Chapter 18
Chen Yunsheng was a little confused. If he wasn't the eldest brother of the Gu family, then why did Gu Xi call this man "elder brother"?
Does Gu Xi have other brothers?
Although Chen Yunsheng wanted to ask more, seeing that Gu Xi clearly didn't want to say more, he wisely shut his mouth.
The three walked on in silence.
Just as she was about to leave the park, Gu Xi suddenly stopped and called out to the man in front of her, "Big Brother."
Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but it was melodious and clear, though it was drowned out by the noisy cicadas in the park, making it difficult to hear clearly.
However, Shen Mingzheng, who was walking in front, stopped and turned to look at her.
Despite the hot weather, his clothes dried a bit after walking such a short distance, no longer clinging to his body. His face was no longer wet, and his bronze skin accentuated his rugged masculine charm.
Gu Xi didn't look at him, but lowered her head and said, "Big brother, you have something to do, so go ahead and do it. You don't need to see us off; we'll get back on our own."
Chen Yunsheng, who was standing next to him, did not say anything, but he agreed with her in his heart.
The man in front of me had such a strong presence; just standing there made me feel intimidated. I didn't know what to do with my hands and feet, and I really didn't want him to see me off.
They always felt that if they didn't obediently follow him home under his gaze, it would be a mistake.
"It's alright," Shen Mingzheng said, his gaze falling on her face as he calmly added, "I'll take you back."
This means I insist on seeing them off.
Chen Yunsheng immediately backed down, thinking that if he wanted to give it to her, then so be it. Who would dare to refuse such a strong and aloof man's decision?
But some people just have to be brave enough to do it.
"I have something to do," Gu Xi said tactfully, indicating that she did not want him to take her.
Seeing Shen Mingzheng remain silent, Chen Yunsheng began to feel terrified.
She was now starting to believe that this man must be Gu Xi's "elder brother," otherwise how could she not be intimidated in front of him and refuse his decision?
Just as Chen Yunsheng was on edge, Shen Mingzheng said, "Okay, be careful."
Gu Xi responded softly and stood there without moving until the other person's footsteps faded into the distance. Finally, she raised her head and watched his departing figure gradually disappear into the distance.
Seeing that he had finally left, Chen Yunsheng finally relaxed, and her body was no longer so tense.
"Gu Xi," she said hesitantly, "then let's go back."
Gu Xi turned to look at her and said, "You go first."
"ah?"
"I have something to do."
Hearing her say that, Chen Yunsheng didn't press the matter further.
Although she wanted to be friends with Gu Xi, she felt somewhat uncomfortable and embarrassed when she remembered what Gu Xi had said while they were boating earlier.
She never knew Gu Xi's situation in the Gu family was so awkward. She used to think that Gu Xi was just quieter, that it was her nature, and that she preferred to be alone. Who knew that the Gu family members had one face on the surface but another behind the scenes, even the seemingly generous and reasonable Gu Yuanxiang...
She and Gu Yuanxiang were friends. They were both children from the same family compound and had known each other since childhood. They grew up together and had a good relationship. She had never doubted Gu Yuanxiang's character and didn't know that Gu Yuanxiang thought this way about Gu Xi.
Even though Gu Yuanxiang had never spoken ill of Gu Xi in front of her before, Gu Xi's terrified expression on the ship clearly showed that Gu Yuanxiang's thoughts had been revealed.
In this situation, if she shows that she wants to be friends with Gu Xi, will Gu Xi think she is being hypocritical?
What right does she have to suggest being friends with Gu Xi?
Gu Xi said, "Chen Yunsheng, thank you for what happened earlier. Thank you for calling them over."
"You're welcome, it's what I should do." Chen Yunsheng waved her hand and said, "It's really too dangerous for a child to run around here playing in the water. Luckily, you asked me to call for help, and the child was rescued in time."
A smile appeared on her face. She felt that Gu Xi was a very gentle and kind girl at heart, and perhaps that was why those people would bully her so blatantly.
