Chapter 7

Seeing Gu Xi ignore them and coldly go upstairs, Chen Yunsheng looked at the angry Gu Yuanxiang and felt somewhat embarrassed.

She came to the Gu family today to discuss with Gu Yuanxiang about buying a birthday present for her mother at the department store tomorrow, but Gu Xi suddenly returned.

Chen Yunsheng was a girl from the family compound. Her father was the director of the logistics department and her mother was an employee of the garment factory. There were not many children in the family, only one older brother. Although she was a girl, her parents and brother doted on her and she was pampered as she grew up.

She and Gu Yuanxiang have known each other since childhood, grew up together, and are close friends.

She was naturally aware of the Gu family's affairs. Even though she knew that Gu Yuanxiang was not the Gu family's daughter, her attitude remained unchanged. She treated her as a good sister, and the two of them usually played together.

Chen Yunsheng and Gu Xi were not familiar with each other, but she still felt some sympathy for Gu Xi being switched at birth.

She had heard people say that Gu Xi wasn't home these past few days, but she never expected to run into her today. She wanted to say hello, but Gu Xi didn't even look at her.

In the past, when she came, Gu Xi was not very talkative, but she was quite polite, unlike today when she was so indifferent.

Her parents often said, "Don't meddle in other people's business."

Sensing that something was wrong with the Gu sisters, she hesitated for a moment but ultimately didn't ask anything. Seeing Gu Yuanxiang's angry expression, she thought for a moment and said, "Yuanxiang, I'll go now. I'll come find you again tomorrow."

Gu Yuanxiang forced a smile, feeling somewhat wronged, and couldn't help but say, "Yunsheng, Xixi, she..."

"Um?"

Gu Yuanxiang swallowed her words, knowing that if she revealed that Gu Xi had hit someone, even if Chen Yunsheng wasn't the type to blab, her parents would definitely be angry if they found out.

-

Not long after Chen Yunsheng left, Gu Yuanhui returned.

Upon learning that Gu Xi had returned, his expression changed drastically, his face filled with hostility, and he rushed upstairs.

Gu Yuanxiang quickly followed. Judging from Gu Yuanhui's expression, she knew that Gu Xi was going to be in trouble. It was always like this. Every time Gu Yuanhui targeted Gu Xi, Gu Xi was made to look very bad.

I'm a bit conflicted. I don't know whether I should try to persuade Yuanhui, in case he goes too far and my parents get angry...

While Gu Yuanxiang was still struggling with this dilemma, she never expected things to develop in a way that completely exceeded her expectations.

Gu Yuanhui was hit in the face by a book as soon as he entered the door. The crisp sound made it clear that it hurt a lot, and his face was probably going to swell up again.

Last time, Gu Yuanhui was punched in the face by Gu Xi, and his face was swollen for several days, making him too embarrassed to go out and see anyone. Today, the marks on his face had finally completely disappeared, but then he was hit by a book again.

Gu Yuanxiang was very dissatisfied. She considered herself a civilized person and believed that no matter how angry she was, she shouldn't hit someone.

She looked at Gu Xi in the room, about to speak, when she saw Gu Xi standing there holding several torn books, looking at her coldly. When her gaze fell on the mess in the room, she suddenly felt a little guilty for some reason.

At this moment, Gu Xi asked, "Who made my room?"

Gu Yuanxiang remained silent, while Gu Yuanhui covered his face and squatted on the ground, still not recovered.

However, Gu Xi was clearly impatient. She put the book she was holding on the table, walked towards them, kicked Gu Yuanhui, who was squatting by the door, aside, and stared directly at Gu Yuanxiang with her dark eyes, saying coldly, "Speak!"

Gu Yuanxiang was stunned, her body stiffened, and she stammered, "Yes, yes..."

It was Gu Yuanhui who did it, but everyone in the family saw it and no one stopped him. Jiang Huijun said a few words, but then let him be. After all, Gu Yuanhui had been hit by her, and she wasn't around to vent his anger, so she let him vent. Anyway, it was just smashing up the room, which wasn't a big deal.

