Chapter 128: You Must Not Kneel

As the old man finished speaking, four or five bodyguards surged in from outside. They grabbed Gu Zhenzhi’s arms and forced him to kneel on the floor.

Gu Zhenzhi’s back remained straight and upright; his posture did not waver in the slightest.

Until—

“If you want her to be punished alongside you, then keep standing!”

The old butler immediately ordered someone to restrain Ruan Cha, roughly grabbing her arm.

Before Ruan Cha could break free, she saw Gu Zhenzhi, without hesitation, kneel down.

The sound of his bones hitting the floor made Ruan Cha’s eyes instantly redden.

She struggled fiercely, her voice choked with emotion. “Gu Zhenzhi, stand up! You can’t kneel!”

Yet Gu Zhenzhi did not lift his head. His black hair shielded the cold, pale expression on his face, and the aura surrounding him was overwhelmingly dark and oppressive.

Ruan Cha’s breath caught in her throat. Tears suddenly spilled uncontrollably, hot and heavy, dripping onto her slender white arms.

A painful, muffled groan escaped just as a servant struck Gu Zhenzhi’s back harshly with a stick. Ruan Cha’s face instantly paled, her fists clenched so tightly that the knuckles turned white.

Her gaze changed completely.

Her eyes darkened, filled with a terrifying, fierce anger.

Another heavy blow landed on Gu Zhenzhi’s back.

Ruan Cha took a deep breath, raised her hands, and grabbed the wrists of the bodyguards restraining her. With all her strength, she twisted their wrists backward!

The black-clad bodyguards screamed out in pain.

Without hesitation, she took advantage of their pain to deliver a vicious kick to the backs of their knees.

In the next moment, both men winced and collapsed to the ground in agony.

Freed from their control, she rushed to Gu Zhenzhi’s side, snatched the stick from the servant’s hand, and without fear, swung it toward the seated old master—

“Father!”

“Grandfather!”

Everyone around was utterly stunned by the scene.

The old man was already in his eighties; if that blow landed, it could be disastrous!

The old man’s calf was struck solidly, causing his face to turn pale with pain.

No one had ever dared to defy him before, but today Ruan Cha repeatedly provoked him. His face darkened instantly, and his murky eyes gleamed with coldness.

“You ungrateful wretch, how dare you lay a hand on an elder? Such lowliness and lack of manners! Since your Ruan family failed to educate you properly, the Gu family will teach you a lesson!”

Bai Peishan screamed hoarsely, her voice tinged with excitement.

Ruan Cha dared to strike the old master—how many lives did she think she had?

“Come here, hold this damned girl down and beat her mercilessly!”

“Just try it—”

Hearing this, Gu Zhenzhi struggled to stand up from the floor. His body swayed, lips pale and lifeless.

Yet even so, when Bai Peishan ordered them to strike Ruan Cha, his eyes, dark and fierce to the extreme, glared at the approaching crowd.

His taut arms landed on Ruan Cha’s shoulders, pulling her into his embrace. His gaze was cold and terrifying; his voice hoarse and chilling as he warned, “Anyone who dares to lay a finger on her, just try it.”

The final words were barely audible, yet carried an icy, bone-deep menace.

Everyone’s spines inexplicably chilled.

Ruan Cha steadied Gu Zhenzhi, helping him to sit on a nearby chair, then whispered softly, “Gu Zhenzhi, it’s alright.”

After settling him, Ruan Cha turned just as someone rushed forward to restrain her.

Before the person could touch her, Ruan Cha grabbed his hair and slammed his head down onto the expensive tea table in the living room—