Chapter 21: SWY, Your Reputation Is Worse than the Smell Coming from the Sewers
"Isn't that so? After that car accident, she didn't die but she became even more arrogant."
"I threatened to tell Daddy to stop her pocket money, but she didn't even blink, saying that it would be better if it stopped. Has Young Master Gu been giving her money?"
Song Jiuyue's brows twisted slightly.
"That's why I was asking if Young Master Gu divorced her."
Song Juiyue's pretty eyes slanted in concentration, "I heard she refused to sign."
Song Jiumei burst out laughing with a 'pooof', "She did not agree? That doesn't mean Young Master Gu doesn't have his own method to handle it!"
"Song Wuyou has always been very proud and unyielding, but that is only towards outsiders. Hasn't she always been afraid of us, how come she dared hit you?" Song Jiuyue had a puzzled expression on her face as she looked at Song Jiumei.
Song Jiumei sulked and voiced out her displeasure: "Today she went shopping in the city mall, even going to Guchun stores, pointing at the dress you designed and started criticizing this and that. I just said a few words to her, and then she hit me."
Her eyes turned cold after she finished narrating and then added as an afterthought, "This Song Wuyou actually dared to slap me in front of so many people. When Daddy's back, I must tell him to stop Song Wuyou's allowance. I must never let her find a good job in M City!"
After hearing this, Song Jiuyue thought; 'Song Wuyou is Gu Yanhao's wife. She appeared in the company's store and hit her little sister in public, the media should have a field day with this...'
"Forget about her allowance. When Young Master Gu finds out about her raising her hand on you, it will only increase his dislike towards her."
"Young Master Gu hating her is a different matter. However, I must let Daddy stop her allowance!"
"Don't tell me that you don't want to see Song Wuyou come to our house like a beggar every month, stretching out her hand pitifully asking for her only source of money?" a faint trace of smile made its way into Song Jiuyue's eyes.
After hearing this, Song Jiumei was speechless for a minute.
Seeing her become silent, Song Jiuyue added, "For us, those few thousands yuan is worth nothing. But, with that few thousands yuan, you can trample all of her dignity again and again. So it is money well spent."
"But, she's different after surviving that car crash."
She was not sure if Song Wuyou would still come and beg for her pocket money like she used to; but for merely a few thousand yuan she endured and swallowed everything like she had in the past.
"What's different?" Song Jiuyue sneered dismissively, "Even though she hit you. Isn't the only differences is that she became more arrogant and naïve?"
"Dajie, try and guess what clothes she wore today?"
"Which one was it?" Song Jiuyue's eyes sparkled with a certain meaning.
"A dress that is four years outdated."
"This Song Wuyou is really embarrassing." Still wearing something from four years ago, how poor could she be?
Song Jiuyue's prediction actually came true. The incident where Song Wuyou striking someone in a store belonging to the Gu Group hit the media like a hurricane.
The report video only showed Song Wuyou and Song Jiumei's confrontation seconds prior to Song Wuyou raising her hand and slapping Song Jiumei. Their conversation was entirely neglected and conveniently not included in the news.
Everyone was blindly siding with Song Jiumei. Harsh and negative criticism rained on Song Wuyou, and of course, these words did not reached Song Wuyou ears. The rumors says that Song Wuyou became even more arrogant after surviving the car accident and it spread like a gospel.
Accumulating hate from three hundred sixty degrees all around, all of the public were feeling sympathetic towards Gu Yanhao.
For someone as capable as Gu Yanhao, how could he willing marry Song Wuyou?
Even if it was Old Grandfather Gu who agreed to it, with Gu Yanhao's ability he could have refused, but he did not... so in short, Song Wuyou's reputation was nothing but smellier than the sewers.
At this time, Gu Yanhao was leaning lazily on the sofa, cold light gleaming in those eyes as he read the article.
All passersby being interviewed by the on-scene reporter had accused Song Wuyou of being willful and arrogant. But despite all of what being said Gu Yanhao was frowning. How come he could not see the so-called arrogant and willfulness mentioned there?
Chapter 22: Song Wuyou, Let Me See How Long Can You Keep This Up
From the beginning till the end, the clown he saw on the video had been Song Jiumei.
