Chapter 781: Keeping Up Appearances

Gu Qingjiu, however, laughed. It was laughter that sounded abrupt in such a tranquil environment.

And then, her following sentence made Yao Zixing freeze.

"Didn't I say it at the start? You're not qualified."

After having said that, Gu Qingjiu simply turned around to leave.

Since he picked on her in front of so many people, why should Gu Qingjiu spare him any face?

Yao Zixing's dignity was severely hurt, and what followed was maniac hatred.

In all his years of existence, he had never been humiliated by someone like this before.

Overwhelmed by fury, Yao Zixing's eyes were a tad red, and he directly gave chase. "Hold it there. What did you mean by that? Don't you know who I am?"

As Xie Yuning saw him run out, her heart skipped a beat.

For some reason, she ran after him.

Everyone instantly started talking among themselves.

After having just seen such a god-like character, who was in the mood to eat? They all left their seats immediately and ran out to watch the fun.

Zhong Xiaoxiao, Tang Han, and the rest exchanged shocked looks before going out like the rest.

Gu Qingjiu, brisk walking, arrived at the corridor.

Since she was walking, the running Yao Zixing quickly caught up to her.

There was an instance where Gu Qingjiu wanted to turn around and kick him, but considering they were in public, Gu Qingjiu didn't act on that thought.

Unexpectedly, even though Gu Qingjiu decided to let him off, for now, Yao Zixing grabbed the edge of her arm. Because she had dodged sufficiently quickly, Yao Zixing ended up pinching the flesh on her arm. The painful sensation brought about by that pinch made Gu Qingjiu flare up a little.

He had exerted quite a great force, and Gu Qingjiu had to suppress the immense urge to kick the man right out of this place. "Are you crazy?"

Upon a stranger's touch, Gu Qingjiu felt disgusted.

Extremely furious, Yao Zixing pointed at Gu Qingjiu and started scolding. "I, Yao Zixing, gave you face, and you..."

But before he could finish scolding, he fell into an icy underground cellar in an instant.

At the end of the corridor, the tall figure of a man appeared. His cold aura made clear his great displeasure.

As Helian Niancheng walked from that end of the corridor, there was an apparent ferocious intent emitting from his eyes.

It was more like a killing intent.

He bore his deep eyes upon Yao Zixing's wrist.

Earlier on, he had seen that claw grabbing Gu Qingjiu's hand.

The extremely possessive man appeared incredibly displeased at that moment.

Gu Qingjiu cast a glance at Yao Zixing, then directly walked over to Helian Niancheng.

Behind them, the classmates were quite badly startled by Helian Niancheng's murderous aura, and each of them was shrinking their heads backward.

Helian Niancheng said nothing. He merely held Gu Qingjiu's wrist and left with her.

But right before leaving, he cast a final look at Yao Zixing, and an unprecedented sense of despair suddenly spread out from the depths of Yao Zixing's heart.

There was a bad premonition in his heart, one that would not go away.

Gu Qingjiu walked out with Helian Niancheng, saying with a frown, "I'll never come to such a place again."

As she finished speaking and the minute they came out the door, to her surprise, she saw Huo Yingcheng standing beside a luxurious car, with a cigarette hanging between his jaws. He exuded a roguish air.

Gu Qingjiu was shocked, "Brother Huo, why are you here as well?"

At the sight of Gu Qingjiu, Huo Yingcheng removed his cigarette and revealed a toothy grin. "Heh, if I'm not here, do you think your Chief Instructor will come here to help you keep up appearances?"

Chapter 782: Such Appalling Behavior

Gu Qingjiu looked towards Helian Niancheng in confusion. "What does he mean?"

"It's just a class gathering, isn't it? It's not like I don't know your culture in China."

Huo Yingcheng appeared tremendously pleased with himself. "How was it? Was everyone stunned to see your Chief Instructor enter?"

Gu Qingjiu immediately understood.

So it turned out Helian Niancheng only showed up because Huo Yingcheng suggested it.

No wonder. She felt puzzled over why Helian Niancheng would be willing to come over here since he had never been fond of such occasions.

Helian Niancheng nodded imperceptibly. "The effect was excellent. Still, there is this someone tired of living."

With that, he climbed into the car.

Behind, Xie Yuning, Zhong Xiaoxiao, and the rest followed both out.

