Chapter 36: Big Brother's Change in Attitude

When the servant said so, Gu Jue became even more certain that Gu Wenyan must have been at fault.

"No matter what, she's still your sister. Whatever argument you two had, it shouldn't have come to blows!"

Gu Jue's face was cold: "I was just starting to think you'd changed a little for the better, and now you've disappointed me again… It seems you really do need more discipline before you can…"

"Dad."

Gu Yechen suddenly appeared, cutting off the father's criticism of Gu Wenyan.

The handsome man glanced at Gu Wenyan's almost numb expression, devoid of any change in emotion, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He looked again at Gu Mianmian's hands, which were covered in fresh blood.

By then their mother had already contacted the family doctor to come over, and had also fetched the household medicine box to give her some preliminary treatment.

"Big Brother…" Gu Mianmian's lips trembled slightly; the pain must have been severe, for beads of sweat had broken out across her face.

"Mianmian, don't be afraid. It'll be over soon."

After comforting her, Gu Yechen turned to the servant who had been questioned: "Tell me, what exactly happened just now?"

The servant faithfully repeated what she had said before.

"So, you saw with your own eyes that Wenyan pushed Mianmian?"

The servant faltered: "N-no, I didn't actually see it with my own eyes…"

Gu Yechen narrowed his eyes: "If you didn't see it with your own eyes, how do you know for certain that she pushed Mianmian down?"

The servant grew flustered under the questioning: "I—I don't know."

"If you don't know, then don't casually assert something as fact."

Gu Yechen rebuked her sharply: "Get out first."

The servant dared not say another word and hurried away. Gu Yechen then faced his father and said: "You were a little hasty just now. Since no one actually saw what happened between them, the truth of the matter is still open to question."

Gu Jue's face was ashen: "But Mianmian is already hurt like this!"

"Daddy, it really wasn't Sister. I just fell down on my own by accident…"

Gu Mianmian's account now differed slightly from before; without paying close attention, it would have been very hard to notice.

Gu Jue was still worried about his daughter, so he didn't notice at all. Ye Yiwen, who was treating her wounds, was equally oblivious.

In their eyes, this adopted daughter was obedient, sensible, well-behaved, and had never given them cause for worry.

They would never have imagined that Gu Mianmian could be lying, and so they never once entertained the possibility.

Gu Yechen naturally believed Gu Mianmian as well. He had just seen her injured and was equally worried and heartbroken for her.

But besides worrying about Gu Mianmian, when he looked at Gu Wenyan standing off to the side like an invisible person, being criticized by their father…

For the first time ever, Gu Yechen felt something different toward her.

He even thought back over all the things that had happened in the past.

Gu Wenyan… it seemed she never deigned to argue her case, always accepting whatever accusations were leveled against her.

Her gaze was calm and clear; in those slightly narrow eyes, there was not the slightest ripple of emotion.

Or perhaps it was a disappointment that had built up to the breaking point. Because she was always the one blamed and suspected, she had gradually lost any desire to explain, and no longer dared to hope for anything…

Some changes happen all at once. Just like now—Gu Yechen adopted his most solemn manner to question the servant who had just answered, and became all the more certain that the servant had seen nothing at all.

Therefore, no one could confirm that Gu Wenyan had pushed Gu Mianmian to the ground, and no one could prove any conflict or quarrel between them.

"Mianmian, what exactly did you and Wenyan say to each other just now?"

Gu Yechen suddenly felt the urge to get to the bottom of it, determined to establish the full course of events here and now.

Before this, neither he nor anyone else in the Gu Family had ever had such a thought. They only cared about Gu Mianmian, and so they had never bothered to find out what the truth really was.

But once he realized… that Gu Wenyan was also his sister, he made up his mind to do something about it.

At the very least, to try treating her fairly.

Gu Mianmian opened her mouth, but for a long while no words came out.

Her thoughts were in complete disarray; she was utterly panicked, never having imagined things would develop this way.

Gu Mianmian had assumed that, just like before, everyone in the Gu Family would instinctively blame Gu Wenyan, and any good impression they had of her would be completely erased!

But today…

She had no idea what had gotten into Gu Yechen, or what had snapped in his head, that he would actually think to stand up for Gu Wenyan and get to the bottom of what really happened?!

Damn it—it was just a pot of orchids, and Gu Wenyan had actually won him over?

Or was it that the bond of blood between them was so strong that Gu Yechen realized Gu Wenyan was also his biological sister, and that she deserved his care?!

Seeing that Gu Mianmian had been silent for a long while, Gu Yechen's brow furrowed again, and he asked once more: "Mianmian, hurry and tell Big Brother—what exactly happened just now?"

"…No, Brother. Sister and I were just talking about some recent things. I fell down by accident."

"I see. So it had nothing to do with Wenyan."

"Mm, it had nothing to do with Sister…" Gu Mianmian was nothing if not adaptable—when she saw her original plan wasn't working, she immediately changed course.

Gu Yechen nodded and turned to Gu Wenyan: "The truth is out. Go back to your room and rest for now. What happened today wasn't your fault—don't take it to heart."

The fingers at Gu Wenyan's side tightened slightly. She raised her eyes to look at this cold, aloof elder brother.

Within his stern expression there appeared a rare trace of gentleness—hard to believe, but it was truly there.

It seemed… the seed was taking root and sprouting faster than she had imagined.

"Thank you, Big Brother."

Those words were heartfelt. At least at this moment, Gu Yechen was the only person in this household who had stepped forward to stand up for her.

Even though in Gu Yechen's heart, Gu Mianmian still held the greater place.

But having Gu Yechen say this one thing was already worth more than a thousand words…

Before leaving, Gu Wenyan glanced at Gu Mianmian's ugly expression and suddenly felt like laughing. Making her unhappy made it worthwhile.

After Gu Mianmian's wounds had been fully treated, Ye Yiwen stayed with her in the room to comfort her. Gu Yechen and his father walked out and stood in the living room.

"Dad, I think you should apologize to Wen Yan for what you just did."

Gu Jue stared at his eldest son as if he'd seen a ghost. "What do you mean, you're suddenly telling me to apologize to her?!"

"That's right. I think your questioning and doubting her without knowing the truth hurt her."

"... Gu Yechen!"

The image of that silent, gentle figure rose once more in Gu Yechen's mind. He shook his head. "Dad, she's your daughter too."