Chen Yunsheng sighed, "Today is indeed not a good time."
**
After Chen Yunsheng left, Gu Xi didn't move. She stood there blankly for a while until she felt dizzy from the sun and found a shady spot nearby to sit down.
From the moment she spoke, her mind went completely blank.
She needs time to process the fact that she didn't die today.
In her past life, she died today, in this afternoon.
Shen Mingzheng, who happened to be nearby on business, heard the commotion and ran over, but she was already dead.
Shen Mingzheng pulled her out of the lake and tried his best to save her, but he couldn't. Her death nearly broke Feng Min, and the Shen family was deeply saddened.
The Gu family was indeed heartbroken for a while, but they quickly let it go. After all, they had only known each other for five years, so their feelings for her were not deep. In addition, her return made them feel ashamed, and subconsciously they resisted her presence.
Later, Gu Maowen was implicated in a corruption case, and both he and his wife lost their jobs. Gu Yuanhui was sent to a labor camp for injuring someone, and Gu Yuanzheng and Gu Yuanxiang were sent to the countryside in the southwest, where they lived a miserable life.
Gu Yuanyang, who was far away in the army, was somewhat influenced by Gu Maowen, but fortunately he pulled through.
He remained in the military, returning only once when Gu Maowen passed away, and never returned after that, dedicating his entire life to the country.
Gu Xi wondered if the fate of every character in the book had already been written.
She escaped death this time, but what about the future? Will she be allowed to die again? She is destined to die.
If that's the case, then she can't delay Shen Mingzheng any longer...
In a daze, a military water bottle appeared in front of her, and Shen Mingzheng's voice rang out: "Gu Xi, drink some water."
Gu Xi subconsciously looked up and saw the man standing in front of her.
He leaned down slightly to look at her, shielding her from the dappled sunlight. His clothes were completely dry, and he held a military water bottle in his hand, which he offered to her.
"Big brother..." she stammered, somewhat taken aback.
General Shen Mingzheng unscrewed the kettle and handed it to her, which she mechanically accepted.
When the water entered her throat, she realized how thirsty she was. She had been out in the sweltering heat for so long, and had been exposed to the sun for so long that she had lost a lot of water and was very thirsty. However, she had been so distracted that she hadn't noticed it until now.
After drinking the water, Gu Xi felt like she had come back to life.
She obediently returned the kettle to Shen Mingzheng and asked in confusion, "Big brother, why are you back?"
Didn't he leave?
Shen Mingzheng tightened the kettle, not answering her question, but scrutinizing her with his sharp eyes, and asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Gu Xi was a beat slow to react, then shook her head, "No."
"You're lying." Shen Mingzheng spoke frankly, looking at her pale and tired face, recalling what he had just witnessed.
She sat quietly under the shade of the tree, as if she were in a place of time itself.
Confused, helpless, tired, and worried, as if something was troubling her, and she didn't know what to do in the future, looking pitiful.
Seeing that she remained silent, Shen Mingzheng didn't say anything more, only saying, "You don't look well; you shouldn't have come out."
Since you're not feeling well, stay home and rest.
Gu Xi lowered her head silently, looking like she was obediently admitting her mistake.
Shen Mingzheng looked at her for a while, then stood up straight and said to her, "Let's go home."
"ah?"
Gu Xi stood up in a daze under his gaze, like a soulless puppet, moving with every command. She didn't notice the pebble under her feet, stepped on it, and fell forward.
A hand quickly reached out to support her, and then withdrew after she regained her balance.
Shen Mingzheng: "Be careful."
"oh."
Gu Xi responded softly, silently following behind him, her face full of confusion. She didn't know why he had come back, and how he knew she hadn't left yet. Did he realize she was lying?
As Shen Mingzheng walked out of the park, they saw a jeep parked in front of them.
Shen Mingzheng walked over, opened the car door, and said to her, "Get in."