When Song Jiumei was cursing while pointing a finger at Song Wuyou's face, there was only one word to describe the expression on her face - calm. Even the action of slapping the other person's cheek seemed like model behavior.
Before when Song Wuyou wanted to hit someone, she would not have slapped the other person, instead she would directly lunge towards her opponent and pulled their hair...
"Young Master, Manager Liu has sent over the surveillance video." At this point, Ah De who has been standing guard outside the study walked in while holding his mobile phone.
"En," Gu Yanhao assented with a deadpanned face.
Ah De placed his phone on the coffee table to make it easier for Gu Yanhao to view the already playing video.
On the screen, it showed Song Wuyou and Xu Jing as they entered the Guchun store.
Gu Yanhao's eyes were cold as he watched with a chill gleamed in his eyes when he saw Song Wuyou scolding Song Jiumei without swearing even once. This woman had successfully choked Song Jiumei's anger with just a few simple sentences - what a skill.
Their exchange coming from the playing video rang clear in his ears.
Judging from the sequence of events, Song Wuyou had not been at fault. She wasn't even the one who started the argument. It was Song Jiumei who looked for trouble the moment she showed up at the store. But people's fingers were pointed at Song Wuyou as the attacker.
"Who is she?" after the short video ended, Gu Yanhao's icy voice sounded.
Ah De had no idea who his master was referring to specifically all of a sudden. He had yet to open his mouth and asked when Gu Yanhao added, "The next time I visit the store, I do not want to see her face there."
Hearing this, Ah De immediately understood.
He quickly nodded, "Yes, Young Master!" Then, he secretly peeked at Gu Yanhao's face. Since when did Young Master started being concerned about Young Madame's problems? Even firing the sales advisor who had offended Young Madame...
Ah De could only obediently take back his mobile phone. Not long after that, the mobile phone in Gu Yanhao's pocket rang. Taking out the phone, the screen ID flashed - Song Jiuyue.
Accepting the call, Gu Yanhao's eyes were just as cold as his voice: "Speak."
"Young Master Gu, are you free? I'll treat you to dinner." Song Jiuyue was standing in front of the mirror, turning left and right before she felt satisfied by what she saw from her reflection.
"Not free." Gu Yanhao refused her ― straight to the point.
The smile on Song Jiuyue's face vanished instantly when she heard the two-word reply. "I quite made some changes to the design sketches. I was thinking of going over them with you over a meal."
"Send the revised designs to the encrypted mailbox. I will look at them tomorrow at the office."
"Have you eaten?"
Gu Yanhao hung up the phone call. He did not even bother to give her an answer. Flinging the mobile onto the sofa, he caught someone's shadow near the staircase.
Gu Yanhao's sharp eyes were full of impatience, "What is Song Wuyou doing upstairs?"
Xu Jing was shivering with fear as the recipient of his pointed gaze, she could not help but stuttered, "Sle... Sleeping."
Hearing this answer, his eyes narrowed.
That woman would go to sleep early? Had she not used to love strutting back and forth in front of him?
Every day when he comes back to the villa, she would annoyingly shower him with so many questions, pestering him. Even if he had heedlessly avoided answering and only showed her a dark gloomy face, she would continue twittering in front of him by herself.
Why did her actions today become such contradictory?
The corner of Gu Yanhao's lips curved up in a ridicule sneer. 'Song Wuyou, let me see how long can you keep this up.'
Song Wuyou was not really asleep. She was sitting in front of her vanity table, drawing something.
Just now, she had used Xu Jing's phone to go online and looked some information up. She found that anyone could enter this year's international fashion design competition as long as they register before the deadline.
There was still two weeks' time before the deadline. However, she was not sure if she could sketch out a decent work within the remaining time.
Chapter 23: A Mysterious Feeling from An Ancient Past
Though the original host possessed a certain degree of drawing talent, the ability or talent did not transfer over to fashion designing.
For the original host, most of her time had been used in concocting plans on how to obtain Gu Yanhao's favor, how to catch his attention, and how to become his woman.
Even during class, the thoughts of him took precedence over learning . In the end, she had failed to get into University.
