"Brother, no, I didn't do anything," Gu Chuli exclaimed, taken aback by Gu Xiuyi's expression, and followed him, desperately trying to explain.
Gu Xiuyi walked through the broken glass without hesitation and approached Ji Ruan. Ji Ruan looked up at him, quickly turning his head to hide his tears, a few drops falling from his large, watery eyes.
It was such a heartbreaking sight that he couldn't help but feel sorry for Ji Ruan.
Gu Xiuyi's gaze was fixed on the wet corners of Ji Ruan's eyes and the red tip of his nose, his mind going blank for a moment. He then squatted down to examine Ji Ruan's ankle injury.
It wasn't a serious cut, just a superficial one, but perhaps because Ji Ruan's skin was so delicate, a few drops of blood continued to ooze from the wound, refusing to clot.
"Brother..." Gu Chuli still whispered, attempting to explain: "You have to trust me..."
"Go and get the first aid kit," Gu Xiuyi said in a deep voice.
"What?" Gu Chuli seemed confused, pointing at himself. "Me?"
"Who else?" Gu Xiuyi rested his elbows on his knees, glancing back at Gu Chuli. "And while you're at it, grab a broom and sweep up everything on the floor."
Gu Chuli's eyes widened, and he took a few steps back incredulously. "You want me to do the work of a servant?!"
Ji Ruan's tears were running dry, unable to cry any longer. He covered his face with his hands, leaning on the piano cover, and watched quietly.
With a stern expression, Gu Xiuyi stood up. "What are servants? Aren't they human too? They're doing things you're incapable of doing."
He casually tapped his fingertips on the debris on the floor. "Clean it up, make sure there's no trace left."
"Brother!" Gu Chuli still wanted to object, but when he saw tears welling up, he was silenced by Gu Xiuyi's icy gaze, forcing his words back down his throat.
Gu Xiuyi's towering presence alone was enough to instill fear.
Gu Chuli clenched his fists, biting his lip hard, and ran out.
When Fang Lan sensed that something was amiss and rushed over, the piano room was well-lit. Ji Ruan was being softly comforted by Gu Xiuyi as he leaned on the piano. Meanwhile, her own son was sweeping the floor, tears, and snot mixing with the broom.
This scene felt like a slap in the face to Fang Lan. She took the broom from her son's hand, smiled awkwardly, and took a couple of steps toward Gu Xiuyi. "Xiu Yi, what are you doing?"
Busy comforting Ji Ruan, Gu Xiuyi didn't look up. "Oh, it's nothing. Xiao Li made a mistake, and I'm simply giving him a punishment."
"He!" Fang Lan took a deep breath. "What mistake did he make?"
Gu Xiuyi turned back to her with a cold expression. "He injured my spouse's leg."
Fang Lan's gaze immediately fell on Ji Ruan's white calf, where a bandage was wrapped around her ankle.
Such a small wound!
It's nothing that won't heal with proper care!
Anger flared within Fang Lan.
"Mom! I didn't do anything!" Gu Chuli tearfully grabbed Fang Lan's arm, crying out in grievance. "He dropped the photo frame on his own. I just wanted to apologize and build a good relationship with him. He's the one scolding and throwing things!"
"Shut up!" Fang Lan shook off her son's hand, desperately maintaining a virtuous appearance. "Xiu Yi, you heard it too. Xiao Li says he's innocent. You have to believe your brother!"
"Is that so..." Gu Xiuyi nodded thoughtfully, lifting Ji Ruan's chin. "Is what he said true?"
Ji Ruan didn't answer, but the swelling in their eyes paused for a moment as if he didn't expect to be questioned. After a few seconds, he dropped his gaze in extreme disappointment, biting his lower lip to hold back tears.
Gu Xiuyi immediately embraced Ji Ruan, stroking the back of their head as he comforted them in a low voice. "Alright, alright, don't cry. I understand."
He turned his head and glanced at the mother and son. "You've seen it too, Xiao Li hasn't done anything wrong."
"Brother!" Gu Chuli lost control of his emotions. "Why do you believe everything he says? No... he hasn't even spoken yet, I'm your own brother!"
"Okay, Xiao Li!" Fang Lan held Gu Chuli tightly, trying to maintain her last bit of rationality. "Xiuyi... yes, yes, even if Xiao Li made a mistake, can I apologize to him? But you shouldn't punish him like this..."
Gu Xiuyi was surprised. "How did I punish him?"
Fang Lan was in tears, feeling humiliated. "You can't let him be a servant. He is the second young master of the Gu family!"
"Ah," Gu Xiuyi sighed, feeling a bit overwhelmed. "Aunt Fang, the remnants of feudalism weigh heavily on your mind. How old are you and do you still have servants? With such an upbringing, it's no wonder Xiao Li is misguided."
Initially angry, Fang Lan's thoughts took a different turn when she heard Gu Xiuyi's words. "What... do you mean?"
Gu Xiuyi smiled. "Isn't Xiao Li about to graduate from university? How about he goes abroad for further studies?"
"How can you do that?!" Fang Lan's voice trembled, and the illusion she had been clinging to shattered. "He is going to join the company after graduation!"
"This matter is not urgent," Gu Xiuyi said casually. "Xiao Li himself said he's not capable enough, and sending him abroad would be for his good."
"No, no!" Fang Lan's voice was trembling. "Xiao Li has never traveled far alone. The foreign country is so chaotic..."
