Seeing Gu Xi ignore them and coldly go upstairs, Chen Yunsheng glanced at the angry Gu Yuanxiang, feeling a bit awkward.
Today, she had come to the Gu Family to discuss with Gu Yuanxiang about going to the Baihuo Building tomorrow to buy a birthday gift for her mother, but unexpectedly, Gu Xi suddenly returned.
Chen Yunsheng was a girl from the Cadres’ Compound. Her father was the Director of the Logistics Department, and her mother was an Officer at the Garment Factory.
There weren’t many children in her family—only an older brother. Although she was a girl, her parents and brother all spoiled her dearly; she had grown up cherished.
She had known Gu Yuanxiang since childhood and they grew up together, developing a good friendship.
Naturally, she was well aware of the situation in the Gu Family. Even though she knew Gu Yuanxiang was not a biological daughter of the Gu Family, her attitude never changed; she treated her as a close sister, and they often played together.
Chen Yunsheng was not familiar with Gu Xi, but she felt some sympathy for the matter of Gu Xi being switched at birth.
These past few days she had heard that Gu Xi was not at home, so she never expected to run into her today. She originally wanted to greet her, but Gu Xi didn’t even look at her.
Previously, when she came, Gu Xi, though quiet, had always been quite polite—not as cold as she was today.
Her parents often said it’s best not to meddle in other families’ affairs.
Sensing that something was off between the two Gu sisters, she hesitated and decided not to ask anything. Seeing Gu Yuanxiang’s angry expression, she thought for a moment and said, “Yuanxiang, I’ll go first. I’ll come find you again tomorrow.”
Gu Yuanxiang forced a smile, feeling a bit wronged, and couldn’t help but say, “Yunsheng, Xi Xi, she…”
“Hmm?”
Gu Yuanxiang swallowed her words. She knew that if she revealed that Gu Xi had hit someone, even though Chen Yunsheng wasn’t a gossip, her parents would surely be upset.
***
Not long after Chen Yunsheng left, Gu Yuanhui returned.
Upon learning that Gu Xi was back, his expression changed, full of hostility. He stormed upstairs.
Gu Yuanxiang hurried after him, knowing from his expression that Gu Xi was in for trouble. It had always been like this before—whenever Gu Yuanhui targeted Gu Xi, she ended up miserable and tormented.
Feeling conflicted, she wasn’t sure whether to intervene. If Yuanhui went too far, their parents would get angry…
While she hesitated, things escalated far beyond her expectations.
Gu Yuanhui had just stepped inside when a book suddenly hit him in the face. The sharp smack was unmistakably painful, and his face would likely swell again.
The last time Gu Xi punched Gu Yuanhui in the face, his swelling lasted for days, to the point that he dared not go outside. Just when the marks had finally faded, another book strike happened.
Gu Yuanxiang was displeased. She considered herself a civilized person; no matter how angry, hitting others was unacceptable.
She glanced toward Gu Xi in the room, about to speak, when she saw her holding several books torn to shreds, standing there coldly watching them.
When Gu Xi’s gaze fell on the mess in the room, somehow she suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
Then Gu Xi said, “Who messed up my room?”
Gu Yuanxiang stayed silent. Gu Yuanhui was still crouching on the floor, holding his face and hadn’t recovered yet.
But Gu Xi obviously had no patience. She placed the torn books on the table, walked over, and kicked Gu Yuanhui aside, who was still crouched by the door.
Her dark eyes locked onto Gu Yuanxiang as she coldly demanded, “Speak!”
Gu Yuanxiang was stunned, her body stiffened, and she stammered, “I-it was…”
It was Gu Yuanhui who had done it. At the time, the family was around, and no one stopped him. Jiang Huijun had only made a few remarks, letting him be.
After all, Gu Yuanhui had been hit by her, and since she wasn’t around, he needed to vent. Breaking the room wasn’t a big deal.
Yet, facing Gu Xi now, she inexplicably felt afraid and couldn’t bring herself to speak.
Gu Xi’s expression was calm, almost indifferent, as if they were strangers rather than family who had lived together for five years.
Not to mention her earlier actions—throwing books at Gu Yuanhui and kicking him to the ground.
She was actually hitting people again!
Clearly, she didn’t consider Gu Yuanhui her brother.
Suddenly, Gu Yuanxiang saw Gu Yuanhui’s face twist in rage as he jumped up and charged at Gu Xi.
Gu Xi was knocked forward but caught herself by grabbing the doorframe, then spun around and slapped him hard.
Gu Yuanhui flew back to the ground, dizzy and stunned.
“Yuanhui!”
Gu Yuanxiang screamed in fright.
Gu Xi grabbed Gu Yuanhui and started swinging punches at him wildly.
She hit without any technique, like a rural woman beating someone—striking the fleshy parts, pulling handfuls of hair, ripping out a large clump.
Gu Yuanhui howled, tears and snot streaming down his face, crying uncontrollably.
In all his life, this was the first time Gu Yuanhui had been hit—not by parents or brothers, but by the “older sister” he always looked down on.
Gu Yuanxiang stared dumbfounded at the scene, terrified, wanting to stop her but too afraid to intervene lest she be hit too.
She could only shrink back at the doorway, begging, “Stop, stop hitting him…”
Finally, Gu Xi stopped and dropped the sobbing Gu Yuanhui on the floor.
Gu Yuanxiang crouched nearby, tense and bewildered, watching Gu Xi leave the room and felt a moment’s relief.
But that relief was premature.
When the noise from the next room began, a bad feeling gnawed at her heart.
Gu Yuanhui was still crying, sniffling with a bruised face and a bald patch on his scalp.
The commotion next door was loud enough that he heard it and realized it was his room.