Then, to their shock, everyone saw a luxurious car parked outside the hotel entrance.

It wasn't a flashy model, but the Rolls Royce logo still made everyone's eyes twitch at the front of the car.

After Gu Qingjiu and Helian Niancheng got into the car, the hotel manager personally showed up, bending over with a subservient attitude. He really might as well engrave the word 'respectful' on his forehead.

They, too, saw the hotel manager earlier on. As a five-star hotel manager, there was a certain air about him when he faced them.

However, such a contrast left a bad taste in one's mouth.

There was no need to say much about anything now.

Various pairs of eyes quietly looked towards Xie Yuning.

Having just disgraced himself, Yao Zixing didn't come out like the rest.

But this Xie Yuning...

They watched as Xie Yuning's fingers visibly dug into her palms, the word 'jealousy' written all over her face.

After a while, she even shook her head. "Impossible, impossible..."

How could this woman be so lucky?

How did she get to know such a man? She's not qualified! Not qualified!

Xie Yuning's eyes were nearly burning with redness.

By then, Zhong Xiaoxiao had already recovered from the shock. Though she was still feeling astounded, she was much calmer than Xie Yuning. She smirked. "What's so impossible about that?"

With that, she looked up at everyone. "Let's go. We're not done eating."

Upon hearing this, the other classmates snapped out of their trance and re-entered the suite once more.

On the way back, there were plenty of comments like this:

"Add Gu Qingjiu into the class chat."

"I wonder if we can find a chance to become acquainted with Gu Qingjiu's husband..."

"My goodness, how could Gu Qingjiu be so lucky..."

*

Meanwhile, Gu Qingjiu was seated in the backseat with Helian Niancheng when the latter suddenly reached out and gently touched her lips. "Why did you put on lipstick today?"

"To look more energetic. It's a fruit-scented lipstick."

"Oh?" Helian Niancheng asked softly. "Is it sweet?"

Gu Qingjiu responded by planting a kiss on Helian Niancheng's thin lips without hesitation. "Well, is it?"

"Very. I want to have a good taste of it when we get home."

Huo Yingcheng, who was driving in front: "..."

He was about to burst into tears of anger from the outrageous behavior of this adulterous pair. Never mind the past, now that these two were married, they were becoming increasingly overboard.

In broad daylight! And with him in the audience!!

So shameless!

Too mad to keep quiet, he said, "Do you believe I'll drive into a wall right now? The three of us will perish together, right here, right now!"

Hearing this, Gu Qingjiu immediately realized that she had been oblivious to a bachelor man's feelings and decided to tone it down in front of him.

On the other hand, Helian Niancheng simply sneered mockingly.

Chapter 783: Xie Yuning Wishes to See You

Huo Yingcheng left after sending Gu Qingjiu and Helian Niancheng back home.

As her family had gone to the neighboring city, only Gu Qingjiu and Helian Niancheng were left at home.

Since there was no one at home, the duo, which had not been alone together for a long time, naturally engaged in moments of sweetness.

Speaking of which, ever since Gu Qingjiu got home, it had been a long while since she spent some quality time with Helian Niancheng.

After taking a shower, Helian Niancheng naturally didn't let such a good opportunity go to waste. After they chatted for a while at night, they went under the blankets...

*

However, nobody discovered what they were doing the next day, for Gu Hong and Qi Yuefeng only returned in the afternoon.

As it was a hot day, they were all drenched with sweat.

In the room, Helian Niancheng had a video conference meeting, so Gu Qingjiu didn't bother him. Seeing that there wasn't ice cream in the fridge, she said to Qi Yuefeng, "Mom, I'm going out to buy some things."

"Alright, go ahead."

Gu Qingjiu picked up a small backpack and quickly left the house.

When she reached the mall, Gu Qingjiu went to the underground supermarket to buy things, and on the way, she received a call from Zhong Xiaoxiao.

"Qingjiu, I want to ask you something."

Zhong Xiaoxiao's voice sounded very hesitant.

"Mm, just speak your mind, Class Monitor."

Gu Qingjiu appreciated Zhong Xiaoxiao's gesture of defending her yesterday.

Hence, she had a relatively good impression of Zhong Xiaoxiao.

"You know what? This morning I heard that something happened to Xie Yuning's boyfriend's family business."

Gu Qingjiu was speechless.