But for some reason, she felt inexplicably afraid when facing Gu Xi and couldn't bring herself to say it.

Gu Xi's expression was calm, almost indifferent, as if they were strangers, not family members who had lived together for five years.

Not to mention her actions just now, throwing a book at Gu Yuanhui and then kicking him to the ground.

She actually hit him again! She doesn't treat Gu Yuanhui like a younger brother at all.

Suddenly, Gu Yuanxiang saw Gu Yuanhui, who was behind Gu Xi, jump up with a ferocious expression and crash into her.

Gu Xi was knocked forward by his collision, but she managed to grab the door frame to steady herself. She turned around and slapped him, sending Gu Yuanhui flying to the ground, completely dazed.

"Yuanhui!" Gu Yuanxiang screamed in fright.

Gu Xi pulled Gu Yuanhui over and raised her fist at him.

She hit him haphazardly, like a country woman beating someone, hitting the fleshy parts, then pulling out a couple of handfuls of hair, tearing off a large clump, making Gu Yuanhui howl and cry uncontrollably, tears and snot quickly streaming down his face.

This was the first time Gu Yuanhui had ever been hit in his life, not by his parents or brothers, but by his "older sister" whom he had always looked down upon.

Gu Yuanxiang stared in disbelief at the scene, terrified. She wanted to stop it but dared not, fearing she would be beaten too. She could only cower at the doorway, calling out, "Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me..."

Gu Xi finally stopped, leaving Gu Yuanhui, who was crying uncontrollably, and walked out of the room.

Gu Yuanxiang stood hunched over to the side, feeling nervous and anxious. As she watched her walk out, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

However, she realized that she had relaxed too soon. When she heard the sounds coming from the next room, she had a bad feeling.

Gu Yuanhui was still crying, sobbing, his face bruised and swollen, and he had a bald patch on his scalp.

The commotion next door was so loud that he heard it too. Realizing it was his room, he struggled to get up, wiped his snot and tears, and quickly ran over.

When they arrived, they found Gu Xi going crazy inside. She overturned the wardrobe, then the bed, then the desk, chair, shelves, some toys Gu Yuanhui had collected, and a radio, all of which were smashed to pieces on the floor.

However, in a short while, the entire room was in complete disarray, like a typhoon had swept through.

Gu Yuanhui was furious and yelled, "What are you doing?"

Gu Xi stomped on a white shirt on the ground, leaving a large footprint, and looked up at him: "You smashed my room, so I'll smash yours."

Gu Yuanhui's face twisted in anger, his chest aching with rage, but he didn't dare to pounce on her, afraid that she would hit him instead.

If a few days ago when she beat me up, I thought I hadn't had time to defend myself, then after being beaten up by her just now, I finally realized that I couldn't beat her. Gu Xi was incredibly strong, not like a woman at all. No wonder she was a country bumpkin who grew up doing farm work and carrying manure in the countryside; she had brute strength.

After smashing the things, Gu Xi walked towards them.

The two people at the door instinctively backed away, huddling together, afraid that she would come over and hit them.

However, Gu Xi didn't do anything, because she went to another room, opened the door, and started smashing things.

Gu Yuanxiang was terrified, but mustered her courage and said, "What are you doing? This is my second brother's room. He didn't smash up your room!"

Gu Xi ignored them and proceeded to smash things wildly, quickly turning Gu Yuanzheng's room into a mess.

The most obvious example is that Gu Yuanzheng's clothes were also pulled to the ground and stomped on several times by her.

Then she went to Gu Yuanxiang's room.

Gu Yuanxiang panicked. She wanted to stop her but didn't dare, afraid that Gu Xi, who was having a fit, would hit her. She could only say aggrievedly, "Xi Xi, don't do this. I didn't mess with your room..."

Gu Yuanhui clenched his fists, not daring to stop him either.

In the past, if Gu Xi had dared to bully Gu Yuanxiang, even if she said something wrong about Gu Yuanxiang, he would have retaliated and vented his anger for Gu Yuanxiang.

