Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Chu Qiao lowered her head and listened, sneering silently. In her previous life, He Jihong had said the same thing. She had praised Gu Jianshe to the skies, saying that he was a peerless man. It was her fortune to be able to marry such a good man.
However, He Jihong did not mention how Gu Jianshe’s ex-wife had died.
When his ex-wife was in labor, it was difficult for her to give birth. Gu Jianshe and his parents chose to save the baby, just like what happened to her in her previous life. It was precisely because He Jihong knew this that she had tried her best to prevent her own daughter from marrying him, but she had pushed her into the fire pit instead.
Although He Jihong was vicious, she had good taste and was extremely accurate in judging people. The son-in-law Gu Ye that she had chosen for her daughter had the responsibility, intelligence, and ability. If Xu Bilian had not asked for a divorce, her life would definitely not have been bad.
However, Xu Bilian’s life in her previous life was not bad either. Although she had gotten a divorce, she had the support of the He family and had hooked up with Gu Jianshe. Chu Qiao was Mrs. Gu on the surface. She was famous but had not power. But Xu Bilian was famous and powerful. Gu Jianshe’s friends in the business world respected Xu Bilian, but they looked down on her. They didn’t even look at her.
Moreover, Xu Bilian opened a chain of restaurants in her previous life. With the He and Gu families as backers, her business was doing well. She could be considered a strong woman. Gu Jianshe often used Xu Bilian as an analogy and asked her to learn from Xu Bilian and that she couldn’t even compare to Xu Bilian’s toes.
Ptui!
Thinking of the terrible things in her previous life, Chu Qiao wished she could pour all the seaweed egg soup in front of her onto He Jihong’s face. However, she resisted the urge. There was no point in confronting He Jihong head-on. After all, she was an elder. Moreover, she was used to pretending to be magnanimous to maintain her good reputation. If she made a scene, others would only say that she, a junior, didn’t know what was good for her.
“Let’s do it tomorrow. It happens to be the weekend. You and Gu Jianshe should meet and get to know each other. Let him come over for dinner. Xiao Chu, you should buy more food tomorrow.”
He Jihong set a meeting time and asked Chu Yuanzhi to prepare the food. The food at home was basically bought by Chu Yuanzhi. He Jihong would never let her stepdaughter take charge of the finances. She didn’t even trust Chu Yuanzhi. She gave him some living expenses every month and was very meticulous.
Chu Yuanzhi was four years younger than her. He Jihong had always called him Xiao Chu. However, she knew how to dress up. She wasn’t bad-looking either. Her job was also easy. It was impossible to tell the difference in age. However, compared to Chu Yuanzhi’s peerless beauty, when He Jihong stood next to him, it was as if they were separated by a generation, and they did not match at all.
“Isn’t it a little too rushed? Besides, Gu Jianshe has two children. It’s not good to be a step-mother after getting married.” Chu Yuanzhi protested in a low voice. He actually did not approve of this marriage. He did not feel good about that Gu Jianshe.
He Jihong’s face turned red. Her eyes widened, and she shouted, “What’s wrong with being a stepmother? Didn’t I become a stepmother when I married you? I’m still living a good life. It doesn’t matter if it’s not my biological child. Just treat your child with sincerity, just like how I treat Qiao Qiao. I’m sincere about her, and I’m even closer to her than my biological child. I’m wholeheartedly planning for Qiao Qiao. Chu Yuanzhi, if you think that I’m not good at managing things, fine! I won’t care about anything else in the future!”
“I… I didn’t mean that. I said a sentence, and you replied with a hundred things…”
Chu Yuanzhi’s voice became even softer. In the end, it was so soft that it was almost inaudible. He looked at Chu Qiao, who had her head lowered and didn’t say anything. He sighed silently and comforted himself.
A stepmother should be a stepmother. After all, Gu Jianshe’s family background was not bad, and his salary was high. His daughter would not have to suffer financially if she married him.
