Gu Junxing froze. He glanced around, but everyone looked perfectly normal.
Where had that voice come from?
Gu Junxing did not dwell on it, assuming he had imagined the voice. He hurried over and took Tan Ruiyu's hand, youthful, bashful excitement spreading across his face. "Ruiyu, you're here."
Tan Ruiyu smiled shyly.
Gu Junxing led Tan Ruiyu over to Weng Fenghua. "Mom, this is my girlfriend, Tan Ruiyu."
Tan Ruiyu said cautiously, "Hello, ma'am. Since this is our first meeting, I wasn't sure what to buy, so I brought you some beauty supplements. I hope you like them."
Gu Junxing chimed in, "Mom, Ruiyu saved that money from months of working while studying. She specifically used it to buy you a gift."
The moment he finished, that voice returned.
What money from working while studying? Her ex-boyfriend gave those to her mother. Her mother didn't want them, so she brought them here for her current boyfriend's mother. She certainly knows how to recycle unwanted junk.
Weng Fenghua's outstretched hand stopped in midair, and Gu Wenze took another look at Tan Ruiyu's gift.
Only Gu Junxing widened his eyes. This time, he clearly heard where the voice came from: Qiao Hua.
So this woman actually dared to stir up trouble in front of everyone!
Gu Junxing was about to lash out at Qiao Hua, only to see her standing quietly to the side, her mouth completely still.
Gu Wenze and Weng Fenghua beside him also looked perfectly normal.
What was going on?
Qiao Hua hadn't spoken, so where had the voice come from?
Then a bold possibility occurred to him. Could he be hearing Qiao Hua's thoughts?
And was he the only one who could hear them?
Gu Junxing was so stunned that the way he looked at Qiao Hua turned strange.
A barely perceptible trace of disgust appeared in Weng Fenghua's eyes as she discreetly withdrew her hand.
On her first visit to meet his parents, she had actually brought something someone else didn't want.
When Weng Fenghua failed to respond, Tan Ruiyu bit her lip and gave Gu Junxing a wounded look. "Junxing, does your mother like the gift I bought?"
Gu Junxing managed to collect himself. He took the gift from Tan Ruiyu and held it out to Weng Fenghua. "Mom, Ruiyu meant well. Just accept it."
He would never believe that vicious woman Qiao Hua.
Someone as kind as Tan Ruiyu could not possibly give his mother something someone else had rejected.
Qiao Hua must dislike him and his girlfriend and be deliberately trying to drive a wedge between them.
Ultimately, Weng Fenghua did not want to put her son in a difficult position. She sighed and had the butler accept it.
Only then did the tense atmosphere ease a little. Gu Junxing led Tan Ruiyu to the sofa and sat down with her, giving her a reassuring look.
A bashful blush colored Tan Ruiyu's cheeks.
At that moment, she noticed Gu Wenze and Qiao Hua across from them and asked curiously, "Junxing, who are these two?"
Gu Junxing introduced him. "This is my older brother, Gu Wenze."
Tan Ruiyu said softly, "Hello, Wenze."
Gu Wenze gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.
Then Gu Junxing looked at Qiao Hua and snorted. "That's my brother's wife."
Sensing that Gu Junxing disliked this woman, Tan Ruiyu hesitated and decided not to greet her.
Gu Wenze's gaze darkened almost imperceptibly.
When he had heard Qiao Hua say that this woman had brought his mother a rejected gift, he had felt little about it. After all, the Gu family hardly lacked such things, and he never interfered in his family's romantic lives.
Yet seeing her ignore Qiao Hua made him inexplicably uncomfortable.
Whatever else she might be, Qiao Hua was nominally a member of the Gu family. An outsider had no right to mistreat her.
"Have you forgotten what Mom just told you?" Gu Wenze asked flatly, his voice without inflection.
Gu Junxing paused. Realizing his brother meant the matter concerning Qiao Hua, he reluctantly added, "She's my sister-in-law."
Tan Ruiyu hurriedly greeted her as her sister-in-law.
Qiao Hua smiled faintly, pretending not to notice that Tan Ruiyu had deliberately ignored her.
