The housekeeper froze at her mistress's sharp rebuke, then protested indignantly, "Madam, why are you blaming me? The eldest young lady is the one at fault here."
"Well, this is certainly an eye-opener. Even a housekeeper thinks she can lord it over her employer now." Xia Zhiyun let go of Gu Luoxi's hand and walked straight to Gu Luosheng's side.
Thank goodness she had heard Shengsheng's thoughts. Otherwise, she would have wrongly blamed her own biological daughter.
"Madam, what... what do you mean?" the housekeeper asked nervously.
"Shengsheng only just came home. She doesn't even know my birth date and time, so how could she have pasted them onto that doll?" Xia Zhiyun raised her voice as she demanded an answer.
"Maybe... she saw them somewhere," the housekeeper answered weakly.
"That doll was clearly custom-made. It would take at least five days to finish, but Shengsheng has only been home for two. How could she have done it?" Xia Zhiyun pressed.
The housekeeper pursed her lips and instinctively glanced at Gu Luoxi before answering, "Anything is possible if you pay extra."
"I have a birthmark on my back. Even that tiny detail is there. How would Shengsheng know about it?" By the time Xia Zhiyun finished questioning her, Gu Jingsheng and Gu Bai were puzzled too. That really was something very private.
Even Gu Bai hadn't known his mother had a birthmark on her back.
Oh yeah! What a clever mom! Beauty and brains-my mom is absolutely perfect! God really plays favorites with you. Your reasoning is so clear I'm in complete awe. You're saying everything I wanted to say! Back in my world, you would've been an absolute sensation!
She was being praised again.
Xia Zhiyun had been furious a moment ago, but her darling daughter soothed her in an instant.
It seemed she would have to keep up the good work!
Being praised by her darling daughter really was such a joy.
"Well..." the housekeeper stammered. Unable to come up with a rebuttal this time, she looked to Gu Luoxi for help.
"Why are you looking at Xixi? I'm asking you." Xia Zhiyun folded her arms and continued pressing her.
Gu Luoxi forced a smile. "Auntie Wang, what exactly is going on?"
Oh, look at you putting on an act. You're the one who did this, and now you want to pin it on the housekeeper, don't you? Ugh... if only I had proof. I'd nail you for this!
Xia Zhiyun continued listening to her daughter's thoughts.
She hadn't expected... that Xixi really was behind this. Her heart sank.
She had never imagined the daughter she had always doted on could be so vicious, even wanting to kill her.
Alas...
It really was the story of the farmer and the snake.
All those years raising her had been wasted. Fortunately, her biological daughter was back now. It was all right. From now on, she would make it up to her own daughter twice over.
But this housekeeper is no saint either. Every day, she dreams of taking my mom's place. She needs to take a good look at herself. Does she seriously think she's worthy?
Xia Zhiyun's beautiful eyes widened. What? This housekeeper actually coveted her position!
This was outrageous.
Xia Zhiyun held her forehead, feeling a little dizzy.
No, this was too much information to take in at once. She needed to deal with it piece by piece.
Just then, Gu Luoxi gave the housekeeper a reproachful look. "Auntie Wang, I never imagined you were this kind of person. How could you do something so cruel to Mom? You're awful."
"I didn't, Second Young Lady. It was clearly..." Just as the housekeeper was about to continue...
Gu Luoxi cut her off, raising her hand and slapping her across the face. "Auntie Wang, after how well my mom has always treated you, you actually dared to make that doll behind her back. I'm so disappointed in you."
The housekeeper's lips moved as she tried to defend herself.
Smack!
Gu Luoxi slapped her other cheek. "I'm absolutely furious. I'm going to teach you a proper lesson on Mom's behalf."
"Mmph, mmph..." Both of the housekeeper's cheeks were swollen now. This time, she truly couldn't speak even if she wanted to.
Dog eat dog. Oh, Gu Luoxi, you really are ruthless. This housekeeper has done plenty for you. She helped you swap out Mom's medicine when she was sick, and she helped cover up your grades too. That's pretty ungrateful of you.
Xia Zhiyun: ...
Suddenly, she felt that surviving this long had been no small feat. What a stroke of luck.
Xia Zhiyun narrowed her eyes. Now she knew everything.
Fine, then. She would take this one step at a time. None of the people who had hurt her or her family would get away with it!
"Mom, why don't we take a look in Auntie Wang's room? We might find another little surprise," Gu Luosheng suggested mischievously.
Xia Zhiyun looked at Gu Luosheng indulgently. This girl... what was she plotting now?
The housekeeper has pictures of my dad on her wall too. Ahem... I wonder if she has a few fantasies at night...
Xia Zhiyun: ?
Xia Zhiyun strode off in her high heels, quickening her pace.
Gu Bai was still puzzled. What had gotten into his mother today? Why had she suddenly become so sharp?
Even he hadn't thought of those questions she had just asked.
"Mmph, mmph, no..." The housekeeper struggled to force out a single word.
She tried to block the doorway and stop Xia Zhiyun from entering.
Xia Zhiyun gave a cold laugh and shoved her to the floor with one sweep of her hand.
The housekeeper's room was quite far from the main living room, and people rarely went there.
So the moment they entered, they saw a wall covered in pictures of Gu Jingsheng.
There were all kinds.
Pictures of him drinking tea, wearing a bathrobe, and even... shirtless.
There were some even more revealing ones too.
Who knew where the housekeeper had gotten all these pictures?
Gu Luosheng swallowed at the sight.
Who knew... my dad was this sexy? Mom really does have excellent taste.
"Shengsheng, don't look." In her alarm, Xia Zhiyun hurriedly covered her darling daughter's eyes.
Her daughter was too innocent to see these things.
Gu Bai instinctively covered Gu Luoxi's eyes as well.
Xia Zhiyun scoffed. "Well, well. I never knew you were so ambitious. You actually dared to set your sights on my man."
"Fine, then. Today, I'll show you what happens when you covet my man." Xia Zhiyun raised her leg and kicked the housekeeper.
With a crash, the housekeeper landed on the bed. Pictures fell from the wall, revealing more pictures of Xia Zhiyun behind them.
But... they were all unflattering pictures.
And every unflattering picture had words written on the back.
The crooked handwriting looked like a primary schooler's.
-Xia Zhiyun, you ugly hag. Sooner or later, I'll take your place!
-You nasty bitch. Just looking at you makes me sick!
-If only this ugly hag would drop dead for no reason.
Xia Zhiyun's eyes reddened with fury when she saw them.
She immediately started hitting the housekeeper.
She used both her hands and feet, making the housekeeper shriek and howl.
Gu Jingsheng was furious too. He grabbed a whip from nearby. "Honey, don't hit her with your hands. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction-you'll hurt yourself too. Use the whip!"
Before you continue