After marrying Gu Yanhao, all her energy had been spent on thinking how to get rid of all the women around him, and how to get his love and care.
To get his attention, she would argue with him on big and trivial matters. Then, after the arguments ended she would cry by herself in secrecy. So her precious time had been wasted away just like this.
After finishing school, she aspired to be like Song Jiuyue. To work in Gu Group. Sadly, Gu Yanhao did not share the same thought.
Which led her to blow up in a jealous rage every time she saw Song Jiuyue and Gu Yanhao appearing on television together. With Song Jiuyue proudly parading her winning trophies.
Naively, she had declared in front of Gu Yanhao's face that she would exceed Song Jiuyue. She even enrolled to a fashion design training class and stayed there for half a month.
With thoughts full of Gu Yanhao, she had not been able to concentrate in class, and in less than two weeks, she was already tired of the classes.
In that half a month spent she had not even learned the basic techniques, not to mention having the skills to sketch out a complete design.
Now that Song Wuyou wanted to draw out the clothes of her era, only now did she realize the difficulty level was a bit high.
She drew one page after another, yet none was to her satisfaction.
At this point, she was exhausted. She looked up at the mirror, staring at her own reflection with a stricken expression.
She truly felt pity for the original host. The woman possessed such exceptional beauty that was paired with an underdeveloped mind.
All day long her head had always been wrapped in the bubble that is Gu Yanhao, of course, her own attitude was also a major problem. Without so many aspects lacking, how could she ever hope to get Gu Yanhao's attention and love?
Even Song Wuyou herself did not approve of the original host's personality.
Gently rubbing her aching temple, Song Wuyou continued to draw.
Half an hour passed, her drawing finally looked somewhat close to a design sketch.
What she drew was the first set of dress that ruthless man had gifted her with in the previous life.
She had been disguising herself as a man and fought alongside him in the raging war. It was a full eight years from the last time she had put on a dress.
After conquering the land, he personally had given her a set of female dress, telling her to wear it during the celebration feast.
Holding the clothes he had given her, her heart felt sweeter than honey. She put it on that same night and it was truly beautiful.
When she wore the dress and appeared in front of him in the celebration feast, she had made everyone present dumbstruck.
Song Wuyou still remembered the way he had scoured her, a tinge of burning desire surged in his eyes, accompanied with longing.
However, in the next moment, he announced his marriage to another woman, even bestowing the position of the Empress to that woman.
As for her, she had been reduced to a mere concubine.
The one who had fought for the land with him was her. She had taken care of him when he was injured, she had been the one who bore the swords and arrows that came his way. The who with a body full of scars had been her, and the one who was deeply loved him was also her.
At the end of the journey, his glory and wealth, his love and favor, even the position of his Empress were given to another woman.
Even so, she accepted it. But he just had to believe that woman's words, and framed her, shackled her with chains, punishing her for the crimes she did not commit and shoved her and her nine familial connections towards the butcher's knife.
Recalling this painful memory, her right hand that was holding the pen exerted such great force which only kept increasing with every second as if she willed it to break.
Emerging in her mind was that ruthless man and that woman's smiling faces on their wedding day. Immediately, Song Wuyou's eyes turned cold, aggrieved, and filled with hatred:
Suddenly, sounds of steady footsteps came from the doorway.
Song Wuyou turned around, alarmed.
Gu Yanhao, dressed in a black suit from head to toe, was standing at the doorway.
The soft white light fell on his body, adding a mysterious charm similar to that person in the past, the same face from an era long gone by.
That noble indifferent bearing was akin to an Emperor, oppressive merely by his presence alone.
Chapter 24: Don't Appear in my Line of Sight
The cold noble bearing radiating from his body mounted great pressure on others like a majestic Emperor does.
Song Wuyou stared at his overly perfect face.
Precisely at this point, her thoughts was in a trance, confusing Gu Yanhao with that heartless man.
Moments before, Song Wuyou had been thinking of her past, and now seeing Gu Yanhao, it only stirred up her already raging emotions into turmoil, all of her negative feelings skyrocketed. Sorrow and hatred were swirling strongly in her eyes!
To get to his study room, Gu Yanhao first needed to pass by Song Wuyou's room on the way. He was perplexed himself on his own sudden action, stopping right in front of her room to take a look at her.
