Chapter 118
Gu Xi began to suspect that Chen Ruian might have harbored ill intentions towards her, just like Gu Yuanhui had in the past, and wanted to get rid of her.
It's not surprising that she would think that way. In the five years since she returned to the Gu family, she had often been ambushed on the road by Gu Yuanhui and his men. They would either scare her, chase and beat her, or have their dogs chase her, laughing at her pathetic state...
There are far too many examples like this.
Gu Yuanhui has many cronies. He is close to Gu Yuanxiang and claims that he only recognizes Gu Yuanxiang as his sister. When Gu Xi returned, he felt that Gu Xi was an outsider who invaded their home and disrupted their harmony.
Chen Yunsheng is Gu Yuanxiang's good friend, and Chen Ruian is Chen Yunsheng's brother...
The Chen siblings have a good relationship with Gu Yuanxiang and Gu Yuanzheng, and with Gu Yuanhui, who is targeting her, hanging around, Chen Ruian might actually be in cahoots with them!
Gu Xi sorted things out, but her heart wasn't particularly stirred.
She used to be manipulated by PUA and was always worried that if she resisted, her parents would be even more disappointed. So she chose to be submissive and try to minimize the problems and let them go. She endured the grievances.
If it were now, she definitely wouldn't swallow her anger anymore and would fight back directly.
But that's all in the past, even from a past life, so there's no point in talking about it now.
The Chen siblings have both gone to the countryside, and it's unknown whether they'll ever see each other again. Even if they do, their situation will likely be worse than before, and no one will be able to bully her as easily as they used to.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Gu Yuanxiang was somewhat distraught, completely unable to understand what she was thinking.
She retorted angrily, "How could you possibly think... that Ryan isn't that kind of person? He's a man of impeccable character and would never hit a woman!"
She couldn't stand people misunderstanding Chen Ruian like that.
Gu Xi said, "Otherwise what? Gu Yuanhui and his friends used to ambush me on the road quite a few times, all wanting to make fun of me and see me make a fool of myself, that makes them happy. Chen Ruian and you guys are pretty good friends, right? He wanted to ambush me on the way to get revenge for you, didn't he?"
Gu Yuanxiang stared at her, dumbfounded, wondering if there was something wrong with her brain.
How could someone like Chen Ruian deliberately ambush a woman on the street, intending to beat her up?
She was initially very jealous, as Gu Xi always managed to get things that she couldn't easily obtain, but now, seeing Gu Xi misunderstanding Chen Ruian like this, she couldn't bear it anymore!
"Because he likes you!" Gu Yuanxiang roared, her hands clenched into fists, her eyes reddening, driven mad with jealousy.
Gu Xi paused for a moment, then frowned and said decisively, "Impossible, don't talk nonsense."
Gu Yuanxiang retorted angrily, "Why is it impossible? You can't wrong him! He's definitely not the kind of man who would hit a woman!"
Gu Xi thought she was talking nonsense and didn't believe Chen Ruian would like her.
First, she didn't feel anything special. Her impression of Chen Ruian was that he was someone from the same family compound, Chen Yunsheng's older brother, and had a good relationship with Gu Yuanzheng. That was all. Second, she didn't think she had anything that made her likable. Besides, she had a fiancé at the time, which everyone knew. I don't think anyone would like a girl with a fiancé.
No normal person would want to be a mistress, and Chen Ruian doesn't seem like the kind of brainless person who would want to be a mistress.
Seeing that she still looked unconvinced, Gu Yuanxiang firmly believed that she was just talking nonsense.
She was furious and wanted to crack open Gu Xi's head to see what was inside and why she didn't believe her.
Gu Xi is so beautiful, isn't it normal for men to like her?
Feelings are something that cannot be controlled, and this does not conflict with the fact that she has a fiancé. However, because of this, even if Chen Ruian likes her, he cannot say it out loud or show it.
Gu Yuanxiang recalled Chen Ruian's hidden thoughts; if she hadn't been paying close attention to him, she might never have discovered them. Looking at Gu Xi's determined misunderstanding, she didn't know whether Chen Ruian was more pathetic, or she herself.
However, she didn't dwell on the issue anymore and said, "I've decided. If I'm going to go to the countryside, I want to go to the place where Brother Ruian is working. I'll go find him."
Since going to the countryside was unavoidable, she decided to go to the place where Chen Ruian had been sent, and pursue her own happiness.
Gu Xi found her behavior inexplicable, then suddenly realized that the person she liked was Chen Ruian.
It seems understandable. Chen Ruian is refined and handsome, a college student from the same working class, peasantry and soldier background, the cultured person Gu Yuanxiang likes, her childhood sweetheart, and her best friend's brother... he has all the necessary qualities.