Gu Xi glanced at him silently. Seeing his unyielding demeanor, she didn't argue with him and quietly climbed into the car. Shen Mingzheng followed and sat down next to her.
The two were seated when the car started and slowly drove away.
The car was quiet; no one spoke.
The driver was a young soldier who seemed very quiet, but Gu Xi keenly sensed that he glanced at her a few times when she got in the car, as if he was very curious about her.
After the car had traveled for a while, Gu Xi realized that this was not the direction of the family compound where her family lived, but the military compound.
It turns out that Shen Mingzheng's "returning home" meant returning to the Shen family, not the Gu family.
Gu Xi said, "Big brother, I want to go home."
Although she did have some things she wanted to say to Shen Mingzheng, there were other people in the car, so she couldn't bring herself to say them. She decided to go home first.
She remembered that in her previous life, Shen Mingzheng had only stayed in Beijing for a few days, probably to be with Feng Minzhi, who was grieving over her death. She should still have time. She wanted to break off the engagement with Shen Mingzheng before he left; she couldn't delay him any longer.
Although she escaped this near-death experience, she was unsure if she would die again. If she did not escape death, wouldn't that delay his life again?
It's necessary to annul the engagement. Since he's back, we might as well take this opportunity to do so.
After the engagement is dissolved, once she becomes the adopted daughter of the Shen family, she can move to the Shen family without any worries and stay with Aunt Feng.
As for whether people would gossip about her going from being Shen's prospective daughter-in-law to an adopted daughter, she didn't care.
Having already died once, why would I care what those insignificant people say? I should take advantage of the time I'm still alive to make up for my regrets.
Shen Mingzheng stared straight ahead, his voice low: "I'll take you back tomorrow."
"But……"
Gu Xi fell silent when he looked over.
She thought that not many people could stick to their opinions under the watchful eyes of Shen Mingzheng; as long as he believed something was right, he would never change his mind.
This is a man with an iron will, and he is not easily fooled. Don't lie to him.
The car drove into the military compound and went directly to the Shen family's door.
Hearing the commotion, Aunt Wang came out to check. When she saw Shen Mingzheng and Gu Xi getting out of the car, she was first surprised, then overjoyed.
"Mingzheng, Xixi, why did you come back together?" she said cheerfully. "When did Mingzheng return to Beijing? Did you go to pick up Xixi especially for this trip?"
While overjoyed, Aunt Wang looked at Shen Mingzheng with a sense of relief, feeling that the child had finally come to his senses.
Not only did he return without saying a word, but he also went to pick up his fiancée first.
Gu Xi felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this.
She quickly explained, "Auntie, my brother and I met on the road, it wasn't..."
"Big brother, you're back!"
Shen Mingrong rushed out of the house, cheerfully calling out "Big Brother," and pounced on Shen Mingzheng, interrupting Gu Xi's explanation.
Shen Mingzheng reached out and grabbed his brother, who was bobbing up like a rocket, and lifted him up to weigh him in his hands.
Shen Mingrong clung to his arm, giggling, and reached out to grab his brother's shoulder, saying cheerfully, "Big brother, big brother! Don't I look like a man now? I've grown taller since you last came back, and Mom even praised me for being a real man. Can't I show off my muscles now? Take me to the shooting range in the suburbs sometime, I want to touch those big guys too..."
Shen Mingzheng reached out and covered most of his younger brother's face, just enough to cover his mouth, to prevent him from babbling on and on. He turned to the driver and told him to come pick him up tomorrow, then led him and Gu Xi into the house.
When Shen Chenshan and Feng Min returned home, they were overjoyed to see their eldest son sitting there.
"Mingzheng, when did you get back? Why didn't you tell us?" Feng Min said reproachfully. "How many days will you be able to stay at home this time?"
Shen Mingzheng said, "Three days. There's a mission."
Hearing that he still had a mission, Feng Min could only regretfully give up, even though she felt the time was too short.
