Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Set-up

“Younger Sister, this is the child you had with Xing Beiyan. You’re such a fool, aren’t you? You were already three months pregnant. Why would you lose your temper and run away from home?” In a white hospital ward, a girl in a white Chanel dress approached the hospital bed with a clear glass bottle in her hand. She had a wicked smile on her face and shook the glass bottle as she spoke. Gu Xi stared at the glass bottle and screamed as though she had gone insane. “You’re so noisy!” Gu Xue’er slapped Gu Xi’s cheek. Already in an extremely weak state; Gu Xi’s cheek became visibly red and swollen almost immediately. Gu Xue’er tried to shake off the numb, tingling sensation in her hand. “Oh, right. Big Brother Han and I will be having our engagement party tomorrow. Since you’re crippled, you probably won’t be able to attend the party. That’s why we’ve specially invited the media to broadcast the party live on television. Younger Sister, you have to remember to watch!” she said with a proud smile. “There are so many reporters outside waiting to visit you.” Gu Xue’er walked over to the window and looked at the huge group of reporters that were gathered around the area downstairs before turning around to study the privileged girl whom she had once looked up to. When she saw how pathetic and miserable the girl seemed now, Gu Xue’er looked all the more pleased with herself. “Your doctor just told us that you may never be able to stand again. Daddy said that, from now on, the Gu family can only rely on me. As for the Xing family’s property, thank you very much for your help, Younger Sister. Although you’ve been crippled, it should be worth the sacrifice as our family has benefited greatly from the situation. Also, I hired the person who killed Xing Beiyan.”“What do you think? You must be surprised! Well, it’s his fault for being so devoted to you. I was clearly more outstanding, yet he only had eyes for you. Now, he’s dead. Dead. Hahaha. There are so many people downstairs right now who are hoping to interview you about what you’ve gone through…”“Give him back to me. Give me back my child!” Gu Xi’s eyes were bloodshot as she trembled with hatred, staring at the glass bottle in Gu Xue’er’s hand! Those people had already told her who had been manipulating the situation from behind the scenes. However, she never thought that her sister, who she trusted, could be so cruel. As Gu Xi recalled the sight of that person lying in a pool of blood, she felt as if someone had punched a huge hole in her heart. The pain was so excruciating that she found it difficult to breathe! Now, even her only child — their child — was gone… “Give it back to you?” Gu Xue’er shook the glass bottle filled with formalin and glanced at the not-yet-fully-formed baby inside the bottle as a hint of malice flickered at the corner of her lips. “Come over here then. Come here. If you come here, I’ll give it to you. Or else…” She opened the window and threatened to throw the glass bottle out of the building. Gu Xi bit her busted lip and propped herself up with her arms before starting to crawl toward Gu Xue’er. Tears blurred her vision, but her eyes remained fixed on the glass bottle. That was her child. Gu Xi used to imagine how this child would look like once he was born and how he would call her “Mama” in a gentle and adorable voice. However, at this point, there was nothing left for her to look forward to anymore. “Hehehe. Younger Sister, hurry up. Come a little closer.” Gu Xi crashed to the ground from the bed and still kept pushing herself forward with her arms to get closer to Gu Xue’er. The satisfied look in Gu Xue’er’s eyes deepened as she observed the sorry state Gu Xi was in. “Give him back to me!” Gu Xi crawled all the way to her sister’s feet and gripped the corner of her dress tightly with trembling hands before climbing to her feet bit by bit. “Give me back my child!”“Ugh, you dirtied my dress.” Gu Xue’er tossed the bottle out the window in a huff. Gu Xi’s pupils shrank at once. “My child!” Her eyes were filled with resentment as she threw herself at Gu Xue’er violently while screaming crazily, “Give me back my child!!!” Gu Xue’er caught hold of Gu Xi’s wrist and forcefully flung her aside which in turn sent Gu Xi’s weak body crashing onto the side of the window.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Reborn

Deep red blood flowed from Gu Xi’s forehead, but her eyes were instantly drawn to the shattered glass bottle on the ground outside the window. ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry, my baby. Mama will come and keep you company now…’ “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Argh!!!” Gu Xi was drenched with sweat as she sat up on the hospital bed. Her chest rose and fell violently while she gasped for air, looking as though she had just gone through a terrifying incident. “Young Master, please wait a second!” Someone threw the door open with a loud bang. Then, an upset-looking Xing Beiyan rushed into the room. “Xixi!” His expression turned dark when he saw that the person on the bed was curled up in agony; then shoved everyone out of his way before striding over. Upon hearing his voice, Gu Xi, who had been weeping bitterly, raised her head abruptly; her red and puffy eyes filled with disbelief. ‘Xing, Xing Beiyan!?’ “Xixi, are you feeling unwell?” When he saw her pale complexion, Xing Beiyan touched her face with a slightly trembling hand. “Darling, have you come to take me, take me…” Gu Xi paused while she thought, ‘To hell?’ Gu Xi reached out and grabbed the front of Xing Beiyan’s clothes in a flood of tears, as if afraid that he would leave. A surprised look flickered in his eyes. “Yes, I’ve come to bring you home.”“Home, home…” Gu Xi’s tears kept flowing like a river from a broken dam. “Stop crying. I agree with your request. I’m saying yes, Xixi,” Xing Beiyan said while he was thinking, ‘I agree to a divorce, so please stop scaring me like this, will you?’ Xing Beiyan’s eyes grew red. She had been thinking of getting a divorce ever since he had forced her to marry him, and Han Lei’s return had pushed this issue forward. His pride would not allow this girl to leave him, much less to leave him and get together with another guy after that. Thus, Xing Beiyan had firmly rejected her request. However, in less than two days, he had received news from home that Gu Xi had tried to commit suicide. Xing Beiyan was someone who feared nothing in the world, but he instantly felt a cold chill gripping his heart the moment he received this news! He had been defeated. Xing Beiyan had truly been defeated. Xing Beiyan thought that, by forcing her to be with him, Gu Xi would eventually accept him. Nevertheless, throughout their two years of marriage, he had been living in misery every single day. He knew in his heart that it was time to let go, yet Xing Beiyan’s heart still hurt so much at the sight of the girl crying so desperately in his arms. It hurt so much that he could barely breathe! When she felt the warmth of his body, images of him before his death kept playing in her mind. As Gu Xi wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tightly, she continued to weep and looked as if she was about to faint. At this moment, it was impossible for her to distinguish reality from illusion. Xing Beiyan did not understand why she was crying so bitterly. Why was she still crying when he had already agreed to her request? Should she not be overjoyed instead? With a bitter and sorrowful heart, he carried her in his arms, walked out of the hospital ward and said, “Inform the doctors to go to the Xing family’s residence and wait for us there.”“Understood, Young Master!” … “Young Master, there’s nothing wrong with Young Madam. She’s just in shock, causing her to be slightly emotional. She’ll be fine after resting and recuperating for a few days.” Seven to eight doctors stood trembling with fear beside the bed as they explained her condition warily. They wondered what exactly had happened to Young Madam that caused Young Master to be so worried. The doctors wiped the cold sweat off their foreheads and kept their heads lowered. None of them dared to speak unnecessarily. Around them, Xing Beiyan’s subordinates all sighed in relief too. They had been truly terrified when they saw Young Madam weeping with anguish in Young Master’s arms earlier and thought that something serious had happened. As a result, everyone in the Xing family’s residence had been in a panicked and chaotic state.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Beware of the Innocent-looking Girl