He struggled to get up, wiped his tears and snot, and hurried over.
When they arrived, they saw Gu Xi going berserk inside.
She overturned the wardrobe, then the bed, followed by the desk, chair, shelves, and some toys Gu Yuanhui had collected.
Even a radio crashed to the floor with a sharp crack, shattering instantly.
In moments, the entire room looked like a typhoon had passed through—utter chaos.
Gu Yuanhui exploded in rage, shouting, “What are you doing?”
Gu Xi stomped on a white shirt lying on the floor, leaving a huge footprint.
She looked up at him and said, “You smashed my room, so I smashed yours.”
Gu Yuanhui twisted his face in pain and fury but didn’t dare attack her, fearing retaliation.
A few days ago, when she hit him, he hadn’t had time to defend himself.
But after this beating, he finally understood he couldn’t win.
Gu Xi was too strong for a woman.
No wonder she grew up working on a farm in the countryside, carrying manure—the strength of a peasant woman.
After wrecking the room, Gu Xi walked toward them.
The two at the door instinctively stepped back, huddling together, afraid she might hit them next.
But Gu Xi didn’t move toward them; instead, she went into another room and started smashing things there too.
Gu Yuanxiang was terrified but mustered courage to ask, “What are you doing? That’s Second Brother’s room. He didn’t wreck your room!”
Gu Xi ignored her and continued the rampage.
Soon, Gu Yuanhui’s room was also a total mess.
Most obvious were his clothes, pulled to the floor and stomped on several times.
Then she went to Gu Yuanxiang’s room.
This time, Gu Yuanxiang panicked, wanting to stop her but afraid of being hit, so she could only say plaintively, “Xi Xi, don’t do this. I didn’t mess up your room…”
Gu Yuanhui clenched his fists, also unwilling to intervene.
In the past, if Gu Xi bullied Gu Yuanxiang, he would retaliate for her sake, even if she was wrong.
He simply disliked Gu Xi, hated her return, and resented how she disrupted the family.
She made Gu Yuanxiang’s position awkward and turned the Gu Family into a joke in the Cadres’ Compound.
So he had always teased and tormented her, trying to drive her away.
But after just being beaten, Gu Xi’s punches hurt terribly, leaving him in a daze.
Being hit was painful.
Those men who said if a woman didn’t listen, you had to hit her until she did—was this what they meant?
Gu Xi ignored them and pushed open the door, entering a fairly large and warmly decorated girl’s room.
Every item inside reflected the family’s love and care.
The room faced south and was the best in the house, except for the bedroom of Gu Maowen and his wife.
Sounds of smashing continued inside.
Gu Yuanxiang and Gu Yuanhui stood anxiously at the door, both too upset and afraid to intervene.
They both thought Gu Xi had lost her mind.
Actually, since she started hitting people a few days ago, she had been unhinged.
But why she had gone mad, no one knew.
Anger, fury, fear, and panic overwhelmed them, leaving them at a loss.
After wrecking three rooms in a row, Gu Xi finally stopped.
She walked toward the two siblings huddled in the corner and reached out to grab Gu Yuanhui.
At sixteen, Gu Yuanhui was already a big teenager, even taller than Gu Xi.
Yet somehow, being pulled by her like this made him feel like a weak chick.
When she dragged him in front of her, he thought she was going to hit him again, and fear welled up in his heart.
He instinctively raised his hands to shield his head.
Gu Xi dragged him into her room and pushed him inside.
“Clean up my room,” her voice calm and cold as ice.
“If it’s not done well, I’ll hit you.”
Gu Yuanhui: “……”
He wanted to refuse with pride, to resist her tyranny.
But after the earlier beating, he was scared.
With no parents or brothers at home to stop her, he feared another beating.
So he clenched his teeth and started tidying.
Gu Yuanxiang crouched nearby, watching Gu Xi stand by the door, her gaze sharp and intimidating.
She nervously said, “Xi Xi, I—I’ll help too…”
Gu Yuanxiang cautiously moved inside to help clean.
There weren’t many things in Gu Xi’s room, so the cleanup was quick.
Finally, only scraps of torn paper scattered on the floor remained.
Because the paper was too scattered, it was hard to pick up by hand and needed a broom.
Gu Yuanxiang went to get a broom to sweep.
“Clothes you step on must be washed clean,” Gu Xi said from the doorway.
“Gu Yuanhui, you go wash the clothes.”
Gu Yuanhui replied, “I don’t know how.”
As the youngest son, he’d never done laundry before and had no idea how.
“Then learn,” Gu Xi said coldly.
“If it’s not clean, I’ll hit you.”
Gu Yuanhui was both angry and scared, so he had no choice but to take her clothes to wash.
Once Gu Yuanhui finished washing and the room was clean, Gu Xi still wasn’t satisfied.
She said, “I might overlook other things, but my books were torn. You have to compensate me.”
She cherished her books dearly, handling them carefully to avoid creasing.
Since childhood, she had envied kids who could attend school.
As the eldest daughter in her foster family, who favored boys, she was expected to do chores and care for younger siblings.
Going to school was impossible.
When she returned to the Gu Family and learned she could attend school—even if it meant squeezing in with a bunch of elementary kids—she was willing to endure the embarrassment just to study.
Having worked hard once, she had intended to treat the Gu Family like strangers.
But seeing her treasured books torn unleashed a surge of rage from deep inside, overwhelming her control.
Gu Yuanxiang cautiously asked, “How much compensation do you want?”
Gu Yuanhui dared not speak.
He didn’t want to pay, but as always, afraid of being hit, he couldn’t refuse.
Yet he had no money now—how could he pay?
Did she really want to hit him again?