However, when she learned that Shen Mingzheng and Gu Xi had come together, the look on her face was the same as Aunt Wang's—very gratified.
Oh my, you've really figured it out! You know you should invite your future wife over for a get-together.
Gu Xi was extremely embarrassed; it seemed that now was not a good time to bring up the matter of breaking off the engagement.
Seeing that Shen Mingzheng was focused on talking to his parents, she got up and went to the kitchen to help Aunt Wang cook.
With Shen Mingzheng back, Aunt Wang's enthusiasm for cooking soared. She took out the salted meat stored at home and wanted to make a special dish of salted meat stewed with dried bamboo shoots. The fragrant broth was especially delicious when used to soak rice.
Seeing Gu Xi come to help, she didn't shoo her away, and said with a smile, "Xi Xi, it's rare for Ming Zheng to come back, so you can stay here for the next few days."
She thought to herself that the young couple rarely see each other, so they should spend more time nurturing their relationship.
As for the fact that the young couple isn't married yet and it's not good for them to live under the same roof, that's fine, since they'll be getting married soon anyway.
It just so happens that Shen Mingzheng is back this time, so we can discuss the marriage of the two children.
Gu Xi remained silent, listening to her rambling words, her thoughts drifting away.
Before the engagement is dissolved, it's impossible for her to stay at the Shen family's residence for an extended period; that wouldn't be good. Once the engagement is dissolved, the problem will be much less serious.
Oh, and there's also what happened today!
She publicly humiliated Gu Yuanxiang, and I'm afraid her words have already spread throughout the family compound. If Gu Maowen and his wife heard them, they would be so angry they would want to beat her to death. I wonder how furious they are right now.
Despite this, he felt no unease and didn't care at all.
However, given Gu Yuanxiang's cleverness, she will definitely go back and cry to someone in public, saying that she didn't think that way and that Gu Xi misunderstood her.
Anyway, she has never spoken ill of Gu Xi in public, so there should be quite a few people who believe her.
Gu Yuanxiang is indeed a smart person and knows how to get along with people. Otherwise, she wouldn't still be loved by everyone in the Gu family after discovering that the babies were switched at birth, and the impression of her by outsiders wouldn't have been affected much.
**
As evening fell, the family compound came alive with activity.
Under the tree roots and in the pavilion where people usually gather to chat, a group of middle-aged women were sitting and talking. Their faces showed surprise, then understanding, and then excitement.
They were beaming with excitement, spitting as they talked. When they got really excited, they slapped their thighs and even forgot to go home to cook. They were all talking about their discoveries.
Gu Maowen and his wife got off work a little late today, arriving back at the family compound half an hour later than usual.
As they stepped into the family compound, they found that there were quite a few people on the road, and it seemed that everyone was looking at them. When they looked over, those people smiled and greeted them as usual.
After they turned around, the group huddled together and whispered among themselves, glancing at them as they spoke.
The two were baffled. Even if they were slow to understand, they could sense that these people were talking behind their backs.
Gu Maowen and Jiang Huijun considered themselves respectable people and never bothered to gather in groups to gossip or talk about others. They believed that only uncultured, ignorant, and vulgar people would do such things.
They disdain to do it.
It was precisely because of the couple's attitude that people in the family compound rarely came to them with gossip, which meant that the Gu family always found out about certain things last.
Just like now, everyone was talking excitedly, but not a single person took the initiative to come up and ask them in person.
Just when the couple was confused, they encountered Wu Yinglan, who was at odds with Jiang Huijun.
Wu Yinglan had waited for them here on purpose, her expression strangely excited, her eyes sparkling, clearly indicating that she was plotting something wicked.
Gu Maowen and his wife found her extremely creepy.
Jiang Huijun thought that Wu Yinglan was incorrigible and was going to cause her trouble again. She was so annoyed that she pretended not to see her and was about to walk past her to go home.
