CHAPTER 145: CHAPTER 145: TOO SAVAGE

When the three siblings arrived at the second branch of the Gu family, Gu Wan was sitting quietly, holding a cup of warm drink.

Her face was somewhat pale, but there was no sign of alarm. She lowered her eyes, appearing more composed than anyone around her.

"What exactly happened?" Tang Jiaojiao asked.

Her voice was crisp, like the sound of jade pieces clinking together, distinct even amidst the surrounding chatter.

Gu Wan seemed to have heard her voice and looked up.

The children of the Gu family were all blessed with good looks, the sons gentle and refined, the daughters clear and graceful.

Gu Wan’s looks were among the best of her generation in the Gu family.

Not only was she graceful and elegant, but Tang Xiaobai especially liked her eyes, which held a kind of determination within their softness.

Like now, Gu Wan lifted her head amidst the crowd, her gaze clear and bright.

She looked at Tang Jiaojiao with clear, bright eyes.

Then she smiled slightly and said, "I’m fine, sorry for making Jiaojiao and Xiaobai take this trip."

Saying "I’m fine" was just to reassure people; someone else soon recounted the incident that had occurred not long ago.

Today was the day for Gu Wan’s monthly visit to pay respects at Princess Puan’s Mansion.

On her way back to the Gu residence in the afternoon, two fierce dogs suddenly charged at her carriage out of nowhere.

Between the Gu Mansion and Princess Puan’s Mansion, it was a bustling main road, and Gu Wan didn’t have many attendants with her, so there was no way to fend off two half-man-tall fierce dogs.

As with many dramatic rescues, a hero appeared in this moment of crisis—

"Wei the Thirteenth Brother?" Tang Xiaobai almost thought he misheard, "Was it Wei Sui?"

At the mention of this name, everyone present, even those who had already heard the story once, fell silent for a moment.

In the silence, Gu Wan let out a soft laugh and nodded, "It was indeed Young Master Wei who saved me. Could Aunt please send a calling card on behalf of your niece to Duke Zheng’s Mansion? I’d like to personally visit to express my gratitude some other day."

Eldest Aunt Gu nodded.

Wei Sui didn’t exactly have the reputation of a hero, but it was indeed he who saved Gu Wan.

Since Gu Wan was uninjured and appeared unshaken, after a few words of concern, everyone noticed her weary expression and took their leave.

"Brother—" Gu Wan called softly.

Gu Yuan stopped in his tracks.

"Why don’t you stay and keep Ah Weng company."

After all, they were twin siblings, wanting the company of the closest person when something happened.

Everyone left with a sense of emotion.

When only the brother and sister were left in the room, Gu Wan whispered, "Brother, help me..."

...

"Something’s not right about this whole thing..." Tang Xiaobai said.

"You think something’s off too?" Tang Jiaojiao glanced over.

"Sister, speak properly!" Tang Xiaobai frowned.

Tang Jiaojiao snorted lightly, "It’s definitely not right! Someone like Wei the Thirteenth Brother, who is a complete mess, acting heroically to save someone?"

"Wei the Thirteenth isn’t that bad!" Tang Xiaobai argued.

Although she too was surprised when she first heard about it, after thinking it over carefully, it didn’t seem all that unexpected.

It’s true that Wei Sui was known as a notorious playboy in the Capital City, but after spending a few months together at the academy, Tang Xiaobai felt that besides being uneducated, unambitious, tasteless, and a bit lewd, Wei Sui really didn’t have major issues.

At least from what she could see so far, his character wasn’t problematic, and he had a good temper.

In critical moments, the way a person reacts is hard to predict with common logic.

But Big Sister seemed to have interacted with Wei Sui and had a poor impression of him. Mentioning him, she showed a face of disdain: "If I encountered such a situation, I would rather fight the dogs myself than be saved by someone like him!"

Tang Xiaobai sighed, "Sister, mind your words, Wei Sui is now Cousin Wanwan’s lifesaver."