Though the atmosphere in the room was heavy, Gu Xi slept peacefully in bed. Her face was as pale as a blank sheet of paper. If it had not been for her faint breathing, she would seem like a person who had passed away peacefully. Xing Beiyan held onto her hand tightly and appeared to be even paler than her. “Young Master, the Gu family members have come,” Butler Wang stated in a low voice after walking into the room. Upon hearing the two words “Gu family,” Xing Beiyan’s gaze darkened and swept over the rest of the people in the room. “You may all leave now.” They finally sighed in relief and exited the room. Xing Beiyan stared intently at Gu Xi and let go of her hand before striding out of the room. Right after the door closed shut, the girl who had just fallen into deep sleep suddenly opened her eyes. In the living room downstairs, Madam Gu and Gu Xue’er stood waiting with worried expressions on their faces. As Xing Beiyan descended the stairs, his presence immediately attracted Gu Xue’er’s attention. With his tall and masculine physique, bronze skin, as well as his sharp and distinct features, he looked just like a Greek sculpture. Meanwhile, his dark, deep, and cool gaze made him seem rather wild and unrestrained which gave him a sexy, devilish charm. His strong, handsome features caused him to exude a formidable and awe-inspiring kingly vibe while the cold look on his vicious yet good-looking face made others hesitate in fear to meet his gaze. Nonetheless, Gu Xue’er’s eyes lit up with a hint of affection when she saw him. Then, she lowered her face shyly. “Big Brother Xing…” Upon hearing her sweet and delicate tone, the group of subordinates who were trailing behind Xing Beiyan felt a shiver running down their spines and nearly stumbled in their tracks. Then, they straightened their postures immediately after receiving a dangerous, reprimanding look from their young master. Did this lady not know that their young master was a married man? How could she try to seduce him so openly without any sense of shame?! Madam Gu glared at her daughter briefly and then slowly stepped forward with a pleasant smile while she asked, “My son-in-law, how’s Xixi doing right now? Is she feeling better?”“Xixi is fine.”“How can she be fine? Big Brother Xing, didn’t Xixi try to divorce you and commit suicide? How could she be so immature? The media is making a big deal out of this story right now,” Gu Xue’er muttered, interrupting them. Xing Beiyan’s gaze darkened slightly. “Ah, we spoiled Xixi too much as a child. Indeed, what she did was wrong. Son-in-law, for our sake, I hope you won’t blame her,” Madam Gu said with an anxious look on her face. ‘For your sake,’ he thought. ‘Who do you think you are?’ Xing Beiyan did not bother raising his head, still pondering over the changes in Gu Xi’s behavior just now. “Indeed, indeed. She wouldn’t have acted this way if it weren’t for the fact that Han Lei, whom she sorely missed, had returned.” Gu Xue’er wore a regretful expression as well. “Are you done talking?” Xing Beiyan did not even spare them a glance. Although what they said was true, he could not deny that he felt uncomfortable listening to them. Everyone who made him feel uncomfortable would face either one of two outcomes. The first was death. The second option was to get lost! For Xixi’s sake, he should just tell them to get lost. Xing Beiyan stared at them lazily, a slightly menacing glint in his eyes. The two women trembled with fear and did not dare to continue speaking. “Xixi needs to rest and recuperate, so it’d be best if you don’t go upstairs and bother her. Butler Wang, see them out.” He was giving a clear order for his guests to leave. The two women looked utterly embarrassed. Gu Xi had done such a shameless thing and brought disgrace upon him. Why was he still being so protective of her?! Gu Xue’er gnashed her teeth so hard that she nearly cracked them. “Wait a moment. My son-in-law, given what has happened, Xixi must’ve made up her mind. You should know by now that she usually listens to our advice, so how about I let Xue’er stay here and look after her for a few days? That way, we can prevent her from doing anything stupid, right?” Madam Gu suggested hastily.

Chapter 4 Chapter 4 I Have Returned

Xing Beiyan laughed humorlessly to himself and thought, ‘If it hadn’t been for you ruthless people creating trouble behind my back, my Xixi wouldn't have turned out this way.’ His gaze grew colder, and just as he was about to speak, a frail girl’s voice echoed from upstairs. “Is it Elder Sister Xue’er?” Xing Beiyan whipped his head around and felt his heart skip a beat when his eyes fell upon the girl standing at the top of the stairs. Despite her unkempt hair, she still looked beautiful and alluring. “Xixi, you’re finally awake.” Gu Xue’er had a somewhat stiff expression on her face. However, by the time Xing Beiyan turned back to them, she looked so emotional that her tears were about fall. Gu Xi’s gaze swept over her sister and Madam Gu and then settled on the guy who seemed rather dumbstruck. As her gaze rested on him, tears immediately welled up in her eyes as she called out in a trembling voice, “Darling.” Her tone of voice contained too much grief, guilt, remorse, and many other complicated emotions. When he heard her calling out to him in such a manner, Xing Beiyan’s cold and unsympathetic heart thudded twice! After all, throughout their two years of marriage, Gu Xi had always called him by his full name. Thus, he was surprised to hear this cold-blooded girl calling him “darling” twice in a row. Xing Beiyan strode over and practically climbed up the stairs three steps at a time until he was standing right in front of her. Gu Xi examined the man closely with tears in her eyes. This man was willing to abandon everything, including his own life, for her! “Darling, hold me…” She blinked to stop her tears from falling. Then, Gu Xi opened her arms and threw herself into his embrace. Although Xing Beiyan had promised to get a divorce, he had agreed to her request reluctantly. Therefore, after seeing her in such a pitiful and fragile state, he could not hold himself back any longer and reached out to pull her into his arms right away. As Gu Xi drew in a deep breath and inhaled his pleasant, masculine scent, her emotions stirred, and the tears she had been holding back threatened to fall again. She had been reborn and sent back to their first year of marriage five years ago. Previously, Gu Xi was absolutely unwilling to give in when her family forced her to marry Xing Beiyan, as she already had feelings for someone else. That guy was Han Lei, whom she had grown up with and was a childhood friend. Unfortunately, the Han family received pressure from an unknown force and migrated to America that year to develop their family business there. They parted ways from then on. After receiving both subtle and obvious hints from her half-sister, Gu Xue’er, Gu Xi believed that Xing Beiyan was the one putting pressure on the Han family and manipulating the situation from behind the scenes. Initially, she had already disliked his forceful ways, so she resented him even more after becoming aware of this matter. Although she was forced to marry Xing Beiyan, Gu Xi gave him the cold shoulder and greeted him with frowns and scowls every day. She would not speak a word to him and thought about getting a divorce all the time. However, she also did various things for her family. For instance, Gu Xi would tell them about whatever major business deals and partnerships the Xing family was going to establish with the hope that her family members would eventually be able to help her leave this quarrelsome place. However, after two long years, the Xing family was still as powerful and influential as before. Meanwhile, the Gu family was worthless in Xing Beiyan’s eyes, so they did not dare to take her away from him. When she heard that Han Lei was going to return, Gu Xi realized that she could only look on helplessly as someone else’s wife, and felt that she could not bear to live like this anymore. Therefore, she asked for a divorce! Xing Beiyan objected fiercely to this decision, but Gu Xi had made up her mind. In the end, she even bought a large number of sleeping pills with Gu Xue’er’s help so that she could pretend to commit suicide. Unexpectedly, her suicide attempt failed and, instead, brought her soul back from a past life. In this life, she would never allow the Gu family to use and make a fool of her again! This time, Gu Xi was determined to get her revenge against all those who had bullied, betrayed, humiliated, and hurt her! As her fierce gaze swept over those two upset-looking women downstairs, the corner of her lips lifted in a faint, malicious smile. ‘Gu Xue’er, I have returned!’

Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Loving His Wife As His Own Life

‘For the sake of my child and Xing Beiyan, I’ll make your life a living hell in this lifetime!’ Gu Xi loosened her grip and gently pulled away from Xing Beiyan. He could finally hold his beloved wife in his arms after all these years, how could Xing Beiyan bring himself to release her from his embrace? “Darling, let go of me first. Elder Sister Xue’er and Madam are still waiting for me,” Gu Xi said softly and pushed against his firm, muscular chest while blushing. Being a twenty-year-old young lady, her voice became sweet and extremely pleasant to the ear when she spoke in such a gentle manner. Xing Beiyan took a deep breath and finally released her but kept an arm strongly wrapped around her waist to show his domineering nature. Gu Xi did not object to this. While her face looked thin and sickly, a faint smile lingered at the corner of her lips as she leaned close to her husband and made her way to the other two women. “Xixi, are you okay?” Madam Gu asked hesitantly as she clearly sensed that something was different about her but could not pinpoint exactly what had changed. “Why would I not be okay?” Gu Xi looked at her innocently. Then, as she turned her gaze to Gu Xue’er, who could not seem to hide her envy, Gu Xi’s expression suddenly hardened. “Pow…” A sharp sound rang out and stunned everyone into silence instantly. Gu Xue’er had received a huge slap in the face, but before she could form a response, Madam Gu, who cared about her daughter tremendously, screamed involuntarily. “Why did you hit Xue’er?!” Gu Xi was taken aback by her piercing scream, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes. “Madam, why are you screaming at me?”“It was Elder Sister Xue’er who lied to me and told me that it’s okay to take those sleeping pills. I nearly died because of her. Now, I just slapped her face. That’s not too much, right?!” she exclaimed accusingly, seething with anger. Gu Xi had always been a spoiled daughter of a wealthy family who was usually arrogant and bossy toward others. In fact, were there no rumors of her frequently bullying Gu Xue’er? Everyone had been trying to defend Gu Xue’er against such unjust treatment, right? Hehe… Since everyone had been accusing her of bullying Gu Xue’er, Gu Xi might as well actually bully her. “Big, Big Brother Xing, look at Xixi. How could she hit me like that? I’m her elder sister,” Gu Xue’er said in a heart-broken tone while covering her cheek with one hand. Her teary eyes made her look utterly pitiful, so much so that any man who saw her in that state would probably be overwhelmed with the urge to protect her. Nonetheless, who was this person in front of her? This guy was the Xing family’s sole heir, the founder of Dark Night, the current CEO of Golden Age Group, and a gang boss who was equally feared by both the police and the underworld. Moreover, he was a man who loved his wife as much as his own life! Could he, Xing Beiyan, possibly be a sympathetic and compassionate person? “Xixi, give me your hand,” he said to the young woman beside him without sparing a glance at the pitiful-looking Gu Xue’er. “Hm?” Gu Xi held out her hand in a puzzled manner. “Your right hand.”“Oh.”“Does it hurt?” Xing Beiyan looked distressed as he examined her reddening palm. Behind him, his subordinates, who had been wearing solemn and stern expressions, lost their footing and became utterly speechless. “No, it doesn’t hurt. I didn’t use much force. She’s my elder sister after all. I can’t possibly bring myself to hit her very hard,” Gu Xi replied innocently. The subordinates quickly steadied themselves. Upon hearing her reply, they automatically glanced at Gu Xue’er’s red and swollen cheek and could not bear to meet her eyes. Since when had Young Madam become so shameless? Never mind, never mind. They saw nothing at all. “Younger Sister, no matter what, I’m still your elder sister. How could you say such a thing? Back then, if you didn’t beg me to help you buy those sleeping pills, would I have gone and bought them for you? How can you place all the blame on me now? I’ve always treated you well. How could you make such false accusations against me?” Gu Xue’er looked so sad and sounded as though she was about to cry as she spoke.

Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Losing Despite the Advantage

“But Elder Sister, you said that I’ll stop hurting once I take those sleeping pills, so I bought them because I’m scared of pain. I always feel uncomfortable when I wake up, which is why I get angry,” Gu Xi muttered. It turned out that Gu Xue’er was the one that had orchestrated everything. It made complete sense to Xing Beiyan since Xixi was not courageous enough to commit suicide. Xing Beiyan glared at Gu Xue’er as if he wished she was dead. “Drag her away, I want her out of my sight,” he ordered coldly. “No, no, Big Brother Xing, please don’t treat me like this. I beg you, don’t take me away.” Once Gu Xue’er heard Xing Beiyan’s order, the color drained from her face as she started wailing. “Son-in-law, let’s talk first. Xue’er is a naive girl, she must not have known that Xixi would actually commit suicide at that time. After all, she’s still Xixi’s elder sister. Please, I beg of you, please have mercy on her.” Madam Gu was terrified as well. She knew what would happen to her daughter if she was taken away. She set her status aside and pleaded desperately, almost falling to her knees in the process. Naive? Gu Xi stared at the pair of sobbing women and her heart went cold. Yes, in her past life, she was played for a fool because of Gu Xue’er’s innocence and naivety. Noticing Gu Xi’s labored breaths, Xing Beiyan’s gaze hardened and his subordinates tightened their grasp on Gu Xue’er. Gu Xi noticed his stiffened posture. She took a glance at him and saw the worry reflected in his eyes. Warmth immediately developed in her heart. Perhaps in this world, Xing Beiyan was the only one that loved her wholeheartedly. Noticing the affectionate gaze the husband and wife shared, Gu Xue’er’s body shook with anger but she said nothing. She could only bury the jealousy she felt deep in her heart. She swore to herself that everything Gu Xi had would be hers one day! “Xixi, quickly get Young Master Xing to let your elder sister go. Are you really cruel enough to send your elder sister to her death?” Madam Gu asked resentfully. “Madam, how could you accuse me like that? My husband is merely sending my elder sister away, he never said he’d do anything to her. It’s not as serious as the way you’re putting it. Am I right, darling?” Once Gu Xi’s words fell, she blinked flirtatiously at Xing Beiyan. Xing Beiyan felt his body go numb at her gaze so he nodded without thinking. Gu Xi turned to look at Madam Gu once more, her expression as if saying, “I told you so.” Madam Gu almost fainted in anger. Seeing that Madam Gu had nothing else to say, Gu Xi frowned and whined. “I’m so hungry.” As she spoke, she rubbed her flat stomach as if to emphasize that. “Butler Wang, get someone to prepare food,” Xing Beiyan ordered the man behind him immediately. Noticing that their Young Master had no intention of letting Gu Xue’er go, Xing Beiyan’s subordinates dragged the sobbing Gu Xue’er away. “Madam Gu, halt!” Madam Gu wanted to continue pleading but she was immediately stopped by a bodyguard and his sharp gaze. With no other way around it, she could only listen to her daughter’s wails before she ran out with gritted teeth. ‘Very well, Gu Xi, just you wait!’ Gu Xi and Xing Beiyan did not stay long before they retreated upstairs. Right before Xing Beiyan could ask any of his questions, the phone rang. She watched as his expression fell before he hung up the call. “What happened?” Since it seemed that Xing Beiyan was leaving, Gu Xi’s heart jumped and she quickly grabbed his hand. “Some troublemakers are going wild again. I’m going out now but I’ll be back soon,” Xing Beiyan said coldly. Gu Xi immediately realized what was actually going on. After she committed suicide in her past life, somebody had spread the news everywhere.

Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Revenge

Since the Xing family had enormous power and influence, an incident like that had naturally generated quite a stir. Xing Beiyan was affected terribly by this because their enemies had taken the opportunity to publicize things even further. Gu Xi had despised him back then and had even said that he deserved it behind his back. She never once realized that she was the one that had caused everything. Regret filled her as she thought about it. Gu Xi admitted that, from the very beginning, she was extremely unwilling to marry Xing Beiyan. In order to escape the marriage later on, she made a lot of mistakes in the name of the Gu family. In the fourth year of their marriage, she caused a major accident because she was drunk yet Xing Beiyan bared the responsibility for her regardless of everything, causing him to be beaten down by the Xing family. It was then that Gu Xi immediately realized the ones that had told her they would help her no matter what, the family that said they loved her unconditionally, were actually the masterminds behind the scenes. When she had gotten hurt, none of them offered help and merely watched coldly from the sidelines. Gu Xi finally saw their true colors at that time but it was too late. She had exposed too many things about Xing Beiyan in those four years. Still, she innocently thought that she would be able to live a harmonious life with him from then on. However, when the pair were still as in love as they were at the beginning, which was also when she was three months pregnant, Gu Xue’er came knocking on Gu Xi’s door. She claimed that Xing Beiyan had another woman and even showed the latter an intimate photo of him with someone else. Although Gu Xi was not close to the Gu family at that time, she still trusted her elder sister deeply, which made her run away from home in a fit of anger. It gave Xing Beiyan’s enemies the chance to kidnap her. This was also the same time Gu Xi found out that Gu Xue’er had planned everything in order to destroy her. These people then used Gu Xi to lure Xing Beiyan to them so that they could torture him to death before her very eyes. She fainted because the entire scene was too much for her. When she came to, her legs were thoroughly broken and her child had been removed. She was abandoned at a hospital and lived every day like she was dying. Gu Xi hated Gu Xue’er for using her, but she hated her own stupidity more. How many times had she wished that she was the one who had been tortured to death instead so that even if she became a ghost, she would pull Gu Xue’er into the eighteen levels of Hell with her! Now, Gu Xi was reborn once more, the Heavens above had given her another chance. This time, she would devote her entire life to protecting Xing Beiyan. Xing Beiyan was Gu Xi’s only motivation to continue living in this life. “Then you come home soon,” Gu Xi said worriedly. Xing Beiyan frowned at Gu Xi’s worried expression. Did she want him to come home quickly so that she could divorce him? Once this thought occurred to him, his gaze became even colder as he muttered, “You should think about it properly.” He then strode out. Gu Xi was confused, but she could tell that he was angry. However, it did not matter because how could that man be truly angry at her. Even if he was, she would just need to soothe him properly. As she pondered, she stood before the full-length mirror and gazed at her small face that was beautiful despite the young tenderness in her features. During high school, Gu Xue’er was the prettiest girl in her class but Gu Xi was the prettiest girl in the school. Once she went to university, Gu Xue’er was not even the prettiest girl in her class anymore, but Gu Xi still remained the prettiest girl in the school. Unfortunately, Gu Xi rarely went to university after marrying Xing Beiyan. Today was National Day, which meant that the students were on holiday. After her reputation had been smeared beyond recognition her last time, she would definitely return the favor generously! Her eyes glimmered coldly before she changed into casual clothes and went downstairs. “Aunt Wang, what are you cooking, it smells so good!” Gu Xi headed towards the kitchen and saw the maids busying themselves inside, prompting her to rush over in excitement. “Oh my! Young Madam, you scared me.”

