019
Yu Ningxuan, tears in her eyes, walked to Old Mrs. Gu and choked out, “Grandma, I’m sorry, I didn’t know things would turn out like this.”
Gu Yalan also looked regretful. “Mom, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have contacted them. How is Dad?”
Old Mrs. Gu remained cold and silent. For the first time, she clearly realized that Gu Yalan was someone else’s daughter. Perhaps Gu Yalan’s words sounded nice, but after learning who her biological mother was, she still clung to the blood tie and contacted her birth mother.
The Gu family remained silent. Old Mr. Gu was still unconscious. Gu Yalan and her mother looked at each other, gradually unable to bear the silence and bursting into tears.
“Grandma, I really didn’t mean to…” Yu Ningxuan sobbed uncontrollably. If she had known that Old Mrs. Tian was so difficult, she would never have brought her to the Gu family to embarrass them. The Gu family was of such high standing, while the Tian family… Seeing the disparity between the two families, she found it even harder to accept that her maternal grandmother was someone like Old Mrs. Tian.
Gu Yalan had discovered her pregnancy and announced the news. Yu Ningxuan cried, while she held her waist and silently shed tears. Both mother and daughter were the type of beautiful women who evoked pity. At this moment, most of the men in the Gu family showed reluctance, after all, no one knew how fiercely Old Mrs. Tian could change her mind.
“Xuanxuan, why did you contact the Tian family? Being relatives was enough, wasn’t it? It’s not Xuanxuan’s fault at all!” The youngest, Gu Wu, mumbled. He and Yu Ningxuan had grown up together and had a close relationship, and he was the first to speak up for her.
Lu Tian looked around. The three Gu brothers and their grandsons hadn’t overly blamed them. She crossed her arms and said coolly, “Fifth Brother, that’s easy for you to say. After all, Old Mrs. Tian is their blood relative. How can you just say not to contact them? Besides, even if you say it’s someone’s fault, it doesn’t count.”
“Who are you? It’s none of your business!” Gu Wu blurted out.
Lu Tian looked at him with an ambiguous smile. Even Tian Jing frowned at Old Mrs. Gu. Gu Qingpei quickly glared at his son and explained with a smile, “Tiantian, your fifth brother didn’t mean it. Gu Wu, quickly apologize to your sister!”
Gu Wu stubbornly refused to apologize. In the past, besides Yu Ningxuan, he was the most favored in the Gu family. How could he bow and apologize to a strange girl? Moreover, in his opinion, Lu Tian was just stirring things up. If she hadn’t spoken, Old Mrs. Gu would have softened and forgiven her aunt and cousin.
“Gu Wu! Apologize!” Gu Qingpei raised his voice. His only son’s disobedience made him lose face.
“Third Uncle, if Fifth Young Master doesn’t want to apologize, then forget it. Anyway, my mother and I heard the truth.” Lu Tian smiled sweetly, but the subtext was clear to everyone. The Gu family had previously claimed they would make amends, but Gu Wu didn’t treat Lu Tian and Tian Jing as family at all. Everyone had just become acquainted, and suddenly this veil of shame was lifted, whose face would be saved?
Yu Ningxuan bit her lip and looked at Lu Tian. Was Lu Tian finally revealing her true colors?
Old Mrs. Gu was unhappy. Tian Jing hadn’t said anything, but Lu Tian had directly embarrassed the elders. She said with a cold face, “Alright! Your grandfather is still sick. What are you all arguing about? Let’s wait until he wakes up and see what the doctor says.”
“Jingjing, Gu Wu definitely didn’t mean it. He’s just outspoken. As your aunt, don’t bother with him.” She then looked at Lu Tian: “Tiantian, you too… Ai!”
Lu Tian shrugged and remained silent, glancing at Tian Jing’s expression. Old Mrs. Gu was incredibly muddleheaded!
Tian Jing opened her mouth, about to say something, but Gu Yalan beat her to it, clutching her stomach and crying out in pain.
“Could it be that she’s experiencing morning sickness? Quickly get a doctor to check on her.” Gu Wu’s mother’s sharp eyes provided a way out.
Old Mrs. Gu no longer kept a straight face and immediately called for nurses and doctors, sending Gu Yalan to another ward for examination. After they left, some of the Gu family members received calls and left for work. Old Mrs. Gu pulled Tian Jing aside to talk. Lu Tian saw Tian Jing’s stiff body gradually relax, and a forced smile appeared on her tense lips.
Lu Tian didn’t need to listen carefully to know what Old Mrs. Gu was saying. It was nothing more than assurances that she loved her biological daughter most and would not mistreat Tian Jing.
Tian Jing, unlike Gu Yalan, didn’t know how to please or act cute. She had been Old Mrs. Gu’s close companion since childhood, so even if Old Mrs. Gu was angry, she wouldn’t dislike her. Conversely, Tian Jing had her own family and career, and she didn’t devote as much time to Old Mrs. Gu. Relying solely on blood ties was too difficult. Moreover, the Gu family firmly believed that the baby switch was Old Mrs. Tian’s fault, and Gu Yalan and her mother were innocent. Furthermore, Gu Yalan’s marriage to the Yu family was linked to the Gu family’s interests, so their existing relationship should be maintained.
