Chapter 371: Provocation and Suspicion
Chapter 371: Chapter 371: Provocation and Suspicion
Her expression flickered through a series of emotions, but in the end, Wang Yuan’s greed won out. She told herself she’d done nothing wrong; she was just trying to secure a better future.
’Didn’t Zhao Nuanyue scheme to get close to Hua Yusen for the very same reason?’
Having rationalized her actions, Wang Yuan encouraged herself. ’If you want to rise above the rest, you must endure the worst hardships! There will be more difficulties and setbacks ahead. I have to work even harder!’
The next day, Wang Yuan went to Guo Donghai and told him she had already poisoned Zhao Nuanyue, completing the task he had assigned her.
Guo Dongmei was thrilled to hear from her brother that Wang Yuan had poisoned Zhao Nuanyue, but it wasn’t enough to quell her hatred.
Before leaving Jincheng City, she secretly found an underground contact and arranged for someone else to take revenge on Zhao Nuanyue and her two siblings.
Just as Zhao Nuanyue had predicted, Wang Yuan’s behavior changed. Before the poisoning, she used to visit two or three times a week. Afterward, she only came once a week, sometimes even less. Her visits to Qingya Lake grew even rarer, especially after she heard that Zhao Nuanyue was frequently catching colds, which confirmed her suspicions. This was partly due to her guilty conscience and partly because she couldn’t bear to face Zhao Nuanyue.
Zhao Nuanyue even deliberately asked her about it, but Wang Yuan always had a ready excuse, claiming she was busy with work. She did, however, promise to visit whenever she had free time.
Zhao Nuanyue, Little Red Carp, and Zhao Nuan Yang wished she would stay away forever.
Although the Li family did their best to salvage the engagement with the Wu Family, the Wu Family only said they would "consider it" and refused to retract their decision.
Seeing the Wu Family’s response, Old Sir Li suspected they were preparing to turn on the Li family completely.
’If you’re going to be ruthless, then so will I.’ The resources originally reserved for the Wu Family were instead distributed among his more loyal subordinates. Even the Guo Family received a considerable share.
Outwardly, Old Sir Li showed no resentment or impatience. In fact, he seemed even more sincere in begging for the Wu Family’s forgiveness. But secretly, he accelerated his plans, hoping to launch "Plan Number Two" and wipe out the forces of both the Wu Family and Gu Qingyu before they could react.
Guo Dongmei stood forlornly, holding a single suitcase. A servant from the Li family trailed behind, assigned to look after her.
Standing on the train platform, Guo Dongmei felt a wave of desolation. She had never imagined she would one day leave Jincheng City in such a humiliating state.
She looked around, her eyes filled with a longing to stay. She didn’t want to leave. She couldn’t accept leaving like this.
Just as she was about to board the train, a young woman walked up to her and said, "Guo Dongmei, do you regret it now?"
Guo Dongmei turned to face the speaker, and her anger instantly flared. ’If the Wu Family hadn’t been so aggressive, would I be slinking away from Jincheng City in disgrace?’
"Wu Qiaoqiao, my feud is with your sister, not you. Are you here to stick up for her?" Guo Dongmei asked coldly. ’I’m already leaving in disgrace. Aren’t the Wu sisters going to let me go even now?’
"Heh, we were friends who grew up together, after all. We may not have been close, but we were at least acquaintances. My sister is kind and gentle, so she won’t hold the humiliation you caused her against you. But I, Wu Qiaoqiao, am not one to take things lying down. Whoever makes me suffer, I’ll make their entire family suffer—that includes the Li family, the Guo Family, and of course, you!"
"What’s that supposed to mean?" Guo Dongmei was stunned. She never imagined Wu Qiaoqiao would say something like this to her. "I’ve already swallowed my pride and agreed to leave Jincheng City. The Li family has sincerely apologized to your family. Are you still here to make trouble? Are you trying to hound me to my grave?"
Guo Dongmei was secretly alarmed. ’Father was right,’ she thought. ’There’s a huge rift between the Wu and Li families. It’s only a matter of time before they become open enemies.’
’I need to stay calm. I can’t let a few words from Wu Qiaoqiao make me lose my composure and cloud my judgment.’
"Heh, it means exactly what it sounds like. I just came to see you looking so pathetic and lost, slinking away from Jincheng City in disgrace." Wu Qiaoqiao chuckled, a contemptuous smile on her face. "If you ask me, you brought this on yourself. You’re just debased. Stealing another woman’s man, getting pregnant with his child... you’re utterly shameless. You had a great man like Hua Yusen, but you threw him away and broke off the engagement yourself. You’re completely blind. You might have the title of a prestigious family’s daughter, but you have none of the self-respect that should come with it. You’re an absolute fool. Even a young woman like Zhao Nuanyue is smarter than you, Guo Dongmei! That’s why she’s the future daughter-in-law of the Hua family, while you can’t even get into the Li family and have no choice but to leave in shame. Don’t you think that’s pathetic?"
Guo Dongmei tried to stay calm and not let Wu Qiaoqiao’s words provoke her, but they were too vicious. Each one struck a chord, filling her with grief.
She really had become the laughingstock of Jincheng City.
Her plot to force his hand by sleeping with him and being "caught" had failed. Even getting pregnant hadn’t gotten her through the Li family’s door.
Now, as she was leaving in disgrace, to be pointed at and insulted by a mere slip of a girl... this was the ultimate failure.
"You... You’re going too far!" Guo Dongmei said angrily. "You have no right to butt into my affairs with Zhao Nuanyue!"
"Heh, what do you mean I have no right? You ruined my sister’s engagement, so of course I’m not going to let you off easy. Besides, that Zhao Nuanyue is no pushover. For an ordinary girl to become the Hua family’s future daughter-in-law is no simple feat. How else do you think I found out you were pregnant?"
At these words, Guo Dongmei’s eyes widened. She had suspected it was Zhao Nuanyue who leaked the news, but it was just a guess; she had no proof.
But Wu Qiaoqiao’s words fueled Guo Dongmei’s hatred for Zhao Nuanyue even more.
She was powerless to do anything about Wu Qiaoqiao right now, so she had to let the girl act brazenly and hurl insults at her.
But she could still deal with Zhao Nuanyue. ’Now that I think about it,’ she mused, ’Wang Yuan has already poisoned her. Zhao Nuanyue is now infertile. Isn’t that even more pathetic?’
Still, this wasn’t enough to satisfy Guo Dongmei’s thirst for revenge. She would find other ways to make Zhao Nuanyue pay.
"I don’t know how you got in touch with Zhao Nuanyue, but I know you’re not just here to let off steam for your sister. It seems like you came specifically to talk to me about her!" Guo Dongmei wasn’t a fool. After a moment of careful thought, she sensed something was off. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She recalled something her brother, Guo Donghai, had once told her: Hua Yusen had rescued Wu Qiaoqiao from Li Gongde in Lu State.