Gu Xiang'an wanted to get back on his feet, but pain was radiating from his groin in waves of electric shocks. He could not bring himself to move at all.
Gu Dongxue was shocked by Gu Nanyu's actions. Is she still the Gu Nanyu I used to know?
She's acting like a completely different person!
Gu Dongxue could not put her finger on what was wrong with Gu Nanyu. However, when she looked at Gu Xiang'an, she noticed the chilliness in Gu Nanyu's gaze.
He has repeatedly abused me. Yet, it seems like Gu Nanyu has no intention of helping me.
If he stays alive, this will forever be a stain on my life!
Gu Nanyu has the video with her. If anyone sees this video, my life will be completely ruined!
Gu Xiang'an can't move right now. He is a sitting duck. If I kill him now, I can easily make Gu Nanyu my scapegoat….
Gu Dongxue started whimpering, as if she was going through an unbearable pain.
"Sister, don't listen to him. He'll never keep to his word. If he tells grandfather and grandmother about your true identity, we'll be kicked out of the house!"
Gu Nanyu slowly raised her head. Then, her gaze landed on Gu Dongxue.
At that moment, Gu Dongxue looked so pure and innocent. Her big round eyes were brimming with tears and fear.
She was still too naive, compared to what she was going to be in another 10 years time.
It was obvious that Gu Dongxue hoped that Gu Nanyu would want to protect her true identity and kill Gu Xiang'an on Gu Dongxue's behalf.
On the surface, it looked like she was looking out for Gu Nanyu. However, the fluster in her eyes and the desperation on her face gave her true intentions away.
This is so obvious. How can I not realize it in my previous life?
It was all because she was blinded by their familial bond.
However, the familial bond, which was supposedly above all, now meant nothing to Gu Dongxue.
"It doesn't matter. Even if we get kicked out of the house, I'm going to skin him before I leave."
Gu Nanyu spoke in an indifferent manner. Then, she lifted her gaze and took a side glance at Gu Dongxue. "I'm not going to stop you if you're really angry enough to kill him. I'm only reminding you that the police station is not a good place to stay."
Recalling the year she spent in prison, Gu Nanyu's gaze wavered.
"Sister, I am a girl. If I am sent to jail, my life will be ruined…." Gu Dongxue wiped off her tears, "If mother was still here, she would never allow this beast to bully me…"
Gu Dongxue knew mentioning their mother would get Gu Nanyu to do her bidding.
In her past life, Gu Nanyu would drop everything to protect Gu Dongxue.
An elder sister is just like a mother. She ought to take care of her younger siblings.
However, the year when she was imprisoned, Gu Dongxue had not spared a single shred of concern about the young and autistic Gu Xize. Instead, she went abroad under a scholarship.
When she was released, Gu Xize's condition had worsened, to the extent that he would not speak a word.
She had been led to believe that Gu Dongxue went abroad to study medicine to find a cure for Xize's illness. What a fool she was!
Gu Xiang'an listened to the sisters' conversation. They really are going to kill me! He crawled toward the door as fear crept into him.
"Gu Xiang'an."
A chilling voice came through, sending a shiver down Gu Xiang'an's spine.
"Remember what you said today. If any of this gets leaked, be prepared to bear the consequences."
Gu Dongxue's eyes were burning red with fury. She could not believe that Gu Nanyu was letting Gu Xiang'an go free.
"Sister, why did you let him go?" Gu Dongxue questioned her.
Gu Nanyu stared at Gu Dongxue. After a while, she laughed as if she was mocking herself.
Gu Dongxue was flustered. "Sister...what are you laughing at?"
At that moment, Gu Nanyu grabbed a Swiss army knife on the table, lifted Gu Dongxue's hand and placed it on her palm.
"He can't run that far. You can still kill him if you want to." Gu Nanyu's voice was cool and flat, devoid of any emotion.
"But I'm scared…." Gu Dongxue was shaking, her tears continued to roll down her cheeks, appearing very pitiful.
"Such a coincidence. I'm scared too. I'm afraid of the creepiness in prison, the rumours spreading around, the harsh reality of human nature. I'm even more afraid of.…"
Gu Nanyu looked into Gu Dongxue's eyes, which were filled with confusion, scrambling to figure out why she said all of this.
"Forget it."
Gu Nanyu turned around and left Gu Dongxue's room.
She went to visit Gu Xize. At that moment, he was sleeping.
He was seven this year with severe autism.
Gu Nanyu gently stroked his face and started crying as she touched him.
Sensing someone around him, Gu Xize stirred from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes and woke up from his dream.
When he saw Gu Nanyu, his eyes brightened up. Noticing that she was crying, Gu Xize quickly got off his bed and ran toward the table beside his bed. He took out a big piece of drawing paper from the drawer and passed it to Gu Nanyu.
Gu Nanyu saw a few drawings on it. The first one was a big tree with a small sapling behind it.
When the storm came, the big tree stood its ground against the wind, protecting the small sapling behind it.
In the next one, the small sapling had grown into a tree, and the branches and leaves got more luxuriant.
This time around, it reached out its branches and protected the big tree that used to protect it.
At the bottom of the paper, there was a message.
"You raised me up, and I will protect you for the rest of your life."
Looking at these drawings, Gu Nanyu sobbed even harder.
Seeing that Gu Nanyu was crying, Gu Xize was startled. He reached out to wipe off her tears. In response, Gu Nanyu extended her arms to hug her younger brother.
"I raised you up, and you will protect me for the rest of my life. I will wait for you to grow up!" Gu Nanyu sobbed.
Before long, Gu Xize fell asleep again. Gu Nanyu sat in his room and took a long time trying to calm herself down.
Her younger brother — Gu Xize — was her father's only biological descendant, whereas she and Gu Dongxue had no blood-relations to him.
Gu Yan'an had secured this secret perfectly. Although his two younger brothers, Gu Ming'an and Gu Xiang'an, had always.been skeptical, Gu Yan'an managed to keep this secret under wraps by hiring someone to fake a DNA analysis a few years ago. That had kept his brothers quiet ever since.
Now that their father had passed away, Gu Nanyu swore to herself that Xize would get everything he deserved, at all cost.
Having been given a new lease at life, she would never be weak, vulnerable or gullible again.
She went back to her room. While she was changing her clothes, something fell out of the pocket of her jeans.
Gu Nanyu picked it up. It appeared to be a small USB.
Gu Nanyu furrowed her brows. She could not recall having this USB with her.
Out of curiosity, Gu Nanyu inserted the USB into her computer.
What appeared on her screen next left her utterly shocked.