Gu Xiuyi shrugged. "It's not chaotic. I studied abroad for many years and returned perfectly fine. Besides, he is the son of the Gu family. Can anything wrong happen to him?"
"That's it." He picked up Ji Ruan and walked away, saying, "I'll have the secretary gather all the necessary documents for university, and Xiao Li should be able to go abroad soon to continue his studies."
Gu Chuli was frozen in place.
Fang Lan trotted a few steps and grabbed Gu Xiuyi's sleeve. "You're being unreasonable. Even if, even if you want to send him abroad as a gift, it's your father's decision!"
Gu Xiuyi looked at Fang Lan, a calm smile on his lips. "If you think telling Gu Zhaoxu would make a difference, go ahead."
After speaking, he didn't even look at the mother and son and walked away briskly, holding Ji Ruan in his arms.
As the documents slipped from his hand, Fang Lan staggered back and was supported by Gu Chuli.
Gu Xiuyi looked ahead blankly. "Mom... am I going to be sent abroad?"
Fang Lan closed her eyes, gasping for air, unable to speak.
Gu Chuli's mind felt empty. "Let's tell Dad. Dad won't let this happen!"
Fang Lan straightened up slowly. "It's useless. Gu Xiuyi has already made up his mind."
"What... what do you mean?"
Fang Lan's eyes sank as if she had aged in an instant. "Gu Xiuyi has long wanted to send you away. Letting you join the company would be a threat to him, and today he used this excuse with that boy to make his intentions clear."
She pushed away Gu Chuli's hand and walked out unsteadily. "Even if it's not now, tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, he will find an excuse to send you abroad..."
"Actually, you had it all figured out."
Back home, Ji Ruan took a bath and lay on the bed, icing her eyes, and speaking slowly.
"What do you mean?" Gu Xiuyi sat at the head of the bed, gently applying gauze to Ji Ruan's injured ankle.
"I mean, you've wanted to get rid of your cheap brother for a while now, haven't you?" Ji Ruan jokingly said. "You claimed to be helping me get ahead, but you had ulterior motives."
Gu Xiuyi chuckled softly. "I can send him away whenever I want."
"But today, you couldn't send him away just by scolding him, could you?" Ji Ruan asked with a smile.
Ji Ruan removed the ice pack and sat up, resting his chin on his hand as he looked at Gu Xiuyi. "Under normal circumstances, you would have had to put on a fake smile and make false claims with them for a long time to achieve this, considering your stepmother's stubbornness. How come it was so easy today?"
Gu Xiuyi twitched his lips but remained silent.
However, Ji Ruan continued to stare at him, refusing to let it go.
Sighing, Gu Xiuyi finally relented. "What do you think?"
Not one to engage in deep thinking, Ji Ruan spoke nonchalantly. "I think it's pretty good. Honestly, given his IQ, even if he joined the company, he wouldn't be able to cause any trouble. The main issue is how he'd feel having someone he hates around him every day. Who wouldn't find that off-putting?"
Ji Ruan's words amused Gu Xiuyi, and he playfully tapped Ji Ruan's smooth calf with his long index finger. "That's rude of you to say."
The simple tap on Ji Ruan's calf carried a hint of something inexplicable, causing him to instinctively pull away, only to be gently pulled back by Gu Xiuyi.
Coughing, Ji Ruan scratched his nose. "Actually, I'm still a little concerned..."
Gu Xiuyi raised his eyebrows, gesturing for him to continue.
"Well..." Ji Ruan hesitated before speaking. "If your stepmother and brother believe that you wanted to get rid of that brat because you were afraid of his talent, wouldn't that be even more repulsive?"
Gu Xiuyi paused, his jaw tightening visibly, a clear sign of his disgust.
It appeared that his stepmother actually held such a belief. She would rather believe that all men in the world were dead than admit that her son lacked intelligence.
"Let's not dwell on it," Gu Xiuyi exhaled deeply, focusing on Ji Ruan's ankle with a more serious expression. "Your wound isn't healing properly. Why won't the bleeding stop?"
Ji Ruan stretched his neck to take a look. Gu Xiuyi had already used several gauze sheets, and although the bleeding seemed excessive compared to the superficial wound, it wasn't excessive in reality.
"It's fine," Ji Ruan pouted. "I probably aggravated it while showering. A band-aid should do the trick."
Gu Xiuyi didn't respond and carefully examined the wound. It was indeed small and shallow. Perhaps Ji Ruan's body wasn't in the best condition, causing slower healing.
"Even if it's to vent your anger, you shouldn't hurt yourself," Gu Xiuyi remarked as he applied the band-aid.
"It was an accident," Ji Ruan said, hugging his teddy bear. "I originally threw it in your brother's direction, but it landed quite far away. Who knew the shattered glass would fly towards me."
He let out a long sigh. "Maybe it's a case of harming others and eventually harming oneself. I shouldn't do evil deeds in the future and be a bad person."
"You're quite self-aware," Gu Xiuyi commented, folding his arms and leaning against the wooden table at the end of the bed. "But they were the ones who initiated the evil. You, on the other hand, are just playing the role of a villain, kid."
As he spoke, he moved closer, his gaze fixed on Ji Ruan's face visible on the bear's belly, a teasing smile playing on his lips.
"At best, you're just unlucky."
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Author's Note:
Ji Ruan: How dare he call me unlucky?! (First day of revenge)
