Guh Siqing, who was lying on the ground in too much pain to get up, heard Gu Yelin’s words and felt an overwhelming sense of shame and anger. His old wounds, never quite healed, were compounded by his fall just now; a salty taste filled his throat, and suddenly, he spat out a mouthful of bright red blood with a violent "wa"!
The crowd standing at the entrance of Prosperous Haoting and watching were startled by Guh Siqing’s act of vomiting blood. They stepped back one after another, nobody wanting to get involved in any trouble.
Just then, a black Mercedes came speeding from a distance and hastily stopped in front of Guh Siqing.
The car door opened, and a cane of considerable worth appeared before everyone’s eyes. Following that, a dignified, round-faced old man stepped out from the car.
It was the Patriarch of the Guh Family, Guh Tian!
"What on earth is going on here? Didn’t I tell you to rest at home? What are you doing out here, causing me such trouble!" Guh Tian glowered at Guh Siqing, who lay bleeding on the ground. His rage was burning so fiercely he seemed as if he wanted to beat her to death with his cane on the spot.
"Ah Chen, get the Second Miss into the car! Making a spectacle of yourself in public is utterly disgraceful!"
Ah Chen nodded respectfully and bent down to help Guh Siqing into the car.
At that moment, a clear and pleasant voice gently sounded from behind him.
"Hold on! Patriarch Guh, it seems there are still some things that need to be made clear."
Guh Tian turned around and saw An Yiqing standing quietly behind him in a white dress, while Gu Yelin stood protectively close by her side.
"Hmph! Miss An, one should spare others when possible! The humiliation Siqing suffered today—Elder Guh has yet to seek an explanation from you, yet here you are presenting yourself. Very well! Miss An, I am curious to know, in what way did my Guh Family’s Second Miss wrong you to deserve such humiliation in public?"
Guh Tian pinned the blame for Guh Siqing being thrown out squarely on An Yiqing, subconsciously trying to avoid Gu Yelin.
However, the next second, Gu Yelin blocked Guh Tian’s deliberate evasion.
"Patriarch Guh, it was I who threw that woman out. You’ve been avoiding coming to me to settle accounts, instead, you incessantly hassle my woman—what is the meaning of this?" Gu Yelin’s icy gaze held no trace of respect as he confronted Guh Tian.
Guh Tian’s face stiffened, his gaze flickering and his mouth twitching unnaturally.
"Nephew Gu, what are you saying? This matter solely concerned Miss An and Siqing. Uncle knows you are a compassionate man, but this woman should not be spoiled excessively. Otherwise, she might become too presumptuous!" Guh Tian’s face was full of pretended good intentions, leaving An Yiqing completely baffled.
Nevertheless, it was evident that Gu Yelin took no heed of Guh Tian’s words. He frowned impatiently before stretching out his arm to embrace An Yiqing, as though afraid she would catch cold from the chill wind.
"I am the one who threw her out. If Patriarch Guh doesn’t believe it, feel free to check the surveillance footage. Also, Qing is my woman, not a canary kept in a cage. I hope Patriarch Guh will be cautious with his words, or else you might not even know how you lost your life!"
"You... you..." Guh Tian stared at Gu Yelin in disbelief, gasping with rough breaths, "Nephew Gu, out of my regard for the longstanding friendship between the Gu and Guh Families, I have always shown you great affection. But you, you..."
"What’s happened? Lao San, why isn’t this matter settled yet?"
Before Guh Tian could finish, a deep and resonant voice came from behind him. Upon hearing this voice, he shuddered and then turned to look behind.
Old Master Gu appeared, supported as he walked slowly towards them by Gu Weijun.