The two locked eyes.
Lin Wan blinked lightly. So he had already woken up—and had even gotten a close-up view of her acting performance just now…
She carefully thought back to her performance. It had been pretty good, if she did say so herself. Especially that tearful, pitiful expression, like a pear blossom bathed in rain—she had absolutely nailed it. Even without a mirror in front of her, she knew she must have looked utterly captivating.
With that thought, Lin Wan felt reassured. She immediately looked at Gu Zhixing with concern.
“How are you feeling now? Is there anywhere that hurts?”
Not a trace of embarrassment appeared on her face. She had already pinched him, so what good would being embarrassed do? The word embarrassment simply didn’t exist in her dictionary.
Gu Zhixing fell silent for a moment. His expression became even more complicated than before as he spoke in a hoarse, low voice.
“Could you put me down first?”
Their current position was simply too awkward. Since he could remember, he had never been carried by anyone before—let alone in such an intimate manner.
Lin Wan glanced at his pale face and didn’t refuse. Looking up, she saw Old Madam Wu still crying and wailing in the courtyard. Judging by how energetic she sounded after crying for so long, she could probably keep going for quite a while.
Without saying anything, Lin Wan turned around and carried Gu Zhixing into the house.
The room was a complete mess after Old Madam Wu’s rampage. Lin Wan carefully set Gu Zhixing down beside the bed, straightened the bedding, and only then helped him lie down. Her movements were gentle and cautious.
She had already checked his pulse earlier. Although he was awake now, his physical condition was genuinely terrible. At the moment, Gu Zhixing was like a fragile porcelain doll that needed careful handling.
Faced with her attentive care, the look in Gu Zhixing’s eyes became even more complicated. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end remained silent.
She had already brought him home. Whatever he wanted to say now seemed too late. Besides, with all the noise outside, this wasn’t the time for a conversation.
Just then, Old Madam Wu’s wailing suddenly stopped.
Halfway through her performance, she had realized that Lin Wan had disappeared.
There were still plenty of spectators in the courtyard, but what was the point of crying if the main character wasn’t even there?
Turning toward the house, she immediately launched into a string of curses. The insults were even harsher than before, calling Lin Wan a “worthless girl” and a “money-losing burden” over and over again.
Gu Zhixing couldn’t help frowning.
Yet inside the room, Lin Wan’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. She tucked the blanket around Gu Zhixing and gently instructed him,
“Rest for a while. I’ll come back once I’ve dealt with things outside.”
After all, this was the man she had spent two hundred copper coins to buy. And that face of his was exactly to her taste.
A handsome man like this was a once-in-a-lifetime encounter. In her previous life, she could only admire such beauty through a screen. Now she could appreciate it up close—and maybe, just maybe, there might even be hugs and kisses in the future.
Naturally, she intended to treat him well.
With that, Lin Wan turned and left the room.
Gu Zhixing watched her retreating figure.
Among the things he had overheard in the courtyard, there was plenty of information. Being cursed by her own family in such a vicious manner, yet he hadn’t seen even the slightest trace of sadness on her face.
Although she had acted wronged and disappointed, her eyes had remained perfectly clear.
He had been close enough to see it plainly.
She simply didn’t care about those insults.
And because she didn’t care, she wasn’t hurt by them.
But could someone truly remain unaffected when cursed by their own family?
Gu Zhixing slowly closed his eyes. Fragmented memories flashed through his mind, and a self-mocking smile curved his lips.
Meanwhile, Lin Wan returned to the courtyard.
The moment Old Madam Wu saw her, her combat power instantly doubled. Her shrill curses echoed throughout the small yard.
Lin Wan cut straight to the point.
“Since Grandpa Zhang is here today, he can serve as a witness. From this day forward, my brother Lin Sheng and I will have no further relationship with the Lin family.”
She had already put on the necessary show earlier.
Now her mind was occupied with Gu Zhixing’s condition, and she couldn’t be bothered wasting any more time on Old Madam Wu.
The original Lin Wan had been very close to her younger brother. If she was cutting ties with the family, she naturally had to include him as well. Otherwise, even if the Lin family stopped harassing her, they would simply turn their attention to Lin Sheng, which would be equally troublesome.
Old Madam Wu had been ranting for half the day, only for Lin Wan to emerge and casually drop such a bombshell.
She was stunned.
Lin Wan looked completely serious, not as if she were making empty threats.
Recovering herself, Old Madam Wu pointed at Lin Wan and began cursing again.
“The Lin family raised you all these years, and now you think you can sever ties whenever you want? Dream on!”
In Old Madam Wu’s eyes, Lin Wan and her brother were nothing more than free labor.
Whenever there was dirty or exhausting work to do, she would call the siblings over. Though she despised the girl, Lin Wan was undeniably hardworking.
If Lin Wan cut ties with the family, where would she find such free labor again?
“My father may indeed bear the surname Lin, but he separated from the main Lin family long ago. As for me, I haven’t eaten a single grain of rice from your household since I was born.”
To Lin Wan, Old Madam Wu’s earlier claim that she had painstakingly raised her was nothing short of a joke.
Village Head Zhang nodded in agreement.
“Lin Wan is right. Lin Dashan separated from the old Lin family a long time ago.”
Back then, he had personally witnessed the division of the family property. Aside from this dilapidated house, Old Madam Wu hadn’t given Lin Dashan a single thing.
Everyone in the village knew how biased she was.
The villagers gathered in the courtyard also chimed in, mostly supporting Lin Wan.
It was obvious just how unpopular Old Madam Wu was in the village.
Seeing the village head and so many villagers taking Lin Wan’s side, Old Madam Wu immediately resorted to her usual tantrums again.
“Oh, heavens! How am I supposed to live? My own granddaughter wants to cut ties with me! Aren’t you afraid of being struck by lightning for such unfilial behavior?”
As she resumed her wailing, Lin Wan put on a look of utter despair and turned toward Village Head Zhang.
“Grandpa Zhang, I want to report this to the authorities!”
Her words startled even Village Head Zhang.
“Family matters are difficult for even the fairest officials to judge…”
Walking over to her, he lowered his voice.
“Child, if this reaches the magistrate’s court, it won’t do you any good.”
Most of Qinghe Village knew what kind of person Old Madam Wu was and could understand why Lin Wan wanted to sever ties.
But once the matter reached court, the principle of filial piety would outweigh everything else.
No matter what Old Madam Wu had done, Lin Wan would be condemned first. She might even be beaten with the paddle.
Most importantly, the county magistrate would never approve a formal severing of family ties.
If it truly went to court, Lin Wan would gain nothing and lose everything.
Village Head Zhang quietly explained all of this to her. After all, he had never heard of a family-severance dispute being taken before a magistrate.
Though Old Madam Wu was advanced in years, her hearing remained remarkably sharp.
Even with his lowered voice, she caught every word.
Her narrow eyes immediately lit up.
“Fine! Let’s go to court! I’ll let the entire county see how this heartless little wretch wants to abandon her own grandmother!”
She stopped crying altogether.
Springing up from the ground with surprising agility, she strode toward Lin Wan, intending to drag her straight to the yamen.
This damned girl wanted to sever family ties?
Not a chance!
Today she would make sure the girl handed over every coin she had secretly hidden away.
Watching Old Madam Wu’s eager expression, Lin Wan suddenly smiled.
“Who said I was reporting this to the authorities because of the family-severance matter?”
She paused.
“I’m reporting a thief.”