She did not really care. In the three years since she had married into the family, Gu Junxing had never once called her his sister-in-law, let alone an outsider.
Whether they said it or not, it was only a title.
Besides, she did not want to be Gu Junxing's sister-in-law. Jiang Nan could have that privilege.
Naturally, Weng Fenghua also noticed how readily Tan Ruiyu changed her tune, and her impression of her worsened. "How did you two meet?"
Gu Junxing answered first. "Mom, I met Ruiyu while eating in Chinatown. She worked at a Chinese restaurant. It was love at first sight, and we got together afterward."
Weng Fenghua's voice remained even. "How long have you been together?"
This time, Tan Ruiyu answered. "Three months, ma'am."
Weng Fenghua considered that for a moment. "What are your plans for the future?"
Tan Ruiyu said softly, "I plan to return to China to be with Junxing, so we can work toward our future together."
Tan Ruiyu and Gu Junxing exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with love.
Weng Fenghua said without betraying any emotion, "Junxing will certainly work at the Gu Group after graduation. Do you want to join us too?"
Tan Ruiyu tightened her grip on her bag and bit her lip. "If possible, I'd like to be with Junxing."
Gu Junxing spoke up for her. "Mom, Ruiyu will be part of our family someday. It's only natural for her to work at our company."
She wants to join your company so she can become the boss's wife. Then she can bring her whole family into the Gu Group.
Oh, right, Gu Wenze's dream girl, Jiang Nan, works there too. I wonder who'll win when those two go head-to-head.
Come to think of it, Tan Ruiyu and Jiang Nan are the same type, both looking so delicate and pitiful. So the Gu brothers both like this type.
No wonder the novel has two brothers fighting over one woman. Will Gu Wenze and Gu Junxing end up falling for each other's women?
How exciting! Hurry up and give her a job. I can't wait to watch the drama.
Gu Wenze and Gu Junxing's expressions instantly soured, while Weng Fenghua shot them both a glare of exasperation.
Weng Fenghua said calmly, "With your qualifications, Miss Tan, I doubt you could get into the Gu Group."
The words were like a slap across Tan Ruiyu's face. She went pale, unconsciously biting a faint tooth mark into her lip.
Gu Junxing snapped back to his senses and instinctively defended Tan Ruiyu. "Mom, Ruiyu may not have much education, but she's hardworking. I'm sure she'll learn the ropes quickly."
Weng Fenghua glanced at him. "Nothing is settled yet. What's your hurry?"
Then she turned to Gu Wenze, who had remained silent. "Wenze, what do you think?"
Gu Junxing instinctively looked at Gu Wenze, as though pleading, Help me, Wenze.
Gu Wenze looked at Tan Ruiyu, whose clear eyes held a flicker of hope. Recalling how she had ignored Qiao Hua earlier, he said coldly, "We'll discuss it after you get married."
Tan Ruiyu took Gu Wenze's words as approval of their marriage, and excitement involuntarily rose in her eyes.
Gu Junxing clenched his fists in frustration. "Fine. She doesn't have to join. I can support Ruiyu anyway."
Tan Ruiyu reassured him understandingly. "It's all right. Your mother and brother are right. My education really doesn't qualify me to work at the Gu Group. But I'll work hard to become someone worthy of you."
Gu Junxing's heart softened. "Ruiyu, you're perfect to me. There's no question of being worthy or not."
If there had not been so many people present, Qiao Hua had no doubt they would have started kissing.
Sure. She dropped out in middle school and sneaked into the United States with her delinquent boyfriend. After he abandoned her, she became a prostitute. Who knows how many men she's slept with? Truly perfect.
Gu Junxing stumbled, nearly losing his footing.
Gu Wenze turned to look at Qiao Hua, deep emotions concealed in his intense gaze.
Qiao Hua asked in confusion, "Why are you looking at me? Is there something on my face?"
Gu Wenze looked away, but the complicated expression on his face lingered.
Goose bumps rose all over Weng Fenghua. Remembering that she had just touched Tan Ruiyu, she wished she could immediately disinfect her entire body.
Weng Fenghua steadied herself. "Miss Tan, you may have misunderstood me. What I meant is that you and Junxing aren't suited to each other."
