"Beat you, you unfilial son!" Father Huo stood up and struck forcefully. The onlookers winced just watching.
The kneeling man's face remained unchanged. He looked up, his face full of stubbornness. "I have nothing to do with you!"
"Nothing to do with me?" Father Huo stopped, then gritted his teeth and struck again, his neck turning red. "Then I'll beat you to death and see if we're still unrelated!"
The kneeling man said not a word of pain. He gritted his teeth and endured.
Gu Sisi watched, her heart aching and her nerves on edge. She leaned closer to Huo Cheng.
Huo Cheng pulled Gu Sisi into his arms and comforted her. "If you don't want to watch, we can leave."
Just then, the butler threw himself on the young man and shouted, "Sir, if you're still angry, beat me instead! It's my fault for not teaching him well. I'm definitely to blame."
The butler took the blow, which only enraged Father Huo more. Leaning on his walking stick, he gasped for breath. "Someone! Drag the butler away! I'm going to beat this unfilial son to death today!"
"Sir, please, for my sake, spare him!" the butler pleaded.
Mother Huo also sighed and tried to persuade her husband. "Sir, are you really going to beat him to death today? How can we face our younger sister and her husband then?"
"Yes, sir," a group of servants who had served in the Huo mansion for a long time and knew the whole story knelt down and pleaded.
Father Huo held his walking stick, looking utterly powerless.
"Forget it. Lock him up first!"
With that, he leaned on his walking stick and left. His back suddenly seemed a decade older.
As soon as the two elders left, the young man who had been kneeling suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted.
The butler sat on the ground, panicking as he held the young man in his arms. He shouted in a hurry, "Quick, find a doctor!"
Since the master had just finished punishing the young man, no one dared to move. They just stared at each other.
Two siblings who had been watching the commotion left, disappointed that their plan hadn't worked.
"Go quickly! What are you waiting for?" Huo Cheng led Gu Sisi out. Then he stopped and looked at the others. "If the master blames anyone, I'll take the responsibility."
Only then did someone rush to find a doctor.
Huo Cheng took Gu Sisi back to their room.
Only then did Gu Sisi realize how scared she was. She clung to Huo Cheng's clothes and refused to let go. "If it weren't for you just now, I..."
"It's okay," Huo Cheng patted Gu Sisi on the back, but his eyes were full of solemnity.
If he hadn't arrived in time, before he could clear Gu Sisi's name, she might not be alive now.
"When can we leave?" Gu Sisi asked again. She was really scared of this place.
"I'll arrange it as soon as possible." It wasn't that Huo Cheng wanted to keep Gu Sisi here on purpose. Compared to the outside world, this place was actually safer.
However, there were still some people who were eager to cause trouble.
The two trouble - makers were sitting in the garden, summarizing their first joint plan.
"It seems she's like a cockroach that can't be killed. She managed to escape," the second young master of the Huo family joked.
The elder sister scowled and rolled her eyes. "What cockroach? If the fourth brother wasn't here, she would surely be dead."
The more she talked, the more angry she became. Who would have thought that at the last moment, the fourth brother would turn the tables? And the "knife" they had painstakingly borrowed couldn't be used anymore.
From the very beginning of their plan, they had targeted Xue Zhiyao. They had gone to great lengths to make him target Gu Sisi, but the fourth brother had foiled their plan with just a few words.
Anyone would be angry!
"Shall we continue to cooperate?"
"Why not?" The elder sister was filled with anger. She didn't believe that they couldn't get rid of Gu Sisi.
Gu Sisi had been getting in her way again and again, and as for the fourth brother, the elder sister clenched her fists. She wouldn't let him off either!
Seeing this, her younger brother had a strange smile on his face.
"What are you two talking about?" Suddenly, Huo Cheng emerged from behind a tree.
The two of them were completely caught off guard. They blushed as if they had been choked and couldn't say a word for a long time.
When did he get close? How long had he been listening to their conversation?
They had no idea. The only thing they were sure of was that he meant no good.
The elder sister was the first to react. She raised her eyebrows. "Oh, little brother, aren't you going to accompany your little wife? I heard she was quite frightened today."
Huo Cheng walked over on his own and poured himself a cup of tea.
He took a sip and let out a soft laugh. "I think I'm more at ease with you two. Seeing that you two siblings have a good relationship, I, as the youngest, naturally want to strengthen our family bond."
His words sounded natural but made the other two feel disgusted.
They glanced at each other and turned away in disgust.
What kind of family bond was this?
"I think the fourth brother should just say what he wants to say directly," the second elder brother said with a fake smile.
Huo Cheng didn't want to waste any more time. He got straight to the point. "I think you two understand the rules."
"What do you mean?" the elder sister asked, puzzled.
"Have you forgotten that in the Huo mansion, no one is allowed to take matters into their own hands. Otherwise... do you want me to tell you the consequences?" Huo Cheng stared directly at them, his eyes narrowing slightly.
The threatening aura around him was palpable. The two of them felt extremely uncomfortable. They weren't wrong just now. The fourth brother already suspected them.
The second elder brother lowered his eyes, took a sip of tea, and calmly said, "It seems you're suspecting us?"
Huo Cheng didn't say a word, which was an obvious answer.
"Do you have any evidence?" the elder sister sneered.
She didn't believe that the fourth brother was that capable!
They had prepared so carefully. How could they be caught with evidence?
The second elder brother didn't refute the elder sister's words, even though they were a bit inappropriate. It was as if they were admitting that they were the ones behind it.
He was also very curious. Did the fourth brother have a backup plan?
The smile on Huo Cheng's lips grew wider. He said softly, "I don't have any evidence."
Seeing the two of them relax and become more confident, he added, "But I can plant the seeds of doubt in our parents' minds about you two."
"What's the use of that?" the elder sister scowled.
"What's the use?" Huo Cheng raised his eyebrows and retorted sarcastically. "Don't you know that many times, doubt can turn into proof in an instant?"
Given their parents' partiality towards Huo Cheng, both of their faces became solemn. They had no doubt that Huo Cheng could do it.
Seeing that his purpose had been achieved, Huo Cheng patted the dust off his clothes and got up to leave.
After walking a few steps, he stopped.
"Let me remind you. Once the seeds of doubt are planted, they're very hard to remove in this lifetime. That's all I have to say. I have other things to do. You two can continue to strengthen your family bond."
With that, Huo Cheng left without looking back.
The two of them were furious after hearing this. This was simply a blatant threat.
How dare someone without evidence treat them like this!
The elder sister was outspoken, while the younger brother was more reserved.
The elder sister immediately stood up and wanted to go over and confront Huo Cheng, but her younger brother stopped her.
"If you go now, it's like jumping into the Yellow River. Even if you're innocent, you'll be seen as guilty!"
"Then what should we do? He dared to treat us like this. In the future, he'll surely ride roughshod over us," the elder sister said angrily.
"Time is on our side. Even if we don't do anything, do you think life won't have any unexpected events?" the younger brother said softly.