Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
âEverything has been smooth sailing for Shi Xiu ever since she entered the entertainment industry, and even though Yun Nan and Fang Xi repeatedly reminded us, our entire family hadnât realized the seriousness of this matter. We can consider this the first setback that Shi Xiu has encountered, and I think itâs a good thing it has happened,â Shi Nian stated. Heâd called for a family meeting with his entire family, including Shi Ke, whoâd just returned.
âWhatâs wrong? Whatâs all this about?â Shi Ke asked Xiang Yang, puzzled. âWhat trouble did Shi Xiu get into?â
Xiang Yang rolled her eyes at him. âShi Xiu got bullied! Pay attention and listen carefully! â
Shi Xiu was immediately upset when he heard that. âShi Xiu got bullied, and youâre still wasting time here talking? Who was it? Shi Xiu! Tell me who bullied you. Iâll kill him!â Shi Ke angrily demanded, thinking, âSomeone dares to bully my little sister?! They must really have a death wish!
Shi Nian glared at him. âIâm already dealing with it. You can wait your turn! Sit down!â he ordered. âAll of them are so troublesome!â he mentally grumbled.
Shi Xiu lowered her head and didnât speak. Xu Yun frowned and suggested,
âWhy donât we retire from acting, Shi Xiu? Youâve tried it out and had your fun.
Just quit now that youâre done playing.â
âMom, Iâm not playing,â Shi Xiu said unhappily. âIâm working hard here! Itâs true! You can ask Yun Nan if you donât believe me. I finally found a job to prove my value; I donât want to give it up just because of those creeps from the Gu family. Shi Nian, I know I was wrong. I learned from my mistake, so can we please skip the lecture?â
Shi Nianâs expression turned strict as he questioned, âDo you know where you went wrong?â
âI should have just had a huge fight with Gu Fei the moment I saw him. I underestimated their shamelessness,â Shi Xiu mumbled.
Shi Nian was so angry at his sister that he was struck speechless. âYou call this learning from your mistakes?!â he scolded. âNo one can predict what will happen. Your resilience and ability to adapt arenât enough to stand against the Gu family! You were only able to escape unscathed from all kinds of trouble before because you havenât met truly bad people, and you also have your family background supporting you. Youâre safe because Yun Nan and Fang Xi are protecting you. You understand?â
Shi Xiu nodded reluctantly; that was indeed the case. This time, even Shi Ke didnât get angry at Shi Nian for yelling at their sister. When Shi Nian saw that his sister had truly learned her lesson and realized her errors, his temper subsided. He calmly told her, âWhat you see isnât everything in this world. The Gu family is just more shameless and insolent than youâd imagined, and yet, they got you so furious and defenseless that you hugged the Gu familyâs grandmother and cried in public. What will you do if you encounter things that are even more outrageous in the future?â
âWhat?!â Shi Xiu stared at her brother with wide eyes. âThere are people worse than that family?â
And with that, everyone no longer felt sorry for her. âThis girl still isnât taking this seriously enough,â Yun Nan inwardly sighed before saying, âAlright, stop scolding her. It wonât do her any good, even if you lecture her for three days straight. You canât teach life lessons; you can only learn them and grow up quickly through experience.â
She then turned to Shi Xiu and said, âShi Xiu, think carefully about whether vou want to continue as an actress. If you do, Fang Xi has chosen a script for you, and you can join the casting crew in a few days. If you donât want to continue acting, you can give yourself a break and start thinking about a new career path.â
Shi Xiu immediately returned to her usual cheerful self. âI do! I do! I want to continue acting! I want to join the casting crew! Yun Nan, Iâm not quitting the entertainment industry just because of such a small matterâthat would be silly. I know that an artiste must first have strong psychological endurance. Donât worry; I donât care about rumors! However, allow me to repeat myself: I do NOT want to marry Gu Fei! Do you hear me, Dad?â
Shi Yun frowned at her. âNobody said you had to! You were the one who went and agreed to cover up for him, smartass! Now you know that not everyone pampers and dotes on you or has your best interests at heart. People will set traps for you to fall into at any time and anywhere! Ultimately, this matter isnât entirely the Gu familyâs fault! Shi Nian, donât be too overprotective of her!â
Although Shi Nian was unwilling to, he still nodded in the end. âItâll take some talking to the Gu family for them to drop the matter. Iâll leave this to Chang Yuan,â he thought.
Shi Xiu still felt upset. âThose people from the Gu family are the worst! How dare they frame me so brazenly?!â
Xu Yun sighed, âThey know how important reputation is to a girl, especially for a family like ours, and are convinced that, for the sake of our reputation, we wonât make a fuss. If things have gone as they planned, theyâll wait until the matter is over before coming to apologize and appease us. In the end, you would have to marry Gu Fei because who else would marry a girl with a ruined reputation? Even if your husband doesnât mind, what about your in-laws?
What decent family would accept a daughter-in-law with a bad reputation?
Your brotherâs right, Shi Xiu! Youâre still too inexperienced!â
Xiang Yang listened quietly and lowered her eyes. Shi Ke reached out to hug her and kissed her on the top of her head..