Chapter 125: The Purpose of Descending the Mountain

"This man doesn't think I'm lying, does he?" Although Xie Qingtang had stopped speaking, her mind was racing as she tried to analyze the expression on Gu Xiujin's face.

Was he suspicious of her? Did he think she was playing some game of hard-to-get, or did he simply find her ridiculous?

Xie Qingtang kept her eyes fixed on the sky above, but her head tilted to the side, her expression one of speculation and doubt. The truth was that Gu Xiujin was simply too difficult to fathom; one could never tell what was going on inside his head.

So, Xie Qingtang added, "Gu Xiujin, I really never intended to marry you, so you don't need to waste time thinking about how to guard against me."

At that moment, Gu Xiujin, sitting in his wheelchair, was struggling to suppress his emotions. His hands were clenched tight, and his face was as cold as an eternal, frozen glacier.

Great, why did his expression only get worse the more she explained? Could it be that he truly considered her the type of person who would play such manipulative games?

Xie Qingtang arched an eyebrow. Just as she was about to continue, Gu Xiujin finally raised a hand to cut her off. He turned his head away with a cold, indifferent look and said, "There is no need to say more. I have already understood the meaning of your words."

"Do you really understand, or are you just saying that? If you don't, I can say something even more ruthless to put your mind at ease. I truly have no other intentions toward you," Xie Qingtang said, offering a hasty assurance. Her demeanor suggested that if it would only make him believe she harbored no ulterior motives, she would swear an oath on the spot.

Gu Xiujin was at a loss for words. The irritation in his heart, which had started as a tiny sprout, had grown into a towering tree, constricting his heart so tightly that it began to pound with the sudden rush of blood.

"Hey, Gu Xiujin, actually, if I didn't have more important things to do, perhaps I really would set my sights on you. Come to think of it, marrying you wouldn't be so bad. You're handsome and wealthy, and—well, you're not long for this world. Once you die, wouldn't I suddenly transform into a billionaire widow?" Xie Qingtang said with a grin, as if she were already envisioning her blissful future.

When she spoke the first part, Gu Xiujin had felt it was quite normal; the irritation in his heart had even begun to fade after she complimented his looks. He had not expected, however, that the latter part of her statement would nearly make him vomit blood on the spot.

Li Zhao, standing to the side, witnessed Xie Qingtang brazenly telling Gu Xiujin that his short life was an advantage, and the corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

*Miss Xie is truly a heroine among women; she has no fear of death,* Li Zhao thought, silently giving her a thumbs-up.

"So, that means if you didn't have other goals, you would indeed target someone like me—short-lived and wealthy—is that it? And your goal would be to inherit my massive fortune?" Gu Xiujin asked, turning his head toward the daydreaming Xie Qingtang with a forced, joyless smile, his teeth gritted.

Xie Qingtang, seemingly unaware that disaster was looming, nodded naturally and replied, "Of course. Did you think all those women approaching you were only after your figure and looks? Money is the most important thing. Wait, why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?"

Seeing the cold, terrifying look in Gu Xiujin's eyes, Xie Qingtang finally snapped back to reality and clapped a hand over her mouth.

*Miss Xie, you only just realized you said the wrong thing? Tsk, tsk, your reaction time is something else,* Li Zhao thought as he stood nearby, shaking his head and sighing, mourning for Xie Qingtang’s future.

To his surprise, in the next second, Gu Xiujin wiped the expression from his face, returning to a calm demeanor as if nothing had happened. He continued, "You said your purpose in coming down the mountain wasn't to marry me. Was your purpose, then, to seek revenge on your father, Shao Siming?"

"That goes without saying. I want to take back everything that belongs to the Xie family, expose Shao Siming’s hypocritical facade to the world, ruin his reputation, leave him homeless, and finally drive him back to the small village where he was born. I want him to taste what it feels like to cry out to the heavens and the earth with no one to answer him."

Speaking of this, Xie Qingtang nodded incessantly, her teeth gritted with hatred, as if she were already picturing the day she would exile Shao Siming back to his humble origins.

"So that was your original purpose for coming down the mountain. I was just a minor nuisance you encountered along the way," Gu Xiujin murmured while sitting in his wheelchair. His expression dimmed slightly, though the look vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Because he had spoken so softly, Xie Qingtang hadn't heard him clearly. She leaned in and asked, "Eh? Gu Xiujin, why are you whispering like a mosquito? What did you just say?"

"I said nothing." Gu Xiujin turned his body to the side with an odd expression. As Xie Qingtang leaned in, a faint, intoxicating scent of medicinal herbs drifted from her hair, a fragrance that was unexpectedly refreshing.

Looking at the man who seemed to be on his guard, Xie Qingtang curled her lip and asked casually, "Anyway, all I'm thinking about right now is curing my grandfather and taking back the Xie family from that brute, Shao Siming. What about you? You must have goals in life, too. What is it that you want to do?"

After her words fell, Gu Xiujin froze. He had never considered this question. From the moment he was born into the Gu family, it was ordained that his life would be spent fighting for the family; it had never occurred to him to ask what he himself wanted.

Even now, with his body so frail and broken, he was still struggling to support the Gu family. Every action he took was rooted in the needs of the family; nothing he did was ever for his own sake.

"No way, did such a simple question stump you? I mean, what do you want to do? Don't tell me you don't even know what you want for yourself?" Xie Qingtang asked, her mouth agape in surprise as she watched the silent Gu Xiujin.

Gu Xiujin glanced at her silently, said nothing, and gestured for Li Zhao to push him away from Cunshan Hall. Upon returning to the villa, he locked himself in his study, leaving the housekeeper and the others deeply worried.

"What is wrong with the young master?" the housekeeper asked Li Zhao, his brow furrowed.