Chapter 7

Chapter 7: I Never Wanted to Marry Into the Gu Family Ruan Chutang sat down on the single sofa beside Meng Yaqin. She showed no sign of timidity, her gaze at Meng Yaqin calm and utterly unruffled. "I never wanted to marry into the Gu family." Meng Yaqin naturally didn't believe her. She looked Ruan Chutang up and down from head to toe. So this was the girl her son had been dating for three years. She was indeed pretty and delicate, with no common air about her. Though she came from an ordinary family, she didn't carry that constrained, self-conscious pettiness typical of someone from humble origins. Earlier at the door, she had deliberately said those words to embarrass her, yet the girl hadn't shown the slightest reaction. She had remained neither humble nor overbearing when meeting her, and spoke with full confidence. But so what? Just another gold-digger dreaming of marrying into a wealthy family. No matter how well she pretended, she'd never amount to anything presentable. Meng Yaqin's tone carried obvious condescension. "There's no need to put on an act in front of me. I'm a woman too—I know exactly what's going through your head. I know our Zechuan attracts girls. It's not easy for you to run into a rich second-generation young master like him. He must spend a lot of money on you, right?" Ruan Chutang said, "I don't care about his money." Meng Yaqin let out a contemptuous laugh, her eyes gleaming coldly. "Who are you trying to fool? Acting all virtuous and high-minded. I've seen plenty of girls like you. You say you don't care, but if you really didn't, would you have gone after Zechuan?" Ruan Chutang laughed at that. "Auntie Meng, are you saying your son has nothing attractive about him besides his money?" "You!" Meng Yaqin was genuinely furious, her breathing turning slightly ragged. She glared at Ruan Chutang. "Sharp-tongued little thing! And here Zechuan praised you for being gentle and sensible—he really misjudged you!" Ruan Chutang unhurriedly picked up her teacup and took a sip to moisten her throat. "How rude." Meng Yaqin shot her a disdainful look. "An elder is sitting right here, and you don't even think to pour her some tea." Ruan Chutang put on a fake smile. "Sorry, Auntie Meng, but there aren't any extra cups here. You'd definitely turn your nose up at using my cup, so I figured I'd just let it go. Besides, it's not like you're dying of thirst, right?" Meng Yaqin was seething. Where on earth did Zechuan find such an ill-mannered girl? She took a moment to steady her breathing, then continued, "I came here today to tell you this: the Gu family isn't a place just any stray cat or dog can walk into. You want to marry Zechuan? Impossible!" Ruan Chutang: "Mm-hmm." Meng Yaqin: "Chen Wan is the one I've chosen as my daughter-in-law. Not only is her family a close friend of ours for generations, she's also Zechuan's first love. I advise you to give up this pipe dream. Pack your things and leave as soon as possible, and free up the spot by Zechuan's side!" Ruan Chutang curled her lips slightly. She recalled overhearing Gu Zechuan on the phone once, saying that the Gu Corporation's capital chain had hit problems—many projects were stalled, and losses were severe. Back then, she'd even entertained the thought of helping inject capital into the Gu Corporation. Although Gu Zechuan thought her family was poor and had never considered marrying her, they'd still been together for three years. There was some affection between them, so helping him out wasn't out of the question. That day she'd gone to pick him up from a business dinner, intending to seriously discuss investing in the Gu Corporation with him. She'd fallen out with her family, so Ruan Shaodong certainly wouldn't invest. But her cousin Su Yu was now the head of the Su family. The Su Corporation was thriving under his leadership, having already broken into the top ten domestic enterprises last year. Her cousin had always doted on her—if she asked, injecting capital into the Gu Corporation would be no trouble at all. But that very night, she heard Gu Zechuan say she was just a stand-in for Chen Wan. Recalling that memory, Ruan Chutang pulled her thoughts back and said to Meng Yaqin, "Don't worry. I'm going back to my hometown in a couple of days. I won't be coming back again." Meng Yaqin hadn't expected Ruan Chutang to back off so easily, and for a moment she was caught off guard. Ruan Chutang was that easy to get rid of? Not even asking for a single cent? Something felt off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Ruan Chutang glanced down at her wristwatch. "I won't keep chatting—I have things to do shortly. Goodbye." With that, without waiting for Meng Yaqin's reply, Ruan Chutang got up, went to her room to grab her bag, and hurried out the door. Meng Yaqin was stunned. She just left like that? "Utterly lacking in manners!" Meng Yaqin muttered to herself in fury once she'd recovered. "An elder hasn't even said she's leaving, and she takes off first. Does she have any respect for her elders at all?" Meng Yaqin had deliberately chosen her most extravagant and expensive set of jewelry today, specifically to make Ruan Chutang—this naive, poor girl who'd never seen the world—realize the gap between herself and Gu Zechuan. Before coming, Meng Yaqin had even planned to put Ruan Chutang in her place, to have her wait on her hand and foot. She'd even fantasized about Ruan Chutang crying and calling Gu Zechuan to tattle. But she never imagined it would turn out like this. Since Ruan Chutang had left, Meng Yaqin didn't want to stay any longer either. She stormed out of the villa, thinking about how to express her dissatisfaction with Ruan Chutang to Gu Zechuan. She had a thousand and one complaints about that ill-mannered girl! The driver was waiting at the entrance. Meng Yaqin had barely been in the car for a few minutes when she received a phone call from Chen Wan. She calmed her agitated emotions and switched to a gentle tone before answering. "Xiao Wan, let me tell you, this girlfriend Zechuan is dating has absolutely no manners at all. I just witnessed it firsthand—it really proves that saying: 'A treacherous place breeds treacherous people!'" Chen Wan's heart leaped with joy. Perfect—Ruan Chutang had offended Auntie Meng. Even if Gu Zechuan was reluctant to break up, the two of them wouldn't last long now! Chen Wan spoke softly, "Auntie, please calm down. Don't lower yourself to the level of that wild girl from the countryside." In Chen Wan's eyes, a poor person was equivalent to a village girl. Even if Ruan Chutang wasn't actually from the countryside, in her eyes it made no difference. Meng Yaqin said, "You're still the one I like, Xiao Wan. That wild girl said she's going back to her hometown in a few days and won't be coming back. At least she knows what's good for her!" "She really said that?" Chen Wan asked. "So is she planning to break up with Zechuan?" Meng Yaqin said, "Definitely. Even if she doesn't break up with him, I'll force them apart. Given the way she treated me today, there's no way she's staying with Zechuan!" "That's wonderful." Chen Wan said, "Auntie, are you heading back to the old residence now? I'll come over and keep you company." ... After leaving the Jingheyuan Villa, Ruan Chutang went straight to the law firm to resign. She had worked there for over three years, growing from a trainee lawyer to a licensed attorney. This small firm had witnessed her entire journey. Her assistant Xiao Xiao had just graduated from university this year, barely in her early twenties, three years younger than Chutang. The moment she heard Chutang was leaving, Xiao Xiao's eyes suddenly turned red. "Sis, why would you suddenly resign out of nowhere?" "Something came up at home." Ruan Chutang hadn't thought resigning was a big deal, but seeing Xiao Xiao on the verge of tears made her feel a bit heavy-hearted too. Xiao Xiao and she were more than just ordinary colleagues.