Chapter 8 Chapter 8 An Inexpressive Compliment

Aunt Wang exclaimed in surprise at Gu Xi’s voice. When she turned around to see the hard-to-handle Young Madam, she felt her heart drop. Did she think they were being too slow? “All of you hurry up now, can’t you see Young Madam is waiting?” Aunt Wang stated quickly after she noticed everyone trembling with fear. Nobody expected the Young Madam, who usually never returned home, to suddenly run into the kitchen. “Don’t be so scared, everyone. I’m just here to take a look at things, I’m not even hungry yet.” The bad temper Gu Xi had in her previous life had made the maids of the house hate her. Although they never showed it outwardly, they would always gossip about her behind her back. Most of them usually vented about how unfair it was to Xing Beiyan. However, she wanted to live a comfortable life this time so, naturally, she would need to get along well with these people. “Young Madam, you may wait outside. We’ll be done soon,” Aunt Wang said politely. “It’s okay, I can help out. I want to learn how to cook too since my husband hasn’t been eating much recently. I’m worried it’s going to take a toll on his body, so…” Gu Xi blushed as she waved her hands lightly in dismissal. Everyone in the kitchen shared looks with each other, expressions of surprise were evident on their faces. Were they witnessing a miracle? Their Young Madam usually hated their Young Master’s guts but now she actually wanted to cook for him. Was Gu Xi trying to find an opportunity to poison Xing Beiyan? The maids started worrying terribly about their Young Master, who absolutely loved his wife. Gu Xi could immediately tell what all the maids were thinking about. She bit on her lower lip, feeling slightly helpless. It seemed that getting them to be less vigilant around her would be difficult to achieve in a short period of time. “Then all of you can continue with your tasks. I’ll look for something to do myself.” She chuckled and retrieved a few apples and pears from the kitchen. After washing the fruits thoroughly, she cut them into pieces and put them into a glass bowl before pouring some yogurt over the top. After mixing them all together, a simple fruit salad was done. A maid rushed over to offer her help halfway through cooking, but Gu Xi refused. In the end, the maid could only watch from the side anxiously, worried that this Young Madam of hers would accidentally cut her hand. Once Gu Xi finished, the maid heaved a sigh of relief. Gu Xi settled into the couch with her bowl of fruit salad, crossing her legs under her before she started watching the television. Soon after, Aunt Wang appeared to tell her the food was done. She scanned the dishes on the table and pondered for a bit before she retrieved her phone to give Xing Beiyan a call. “Hello! Hmm, darling, when are you coming back!” With her mouth full of fruit, Gu Xi could not speak clearly. “Hmm? I’m already home.” Once his captivating voice fell, a car pulled up outside of the house. With the glass bowl cradled to her body and her phone in her hand, Gu Xi rushed outside. As soon as Xing Beiyan got out of his car, he saw her looking towards him eagerly. “Why did you come outside?” He quickly walked over to stand before her, his hand coming up to caress her pale face, his tone slightly accusatory. “I heard you coming back so I came out to take a look. Besides, I made a fruit salad for you.” She held a few pieces of fruit to his mouth with an eager look on her face. The maids in the back clicked their tongues inwardly. Did she not make that for herself to eat? Xing Beiyan glanced at the bowl warily. “Try a piece, it’s so sweet.” She pushed the fork even nearer to his mouth. ‘Oh no, the Young Master detests food like yogurt.’ ‘Young Madam is truly something. They’ve been married for more than a year now, so how can she not understand the Young Master yet?’ Sympathetic thoughts like these appeared in everyone’s minds. However, nobody expected their Young Master to eat the piece of yogurt-covered fruit the next moment before he expressionlessly complimented, “It’s delicious!”

Chapter 9 Chapter 9 This Man's Too Bad

What? Did they hear Xing Beiyan correctly? He did not even chew the piece of fruit once before he swallowed it! Gu Xi’s eyes shifted into crescents, her happiness was evident. Nobody knew that even Gu Xi, who had been born again, did not know what exactly Xing Beiyan liked to eat. As long as she was the one offering the food, even if it was poisonous, Xing Beiyan would swallow it without hesitation. Therefore, Gu Xi naively assumed that he did love eating what she had made. Noticing that she was reaching for another piece, Aunt Wang quickly rushed over to say, “Young Master, Young Madam, the food is ready.” This earned her a dissatisfied stare from her Young Master. Very well, it was obvious that Aunt Wang’s kindness had not been accepted since the Young Master liked that his wife was feeding him. Sweat beaded lightly on everyone’s foreheads. “Let’s eat, we should eat first.” Gu Xi had reacted to it a moment too late. She patted her forehead lightly before pulling him to the dining table. As she looked at the crowd hovering around them, she frowned. “All of you may go rest now, no need to stand around here.” There were things Gu Xi wanted to discuss with Xing Beiyan so having so many people around made her feel quite uncomfortable. Everyone froze at this and stared at Xing Beiyan subconsciously. He nodded calmly. Once everyone had left, Gu Xi heaved a heavy breath and opened her mouth to speak. “Darling, there’s something I want to talk to you about.” She carefully glanced at him, as if worried he would not want to talk. “Did you really think it through?” Xing Beiyan’s expression darkened as he asked through gritted teeth. Gu Xi was shocked; how did he know what she was thinking of doing? However, to not anger him, she nodded her head. This nodding of hers seemed to have lit a fuse because Xing Beiyan stood up abruptly and spat, “It’s up to you!” before he rushed upstairs. Gu Xi shuddered when she heard the door upstairs slam shut with a long bang. Oh my, she merely wanted to go back to school. Why did Xing Beiyan get so angry? Was he worried that she would cross paths with that scumbag, Han Lei? After all, that man was still a fourth-year university student, so Gu Xi would be studying in the same university as him. Gu Xi could guarantee that she would definitely never interact with him but there was no saying that Xing Beiyan would not be worried that she still liked Han Lei. She was anxious; their relationship was finally taking a turn for the better, seeing how Xing Beiyan treated her so kindly in the morning. However, she had just made him angry. After looking at the delicious dishes on the table, she realized that she had completely lost her appetite. Gu Xi put some of the food into a bowl before she carefully made her way to the second floor. “Darling? Are you inside?” she asked as she knocked on the study’s door. Xing Beiyan was shocked upon hearing her voice. He immediately threw the cigarette in his hand away before he hastily gargled a few times with water. He then proceeded to open the door with a sour face. “Let’s talk about it outside.” He controlled his expression, hoping to get her out of the house before she lost her temper. “We can talk about it here,” Gu Xi said with a pout. Although she disliked him smoking, now was not the time for her to get angry about it. That bad temper of hers had completely disappeared right after she had passed away. Besides, she would never lose her temper at him. The relationship between them was already on the brink of collapse. Gu Xi suddenly remembered that before she had killed herself in her last life, Xing Beiyan had agreed to a divorce. The Gu family had shown up after, which threw her plans off entirely. With her consent, Gu Xue’er had successfully moved in with them. Even though Gu Xue’er originally hoped they would get a divorce, she had advised against it back then. After all, the Xing family was handling a major project at that time, so both the Gu family and the Han family wanted to reap the profits. Gu Xi was confused then, adding to the fact that she and Xing Beiyan were arguing day in and day out about the divorce, she decided to take revenge.

Chapter 10 Chapter 10 You Were So Fierce Just Now Too

Since Gu Xi could help her family and the love of her life, Gu Xue’er decided to focus on this point, which made it hard for Gu Xi to reject her. At that time, Gu Xue’er had vowed that if they succeeded, they would do everything in their power to help Gu Xi with the divorce. Thus, Gu Xi foolishly agreed. Therefore, news that was originally only known by a few people on the inside had been disclosed. The Gu family even took the opportunity to publicize it further by selling the news to other companies. In the process of earning a lot of money through selling the news, they also sold their decency. As for Gu Xue’er, the person behind everything, she was naturally praised endlessly by her father. She joined the Gu Family Group’s Board of Directors before she graduated university, and was even brought along to most meetings by her father, making her famous. What was ridiculous about the entire thing was that Gu Xi was even happy for Gu Xue’er. At that time, Gu Xi truly did see them as her family. However, she was nothing more than a pawn to them. A pawn that did everything for them before she was brutally abandoned. In this life, divorce would never be possible unless Xing Beiyan did not love her and wanted her to leave. Otherwise, she would never suggest divorce. Gu Xi gritted her teeth, her expression shifting for a moment. In Xing Beiyan’s eyes, this meant another thing altogether. He thought his smoking had made her angry. After a brief moment of hesitation, he said, “I won’t smoke anymore.” ‘So, we won’t need to divorce right?’ Xing Beiyan thought to himself. “You won’t?” Gu Xi looked up at him and questioned. She was stunned once she noticed his awkward expression. Did this fellow think that she was angry because she caught him smoking? My gosh! “You’ll stop smoking?” Gu Xi almost laughed at the thought of this. “Yes,” Xing Beiyan said with a solemn nod of his head. Not being able to resist it anymore, she burst out laughing. “You’ve promised me now, so no backing out.”“Of course, when have I ever gone back on my word? Hmm?” Xing Beiyan stared at Gu Xi with a serious glint in his eyes. “Never, never. Let’s sit down and talk.” She pulled him to the couch before setting the bowl down. “What exactly do you want to do?” Xing Beiyan finally realized that something was off. If Gu Xi wanted to suggest a divorce, she would have made a huge fuss about it already. She would never act like how she was acting now. The obvious flattery was going to throw him off entirely now. “I want to go back to university,” Gu Xi said as she joined her hands together. She glanced at Xing Beiyan once before she dipped her head again, her hands coming together once more. “That’s it?” Xing Beiyan looked at her in surprise. “If not? What did you think I wanted to do?” Gu Xi jutted her lower lip out. She remembered how angry he looked previously and felt extremely wronged. “You were so fierce just now too.” Xing Beiyan immediately felt himself relax. As he looked at Gu Xi’s upset appearance, his face immediately softened. “We’re not getting a divorce?”“No, who’s getting a divorce? I’m not letting you divorce me.” Gu Xi was shocked and immediately explained. ‘I wonder who was acting like it was life or death before…’ Xing Beiyan grumbled inwardly. “Darling, I was wrong.” Gu Xi knew she had brought Xing Beiyan a lot of trouble and felt remorseful about it. She carefully tugged the corner of his shirt, her apology incredibly sincere. Xing Beiyan did not actually want to scold her. Gu Xi was the angel he protected all these years. When he was ten, he had been punished so severely he had to lie in bed. Just then, a lost little girl ran into his room crying and asking for her mother. Xing Beiyan’s heart had completely melted at her crying. With his aching body full of wounds, he quickly consoled her. Although the little girl had reacted quickly, she did not run away out of fear the first time. Instead, she lightly blew upon his wounds, which were hurting him like fire.

Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Will You Agree to My Request

Back then, Xing Beiyan believed that the young girl was amazing because his wounds actually stopped hurting right after she blew on them. He wanted to be with her. That way, he would never have to be afraid of pain again. Xing Beiyan held firmly onto this belief, even though the young girl had already forgotten him. “It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have forced you like that.” He let out a sigh. “Well then, let’s live a good life together from now on, shall we? I won’t act willfully anymore,” Gu Xi said while she thought, ‘I want to love you properly.’ Her eyes grew slightly red, but she still could not bring herself to say that last sentence. “Okay, Xixi. You said it yourself, so don’t regret it.” Xing Beiyan’s heart thudded. Was his Xixi truly willing? In any case, he did not want to let go of her again. “Xixi will never regret it,” she promised solemnly. Xing Beiyan felt his heart tremble. “Will you agree to my request?” Gu Xi lifted her face and looked at him. “Yes, you can do whatever you want.” He reached out and pulled her into his embrace before resting his chin on her soft, silky hair. While he was saying these words, a sudden thought occurred to him and caused him to narrow his eyes warily. “You have to behave properly on campus. If I happen to find out that you’re spending time with anyone you shouldn’t be hanging out with…”“There’s no such person, and there won’t be anyone like that. Such a thing will never happen.” As she relaxed and rested her head against his chest, Gu Xi felt that nothing could make her feel more at ease than being with him like this. She knew who Xing Beiyan was talking about. However, she was not going to give that scumbag a chance in this life. “Alright, alright, I haven’t even eaten. I’m starving.” When her gaze fell upon the small bowl on the table, she sat up in her seat at once. She picked up a piece of her favorite sweet and sour pork ribs with her chopsticks, closed her eyes in enjoyment as she munched on it, and said, “Delicious.” When he saw the girl whom he loved looking so happy and adorable, Xing Beiyan felt peace in his heart that he had never, in all his life, experienced before. Then, as he stared at the sauce on her pink lips, his eyes darkened slightly. “Let me have a taste.” Before Gu Xi could say “okay”, a dark silhouette had leaned in close to her. By the time she realized what had happened, the guy had already raised his head and was mimicking the way she was munching on her food while speaking in a mischievous manner, “Indeed, it’s delicious.” Gu Xi’s face flushed red instantly. ‘This guy is way too naughty!’ “I’ll feed you.” When Xing Beiyan saw that she could not even hold her bowl properly after being kissed by him, an amused look flickered in his eyes, and he took the bowl from her hands before he started his feeding mission. “I can eat on my own. Um-mm… Delicious.” Gu Xi tried to refuse, but before she could finish her sentence, her mouth was stuffed with food. “Does it really taste that good?” Xing Beiyan was astonished to see her enjoying her food. Normally, she always looked disgusted by whatever food that was served at home. What was happening right now? ‘She must’ve had her thoughts straightened out after the suicide attempt!’ Never mind. In any case, this change was good. He liked this Xixi very much. After finishing her meal, Gu Xi went out of the study. In the past, Xing Beiyan usually worked at this time and hated being bothered by others. She returned to her room, turned on the computer and started checking the Gu Family Group’s stock price and current state of affairs. By relying on the Xing family, the company’s share price had risen sharply more than a few times over the years. In other words, the Gu Family Group had been using the Xing family’s fame to prosper and thrive in the business world. As the mouse cursor hovered over a certain photo, Gu Xi smiled coldly. In this photo, Gu Xue’er and Madam Gu were standing on either side of her father, Gu Tianxiang. The caption read, “President of the Gu Family Group brings his wife and daughter along to attend a big evening party as a family. What an enviable sight.” Indeed, what an enviable sight. Gu Xi clicked her tongue twice and then moved on to check the company’s stock prices. Based on what she knew, Gu Tianxiang held only thirty percent of the Gu Family Group’s stock.

Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Let Her Off Too Lightly

It was mainly because of the assistance Gu Tianxiang had received from Gu Xi’s mother’s family that he managed to establish and develop the Gu Family Group. Thus, naturally, Gu Xi owned fifteen percent of the company’s shares ever since it was first founded. Her mother held thirty percent, but her shares were now owned by Gu Xi’s maternal grandfather, so Gu Tianxiang never dared to touch those shares. The remaining twenty-five percent were held by other shareholders. If Gu Xi wished to take back the Gu Family Group, she would have to begin by acquiring these shares. Her maternal grandfather loved her dearly but refused to tell her anything about the shares after Gu Tianxiang used to repeatedly hint at Gu Xi to ask him about them. This showed that he was still very wary of the Gu family. It was because not long after her mother’s death, Gu Tianxiang brought Li Xuemei, who was Madam Gu now, and their daughter home. Gu Xue’er was only a few months older than Gu Xi. This was unbelievable to Gu Xi’s mother’s family and later caused them to cut off contact with the Gu family. Who could have expected that to happen anyway? Back then, Gu Xi’s mother was not even married to Gu Tianxiang, yet he had already cheated on her with another woman. Her mother passed away too early and died without ever finding out that she had been betrayed by him. She devoted half her lifetime to the Gu Family Group and Gu Tianxiang. Who could have expected such an outcome? Gu Xi’s eyes grew darker as she slammed her notebook shut. She would never let anyone from the Gu family get away with what they had done! Was Xing Beiyan still not done after working for so long? Gu Xi became a little puzzled once she finished washing her face and rinsing her mouth. It was quite late at that point. Why was Xing Beiyan not back yet? She went out and peeked into the study but saw that it was empty. “Butler Wang, where’s Young Master?” Gu Xi asked in confusion after going downstairs. “Madam, Young Master has gone out to attend to some matters,” Butler Wang replied. “Ah, alright then.” Gu Xi nodded somewhat dejectedly and then returned to her room. It made sense. He was such a busy person. How could he possibly keep her company all day long? Since God had already allowed her to see him again, she should not make any more unreasonable requests. As she thought of this, Gu Xi was able to let go of her disappointment and allowed herself to relax before going to bed. At two o’clock in the morning, Xing Beiyan rushed home looking rather exhausted. “Young Madam has gone to bed, right?” he asked with a frown when Butler Wang came forward to welcome him home. “She’s already asleep, but…” When Butler Wang recalled the dejected look on Madam’s face earlier, he could not stop himself from saying something about it. “But what?” Xing Beiyan’s expression grew tense. “Young Madam came to me once to ask where you were,” Butler Wang replied respectfully. “Mm, I see.” Xing Beiyan nodded and went upstairs before gently turning the doorknob to enter her room. ‘She didn’t even close her door?’ A hint of surprise flickered in his eyes. The person on the bed was already in deep sleep. Xing Beiyan wanted to reach out and touch her but was worried that his ice-cold hand would wake her up. He stood there in a daze for quite some time before finally lowering his head to plant a kiss on her forehead. After that, he quietly left the room. In the morning the next day, there was a deep frown on Gu Xi’s face as she subconsciously reached out to touch the other side of the bed. When she found no one there, her eyes flew open in an instant. She became flustered and could not hide the panic in her eyes. It was only after she sat up abruptly in her bed that she remembered she had been sent back in time to five years earlier. At this time, she and Xing Beiyan were still sleeping in separate beds. She stared at the ceiling with a rather dazed expression. ‘I’ve been reborn. Come to think of it, this is really quite incredible.’ Gu Xi slowly raised her hand. Yesterday, she had used this hand to slap Gu Xue’er across the face. She had really let Gu Xue’er off too lightly by slapping her just once. If Gu Xi had been holding a knife in her hand back then, she would have definitely stabbed Gu Xue’er in the heart without the slightest hesitation! ‘Just wait for it. I’ll surely make Gu Xue’er regrets being born. Once I’m back on campus, I’ll have the chance to make my move… Wait a minute! Campus!’ Gu Xi sat up again right away and glanced at the clock at the side of her bed. It was already ten o’clock!

Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Seized Her Heart

Gu Xi had to attend class today. After all, she was only in her second year of university. Ever since she got married to Xing Beiyan, she never went back to university out of shame. However, skipping class was out of the question at this point. She had to go back to campus. If she did not, how was she supposed to get her revenge against that girl? ‘I must regain everything I’ve lost!’ Gu Xi hid the coldness in her eyes and hurriedly got up to wash her face and rinse her mouth. “Young Madam.” Butler Wang came forward to welcome her politely and respectfully as soon as she went downstairs. “You’re planning to go out?”“Yes! I’m going to campus. Where’s… Young Master Xing?” When Gu Xi looked around and did not see him, she felt somewhat disappointed but figured that, at this time, he should be already at work. “Young Master has gone to the company.” Butler Wang seemed rather astounded to hear her say that she was planning to attend class. Gu Xi nodded and carried her backpack while saying, “In that case, I’ll have to trouble you to send me to campus.” She walked out of the house immediately after she finished speaking. Butler Wang did not even manage to ask her to have breakfast first. Ever since she was young, Gu Xi had always been poor at her studies because of her mischievous nature. Had Gu Tianxiang not been paying for her university fees for the sake of his reputation and prestige, given her academic performance, she would have dropped out a long time ago. Her arrogant and overbearing ways formed a strong contrast to Gu Xue’er’s smart and lovable personality. Therefore, whether in school or at home, Gu Xi always had a rotten reputation! In the eyes of others, she was just a pretty face with no capabilities whatsoever. Anyway, it was Madam Gu who had instilled these bad habits in Gu Xi as a child. Indeed, Madam Gu had gone to great lengths for the sake of her daughter! Ten minutes later, the car stopped in front of the main entrance of Snolia Elite University. Although the Gu Family Group was just a normal company in H City, Gu Tianxiang was someone who cared a lot about his reputation, so he sent the Gu sisters to elite schools with the hope that they could befriend and cozy up to the children of rich families. In doing so, he would be able to gain some benefits too. At first, she could not have entered this university. However, after receiving pressure from her mother’s family, Gu Tianxiang had no choice but to send her here too. Since Gu Xi got in through the back door, her reputation had, from the start, been quite bad. Additionally, Gu Xue’er kept intentionally and unintentionally going behind her back to discredit her, which made things completely hopeless. Her maternal grandfather had once been a leader and was close friends with Xing Beiyan’s grandfather. That was how she knew Xing Beiyan from childhood. However, after he went overseas, she never saw him again until much later when she was suddenly forced to marry him, which completely ruined whatever faint memory she had of him. Gu Xi was also very fortunate to have such an influential grandfather helping her from behind the scenes. Otherwise, the university would not have been willing to accept her no matter how much money Gu Tianxiang offered them. “Thank you, Butler Wang. You can head home first. You don’t have to come and fetch me in the afternoon. I can take a taxi home by myself.”“Understood, Young Madam!” Butler Wang could not shake off the feeling that she had changed. Previously, Gu Xi would usually hold her head high and treat him with disdain. She had never been so polite to him before. After she had walked some distance away, Butler Wang finally recovered from his surprise and took out his phone to give Xing Beiyan a call. Once she entered the campus, Gu Xi looked around absentmindedly. This place felt familiar and unfamiliar to her at the same time. She never focused much on her studies, because it was at this university that she met the most handsome boy on campus. The moment she saw him, that good-looking and attractive boy seized her heart. From then onward, she existed solely to bring him food and gifts every day and kept trying to please him like a starry-eyed, infatuated fool. Han Lei never rejected her but never responded to her advances either. Gu Xi thought she was special to him until, in the end, she came to realize that she was nothing at all.

Chapter 14 Chapter 14 A Kind Female Supporting Role?

As the morning sun’s rays hit her eyes, Gu Xi narrowed them slightly and swept her gaze over row upon row of education buildings. Finally, her gaze settled on a certain spot and the corner of her lips lifted a little. Then, she began walking in that direction. This time, she would not allow anyone to bully her again. “My gosh, what a beauty. Hurry up and take a look! A gorgeous girl just passed by our classroom doorway.” A student was sitting at his table with a pen in his mouth and looked bored to death when he suddenly saw a stunning beauty walk past the window. After blinking and making sure that his eyes were not playing tricks on him, he instantly exclaimed and cried out in surprise. “Where is she? Where is she?” His desk mate quickly looked over upon hearing his loud cries. “Hey, hey, hey! It seems like she’s entering our class!!” A few guys looked over excitedly and, indeed, found a beautiful figure standing by the classroom doorway. Then, the pleasant voice of a girl could be heard. “Excuse me, may I come in?” Gu Xi asked while raising her hand after arriving at the entrance of A Class. The female teacher who was giving a lecture looked over in surprise. “How may I help you, student?” This was Teacher Li, the teacher in charge of A Class. She was also known as the Old Witch. After Gu Xi began her studies at this university, she rarely showed up in class. Later, she decided not to attend classes at all. As a result, after such a long time, Teacher Li had already forgotten about Gu Xi. “I’m here to attend class, Teacher,” Gu Xi replied meekly while blushing with embarrassment. “Hm?” Teacher Li was dumbfounded. “Attend class? Are you in the wrong classroom? This is A Class. What’s your name?”“I’m in the correct classroom, Teacher. I’m Gu Xi. Because of my poor health, I stopped attending classes a year ago…” Gu Xi explained patiently. “Gu, Gu Xi?” Teacher Li was taken aback, and her expression changed slightly. “Boom…” The whole class burst into a discussion as well! “My gosh, it’s really her. Why did Gu Xi decide to come back?” the students talked among themselves in astonishment. Gu Xue’er gritted her teeth and stared at Gu Xi with resentment. What was happening? Why was Gu Xi back? She actually had the nerve to show her face on campus again! “Xue’er, didn’t you say that your younger sister has decided to stop studying? Why is she back?” her desk mate asked her in a puzzled tone. “I’m not sure either. My younger sister is used to doing things her own way all the time, so none of us are able to keep her under control at home. I have no idea why she’s suddenly changed her mind and decided to come back,” Gu Xue’er muttered with a sigh and shook her head helplessly while dropping her envious and resentful gaze. Upon hearing this, the girl beside her frowned immediately. “How can she act like that? Can’t your parents say something to her about her behavior?”“She… She’s my younger sister from a different mother, so…” Gu Xue’er bit her lip and trailed off with a pitiful look on her face. Younger sister? From a different mother? Understanding flickered in the girl’s eyes. ‘So this is the daughter of a mistress?’ she thought disdainfully. ‘How dare the daughter of a mistress behave so outrageously?’ At this thought, she could not help but feel sorry for Gu Xue’er, so she asked, “Why would you be afraid of such a girl? You should teach her a lesson.” Almost everyone in this university was from a big and wealthy family. It was normal for men in such families to have mistresses. In fact, anyone without a brother or sister from a different mother here would be considered an unusual case. Therefore, these people despised their illegitimate siblings as they would have to fight with them for their family inheritance. This was almost a sort of subconscious hatred. “But she’s my younger sister…” Gu Xue’er shook her head and put on a torn expression. “What younger sister! Humph, this girl should be thankful that she hasn’t been driven out of your house. I can’t believe you’re willing to think of her as your younger sister!” The girl next to her instantly became exasperated when she heard Gu Xue’er’s reply. “In my opinion, you’re just too kind-hearted. What will you do if she gets a share of your family inheritance in the future?”

Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Teach Her A Lesson

Gu Xue’er looked frightened as her eyes grew red at once. “Xixi might be bad-tempered and prone to messing around, but she’s also my father’s daughter, so, of course, she’ll receive half of the family’s inheritance…”“Ugh! I really pity you.” The girl sitting next to her sighed. “If it were up to me, I would definitely chase her out of the house.” She waved her fist about and muttered angrily, “Just follow my lead after this. I’ll help you teach her a lesson.”“Well then, don’t be too serious about this. Xixi is very aggressive, and it can be quite painful when she hits me…” Gu Xue’er indirectly threw mud at Gu Xi while putting on a pitiful facade. Then, there was the faintest hint of a cruel smile at the corner of her lips which remained unnoticed by her desk mate. “My gosh! She even dares to hit you?” As expected, the girl beside her flew into a rage upon hearing her words. “No wonder your face seemed slightly swollen when you came to class this morning. Don’t tell me that was because of her hitting you?” Gu Xue’er hesitated for a moment and then nodded with a naive look on her face. “I don’t blame her. Little Mi, don’t be so upset.” As the girl next to her fixed her eyes on Gu Xi, it seemed as though rays of fire could shoot out of her eyes. Gu Xi could clearly sense the strange looks she was receiving from the rest of the class. As she scanned the crowd and saw Gu Xue’er, her gaze paused on the girl for a moment while the corner of her lips lifted into a stunning smile. “Teacher, may I come in?” she asked again when she noticed that her teacher was still in a daze. “Sure, come in.” Honestly speaking, Teacher Li did not have much memory of Gu Xi and could only faintly remember that there used to be a girl in this class with a very bad reputation. She greatly disliked the girl because of her poor academic performance. Then, the girl vanished one day. Someone had called and said that she had fallen sick. After requesting a leave of absence, the girl never showed up again. Teacher Li had nearly forgotten the existence of this person and never expected that she would suddenly return. “Find an empty spot and take a seat first,” the teacher said and nodded while frowning slightly. “Xixi, over here.” Gu Xue’er hurriedly waved her over. When Gu Xi scanned the class and noticed Gu Xue’er waving at her with a bright smile on her face, she laughed coldly to herself and walked over. “How is she related to the prettiest girl in our class?” the other students asked one another curiously at this sight. “Don’t you guys remember? They’re sisters. I can still recall how this girl used to fail every subject in class back then. She also had a rotten reputation. It was because Class Monitor kept defending her that she didn’t end up getting bullied. However, she was not only ungrateful but also kept giving Class Monitor dirty looks. How unreasonable. I never thought she would be back. Ah! It’s been more than a year already. What’s the point of coming back now? She’s just wasting her time,” someone said scornfully. When they heard this, the way they looked at Gu Xi changed instantly. Some of them studied her with disdain while some seemed envious of her. There were also others who gave her strange looks. Gu Xi listened to their discussions with great interest to obtain some information she had nearly forgotten while slowly making her way to Gu Xue’er’s side. The moment she reached her sister’s side, almost everyone looked over. Gu Xue’er put on a pleasant smile and was just about to speak but Gu Xi stared straight ahead and walked past her until she reached the empty seat in the last row and sat down. Gu Xue’er’s expression went stiff. There was an unsettling moment of silence in the classroom, followed by the sounds of frantic discussion! “Goodness! She walked past without even looking at Class Monitor. What’s going on? Aren’t they sisters?”“Who knows! I previously heard that she has a bad temperament. It seems like it’s true then.”“She’s just too rude. Even the prettiest girl in class has personally offered to let her have her seat. Didn’t she notice that?” Everyone directed their anger toward Gu Xi as they spoke. “Alright, alright. Quiet!” Teacher Li said sternly while hitting the table with her hand.

Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Invite Her

The noisy classroom immediately went silent. “We don’t have much time, so our lesson will end here today. I also have something to tell everyone. A month from now, our university will be holding a performance. The board of directors will be attending so the President wants every class to pick a few representatives to perform for the show. Class Monitor, you can start collecting the names today and then hand in the list to me tomorrow morning,” the teacher ordered. “Okay, teacher,” Gu Xue’er answered softly. Gu Xi could not find her textbooks or the other materials needed so she could only sit in the classroom without doing anything throughout the entire lesson. Once the lesson had ended, Gu Xi was summoned by the teacher. Gu Xue’er had originally planned on talking to her, but she could not make it in time and could only watch Gu Xi walk away. “She didn’t attend classes for an entire year. I’m sure the teacher called on her to give her a warning.”“Xue’er, you see, she’s been summoned into the Old Witch’s office. I wonder what she’ll do. It wouldn’t be a surprise if she was scolded beyond compare. Haha, serves her right for bullying you.”“Don’t talk about her like that. Xixi didn’t mean to do any of those things.” Gu Xue’er donned a worried expression. Everyone thought that Gu Xue’er was much too kind. “Gu Xi, I hope you’ll explain the situation to me.” Once they arrived at the office, Teacher Li immediately questioned her. Gu Xi blinked her eyes and immediately made up a story; claiming that she was seriously ill and had no choice but to drop out to rest at home. She then said that she was all better now and vowed to study diligently. Since she seemed soft and obedient, Teacher Li easily believed her. Although Teacher Li remembered her bad reputation from the past, it seemed that Gu Xi had changed for the better so Teacher Li said nothing more and merely nodded her head in relief. “What illness were you battling? Will it affect your studies?” Teacher Li asked worriedly on the spur of the moment, fearing that Gu Xi would ruin her body because of her studies. Once she heard the illness being mentioned, Gu Xi’s face immediately paled as she answered anxiously, “It’s very, very scary and my family doesn’t want me to talk about it with others so I apologize, Teacher. It’s not like I’m unwilling to tell you.” She chewed on her lower lip, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as if she was truly unwilling to relive the painful memory. It was truly a pitiful sight. Once Teacher Li saw this, the pity in her eyes deepened and she said, “It’s okay as long as you’re all better now. You go back to class now, I’ll look for new textbooks for you.”“Thank you, teacher!” Gu Xi nodded her head in gratitude. Once she exited the office, her pitiful appearance disappeared. Her lips quirked up into a smile that lit up her entire face. “She’s back,” someone exclaimed. “Why is she back so soon?”“Are you okay, Xixi?!” Gu Xue’er rushed over quickly to ask in worry. “Why won’t I be?” Gu Xi stared at her in confusion. “Didn’t… didn’t the teacher say anything to you?” Gu Xue’er was stunned. “No, why?” Gu Xi replied, the confusion still evident in her face. “It’s, it’s nothing…” Gu Xue’er was slightly surprised. ‘Maybe Teacher Li doesn’t remember her, that might be the case.’ “Oh right, Xixi, you should also join the talent show that’s happening in a month.” Gu Xue’er suddenly thought of something, which made her eyes shine for a brief moment before it disappeared as she spoke with the most genuine tone she could muster. “Why are you inviting her? Can she dance?” a girl that was standing by Gu Xue’er’s side spat. It was Gu Xue’er’s best friend, Li Limi. Li Limi came from an influential family and was a person that many people wanted to be friends with.

Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Overwhelmed

Li Limi did not initially have a good impression of Gu Xi and it only grew worse once Gu Xue’er told her about how Gu Xi had acted before. “Xixi used to dance very well as a child. It’s just, just after that…” Gu Xue’er blushed as she explained. “When she was a child?” Li Limi chuckled mockingly. “When as a child exactly? Was it during kindergarten or first grade?” Everyone burst out into laughter at this. Gu Xi originally planned on rejecting the invitation but once she heard Li Limi’s taunt, she immediately changed her mind. “Okay, I’ll participate!” She glanced at the pair of them thoughtfully as she calmly spoke, her expression not changing in the slightest at the laughter of the people around her. The corner of Gu Xue’er’s mouth quirked up but she pretended to be worried as she said, “Then Xixi, wait for me after class ends. We’ll practice the dance together, okay?”“No need.” Gu Xi rejected her without hesitation. She still had other things to do, why did she have to waste her time on a small matter like this? “I have things to do in the afternoon, just let me know when rehearsals are.” With that said, Gu Xi gave a lazy yawn and returned to her seat. Gu Xue’er was confused; she felt that Gu Xi had changed a lot. Gu Xi never treated her like this before so why was she like this now? Maybe Xing Beiyan had told her something… Gu Xue’er’s eyes flickered inexplicably. ‘Forget it, it doesn’t matter how she’s changed. All that matters is that I defeat her in the end.’ She had already accepted the Gu family’s case so she would be one of the Gu Family Group’s directors soon. Gu Xi was now nothing more than a pawn in her hand, if Xing Beiyan did not exist, Gu Xi was nothing. Gu Xue’er had never cared about Gu Xi. The class teacher quickly delivered the new textbooks to Gu Xi and she began listening earnestly in class. The truth was, ever since she was young, Gu Xi has always loved studying. However, because Madam Gu never actually bothered to properly teach her as she grew up, she ended up how she was. Gu Xi had no idea when it went from teachers patting her head with compliments to teachers frowning subconsciously every time they laid eyes on her. She did not know how she became like this either. Once she entered junior high school and started gaining more understanding of the world, she was chosen by a teacher to enter the school’s dance show because of her beauty. Since then, dancing was Gu Xi’s hobby. Since Madam Gu wanted her to fail in her studies, she agreed to this request easily. She thought of dancing as quite useless and did not dwell on it long. Madam Gu changed her mind only after Gu Xi came in first during a school competition. She prevented Gu Xi from dancing and told her to focus on her studies even though, originally, she was the one who had allowed Gu Xi to completely immerse herself in dancing. As a child, Gu Xi used to be terrified of Madam Gu, so she was extremely obedient and never dared to go against Madam Gu. It was only occasionally she would dance in secret if she was bored, thus not letting herself forget the basics. The most important thing was that Gu Xi inherited her mother’s photographic memory, which was apparently a trait passed down from her maternal grandfather to her. This was why Madam Gu tried so hard to stop her from excelling in her studies. Gu Xi read her books very quickly and almost never forgot what she had read after reading it for the first time. She even finished reading the whole mathematics textbook during the course of a single lesson. Unfortunately, she had never read her English textbook. She had glanced at a few words but she could not read them. In the end, she had to resort to noting down each word her teacher said. After her classes, Gu Xi strode out the gate and sighed. Her teacher said that their first exam would be in a week. She was not worried about any other subject except English, which made her head ache terribly.

Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Right Now

It seemed that Gu Xi needed to do some extra work, there was no time to waste. The best way for her to take revenge on Gu Xue’er was to completely overwhelm her in all aspects! She was looking forward to the expressions of Gu Xue’er and her friends once she, a failing student, overtakes a genius. “Young Madam!” A familiar voice could be heard from in front of Gu Xi. “Butler?” Gu Xi was stunned; did she not tell him not to come? She actually had a dormitory, one which she could share with Gu Xue’er. In the beginning, there were four of them in the dormitory but as time went on, the other two girls started bullying her. Not only did they throw her underwear off the building, they also poured water on her bed and accused her of wetting her bed. They had even placed a dead rat in her shoes to scare her once. They resorted to endless ways to bully her. Gu Xi had no other choice but to travel and study at the same time. However, after traveling day after day, she decided to stop studying altogether. Traveling to and from the Xing family’s house was too long a journey, so Gu Xi was quite unwilling to do so daily. Not to mention the fact that she liked lazing in bed, which made her even more reluctant to waste so much time traveling. If she had not discussed things with Xing Beiyan for the fear of him getting angry, she would have gone back to her dormitory long ago. “Young Master has something going on today, so he specially asked me to pick you up instead,” the butler said respectfully. “Oh? Is that so?” Gu Xi nodded her head but she seemed to have something on her mind. As soon as she got into the car, she heard Gu Xue’er’s voice in the distance. “Butler Wang, wait a minute!” Gu Xi looked up to see Gu Xue’er running towards her with a look of excitement. However, she pretended not to see her and looked away before she said seriously, “Start the car, right now!” Butler Wang was stunned for a second before he stepped on the accelerator without hesitation. The Lincoln limousine sped off immediately, attracting many jealous glances. Gu Xue’er stood firmly in place; had Butler Wang not heard her? In addition, since he had personally come to pick Gu Xi up, did that mean Xing Beiyan was with him as well? She chewed on her lower lip, hating herself slightly for not following Gu Xi earlier. Otherwise, she would have met the man of her dreams. Jealousy flared within Gu Xue’er once more when Gu Xi popped up in her mind. “Who was that? Do you know them?” Li Limi asked curiously. Although the Gu family was rich, was using a limousine to pick up the daughter of a mistress not a little too over the top? Even her family might not do something like that. Besides, if he was here to pick Gu Xi up, why did he not wait for Gu Xue’er before leaving? Was she not the daughter of the legal wife? Li Limi found everything quite weird. “I, I might have been mistaken.” Gu Xue’er bit down on her lower lip, her gaze lowering as she shook her head. “Is that so?” Li Limi stared at her pensively, seeming to have something on her mind. “It’s warm, it’s warm.” The crisp voice of a girl and the sound of a tape resounded throughout the room. “It’s blind, it’s blind.” As soon as Xing Beiyan returned home, he saw several maids standing downstairs with strange looks on their faces. “Young Master!” Butler Wang immediately rushed over to welcome him by helping him with his coat. “Hmm, what did Xixi do today?” Xing Beiyan scratched at his forehead as he asked. “Young Madam was in university from morning until afternoon. On the way back, she visited a bookstore and bought a lot of textbooks and tapes…” Butler Wang answered. Xing Beiyan nodded his head. With purposeful steps, he went upstairs immediately. The rhythmic voice of a girl could be heard from a room that was slightly hidden away. He furrowed his eyebrows before pushing the door to enter the room. Gu Xi was busy memorizing words when suddenly another voice filled the room. “What…exactly are you doing?”

Chapter 19 Chapter 19 I’m Very Earnest

Gu Xi raised her head to see her husband, which prompted her to stand up in excitement. “You’re back! “I’m doing revision because I’ll be having exams and I want to do well in my studies,” she announced crisply. Xing Beiyan’s expression became even more confused. He knew everything about Gu Xi before this and was aware that Gu Xi was no extraordinary student. He was sure Gu Xi knew this better than him. However, why was a failing student that had no interest in studying suddenly working so hard? Still, he usually never stopped Gu Xi from doing the things she loved unless, in his opinion, she stepped out of line. He walked over and swept his gaze across the books on the table. There were English textbooks for all three years of high school and the book that she held in her hand was an English textbook…for the first year of junior high school… The corner of Xing Beiyan’s lips quirked up. “You’re already in your second year of university, what’re you doing with these books?”“I’m obviously strengthening my foundation,” Gu Xi replied angrily after she noticed his weird expression. Xing Beiyan was quiet for a while. “I’m a very fast learner.” Gu Xi was worried that he still did not believe her so she quickly showed him the markings she did in the textbook she was currently holding. “I’ve only listened to this part once and I’ve only read it once, but I already remember it. I’ve even made notes on some parts too.” As Gu Xi spoke, she blinked her big eyes at him as if telling him she was working extremely hard. Xing Beiyan glanced at the book; the chicken scratches written in the book were as curvy as earthworms and there were some notes for pronunciation below the longer English words. For example, the English word ‘beautiful’ had the Chinese characters ‘Piao Ti Fu’ below it. (TN: In the original text, the author used three Chinese characters with these exact sounds.) Xing Beiyan’s lips quirked up even more. Gu Xi looked so proud of herself too. She looked just like a …elementary school student! However, she would look cute no matter what in Xing Beiyan’s eyes. He knew clearly how Madam Gu had raised Gu Xi when she was a child. She never had the childhood a child deserved. There was a lot of basic knowledge that she had not picked up, education-wise. This was what upset Xing Beiyan the most, yet at the same time, he wished that Gu Xi would keep this purity. After all, the world was too dirty and he was afraid that she would accidentally be contaminated. “Do you want me to hire a teacher for you?” Xing Beiyan patted her head lightly, his eyes overflowing with love. “No need for that, that’s too troublesome. I’ll pick it up quickly.” Without even lifting her head, Gu Xi rejected his offer. Xing Beiyan was so busy; he had to manage the company and the Xing family, not to mention help her with little things like these. Why would she let him be so tired of her? What Gu Xi wanted to do was to stand by his side proudly. She wanted to stand with him and proclaim to the world that she was his woman! She would not let those people look down on her, or even plot against her anymore… “Okay.” Xing Beiyan did not force Gu Xi to accept his offer. He nodded his head lightly and walked out of the room, not wanting to bother her. Gu Xi continued muttering to herself. Once she started studying in earnest, she would dedicate herself entirely to it. When dinner time rolled around, Gu Xi emerged from the room and went downstairs hesitantly. “Darling, I want to go back to my dormitory.” Halfway through their meal, Gu Xi suddenly thought of something and immediately said what she was thinking. “Hmm?” Xing Beiyan subconsciously furrowed his eyebrows. “Isn’t staying at home good enough?” His expression darkened as something occurred to him. Was this Gu Xi’s new plan of running as far away from him as possible? It was no wonder she suddenly started treating him differently for the past two days, it was all for him to lower his guard so that she could leave after! “No, I just want to make some more time for studying. My exams are soon and I want good grades.” Gu Xi quickly explained after she noticed Xing Beiyan’s awful expression.

Chapter 20 Chapter 20 A Shocking Nightmare

Was that so? As Xing Beiyan stared at Gu Xi, who was anxiously explaining, his expression softened. “Hmm.” In the end, he said nothing more and merely nodded his head. He did not look too good as he entered his study right after he was done with his meal. Gu Xi watched him walk away, his figure slightly depressed. For reasons unknown to her, she felt her heart pang with pain. Xing Beiyan was still worried and scared. After all, she had hurt him deeply before this, which gave him plenty of reasons to not trust her anymore. Even the thought of this made Gu Xi lose her appetite. Out of guilt, she made a cup of warm tea and had a maid send it to him before she went back to the room to continue studying. “Come in,” a cold voice answered from inside the study. The scared maid entered the study and stuttered, “Young, Young Master, Young Madam made some tea for you.”“Hmm?” Xing Beiyan was stunned. “She made it herself?”“Yes.” The pressure the maid felt from Xing Beiyan made her legs go weak and all she wanted to do was run out of the room. After all, the Young Master usually drank coffee and never even took a sip of tea. The maid did not know if Xing Beiyan would like it or not; what if he threw a tantrum because he hated it? Fear filled the maid’s thoughts. “Set it down there.” Xing Beiyan finally spoke again and the maid visibly relaxed as she set the tea down before leaving the room. An unsettling silence settled in the study once more. Xing Beiyan put his work down and after a brief moment of hesitation, took a sip of the tea. The slightly bitter taste of the tea made him furrow his brows but the warmth that bloomed in his chest prompted him to take another sip… … “Boom!!” A loud explosion suddenly went off in the sky. In the huge bedroom, the girl on the bed sat up abruptly as a flash of lightning cut the sky in half. The light illuminated her face, which was as pale as paper, a truly horrifying sight! Blood, so much blood! She had dreamt of Xing Beiyan’s dead body. Gu Xi’s eyes went as wide as saucers after she stared into the void before her in fear. In the end, she closed her eyes as if in pain before she covered her ears and screamed! Bang— Another loud noise. Still in his nightgown, Xing Beiyan had noticed the situation happening. His expression shifted greatly and he rushed over to hug Gu Xi. “Xixi, Xixi!” He shouted her name several times but it seemed as if Gu Xi had not heard him. As if she had lost her mind, her hands clawed around madly as she wailed “Go away! Don’t touch me…” repeatedly. What was happening! Xing Beiyan’s eyes were bloodshot as he cradled her tightly to his chest. He hurriedly pacified her. “Xixi, it’s me, Xing Beiyan! Don’t be afraid, I’m not a bad person, don’t be afraid!” As he called her again and again, the person in his grasp calmed down gradually and soon, made no noise at all. He looked down at Gu Xi and saw that she had fallen asleep again; her eyes closed tightly. “Get a doctor now!” Once Xing Beiyan left the room, he saw the people that had awoken due to the commotion and ordered coldly. “Young Madam’s emotions were stirred up because she’s suffered a great shock. I suggest that Young Master investigate further. Young Madam might have met with something horrible in the past or might have been kidnapped before. All those things might have caused her condition.” A doctor, who was still in his slippers, came over in the middle of the night and explained calmly. Xing Beiyan’s expression was dark as he nodded his head before ordering everyone to leave. He did not know when Gu Xi had grabbed hold of his nightgown so tightly, but she showed no sign of letting go. Xing Beiyan lowered his gaze to look at her, his expression unreadable. What more was there about Gu Xi that Xing Beiyan did not know?