Two servants immediately stepped forward and started to pull at Gu Yundai.
Suddenly, an older woman in elegant clothes rushed over and stood in front of Gu Yundai as she cried out, "Master, she's your biological daughter. Please, please, spare her this time!"
Gu Yundai turned to look at the woman and recognized her as the mother of the original owner of her body. This was Master Gu's wife, Madame Ye.
"Move aside!" said Master Gu angrily. "This is the wonderful daughter that you have groomed, and she has grown up to be a complete disgrace and an utter insult to the family. If I let her live, then the Gu family's reputation will go down the drain."
Master Gu didn't care about their many years together as husband and wife, and he certainly didn't care about his many years as a father to Gu Yundai.
Gu Yundai pushed Madame Ye out of her way as she stood up tall and held the child tightly, She spat every word out loudly and forcefully, "From today onward, I'm going to sever all ties with the Gu family. I will no longer be a daughter of the Gu family, so Gu Wenzhai, you have no right to decide whether I live or die anymore."
Master Gu was stunned by this statement, and he immediately exploded. "You want to sever all ties with the Gu family? Sure, I'll grant you your wish! This life of yours was given to you by the Gu family, so leave it here, and I'll let you go."
"Master, she's your daughter. Why are you pushing her to her death?" Madame Ye's cries were heartbreaking.
Gu Yundai looked at the little infant in her arms, who was nearly blue in the face. She knew that if she didn't leave something behind, she could forget about leaving with the child.
She bent down to pick up a stone from the ground and said, "In ancient times, Nezha dismembered his bones in order to repay his parents for giving birth to him, so today I will disfigure my face and completely sever all ties with the Gu family. From today onward, I will no longer be called Gu Yundai. My surname shall be Yun and my name shall be Dai."
With that, she lifted up the sharp stone and was about to strike her own face with it…
As Madame Ye shrieked, a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed hold of Yun Dai's wrist.
"How tragic it would be for a nice-looking girl like you to disfigure her own face," spoke a cold, distant voice.
Yun Dai turned around to see that a young man in an elegant purple cape was standing behind her.
The man had a handsome face, with well-defined brows, thin lips, and a pair of keen eyes. He had a nobleman's air about him that made one want to submit to him.
When Master Gu saw him, his expression immediately changed. He seemed to be about to move forward to bow to him.
But the assistant behind the young man shook his head at Master Gu and stopped him right there.
The man let go of Yun Dai's hand and said in a flat voice, "Master Gu, since your daughter wants to sever ties with the Gu family, why should you want to claim her face?"
"Yes, yes, of course, of course," Master Gu stammered in reply.
"Master Gu, it is good of you to be strict to your family, but you shouldn't just go ahead and punish everyone by killing them," said the man calmly. "If the palace gets wind of this, it'll look bad for you."
Master Gu shuddered in fear. "I understand. I will settle this matter properly…"
The man didn't look at Yun Dai again and just left with his assistant.
It was as if he had happened to pass by and had decided to interfere with something unimportant since it was along his way.
But to Yun Dai, that man had saved her life.
After he had left, Master Gu immediately chased her away with no hesitation and made an official announcement in front of the entire clan that they were no longer father and daughter.
Yun Dai didn't care about that at all. She took her child and left with no regrets.
But Madame Ye came running up to her and tied her own cape around her daughter and passed her some pieces of silver as she cried, "Your mother is useless, and I have been unable to protect either of you, but I still have to take care of your younger brother. Dai'er, you'll be on your own from now on."
Yun Dai calmly accepted the money from her mother.
Not too far away, a young man and woman were standing on a corner and staring coldly at her.
That was the original Gu Yundai's biological younger brother and a younger sister who had been born to her father's concubine. Their clothes were elegant and luxurious, and they were surrounded by servants.
They seemed to be from a completely different world than she was.
Yun Dai didn't waste more than a glance at them. She carried her son and returned to her nanny's house.
Because of her, her nanny had lost her job as well.
Thankfully, her nanny's husband and son were both honest and hardworking men who had a small business that was enough for all of them to get by on.