Chapter 41 Tingting, help me

Ji Tangtang didn’t even glance at her. After escorting Gu Shiyu back to his room, she rode off on her bicycle.

Shen Meifang stomped angrily. “Look at this! What kind of daughter-in-law is this supposed to be?” She suddenly regretted agreeing to send Gu Shiyu to the Ji family as a live-in son-in-law just to get rid of a burden. She thought she should have let him marry that wretched girl, and let her be thoroughly disciplined instead.

“Enough,” Gu Weiguo, tired from a long day, said, unwilling to listen to her complaints. “Go check on that rebellious son in his room.”

Shen Meifang, suppressing her anger, went to Gu Shiyu’s room. “Where’s the marriage certificate? Let me see it!”

“It’s with my wife!” Gu Shiyu said, a hint of warmth in his expression as he recalled Ji Tangtang keeping the certificate. But seeing Shen Meifang’s look, he quickly became cold again.

Shen Meifang rolled her eyes internally, thinking just as Ji Tingting had said—he was pretending. Deep down, he clearly wanted to marry Ji Tangtang. Maybe they had already colluded, just waiting for this moment to manipulate her.

“About the bride price, make sure to discuss it properly with Tangtang,” Shen Meifang said, trying to appear sincere. “Don’t give her nothing, it’ll make both of us look bad. You don’t need much, just two or three hundred yuan, as a gesture.”

“Marriage doesn’t mean divorce isn’t possible,” Gu Shiyu replied coldly. “If necessary, I can even shamelessly ask my superiors in the military to speak on this.”

Shen Meifang was furious. “I’m your own mother! Are you really going to treat me as an enemy? I’m doing this for your own good, to give you some future security. Are you really going to see me as your enemy?”

Gu Shiyu neither trusted her words nor wanted to argue. “When I was coming back today, my comrades from the police station happened to be in the village on business and came back with us. They shouldn’t be far off. I’ll ask them to help me call the military.”

Even just having the police involved would be enough to make them feel powerless in the village. Shen Meifang, though unwilling, could only swallow her anger and stormed out of the room.

Outside, she saw Gu Hongwen returning on his bicycle. Momentarily putting aside her displeasure, she greeted him. “Hongwen, after a full day at the factory, you must be exhausted. There’s steamed eggs with rock sugar in the pot, go eat it.”

But Gu Hongwen seemed disinterested, giving only a distracted “Mm.”

“What’s wrong?” Shen Meifang noticed something was off and nervously asked, “Are you feeling unwell?” She instinctively went to touch his forehead, but he impatiently waved her away. “I’m fine.”

“Then what’s the matter?” Shen Meifang asked anxiously. “Son, you’re my heart and soul, the treasure of the Gu family. If anything happens to you, your father and I can’t survive. You must tell us if there’s something wrong.”

Gu Hongwen snapped, “If you truly care for me, don’t make things hard for my elder brother.”

Shen Meifang was startled. “Son… what’s going on?” She had often disparaged the elder brother in front of the younger ones, so the younger son had never been close to the elder. Why was he suddenly displeased with their actions? Confusion and a sense of grievance filled her heart. She thought all her actions were for whose sake?

“They’ve spread what you did in the city, making it impossible for me to hold my head high at the factory,” Gu Hongwen said irritably, thinking of the looks and whispered remarks he had encountered today. He turned to find Ji Tingting, who was always understanding and clever, certain she could calm the rumors.

Ji Tingting, however, was stunned. When Liu Xinming had come to notify Fang Juan’s family, she had been at the Fang home. From his account, she learned that Fang Juan, influenced by her encouragement, had gone to the city to confront those hooligans. But the outcome had exceeded expectations: the hooligans hadn’t ignored Ji Tangtang but had taken action against Fang Juan for her misconduct. And Ji Tingting could confirm that Fang Juan had not “negotiated” with the hooligans. What had happened? Why did it turn out this way? Panic gripped her; the situation was far beyond her control.

Seeing Gu Hongwen, she instinctively reached for this one lifeline.

“Hongwen!” Ji Tingting called out, full of trust, looking at him sweetly.

Gu Hongwen pulled her into a secluded grove and complained about what had happened at the factory. Ji Tingting sat on his lap, staring at him like before, her eyes filled with admiration and devotion. The gaze made Gu Hongwen feel an unprecedented sense of accomplishment.

“Hongwen, you think that Tangjie and the others went to the city today… do you think the rumors at the factory will…” Ji Tingting hesitated, but her words were enough to make Gu Hongwen connect the dots.

“I knew it… she hasn’t given up on me yet!” Gu Hongwen said angrily. “She thinks if my reputation is ruined, I’ll marry her? With her shameless ways, what man would want her?”

“Hongwen…” Ji Tingting buried her head in his arms, brushing her lips against his neck playfully. “Why don’t… we let her give up sooner?”

Gu Hongwen had endured a whole day of frustration at the factory, but now, holding the soft and delicate Ji Tingting in his arms, he felt immensely comforted. His hand slipped under her clothing, and he bit her lip, mumbling vaguely, “Alright… when we get back today, I’ll discuss our marriage with my family… make her give up for good.”

Ji Tingting felt a small thrill in her heart. She had already suspected that in order to change her own fate, she needed to ruin Ji Tangtang’s reputation and seize her luck, so she could smoothly marry Gu Hongwen… Now, ruining Ji Tangtang’s reputation had failed, but it didn’t matter—she could still marry Gu Hongwen. The matter of ruining Ji Tangtang’s reputation and taking her luck could wait.

She wrapped her arms around Gu Hongwen’s neck, drawing him in, but just as he was about to take the final step, she stopped him in time.

“Hongwen… I’m scared… can we wait until after we’re married…?” Ji Tingting nestled against him, speaking coyly. “The 30th is a good day. We can host the villagers properly, and have a few trusted villagers spread the word in the city. That way, your reputation will surely be restored.”

Gu Hongwen squeezed her hard, pausing to think about her words.

“We’re also getting married on the 30th? Isn’t that a bit soon?”

Ji Tingting slipped her hand into his pants and teased him playfully, making him inhale sharply.

“Our families have already been discussing the marriage, so it’s not really rushed,” she said. As she tried to withdraw her hand, Gu Hongwen stopped her.

“Then the 30th it is. I’ll go home and tell my family later,” he said. Ji Tingting felt a weight lift from her heart and obediently gave him a little reward.

But her hand alone wasn’t enough for Gu Hongwen. His gaze darkened as he looked at Ji Tingting’s flushed lips, and an image of another bright and beautiful face flashed in his mind. Unable to contain himself, he murmured, “Tingting… help me…”