Gu Rong, who had been lying on the ground, was pulled up by Gu Wenlin. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, looking utterly disheveled.
However, he finally understood why he had been beaten—it was all because of that damned woman!
“Xu Yan, think carefully before you speak!” Gu Rong glared at Xu Yan, then turned to Gu Bai. “Fourth Brother, if this woman doesn’t tell the truth, don’t hold back on my account. Just beat her, not me! Consider this your second brother begging you!”
Seeing Gu Rong’s cowardly demeanor, Ruan Tong couldn’t help but feel speechless.
Then again, he had just been beaten up by his wife yesterday and was still bruised, and today he got a severe beating from Fourth Brother because of his wife again. He really was unlucky!
Xu Yan rolled her eyes and snorted, “What is there to say? Your wife is fooling around outside, and instead of dealing with her, you’re taking it out on us?!”
Hearing this, Gu Qin, who had been hiding in the old couple’s room, couldn’t hold back any longer. She rushed out, pointing at Xu Yan and saying:
“Second Sister-in-law, dare you deny that you conspired with others today to harm Fourth Sister-in-law and the child in her womb? You even tried to get me to trick Fourth Sister-in-law into going out, didn’t you?”
Gu Qin’s words caused an uproar.
The neighbors immediately began chattering and gossiping.
“So it’s Gu Lao’er’s wife who’s jealous of others.”
“What kind of grudge is this, to do something so vicious!”
“Gu Lao’er must have had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to marry such a black-hearted woman.”
Seeing that the situation was turning increasingly against her, Xu Yan decided to throw caution to the wind. “I never said that, nor did I order anyone to do this. Gu Qin, you’re just a child. Why are you framing me?”
Ruan Tong noticed that Gu Bai had lost his temper tonight. At this point, he had already beaten Gu Rong, and Gu Qin had come forward to accuse Xu Yan. However, without evidence, Xu Yan remained unyielding, like a dead pig unfazed by boiling water.
The situation had reached a stalemate.
“It’s getting late. Let’s go to the police station tomorrow and ask the officers to help investigate this matter,” Ruan Tong suggested.
Gu Bai looked down at Ruan Tong and noticed she had only worn thin clothes when she came out. Frowning slightly, he immediately took off his jacket and wrapped it around her slender frame, enveloping her in its warmth.
“Alright, I’ll go first thing tomorrow morning,” Gu Bai said. After bidding farewell to the old couple, he took Ruan Tong back to their room.
As soon as they entered the room, Gu Bai tightly wrapped his arms around the person in front of him. Ruan Tong stiffened in shock, frozen in place.
A hoarse voice whispered in her ear, “Are you cold? You should have worn more.”
“Fourth Brother… just now… did you lose control?” Ruan Tong gradually relaxed as she regained her composure, asking with some concern.
This time, it was Gu Bai who froze.
Yes, he had almost lost control earlier!
Ruan Tong lowered her beautiful eyes, thinking that Gu Bai likely suffered from stress-related disorders. However, his symptoms were relatively mild, and unless provoked, he was no different from usual.
Yet, considering his resistance to discussing the origins of the two children and how he reacted whenever others mentioned his time in the military, Ruan Tong couldn’t help but suspect something.
In her previous life, she hadn’t achieved much expertise in the fields of psychology and mental illness, so she didn’t dare make any bold claims. She thought she should find some time to return to the Space clinic and look through the materials, then develop a treatment plan for Gu Bai.
Having made up her mind, Ruan Tong looked up at him and comforted, “Fourth Brother, let the past be in the past! What matters now is that we live our lives well, raise the children, and get your leg treated, right?”
Looking at Ruan Tong’s bright smile, Gu Bai’s tense heart seemed to be soothed, finally relaxing a little.
Yes, there were still many responsibilities for him to bear in the present. He shouldn’t remain dispirited; he couldn’t let down even more people.
“Are you alright?” Gu Bai voiced his concern.
“Just a bit scared.” Ruan Tong instantly transformed into a docile and delicate little kitten, her captivating peach blossom eyes glistening with tears as she gazed innocently at Gu Bai. “Fortunately, that man thought I was weak and easy to bully, which lowered his guard and gave me the chance to knock him out.”
As for how she knocked him out, she’d let Gu Bai figure that out himself.
For example, the large stick Ruan Tong was holding when they ran over.
Even so, when Gu Bai remembered the thin, dark, and lecherous man who had coveted his wife, his inner rage became hard to suppress.
A moment later, Ruan Tong realized that the two of them had been holding each other ever since they entered the room, and her face instantly flushed bright red.
“What’s wrong?” Gu Bai frowned, reaching out to touch her forehead. “You’re a bit warm. Do you have a fever?”
Ruan Tong quickly pushed him away, putting some distance between them. “Um, Fourth Brother, let’s go to bed early. We have to go to the station first thing tomorrow morning.”
Only when she left his embrace did Gu Bai notice that he had been holding Ruan Tong just now, yet he felt no sense of rejection or resistance at all.
Instead, now that the soft, delicate figure had slipped from his arms, he felt inexplicably empty inside.
His deep and refined brows slightly furrowed as he glanced in Ruan Tong’s direction, only to find her undressing. He immediately averted his gaze.
Just then, Ruan Tong called out to him, “Fourth Brother, it’s getting late. You should go to bed soon too.”
Gu Bai turned his back to her, walked to the table, picked up a cup, and gulped down several mouthfuls of water before speaking. “How about I sleep on the bed tonight? That way, it’ll be easier to take care of you.”
Ruan Tong raised an eyebrow, giving Gu Bai a half-smiling look. “No need to trouble yourself, Fourth Brother.”
With that, she sprawled boldly in the middle of the bed, clearly leaving no Space for him to sleep.
Hmph, did he think he could just sleep on her bed whenever he wanted?
Gu Bai rubbed his nose and sighed deeply in his heart.
This little girl really held a grudge against him.
Early the next morning, Gu Bai and Gu Wenlin went to the town police station together.
Before they even asked much, Daniu was so frightened that he confessed everything.
It was originally a situation where Ruan Tong was certain to die.
But no one expected that the little boy next door, Erdan, upon seeing Ruan Tong walking deep into the fields with a strange man, immediately ran back to the fields to inform Gu Bai, allowing the group to arrive just in time.
Even more unexpected was that Ruan Tong possessed astonishing fighting skills, not only protecting her child but also preserving her innocence.
A combination of luck and strength allowed her to turn the tables against all odds.
When the father and son returned to the Gu family, their faces were grim, one looking worse than the other.
At that moment, Ruan Tong was sunbathing in the yard, resting her chin on her hand as she watched the two children playing hopscotch.
“Dad, Fourth Brother, you’re back?” Ruan Tong was about to stand up when a warm, large hand grasped hers.
“Come with me.” Gu Bai pulled her toward his room.
At that moment, Wu Minzhen came out of the house and, seeing the young couple holding hands, smiled with relief. “Old Fourth and Tongtong’s relationship is getting better and better.”
Gu Wenlin sighed. “Yes!”
Hearing his sigh, Wu Minzhen asked somewhat puzzled, “What’s wrong, old man? Didn’t you figure things out?”
Gu Wenlin shook his head, full of disapproval. “On the way back, Old Fourth said he wants to divide the family property. The young couple must have gone back to their room to discuss it.”