Tang Jiaojiao sneered with disdain, "So what do you think is not right?"

Tang Xiaobai’s gaze deepened, and she said, "Our academy dismisses at the seventh moment of the afternoon, and Wei Sui’s home is in Shengye Village. At most he should be home by the first moment of the evening; how could he have been in Yankang Village by then?"

...

"Why couldn’t I only arrive in Yankang Village by the first moment of the evening?" Wei Sui slammed the table as he spoke, "Isn’t it because you betrayed me, causing Senior Brother Pei to keep me back to recite lessons!"

Tang Xiaobai thought back and realized there might have been such an incident.

Wei Sui had told her that Pei Xuan didn’t like people from Duke Yan Mansion. As soon as she spoke to Pei Xuan, he guessed it was from Wei Sui.

"I didn’t expect Senior Brother Pei to retaliate against you," Tang Xiaobai shook her head repeatedly, "So petty, not fitting of a gentleman."

Wei Sui glanced behind her and chuckled, "I didn’t say that!"

Tang Xiaobai turned to see Pei Xuan approaching, led by a servant from the Wei Family.

It was uncertain whether he heard her, but these people were particularly good at concealing everything on their faces.

Pei Xuan nodded slightly at Tang Xiaobai and asked Wei Sui, "How’s the injury?"

Wei Sui grimaced and said, "It hurts!"

Tang Xiaobai was puzzled, "You’re complaining to a young girl like me; doesn’t it hurt your pride?"

Wei Sui glared at her, "Go and get bitten twice by two big vicious dogs, then come back and talk to me about pride!"

Tang Xiaobai timidly retreated two steps to Little Ancestor’s side, "You, you got bitten by vicious dogs?" Could it cause rabies?

Wei Sui laughed in exasperation, "Yes! Not only was I bitten, but tomorrow I’ll turn into a vicious dog and bite you!"

Li Mu pulled the young girl behind him for protection, reassuring, "No bites; his injuries are from his own falls."

Wei Sui was displeased, "Did you see it firsthand? On what grounds do you say that?"

"Many people saw it firsthand," Li Mu stated.

Many indeed saw that the two fierce dogs were only fixated on pouncing towards Gu Wan’s carriage, not attacking Wei Sui.

Gu Wan was considered the most distinctively positioned daughter in the Gu family, and given such an incident, a thorough investigation was necessary.

Coincidence could be one thing, but if someone was plotting behind the scenes...

"I heard those two fierce dogs ran out from Xiao’er Workshop?" Tang Xiaobai asked.

Xiao’er Workshop was specifically for breeding and training hunting animals for the Emperor, such as eagles, hawks, and even hunting dogs and leopards.

This time, it was hunting dogs that had escaped.

"Xiao’er Workshop?" Wei Sui seemed to be hearing about it for the first time, widening his eyes, "The hunting dogs there are carnivorous! What’s everyone doing? How could dogs from Xiao’er Workshop escape? If they pounced on a girl..." He looked genuinely frightened.

"Didn’t expect you to be so brave!" Tang Xiaobai remarked.

Wei Sui also remarked, "I didn’t expect it either... But your cousin was also quite formidable, she even personally stabbed one to death—" mimicked taking something off his head, "—with a hairpin!"

Tang Xiaobai was stunned for a moment and quickly asked, "She personally stabbed it? I thought it was all your doing?" She hadn’t heard this part at the Gu family.

"The first one was stabbed by her, and after seeing that, I took her hairpin and killed the other one," Wei Sui shook his head, muttering, "Too fierce..."

...

Third Miss Gu had already visited in person to express her gratitude, and today, Second Miss Tang came as a classmate to pay a visit.

After seeing Tang Jiaojiao and Tang Xiao off, Pei Xuan turned back to look at Wei Sui basking in the sun in the courtyard, his eyes narrowing slightly as he asked a question.

Wei Sui frowned, thought for a moment, his face changed, and he nodded.