She raised her brows, recalling yesterday's events and the fierce look in Helian Niancheng's eyes at the time.

It was no wonder that Zhong Xiaoxiao was asking her this.

Gu Qingjiu asked in passing, "What happened?"

"I'm not sure about the details. I heard from Tang Han and the rest that the Yaos' family business got into some trouble... Does this matter have anything to do with your husband?"

Zhong Xiaoxiao sounded a tad embarrassed as she asked.

Nearly everyone saw Helian Niancheng when he arrived yesterday.

Yao Zixing's family was doing quite well, and nothing major had happened before that. Why did something happen to their business all of a sudden?

When Xie Yuning was tearfully chatting with her in a private chat, she thought of Gu Qingjiu's husband at the very first instant.

"I don't know about this."

Helian Niancheng hadn't spoken to her about this matter today, so she wasn't sure if it was him who dealt against Yao Zixing.

"Is anything else the matter??

Gu Qingjiu wasn't concerned about this. Her thoughts were much more straightforward.

Even if it was indeed Helian Niancheng who did this, Yao Zixing deserved it.

It wouldn't be so bad if it were any other scenario, but Helian Niancheng had witnessed Yao Zixing grabbing her arm and pinching it.

All these years, Helian Niancheng couldn't even bear to cause her any pain. By behaving this way towards her, Yao Zixing was seeking death.

"... Xie Yuning said she wishes to meet with you in private."

Zhong Xiaoxiao felt a headache as she relayed this request.

This matter had happened so suddenly. After seeing how badly Xie Yuning was crying, it seemed like it was quite a significant issue. Though, she wasn't too stupid and instantly figured out it had something to do with Gu Qingjiu.

Since she didn't have Gu Qingjiu's contact details, and since Gu Qingjiu wasn't in the class group chat, there was no way for Xie Yuning to contact her.

Of course, her only course of action was to ask her archenemy Zhong Xiaoxiao.

She never wanted to pay any heed to this woman, but since there were so many people in the class group chat and it wasn't time for them to fall out entirely, she decided to help pass on this message.

Chapter 784: Madwoman Yu Shiwei

"Nope, not meeting her. I dislike her."

Gu Qingjiu came to a row of fridges and started choosing the ice cream displayed inside.

She simply chose the flavor to her liking and didn't look at the price before placing them into the supermarket trolley.

Hearing the noisy background on her end, plus the fact that Gu Qingjiu had rejected decisively, Zhong Xiaoxiao could only helplessly say, "Alright, I'll help you turn her down."

"Mm."

She wasn't a sanctimonious person who could forgive anything and everything.

Xie Yuning had picked on her so badly in front of so many people, and Yao Zixing had acted with disregard for consequences.

Whatever happened to them, they deserved it. She knew that Helian Niancheng wasn't one to take things to the extreme.

If the Yao family had the capability, they would be able to turn things around themselves. If not, they had to endure it.

She had just hung up the phone when suddenly, she sensed someone squeezing her fiercely from the side.

That person took away the bowl of ice cream Gu Qingjiu wanted to pick up earlier.

Since there were plenty of people in the supermarket and quite a crowd in front of the fridge, Gu Qingjiu didn't pay attention and simply turned her head with her brows furrowed.

At the time, she had paused for a moment. Following that, she revealed an icy and weird smile. "Yu Shiwei."

The person who just bumped into her froze.

If it weren't for the deeply-etched memory in Gu Qingjiu's heart, she might not have recognized the woman standing in front of her.

That glamorous woman of the past was now clad in an ordinary dress.

She had gotten much fatter and wore no makeup. Never mind how haggard she looked, her left cheek even appeared a tad swollen. Not a trace of that sexy enchantress of back then could now be seen on her.

Instead, because of an air of resentment, her eyelids had dropped, and she now completely looked like a resentful, ordinary, married woman.

Compared to the present Gu Qingjiu, they stood in absolute contrast.

Her exquisite appearance of the past was nowhere to be seen.

It had only been a few years. Even Gu Qingjiu hadn't expected such a massive transformation in Yu Shiwei.

The arrogant, proud, and confident, sexy enchantress in her memory had vanished entirely.

What surprised her more was seeing her appear in Dayi City.

Yu Shiwei nearly didn't dare to speak to Gu Qingjiu. There was vicious hatred in her eyes as she glanced at Gu Qingjiu before pushing her trolley and speedily leaving.