Chu Qiao sneered secretly. He really wanted to change his heart, huh… Where did he get the nerve to say such words? The stability and harmony of this family was all built on her hard work and and obedience. In her previous life, she sacrificed more than half of her life for this family. He Jihong and Chu Yuanzhi were a loving couple. Xu Bilian’s career was successful, and Chu Peng was admitted to a prestigious university. He even went abroad to further his studies. He had a bright future ahead of him.
Everyone praised He Jihong for her good fortune. Her son and her daughter were promising, and she had taught them well.
However, no one thought that this step-daughter of hers, who worked like a horse, would just be casually mentioned by her. “Chu Qiao… I haven’t seen her for a long time. We haven’t even spoken more than a few words.”
Chu Qiao gritted her teeth and thought about the pain and hatred she felt before she died in her previous life. From the doctor’s tone, it seemed that she wouldn’t be able to save her daughter. That was good as well. How could a child without her mother’s protection live well? it was better for her to be reincarnated early.
In the future, she wouldn’t have any more children, and she didn’t want to get married either. It was good to live alone, but she had to think of a way to be independent. She also had to move her hukou[1] to Shanghai. He Jihong, that old b*tch, had never registered her hukou, so her hukou was still in the countryside, under Sun Yinxiu’s name.
Chu Qiao suddenly thought of something, and she couldn’t wait to move her hukou to Shanghai. She would think of a way to deal with this matter in the future. For now, she had to settle Gu Jianshe.
“Aunt He, let’s meet outside. Coming home to meet for the first time… If we can’t talk, people will gossip,” Chu Qiao said.
He Jihong was unwilling. In her opinion, there was nothing to be talked about. Chu Qiao had to marry Gu Jianshe. The meeting was just a formality.
“Why would you meet outside? Just at home…”
Before He Jihong could finish, Chu Peng suddenly said coldly, “Tomorrow, Tang Weiguo will come to our house to do his homework. I’ll call him and tell him not to come.”
“Weiguo is coming? Why didn’t you say so earlier? Mom should have made the arrangements earlier. Xiao Chu, you should buy more prawns tomorrow morning. Weiguo likes them.”
He Jihong’s face was full of smiles. Tang Weiguo’s family background was much higher than the He family’s. She couldn’t wait for Tang Weiguo to come to her house every day.
“Qiao Qiao, you should go out tomorrow and meet Jianshe. There’s a teahouse nearby. Let’s meet there. I’ll give Jianshe a call to let him know.”
He Jihong agreed to let her go on a blind date outside. Chu Qiao was a low-profile person, so it was better for her not to stay at home and embarrass herself. After all, this stepdaughter wouldn’t be able to jump out of her palm.
Chu Qiao heaved a sigh of relief in her heart. Once she went outside, He Jihong wouldn’t be able to control her anymore. She could reject Gu Jianshe, and she had to make herself look uglier. It would be best if Gu Jianshe despised her ugliness and looked down on her.
In her previous life, when she heard He Jihong’s words, her bangs were tucked, revealing her entire face. Gu Jianshe stared at her with his eyes wide open. At that time, she was elated. She thought that this man had gone silly and looked weird. But now she realized that nine out of ten men would be dumbfounded by her face.
She was just so beautiful. Even if Xu Bilian grinded her bones a hundred times, she would not be as beautiful as her.
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After Chu Peng finished eating, he got up and went back to his room. He had never liked to talk at home, and he was especially cold and aloof. Chu Qiao looked at the back of her half-brother suspiciously, thinking that Chu Peng was helping her just now.
But how could it be? Chu Peng despised her to death. He didn’t talk to her ever since they were young, and he always called her stupid.
Perhaps it was just a coincidence. Tang Weiguo and Chu Peng had a very good relationship. In his previous life, they even went abroad to start a business together. Their brotherhood had always been very good, and they were classmates. Tang Weiguo often came home to do homework. In fact, he copied Chu Peng’s homework. Tang Weiguo’s studies were a mess. These two brothers were both first in their class, one positive and one negative.
Notes:
[1]Hukou (Chinese: 户口; lit. ‘household individual’) is a system of household registration used in mainland China. A household registration record officially identifies a person as a permanent resident of an area and includes identifying information such as name, parents, spouse and date of birth..