Tan Ruiyu's eyes abruptly widened, her knuckles whitening around the bag she clutched.
Beside her, Gu Junxing panicked and shot up from the sofa.
"Mom, what are you saying?"
Weng Fenghua kept her eyes fixed on Tan Ruiyu. "Even setting aside the difference in your backgrounds, I've seen plenty of women like you. You're only after my son's money, aren't you?"
Tears welled in Tan Ruiyu's eyes as she said, aggrieved, "Ma'am, you've misunderstood me. When I met Junxing, I knew nothing about his family."
Gu Junxing put an arm around Tan Ruiyu's shoulders and defended her. "Exactly, Mom. I only told Ruiyu later. If she really wanted money, she could have found a rich man from the start."
Gu Junxing thinks he and Tan Ruiyu are a fairy-tale prince and Cinderella. In reality, she approached him on purpose.
While working at the restaurant, Tan Ruiyu overheard him talking to his friends and learned he was rich. So she deliberately arranged for a few people to harass her, successfully staging her encounter with Gu Junxing.
Unfortunately, she's after his money, not him. Foolish Gu Junxing is still completely in the dark.
Weng Fenghua wore an expression that said, Just as I thought.
She really wished her foolish son could hear Qiao Hua's thoughts.
The woman was clearly after his money, yet he thought he had found love.
Gu Wenze's gaze grew even more complicated as he looked at Qiao Hua.
Had this woman lost her mind?
Of everyone present, Gu Junxing was the most shocked.
He recalled his first meeting with Tan Ruiyu. That day, he had gone to Chinatown for a meal and seen several foreigners harassing her in an alley beside the restaurant. Unable to stand by and watch, he had stepped in and driven them off.
That was how they had met and fallen in love.
But only he and Tan Ruiyu knew about it. How did Qiao Hua know?
Had Qiao Hua investigated them?
"In any case, I won't approve." Weng Fenghua had disliked Tan Ruiyu from the start, and hearing Qiao Hua's thoughts only strengthened her resolve. "She will never marry into our family."
Tan Ruiyu sniffled. "Junxing, since your mother doesn't like me, I'll leave."
She picked up her handbag and started to go, but Gu Junxing caught her hand and said anxiously, "Ruiyu, don't leave!"
Tan Ruiyu turned away from him, showing only her deathly pale profile. "Junxing, our backgrounds are too different, and your mother doesn't like me. We can never be together. We should break up."
Gu Junxing gritted his teeth. "No. You're the only person I love. Whether you have money or not, I won't leave you."
Gu Junxing looked at Weng Fenghua in disappointment. "Mom, I thought you weren't the sort to despise the poor and favor the rich. I never imagined you were so materialistic."
"Do you look down on Ruiyu just because her family isn't as rich as ours?"
"Yes, I admit Ruiyu's family is poor, but she's independent and works to earn her own money. She's much better than certain shameless women.
"Besides, if a vicious woman like Qiao Hua can marry into our family, why can't Ruiyu?"
Qiao Hua, suddenly dragged into it, was speechless. "?"
How had this become about her?
Fine. The original owner of this body had a bad reputation, so she was stuck dealing with the consequences.
Weng Fenghua said angrily, "This woman is after your money. Can't you even see that?"
Tan Ruiyu's shoulders drew inward as she reached out and caught the hem of Gu Junxing's shirt.
Gu Junxing's protective instincts surged. He shielded her with his tall frame and raised his voice. "That's nonsense! Ruiyu isn't that sort of person. She won't even accept the money I send her or the gifts I buy her. How could she be after our family's wealth?"
Qiao Hua's inner voice chimed in at just the right moment, eager to add fuel to the drama.
Of course. She knows the difference between one good meal and a lifetime of being well fed.
Besides, accepting your things would prove she's after your money. How would she maintain her innocent little flower act then?
Once you're married, your money will be hers anyway. Why would she care about those measly scraps?
Gu Junxing wished he could sew Qiao Hua's mouth shut.
That vicious woman was unhappy in her own marriage, so she wanted him to be unhappy too.
Gu Junxing drew a light breath, as though coming to a decision. "Mom, if you won't accept Ruiyu, I'll never come back to this house."
Before you continue