"Comrade Gu, Comrade Jiang!" Wu Yinglan called out to them warmly, deliberately asking, "I heard that your children went boating in the park today, and later, for some reason, a conflict arose. Gu Xi pushed your Yuanhui and several other people off the boat."
"What?"
Gu Maowen and his wife felt a slight jolt in their hearts and turned around to look at her.
If she had been talking about someone else, the couple wouldn't have reacted so strongly, but when it came to Gu Xi, and thinking about what she had done these past few days, they instantly believed her and felt that Gu Xi was absolutely capable of doing it.
Seeing the slight change in the couple's expression, Wu Yinglan felt a surge of pleasure, assuming they were ashamed. She continued, "However, there was a reason why Gu Xi pushed her. I heard that your Yuanhui, Junzi, Weiyi, and the other kids conspired to push her off the boat to embarrass her. But Gu Xi overheard it, so she pushed them all off the boat..."
When Gu Maowen and his wife heard this, they felt strangely that this was normal.
Gu Xi is now the type who doesn't like to suffer losses. If those guys dare to push her into the water, she definitely won't tolerate it. It's normal for her to push them into the water in return.
"I heard that Gu Xi was very angry at the time and said a lot of things, which everyone heard! I heard that you treated her badly. Although this child was adopted halfway through life, after fifteen years, and you don't have much affection for her, she is still your own child. How can you be so biased?"
"And then there's Yuanhui, that kid. I heard he always bullies Gu Xi, his older sister, and even gets people to beat her up. How did you raise your children? How can you let a younger brother beat his older sister? Yuanhui is really too much! And Yuanxiang, that kid, I didn't expect her to be such a straightforward and easygoing girl, but she's got a lot of ulterior motives behind her back..."
Perhaps seeing Wu Yinglan stop Gu Maowen and his wife, the people who were watching from afar suddenly gathered around excitedly.
They were also very curious about the Gu family's affairs. They hadn't had enough when they heard the group of boys who came back from rowing earlier, and now that the parties involved were here, they couldn't let go of the gossip.
“Oh, my son was there too. He said he had seen Gu Yuanhui and his friends threaten Gu Xi and stop her on her way home from school before.”
"Sometimes they would catch bugs and snakes to scare her."
"And chasing her with dogs... I don't know what Gu Xi did to make his younger brother bully her like this. I really can't believe this kid is so wicked in private. He's really too bad."
"It's normal that you can't tell! You see, the Gu family is usually very harmonious. Although Comrade Gu and his wife do show some favoritism towards Gu Yuanxiang, they haven't really done anything. As for what they do in private, we can't see it, so how would we know?"
"Take Gu Yuanxiang, for example. She seems like a very generous and outgoing girl. She always greets everyone with a smile and has a sweet tongue. She's so likable that I even wanted my son to marry her. Who would have thought she was thinking this way behind the scenes?"
"That's true, you can know a person's face but not their heart..."
…………
Gu Maowen and his wife were stunned and completely unresponsive.
As they listened to these people talking back and forth, they felt dizzy and their ears were ringing. They were filled with extreme shame and anger.
What are these people talking about? How could they say such things about their family?
What do these idiots know?
Even if, even if that's what Gu Xi said, this child is rebellious, and what she says is completely unreliable, how can they believe what she says?
Gu Maowen and his wife blushed.
Just as Jiang Huijun was about to retort in anger, a voice trembled with sobs.
"Dad, Mom, you're back!"
Gu Yuanxiang ran over with red eyes and buried herself in Jiang Huijun's arms. Then, she raised her tear-streaked face and said to the people around her, "Uncles, aunts, grandmas, do you really think I'm that kind of person? You should all know what I'm like normally. Don't you believe me?"
“I truly consider Xixi my sister, how could I think that way? Xixi misunderstood me. Last time, my second brother came back from a business trip to Shanghai, but because he didn't have enough money, he only bought me a watch as a birthday present, saying he would buy one for Xixi when he got his salary…”
Someone asked, "Then why not give this watch to Gu Xi and give it to you next time we buy one?"
