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Gu Xiaoxi awoke to find it was already five o’clock in the afternoon. Despite having slept for seven or eight hours, her head was still feeling groggy.

Mi Xi instructed the waiter to bring dinner to Gu Xiaoxi’s room.

She ate something casually and then got ready to leave.

She had initiated the car racing and couldn’t afford to be late herself.

By five-thirty in the afternoon, a group of young heirs had already gathered at the racetrack with their luxury cars.

Mo Lan still liked to dress sexy, wearing a long red dress and blood-red nail polish, looking like a charming demon.

Meanwhile, Dongfang Le was youthful and energetic.

Bai Yu was more indifferent by nature, yet she was a very carefree woman.

Then there were the siblings Chen Lu and Chen Zhi who arrived later, a loli who could instantly attract attention wherever she went and the other elegant in manner, both equally outstanding in appearance.

Although everyone had agreed to race together, Quan Shaoqing ended up just holding a cigarette, with no intention to participate.

Chen Lu, witty as ever, walked up with a smile and clung to Quan Shaoqing’s arm, inviting, "Shaoqing, would you like to join me? Don’t worry, I’ll drive safely; it’ll be totally safe."

Gu Xiaoxi and others were putting on their helmets when Bai Yu patted Gu Xiaoxi on the shoulder and laughed, "Sister-in-law, you’ve got to put in some effort! I won’t go easy on you!"

Gu Xiaoxi smiled sweetly, "Don’t go easy on me, because I intend to show my real skill and beat you all."

Gu Xiaoxi’s car had been shipped over by sea during the day, and all the cars had been thoroughly checked to ensure that they wouldn’t have any problems.

Once everyone was ready, they began to get into their cars.

Gu Xiaoxi’s gaze inadvertently caught Quan Shaoqing getting into Chen Lu’s car. The two seemed to be talking about something inside the car, Chen Lu acting like a shy young girl, cheeks flushed with bashfulness.

Gu Xiaoxi tightly secured her helmet and gripped the steering wheel.

At the sound of the whistle, she pressed on the gas pedal, and her car shot out.

Her vehicle, like a sharp sword, had already covered a significant distance while everyone else was still starting their engines.

She drove fast but exceptionally smooth.

Bai Yu narrowed her eyes, taking an interest in Gu Xiaoxi, and without further ado, pressed on her accelerator to follow.

They say you can understand a person’s character by watching how they act.

And Gu Xiaoxi was exactly the sort who was straightforward in character and even more so in action, which made Bai Yu like her increasingly more.

Among these young masters, being skilled at driving was a given.

Chen Zhi was one of them, and nobody had ever beaten him at racing before.

It would be quite embarrassing to lose in front of a group of women today.

Suddenly, seven or eight cars were racing toward the coastal highway in a spectacular display.

The cars sped along, drawing closer and closer to their destination.

Without a doubt, in this unchallenging race, Gu Xiaoxi was the first to reach the finish line.

However, just as her car reached the finish line, the brakes suddenly failed.

Gu Xiaoxi, shocked, tried to push open the car door to jump out, but found even the car door was tightly shut, impossible to open, and a strange dizziness suddenly hit her.

Her car rushed directly into the sea.

Amidst the rolling waves, Gu Xiaoxi and her car plunged into the water together.

The others, seeing this, were all taken aback.

Mi Xi was scared out of her wits. On the surface, it seemed like Gu Xiaoxi’s car was out of control due to excessive speed, but on second thought, how could a person who knew how to drive not control a car? Someone must have tampered with the vehicle.

Chen Lu was so frightened that she stopped her car by the roadside. But when she turned to look for Quan Shaoqing, he was nowhere to be found, causing her to hurry out of the car in panic.

Mi Xi and Bai Yu, among others, hurried to the scene of the accident, but Gu Xiaoxi’s car had already disappeared beneath the waves.

Mi Xi, panicking, immediately called Bai Yaxuan.

This was an accident, and a serious one at that, which infuriated Bai Yaxuan, who promptly dispatched a search and rescue team.

However, before Bai Yaxuan’s search and rescue team could set out, Gu Xiaoxi emerged from the surface of the sea.

And the one who rescued her was Quan Shaoqing.

As the afternoon sun cast its glow on the sea, Quan Shaoqing, carrying Gu Xiaoxi hurriedly back to the hotel, held the still unconscious woman in his arms.

After the doctor’s examination, it was found that Gu Xiaoxi had inhaled a large amount of Fascination Incense, and with the impact of the seawater, had Quan Shaoqing not been swift in his rescue, the consequences might have been dire.

This commotion marked the end of the excursion, but in the end, the nobles’ daughters who had come were all taken by the police for questioning.

Bai Yaxuan sent a special investigation team, and after a night of investigation, eventually singled out the culprit before allowing the others to leave.

Gu Yuxin was kept at the police station because restored surveillance footage revealed that she had placed a sachet in Gu Xiaoxi’s car and secretly sabotaged the brakes after the maintenance staff had inspected the vehicles that afternoon.

