“Since you’ve already made up your mind, I won’t say anything more. Just live well together.”
Zhang Xiulian felt sorry for her son. Gu Shaoyuan had been alone for so many years, and now that he had finally found someone suitable, she turned out to be a capitalist’s daughter.
Well, as long as her son was happy.
Gu Shaoyuan glanced up, signaling, “Since you’re fine, you can go back now. Don’t mention this to her.”
He was afraid Qiao Yu might overthink things if she found out.
Before leaving, Zhang Xiulian hesitated and looked back at her son. Gu Shaoyuan was busy looking down at some documents and had no time to pay attention to her.
Only then did she turn and leave.
Just as Qiao Yu returned to the Gu household, she ran into Gu’s mother at the courtyard gate.
She greeted her with a smile, “Auntie, did you go out too?”
Zhang Xiulian felt inexplicably guilty seeing Qiao Yu now, having just tried to persuade her son to break off the engagement.
“Yes.”
Qiao Yu sensed something was off about Gu’s mother. Her eyes seemed to be avoiding her.
“Auntie, did something happen?”
Zhang Xiulian looked at Qiao Yu’s delicate, pretty face, sighed heavily, and pulled her into the house.
“Xiao Yu, can you tell Auntie why you cut ties with your family?”
Actually, Zhang Xiulian had wanted to ask for a while, but since it was Qiao Yu’s family matter, she hadn’t dared to bring it up.
Suddenly, Qiao Yu’s inner drama queen emerged. With reddened eyes, she told Zhang Xiulian about how her scumbag father had taken the dowry her biological mother left for her and how her stepsister had hooked up with her fiancé.
“That’s how it was. Right after my mother passed away, my father married Liu Shuhong without caring whether I lived or died…”
Zhang Xiulian couldn’t help but tear up. What a poor child.
She had thought Qiao Yu was a pampered, carefree young lady, but she never imagined she had been treated so badly by her family.
Zhang Xiulian took Qiao Yu’s hand and said earnestly, “Xiao Yu, I’m your mother-in-law. If you ever feel wronged or if Shao Yuan bullies you, you can always tell me. I’m here for you.”
She didn’t ask Qiao Yu to think of her as a mother, after all, a mother’s place in a daughter’s heart is unique.
“Okay.” Qiao Yu wiped the corner of her eye.
Zhang Xiulian was a soft-hearted person. After learning why Qiao Yu had cut ties with her family, she no longer worried about her capitalist background.
Such a beautiful, well-behaved girl deserved to be protected by their family.
After being comforted, Qiao Yu returned to her room and only then realized something.
Could Zhang Xiulian have become suspicious of her background? Otherwise, why would she suddenly ask about cutting ties with her family?
Qiao Yu sat in front of the mirror, looking at the face identical to the one from her original world.
Her eyes flickered. Her scumbag father and stepsister had already been dealt with on behalf of the original owner. From now on, she would live life at her own pace.
…
Liu Cuicui was still secretly pleased.
If Gu Shaoyuan found out the Qiao family had been purged, he would surely withdraw the marriage report from the higher-ups.
Having worked so hard to become a regiment commander, how could he let Qiao Yu ruin his reputation and future?
As soon as Liu Cuicui returned from working in the fields, she went straight to Zhang Xiulian.
“Auntie Gu, what did Shao Yuan say?”
Zhang Xiulian replied, “Shao Yuan said he won’t break off the engagement with Xiao Yu. I think Xiao Yu is a good girl, and our family doesn’t mind her background.”
Liu Cuicui: “…”
So all that time she spent talking to Zhang Xiulian was for nothing?
Gu Shaoyuan actually liked Qiao Yu to an extent she never imagined, not even caring about Qiao Yu’s identity as a capitalist’s daughter.
Liu Cuicui angrily walked out of the family compound. Even though she was reborn, she still couldn’t stop things from unfolding as they did.
She was just about to go find Gu Ling when she caught sight of a familiar-looking man not far away.
It was her ex-husband from her previous life, the one who had swindled her out of everything, leaving her with nothing.
Liu Cuicui’s heart sank. Just seeing that man now made her instinctively afraid.
She turned to leave but was called back by the man.
“Cuicui!”
…
Qiao Yu hadn’t seen Gu Shaoyuan for two days now.
He seemed to have been very busy these past two days, not even coming home for meals and staying in the dormitory instead.
Qiao Yu was quite content with this arrangement. All she had to do now was wait for the marriage report to be approved, then go with him to get the marriage certificate.
That evening, after locking the door, Qiao Yu entered her Spatial Dimension to water the vegetable patch.
She had planted several more types of crops. Fortunately, there was one-click watering and fertilizing, otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to manage it all.
A once-pampered young lady had now become a farmer.
Knock, knock, knock—
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
Qiao Yu quickly emerged from the Spatial Dimension and opened the door, meeting Gu Shaoyuan’s deep, dark eyes.
It had to be said, Gu Shaoyuan was still pleasing to look at.
Just as Qiao Yu was about to ask him where he had been these past two days, she saw Gu Shaoyuan hand her a report.
“The marriage report has been approved.”
His tone was calm, but inwardly his heart was pounding with excitement.
Qiao Yu’s eyes lit up as she took the marriage report. It had been approved so quickly—did that mean they could go get their marriage certificate tomorrow?
Seeing her lower her head to carefully read the marriage report, the dim lamplight dancing on her long, curled eyelashes, Gu Shaoyuan’s heart suddenly softened.
“Get up at seven tomorrow morning, and we’ll go get our certificate,” he said softly.
Qiao Yu was puzzled. “Do you have any tasks tomorrow morning?”
Otherwise, why the rush? Getting up at seven was so early.
She usually slept until past eight, and on holidays, she could even sleep until noon.
Gu Shaoyuan paused for a moment before saying, “No tasks. The family housing has been approved. If we get our certificate early, we can go take a look at the house.”
At the mention of family housing, Qiao Yu perked up.
She loved decorating houses. Seeing an empty space transformed into exactly how she imagined it gave her a great sense of accomplishment.
“Alright, then come get me at seven tomorrow. I’m afraid I might oversleep.”
Gu Shaoyuan nodded, his gaze lingering on her face. “Mm, get to bed early tonight.”
After Qiao Yu closed the door, the faint, lingering scent of fresh jasmine flowers—not at all cloying—still hung in the air.
Gu Shaoyuan stood there for a moment before turning and heading back to his room.
…
Early the next morning, Qiao Yu woke up on her own before seven.
Whenever she had something on her mind, she would wake up unusually early, let alone today when she was going to get her marriage certificate with Gu Shaoyuan.
Qiao Yu wanted to dress herself up beautifully.
She deliberately used a red hair ribbon to braid a single plait, letting it hang in front of her. After braiding it, she gently tugged each section from top to bottom to make it look fuller and more voluminous.
She wore a floral print blouse on top, paired with a red fishtail skirt, and completed the look with a pair of brown leather shoes.
All the clothes Qiao Yu had brought from Shanghai were custom-made for her, perfectly accentuating her graceful figure.
She also remembered to apply some sunscreen and vanishing cream to her face, making her skin appear even fairer, softer, and more delicate.
When Qiao Yu opened the door and walked out, the expressions on the faces of the Gu family members froze in unison at the sight of her.
Especially Gu Shaoyuan, whose deep, dark eyes grew noticeably more intense.