“Don’t say anything anymore. You’re pure and kind-hearted. I can’t tell that Qiao Xi has wild ambitions. You’ve already been disfigured by her, yet you’re still trying to speak up for her. You…”
With that, Madam Gu was about to call a servant over to help Shen Ying get up when the door was kicked open from the outside with a bang. Song Shiyu retracted his leg elegantly and smiled at the shocked crowd before standing behind Gu Zheng.
Gu Zheng stood outside the door and said in a voice that sounded as though he was a demon from hell, “Madam Gu, who do you want to punish?”
His eyes were cold and merciless, like a venomous snake. Madam Gu broke out in a cold sweat.
“Gu… Gu Zheng…”
Madam Gu was shocked for a moment before realizing that the guilty party was Qiao Xi. What was she afraid of?!
Thus, she gnashed her teeth as she looked at Qiao Xi who was behind Gu Zheng. “Gu Zheng, Qiao Xi disfigured Shen Ying. You can’t protect such a vicious person anymore!”
Gu Zheng’s gaze landed on Shen Ying indifferently as he chuckled. “Disfigured?”
Shen Ying thought that Gu Zheng was concerned about her, and tears welled up in her eyes. “Brother Gu Zheng, don’t blame Miss Qiao. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have resisted Miss Qiao. I should’ve obediently let her—”
Her words were interrupted by a cold laugh from Gu Zheng.
In just a few words, Shen Ying seemed to have told him that Qiao Xi had beaten her up for no reason. Shen Ying wanted to resist, but Qiao Xi beat her even more cruelly.
Shen Ying had fully displayed the art of speaking.
Madam Gu was flustered and exasperated. “Gu Zheng, Shen Ying is already disfigured. Why aren’t you comforting her?! Are you going to protect that woman? What kind of drug did Qiao Xi, that vixen, give you that you’re protecting her so much that you don’t even care about your relationship with Shen Ying? You’ve known each other for the past 20 years!”
Madam Wang wiped her tears. “Forget it. Our Shen Ying just isn’t blessed enough. All these years, Shen Ying has been thinking about Gu Zheng. She thought that she could be with Gu Zheng, but Miss Qiao interfered… Boo-hoo, it’s Shen Ying’s fault. She shouldn’t have liked Gu Zheng, nor should she have a deep affection for him.”
Shen Ying bit her lip. “Yes, it’s my fault. I should have hidden my love for Brother Gu Zheng deep in my heart. I shouldn’t have confessed to Brother Gu Zheng on an impulse and make Miss Qiao Xi overthink things—”
Gu Zheng interrupted her coldly. “Make Qiao Xi overthink things? So what did you tell Qiao Xi?”
Shen Ying paused for a moment. Could it be that Gu Zheng also felt that Qiao Xi is not worthy of him? Was Brother Gu Zheng also disappointed in Qiao Xi now?
At the thought of this, she sobbed softly. “Miss Qiao warned me to stay away from you, Brother Gu Zheng, but you and I are childhood sweethearts. Our friendship can’t be severed just like that. I only told the truth, but Miss Qiao suddenly got angry. She said that I’m as shameless as a mistress who is interfering in someone else’s marriage. Brother Gu Zheng, I don’t understand why Miss Qiao is targeting me like this. Although I think she’s wrong, I’m too stupid to retort—”
“She’s wrong? What’s wrong with what she said?” Gu Zheng sneered.
Shen Ying’s expression froze.
Gu Zheng looked at her coldly. “Miss Shen, you said that you’ve liked me for many years and that we’re childhood sweethearts?”
Shen Ying stammered, “Y-Yes.”
“Why don’t I know about you and me being childhood sweethearts?” Gu Zheng’s tone was neither fast nor slow. “You said that you’ve liked me for many years, so why haven’t you confessed before? Why did you have to say this in front of my wife after I got married… What’s your intention behind doing this? Is it wrong for Qiao Xi to say that you’re like a mistress?”
Shen Ying widened her eyes in disbelief.
“Miss Shen, you and I weren’t childhood sweethearts. You deliberately lied to drive a wedge between me and my wife. I know my wife’s character very well. If she really did warn you to stay away from me, then I’ll be very happy. It means that she knows how to cherish me and protect me.
“It’s a pity that my wife isn’t like that. If no one bullied her, she wouldn’t even know how to retort. It’s also because of her kindness that you guys are bullying her time and again. If she really did hit you today, I’ll set off firecrackers at the Gu family’s door to celebrate.”
The room was silent for a few seconds. Gu Zheng’s words were too shocking.
After an unknown period of time, Shen Ying’s tears and sobbing broke the silence. She cried noisily. “I-I’m sorry, Brother Gu Zheng. I didn’t know that I would cause you so much trouble. Boo-hoo… I just love you too much. I couldn’t control myself. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t have been in Miss Qiao’s way… I did something wrong, so I should be punished by Miss Qiao…”
Seeing Shen Ying cry so miserably, Madam Wang could not help but cry as well.