As though she was avoiding some evil creature.

Gu Qingjiu stood where she was and thought for a moment, and she ultimately didn't give chase.

Although she didn't know the details that caused Yu Shiwei to land in such a state, looking at her now, it was easy to see how painful a life she was currently leading, considering how glamorous her life was then.

Gu Qingjiu had to admit that she got a kick out of seeing her like this.

In specific ways, Yu Shiwei couldn't even compare to Gu Qingjiu in her previous lifetime.

However, she didn't have to endure the pain of suffering a wrongful death.

But it was enough to see her living in torment for an entire lifetime!

Gu Qingjiu sneered. After choosing the items to buy, she took them to the cashier to pay the bill.

Gu Qingjiu joined the queue, and when her turn arrived, Gu Qingjiu placed the items onto the cashier counter, and when the cashier was scanning the barcode of the items...

Yu Shiwei dashed out of nowhere and furiously squeezed her way past the crowd. Just as Gu Qingjiu was taking out money to pay for her items, Yu Shiwei dashed to the cashier counter like a madwoman and maniacally swept Gu Qingjiu's items onto the floor.

Bang!

Pa!

Smash!

Some glass items smashed into smithereens.

The cashier froze momentarily, as did the people around them. Gu Qingjiu, however, narrowed her eyes instantly.

Chapter 785: Jealousy Made Her Lose All Rationality

"Slut! It's all because of you, slut! All because of you!!"

Yu Shiwei shrieked like a lunatic as she pointed a finger at Gu Qingjiu, stepping on the things Gu Qingjiu was buying while ferociously glaring at her all the while. She was regarding the items she was stomping on as Gu Qingjiu, for she did so exceptionally fiercely.

"What are you doing?"

"What are you doing!"

The supermarket security officers ran up to them to quickly subdue Yu Shiwei. Even while she was being pinned down, Yu Shiwei was hurling abuse at Gu Qingjiu. "Slut! You will suffer retribution! You will get knocked down by a car when you leave the house!"

That shrill and ear-piercing voice and weird content...

It made everyone shift their gazes between Yu Shiwei and Gu Qingjiu.

There was fear in their eyes, as well as a meaningful look.

Gu Qingjiu merely curled her lips coldly and said nothing.

That formless pressure further agitated Yu Shiwei.

She was jealous of Gu Qingjiu standing before her, so jealous that it nearly made her go insane.

She initially didn't want anything to do with Gu Qingjiu, but seeing Gu Qingjiu living so well, how could she tolerate it! How could she!

Yu Shiwei's eyes reddened as she continuously struggled to break free of the two security officers' restraints.

She recalled that after Ye Huinan dumped her, she had nowhere to go in the capital, and it was then that she encountered the scumbag Su Lingche.

At the time, Su Lingche could not keep a foothold in the capital, and it was then that the sad pair met each other.

At first sight, Yu Shiwei's appearance stunned Su Lingche, for she bore a remarkable resemblance to Gu Qingjiu.

Subsequently, the duo hooked up, and as time went by, the sweetness from their previous lifetime vanished bit by bit.

With the Yu family's business in trouble, there was no way for Yu Shiwei to maintain the lifestyle she was accustomed to.

Born a rich miss, she was used to living in abundance. But because of Gu Shouyan's aggressive acquisition of their company...

The company eventually went bankrupt and even owed a considerable amount of debt.

Yu Shiwei fell into hell from heaven.

And somehow, Su Lingche found out that Gu Qingjiu was her biological sister.

However, even though facing the pampered Yu Shiwei, Su Lingche increasingly recalled that cold and aloof girl, and meeting Yu Shiwei's excessive material needs, he was utterly unable to cope. After the Yu family went bankrupt, they had nowhere to live, and it was Su Lingche who took them to North City.

However, very quickly, Su Lingche realized that things could not go on that way.

He and Yu Shiwei got married and registered their marriage.

But the two elderly folks of the Yu family would put on airs even though they had lost their company. Unable to tolerate it, Su Lingche found himself a job that barely allowed him to make ends meet, then chased Yu Shaotian and Tan Yalan out of his house.

Yu Shiwei got into a big quarrel with him, which was the first time Su Lingche hit Yu Shiwei.