With evidence in hand and Gu Yuxin’s unreserved confession, she was now facing imprisonment as punishment.

Gu Hua and Tian Mei were nearly furious to death when they learned of the situation.

A perfectly good daughter had gone out to play and come back only to be locked up in a prison...

Gu Hua was furious!

Wasn’t it enough that Gu Xiaoxi had divided his shares; did she also want to ruin his family and leave them destitute?

...

Perhaps it was the effect of the Fascination Incense, but Gu Xiaoxi slept for a full day and night, worsening her previous cold and flu.

As a result, she had to receive injections day and night until she awoke at noon on the third day.

Qiao Wan looked at Gu Xiaoxi’s pale face with a burst of sympathy and said, "Your Excellency, it was one thing when Gu Yuxin used to bully madam, but now after she has nearly cost you your life, she still won’t let her be. Such a vicious-hearted woman must not be let off."

Bai Yaxuan sat by Gu Xiaoxi’s bed, his brows furrowed tightly, "Did she often bully Xiaoxi before?"

"You don’t know?" Qiao Wan immediately retorted indignantly, "All the things you used to give to madam were snatched away by Gu Yuxin. I saw it with my own eyes, but I couldn’t help. Since childhood, madam had no mother, and you can’t imagine how much she has suffered."

Hearing this and looking at Gu Xiaoxi’s paper-white lips, Bai Yaxuan’s face rarely displayed anger. "Take good care of madam, I’m going to see Gu Hua."

With that, Bai Yaxuan left the room.

Downstairs, Gu Hua, because of the matter with Gu Yuxin, had brought many gifts seeking clemency, hoping for Your Excellency’s leniency.

But when Bai Yaxuan went downstairs, his face wore an unusually grim expression, leaving Gu Hua astonished and unsure of what to do.

Rumors had it that Bai Yaxuan had never truly been angry even when faced with national affairs.

But now!...

No sooner had Bai Yaxuan left than Gu Xiaoxi sat up abruptly in bed, feeling dizzy and uncomfortable in her head.

She felt she must have some vendetta with the sea – this was the second time her car had plunged into it. The first time had been under duress, but this time she had driven into it herself.

"Madam, are you feeling better? Ah... you’re finally awake! I’ll go get you some water." Qiao Wan rushed over, almost dancing with joy before dashing out the door.

Gu Xiaoxi took a deep breath and touched her forehead. Aside from some dizziness, everything else seemed okay. Who had saved her this time?

She remembered being very disoriented at the time...

She put on her coat, pushed open the door, and went downstairs.

At the staircase, she heard Bai Yaxuan speaking with Gu Hua.

"Yuxin may have made a mistake, but she’s still a child. Yes, she shouldn’t have done something so foolish out of jealousy for her sister. But the crime of attempted murder, a ten-year sentence... that would ruin Yuxin’s whole life," Gu Hua said, each word heavy with heartfelt pain and sorrow.

Bai Yaxuan sat on the sofa, his presence domineering, "If you had properly guided the child, this wouldn’t have happened. You should be grateful that Xiaoxi is all right; otherwise, your Gu Family wouldn’t be able to stay in A City."

Bai Yaxuan’s words were resolute and his tone brooked no argument.

Having been with him for so long, it was actually the first time Gu Xiaoxi had seen him lose his temper.

Piecing together their conversation, she quickly grasped the whole sequence of events.

Apparently, her near-drowning was related to Gu Yuxin, who was caught with evidence and faced sentencing, and Gu Hua was here to plead on her behalf.

"Cough cough!" After hesitating for a moment, Gu Xiaoxi coughed and strode forward.

Bai Yaxuan, seeing her awake, immediately breathed a sigh of relief and waved to her from afar, "Why didn’t you stay in bed? You’ve gotten up so quickly."

"I’m fine!" Gu Xiaoxi stepped forward, standing before Gu Hua.

The middle-aged man seemed to have aged so much in just a few days since she first saw him. He no longer had the vibrant, extraordinary demeanor he once had.

"Dad! Although I don’t know exactly what happened, surely you understand it as clearly as if it were reflected in a mirror. Why do you always protect her? Am I not your own daughter in your heart?" Gu Xiaoxi’s gaze was earnest as she stared at him. Perhaps to her, ’father’ was a sensitive word.

A yearning for familial affection, yet always wounded by it.

"Xiao Xi!" Gu Hua’s heart trembled, and he found himself speechless for a moment. Perhaps it was because he had never held any expectation for Gu Xiaoxi, yet there she stood before him, unblemished and whole.

He didn’t dare to get close to her anymore.

He knew that some wounds, once inflicted, could never again be mended!

Without him, Gu Xiaoxi still had Bai Yaxuan and could live a better life.

But Gu Yuxin was different; she was the treasure he had always held in the palm of his hand! How could he bear to see her waste ten good years in prison?