I Am the Villain 07

The only difference was the presence of Fang Zhiyi as an onlooker. The Chen couple, frantic after failing to reach their daughter by phone, were at a loss—without the money, their son would be in danger. A passerby kindly informed them they’d seen a girl entering a hotel.

The Chens rushed upstairs to search, followed shortly by the Gu parents. Mrs. Chen, putting on a dramatic scene, pressured the hotel front desk into opening the room door. Everyone was met with the sight of Gu Xiuyuan and Gu Xiaoxiao lying naked in each other’s arms.

Gu Xiuyuan, still dazed, took a slap to the face—then a second, then a third. When his eyes finally focused, he saw his father’s enraged expression and instinctively covered his head.

"You beast! What have you done?!"

Meanwhile, Mrs. Chen, who’d orchestrated their arrival, crossed her arms smugly. "Now, now, in-law, no need for such temper."

"Y-you—don’t spout nonsense!" Mrs. Gu’s fingers trembled.

"Nonsense? No wonder your family didn’t want my daughter back. Who’d have thought… your son had his eyes on her!" Mrs. Chen’s face lit up with triumph. Now that things had come to this, it was simple—their adopted daughter had become their daughter-in-law, and the dowry would be substantial!

"You—!"

Gu Xiuyuan looked down to see Gu Xiaoxiao clutching the sheets in panic. Gritting his teeth, he shielded her. "Stop hitting me, Dad! It was all my fault—I forced her!"

The admission only fueled Mr. Gu’s fury.

Gu Xiaoxiao quickly chimed in, "He forced me!"

For a split second, Gu Xiuyuan felt a pang of hurt, but he swallowed it. "It’s done. Blame me if you must!"

By the time they left the hotel, rumors had already spread—whispers of a brother and sister entangled in scandal. The Gu parents burned with humiliation, while the Chens gloated.

Gu Panxi, meanwhile, remained entirely unaware. The Gu family hadn’t even thought to inform her.

She simply eyed the scrawny young man before her. "You sure you can keep up as my sparring partner?"

Xiao Jingran nodded miserably. What choice did he have? If he didn’t win over the protagonist, he’d never complete his mission.

Gu Panxi delivered a spinning kick, and Xiao Jingran—despite his padding—hit the floor unconscious.

She scoffed and turned to the punching bag instead.

Xiao Jingran had tried other approaches. Once, he’d arranged for some burly thugs to corner Gu Panxi, planning a heroic rescue. But when he stepped out after his dramatic countdown, he found the thugs already sprawled on the ground—and Gu Panxi twisting a steel pipe in her hands, the metal warping under her grip.

When she suddenly turned, he barely ducked behind a wall in time. In that instant, he sensed something he’d only ever felt in the most perilous of worlds—pure, unadulterated killing intent.

His system couldn’t take it anymore. "Host, how about some prop assistance?"

Xiao Jingran agreed. He’d been saving his points, but at this rate, he’d die here without them.

The system supplied talismans—except unbeknownst to him, the moment he stuck one on, the little black shadow (Xiao Hei) would peel it right off. What should’ve weakened Gu Panxi only led to her nearly smashing his skull in.

After several failed attempts, both Xiao Jingran and his system were at their wits’ end.

Why was this so absurd?

Was this the protagonist’s power?

These days, Gu Panxi divided her time between studying and mixed martial arts. Fang Zhiyi had told her she’d achieve greatness—and for the first time, she had a goal. She trained harder than anyone.

Next time she saw her "boss," she’d earn his approval!

"Boss, how should we assign the new recruits from North City?" Xu Jiabo asked.

Fang Zhiyi smacked him. "Recruits? What are we, a gang?"

Rubbing his sore shoulder, Xu Jiabo corrected himself. "I mean the new students."

"Check who’s free and schedule them."

"Got it."

The Shura After-School Study Group had gained quite the reputation. Parents were lining up to enroll their kids, and Fang Zhiyi was thrilled—who knew this could turn a profit?

Outside a middle school:

"Hey, twerp!" Three hulking delinquents cornered a scrawny student.

Other kids veered away, not wanting trouble.

"Lunch money. Now."

"Run! Run and shout the vocabulary words!"

"What’re you yapping about? Think you can fool me? That’s not how you spell it!"

The scrawny kid nearly cried. Since when were street thugs this well-educated?

Gu Xiaoxiao, now officially Chen Xiaoxiao, had been sent back to her biological parents in disgrace. No matter how much the Gu family had loved her, the scandal made it impossible. She returned to a rundown shack—and a crippled older brother.

Mr. Chen’s shouts echoed through the house. Already biased toward sons, his disdain for this daughter grew with her earlier defiance. Only Mrs. Chen’s dreams of a hefty dowry held him back. Chen Xiaoxiao, drowning in self-pity, couldn’t understand how things had come to this.

But in the Chen household, daughters worked—even "valuable" ones.

As for the Gu family, Gu Xiuyuan’s relationship with his father had frozen over. He couldn’t fathom why they’d send his sister back to suffer. So what if they’d slept together? They weren’t related by blood!

His outrageous stance sent Mr. Gu into a rage-induced collapse.

But Gu Xiuyuan stood firm. He sought out Chen Xiaoxiao, now resolved to protect her forever.

Finally, the Gu parents remembered their actual daughter. One phone call later, Gu Panxi arrived.

Seeing their biological daughter—noticeably more muscular—Mr. Gu didn’t dare raise his voice.

When she handed him water, the cup cracked. Four more followed. Mrs. Gu asked her to help her father to the hospital—but one tug from Gu Panxi, and Mr. Gu passed out, his arm dislocated.

After a few such incidents, the Gu parents stopped asking for her help.

Not that they could fault her otherwise. She was flawless—just… excessively strong?

Gu Panxi eventually learned about the family drama. The sister-turned-sister-in-law twist surprised her, but little else.

"Panxi, what do you think?" Mrs. Gu, desperate for input, finally asked.

Gu Panxi shook her head. "I don’t know."

"How can you not know?" Mrs. Gu fumed. This was their only daughter left, and she had nothing to say? If only Xiaoxiao were here—she’d know what to do…

"Because I never really lived with you…" Gu Panxi murmured, her hands nervously gripping the IV stand beside her. Under her grip, the metal bent visibly.