But in reality, since Gu Yalan wasn’t a Gu family child, the more appropriate approach was to maintain a superficial relationship, rather than letting her usurp Tian Jing’s position. Even for Yu Ningxuan, Gu Wu would argue with Lu Tian, constantly demonstrating the Gu family’s alienation of Tian Jing and encouraging Gu Yalan’s exclusion of her.
After finishing her conversation with Tian Jing, Old Mrs. Gu walked over to Lu Tian and said apologetically, “Tiantian, your fifth brother didn’t mean to target you; he’s just outspoken. I’ll definitely make him apologize to you later.”
Lu Tian nodded obediently. “Okay.”
She didn’t apologize once throughout the whole ordeal. Old Mrs. Gu’s smile faltered slightly. “Don’t talk back to your elders in front of everyone in the future. Your three uncles all love you very much; don’t make them sad.”
“Okay.” Lu Tian’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. She noticed Old Mrs. Gu’s displeasure. Her biological daughter wasn’t even as beloved as the daughter she’d raised for forty years, let alone a granddaughter with an unknown father.
They waited at the hospital for hours but didn’t see Old Mr. Gu wake up. The doctor informed them that Old Mr. Gu was only sleeping and was currently in stable condition. Tian Jing’s company assistant repeatedly called her to attend a meeting, so the two had to leave the hospital. Her company and the Zou family were in opposite directions, so Lu Tian suggested that Tian Jing go first and she would take a taxi back.
Tian Jing was uneasy. “You just had a procedure, don’t wander around outside. If you feel unwell, call me.”
“Got it, Mom.” Lu Tian wanted to say something, but seeing her low spirits and preoccupied demeanor, she pretended to be relaxed.
Tian Jing was truly in a hurry, rushing to the parking lot. Lu Tian stood at the hospital entrance for a while, then sent a message to Wen Jin, her highly capable female bodyguard: “Sister Wen Jin, are you there?”
“I see you.”
Lu Tian felt relieved and decided to buy a cup of milk tea at a nearby shop before leaving, completely unaware that the doctor in a white coat had been watching them since they left the hospital.
Only after she left did Du Kang look away and absentmindedly send a message to his wife, Lu Ningyang: “Ningning, I saw Tian Jing. A girl in her twenties was with her.”
Lu Ningyang was eating dessert and almost bit her tongue when she saw the message. “Do you have a photo?”
Du Kang replied dejectedly, “I forgot to take one.”
Lu Ningyang urged him to take a picture, but just as Du Kang was about to go outside the hospital, a nurse rushed to find him. A patient’s condition required his observation, so he had to give up on finding Lu Tian.
Lu Tian stayed home for two days before she couldn’t stand it anymore and decided to return to school. Wen Jin couldn’t protect her at school, but being with her roommates would be safer, right? She called Song Ci to ask about the van driver’s condition. After being in the ICU for so many days, he should have woken up.
Song Ci did bring good news. The van driver had woken up, and the police were questioning him. They couldn’t disclose the specifics of the interrogation, but they revealed some of the driver’s statements. The driver insisted that he was drunk and mistook the car accident for a game; it wasn’t intentional murder.
“There’s a catch.” Lu Tian suggested. “Does the driver’s family have extra money or property? Isn’t that how it’s portrayed on TV?”
Song Ci seemed to laugh on the other end of the phone and continued, “He’s divorced and has no children. Mr. Meng is also looking into whether he has other circumstances.”
Lu Tian hung up the phone helplessly. She couldn’t explicitly point the finger at the Lu family, could she? The Lu family’s parents had two sons and two daughters, but Lu Chengyang controlled 60% of the Lu family’s assets. Lu Chengyang had no children, no heir, so his assets would naturally be divided among his siblings after his death, and the appearance of the original owner would inevitably lead Lu Chengyang to change his will.
Or, perhaps Lu Chengyang hadn’t died yet, and someone in the Lu family had already tried to eliminate him, leading to Lu Chengyang’s sudden death in the original story. As his heir, the original owner would also die in what seemed like a normal drunk driving accident.
The things she was experiencing weren’t just a few lines in a novel. Some things had already deviated from the original track, and the future remained unknown.
After returning to school, Lu Tian’s life returned to normal. It was almost winter, so she put on a thick coat to attend class, making her quite conspicuous among the students. Mao Zedong Thought was a combined class of three classes. After she and her roommates sat down, they noticed Lu Zhenzhe and his roommate sitting behind them. Lu Zhenzhe had delivered food to her a few days ago, so she waved her hand in greeting.
Lu Zhenzhe’s face flushed slightly as he smiled at her. The handsome young man was full of youthful energy.
Lu Tian was startled. After settling down, she thought that Lu Zhenzhe shouldn’t have any feelings for her, so why was he blushing?
“How could I forget that Lu Zhenzhe also has the surname Lu?!” she muttered to herself.
Jiang Feifei heard her and chuckled. “He doesn’t have the surname Lu? What surname does he have?”
Lu Tian tried to recall the plot she’d read. Lu Zhenzhe should be Lu Chengyang’s nephew. In the original story, he liked Yu Ningxuan, later becoming a silently devoted and deeply affectionate male cannon fodder who went abroad?
“Lu Tian, look—” Helian Chen pointed to a girl in the front row. They were in a tiered classroom, so they could clearly see the person’s appearance.
The girl with a bun, whose slender back revealed a delicate profile when she turned to look at her classmates, was none other than Yu Ningxuan, the girl who had cried so sadly at the hospital the other day.
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