Chapter 6 All for You

This man was being far too biased toward Song Youyou, which made Song Baozhu furious. Who knew where Song Youyou had picked up this wild man from! Did he still think she was some noble government official’s daughter like before?

With a crash, Song Baozhu threw the half-shattered cup in her hand to the floor and declared openly, “Comrade, you probably don’t know this yet, but Song Youyou has been disowned by the Song family. She’s been kicked out. She’s nothing but a stray now—no father, no mother. There’s no need for you to fawn over her anymore!”

“?”

“Are you Song family people brain-dead? You gave up a real pearl just because you found some fake glass bead instead?”

“???”

What was he saying?

Song Baozhu was practically shaking with rage. “You! Are you calling me a glass bead? Don’t think I don’t understand what you mean!”

“That’s exactly what I meant.”

“You!!”

“Baozhu!” Song Father quickly pulled Song Baozhu aside and shot her a warning glare, forbidding her from continuing to cause a scene and make a fool of herself. He turned to Gu Xiao and asked, “Who are you? What’s your relationship with Youyou?”

At a glance, he could tell that the man protecting Song Youyou was no ordinary person—there was an air about him. And he felt like he’d seen him somewhere before.

“Who he is has nothing to do with you,” Song Youyou cut in, unwilling to drag Gu Xiao into the Song family’s mess. She immediately pulled at his hand. “Let’s go.”

Gu Xiao obediently followed her, and when he noticed her gripping his wrist, his face lit up with joy.

“Wait—” Song Father just opened his mouth when the previously smiling man instantly changed expressions. Out of Song Youyou’s line of sight, his gaze turned sharp and filled with a cold warning.

Song Father instinctively shut his mouth and could only watch as the two of them left.

After they had gone, he spoke irritably, “Baozhu, this is Beijing. It’s not hard to accidentally offend someone you really shouldn’t mess with. You need to change that loud, brash temper of yours!”

In China, connections were everything—especially for someone like him in politics. When had he not gone out of his way to build relationships? If she kept offending the wrong people and it jeopardized his political career…

At that thought, he turned a sharp gaze toward his wife and daughter. “I’m warning both of you—don’t go around causing trouble. If you do, and you want to live on your own, then be my guest!”

He didn’t care about petty drama, and even swapping one daughter for another wasn’t a big deal to him. But if anything affected his career…

His eyes grew darker and more menacing.

Mrs. Song had been with him long enough to know that this time, he was truly angry. She quickly tried to calm him. “Don’t be mad, dear. Baozhu didn’t really offend anyone, right? I mean… unless that man just now is really someone important?”

Since Gu Xiao had already left, Song Baozhu wasn’t afraid of him anymore. She sneered, “Dad, what are you so afraid of? That guy looked like one of those small-time ruffians from the village I used to stay in. What big deal could he possibly be?”

“Besides, Song Youyou never went anywhere but school and her bookstore job. What kind of important people could she possibly know?”

“Exactly, Dad. Baozhu’s right—don’t overthink it.”

Hearing their reasoning, Song Father found it somewhat convincing. Still, he warned again, “Regardless, you need to teach your precious daughter some manners. The way she acts and talks is completely out of line!”

Meanwhile, the ruckus from the Song family had caught the attention of the neighbors outside.

“What’s going on at the old Song place?”

“Isn’t it obvious? From the shouting earlier, it sounds like the old Song is dumping his adopted daughter in favor of his biological one~”

“Right? Probably doesn’t want to raise three kids, so he’s kicking one out before they assign her to the countryside.”

“Tch, after raising her for more than ten years, and now they’re just tossing her aside? That’s heartless!”

“Sigh… Poor Youyou. She’s such a good girl—now she’s lost her job and her fiancé…”

“Yeah, no wonder they’re cutting ties with her. Probably don’t want to be responsible once she’s sent to the countryside for manual labor.”

“Hmph, who’s talking about responsibility? I say old Song’s lost his mind! We’ve all watched Youyou grow up—she’s such a sweet child!”

“Agreed. He’s going to regret this someday. That newly found daughter? Her looks and character don’t even compare!”