With tears in her eyes, Gu Yuanxiang said, "When my second brother came home, Gu Xi stayed in her room and wouldn't come out. When my second brother saw me, I asked her first, so he gave it to me!"
"is that so?"
No one else knew the inside story, only the Gu family knew. Hearing her say this, they didn't ask any more questions.
Gu Yuanxiang continued to explain, and at the end, she leaned against Jiang Huijun's chest, choking back tears: "I really didn't expect Xixi to misunderstand me like this. If I had known she thought this way, I would have given her the watch directly and wouldn't have let Yuanhui bully her. I really didn't know when Yuanhui bullied her..."
Seeing her crying like that, everyone felt somewhat embarrassed.
They had practically watched Gu Yuanxiang grow up. The child was well-educated by the Gu family; she was generous, beautiful, sweet-talking, polite, and well-liked. She certainly didn't seem like the type to suppress or bully Gu Xi behind her back.
Moreover, a woman's reputation is important, so it's really not good to say that about her.
Sigh, if Gu Xi hadn't said those things herself today, why would they have said those things about her?
An older woman argued, "But that's what Gu Xi said..."
Gu Xi is a quiet and reserved girl who seems well-behaved. She doesn't seem like the type to say things like that. She must have been bullied to say such a thing.
Of course, some people suspected that Gu Xi was lying, but only a minority of them did.
"Xixi misunderstood me." Gu Yuanxiang looked heartbroken. "I really didn't expect her to misunderstand so deeply. If I had known, I would definitely, definitely talk to her and make things clear! We're family, what can't we talk things out?"
She spoke so sincerely that it was difficult for anyone to misunderstand her.
Some people said skeptically, "Even if Gu Xi misunderstood you, it's a fact that she's done all the housework in your family these past few years since she returned to the Gu family, and has been working like a slave for your family, right?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Maowen and his wife blushed again.
"That's right, the Gu couple are so biased. Gu Xi did all the housework in your house. Is she a daughter or a nanny? Even if she is a nanny, you still have to pay her. Gu Xi is free. You don't have to spend a penny. Just give her some food and drink."
"You can't say that, at least we sent her to school."
"We can't not send her, the Shen family is watching! The Shen family is from the military compound area, and I heard that the man Gu Xi is engaged to is an officer in the army. We can't let Gu Xi remain illiterate, can we?"
Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Gu Maowen and his wife.
After Gu Xi returned to the Gu family, everyone saw what she did there. She was indeed a diligent girl. She did all the housework in the Gu family, including laundry, cooking, and cleaning. She did this without interruption for five years, and everyone got used to it over time.
At first, some people privately asked Gu Xi why she did all the housework in the Gu family.
Gu Xi didn't complain. She said softly that her parents were busy with work and she was the most idle person in the family. Anyway, she was used to doing things in the countryside, so it was no big deal to do more.
Hearing this, everyone felt sorry for her. If she hadn't been switched at birth, how could she have gotten used to doing these things in the countryside? It should have been Gu Yuanxiang who had to do these things. She was suffering on Gu Yuanxiang's behalf.
This child is too well-behaved, or perhaps a little naive.
Some people advised her that even with her own parents, she shouldn't be too obedient; the squeaky wheel gets the grease. She just smiled and said that she had just returned and wasn't familiar with her family yet. She would just have to do more and they would get used to it later.
After five years of familiarity, how come we're still not familiar with each other?
Although they felt that Gu Yuanxiang wasn't as sinister as Gu Xi described, Gu Xi really didn't seem like the type to frame people for no reason. She was devoted to her family, so why would she say such things on purpose?
She must have been genuinely wronged and bullied by Gu Yuanhui and others, which is why she snapped in public.
