"Come on, you can't just say things like that about me. I didn't do that," Gu Luosheng hurriedly protested.
"Don't get upset. We're only worried that you might be in danger. Since you say there aren't any shady men in your tent, why not let us take a look?" Gu Luoxi asked unhurriedly, a smile playing on her lips.
Gu Luosheng frowned. "That doesn't seem appropriate, does it?"
"There's nothing inappropriate about it. We all care about you. What if that man slipped inside while you were asleep and you didn't know... wouldn't that..." Gu Luoxi sighed, still sounding concerned for Gu Luosheng.
"Why are you so determined to get into my tent?" Gu Luosheng folded her arms across her chest and eyed Gu Luoxi warily.
Gu Luoxi fell silent for a moment, then dropped the act altogether. "I was going to spare you some embarrassment, but since you insist on asking, I'll tell you."
Gu Luoxi sighed and said with an embarrassed expression, "I came out to find a bathroom earlier, but I saw you hugging a strange man in the bushes. Then the two of you went into your tent together... I thought it was really inappropriate."
"Something like that happened?" All three Gu brothers frowned.
After all, the Gu Family was wealthy and prominent.
Their reputation mattered a great deal to them. If word got out that Gu Luosheng was doing such things with random men, it would disgrace them too.
Gu Luoxi nodded emphatically. "You all know Xixi never lies."
"Gu Luoxi, I know I came back from the mountains, and you've always looked down on me. Usually, when you criticize me or insult me, I put up with it. But why do you keep slandering me over and over? Last time, you said I was involved with a delinquent. This time, are you going to insult me by saying I slept with another man? I'm... innocent..."
Halfway through, Gu Luosheng could no longer hold back her tears, and they streamed down her face.
Xia Zhiyun's heart nearly broke.
She hurried forward and hugged her precious daughter. "There, there. Don't cry, sweetheart. They may not believe you, but Mommy does. My darling girl, don't cry. It breaks my heart."
Gu Luoxi gritted her teeth in hatred, unable to understand why Xia Zhiyun liked this country bumpkin from the mountains so much.
"If you're so innocent, then let everyone take a look. That way, there won't be any misunderstandings." Gu Luoxi narrowed her eyes, deliberately provoking Gu Luosheng.
Gu Luosheng lowered her head, looking wronged. "What if there isn't a man in my tent?"
"Heh, then you can decide what happens." Gu Luoxi chuckled, utterly confident.
Gu Luosheng pressed her lips together, a glint of cunning flashing in her eyes. "Fine. Since you insist on looking, go ahead. But if there's no one inside, you have to apologize to me yourself!"
"Fine." Gu Luoxi could hardly wait.
Xia Zhiyun took Gu Luosheng's hand. "Shengsheng, it's all right if you don't want to. Mommy's here. No one can force you!"
Gu Luosheng sniffled and managed a smile. "It's all right, Mom. I want to prove my innocence."
With that, Gu Luosheng opened her tent herself and let them inspect it.
Gu Luoxi was too impatient to wait and hurried over to look.
But after searching for quite a while, she found nothing.
However...
When Gu Luoxi spotted the mound beneath the blanket, a smile curved her lips.
"All right, come out. Stop hiding under the blanket," Gu Luoxi said tauntingly, folding her arms across her chest.
"Meow." Just then, a kitten wriggled out from under the blanket.
It leaped straight at Gu Luoxi's face, startling her so badly that she fell onto her backside.
"What is this thing? Get away!" Gu Luoxi cursed.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you. When I went out earlier, I saw an injured kitten. I felt sorry for him, so I brought him back. Could what you saw earlier have been me carrying the kitty inside?"
Gu Luosheng raised her eyebrows and looked at her brothers in confusion. "Are we... not allowed to keep cats at home?"
Her eldest brother's expression darkened. "No. Our family loves animals, and Mom and Dad have always taught us to be kind to injured animals."
Gu Luoxi stood up beside them in disbelief. "No, there has to be a man. I saw him with my own eyes."
As she spoke, Gu Luoxi tore through Gu Luosheng's tent as though she had gone mad, but in the end, she found no trace of a man.
Xia Zhiyun was already deeply displeased. "Gu Luoxi, is this what you wanted us to see?"
"Mom, believe me. I really saw him." Gu Luoxi was puzzled too. She had clearly hired a beggar. Where on earth had he gone?
Gu Luosheng spread her hands and said disappointedly, "Since you've already inspected my tent, how about we take a look at yours too, just to be fair?"
Gu Luoxi's eyes widened. "I've always conducted myself properly. I would never do anything like that."
Gu Luosheng sighed and said nothing more.
She looked as though she had been wronged but didn't dare voice her anger.
Xia Zhiyun sneered and decided to stand up for her biological daughter.
"Shengsheng is right. Our Gu Family has always believed in fairness. Since we've inspected Shengsheng's tent, we might as well look at Xixi's too," Xia Zhiyun said.
Everyone usually listened to Xia Zhiyun, so now that she had spoken, no one objected.
Gu Luoxi clenched her jaw.
She had intended to ruin Gu Luosheng's reputation this time, but she hadn't expected... Gu Luosheng to turn the tables on her.
Still, it didn't matter. There was nothing in her tent anyway.
"Mom, I can swear that I'm sleeping alone. If you really don't believe me..."
"That's right. I don't believe you." Xia Zhiyun cut Gu Luoxi off before she could finish her performance.
The three brothers yawned. "If there's nothing else, I'll head back first."
[Don't be so hasty, eldest brother. There's a snake crawling around in your tent right now. You'd be better off coming along to watch the fun.]
[Second brother, go take a look. You might find some inspiration for your painting.]
[Oh, third brother, don't leave. There's more drama to watch in a minute.]
The three brothers heard that.
They instantly perked up.
"I suppose we could go take a look."
The whole group made its way to Gu Luoxi's tent.
Unbeknownst to them, a man stood concealed in the darkness not far away, quietly watching everything.
Ye Nanshen raised his eyebrows. It seemed... Gu Luosheng wasn't as stupid as the rumors made her out to be.
Everything online was a lie.
Gu Luoxi strode forward confidently and pulled open her tent.
Without even glancing inside, she declared with confidence, "I have a clear conscience!"
But she noticed everyone's expressions change.
"Wh-what's wrong?" Gu Luoxi looked toward her tent in confusion.
She had never expected this!
The beggar was wearing her clothes and sitting seductively on her bed.
Before you continue