Yu Shiwei cried and kicked up a fuss but to no avail. The two elderly folks from the Yu family found out, to their horror, that there was nowhere they could turn to even though it was such a big world, other than Su Lingche's home.

Everyone knew that they were the Yu family that lived in glamor in the past. However, they had offended a lot of people in the past. Now that they fell on hard times, everyone wanted to rub it in their face.

With no other alternative, Yu Shaotian and Tan Yalan had no choice but to go back to Su Lingche and subserviently beg him to take them in.

Some people in North City found out that Yu Shiwei had offended Ye Huinan, making things difficult for Su Lingche and Yu Shiwei. As a result, Yu Shiwei could not find a job and Su Lingche frequently beat her up.

Chapter 786: Police Station

Su Lingche started out doting on Yu Shiwei, but towards the end, he was ostracized in the workplace and did not have a smooth career because of her.

His hatred towards Yu Shiwei deepened as a result.

He despised the three Yu family members, for because of them, he had no choice but to work a job he had looked down upon just so that he could put food on the table.

In their second year of marriage, Yu Shiwei gave birth to a son, and since Su Lingche couldn't find a better partner, he could only make do.

But he developed this bad habit of frequently hitting Yu Shiwei.

Since then, the high-and-mighty rich young miss turned into this madwoman that you see today.

And to Yu Shiwei's mind, all this was all thanks to Gu Qingjiu!

If it weren't for her, how could she have turned out like this!!

Yet, she wasn't able to break free of that disgusting Su Lingche!

The more she thought about it, the more jealous and furious she got.

Gu Qingjiu's fair and flawless face, coupled with that cold sneer, made her completely lose her senses.

She broke free of the security officers' restraint. Unfortunately, a customer had placed a fruit knife on another cashier counter, so Yu Shiwei grabbed the knife and stabbed it towards Gu Qingjiu.

"Die, slut! Go and die, hahahahahaha!!"

Yu Shiwei laughed maniacally as she quickly edged closer to Gu Qingjiu.

Many of those watching let out shrieks and quickly left the terrifying scene!

Even the cashiers knelt behind the cashier counter in horror.

Splat!

There was only a peal of soundless mocking laughter when Yu Shiwei pierced the knife towards Gu Qingjiu's chest.

A slim yet strong wrist grabbed Yu Shiwei's arm, and with a gentle tap, made the fruit knife drop from Yu Shiwei's hand.

Clang!

The fruit knife made a crisp sound as it fell on the ground.

Everyone's heart tightened at the sound.

Yu Shiwei, who Gu Qingjiu quickly subdued, could see an endless coldness in her deep eyes, bringing about a scalp-numbing sensation in the back of her head.

She regretted her actions.

*

"Are you alright?

Gu Qingjiu was seated in the lobby when she saw Qi Yuefeng and the others enter anxiously in the busy Dayi City police station.

Seeing Gu Qingjiu stand there looking perfectly fine, Qi Yuefeng heaved a sigh of relief, then anxiously asked, "What happened? Was someone nearly killed? You have me such a scare my heart nearly leaped out!"

Seeing everyone look towards Helian Niancheng, who was entering behind, Gu Qingjiu lowered her gaze calmly and explained in a brief few words. "It's nothing much. Someone tried to kill me, but I quickly subdued them."

"Kill you?"

Qi Yuefeng didn't quite know what was going on when she arrived, and hearing the word 'kill,' she froze in shock.

Helian Niancheng walked over and looked at Gu Qingjiu with his deep eyes that exuded a hint of coldness. "What happened?"

Gu Qingjiu quickly recounted what happened in the supermarket.

"Is she a lunatic? Is there something wrong with her head!"

Qi Yuefeng burst out scolding when she heard this.

"I'm okay now."

Gu Qingjiu comforted her, saying, "The police said they would detain her and wait for her family to come and settle this."

"She absolutely must be detained! If something were to happen to you, I wouldn't let her family off. Doesn't anyone in that lunatic's family take her in hand?"

Qi Yuefeng was incredibly angry.

Gu Qingjiu then saw Tan Yalan and Yu Shaotian hurrying over, looking weighed down with age outside the police station.

Chapter 787: Can I Speak With You?

"Shiwei... Shiwei..."

Before the duo reached the entrance, they were shouting for Yu Shiwei's name.