He just doesn't like Gu Xi, he hates her, he doesn't like her coming back, ruining their family, making Gu Yuanxiang's existence awkward, and making their family a laughing stock in the family compound.

So he tried his best to tease her, hoping to drive her away.

But he had just been beaten up, and it hurt so much that he was in a daze. He realized that being beaten was so painful. He wondered if this was the kind of beating men who committed domestic violence said they would beat women until they obeyed if they didn't.

Gu Xi ignored them, pushed open the door and went in. She saw a fairly large room, decorated in a very cozy style, with many of the furnishings showing how much her family loved her.

The room faces south and is the best room in the house besides the bedroom of Gu Maowen and his wife.

A series of clattering sounds came from the room. Gu Yuanxiang and her brother stood at the door, looking anxious and angry, but neither dared to stop it.

They all thought that Gu Xi must have gone mad.

It should be said that Gu Xi went crazy a few days ago when she started hitting people.

But they had no idea why she had gone mad. Anger, frustration, fear, and terror overwhelmed them, leaving them at a loss for what to do.

After smashing up three rooms in a row, Gu Xi finally stopped.

She walked over to the brother and sister huddled in the corner and reached out to pull Gu Yuanhui.

At sixteen, Gu Yuanhui was already a teenager, even taller than Gu Xi.

But for some reason, being pulled by Gu Xi like this, I felt like a weak and helpless little chick. When she pulled me in front of her, I thought she was going to hit me again, and a sense of fear arose in my heart. I instinctively covered my head with my hands.

Gu Xi grabbed him, dragged him to her room, and pushed him inside.

"Clean up my room." Gu Xi's voice was calm to the point of being cold. "If you don't, I'll hit you."

Gu Yuanhui: "..."

Gu Yuanhui wanted to refuse with backbone and resist her evil forces, but he was scared by her beating earlier. Now that his parents and brothers were not home, no one could stop her. He was afraid that she would hit him again, so he could only suppress his anger and deal with her.

Gu Yuanxiang shrank to the side, and seeing Gu Xi standing at the door staring at her, she felt a surge of fear.

At this moment, Gu Xi turned her head and looked over, saying ingratiatingly, "Xi Xi, I... I'll help too..."

Gu Yuanxiang carefully moved inside and helped tidy up.

Gu Xi's room didn't have many things, so she tidied up quickly. In the end, only scraps of paper were scattered all over the room. Because there were so many scraps of paper, it was difficult to clean up and she had to use a broom to sweep them up.

Gu Yuanxiang went to get a broom to sweep.

"The clothes that got dirty need to be washed." Gu Xi, who was standing at the door, said, "Gu Yuanhui, go wash the clothes."

Gu Yuanhui said, "I can't."

As the youngest son in the family, he had never washed clothes and didn't know how to wash them at all.

"If you don't know how, then learn." Gu Xi said coldly, "If you don't wash it clean, I'll hit you."

Gu Yuanhui was both angry and scared, so he could only take her clothes to wash.

After Gu Yuanhui finished washing his clothes, the room was also cleaned up.

Gu Xi still wouldn't let them off the hook, saying, "I can overlook the rest, but my book was torn up, so you have to compensate me."

She cherished her books, handling them with great care, afraid of wrinkling them.

From a young age, she envied children who could go to school. As the eldest daughter in her adoptive parents' family, she was a girl who favored boys over girls and needed girls to help with chores and take care of her younger siblings, so it was impossible for her to go to school.

Back at the Gu family home, knowing she could go to school, she could endure the shame, even if it meant squeezing into a group of elementary school students, as long as she could study.

Having been given a second chance at life, she originally intended to treat the Gu family as strangers.

Little did she know that her cherished book had been torn up, and a surge of anger instantly rose from the depths of her heart, making her unable to control herself.

Gu Yuanxiang asked cautiously, "How much compensation do you want?"

Gu Yuanhui didn't dare to say a word. He didn't want to pay, but as he said before, he was afraid of being beaten, so he dared not refuse to pay.

But he's out of money now and probably can't afford to pay. Is she going to hit him again?