The Mighty Mage
Chapter 342: Sweets

Chapter 342: Chapter 342: Sweets

Mrs. Gu froze at Gu Aihan’s words. Slowly, she turned her head to glance toward the doorway.

Her sharp, piercing gaze landed on Gu Jin, who had a cold expression on her face.

For a moment, no one said a word. The air was thick with tension.

Mrs. Gu’s eyes scanned Gu Jin from head to toe as if trying to find something—anything—that would connect this girl to her family.

Her face remained cold and unreadable, but her knuckles turned white as she gripped the DNA test paper tightly.

Finally, Mrs. Gu broke the silence, her voice low and sharp. "So, you’re the one they’re claiming to be... my husband’s daughter."

But Gu Jin seemed to not hear her words at all.

Looking at the woman who looked exactly like her mother of previous life, Gu Jin felt as if the world around her was slowly collapsing.

Mrs. Gu was about to say something more, her sharp words already forming, when Gu Jin suddenly spoke.

"Mom."

The single word cut through the tension in the room like a knife. Everyone froze.

Mrs. Gu’s eyes widened slightly, her composure cracking for the first time. She stared at Gu Jin, completely taken off guard.

Before anyone could react, Gu Jin started walking toward her. Her steps were slow but deliberate. Her cold, expressionless face didn’t give away what she was thinking.

"W-What are you doing?" Mrs. Gu managed to say, though her voice wasn’t as sharp as before.

But Gu Jin didn’t answer. She just kept walking.

And then, without warning, she wrapped her arms around Mrs. Gu.

The room fell completely silent. Even the sound of breathing seemed to disappear.

Gu Jin stood there, her cold demeanor unchanged even as she hugged Mrs. Gu tightly. Her chin rested against Mrs. Gu’s shoulder, her face calm but her words soft.

"Mom... you’re warm," she said quietly.

Her tone was emotionless, yet somehow it struck everyone in the room.

It wasn’t the kind of sweet, clingy tone someone would expect from a child—it was blunt, straightforward, and almost awkward. And yet, it was sincere.

Mrs. Gu stood frozen in place, her arms stiff at her sides.

Her brain struggled to process what was happening. A hug? From this girl? She didn’t know how to respond at all.

Gu Jichun’s jaw dropped. Gu Aihan’s face twisted in disbelief.

But Gu Jihu, standing to the side, wasn’t surprised.

He watched the scene unfold with quiet understanding. He knew this was exactly what Gu Jin would do.

It wasn’t planned; it wasn’t fake. This was just her—odd, blunt, and completely unexpected.

Just as Mrs. Gu started to come to her senses, opening her mouth to say something, Gu Aihan took a step forward, her voice sharp and accusing.

"Look at this! She’s just pretending to act sweet! She’s manipulating you!"

Her words were loud and harsh, breaking the fragile moment.

Gu Jin’s eyes slowly opened, her cold gaze shifting to Gu Aihan.

She didn’t say anything at first. Instead, she calmly released Mrs. Gu from her embrace and turned to face Gu Aihan.

Her face was completely blank, but her stare was enough to make Gu Aihan hesitate.

"I’m manipulating her?" Gu Jin asked, her voice soft yet cutting.

"If I was manipulating her, wouldn’t I be crying and begging by now?"

Her words were calm, but they silenced the entire room.

Gu Aihan gritted her teeth, searching for something else to say, but Gu Jin ignored her completely.

Instead, she turned back to Mrs. Gu, her cold face softening just slightly as she tilted her head ever so slightly to the side.

"Mom," she said again, her tone still awkward but with a strange gentleness,

"I haven’t eaten anything yet. Can I have something sweet?"

The request was so simple—and so unexpected—that Mrs. Gu blinked in confusion. Sweet? This girl, who looked like she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders, was asking for sweets.

Gu Jin’s face remained completely serious as she added, "It helps me calm down."

Her blunt honesty, mixed with the tiniest hint of childish awkwardness, left Mrs. Gu speechless.

She stared at Gu Jin, her heart unexpectedly softening. For the first time in a long while, she didn’t know how to respond.

Gu Jin, completely unfazed by Mrs. Gu’s silence, continued speaking in her flat tone. "But if you don’t have sweets, I’ll just take something warm. I’m not picky."

