Caught Up in the Gossip

Fang Yao leaned against the wall, her eyes shining as she watched the fight. The thugs squirmed under her gaze.

Weren't women supposed to scream and run away when they saw a fight? What was with this woman? She was even telling them how to fight. And those moves...

"Xiao Zhezi, can you guys do it or not? It's been ages, and you still haven't knocked them down."

"Why are you looking at me? Keep fighting. I'm just watching. I won't interfere."

What, do you want to join in too? the thugs wondered.

Bo Miao swallowed and clutched Bo Hanmo's sleeve with trembling fingers, looking as though she wanted to watch but didn't dare.

"Big Brother, aren't you going to stop Sister-in-law? If she keeps talking, those thugs are going to come after her."

Fang Yao called out one move after another, from the White Tiger Claws the Heart to the Monkey Steals the Peach. Bo Zhe and the others had been reluctant to use them at first, but after trying them once, they were hooked.

The more Bo Zhe and the others fought, the more they enjoyed it. The thugs were a sorry sight, fighting back through tears. What kind of woman is she...?

o(╥﹏╥)o

"Get lost! You're grown men, but instead of doing honest work, all you do is steal and bully people." Bo Zhe raised his fist at the thugs as they fled in terror.

Some tripped as they ran and had to help each other up. One or two kept looking back to see whether Bo Zhe and the others were chasing them.

Lu You shouted, "Don't let us see you again! Next time, we won't let you off so easily."

Fang Yao had been enjoying the gossip while watching the fight. Then a thought struck her: had she disrupted the plot?

She looked at Xiao Xi's back and thought of what she had just learned through the Gossip System. It was...

Utterly baffling. Xiao Xi wanted revenge because her family favored sons over daughters? Fine, but why not take revenge on her family? What was wrong with her, taking it out on innocent people?

A resigned shrug.

Xiao Xi had been born into a poor family. While her mother was pregnant, her father saw that she kept craving sour food and decided the baby must be a boy. But when Xiao Xi was born, she was a girl. Her father ignored her from the moment she arrived and never visited her in the hospital. If a doctor hadn't come by on rounds when they were leaving, he would have abandoned her there.

Even after they brought her home, her father tried to give her away again and again, but never succeeded. In the end, her grandfather said, "The little brat's too stubborn to get rid of. Keep her. We can trade her for bride money someday."

Her parents thought that sounded like a good deal and raised her with little care. After Xiao Xi's younger brother was born, her life grew even harder. Before, she could at least eat a steamed bun. Afterward, she had only coarse corn buns. Rain or shine, she had to cut grass to feed the pigs.

Her brother would pin her down and beat her, too. She finally grew up, but as soon as she got her first period, her family began planning to marry her off for bride money. If a kind person from the village hadn't secretly warned her, she would now be the wife of the village fool.

On a dark, windy night, Xiao Xi stole the family's money and ran away. Once she was gone, she found a job to support herself.

She saw girls her age dressed beautifully and living far better than she did, then looked at her own shabby appearance.

A coworker's remark convinced Xiao Xi to take revenge on men. After that, she learned to dye her hair, put on makeup, choose her words, and cry in ways that made men feel sorry for her.

With her decent looks, she attached herself to one man after another. A chance encounter brought her into contact with Bo Zhe and Lu You. Xiao Xi changed her style, dressing herself up as a sweet, innocent girl to get close to them. Step by step, she used those connections to get into the Bo Group.

Fang Yao couldn't help saying, "Well, well. If a man heard this story, he'd call it an inspiring tale! He might even feel sorry for her and marry her."

Fang Yao couldn't resist commenting on what the Gossip System had shown her.

(￣┏Д┓￣°*)

"Ah Zhe, it's a good thing you came. Otherwise, today I..." Xiao Xi lowered her head and began to cry.

The corners of her mouth drooped, and tears welled in her lovely eyes. Her silent weeping made her seem all the more heartbroken.

"Xiao Xi, how did you get mixed up with them? Didn't I tell you to go straight home? And isn't today a workday?" Bo Zhe fired off question after question, giving her no chance to speak.

Xiao Xi looked up. "I was going straight home, but it's hard to get a taxi near your place, so I walked here to find one. I was waiting for a car when they surrounded me and dragged me over here."

"Ah Zhe, you have no idea how frightening they looked."

"I... I don't know what came over me today. I suddenly missed you... all."

She stammered over the last word. When she finished, her face flushed, and she looked everywhere but into Bo Zhe's eyes.

Well, well. Those pitiful eyes and that subtle confession—clever. Should I learn that trick?

Bo Hanmo heard Fang Yao's thoughts and blurted out, "You don't need to."

"What?" Fang Yao looked at him in confusion.

Bo Hanmo's gaze fixed on Fang Yao's reddened lips. His Adam's apple bobbed as she leaned closer, and he caught the scent of shampoo in her hair.

"Nothing. Stand steady." Bo Hanmo held Fang Yao by the shoulders.

"Then how did you get to my house? And how did you get in?" Leave it to that dense fool to shatter the intimate mood with a single question.

This time, Xiao Xi truly couldn't control her expression. I'm confessing to you, and you're hung up on how I got here? She stared at the grass beneath her feet, her face dark with anger.

She wished that blade of grass were Bo Zhe so she could crush him.

Hahahahaha! Who said this guy was obsessed with love? He's hopelessly clueless! At this rate, he'll never get married.

Fang Yao couldn't tell whether Bo Hanmo was blushing. She turned away and covered her mouth, afraid she would laugh aloud.

Bo Miao and the other two choked at Fang Yao's thoughts. Bo Miao in particular wanted to point out that her second brother would be marrying someone, not being married off!

For the first time, Bo Hanmo felt exasperated with his younger brother. Since when had Bo Zhe been so bad at reading the room?

Ծ‸Ծ My people skills are fine, Bo Zhe thought. If I hadn't said that, was I supposed to accept her confession? I don't want a girlfriend like her. But if I reject her, the person behind her might notice and run.

Was any of this easy for me?

[○･｀Д´･ ○]

If I find out who's trying to murder me, I'll twist their head off and kick it like a ball.

The real culprit behind it all sneezed. Who's talking about me? Frowning, they rubbed their nose.