Coming face to face with Song Wuyou, he caught the complex emotions surging in her eyes, and he was stupefied. An eyebrow naturally rose in doubt. His eyes locked with hers across the room, only to see Song Wuyou's eyes becoming colder.
At this point, Song Wuyou had nearly snapped the pen in her hand in two.
This heartless man, why didn't he believed her? How could he betray the vow he had made to her? Did he not remember who had fought alongside him all of those years?
Thinking of this, Song Wuyou gritted her teeth with deep hatred.
Gu Yanhao who had been watching the different emotions flashing over her face, unconsciously frowned. This woman hated him this much? To actually used this kind of eyes to look at him!
"Heartless man!" Song Wuyou spat words with a vengeance.
"Just because I refuse to give you Gu Group's share?" Gu Yanhao truly found it hilarious.
Husband and wife divorcing due to lack of feelings between the two parties was a common thing. How did he become a villainous heartless man?
Hearing his cold sharp voice, Song Wuyou jolted abruptly jolted back to the present.
Errr... just now, did she make a mistake at being too immersed in her own thoughts.
"That's right!" Song Wuyou repressed the tumult of emotions she felt inside and angrily admitted to Gu Yanhao's assumption.
Gu Yanhao's line of sight fell on the scattered papers around her vanity table. After all, he has quite tall and his eyesight was also very sharp, in fact it was could be considered as perfect, so in an instant he could see that the doodles on these papers were actually clothes sketches.
He snorted, with words mixed with mockery, he taunted, "You also know how to design clothes?"
Hearing this, Song Wuyou immediately try to hide the paper sketches with her hands in the vanity table to prevent him from seeing more of them.
"I won't let you see!" both of Song Wuyou's hands were protectively guarding the sketches by pressing on it as if saying 'if you insist on looking, I will fight you to the end.'
Gu Yanhao had a cocky expression on his face, "You think I wanted to take a peek?"
Song Wuyou remained unconvinced, "Whether you want to or not, it's another matter altogether. I'm wary of you plagiarizing my designs."
Gu Yanhao let out scornful chuckles listening to Song Wuyou's reasoning, "Relying on something that came out of that pig brain inside your human head, do you think I would be interested in copying your designs? Song Wuyou, you have become increasingly arrogant."
Pig-brained human head [1]?
Song Wuyou gnashed her teeth in anger; she would absolutely throw it right at his face, her designs were not worse than Song Jiuyue's!
She would make sure that he appreciate this pig-brained human head of hers in the near future!
"Yes ah," Song Wuyou suddenly flashed him a brilliant smile, "I'm becoming even more arrogant nowadays, so what are you doing coming to an arrogant person's room this late at night? Could it be Young Master Gu has such a heavy taste, to actually like a woman with pig brain in their heads like me?"
"Are you driving me out of the room?" Gu Yanhao lifted his feet and walked into the room.
Song Wuyou squinted; this man, what did he want to suddenly barge in her room. Didn't he just say that he has no interest in seeing her design sketches?
Song Wuyou guarded the sketches tightly under her palm while keeping a wary stare at Gu Yanhao, "Not only do I want you out of my room, I'd preferred it if you don't appear in my line of sight."
This way, there was no need for her to see his face and be reminded of that heartless man.
Without him in her mind, she would be in a good mood all the time. A good mood is the first step for her to move forward towards a better life.
Gu Yanhao stopped in front of her, like a high and mighty God he looked condescendingly at her, his mouth curving up at the corner, "Song Wuyou, congratulations, your tactics have improved."
Song Wuyou curled her lips: "Thanks!"
Gu Yanhao's hand reached out, clamping her chin between his fingers, "Now, you hate me so much?" If not, why had she looked at him with that kind of gaze earlier?
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Note:
[1] Pig-brained human head means stupid as a pig...
Chapter 25: Fully Knew Well that I'm Annoying Yet Still Married Me
"Right ah," Song Wuyou willingly admitted, "I hate you very much."
"How much?" Gu Yanhao's eyes were sharp like an eagle's, there was a certain edge in his tone.
