TLDMDTBS Chapter 12
by Volare“Brother, no, no, no, I didn’t do anything!” Gu Xiuli was so scared by that glance that he trembled all over, following Gu Xiuyi and trying to explain.
Gu Xiuyi stepped over the shattered glass and walked to Ji Ruan’s side. Ji Ruan looked up at him, then suddenly turned his head away in restraint, tears pooling in his big, glistening eyes before falling down.
What a heart-wrenching scene.
Gu Xiuyi’s eyes were filled with Ji Ruan’s tear-streaked cheeks and reddened nose. His mind went blank for two seconds before he squatted down to check Ji Ruan’s ankle.
It wasn’t serious, just a shallow cut. But perhaps because Ji Ruan’s skin was too delicate, a few drops of blood were seeping out, hanging on the edge of the wound, unable to clot for a long time.
“Big brother…” Gu Xiuli still tried to explain softly from behind, “You have to believe me…”
“Go get the first aid kit,” Gu Xiuyi said in a deep voice.
“What?” Gu Xiuli pointed to himself as if he didn’t understand. “Me?”
“Who else?” Gu Xiuyi’s elbow rested on his knee as he turned to look at him. “And bring a broom to clean up the mess on the floor.”
Gu Xiuli’s eyes widened as he took a few steps back in disbelief. “You want me to do servant work?!”
Ji Ruan was running out of tears, unable to cry anymore. He braced himself against the piano lid, covering his face with his hands, peeking through a small gap to watch.
Gu Xiuyi stood up, a cold expression on his face. “What do you mean by servant? Aren’t they all people too? Why can’t they do what you can?”
He casually pointed to the mess on the floor. “Clean it up, not a single shard of glass is allowed to be left.”
“Brother!” Gu Xiuli wanted to argue, but when he met Gu Xiuyi’s icy gaze, he could only swallow it back down.
Gu Xiuyi’s towering figure loomed over them, standing there without doing anything, and his imposing aura was enough to make Gu Xiuli tremble with fear.
Gu Xiuli clenched his fists, biting his lip as he jogged out.
By the time Fang Lan noticed something was off and rushed over, the piano room was brightly lit, with Ji Ruan leaning against the piano while being comforted gently by Gu Xiuyi, while her own son was sweeping the floor, tears and snot streaming down his face.
This scene was like a slap in Fang Lan’s face. She snatched the broom from her son’s hand and forced a smile as she approached Gu Xiuyi. “Xiuyi, what are you doing?”
Gu Xiuyi was busy comforting Ji Ruan, not even looking up. “Oh, nothing, Xiao Li made a mistake, so I’m just punishing him a bit.”
“He!” Fang Lan took a deep breath. “What mistake did he make?”
Gu Xiuyi shot her a cold glance. “He injured my child’s leg.”
Fang Lan’s gaze immediately dropped, landing on Ji Ruan’s fair little calf where a white band-aid was sticking.
Just a tiny spot!
It looked like if left alone a little longer, the injury would heal!
Fang Lan was so angry that her temples throbbed.
“Mom! It wasn’t me!” Gu Xiuli cried out, pulling at Fang Lan’s arm to argue his case. “He broke the photo frame by himself! I just wanted to apologize and get along with him! He’s the one who scolded me without reason and broke things!”
“Shut up!” Fang Lan shook off her son’s hand, desperately trying to maintain an appearance of grace. “Xiuyi, you heard it too. Xiao Li says he’s wronged; you can’t not believe your own brother!”
“Oh, really…” Gu Xiuyi nodded thoughtfully, lifting Ji Ruan’s chin. “Is what he says true?”
Ji Ruan didn’t answer, but his swollen eyes froze for a moment as if he hadn’t expected to be questioned. After several seconds, he let his eyes droop in extreme disappointment, biting his lip to hold back tears.
Gu Xiuyi immediately hugged Ji Ruan, gently rubbing the back of his head and murmuring, “Alright, alright, don’t cry anymore, I understand.”
He turned to look at the mother and son. “You all saw it; Xiao Li isn’t wronged.”
“Big brother!” Gu Xiuli lost control of his emotions. “Why do you believe him blindly? No, he hasn’t said anything yet! I’m your real brother!”
“Alright, Xiao Li!” Fang Lan firmly grasped Gu Xiuli, trying to maintain her last shred of sanity. “Xiuyi… even if Xiao Li made a mistake, can I apologize for him? But you can’t punish him like this…”
Gu Xiuyi was surprised. “What did I punish him for?”
Fang Lan was filled with tears, as if she had suffered great humiliation. “You can’t let him do servant work; he’s the second young master of the Gu family!”
“Eh,” Gu Xiuyi sighed deeply, “Aunt Fang, your feudal remnants are still too strong. What era are we in, still calling someone a servant? With your education, it’s no wonder Xiao Li doesn’t understand.”
Fang Lan was originally furious, but upon hearing Gu Xiuyi’s words, she suddenly realized something else. “You… what do you mean?”
Gu Xiuyi smiled slightly. “Isn’t Xiao Li graduating from college soon? How about sending him abroad for further studies?”
“That’s not possible!” Fang Lan exclaimed, her facade breaking at that moment. “He’s supposed to join the company after graduation!”
“This matter isn’t urgent,” Gu Xiuyi said calmly. “Xiao Li himself said he doesn’t have the capability; sending him abroad is for his own good.”
“No, it’s not possible!” Fang Lan’s voice trembled. “Xiao Li has never gone far alone; what if it’s chaotic abroad…?”