…

While the old neighbors gossiped, on the other side, Gu Xiao was gently lecturing Song Youyou.

“You can’t keep being this soft, you know. I mean… it’s okay to be soft with me, but with others, you need to be fierce.”

“Girls with too high a threshold for confrontation are the ones who get bullied the most. So you need to learn to scold people, even hit them if you have to. If someone upsets you—hit them.”

“Don’t be afraid of getting into trouble. If trouble comes, I’ll handle it, got it?”

“But you also have to remember—smart people don’t suffer losses they don’t need to. If you can’t win a fight, run. Run home, and I’ll get revenge for you later.”

His deep, mellow voice kept on coaxing her. It was the complete opposite of what the Song family had taught her all these years—obedience, rules, and silence. He was teaching her how to be wild and willful.

Walking under the setting sun, its golden warmth seemed to seep into the deepest corners of her heart.

“What if I offend someone I really shouldn’t?” Song Youyou tilted her head, peeking up at him.

Gu Xiao raised his brows, casual and confident. “There aren’t many people I can’t offend. But if it happens, I’ll just go apologize. No big deal. I’ve caused trouble my whole life.”

He looked completely unbothered, his expression open as he continued, “But your concern is fair. I guess I’ll just have to earn more military merit, so I can protect you and let you do whatever you want on my turf.”

His deep black eyes shimmered with a wild, untamed glint. Suddenly, they poured warmth into her once-cold heart, heating her up to the point of blushing. Since her rebirth, this was the first time she had felt so light and free.

“…Okay. Then I’ll be waiting for Brother Gu Xiao to back me up so I can run wild and do as I please…” Song Youyou smiled softly, her eyes full of teasing.

The setting sun bathed her in golden light, but she was already glowing in someone else’s heart. The lazy rays fell across her face, and the smile blooming on her fair skin made Gu Xiao completely dazed.

What Song Youyou didn’t know was—from this very moment, the man who had always been carefree and rebellious suddenly set a real goal: to earn military honors. In the years to come, he would risk his life climbing higher and higher, just to protect her.

“We should go buy some rice, flour, meat, and vegetables. It looks like there’s not much food left at home.” As they happened to pass by the entrance of the supply and marketing co-op, Song Youyou suggested casually.

But she got no response.

She tugged at his sleeve. “Gu Xiao?”

“…Huh?” Gu Xiao finally snapped out of his daze. He didn’t know what she had just said, but seeing the co-op reminded him of something. He reached into his pocket and pulled something out.

“These are things I grabbed from home earlier. One is my allowance bankbook, the other is a savings account from the pocket money I’ve never finished since I was little. These two are the property deeds for the house.”

“There’s also some cash, and ration coupons—grain, cloth, and meat tickets that I rarely use. They’re all for you.”

“From now on, buy whatever you want. Don’t feel bad about spending the money. I get a monthly allowance anyway, and I don’t have many expenses. Just consider it doing me a favor by helping me use it.”

Under the broad daylight, with everyone watching, his actions left the passersby stunned in place.

Song Youyou felt the stares around them were getting a little too intense.

“Oh my, he’s handing over all his assets—must be planning to get a wife! That man’s really generous!”

“Looks like it. This comrade really means it!”

It was evening, and many aunties who had just gotten off work were shopping at the co-op. Seeing the commotion, they couldn’t help but whisper to one another.

One woman even boldly stepped closer and asked directly, “Comrade, are you planning to get married?”

Normally, Gu Xiao wouldn’t respond to other people’s gossip. But today, he was in a good mood and answered politely, “Yes. This is the woman who’s about to become my wife.”

The aunties were thrilled to get a response. They immediately started bombarding him with chatter, all talking over one another to ask more.

Gu Xiao, with a smile tugging at his lips, happily answered questions about Song Youyou being his wife, not the least bit embarrassed. And when the aunties praised them—saying they were a perfect match, that he was talented and she was beautiful, that they’d have a big, happy family—his smile grew increasingly smug.

He looked like a proud peacock strutting around with its feathers fully fanned.

The whole time, Song Youyou was so embarrassed she kept her head down, quickly bought everything she needed, paid the money and ration tickets, and then immediately dragged Gu Xiao away.