And when they saw Gu Qingjiu standing at the door, they widened their eyes.

They never expected to see Gu Qingjiu around.

Of course, when they came, the police notified them that their daughter had deliberately harmed someone.

As for who she was trying to harm, they had no idea.

Seeing Gu Qingjiu, Tan Yalan, and Yu Shaotian awkwardly stood outside the police station lobby entrance.

It wasn't so bad for Yu Shaotian, who had never seen Gu Qingjiu much before this compared to Tan Yalan.

When he saw her, he didn't even instantly realize it was her.

On the other hand, Tan Yalan widened her eyes and mouth in shock.

However, they only merely froze for a moment before entering the police station anxiously to ask the police about the situation.

At the sight of these two, Gu Qingjiu merely pursed her lips gently and said nothing.

When Qi Yuefeng saw them, she felt that Tan Yalan looked a tad familiar. With a frown, she recalled who this person was.

But she didn't know that Yu Shiwei, who had tried to wound Gu Qingjiu, was this woman's biological daughter. She asked Gu Qingjiu softly, "Qingjiu, is this your... biological mother?"

Although she was reluctant, Qi Yuefeng still said it out loud as a form of address.

Gu Qingjiu nodded. "Mm, the person who tried to wound me is their eldest daughter."

Qi Yuefeng felt like she was struck by lightning when she heard this.

Did this mean that the elder sister tried to kill the younger sister?

What the hell!

Helian Niancheng's gaze jumped between Gu Qingjiu and the Yu couple for a moment.

He had a feeling that Gu Qingjiu's relationship with this family was not so simple.

However, the information he had indicated that Gu Qingjiu never had much contact with the Yu family.

Other than being abducted back to the Yu family a few years ago.

After finding out Gu Qingjiu was the person their daughter tried to harm, Yu Shaotian and Tan Yalan froze in shock.

Then, Gu Qingjiu saw Tan Yalan walk over to her with a sorrowful and reluctant expression.

"Can... Can I speak with you?"

Standing before Gu Qingjiu, Tan Yalan no longer had that same arrogant air.

She seemed to finally understand something and no longer called herself Gu Qingjiu's mother.

She had already grown very old.

The wrinkles on her face had visibly increased, and she was starting to show white hair.

If the Yu family were still as glamorous as before, Tan Yalan definitely wouldn't look like she was.

She was a woman who knew very well how to live exquisitely, yet she was reduced to this state due to circumstances.

Gu Qingjiu lowered her gaze and responded calmly, "Okay."

Wary, Qi Yuefeng didn't bother to be polite. "I hope you know what you ought not to say."

Qi Yuefeng truly couldn't stand the way this family treated Gu Qingjiu, and she even knew about how they had abducted Gu Qingjiu back to their home three years ago.

No way would she have good vibes towards them.

Tan Yalan was awkward hearing this.

Gu Qingjiu gently pinched Qi Yuefeng's palm as a sign for her not to worry, then glanced at Helian Niancheng before going with Tan Yalan to one side to talk.

She actually also wanted to know what the present Tan Yalan wanted to say to her.

Chapter 788: Have You Ever Regarded Me As Your Biological Daughter

"I beg you to let your older sister... Shiwei off! She didn't do it on purpose. She's a kind child. It wasn't deliberate."

Beside the carpark, indeed just as Gu Qingjiu had expected, Tan Yalan begged Gu Qingjiu to let Yu Shiwei off in a subservient tone.

Because the police had told them earlier that Yu Shiwei had, after all, attempted murder. At the time, she threatened to kill Gu Qingjiu, and several ears had heard that at the supermarket.

If they were to claim Yu Shiwei was mentally ill, how was it possible for Yu Shiwei to be mentally ill?

With their current finances, there was no way for them to verify Yu Shiwei as mentally ill.

Hence, Tan Yalan was in great despair.

And because Gu Qingjiu was perfectly fine, if she didn't pursue the matter with Yu Shiwei, Yu Shiwei would probably be detained ten days to half a month.

This was why Tan Yalan had no choice but to plead with Gu Qingjiu.

"You're begging me?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingjiu laughed. Her lips arched in a sneer. "Ought I to be glad? That one day you, the high-and-mighty Madam Yu, would beg me for something."

Tan Yalan, who was not like the Madam Yu of back then, felt like a needle pricked her heart when she heard this.

