"Huanhuan, do you have some kind of grudge against Miss Gu? If you clear things up now, let's not bring this up again in the future," Father Ning's words provided a timely rescue for his daughter. Although Ning Yunhuan didn't really care about Gu Xian's performance, she was still touched by her father's defense. But before she could speak, Ning Yuncheng roared, "What grudge could there be? Look how delicate Xi'er is; it's obvious who bullied whom. If you don't throw her out of this house today, Dad, I'm not coming back either!"

"Then hurry up and get out!" Before Father Ning could utter a word, Ning Yunhuan was already furious. She had always disliked Gu Yingxi, and now, with new and old grudges surging to the forefront of her mind, it was the perfect time to settle accounts with that pair of scoundrels.

"Dad, as for any grudge between Miss Gu and myself, perhaps there isn't one, but Young Master Xie from our school might indeed have one with Miss Gu." The moment her words fell, everyone paused, and Gu Yingxi's face turned even paler. Her looks were only average—five or six out of ten—but under this pitiful facade, her shy, downcast eyes sparkled with seductive charm, forcibly elevating her merely pretty features to an eight or nine out of ten. Especially this endearing posture instantly heated Ning Yuncheng's mind, and without a second thought, he lunged forward, intending to strike Ning Yunhuan.

"Say one more nonsense word and I'll slap your mouth!" Ning Yuncheng's expression turned cold, but the moment he mentioned it, Ning Yunhuan was instantly reminded of the shame she felt from being hit by Ning Yuncheng in her previous life, which rushed back to her all at once:

"What nonsense am I speaking? Dad, what are you all doing today? Miss Gu is a classmate at our school, isn't she Young Master Xie’s girlfriend? I saw her with that young master from the Xie family on the school lawn twice before..." Ning Yunhuan paused here, watching Gu Yingxi's face instantly lose all trace of color, then pursed her lips and remained silent, letting everyone speculate on their own.

Father Ning's face was ashen. He didn't need to press for details to guess what his daughter hadn't finished saying. The thought that this Gu Yingxi, so demure and lovely in front of him, might have a boyfriend at school was one thing, but to engage in that kind of activity on the lawn—twice, caught by his own daughter—was not coincidental; twice was unusual. And this was just the number of times his daughter witnessed it; if others saw more, wouldn't they see even more? Thinking of this, Father Ning felt a deep disquiet.

"Miss Gu, is what my daughter said true?" Father Ning glared fiercely at Ning Yuncheng, then coldly asked Gu Yingxi. Although Father Ning wasn't utterly backward in his thinking, he wasn't overly liberal either. While he hadn't expected Gu Yingxi to become a cloistered wife after marrying into the Ning family, he certainly didn't wish for his future daughter-in-law to be a promiscuous woman. Therefore, upon hearing his daughter’s words, the favorable impression he had of Gu Yingxi vanished instantly, and he stopped addressing her warmly. Instead, his eyes moved, fixed intently on Gu Yingxi.

"I... I..." Gu Yingxi knew she was in trouble the moment Ning Yunhuan appeared, especially upon hearing her mention her affair with Xie Zhuoyin. A mix of shame and resentment flooded her. With tear-filled eyes, she stared pleadingly at Ning Yunhuan, weeping heartbrokenly, "Miss Ning, why are you doing this to me?" Her tone was mournful, which made the suspicious Ning Yuncheng feel protective of her again, glaring fiercely at Ning Yunhuan.

"How have I provoked you that you treat me this way?" Gu Yingxi recalled that ever since meeting Ning Yunhuan, things had felt constantly off. It was one thing that she had taken photos of her and Brother Yin to threaten her; later, she even stole Brother Lan Jiu, causing that person, upon finally encountering her last time, to not even spare her a glance. Thinking of Lan Jiu, the last shred of Gu Yingxi's rationality dissolved, her eyes turning crimson: "Why are you treating me like this? Is harming Brother Yin not enough? Now that you've stolen Brother Lan Jiu, are you trying to snatch Yuncheng away too?"

At this, Gu Yingxi’s chest heaved violently, and she nearly fainted in Ning Yuncheng’s arms from crying. Although Ning Yuncheng sensed something was off with her words—he didn't know any Brother Yin or Brother Lan Jiu—seeing the beauty in his arms, he naturally held her tightly, placing two soothing, tender kisses on her forehead while gently murmuring reassurances.

This scene was witnessed by Gu Shaotao standing nearby. A flash of jealousy crossed his eyes before he quickly concealed it. Instead, he turned and pointed at Ning Yunhuan, yelling, "Have you no upbringing! What have you done to my sister? If you dare harm my sister, I'll fight you!"

What was supposed to be a pleasant meeting between the parents of two families had unexpectedly derailed because of the daughter's return, bringing up this entire affair. Father Ning’s expression was already strained, but Madam Ning now naturally found the Gu family displeasing. She had initially held a good impression of Gu Yingxi, but compared to her own daughter, Gu Yingxi was nothing. Furthermore, with Gu Yingxi crying and wailing like this, causing such a rift between her son and daughter before even marrying into the family, wouldn't marrying her lead to daily domestic turmoil? Seeing the youth, whose style of dress Madam Ning already disliked, dare to threaten her daughter, Madam Ning’s face immediately darkened:

"It is not for you to dictate whether my Ning family has upbringing! If you have any upbringing, your parents should have taught you the proper conduct of a guest in another person's home!"

Madam Ning’s expression hardened, causing Gu Shaotao’s face to flush crimson—a mix of humiliation, embarrassment, and anger. Ning Yunhuan knew that being parentless was a sensitive spot for Gu Shaotao. In the novels she had read, the most frequent description of Gu Shaotao’s inner thoughts involved him constantly fantasizing that his parents were famous powerful businessmen or high officials, who, due to dire necessity, had abandoned him at the orphanage gate. He hoped his parents remembered him and eventually found him, so he could stand tall and repay the kindness of Mother Gu Xian who raised him, and also gain the capability to properly care for Sister Yingxi, confidently holding her in his arms, taking care of her with strength and living a beautiful, warm life.

Although no one in the Gu family knew these thoughts—even Gu Yingxi, who was closest to Gu Shaotao, was unaware—Ning Yunhuan clearly understood how Madam Ning’s words struck his rawest nerve. However, Ning Yunhuan felt no sympathy for him at this moment; instead, she felt a quiet satisfaction. But before the Gu family could step up to defend the wounded and grieving Gu Shaotao, Ning Yuncheng voiced his displeasure:

"Mom, how could you speak to Shaotao like that? What will Yingxi do in the future?"

[bookid=2881511,bookname=《》] Dear readers, I want to say a bit more. When you are venting about Gu Bai Lian, please use 'the heroine' instead... I saw a sister in the review section misunderstood... sob sob, I'll try to add 'Gu Yingxi' three times next time, okay? Kiss you all...