Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 518: Test, Counter-Test

Chapter 518: Chapter 518: Test, Counter-Test

The folks from the Zhang family had been visited, so were those from the Luo family, the Liu family, and also the Zhu family. Gu Fan planned on stopping by the Zhu family too, but considering his unfamiliarity with them, and the fact that the Zhu family’s loyalist had patterned their allegiance with the Big Boss, there seemed to be unnecessary to visit anymore.

The pressing matter was another family; Gu Fan didn’t know where they lived now. If he were able to find them first, and gain their support, he might just be able to get the upper hand.

Gu Fan pondered all the way home. As soon as he opened the door, he found his parents and Gu Ling with anxious looks on their faces.

"What’s wrong, why are you all looking at me like that?" Gu Fan pretended to be calm, causing Gu Ling to grow even more frantic: "Brother, what’s happened to you? You didn’t reply to so many messages, I was just about to call your phone, but you came back."

"I was just out strolling around. You all seem so worried." Gu Fan realized his sister must have informed their parents about the events of the last night, explaining the worry weighing on them.

"Alright, what’s for dinner?" Gu Fan asked, clutching his stomach as if he was starving.

Mei Fang stated: "It’s nothing special, just some dumplings. You’ll have to make do."

"Really?" Gu Fan showed a touch of disappointment, but he understood. After Gu Ling told their parents about the events of last night, they must have been too worried to cook anything elaborate.

Seeing Gu Fan’s reaction, Mei Fang wasn’t pleased: "Eat if you want or leave it if you don’t. Take it or leave it."

"Only my mother could say that." Gu Fan quickly produced a pleading expression: "Thank you, mom, for offering me a meal, please cook it quickly. I’m very hungry."

The bowl of dumplings made him happy and full. He didn’t look like someone who had just been attacked which surprised Gu Chuanshan and Mei Fang. They wondered how their son could stay so calm.

"Okay, thanks for the meal, mom and dad. Since my independence, it’s been a while since I tried your cooking. Although your skills haven’t improved much, it was really delicious." Gu Fan gave an appearance of self-satisfying amusement. Mei Fang felt frustrated enough to spank him.

Gu Fan stretched lazily, stood up, and said, "Once again, thank you for the delicious food. I am off to continue my independent life at the old house."

"What?" Gu Chuanshan, Mei Fang, and Gu Ling were all shocked. They were about to ask, "What are you going back there for?"

Gu Fan pretended to be confused: "What? Why are you all looking so shocked? Is it so horrifying that I’m going back to the old house?"

"No, not at all." Gu Chuanshan and Mei Fang looked awkward, unable to comprehend why Gu Fan would dare to return there, especially after what had happened. Gu Ling was also shocked.

However, seeing that Gu Fan was really about to go, Mei Fang was almost unable to contain herself, but she was held back by Gu Chuanshan.

"You guys are surely keeping secrets..." This was the reaction Gu Fan was testing for. In his opinion, if he was to leave and his parents were to try to hold him back, they would need a valid reason.

Gu Fan was sure that Gu Ling must have told their parents about the attack last night, but they hadn’t said anything, nor used the concern for his safety to stop him from returning to the old house. That meant they didn’t want to spread the news.

"I’ll walk you out." Gu Chuanshan suddenly stated, causing Gu Fan to be momentarily stunned. He then smiled and replied: "Sure. It’s been a while since I had alone time with dad."

Upon hearing this, sensing the insinuations, Gu Chuanshan knitted his brow slightly. However, he held back, working on maintaining a calm facade.

Father and son left the house together and walked on the main street. Gu Chuanshan looked quite pensive: "I didn’t realize that time flew so fast. It’s already been four years since you have been living independently in the old house."

Gu Fan replied casually: "Yes, I will be graduating from university soon. Currently, I’m looking for an internship."

"So, have you decided what kind of job you want to get?" Gu Chuanshan’s question prompted Gu Fan to think seriously. "I might as well stick to my field of study; I enjoy researching finance and economics."

Gu Chuanshan nodded his head: "Do what you enjoy doing. Your dad will support you."

"Thank you, father. Uncle Zhang said the same. He is doing things he enjoys, that’s why he’s so successful." Gu Fan’s words awakened a new realization.

After thinking for a while, Gu Chuanshan said, "I heard from Old Zhang that you went to him early this morning."

"That’s right, it’s been a long time since I’ve had breakfast at Uncle Zhang’s, so I thought I should visit him and chat." Gu Fan responded casually. He knew what his father was thinking.

Gu Fan was slowly probing, looking for weaknesses in his father’s defenses, hoping that his father would reveal the secret.

"It seems like your casual chat had quite a lot of substance," said Gu Chuanshan who was far from letting down his guard. He knew Gu Fan was testing him, but he wasn’t giving anything away.

Gu Fan knew it wasn’t easy to break down his father’s defenses, so he continued, "After leaving Uncle Zhang’s house, I took a trip to the city’s history museum and just took a look around."

"What?" Gu Chuanshan was somewhat startled. He knew Gu Fan didn’t just mention the history museum casually. He’d been there himself and knew what kind of information was there.

Watching his son’s self-composed demeanor, Gu Chuanshan quietly speculated - had Gu Fan discovered the secret?

Gu Fan sensed that it was the right time: "Then I visited Liu Yao again. She seemed to know something. Last time, Zhang Yang also appeared to know something, and I feel like Xiaoling knows some things too. It’s as if I am the only one kept in the dark. Dad, do you have something to tell me?"

Hearing this, something seemed to stir within Gu Chuanshan. He wondered why he was still keeping everything from Gu Fan when so many people already knew.

As Gu Chuanshan was about to spill everything, he suddenly realized that Gu Fan was trying to wear down his defenses. So, he steadied himself, his expression growing even graver as he asked: "Over the years of your independent life in college, we’ve been overseas. When things happened to you, we couldn’t be there right away. You must have encountered many problems during these years of independence. What have you been doing? Tell me."

"Ah, many problems?" Gu Fan recalled the twelve missing students, exploring the wilderness, opposing the Big Boss, and searching for the secret of immortality at Yuxueyun Mountain. But he couldn’t tell his parents about these things.