She let out a bitter chuckle. "I know it was all my fault. I was overboard. But Shiwei is innocent!"

After all, this was the only daughter she raised since young, so Tan Yalan couldn't possibly feel any heartache.

"Oh, she didn't do it deliberately. If it was not deliberate, does that mean she can do anything to me as she pleases? Do you know she tried to kill me? Thankfully, she's no match for me. Or else you would be looking at a corpse right now. Honestly speaking, how could your 'kind' daughter do something like this? It's so disappointing."

Though she gently spat these words of sarcasm, her tone didn't imply the same meaning. It was a cold tone of voice that sounded normal on the surface, but there hid a hint of imperceptible sorrowfulness in the depths.

It was so imperceptible that one might think they mistakenly heard that.

"I know she was wrong. I'm just begging you to let her off..."

Tan Yalan continued pleading pitifully. Gu Qingjiu suddenly riveted her clear eyes upon her and asked her this, "I just want to ask you this one thing."

Tan Yalan paused in surprise. "What?"

"Have you ever regarded me as your biological daughter?"

It was undeniable that she was Tan Yalan's biological child, for she bore too remarkable a resemblance to the young Tan Yalan.

However, there was nothing that could explain Tan Yalan's treatment of her.

She shouldn't hate Gu Qingjiu so intensely because Gu Qingjiu simply hadn't done anything wrong.

"I..."

Gazing at the current Gu Qingjiu, Tan Yalan retreated backward under pressure when faced with this question.

She was shorter than Gu Qingjiu now. Gu Qingjiu had grown taller, slightly taller than Tan Yalan.

She was not that old, yet her back had started to hunch. In fact, she even had to raise her head slightly to look at Gu Qingjiu with great effort.

That aloof demeanor resembled her in her younger days.

Tan Yalan felt like she was staring at a younger version of herself in her dazed state—that same arrogance and high-and-mighty aura.

The disparity with the present Tan Yalan was huge.

She was somewhat ashamed. However, some past matters gently stabbed at the depths of her heart like fine needles, bringing the intense heartache that made her unable to change her attitude towards Gu Qingjiu.

Chapter 789: She Was A Bit Cold

"... I... I didn't want that either!"

Agitated, tears started seeping from Tan Yalan's eyes.

Tears slipped down her twisted face, bringing about a sense of repulsion in others.

"But, who told you to... you cause the death of Xiao Ye!"

Perhaps due to being overly worked up, Tan Yalan revealed something Gu Qingjiu had never considered or heard of.

Back then, when Tan Yalan was pregnant, it was supposed to be a pair of twins, but when she gave birth, one of the babies was already dead.

The reason being, the other fetus had robbed the twin of her nutrition. Though such situations were extremely rare, they did exist.

To Tan Yalan, this was a thunderbolt out of a clear sky.

She had been happily waiting for the birth of her two children, but unexpectedly, one of her children was 'killed' by the other.

Although the doctor explained that this was an unconscious behavior by the baby who could not decide herself when she was in the womb, the more significant reason was due to the mother's body.

But Tan Yalan insisted on pinning all the blame on the surviving baby, Gu Qingjiu.

The Xiao Ye that Tan Yalan was talking about was the girl who had died.

She could be considered as Gu Qingjiu's younger sister.

Or perhaps because the matter had happened so long ago, Tan Yalan could finally say this out loud. However, as she stared at Gu Qingjiu, there was a sense of reprimand and heartache in her eyes.

As though this unpardonable mistake was Gu Qingjiu's fault.

Gu Qingjiu was stunned. She had considered various possibilities, including that she wasn't Tan Yalan's biological child.

But never once had she expected it was such a situation.

To think that there was such a story behind her birth!

However, she had already developed into an individual entity. And since she already bore such resentment in her heart for so many years...

When she heard this story, it didn't even stir any ripples in her heart.

At most, she found it to be unbelievable, but that was all. Towards that Xiao Ye, whom she wasn't fated to meet, Gu Qingjiu didn't feel a thing.

Looking at Tan Yalan's face, which seemed to be expecting an apology from her, Gu Qingjiu curled her lips. "You're ridiculous."

After finding out the truth, she didn't feel relieved and only felt indignant for herself.

How could a baby decide something like that?

And because of this stupid reason, she had to endure such suffering in her previous lifetime.

