I Am the Villain 08

"Never mind, forget it if you don’t know." Gu's Father, lying down, watched with trepidation—was she about to strangle him?

Gu Panxi glanced at him. "Dad, rest well. I have training tonight. Call me if you need anything."

Gu's Father nodded repeatedly.

"What’s happened to this family?" Gu's Mother burst into tears as she watched Gu Panxi leave.

"What’s happened? What else could it be? It’s all because of that... Chen Xiaoxiao!" Gu's Father fumed. As someone who valued face above all, he felt utterly humiliated.

Who knew who was so spiteful as to spread their family’s business everywhere?

The more they had doted on their adopted daughter in the past, the more they regretted it now.

"Maybe we should just go along with it and let our son marry Xiaoxiao..." Gu's Mother’s voice trailed off. "Look at Panxi—she’s not close to us at all. Do you really expect her to take care of you in the future?"

Gu's Father glared. "I’m her father—" His eyes fell on the slightly bent metal frame, and the pain in his arm reminded him of the consequences. "You decide! Don’t ask me!"

The Chen family kept Chen Xiaoxiao under tight watch, afraid she might run away. They didn’t even let her go to school.

Chen Xiaoxiao knew why. The loan sharks had come again and again, and her own brother and father bowed and scraped to them, only to turn their anger on her afterward—as if she were the one who had gotten them into debt.

Gu Xiuyuan had visited a few times but never brought up marriage, which made the Chen family impatient.

Chen Xiaoxiao couldn’t take it anymore. Every day, it was washing dishes, doing laundry, or endless chores. Her delicate hands were growing rough, and she couldn’t help but think of Gu Panxi—had she lived like this before?

Now, Chen's Mother didn’t bother pretending, often calling her a "worthless girl," and her own father was even worse, taking out his frustrations on her with beatings.

A deep resentment festered in her heart—toward both the Chen and Gu families. She hated them all.

Fortunately, Gu Xiuyuan brought good news this time: Gu's Mother had agreed to their marriage.

Chen's Mother was even happier than Chen Xiaoxiao. She eagerly brought up the dowry, and Gu Xiuyuan puffed out his chest, declaring that as long as he could be with Xiaoxiao, money was no object!

Chen Xiaoxiao looked at him, her eyes full of adoration. Seeing her admiration, Gu Xiuyuan swelled with pride and took charge of everything.

Only to be scolded mercilessly by Gu's Mother afterward.

"Do you even know how much money we have? A hundred thousand dowry?"

"Mom, you watched Xiaoxiao grow up..."

At the mention of Chen Xiaoxiao, Gu's Mother hesitated. "But a hundred thousand! Your father would have a fit if he found out!"

"Xiaoxiao said she’d bring the money back with her."

"Really?" Gu's Mother’s eyes lit up.

"Really." Gu Xiuyuan thumped his chest confidently.

"But a hundred thousand, plus the car, the house, the banquet... It’s all a huge expense..."

"Wait, isn’t Gu Panxi earning her own money now?" Gu Xiuyuan suddenly said. He’d run into her once—she seemed to be recruiting for some school, looking rather foolish.

Gu's Mother froze. "What are you implying?"

"I’m not asking her for money. But the tuition you set aside for her—couldn’t we borrow it for now?"

Gu's Mother took a deep breath, then made a call. She tried to explain the special circumstances, but Gu Panxi agreed without hesitation.

Gu Xiuyuan frowned. No wonder his sister was so unlikeable—she didn’t even know how to sweet-talk.

Fang Zhiyi watched Gu Panxi from a distance, amused, along with her determined suitor, Xiao Jingran. He had to admire the guy—most people slept once a day, but this guy slept eight times.

Gu Panxi had made it clear: only someone stronger than her could be her partner!

Looks like this dimension-hopper was in for some suffering.

But no rush—the Gu family drama was far more entertaining.

After much fuss, Gu Xiuyuan and Chen Xiaoxiao tied the knot. On the wedding day, the Chen parents were all smiles, Gu's Mother forced a polite expression, and Gu's Father, too ashamed to show his face, didn’t attend at all.

Chen Xiaoxiao was thrilled to escape the Chen family’s misery. She was sure she could win her adoptive parents back once she returned to the Gu household.

But on their wedding night, Gu Xiuyuan brought up the dowry.

Chen Xiaoxiao shook her head pitifully. "My mother said the money had to go toward my brother’s debts first. She promised to pay us back later."

Gu Xiuyuan exploded. He knew exactly what the Chen family was like!

But he never expected Xiaoxiao to lie to him.

To Chen Xiaoxiao, it was justified. She’d endured enough in the Chen household—if she hadn’t lied, what if the Gu family had refused?

Gu Xiuyuan loved her, but even he couldn’t stay calm about the money.

"Xiaoxiao, do you realize the car and house were bought on loans?"

Chen Xiaoxiao nodded.

"And do you know the hundred thousand dowry was everything Mom had saved up? Dad doesn’t even know!"

Chen Xiaoxiao lowered her head. "Brother, are you blaming me too? I couldn’t take it anymore—they hit me..."

Gu Xiuyuan’s expression shifted from shock to pity. After a long silence, he said, "I’ll bear the weight of the sky. Nothing will tear us apart."

"Host, this is really weird. Gu Xiuyuan actually married Chen Xiaoxiao?"

Xiao Jingran pressed an ice pack to his arm. "How should I know?"

"But... something feels off."

Xiao Jingran muttered to himself, frowning in thought, but couldn’t pinpoint it. Was it that hunter? No—the system had said the hunter was a giant who devoured mission-takers. This world had no such threats.

"Did my arrival change everything?" Xiao Jingran suddenly realized. "I know what’s wrong!"

The system perked up. "What?"

"If I’d taken that punch from the female lead that day, the butterfly effect wouldn’t have happened!"

"...Are you sure?"

"Obviously! You’re the system—you wouldn’t get it. I passed out, so I missed my chance to earn her favor."

"I see. Well, Host, in this world, you’ll just have to endure more beatings."

"No problem!"

With the hundred thousand dowry gone, Gu's Mother was frantic. But faced with her meek son and now-daughter-in-law, she bit her tongue and warned them not to tell Gu's Father.

Gu Xiuyuan threw himself into work, while Chen Xiaoxiao, too ashamed, dropped out of school.

Gu Panxi paid little attention to these matters, absorbed in her own pursuits.

The real winners were the Chen family—not only had they cleared their debts, but they still had plenty left over. Once again, they were riding high.