When Shu Juan returned home that evening, the moment she stepped through the door, she saw a lavish dinner spread out on the table. The whole family, except for her, was basking in warmth and harmony.
They were celebrating Gu Hong’s promotion.
But the instant Shu Juan walked in, the atmosphere immediately turned heavy.
Shu Juan went to wash her hands without a care, saying, “You’re already eating.”
Then she picked up a bowl to serve herself some rice. Zhou Hui pulled a long face and said, “You’ve been out gallivanting all day, and you still remember to come home. I thought you weren’t coming back for dinner, so I didn’t make yours.”
With that, she swiftly snatched up the pot of rice, refusing to let Shu Juan take any.
Shu Juan glanced at the pot and said, “Isn’t there plenty here?”
Zhou Hui retorted, “It’s still not enough for you. If you eat it all, what will Qianqian eat? As her mother, you can’t let your own child go hungry, can you!”
In the past, Shu Juan would rather go without than let Qianqian or anyone else in the family go hungry.
But now, she said nothing. She suddenly reached out and flipped the pot in front of Zhou Hui. Caught completely off guard, Zhou Hui watched as the whole pot of white rice was overturned and dumped onto the floor.
Zhou Hui was both shocked and furious, shrieking, “What are you doing?! Have you lost your mind?!”
Shu Juan even kicked at the rice on the floor and said flatly, “Then nobody eats.”
Gu Hong’s face turned cold. He slammed his chopsticks down heavily and said, “When did you become like this?!”
Shu Juan looked at Gu Hong and sneered, “Don’t you know the answer to that yourself?”
Gu Hong said with righteous indignation, “If you don’t want to live this life anymore, then let’s get a divorce!”
Hearing this, Zhou Hui’s face twisted into a mean, spiteful expression, and she immediately agreed, “I think that’s a great idea! You don’t act like a mother at all—you come back and throw a tantrum! Someone as shameless and filthy as you wouldn’t be wanted by anyone even if you were given away!”
Shu Juan heard every word and finally spoke her true feelings. Now they thought she was dirty and couldn’t wait to kick her out the door.
Twisting right and wrong—as if she couldn’t do the same.
So Shu Juan also said with righteous indignation, “How am I not wanting to live this life? Didn’t I rush back to celebrate your promotion? But Mom made dinner for the whole family except me. I wonder what she’s really thinking—is she deliberately trying to stop this family from living in harmony?”
Zhou Hui was so furious she was seeing stars, hopping around and yelling, “Stop stirring up trouble!”
Shu Juan said, “I’m the one who pays for the household expenses. Mom bought all this fish and meat—even if I don’t get credit for merit, I deserve some for my hard work. What’s wrong with me eating a bit?”
She sat down at the table, picked up a pair of chopsticks and a bowl that no one had used yet, and started helping herself to the dishes.
Gu Hong was also feeling stifled with anger. Seeing her act as if nothing had happened only made him angrier. He said, “Did you not just hear what I said?”
Shu Juan looked up. “What did you say?”
Gu Hong said coldly, “I said we’re getting a divorce.”
Shu Juan looked completely innocent. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with our relationship. Why would we divorce?”
Gu Hong took a deep breath. “You’d better save yourself some dignity!”
Zhou Hui pressed aggressively, “You went out and slept with someone else, and you still have the nerve to say there’s nothing wrong with your relationship with Hong!”
These words no longer stirred any reaction in Shu Juan. She said, “Then go find evidence of my infidelity and file for divorce in court.”
Gu Hong clenched his fist and slammed it onto the table, furious beyond control. “Shu Juan, is this fun for you?! If we part on good terms, we can both keep some dignity!”
Shu Juan said calmly, “Then tell me, what does ‘parting on good terms’ look like? Do the house and the car go to me?”
Zhou Hui immediately rejected that outright. “The house is in my name, and the car is in Hong’s name. Why would we give them to you!”
Shu Juan said, “I was the one who paid for all of them.”
Zhou Hui said with a domineering air, “Whoever’s name is on it, that’s who it belongs to!” Now that it had landed in her name, there was no way she was giving it back—not a chance!
Gu Hong snorted coldly. “Look at yourself. What right do you have to negotiate terms with me now?!”
Shu Juan said frankly, “Then why bother with a divorce? I’m not divorcing.” She smiled. “You’ve just been promoted with a raise. I’ll just sit back and enjoy the good life. My best days are still ahead of me.”
That nearly made Zhou Hui and Gu Hong explode on the spot.
That dinner ruined everyone’s appetite—except Shu Juan’s.
She ate her fill before returning to her room, and even made a point to compliment, “Mom’s cooking was pretty good tonight.”
In the past, she had lived in this house with her head bowed low. All her forbearance and sacrifices went unseen. They didn’t even treat her as a person—they treated her like an object to be given away whenever they pleased. Now she finally understood a truth: the more humble you are, the less people will care about you.
There was no going back to pretending nothing had happened. All she knew now was this: if they made her uncomfortable, then no one in this family was going to get what they wanted!