She sympathized with that younger sister of hers who died before getting to see this world, but not the Yu family.

Seeing Gu Qingjiu turn to leave, Tan Yalan got anxious. "I've already told you the reason. Aren't you going to let your older sister off?"

"Let her off?" Gu Qingjiu stared at Tan Yalan coldly. "Are you kidding me? She tried to kill me! She deserves whatever punishment is coming for her. Just accept how the police are going to deal with this!"

She was benevolent enough that she did not ruthlessly exterminate the Yu family. Under such circumstances, they even wanted her to let Yu Shiwei off?

No way in hell!

However rotten her life became in the future, it was just her reaping the fruits of her actions!

Seeing Gu Qingjiu's resolute attitude, Tan Yalan froze in surprise and collapsed next to a car with a panicked expression.

Even though she didn't feel many emotions after learning of such a reason, Gu Qingjiu still thought it laughable. She headed back into the police station and told the police that she intended to pursue the matter, then left with her mother.

She was a bit cold, and it was only after returning home that she started feeling warmer.

Chapter 790: She Was Willing to Endure Whatever Consequences

"What did you talk about when you were out there?"

Qi Yuefeng knew her daughter too well. She saw her face turn pale after that conversation with Tan Yalan.

Feeling anxious, she was worried that Gu Qingjiu would get sick bottling things up in her heart, so she made her a cup of warm ginger tea.

Helian Niancheng also sat by Gu Qingjiu's side quietly.

"Nothing."

With the ginger tea in her hands, smoke rose from the cup. It was scalding on such a hot summer day.

It felt scalding.

Through the smoke, Gu Qingjiu seemed to see some shadows from the past, making her go into a daze.

"What do you mean by nothing? You're getting married soon, and yet these things are happening. That older sister of yours..."

Qi Yuefeng couldn't hold herself back from directly asking, "Is there something wrong with her head?"

Gu Qingjiu nodded in agreement, clearly distracted. "I suppose so."

Qi Yuefeng was speechless.

She glanced at Helian Niancheng, who stood up instantly and pulled Gu Qingjiu up. "Qingjiu, come into the room. I have something to say to you."

Qi Yuefeng also nodded, as though agreeing that Helian Niancheng should have a good chat with her daughter about what just happened.

"Mm."

Gu Qingjiu nodded docilely, then followed Helian Niancheng into her room.

"What did that woman say to you today? Be good and tell me, hm?"

Once they entered the room, Helian Niancheng lifted Gu Qingjiu. He sat by the edge of the bed and made Gu Qingjiu sit on his lap.

He bit Gu Qingjiu's ear and asked about what happened today in his deep, magnetic voice.

Gu Qingjiu leaned into Helian Niancheng's neck and rubbed against it, her tone sounding muffled. "I... You mustn't tell Mom and the rest."

With that, she told him everything that Tan Yalan said to her.

After hearing her recount the incident, Helian Niancheng snickered. "Does she have a screw loose in her head?"

Helian Niancheng's thoughts about this were utterly identical to Gu Qingjiu's.

"I feel so too."

Gu Qingjiu agreed wickedly.

"Mm, but I feel that you've been keeping something else from me...

Helian Niancheng ultimately asked her this.

Since the two of them were about to get married, he didn't want other matters obstructing him and Gu Qingjiu.

Gu Qingjiu froze.

The events of the past flashed by before her one by one.

She had considered countless times whether or not to tell Helian Niancheng about these.

What would happen after she told him?

Would he find her scary? Would he not believe her?

How many people could believe something like being reborn?

But perhaps because she wasn't in the best mood that day, she wasn't willing for Tan Yalan's word to bind her in heavy shackles. Yet, it did affect her thinking.

Since Tan Yalan could remember and hate her for such a thing for so many years, what would happen if she and Helian Niancheng were to become estranged because of it in the future?

"I... I'm going to tell you about a dream. A nightmare I once had."

This memory was something she didn't wish to recall at all. So much so that even talking about it now, Gu Qingjiu could feel tears welling up in her eyes.

With a dry throat, she slowly recounted to Helian Niancheng the past events with a heavy heart.

Perhaps he would be stunned. Or maybe he might have other thoughts about it.

But now, Gu Qingjiu no longer wished to hide it from him.

Regardless of what consequences it carried, she was willing to endure it.