Chapter 1038: Double Happiness

Chapter 1038: Double Happiness

Gu Shan was beside himself with excitement, unable to contain the thrill of being the father of the provincial top scorer.

But then, a knot of unease twisted in his gut as he thought of how he and his wife had treated Gu Zi in the past. Would Gu Zi still consider him her father, after everything that had happened?

He was oblivious to the murmurings around him. All he could think about was getting to Gu Zi.

His heart swelled with a pride he’d never felt before as he hurried over to her, his voice trembling with emotion. “Gu Zi, you should’ve told me earlier that you were coming. I would have come to pick you up. This is such a big occasion; if you’d told us sooner, we could have organized something for you. You and Miao Miao celebrating together—what could be better, right?”

“Celebrating together?” The others exchanged confused glances. Gu Shan’s strange affection was baffling to them.

How could he be so affectionate toward Gu Zi when she had caused the family so much trouble? First, she had sent their biological daughter to prison. Then, she had torn apart their family with her schemes.

If not for Lin Miao—this rare university graduate—the Gu family would be struggling to keep their heads held high in the compound. But now, Gu Shan was treating Gu Zi like she was the prodigal daughter returning home. Had he lost his mind?

It was Zhang Da who first spoke up, indignant. “Brother-in-law, I cannot agree with this. Today is meant to be a celebration for Miao Miao. Why should we let Gu Zi steal the spotlight? She came uninvited, and now you want her to be the guest of honor? If you do this, it will be like you’re disregarding our Zhang family entirely!”

As he spoke, Zhang Da shot a meaningful glance at his wife. No sooner had he finished speaking than his wife chimed in, “That’s right. We, the Zhang family, won’t stand for this. Let’s put it plainly—Gu Zi isn’t your biological daughter, Brother Shan. You’ve already done enough by raising her. But you mustn’t let her overshadow Miao Miao. Gu Zi, do you have no shame? Or is it that you simply can’t bear to see Miao Miao do well?”

With each biting word from Zhang Da and his wife, the crowd felt the tension mount. It was one thing to speak of their years of raising Gu Zi, but hearing it framed like this was deeply uncomfortable. After all, over a decade of care would surely have created some bond, wouldn’t it? Yet Zhang Da and his wife seemed to disregard that entirely. No matter how much they justified it, Gu Zi was still family.

As the words grew harsher, some of the onlookers began to murmur their support for Gu Zi, sensing that Zhang Da and his wife were crossing a line.

One of them quickly interjected, trying to calm the situation. “Brother Gu, it’s true that today is a celebration for Miao Miao, but it’s a good thing that Gu Zi and her husband are here. All we need is a couple of extra seats. It’s not that difficult.”

“Exactly,” another agreed. “It’s all about Miao Miao today. But adding one more guest, even if it’s unexpected, won’t harm anyone. Let’s just treat Gu Zi and her husband as honored guests. It’s still a joyous occasion.”

Gu Zi, sensing the few who still had a sense of fairness, remained calm. She smiled, a little wryly. “Uncles and aunts, I understand your point, and you’re not wrong. But Mr. Zhang and his wife haven’t said anything that isn’t true. Given everything that’s happened, we’ve actually severed ties. We have no relationship anymore, so there’s no reason for us to be at the banquet.”

She glanced at Su Shen and turned towards the door. “We are just here for dinner. We won’t disturb you any longer. Let’s go, Su Shen.”

Zhang Da, seeing that Gu Zi was backing down, felt triumphant. He stood straighter, an arrogant smile spreading across his face. “It’s good that you understand your place. Take your husband and leave. Now.”

He turned to speak again to Gu Shan, but before he could get another word in, Gu Shan, seething with anger, shoved him aside and rushed after Gu Zi.

Zhang Da almost stumbled, his face turning red with fury. He was certain that Gu Shan had lost his mind—why was he going out of his way to please Gu Zi? Did he truly think of her as a daughter? The idea seemed preposterous.

Gu Shan didn’t spare Zhang Da another glance. His focus was entirely on Gu Zi, and he hurried to catch up with her. His voice was filled with earnest pleading. “Gu Zi, it’s all their fault. You can’t be angry with your mom and dad because of them. We may have made mistakes, but we raised you for over a decade, didn’t we?”

Gu Zi stopped in her tracks and looked at Gu Shan, his features now lined with age, his once robust form shrunk with time. She didn’t answer immediately.

Zhang Da and his wife were still hot on their heels, trying to pull Gu Shan back, but he was resolute, refusing to budge.

Gu Zi spoke, her tone firm. “Uncle Gu, I’ll say this one last time: it was you and Aunt Zhang who severed our relationship, not me. If the ties are broken, then let them stay broken. That way, we won’t cause any more confusion for anyone.”

She paused before continuing, her voice steady. “You say you raised me for over ten years, but you never mention that Lin Miao’s parents raised her for over ten years as well. How is it that only your kindness matters, while theirs is overlooked? And what did Lin Miao do to repay them? She stole three thousand yuan of the betrothal money, humiliated them, used their biological daughter to fulfill the marriage arrangements, and slandered my name repeatedly. How dare you accuse me of anything when Lin Miao’s actions are a thousand times worse? No one is more wicked than Lin Miao.”

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