanted to shoot me to keep his secret. It was Ning Qi’s persuasion that spared me. However, in the end, Hu Bo still wanted to kill me. Ning Qi had no choice but to shoot Hu Bo, saving my life."

Ning Qi quickly added, "At that time, Hu Bo had completely lost his mind and I was scared. I wanted to flee, but I didn’t dare to. When I saw Gu Fan, I knew he was my only hope, so I persuaded Hu Bo not to act rashly."

Su Hui immediately asked, "How did you manage to persuade Hu Bo not to kill Gu Fan?"

Ning Qi’s heart skipped a beat. This question hit the nail on the head, and Gu Fan was also awakened by this question and thought, indeed, why didn’t I think of that at that time.

After a careful thought, Ning Qi said, "I told Hu Bo that since Gu Fan was here, his friends must be nearby as well. It wasn’t necessary to escalate the situation. We could give Gu Fan some benefits in return for his silence, and Hu Bo agreed."

However, there was doubt in Su Hui’s eyes. "You said earlier that Hu Bo was money-hungry and wanted to monopolize the treasures and take possession of you? How could he suddenly follow your suggestion, spare Gu Fan’s life, and even share the treasure with him?"

Everyone seemed to agree. Wasn’t it contradictory that Ning Qi had mentioned earlier that Hu Bo had lost his mind due to his greed, but now he had been persuaded and had regained his sanity?

Ning Qi clenched her teeth in secret. She wondered what kind of background this woman named Su Hui had, knowing so much about interrogation techniques.

Then Su Hui said, "Gu Fan arrived and you protected him. You even shot Hu Bo to save Gu Fan, which Gu Fan has already confirmed, let’s ignore that for now. But what happened before Gu Fan arrived, when two people had already fallen? Are you saying that Hu Bo did it?"

Even Gu Fan felt something was off. Earlier, Ning Qi had said that the two men wanted to monopolize the treasure, which led to infighting, and Hu Bo had killed the two in self-defense. But now, she was saying that it was Hu Bo who wanted to monopolize the treasure and that he had killed his companions.