No wonder she likes it.
"That's great," Gu Xi said indifferently, offering her blessing. "I wish you happiness."
Although I dislike Gu Yuanxiang, I don't intend to do anything to her. Anyway, she's going to the countryside soon, and whether it's good or bad, it's her life. It's best if the two of us never see each other again in this life and can each live our own lives peacefully.
Gu Yuanxiang looked at her intently, then finally got up and left.
When Gu Xi saw the person off, she was still confused and didn't know what the person had come for today.
Saying goodbye to her? Then why mention Chen Ruian? Is it to let her know that she is a strong woman who bravely pursues her own happiness?
She didn't seem strong at all; she just seemed pretty silly.
After the Chen family's misfortune, Chen Ruian and his sister were sent to a remote and underdeveloped rural area, where they probably had a hard time.
Although Gu Yuanzheng and Gu Yuanxiang also had to go to the countryside, with their elder brother Gu Yuanyang around, they could be arranged to go to the countryside, so they wouldn't have to suffer too much.
But she stubbornly insisted on enduring hardship, choosing to go to a poorer and more backward place to live a miserable life instead of going to a better place. Wasn't that just foolish?
As soon as she turned around, Gu Xi bumped into someone, and was then pulled into their arms.
Gu Xi didn't struggle. She looked up at him and said, "Why do you walk so quietly? It's scary in the middle of the night!"
Shen Mingzheng patted her back to comfort her, then picked her up in his arms.
Being held like this in broad daylight made her blush a little. Luckily, her two younger sisters weren't home—of course, if they were, he probably wouldn't have dared to do this.
Shen Mingzheng carried her back to the room, closed the door behind him, lifted her face, and lowered his head to share her breath: "I heard what she just said."
Gu Xi said "Oh," and added, "It seems the soundproofing in our house is really bad."
She thought to herself, "Did we make any noise that night? I tried my best to keep quiet, but sometimes I couldn't help it and he would kiss me and silence me with his kiss."
"What are you thinking about?" Shen Mingzheng bit her lip, making her look at him.
Gu Xi's gaze returned to his face. The door to the room was closed, and the light inside was not as bright as outside. His face was backlit, making him look somewhat dangerous.
"Big brother, what's wrong?" she asked. "You don't mind what Gu Yuanxiang just said, do you?"
Shen Mingzheng knew she was straightforward and wouldn't run away from problems, so it wasn't surprising that she asked so directly.
He held her in his arms, his fingers gently caressing her skin, and said, "A little."
Although he knew there was nothing between her and Chen Ruian, he still remembered how he used to wait for her on her way home from school and watch her silently...
Chen Ruian could see her on the road, but he was far away in the army...
Shen Mingzheng was somewhat concerned, although he also found this concern ridiculous, but he couldn't control some of his thoughts.
"Big brother, don't listen to her nonsense." Gu Xi reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, stood on tiptoe, and kissed him on the lips. "She must have misunderstood. Chen Ruian could never like me."
Why is it impossible?
She seemed too certain. If Shen Mingzheng hadn't met Chen Ruian before, or even noticed the way he looked at her, he might have thought Gu Yuanxiang was talking nonsense.
Gu Xi said, "I have you as my fiancé, and I really don't know what he likes about me."
She used to be a pushover, with a dull personality, poor communication skills, and always avoiding people. She was completely unlikable.
No normal person would like her. They should like a girl like Gu Yuanxiang, who was pampered in the Gu family since childhood, and is beautiful, cheerful, generous, and has a sweet tongue.
Shen Mingzheng stroked her raised face, his voice slightly hoarse, "How could that be? You have many likable qualities. You are beautiful, diligent, considerate, quiet, and well-behaved..."
She has many qualities that can attract men's attention, but her greatest advantage is her striking appearance, since most men are visual creatures.
But she didn't seem to realize this, and didn't know how beautiful she was.
Gu Xi looked shy. "Really? You think I'm pretty?"
"Yes, my Xixi is very beautiful," Shen Mingzheng said with certainty. "She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."
Gu Xi couldn't help but chuckle, then buried her face in his chest, feeling a little embarrassed. She thought his sweet talk was irresistible, and she couldn't quite handle it.
"Actually, I'm just average-looking," she said softly. "I've always been plain-looking, and I'm dark-skinned and thin. When I returned to the Gu family, people gave me nicknames, calling me a black monkey, an ugly duckling, and a rat spirit that rolled out of a coal pile..."
From childhood to adulthood, no one has ever said that she is pretty.
She remembered what she looked like as a child, which is why she didn't really like looking in the mirror. When she returned to the Gu family, she was always surrounded by curious people who were curious about her, the poor real daughter who had been switched at birth. They would point and whisper, disappointed that she was so ugly and didn't look like the Gu family. Gu Yuanhui and his friends would also point at her and laugh at her for being ugly...
