CHAPTER 147: CHAPTER 147: I ABSOLUTELY WON’T LET ANYONE BULLY HER

Tang Xiaobai squinted at him for a moment, then grinned, "You’re anxious, you’re anxious."

Wei Sui: ...

"Hey? You little girl!" Wei Sui huffed and rolled up his sleeves, stepping forward.

After just one step, he suddenly heard a "snap," like a thunderclap in his ear.

He instinctively stopped, then saw a long whip strike the ground two or three steps ahead, leaving a half-finger-deep groove in the soil.

"Huh?" Tang Xiaobai ran over to look at the long whip that the little ancestor had yet to retract, "Where did this come from?"

The black whip was made of some unknown material, looking plain at first glance, but upon closer inspection, the whip tip was adorned with barbs.

A bit fierce...

Tang Xiaobai was surprised as she glanced at the boy’s cold face under the green jade mask, but when he met her gaze, he smiled slightly, softening considerably.

"It’s a gift from Miss Tang."

Wei Sui was about to angrily scold him, pointing, but upon hearing the words "Miss Tang," he suddenly calmed down, staring steadfastly at the whip.

"Sister?" Tang Xiaobai was surprised.

It wasn’t Tang Ziqian who gave it?

Their Miss Tang never had a pleasant expression towards the little ancestor, yet she gifted something? Could it be she thought the whip gave the little ancestor prestige?

"Miss Tang instructed me to use it to protect Second Miss." Li Mu answered while coiling the long whip around his hand.

In front of outsiders, he didn’t mention that Li Xingyuan first gifted the whip to Tang Jiaojiao, and Jiaojiao immediately gave it to him.

Tang Xiaobai admired the whip for a while, then turned to see Wei Sui in a daze, and laughed, "I didn’t say it was your doing, but isn’t it too much of a coincidence we meet so often?"

Wei Sui snorted lightly, nodding, "It is such a coincidence—" his tone clearly cut off as if stopping mid-sentence.

"What? Did something come to mind?" Tang Xiaobai asked upon seeing this.

Wei Sui shook his head, "No, just thought it’s quite a coincidence..."

Tang Xiaobai glanced at him suspiciously and asked, "On the day my cousin Gu was in danger, did you notice anything unusual? Like strange smells or colors?"

She couldn’t shake the feeling that the hunting dogs targeting Gu Wan had some guidance.

But since the Gu family couldn’t find any "guidance," it was likely erased.

She also asked Gu Wan, who hadn’t noticed anything.

When she asked Wei Sui, he noticeably paused before decisively shaking his head, "No, I didn’t notice a thing!"

Tang Xiaobai: ...

If he hadn’t been so decisive, Tang Xiaobai might still have believed him somewhat.

As it turns out, Gu Wan’s danger was indeed plotted, and Wei Sui knew something but wouldn’t tell.

This made her suspect Duke Zheng’s Mansion.

With Wei Sui’s qualifications, he obviously isn’t a match for Gu Wan.

Could that be the reason...

"Can I go now?" Wei Sui asked pitifully.

"Go, go!" Tang Xiaobai waved her hand.

Watching him dash off with his bookbag, she suddenly felt like a school bully.

...

Even school bullies need to go home after picking on classmates.

Tang Xiaobai, with her little muscle, followed behind Wei Sui as they headed out.

Before they exited the academy gates, they saw someone anxiously pacing there.

Upon closer look, it was Wei Sui’s attendant.

Upon seeing Wei Sui, the attendant quickly ran up, whispered a few words in his ear.

"Why didn’t you say earlier!" Wei Sui shouted, threw his bookbag to the attendant, and ran off.

By the time Tang Xiaobai went out, even his shadow was gone.

"What did they say just now?" Tang Xiaobai asked the attendants waiting at the Duke Yan Mansion’s entrance.

Everyone shook their heads.

Only Mo Ji, standing farthest, folded his arms coolly and said, "Duchess Zheng asked someone to go to the Gu family to propose marriage for Wei the Thirteenth Brother—"

...

"It really has nothing to do with me!" Wei Sui said pathetically, "I told my mom before, I didn’t want it—"

"My cousin can’t match you?" Tang Xiaobai became unhappy.

"No, no!" Wei Sui quickly waved his hand, "It’s me who can’t match Third Miss Gu!" He sighed, "And besides, I already have someone I like—"

"Stop! Don’t say it!" Tang Xiaobai quickly interrupted.

Having spent time together recently, she knew that Wei Sui liked their Miss Tang.

With Miss Tang’s beauty and many admirers, having one more Wei Sui wasn’t unusual.

But now, with the Wei family just having proposed to the Gu family, if he mentioned liking Miss Tang, she thought Miss Tang might kill him.

Wei Sui also promptly closed his mouth, cautiously looked around, and seeing no one nearby, sighed in relief, and continued to complain, "I don’t know what my mom is thinking, even if I had dogged luck and saved Third Miss Gu once, she wouldn’t like me!" He perked up to reassure Tang Xiaobai, "But don’t worry, next time I’ll definitely keep a close watch and not let it happen again!"

In proposals, typically visiting three times demonstrates sincerity.

The first visit, even if the woman agrees, she politely considers it.

But if she disagrees, her attitude is more firm.

So if they don’t go again, it’s generally assumed the woman refused.

But if Duke Zheng’s Mansion indeed schemed against Gu Wan, can Wei Sui stop it?

Sure enough, three days later, Duke Zheng’s Mansion visited the Gu Mansion for the second time—

...

"This time... it really is my fault..." Before Tang Xiaobai could tell him to "stay after school," Wei Sui voluntarily confessed.

"Third Miss Gu is truly pitiable..."

Starting with this, Wei Sui recounted Gu Wan’s early loss of her mother, her father’s remarriage, her stepmother’s mistreatment, stepsister’s bullying, and other misfortunes, leaving Tang Xiaobai doubting life.

"... even her own brother is busy studying and socializing—"

"Wait!" Tang Xiaobai finally called to stop, "Where did you hear these rumors?"

"I saw it with my own eyes!" Wei Sui declared confidently, "That day at the incense shop, Fourth Miss Gu didn’t show Third Miss Gu any respect at all!"

Fourth Miss Gu was Princess Puan’s child, always raised at the Princess Mansion, and being only a year older than Tang Xiaobai, indeed more arrogant than other Gu family girls.

But to say she bullied Gu Wan... Tang Xiaobai hadn’t seen it or heard of it.

"My cousin, she once stabbed a hunting dog to death with a hairpin." Tang Xiaobai reminded.

Gu Wan wasn’t a pushover, and not easy to bully.

"That was Third Miss Gu’s bravery in a crisis, but she’s too kind towards family." Wei Sui said with pity.

Tang Xiaobai was silent for a moment, then asked, "Is that why you plan to marry her?"

Wei Sui nodded, "If she marries into our family, I’ll make sure no one bullies her!"

Tang Xiaobai wanted to say, if Gu Wan married into your family, it’d only be her bullying others!

"But don’t you already have someone you like—"

"Stop!" Wei Sui interrupted this time, "Don’t say it!" His expression serious, "It would be fatal!"

"However—" Wei Sui shyly smiled, "This is just my own wishful thinking, I don’t even know if Third Miss Gu would be willing..."