Chapter 781: Ill Intentions

Grandma Wei and Mrs. Wei were overjoyed to see the letter and local specialties that Gu Shaojun had brought back from Wei Zhenling. It wasn’t a lot, but it was a token of the boy’s filial piety. The concern and care for his family expressed in the letter warmed their hearts. Grandma Wei treasured her grandson’s letter, putting it away carefully and saying with a smile that she would wait for her old man to come back to make him happy, too.

Gu Shaojun and Xiao Man were asked to stay for dinner, and they were in for a real treat. Grandma Wei and Mrs. Wei, both masters of seasoning, personally took to the kitchen and whipped up a table full of delicious dishes. A rich aroma soon filled the air, and even Xiao Man and Gu Shaojun, who often ate the fine foods from her special space, found their mouths watering.

Mr. Wei returned right at dinnertime. Smelling the food the moment he walked in, he knew at once that his wife was cooking. He called out loudly for her to get the good wine ready, grinning like a jolly Buddha. He was even happier to see Xiao Man and Gu Shaojun. After greeting Xiao Man, he pulled Gu Shaojun over for a game of chess before dinner, asking about Wei Zhenling’s situation while they played.

He didn’t, however, mention Zhenling’s father at all. It was unclear if Zhenling’s father had even seen the old man.

Xiao Man couldn’t help but sigh, thinking about the past life. ‘Back then, Zhenling’s father hid his divorce from the old folks, which drove Grandma Wei to her death from anger. Mr. Wei soon followed, dying of grief. They left Mrs. Wei to live mired in guilt and self-blame, and she aged and wasted away in no time.’

‘At that time, everything the Wei Family owned fell into the hands of Zhenling’s father. He used a sum of money to sever Mrs. Wei’s ties with the family, married his mistress, and started a new family with their son. He did everything in his power to ostracize and suppress Wei Zhenling, afraid that Wei Zhenling would steal his assets and also worried that he would later compete with his precious younger son for the inheritance. He simply kicked Wei Zhenling out to fend for himself, yet he never stopped using various schemes against him. Wei Zhenling had had enough of his own father; he was at the point of wanting to publish an announcement in the papers just to disown him.’

‘This time, thanks to Gu Shaojun’s warning, Wei Zhenling learned of his father’s plans in advance and took countermeasures. Mrs. Wei fiercely defended her own interests, and with Grandma Wei still alive and holding down the fort, Mr. Wei never had the chance to be swayed by his son. Everything was reversed. It was Zhenling’s father who was abandoned. Wei Zhenling inherited the family assets and became the head of the household. The Wei Family home is still bustling with life and vitality, peaceful and harmonious.’

‘This must be what the two elders would have wanted to see.’

It was a little after six when they left the Wei family’s home. Gu Shaojun drove Xiao Man directly back to school. As they chatted in the car, Xiao Man asked, “Are you going to do what Zhenling’s father asked and tell Wei Zhenling to go home?”

“No. How could Wei Zhenling not know his father went bankrupt? He was the one who had his friends do it. It was mainly because his father acted unscrupulously first, trying to sabotage things and steal clients from Wei’s Enterprise. After Wei Zhenling found out, he had someone ruin him completely. His father’s defeat is absolute this time; it’ll be very difficult for him to make a comeback. Wei Zhenling said the best outcome would be to drive his dad into a corner, leaving him with no choice but to go back to teaching.”

Xiao Man chuckled. “Wei Zhenling is so amusing.”

Gu Shaojun glanced at his young fiancée, reaching out to pinch her soft earlobe. “What are you saying? Isn’t your husband amusing enough for you?”

“Yes, yes, yes, of course my husband is the best!” Xiao Man quickly surrendered.

Gu Shaojun snorted in mock displeasure. “You’re about to abandon your husband to go live at school. We should be making every second count, but instead you bring up such a buzzkill of a topic. What’s that about?”

“I was just concerned about your friend, that’s all.”

“Your husband is the only one you need to be concerned about!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll worry about my husband. But my husband is going to be busy again starting tomorrow. When will I get to see you again?”