The cold girl’s direct and almost robotic request somehow came off as... cute.

Even Gu Jichun covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing. Gu Jihu smirked slightly, clearly amused.

Mrs. Gu opened her mouth, but no words came out. The walls she had built around herself as the matriarch of the family suddenly felt like they were crumbling under the weight of this strange, blunt girl.

Finally, she cleared her throat, though her voice came out quieter than she intended. "I... I’ll have someone bring you something."

"Thank you," Gu Jin replied with a small nod, her face as serious as ever.

Then, as if nothing had happened, she quietly stepped back, her cold demeanor returning fully as she stood with her arms at her sides.

Gu Aihan, who had been watching the entire interaction with disbelief, exploded. "Are you serious?! Are you all falling for this act? She’s just playing you—!"

"Enough," Mrs. Gu interrupted sharply, her tone regaining its authority as she shot a glare at Gu Aihan.

"If you have nothing useful to say, then don’t say anything at all."

For some reason, her heart softened when she heard Gu Jin’s soft tone. She even felt a strange kind of connection with Gu Jin which she couldn’t explain at all.

She only knew one thing in her heart. She can’t mistreat Gu Jin!

Gu Aihan was in disbelief. Mrs. Gu never scolded her let alone shouted at her like she did just now.

Gu Aihan’s face was red with frustration. Just as she was about to argue further, Gu Jin calmly opened her mouth.

"Mrs. Gu," she said, her tone cold yet steady, "a paternity test has been conducted. The results confirm that I share a biological connection with both you and Mr. Gu. I am your daughter."

Her voice was calm, but her words hit the room like a thunderclap.

Everyone turned their eyes toward Gu Jin in shock, but before anyone could process her statement, a cold chuckle rang out.

It was Gu Aihan.

"Oh?" Gu Aihan sneered, stepping forward with a smug expression. She waved a sheet of paper in her hand, the sound of it rustling filling the quiet room.

"Then what do you call this

? Because this DNA test says I am also their daughter. Care to explain that, Miss ’Perfect DNA Match’?"

"Maybe they are forged." Gu Jin said with a cold smirk.

Her words were full of sarcasm as she raised the paper higher for everyone to see.

"This is from the most unbiased and reputable DNA testing center. See the official stamps? You can’t fake these. So what now? How do you explain this, huh?"

Gu Jin turned her cold gaze toward the paper but showed no sign of being rattled. Instead, she tilted her head slightly, her expression unreadable.

"Various possibilities," she said nonchalantly as if listing options for lunch rather than discussing serious family matters.

"Possibilities?" Gu Aihan repeated, stunned by Gu Jin’s response.

"Yes," Gu Jin continued, completely unbothered. She raised a finger, starting to count on it.

"First possibility: you forged the results. After all, stamps and signatures can be stolen or copied. Just because it looks real doesn’t mean it is."

Gu Aihan’s face darkened. "Ridiculous—"

"Second," Gu Jin interrupted without sparing her a glance, "maybe the DNA testing center made a mistake. Machines glitch, data gets mixed up. Maybe they were having a bad day."

The seriousness in her tone made the statement sound absurdly logical.

Gu Aihan’s jaw dropped. "You—"

"Third," Gu Jin said, lifting another finger, "you could be my secret long-lost twin." Her tone remained completely serious, though the words were laughable.

"Maybe we were separated at birth, and you just happened to pop up here first."

At this, even Gu Jihu had to cough to hide his laughter. Gu Jichun’s mouth twitched, and she quickly turned her face away.

"Or," Gu Jin continued, ignoring everyone’s reactions, "fourth possibility: you’re an alien. Maybe you landed here from another planet, and the DNA test machine got confused and said you were human."

That did it.

The entire room went silent for two seconds before Gu Jichun let out an involuntary snort of laughter.

Even Mrs. Gu had to cover her mouth, her composed face twitching as if she was holding back.

Gu Aihan’s face turned purple. "You’re making a joke out of this—!"

"Am I?" Gu Jin replied calmly, her expression still blank.

"If you really believe the test, why are you getting so worked up? I’m just exploring all possibilities here."