These words were like a fig leaf being ripped off on the spot. Gu Maowen and his wife's faces turned red and blue, embarrassed and ashamed, and they wished they could hide away as soon as possible.
The scene was like a public execution.
Even though everyone knew before that Gu Xi did all the housework and chores in their family, it was their family's business, and Gu Xi enjoyed doing it. She never said anything, so why should outsiders interfere? What are they worrying about? It's disgusting.
Gu Yuanxiang knew her parents were very concerned about their reputation, so she couldn't let them say that. She quickly said, "You've misunderstood. It was indeed Xixi who did it before. We know she worked hard and we feel sorry for her. So recently I've been doing the laundry and cooking so that Xixi can rest. You should have seen that I've been the one buying groceries lately, right?"
Indeed, recently, they have seen Gu Yuanxiang going grocery shopping.
Could it be that Gu Xi has misunderstood?
Did they misunderstand Gu Yuanxiang?
Gu Yuanxiang explained for a while longer, and seeing that everyone had stopped dwelling on the matter, she breathed a sigh of relief and quickly pulled Gu Maowen and his wife home.
Gu Maowen and his wife remained silent throughout, knowing that anything they said would only make them a laughingstock. So, Gu Yuanxiang stepped forward to explain, though both of them were extremely tense.
They didn't explode until they got home, their tense bodies relaxed.
"Where's Gu Xi!" Gu Maowen said in a low, furious voice, "Tell her to get out here!"
Gu Yuanhui peeked out and saw them. He ran downstairs, both angry and resentful, and said, "Dad, Mom! Gu Xi is bullying us! She hasn't come back yet; she must have gone to the Shen family's place again."
When the siblings returned home in the afternoon, Gu Yuanxiang kept crying, and Gu Yuanhui was also very annoyed, knowing that his friends would definitely go home and tell their families about what had happened.
There were many people there, and so many people heard what Gu Xi said; it was impossible for them not to tell anyone.
He was mentally prepared for what would happen if people in the family compound spread rumors, and his parents would definitely be angry.
I just didn't expect that Gu Xi would still not come back after all this time.
After saying those words, she went straight to the Shen family's place, leaving the storm to them. What a clever calculation.
It seems that her previous dull and honest appearance was all an act; she's actually a shrewd and cunning person who runs away as soon as she gets into trouble.
Gu Maowen grew even more furious. Seeing Gu Yuanzheng return, he shouted, "Yuanzheng, go to the Shen family right now and call Gu Xi back. Make her explain to everyone! Look at what she's saying! How dare she even have the nerve to talk like that? What have we done to wrong her that she harbors such resentment and runs around spreading rumors?!"
He grew angrier and angrier, pacing around the room in a rage, kicking over the coffee table and knocking over everything around him.
A series of clattering and banging sounds rang out, and soon the room was a mess.
No one dared to persuade him, nor could they, so they kept their distance to avoid being affected.
Gu Maowen considered himself a respectable person. He was usually very polite, wearing glasses, and looked more like a scholar than a government employee.
He always maintained a respectable appearance and rarely got this angry. Gu Xi had really angered him this time, making it difficult for him to remain calm.
Once he had finally calmed down, Gu Yuanzheng said, "Dad, it's not good to go to the Shen family to call her now. The Shen family will ask about this, and then..."
Although he didn't explain it very clearly, Gu Maowen and his wife understood what he meant.
The Shen family seemed to be bewitched, especially Feng Min. Whenever Gu Xi was involved, she would blatantly side with her and protect her like a precious gem. Anyone unaware of the situation would think that Gu Xi was her daughter.
If Gu Yuanzheng goes to find them now, the Shen family will definitely ask why. Who knows what Gu Xi will say in front of the Shen family? They might misunderstand them and even be ridiculed by them.
Gu Maowen understood his son's meaning and became even angrier. He flew into a rage again, his face contorted with rage, and kicked at the shelf next to him. However, he made too big a move and missed his target, falling backward and crashing into it.
"ah--"
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