"Madam, Chu Family called and said they would like Gu Jin to go over," the housekeeper said. "They mentioned something about the courtyard..."

Mrs. Gu, the young wife of Mr. Gu, was applying red nail polish onto her slender fingers. Upon hearing the butler's words, she looked up and said indifferently, "Let him go."

"But what if that child goes to the Chu family and blames you for this matter..."

"He won't say it," Madam Gu, with a tone of certainty and mockery, said, "Don't be fooled by that wretched person who is always timid and hesitant in his actions. In fact, just like his shameless mother, he's very cunning and endures a lot of grievances in silence. Where does he find the courage to display his weakness and incompetence to that young master of the Chu family?"

The sky gradually brightened as Gu Jin curled up on the lawn, sleeping soundly. Faintly, he could hear footsteps approaching from the lawn. Startled, he abruptly woke up and propped himself up from the grass, silently returning to the spot where he had been punished to kneel. Motionless, he sat there.

"Master Xiao Gu, Mr. Chu called and requested that you visit him today," the butler added, "Madam also said that the punishment ends here, and she hopes you won't make the same mistake again." With that, he bowed slightly and exited Gu Jin's field of vision.

With the butler present, Gu Jin knelt on the lawn for a total of three hours. Although there was a sandbag cushioning underneath, maintaining such a posture for an extended period of time inevitably made his knees sore when he stood up.

Half an hour later, Gu Jin arrived outside the Chu family villa. He took out his ID card from his pocket and showed it to the security guards on both sides before entering the Chu family. He walked all the way to the back courtyard on the ground floor, then suddenly stopped, as if he had just remembered something.

No one came and went here. Gu Jin rolled up his trouser leg and saw that the skin on his knee was only slightly red. He frowned, hesitated for a moment, then reached out and started using his fingernail to rub the red area on his knee until the skin gradually broke open and faint blood seeped out from underneath. Only then did Gu Jin stop.

Afterward, he lowered his pants leg and hobbled up the stairs.

Cen Xiuzhi was sitting upright in front of his desk, wearing glasses as he flipped through a book. Upon hearing a knock on the door, knowing that it was Gu Jin who had arrived, he said, "Come in."

A soft sound of a closing door came from behind. Cen Xiuzhi turned his head and his gaze momentarily froze. He set down his book and furrowed his brows, asking, "Gu Jin, what happened to your leg?"

Gu Jin reached down and tugged at his pants, but quickly let go and averted his gaze as he said, "Su Che hid the madam's necklace under my pillow. Later, when the madam found out, she punished me by making me kneel in the backyard for a whole night."

"What!?" Cen Xiuzhi exclaimed in anger. "She told you to kneel, so you obediently kneel? Have you lost your mind?"

Because I can't let Su Che sense that I'm suspecting him..." Gu Jin's voice grew softer and softer. As he spoke halfway, Cen Xi Zhi suddenly pushed his seat back with a "whoosh" and walked towards Gu Jin with a gloomy expression on his face, grabbing his arm tightly.

Although Cen Xiu Zhi's expression was somewhat terrifying, his movements were gentle. After bringing Gu Jin to the edge of the bed, Cen Xiu Zhi walked to the bedside table, crouched down, and searched inside for a jar of grass-green ointment. He returned to Gu Jin's side and said, "Pull up your pants, let me see how serious it is."

Gu Jin rolled up his trouser legs and when he saw the sticky bloodstains on them, Cen Xiu's throat tightened, almost causing him to faint from anger. He suddenly stood up from the edge of the bed, but Gu Jin quickly grabbed his arm and said, "Chu Shao! Don't get angry, it just looks deep but it doesn't hurt."