Though Song Wuyou had a faint smile on her face, her eyes were indifferent, "Hate is the flipped side of love, how deep the love was, how deep the hate goes."
How deep the love was, how deep the hate goes? What an excellent metaphor.
"You shouldn't have fallen for me in the first place." Gu Yanhao commented in his trademark cold voice.
Song Wuyou nonchalantly replied in a laid-back tone, "Who's willing to be bald if they have no scabies?[1] Who'd be willing to love someone they never ought to?"
Gu Yanhao stared deeply into her eyes. Within them, he could not find even a flicker of pretense. His brows creased without him realizing it. Did her entire persona change after surviving that car crash?
"Did you hit Song Jiumei today?" the man's thin lips moved as the question came out.
Song Wuyou haven't had the time to watch the news yet. Thus, she knew nothing about her reputation being damaged from bad to worse because she struck Song Jiumei today.
She thought Song Jiuyue made 'a small complain'[2] to Gu Yanhao about her raising her hand on Song Jiumei.
Song Wuyou scoffed, "She deserved it."
"Aren't you afraid of Song Nan stopping your allowance?"
Song Wuyou shrugged her shoulders as if she couldn't care less, "No."
The woman's hand then grasped the wrist of the man's hand that was holding her chin captive. Gu Yanhao's eyebrows abruptly rose. His gaze trailed down towards the dainty porcelain white hand.
He watched as Song Wuyou calmly tugged his hand away, giving him an enchanting smile before saying, "Gu Yanhao, till the day we are officially divorced, I'm still your wife. You allowed your wife to go back to her parents' house every month like a beggar just for a few thousand yuan, don't you feel like a failure as a man?"
Gu Yanhao's face darkened, "The failure is you."
Damn her, why did he suddenly find her smile beautiful and alluring?
"You already knew that I'm a failure early on, then why did you marry me?" Song Wuyou deliberately punched him in the chest in a playful manner, such a tantalizing action, "You're so strong and powerful, you could have easily refused to marry me, yet you did not. Tell me, did you have a good impression of me?"
Hearing these words, Gu Yanhao's unfathomable eyes darkened, making it hard for others to guess what his thoughts are.
In Song Wuyou's opinion, his eyes were like two dark hypnotizing vortexes that could suck people into their depths, drowning themselves in the process.
"You're so annoying, who would have a good impression of you?" the man snappily rebuffed her.
"You knew fully well I'm annoying yet you still married me. Then after marrying me, you want a divorce. You're so ludicrous." Song Wuyou's voice held obvious contempt.
"Back to the main point. If Song Nan stopped your allowance, then you won't have any money. So, I kindly advise you to sign the papers quickly." After she sign them, as per their agreement, he would give her five-hundred million.
Song Wuyou sneered, "Running in circles and we're back to signing the divorce papers. Gu Yanhao, I'm in a very lousy mood right now. Care not to mention about divorce right at this moment."
"Sooner or later, you need to sign it either way." If she sign them now, he would provide a very lucrative compensation. If it was later, then he might not be feeling too generous...
"The more you force me, the more adamant I will be in not signing it."
"One week, that's all you have to consider it." Gu Yanhao sneered. Without prior indications, his hand snatched one of the papers under Song Wuyou's hand on the vanity table.
All in all, Song Wuyou sketched many versions, and the one Gu Yanhao snatched was the first draft she drew.
The lines were rough, and the designs were a blur, something a kindergarten would draw.
"You..." Song Wuyou wanted to snatch the draft back but Gu Yanhao lifted up his hand high above her and it was out of her reach.
Forget it; she would have to let him see it at one point.
Gu Yanhao's eyes swept across the paper surface, in the next moment, he mercilessly crumpled it into a lump of ball and effortlessly threw it into the wastebasket placed near the door.
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Note:
[1] In the era of Imperial Dynasties, man and woman have long and silky beautiful black hair as one of the symbols of nobility, and good bearings. Unless they have some hair diseases such as scabies, they would not choose the extreme route of shaving off their hair bald. So, it basically means, they are powerless in the matter, in turn, they would rather choose another option if they could help it.
[2] 'a small complaint' means backstab.
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Translator: Woodear Editor: ChocolateMorn