Chapter Fifteen: Do I Look Easy to Bully to You?

Gu Xiaoyao’s once calm eyes gradually turned icy cold. Facing such a man—one who hit others and felt smug about it—she decided he needed to be taught a lesson.

“You really enjoy hitting people, don’t you?!”

Mrs. Li saw her husband’s attitude and knew at once that he was planning to beat their daughter again.

“Xiaoyao, hurry and leave, go back and don’t ever come home again,” she urged. In a family like this, it truly didn’t matter if her daughter never returned.

Gu Dacai glared at Mrs. Li, incensed that she would dare, right in front of him, to instigate that useless girl to stay away. If she didn’t come home, where was he supposed to get his money? Before she got married, he’d made it clear: whenever she returned, she’d better bring money—otherwise, he’d make Mrs. Li pay for it.

“Kneel down, now! What are you standing there for? Do I have to do it myself?” Gu Dacai barked impatiently, feeling that this worthless girl was getting worse at reading the situation.

Gu Xiaoyao stood silent for a moment. She took a few steps forward, tightening her grip on the broom in her hand. Seeing the smug look on Gu Dacai’s face, she didn’t hesitate; without another word, she brought the broom down on his head.

The broom split in two, fragments falling from Gu Dacai’s head as pain instantly shot through his skull.

“Ah… You dare lay a hand on me, you wretched girl? I’ll beat you to death!”

Gu Dacai clutched his head and crouched on the ground. He touched his scalp and saw blood smeared across his palm. The sight of it made him roar with rage. He sprang to his feet, reaching out to grab Gu Xiaoyao by the throat.

“No, Dacai, don’t do this to Xiaoyao—she’s your daughter!” Mrs. Li cried, her face drained of color. She scrambled off the heated brick bed, her hands clutching the uneven earth as she tried desperately to crawl over.

“Xiaoyao, run! He’ll kill you!”

Mrs. Li saw the crimson rage in her husband’s eyes and knew he had lost nearly all reason.

Standing aside, Mrs. Yang and Old Gu seemed shaken by what Gu Xiaoyao had done. But Mrs. Li’s frantic shouts snapped them out of their daze, and they moved to stop Gu Dacai.

“Today I’ll make sure you learn a lesson you’ll never forget,” Gu Dacai snarled, his face twisted, lunging to grip Gu Xiaoyao’s neck.

Looking at the man before her, Gu Xiaoyao thought to herself—what use was a man like this?

“You’re right. Lessons need to be taught, and pain is the only thing that stays in a person’s mind.”

She gazed at her father, who was kneeling on the ground, teeth bared in pain, and kicked him hard, sending him sprawling. Yang and Old Gu, who had been about to intervene, were so startled by their granddaughter’s cold, expressionless violence toward their eldest son that they didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly.

“You useless wretch, you little brat, you dog! How dare you hit me,” Gu Dacai shouted, stunned at having been kicked twice before he could even react—his anger only deepened. This girl who used to cower at his every whim was fighting back now? Was she trying to overturn the heavens?

“Yes, you’re right,” Gu Xiaoyao replied coolly. “Not only do I dare hit you, I could hang you up if I wished.”

Hearing him continue to shout and threaten, she felt two kicks were not enough—he needed to learn just how harsh life could be.

“You dare? If you lay another finger on me, I’ll take it out on your mother,” Gu Dacai threatened.

In the past, Gu Dacai’s words alone would have been enough to make Gu Xiaoyao back down. She knew her father was a selfish, heartless brute who cared for nothing but himself.

“Just now, I heard you say from outside the courtyard, ‘If I don’t gamble, I’ll die.’ As your daughter, I’m genuinely curious, so I think I’ll test that theory.”

Ignoring his threats, Gu Xiaoyao grabbed him by the collar and dragged him forcefully toward the courtyard gate.