Initially, Qi Mianmian thought that the three of them would have to fight. However, the two hooligans immediately cowered in fear when they saw Gu Zhan.
They knelt on the ground with their belts in their hands, snot and tears streaming down their faces.
"Brother Gu Zhan, don't hit me. Qi Moli forced me to come. She asked me to bully Qi Mianmian. Otherwise, she would tell everyone about Widow Zhao and me."
"Me too. Otherwise, how would we know where Qi Mianmian was?"
"…Brother Zhan, I'm in the wrong. Please don't hit me."
…
Qi Mianmian frowned.
Qi Moli?
That was the name of her character's oldest cousin.
Her character did not seem to have any significant conflict with this cousin. Why would she treat the character like this?
Qi Mianmian searched hard but couldn't dig up any related memories. Instead, she found some memories related to Gu Zhan.
Then, she realized that there seemed to be something off about all the evil acts Gu Zhan was rumored to have committed.
For example, the biggest blemish on his reputation was that he had coveted his stepmother and caused her to divorce his father.
However, this was only his father's side of the story. Furthermore, no one had heard of Gu Zhan doing anything disreputable to other women.
Apart from that, the other rumors circling Gu Zhan were also… not quite right.
For example, there were rumors that he often beat people up. Once, he broke the leg of an old man who had simply stolen a bun. Gu Zhan was even detained for a few days because of this. However, Qi Mianmian's character knew that the old man was actually a peeping tom.
It was rumored that he had never treated his biological father, brother, and sister-in-law well. However, her character had seen him giving food to his nephew Gu Jie several times.
It was rumored that he often ate sumptuous and expensive food alone at restaurants. He wore good clothes too. All this money came from an unknown source, and people guessed that most of it was stolen. But her character knew that he was skilled at picking medicinal herbs.
It was rumored that he was a loner. However, her character knew that his family's courtyard, which spanned two hundred square meters, originally belonged to him. But he could only live in a small room at the back with an area of less than ten square meters.
The original owner of the body was a timid and paranoid person. She felt that Gu Zhan was scary and didn't think too much about these observations. However, after Qi Mianmian analyzed her memories, she felt that there were many strange things going on.
Putting everything else aside, if he were truly a villain, yet couldn't hang onto his own courtyard…
This didn't make sense. So he might just have a bad reputation without actually being evil.
It was just like her adoptive father in her previous life. Everyone said that he was a rare gentleman, but he was actually a sanctimonious scumbag who merely had a good reputation.
Qi Mianmian cast her scrutinizing gaze at Gu Zhan, who also happened to be looking at her coldly.
Their eyes met and he quickly shifted his gaze to her bloodstained left foot. "What do you want to do?"
Qi Mianmian: "…"
She thought for a while, lowering her voice to make it less sweet. "I want to send them to the police station."
As soon as she said that, the two hooligans turned around on their knees and knelt before her, wailing.
"Qi Mianmian, please let us go. Please, if I go to the police station, my mother won't be able to live."
"Mianmian, please don't send us to the police station… I beg you, as long as you let me go, I'll wait on you hand and foot."
Qi Mianmian looked at Gu Zhan helplessly and found that his expression was cold, but there seemed to be a hint of a smile hidden in his eyes.
This person was really strange.
However, this did not affect her decision. She thought for a while and waved her hand. Without anyone noticing, she sprinkled some allergy powder on the two hooligans, saying in disgust, "I'll let you off this time. Get lost."
If she had the ability to punish them, she should not make a fuss. If she did, it would affect her reputation. It wasn't worth it.
The two hooligans were overjoyed. Worried that she and Gu Zhan would take back their words, they didn't bother putting on their belts and ran straight into the bushes.
Only Qi Mianmian and Gu Zhan were left standing underneath the bridge.
Qi Mianmian glared at Gu Zhan with her big, clear eyes. She was about to speak when he began climbing up the bridge skilfully.