Chapter 33: A Substitute for Li Chaomu

Wen Zhixian turned toward the voice across the street—it was Aunt Zhao.

Her falling out with Gu Yuchen had nothing to do with his parents, who had always treated her well.

Zhao Wan crossed the street, her expression complicated, filled mostly with regret.

“Come in and sit for a while, Aunt Zhao,” Wen Zhixian said with a smile, inviting her in.

Zhao Wan smiled helplessly and followed her into the shop.

Wen Zhixian ordered a coffee with milk and sugar for Aunt Zhao and a serving of tiramisu.

“Zhaoli,” Zhao Wan said, noticing a familiar face at the table by the window. She smiled and walked over.

Wen Zhixian saw Qin Zhaoli’s surprise and delight. The three of them sat together.

“Aunt Zhao.” Qin Zhaoli glanced at Zhao Wan, who now sat across from him. The Gu family had truly liked Zhixian as a daughter-in-law, and with Gu Yuchen acting out like this, how could Aunt Zhao not be upset?

A server brought over the coffee and tiramisu, placing them in front of Zhao Wan.

As Zhao Wan looked at the coffee, she silently sighed—Zhixian still remembered that she didn’t like overly bitter things.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became with her son.

“Zhixian, I’m here to apologize on Gu Yuchen’s behalf,” she said.

Wen Zhixian remained calm. “Aunt Zhao, you and Uncle Gu have always been kind to me, and I really like you both. You don’t need to apologize for Gu Yuchen. If we meet again, he’ll just argue with me anyway. I can separate you from him.”

Hearing this, Zhao Wan knew it would be pointless to say more on Gu Yuchen’s behalf. Instead, she said, “Zhixian, tell me honestly—did you get married so suddenly because you were angry with Gu Yuchen? Marriage is no small matter. I truly hoped you could become my daughter-in-law, but even if that doesn’t happen, I don’t want you to live unhappily.”

Gu Yuchen had wronged Zhixian enough. If his actions ruined her future too, Zhao Wan would truly feel her son was unforgivable.

Wen Zhixian’s expression turned somber. “Aunt Zhao, I won’t lie to you. It wasn’t out of anger with Gu Yuchen. I was afraid that if I waited too long, I might forgive him.”

In Qin Zhaoli’s heart, a thought resounded: Gu Yuchen, you don’t deserve her.

Even though Zhixian said it so plainly, Zhao Wan still felt deeply saddened. She composed herself, realizing there was no way for Zhixian and Gu Yuchen to reconcile—not with her parents’ disapproval and certainly not after Zhixian’s marriage.

“How’s your partner treating you?” she asked, wanting to know if Zhixian was doing well. Knowing that might ease some of her guilt.

Thinking about her husband, Wen Zhixian remembered Qi Yanjing’s kiss that morning. She unconsciously pressed her lips together and nodded slightly at Zhao Wan. “He treats me very well.”

Qin Zhaoli chuckled softly. She really seems happy.

“That’s good. That’s good,” Zhao Wan said, her voice softer as she repeated herself.

She pulled a red envelope from her bag and handed it to Zhixian. “We really feel terrible about what happened. You saved me and Uncle Gu a lot of trouble by not pressing charges. I wanted Gu Yuchen to make it up to you, but I know you don’t want any connection to him. This is all we can offer.”

“Aunt Zhao, I don’t need compensation like this,” Wen Zhixian said firmly. It’s better if Gu Yuchen doesn’t show up in front of me again. If he spews nonsense, I won’t be polite next time.

Accepting the red envelope would mean forgiving Gu Yuchen for laying hands on her. That would only give him leverage to argue with her further.

Zhixian’s stance was resolute. She would not forgive Gu Yuchen, and in the end, Zhao Wan couldn’t give her the envelope.

Qin Zhaoli, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke. “Aunt Zhao, to be honest, Gu Yuchen has always had Li Chaomu in his heart. The only reason he got together with Zhixian was that two years ago, when she went to find him at a bar, she reminded him too much of Li Chaomu. That’s the only reason their relationship happened.”

Wen Zhixian snapped her head toward Qin Zhaoli, utterly incredulous.

The casual remark she had made during that phone call turned out to be true. No wonder Gu Yuchen had been speechless—she had hit him right where it hurt.

So that’s the guilty secret he’d been hiding.

Zhao Wan’s expression grew even darker. To think there was still this side to the story.

She had never meddled in Gu Yuchen’s relationships but knew about Li Chaomu. The girl had been decent—aside from her family background, which didn’t match theirs. Zhao Wan hadn’t thought much of Gu Yuchen helping Li Chaomu secure a job, but things had taken a turn when Li Chaomu left him.

Zhao Wan had believed her son and Zhixian got together because he was ready to let go of his past. It wasn’t until six months ago that she learned Gu Yuchen still occasionally kept tabs on Li Chaomu.

By then, Li Chaomu had married someone she loved and seemed to be living well. But when she became ill and needed a significant amount of money, her husband’s family grew dissatisfied, and the marriage eventually ended in divorce.

Six months ago, Gu Yuchen transferred a large sum of money to Li Chaomu and even wanted to meet her. Zhao Wan and Gu Youwei had stopped him, reasoning that since Gu Yuchen already had a girlfriend, it would be inappropriate to visit his ex. They compromised—he could send the money, but he wasn’t allowed to see her.

That incident caused Gu Yuchen to sulk for quite a while and avoid returning home.

During that period, he treated Zhixian coldly, often picking fights over nothing. It was now clear he had taken his frustration out on her.

The more Zhao Wan thought about it, the sadder and angrier she felt, silently cursing Gu Yuchen’s obstinacy.

Given the situation, she decided not to mention this to Zhixian, not wanting to upset her further.

“Zhixian, take good care of yourself and cherish your relationship with your partner. The past is the past,” Zhao Wan said, holding her hand before leaving.

After Zhao Wan left, Zhixian and Qin Zhaoli prepared to head back. Just as they reached the door, a delivery driver arrived with a package for the shop. Zhixian signed for it and glanced at the label—it was the mug she had ordered last night.

Same-day delivery in the same city was truly impressive.

“What did you buy?” Qin Zhaoli asked, noticing her cheerful expression.

As Zhixian sipped her coffee and unboxed the package, Qin Zhaoli watched curiously. But the moment she saw the contents, she almost spit her coffee out.

Grabbing a tissue to dab at her mouth, Qin Zhaoli’s eyes widened before she burst into laughter. “Zhixian, this is brutal.”

Zhixian had unpacked 20 mugs decorated with lily-of-the-valley flowers—the exact same design as the one Li Chaomu had given Gu Yuchen.

Qin Zhaoli picked one up, turning it over and examining it closely. She even knocked on the cup’s surface and inspected its thickness. “It’s identical.”

“How much did these cost?”

“59.9 yuan each,” Zhixian replied casually. “This one sells the best. There’s another version for 180 yuan, but I thought that’d be overkill for Gu Yuchen. He’d probably just smash it anyway.”

“So you bought 20 of them in bulk,” Qin Zhaoli remarked, shaking her head in disbelief. “You’re really something else.”

“This way, I won’t owe him anything.” Zhixian smiled faintly. “Always good to be prepared.”

Qin Zhaoli sighed as she put the mug back down. “If he runs out of excuses to bother you, he might actually use the mug as a pretext.”

Even if Gu Yuchen had initially dated Zhixian because she bore a fleeting resemblance to Li Chaomu, their relationship had lasted two years. Yet, he had never truly let go of his feelings for his ex.