Chapter 68 - Chapter 68: You Want to Break Off the Marriage?
Chapter 68: You Want to Break Off the Marriage?
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
The banquet was in full swing. Gu Wenliang and Lu Man arrived with Gu Chuyun and Gu Yaozu. Xu Tingting, Lu Shijie, and Lu Shixiu were also in attendance.
The guests wore different expressions, anticipating a good show.
Lu Shijie looked at Gu Ci with a sinister gaze, determined to make her pay for the humiliation he suffered in the detention center.
“Granny…” Gu Chuyun acted coqucttishly toward the old lady. Initially, the old lady was happy to see her, but when she noticed Lu Man, her joy turned into anger.
“What right do you have to come here?” The old lady had no desire to see Lu Man at all. “Leave!”
Gu Chuyun’s heart skipped a beat, and her eyes turned red. “Grandma, don’t you… like Chuyun anymore?”
Gu Ci watched coldly, a faint smile playing on her lips. Her gaze was like a thorn piercing into the old lady’s heart. For the first time, the old lady ignored Gu Chuyun’s tears.
Jiang Minghua approached, his voice cold but resolute. “The Jiang family doesn’t welcome you. Please leave.”
“Brother, I made a mistake in a moment of obsession, but I never mistreated Gu Ci and raised her well. Look at her now, slim and elegant, and the top scorer in the college entrance examination. I have not treated her poorly,” Lu Man shamelessly boasted. “The kindness of raising her is as heavy as a mountain. After all, I am her adoptive mother.”
Lin Chunli couldn’t stand Lu Man at all. “If you didn’t switch the children, the Jiang family would naturally treat Cici as their own. Why would you have to raise her?”
Lin Chunli had a difficult pregnancy and had long desired a daughter. When Jiang Mingyuc gave birth to a daughter, she was overjoyed. However, she couldn’t bring herself to like Gu Chuyun’s temperament and character.
“Regardless, the Gu family is her home. I am her father. That’s an unchangeable fact,” Gu Wenliang said. “The kindness of raising you is greater than the heavens. Gu Ci, you have the Jiang family and wealth. Are you going to disown your father?”
Jiang Minghua was infuriated by his shamelessness. He remembered how Gu Wenliang wasn’t like this when he pursued Jiang Mingyuc years ago. How did he become so shameless over the years?
Gu Ci curled her lips. “I don’t want to. But if you want to sever ties, I won’t object.”
Everyone was speechless.
Gu Wenliang was stunned. He had come to sever ties with Gu Ci and continue their father-daughter relationship. This turn of events didn’t work in his favor.
Gu Chuyun sincerely pleaded, “Sister, it was my mother who did something wrong. I have let you down too. We sincerely beg for your forgiveness. After all, we’re family. We share the same blood.”
“You are not my family,” Gu Ci declared resolutely. “Never.”
Jiang Minghua was shocked by Gu Ci’s determination. How much resentment must she hold to publicly say such words to her own family? It pained him even more.
“Chase them away!” Old Master Jiang grew impatient.
Gu Wenliang was furious. “Gu Ci, what do you mean? Do you really want to sever ties with me? You’re just the granddaughter of the Jiang family. Do you think they will support you? If they truly supported you, why did Lu Man switch you and Chuyun in the first place? Without the Gu family, you are nothing. Ask the ladies here, who would want a daughter-in-law like you? You won’t have a place in your husband’s family!”
“I don’t need it!” Gu Ci’s voice was cold. “I choose my own people. No one can choose me.” Her words were delivered with dominance and courage.
The ladies present looked down on her earlier, but now their expressions changed. They urged their sons to add Gu Ci on WeChat.
The Jiang family’s cousin and the largest shareholder of Hualan Bank had completely different identities and influence. This was why Gu Chuyun could maintain her position as the top socialite for so many years.
Gu Chuyun was consumed by jealousy, driving her to the brink of madness. This should have been hers. This large share of Hualan Bank should have belonged to her.
Gu Wenliang’s face turned pale and then red. He was utterly humiliated. Jiang Junlin spoke up. “President Gu, every year, I transfer my aunt’s dividends to her daughter. Gu Chuyun has received dividends for eighteen years. Everyone present is a witness. After deducting Gu Ci’s expenses over the years, please return the remaining funds to Gu Ci. Otherwise, I’ll see you in court at Hualan Bank!”
Gu Chuyun’s face turned pale, and her legs trembled. She had spent lavishly, not caring about money. She dared to bid hundreds of millions at auctions because she relied on the annual dividends from Hualan Bank.
She had been spending this money recklessly. If she had to return the entire sum, wouldn’t it drive her to ruin?
“Granny…” Gu Chuyun’s eyes filled with tears. “You have to stand up for me.”
Under Gu Ci’s gaze, even the old Madam Jiang fell silent. Gu Ci’s gaze was clear. If you protect Gu Chuyun, I will never acknowledge you as a person from my past.
“Alright, since you want to return everything to Gu Ci, what about the marriage contract? Shall I give her that too?” Gu Chuyun smiled maliciously through her tears. “The engagement between the eldest daughter of the Gu family and the eldest son of the Lu family was arranged from a young age. I returned everything to my sister, so this marriage agreement naturally belongs to her.”
Lu Shijie’s gaze turned sinister. “Yes, my fiancee.”
Jiang Junlin was furious. “Dream on!”
Lu Shijie stepped forward, staring at Gu Ci. “This is an engagement arranged by the elders of both families. You can’t break it.”
The upper-class society of A City placed great importance on family status and commitments. Indeed, the Gu family and the Lu family had an arranged marriage agreement. Gu Ci spoke up. “This isn’t the feudal era. I didn’t agree to the marriage arrangement.”
“So, you want to break off the engagement?” Lu Shijie’s gaze grew even more sinister. “The cooperation between Lu Corporation and Hualan Bank will be nullified.”
Jiang Junlin’s expression remained stoic. “Are you threatening me?”
Xu Tingting chuckled and intervened. “CEO Jiang, don’t be angry. He cares too much about Gu Ci and speaks without restraint. The Lu Corporation and Hualan Bank have a close cooperation and have signed a ten-year partnership plan. It’s also a great story for the two families to strengthen their ties..”