Chapter 139: The Damned Male Lead

There were two lines of text in the letter.

The second line read, "After I die, you must immediately move your family away, delaying your prospects; regretting it will be too late, so I can only do my best to compensate, help you rise again and achieve your ambitions, and the rest of your life will be worry‑free."

Gu Xixi's hand holding the letter went limp and dropped.

So this is Mu Nan Zhao's last will and testament left for her?

So he had already figured everything out in advance.

Now thinking about it, perhaps he had already arranged his affairs on the way home when the poison struck.

Gu Xixi crumpled the letter into a ball, turned her head, and looked at the remaining items in the bundle.

The nationally circulating banknote boldly stated a value of one hundred taels of gold.

One hundred taels of gold, exchanged for silver cash, would be enough for an ordinary family to live out their lives in comfort.

And yet, she hadn't even counted how many of such banknotes there were.

After transmigrating into the book, Gu Xixi wanted to achieve her ambitions while making money, big money.

But now that she had suddenly become rich, she couldn't bring herself to feel happy.

Gu Xixi squatted in place for a moment, then suddenly threw the balled‑up letter into the bundle.

She hastily rolled up the bundle, shoved it hard into her cross‑body bag, and walked off.

Ha! Men!

Ha! Mu Nan Zhao!

What gives him the right to just say hello and arrange things for others?

He went around in circles, pulling some stunt with a sea‑east‑green falcon, sending riddles, then luring people to solve them to receive the inheritance.

Does he think this is fun?! He's nuts!

Gu Xixi walked as fast as she could, wishing she could rush home right away to shout at that self‑important man!

Fortunately, at this time there weren't many people strolling around the village.

On the way back, Gu Xixi wasn't seen by anyone.

Once again a knocking sound was heard; Shitou, now experienced, said, "My sister Xixi is sick, she just fell asleep and hasn't woken yet—if you have anything to say, you can tell me."

"It's me." Gu Xixi replied, "I'm back."

Shitou happily ran over and opened the door, "Sister Xixi!!"

Gu Xixi smiled, rubbed Shitou's little head, and said, "You've worked hard, you did a great job."

Having said that, she composed herself and hurried straight to the west room.

Shitou cradled Xiao Hua and clicked his tongue, "Xiao Hua, did you see that? Is Sister Xixi angry? She was still smiling when she talked to me just a moment ago, and then she suddenly—"

He imitated Gu Xixi's expression, "Like this."

Xiao Hua glanced at Shitou, frightened, struggled to jump down and ran away.

Shitou said sympathetically, "I don't know who upset Sister Xixi, but it definitely wasn't me."

These past two days, Doctor Lao has been staying by Mu Nan Zhao's side, catching sleep whenever he can.

He had just woken up, heard footsteps, sat up from the makeshift plank bed, and asked, "Xixi? Is that you?"

"It's me, Master, you're awake." Before Gu Xixi could finish her quick reply, she was already at the bedside.

Although Doctor Lao couldn't see, he could sense that Gu Xixi was approaching, filled with anger.

"Xixi, there's—"

Doctor Lao hadn't even finished speaking when Gu Xixi reached out and grabbed both sides of Mu Nan Zhao's collar, shouting:

"My affairs—what right do you have to decide them?"

What gives you the right to tell me to move and I'll move, to tell me to use your money to make a comeback and I have to obey? You once so easily manipulated others' lives, and I thought this time you'd be different.

"As it turns out, you're still the same—doing whatever you please, never considering others' feelings!"

"I'm telling you, after you die, I won't follow a single word of your arrangements!"

Doctor Lao, standing nearby, didn't quite understand everything, but he couldn't help being greatly astonished.

What "before," what "this time you"?

Has this Xiao Chen ever killed someone? He doesn't look like it.

Upon hearing the last sentence, Doctor Lao finally found a point to interject, "Xixi, good disciple?"

"You don't have to wait for him to die anymore."

Gu Xixi blinked, instantly pausing her barrage against Mu Nan Zhao.

"What do you mean, not waiting for him to die?"

She was so angry her mind couldn't catch up.

Doctor Lao pointed at the bed, chuckling as he announced the good news, "I'm telling you, Xiao Chen—his poison has been cured, he's fine! He won't die!"

Gu Xixi stared for a moment, realized something, stiffly turned her head, and found herself looking straight into a pair of familiar eyes.

Mu Nan Zhao was still lying there, but his eyes had opened, gazing at Gu Xixi with an unfathomable meaning.

Gu Xixi stood frozen, hearing herself say, "He's awake?"

Doctor Lao beamed, "He's awake! I was just about to tell you."

Well, there wasn't time.

Gu Xixi: "He didn't end up a vegetable, did he?"

Doctor Lao: "No, he was just speaking; I gave him some water."

Gu Xixi was already gritting her teeth, "When did he wake up?"

Doctor Lao innocently replied, "Right after you left not long ago, when Old Qian came to deliver eggs."

Gu Xixi revealed a chilling smile, her tone gentle as if it could drip water.

Does Aunt and Shitou know?

Lao Langzhong finally sensed the dangerous atmosphere in the air.

He gave a dry laugh, stood up, and walked sideways carefully to avoid Gu Xixi, saying, "Everyone knows—once Xiao Chen woke, I took his pulse and told the whole family the good news; too bad you weren't there then."

"Just now, again everything happened by coincidence—I didn't have time to explain it clearly to you..."

Lao Langzhong moved like a crab, taking a sideways step with each sentence, and by the time he finished speaking he was already at the door.

"I've been exhausted lately—I'm going back to catch up on sleep. Xixi, you and Xiao Chen have a good talk!"

Mu Nan Zhao watched helplessly as Lao Langzhong slipped away on his own.

He withdrew his gaze helplessly, "Xixi, I..."

Gu Xixi looked at him, her smile growing sweeter and more beautiful, "Since you've been awake all along."

"The things I just said—you, pretending to sleep, must have heard them clearly, right?"

Mu Nan Zhao was forced to meet Gu Xixi's gaze, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Looking back on his life, even when he had been poisoned or on the run from assassins, hiding and evading, he had never been this nervous.

"... I heard."

Gu Xixi's smile vanished instantly; she coldly stared at him and took something out of her bag.

She threw them one by one onto the bed.

"This is the letter your bird delivered, this is your bundle—take care of it yourself!"

She didn't glance at Mu Nan Zhao's expression, turned and left, but stopped again upon reaching the door.

Hope flared in Mu Nan Zhao's eyes, but Gu Xixi did not turn back.

All he could see was the half of her face turned toward him, etched with coldness.

"Rest well and make a speedy recovery."

"From now on, you only need to worry about your own path to ascension; my future and this family are no longer your concern."

"Gu Xixi!" Mu Nan Zhao finally couldn't help but shout.

He felt a piercing pain in his chest, "You mean you want us to go our separate ways?"

"Yes." Gu Xixi replied with just that word, then didn't linger.

No matter when, Gu Xixi firmly believed that her destiny must be in her own hands.

She worked hard to farm in this book.

She worked hard to handle her relationship with Mu Nan Zhao and other related people.

All so that, as a female supporting character, her ending wouldn't be manipulated by others.

After Gu Qingye left Huachi Du Cun, Gu Xixi once thought she had achieved that.

But the stack of silver notes in the bundle was like a blunt blow.

It made her suddenly realize that, without her noticing, she hadn't completely escaped Mu Nan Zhao's arrangements.