Gu Xiuyi shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s not chaotic. I studied abroad for so many years and came back just fine. Besides, he’s my Gu family’s son; would he suffer out there?”
“Let’s do it this way,” he said and directly picked up Ji Ruan, walking out. “I’ll have my secretary compile information about various universities. Xiao Li should be able to go abroad for further studies soon.”
Gu Xiuli was completely frozen in place.
Fang Lan jogged a few steps to grab Gu Xiuyi’s sleeve. “You’re going a bit too far. Even if you want to send Xiao Li abroad, it should be your father’s decision!”
Gu Xiuyi looked at Fang Lan, who was at her wit’s end, his smile calm and gentle. “If you think telling Gu Zhaoxu will help, go ahead.”
Saying that, he no longer looked at the mother and son, holding Ji Ruan and striding away with a refreshed demeanor.
With the fabric suddenly pulled away from her hands, Fang Lan stumbled a few steps, supported by Gu Xiuli.
Gu Xiuyi gazed down the corridor, his expression dull. “Mom… so I’m really going to be sent abroad?”
Fang Lan shut her eyes, panting heavily without speaking.
Gu Xiuli felt like his mind had been emptied. “Let’s tell Dad; he definitely won’t let me go!”
Fang Lan slowly straightened her body. “Do you think Gu Xiuyi still cares about your dad now?”
“But he still has some say!” Gu Xiuli said urgently.
“It’s useless,” Fang Lan looked at her son. “He’s long made up his mind.”
“W-What?”
Fang Lan’s eyes sank deep, suddenly looking much older. “Gu Xiuyi has long wanted to send you away; letting you into the company is a threat to him. Today was just an excuse brought to light because of that little brat.”
She pushed Gu Xiuli’s hand away, swaying as she walked out. “Even if not now, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, or next month, he will find an excuse to send you abroad…”
·
“Actually, you’ve been thinking about this for a long time, haven’t you?”
Back at home, Ji Ruan took a shower and lay on the bed with an ice pack over his eyes, speaking slowly.
“What?”
Gu Xiuyi sat at the head of the bed, pressing gauze onto Ji Ruan’s ankle wound.
“I mean, you’ve really been wanting to get rid of your little brother, right?” Ji Ruan teased. “You say it’s to help me, but you have your own motives, too.”
Gu Xiuyi chuckled lightly. “I can send him away anytime I want.”
“But it can’t be like today where you’re cursing while getting rid of him, right?”
Ji Ruan removed the ice pack and sat up, propping his chin up to look at Gu Xiuyi. “If it were the usual way, with your stepmother’s difficulties, wouldn’t you need to fake a smile and cater to them for a long time? How could today be so straightforward?”
Gu Xiuyi curled his lips slightly but didn’t respond.
If he didn’t answer, Ji Ruan would keep staring at him until he felt exposed.
Gu Xiuyi sighed. “So how do you feel about this?”
Ji Ruan didn’t think deeply, casually saying, “I think it’s alright, actually. With his intelligence, even if he joins the company, he wouldn’t make much of a splash; it’s mainly just annoying—having someone you dislike under your nose every day, who wouldn’t find that disgusting?”
Gu Xiuyi laughed at Ji Ruan’s choice of words, tapping his pristine little leg with his index finger. “Your wording is crude.”
He only used one index finger to tap Ji Ruan’s leg, carrying an inexplicable suggestive meaning.
Ji Ruan instinctively shrank back, but Gu Xiuyi naturally held his ankle to keep him from moving.
“Ahem,” Ji Ruan scratched his nose. “Actually, I’m a bit worried…”
Gu Xiuyi raised his eyes, signaling him to continue.
“It’s just…” Ji Ruan hesitated. “What if that mother-and-son duo thinks you’re sending him away because you’re afraid of that little brat’s talent? Wouldn’t that be more disgusting?”
Gu Xiuyi paused, his jaw tightening as he appeared genuinely repulsed.
His stepmother likely thought this way. She would rather believe that all men in the world were dead than to admit that her son wasn’t smart.
“Let’s stop talking about this,” Gu Xiuyi let out a breath, his expression becoming serious as he looked at Ji Ruan’s ankle. “This wound doesn’t seem right; why isn’t the bleeding stopping?”
Ji Ruan stretched his neck to look. Gu Xiuyi had already used several pieces of gauze, and the amount of bleeding was a bit exaggerated compared to the shallow depth of the wound, but it wasn’t too much.
“It’s fine,” Ji Ruan pouted. “I probably tore it open again while showering; a band-aid will do.”
Gu Xiuyi remained noncommittal but carefully examined the small wound. It was indeed very small and shallow; it seemed just that Ji Ruan’s constitution didn’t allow for quick healing.
“Even if it was for venting your anger, you shouldn’t hurt yourself,” Gu Xiuyi said while applying a band-aid.
“It was truly an accident,” Ji Ruan hugged his teddy bear and said, “I was aiming at your brother, and it went pretty far. Who knew how the shattered glass flew over?”
He sighed deeply. “Perhaps harming others ultimately harms oneself; I really can’t do evil in the future, I can’t be a bad person.”
“You’re quite self-aware,” Gu Xiuyi crossed his arms and leaned against the wooden desk at the foot of the bed. “But they were the ones who did wrong first; what kind of bad person are you, little friend?”
As he said this, he moved a little closer, examining Ji Ruan’s face that was pressed against the teddy bear’s belly, teasingly curling his lips.
“You—you’re at most just a jinx.”