Over time, Gu Xi became less and less concerned about her good looks.
Later, after she went to school, Gu Yuanhui would occasionally bring people to ambush her on her way home from school.
As she grew up, even more people blocked her way. Besides Gu Yuanhui and his friends, there were other boys, some she knew and some she didn't.
However, Gu Xi had been cornered by Gu Yuanhui so many times that she had experience dealing with them and could avoid them in time. She felt that those men who cornered her were all like Gu Yuanhui, harboring ill intentions towards her.
Shen Mingzheng's expression turned somewhat cold upon hearing her words.
Although I knew how wicked people could be, I never imagined that my own blood relatives would treat her like this.
She shouldn't have gone back to the Gu family in the first place. If she had stayed in the Shen family and become their adopted daughter, she would definitely be a confident and cheerful girl now.
Her lack of self-confidence stems not only from the Xu family's fifteen years of suppression but also from the Gu family's attitude.
Even the prettiest girl, growing up in such an environment, will be crushed into an insecure girl, who will see boys who wait for her on her way home from school as having ill intentions and wanting to harm her.
Although her slowness was both amusing and heartbreaking.
Shen Mingzheng said, "Ignore them, they're blind! In the family compound now, everyone says you're beautiful, capable, brave, can earn money by writing, and can paint..."
Upon hearing his words, Gu Xi immediately burst into laughter.
She nodded. "I know. I don't care about those words anymore because I'm doing better than them. I can eat meat whenever I want now and I won't go hungry anymore! But Gu Yuanhui and the others are not doing so well now. Whether they go to the farm for labor reform or to the countryside, they have to do farm work."
She spent fifteen years in the countryside, and they will also go to the countryside to experience her former life.
Thinking about it that way, I feel quite relieved.
After laughing, Gu Xi thought of something and said, "Big brother, are you jealous?"
Shen Mingzheng remained silent.
"Really?" Gu Xi said in surprise. "You believe Gu Yuanxiang? Don't believe her. I think she's just talking nonsense."
Shen Mingzheng calmly hummed in agreement, neither saying whether he believed her nor not, and simply carried her back to bed.
"Hey, wait..." Realizing what he was about to do, she blushed and whispered, "It's still daytime..."
"It's okay, no one's home."
"..."
**
The next day, before dawn, Gu Yuanyang had someone take Gu Yuanxiang to the city to catch a ride.
Gu Yuanxiang left quietly, without attracting much attention. The people in the family compound only asked about it casually, and after learning that Gu Yuanxiang's sister, who lived in the regiment commander's house, had left, they ignored it.
The Xu sisters finally breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that she had really left.
"Second sister, am I a bad person?" Xu Huaisheng said. "Even though I've never spent any time with her, I really dislike her and don't want her to stay here. I heard she's going to the countryside after she goes back..."
Gu Yuanxiang looks like a typical city girl. I'm afraid she won't be able to handle it after going to the countryside.
She thought of the educated youth who had just been sent to the countryside in Xujiatun. They broke down and cried because their hands and feet were blistered from the hard work of farming. She thought that Gu Yuanxiang would probably be like that too.
Xu Yuansheng frowned. "Why are you thinking so much? What happens to her is none of our business."
"I know, it's..."
"No, that's right!" Xu Yuansheng slapped her on the back of the head. "Although we share the same mother, we've never gotten along. Besides, she prefers being a member of the Gu family to us. She might even look down on us as two country bumpkins and not want to be sisters with us!"
Finally, she earnestly said to Xu Huaisheng, "You must remember, we only have one eldest sister. She grew up with us and is not a stranger with only blood ties."
Although Xu Huaisheng was born into a family that favored sons over daughters, she inevitably developed a somewhat naive personality because she had two older sisters who supported and protected her.
Xu Yuansheng knew this and disliked her for being so clueless.
If she acknowledges Gu Yuanxiang as her "older sister," or even softens her heart because Gu Yuanxiang is about to go to the countryside, that would be too unfair to Gu Xi.
Xu Yuansheng would not allow such a thing to happen. Since Gu Yuanxiang had made her choice not to return to the Xu family back then, they should sever all ties completely and stop bringing up blood relations.
If we pity Gu Yuanxiang, then who will pity the suffering her sister endured?
Seeing her serious expression, Xu Huaisheng panicked and hurriedly said, "I...I know, we only have one eldest sister, there won't be anyone else!"
She doesn't want Gu Yuanxiang as her "older sister" and will never acknowledge her again.
There is only one eldest sister, and that is Gu Xi.
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