“This can’t be…”
Even now, the two of them still refused to believe it.
For Jiang Siyu, this blow was clearly devastating.
That was a sedan!
Her family’s circumstances were considered decent, but they only had two bicycles—and that was already enough to show off in front of others.
But now Jiang Shutang had actually ridden in a car? Did a broken shoe like her deserve that?
Ye Yiyi’s face turned pale. The thought of the man she had secretly loved for so many years marrying a woman like that was something she simply couldn’t accept in her heart.
“What do we do? Brother Gu is really going to marry her—how can he be so foolish!”
Ye Yiyi stomped her feet in anxiety, while Jiang Siyu beside her seemed utterly dazed.
If only she could marry that man in Jiang Shutang’s place.
…
Jiang Shutang had vented her frustration, and sitting in the car, she felt joyful in both body and mind.
Looking at the watch on her wrist, and the necklace and ring, her prejudice against Gu Zhengnan lessened a bit more.
Although Gu Zhengnan had been a real jerk at first—pulling up his pants and pretending not to know her—he was at least generous now.
And so, Gu Zhengnan drove Jiang Shutang to the entrance of Jixie Chang.
It happened to be rush hour, with many workers coming and going through the gate. When they saw Jiang Shutang step out of the sedan, they all stopped in their tracks, staring at the scene in disbelief.
They wanted to see whose sedan Jiang Shutang had been riding in, but Gu Zhengnan drove off directly without lingering.
Jiang Shutang was a well-known figure at Jixie Chang—everyone knew her.
Some of the gossipy ones couldn’t help but crowd around and ask proactively.
“Xiao Jiang, whose car was that just now? Who brought you back?”
This auntie knew Jiang Shutang; she lived in the same building.
As soon as she spoke, everyone pricked up their ears to listen.
Jiang Shutang cleared her throat. “My fiancé. I’m getting married next Monday—everyone’s welcome to come for the wedding wine.”
Hearing that Jiang Shutang was getting married, the crowd instantly erupted.
A few of the male workers had very sour expressions on their faces.
These men had lent Jiang Shutang food coupons back in the day, hoping to take advantage of her.
But Jiang Shutang only took the coupons and wouldn’t even let them hold her hand. Over the years, they’d all been biding their time, thinking about when they might get a piece of Jiang Shutang—a woman so beautiful, who knew what she’d be like.
Now that they learned Jiang Shutang was getting married, didn’t that mean they had no chance at all?
As for the other female workers, what they thought was: a broken shoe like Jiang Shutang actually had a man willing to marry her? That man must be a fool, or else a poor wretch—who else would take a liking to Jiang Shutang?
After saying her piece, Jiang Shutang was in high spirits, striding through the gate with her head held high.
As for who she was actually marrying, she’d leave that as a surprise—she’d blind these people when the time came, for looking down on her like dogs.
And so, Jiang Shutang instantly became the talk of the town.
For the next two days, everyone was guessing what kind of man Jiang Shutang would marry. Aunt Wang and her group were outside badmouthing her every which way, saying the man Jiang Shutang was marrying must have poor circumstances—maybe even an old man twenty or thirty years her senior.
Soon Monday arrived. A few friends helped Jiang Shutang tidy up her room, which mainly meant pasting up some double happiness characters to make things look livelier.
Today, not only did Wu Xiuling come, but Jiang Shutang’s second sister also showed up.
She arrived with a slap mark still visible on her face—probably from Jiang Dahai.
Among all her siblings, only her second sister had any conscience left, still valuing sisterly bonds.
So even though she’d been hit, she insisted on coming to see her younger sister off at her wedding.
Soon, the wedding procession arrived at the entrance of the Jixie Chang employee dormitory.
Aunt Wang and the others had been eagerly waiting to watch the spectacle, but what they didn’t expect was that the procession included several sedans.
In this day and age, having a few bicycles for a wedding was already impressive—what kind of family could roll up in sedans?
Gu Zhengnan’s close friends really came through, all driving over to give their brother some face.
Today, Gu Zhengnan wore a suit, his hair simply styled, looking so handsome it was almost unreal.
When Gu Zhengnan stepped out of the wedding car, the entire Jixie Chang workforce erupted.
Before, they’d thought Jiang Shutang was living in a fantasy—how could a man like Gu Zhengnan ever take a liking to her?
But now it turned out it was all real.
The notorious broken shoe of Jixie Chang was actually marrying a returned overseas research big shot?
Did that even make sense?
The female workers who had been waiting to see a joke were instantly dumbfounded, the more they thought about it, the more unbalanced they felt.
What was so good about Jiang Shutang? She just had a fox-like face and a decent figure.
But she was a broken shoe—unfaithful and unchaste. What use was a woman like that, no matter how pretty? Marrying her was just bringing trouble home.
That Gu Zhengnan was truly a fool to the core.
But no matter how jealous they were, they couldn’t stop the wedding from proceeding.
Ye Yiyi and Jiang Siyu also came running over. The two of them stared at the Sanzhuanyixiang the Gu family had bought, along with the high bride price everyone was talking about, completely stunned.
And so, Gu Zhengnan carried Jiang Shutang in a grand bridal sedan all the way to Guoying Fandian.
The Gu family had set up several tables there, all at the highest standard.
After all, Gu Zhengnan was the most accomplished child in the Gu family, so the wedding naturally couldn’t be a simple affair.
But there was no shortage of gossip at the wedding venue, since Gu Zhengnan had married a wife who was pregnant before marriage and came with three kids—that couldn’t be hidden.
Everyone thought Gu Zhengnan had lost his mind, and even Gu Hongwei and Li Wenxiu must have had water in their brains.
Otherwise, how could the parents have agreed?
However, after everyone caught sight of Jiang Shutang, they seemed to understand a little.
Today, Jiang Shutang wore a well-tailored red qipao, her hair swept up high and adorned with a large red flower.
It was a rather tacky outfit in itself, but on Jiang Shutang, it was truly stunning beyond compare.
Quite a few men present stared with wide eyes until their wives gave their arms a hard pinch, snapping them back to their senses.
Li Wenxiu watched from the side, a flicker of displeasure passing through her eyes.
It seemed this daughter-in-law really wasn’t the settled type. If it weren’t for the sake of her three grandsons, she wouldn’t have allowed her son to marry a woman like this.
The Gu family had agreed to the marriage, but that didn’t mean they liked Jiang Shutang—it was merely for appearances.
Today, Gu Zhengnan’s siblings had all come as well. Gu Manman looked at Jiang Shutang before her and rolled her eyes directly.
“This woman looks like a seductive vixen. She says Second Brother did that to her back then, but I think it’s more likely she seduced him. She clearly isn’t the well-behaved type.”
Gu Zhengbei pursed his lips and said nothing, but Wang Na beside him nodded in agreement.
Jiang Shutang hadn’t even married into the family yet, and she already hated her, because she knew Jiang Shutang had demanded six hundred yuan in bride price.
When she had married in, she’d only asked for two hundred. Compared to Jiang Shutang, she was far superior—after all, she was an educated woman who had gone to school.
But her in-laws didn’t value her; instead, they valued this fox spirit.
Jiang Shutang had been busy all day, and wearing high heels, her feet were nearly worn to shreds.
As dusk fell, the crowd clamoring to tease the newlyweds finally left.
Jiang Shutang sat on the edge of the bed, unable to resist stealing a glance at Gu Zhengnan beside her.
By all logic, on a wedding night, shouldn’t the couple get down to business?