Seeing his fiancée acting cute and showing that she couldn’t bear to part with him, Gu Shaojun was satisfied again. He patted her head soothingly with his large hand. “Be good. Once I’m done with work these next few days, we’ll be able to see each other often. At the very least, when you’re at the hospital, I can come by to see you. And on weekends, we’ll have time for dates.”

“That’s great! Are we going to stroll the streets, walk through parks, and watch movies like other couples?”

“Mhm.”

They both laughed happily, for a moment forgetting the gloom of their impending separation.

After reluctantly seeing Xiao Man off at her school, Gu Shaojun drove home. Everyone in the family was busy with their own things. Only Gu Shaozheng and Gu Shaoling were in the living room, watching TV and bickering.

Gu Shaojun was a little speechless, mainly because of Gu Shaozheng. ‘His personality is a bit different from his last life. It seems the older he gets, the less mature he becomes.’

‘But thinking about his influence on Gu Shaoling, this constant bickering is actually a good thing. At least it will keep Gu Shaozheng from leading Shaoling into some kind of trap again.’

‘In my past life, Shaoling always loved to cling to Shaozheng, and Shaozheng doted on her as well. He was willing to take her to all sorts of events. As a result, Shaoling met the Xiangjiang tycoon, Mr. Feng, and married him, only to suffer humiliation and abuse. But Shaoling refused to listen to reason and leave the Feng family. She even put on a brave face and spoke up for them, frequently flaunting her wealth, prestige, and blissful happiness in public. It was as if she had been completely bewitched.’

‘In this life, Xiao Man’s return has changed many things, including Shaoling’s fate. But this is definitely not a bad thing.’

Gu Shaojun stepped into the living room. Gu Shaoling turned her head, saw him, and immediately skipped over to hug his arm, pouting aggrievedly as she tattled, “Big Brother, Third Brother’s turned mean! All he does is bully me!”

Gu Shaojun glanced at Gu Shaozheng, then led Gu Shaoling back to the sofa. He asked her why she was still at home tonight when she was supposed to go back to school.

Gu Shaoling replied, “I really like the gift you gave me, Big Brother, and I wanted to thank you, but I couldn’t find you all day. So I just waited until tonight. Anyway, I can go back to school tomorrow morning.”

Gu Shaozheng sneered from across the room, “How dare you lie to my face, Gu Shaoling? You’re really asking for it. Believe it or not, I’ll beat you up.”

Gu Shaoling stamped her foot. “Big Brother, look at him!”

Gu Shaojun said, “Don’t be afraid, Big Brother is here. Tell me what happened.”

Gu Shaoling lowered her gaze and looked down. Gu Shaozheng said, “Cat got your tongue? Why don’t I, your Third Brother, explain it more clearly for you? Second Brother already warned her not to hang out with Tian Sisi, but she wouldn’t listen. I saw her today, having a grand old time shopping with Tian Sisi! I followed them in my car for half a block. And what happened in the end? Take a guess, Big Brother.”

Gu Shaojun shot him a cold glare. Gu Shaozheng fell silent.

‘Fine, don’t guess. What’s with the icy stare? It’s not even that hot tonight, we don’t need the air conditioning.’

He rubbed his nose and gave a dry cough. “Shaoling and Tian Sisi walked to the entrance of a drink shop, and Tian Sisi pulled Shaoling inside. I was sitting in the car and happened to glance at the glass door and windows, and hey, Jun Ran was waiting inside. Tian Sisi pulled Shaoling right over to Jun Ran, and then they all sat down together to eat.

“I was getting tired of following them by then. I had actual business to take care of; who has that much free time to watch them chat and hang out? But I was worried Jun Ran had bad intentions and was scheming against Shaoling. It was obvious she had asked Tian Sisi to bring Shaoling over to meet her. Shaoling is so stupid! Jun Ran and Tian Sisi were making eyes at each other right in front of her multiple times, and she didn’t even see it! I had my guy, Little Li, go in and eavesdrop on their conversation. When he came back and told me what they said, I almost died from anger. I can’t believe Gu Shaoling could just sit there calmly after hearing all that. How did we end up with a sister like this? She’s hopelessly naive!”