Chapter 1063: Lin Miao Fell Sick Again
Gu Zi hadnât intended to come across as so indifferent, but honestly, Huang Fei had brought this upon herself. There was no room for sympathyâonly a mild sense of surprise.
Even after paying restitution, Huang Fei was still sentenced to a month in prison. And what was even more intriguing was that Xu Fan hadnât gone all out to get his woman off the hook. So much for undying devotion.
Xu Fan, however, remained silent, unwilling to dwell on the matter. He had already made up his mind to abandon Huang Fei, and that was all that mattered. Without another word, he summoned Xu Sheng, and the father and son took their leave, slipping out as swiftly as they had arrived.
Meanwhile, back at the Gu household, Lin Miao had fallen illâagain. The last time, she had fainted right outside a restaurant upon hearing that Gu Zi had not only aced the exams but had ranked as the provinceâs top scorer. It had taken her weeks in the hospital to recover from the humiliation.
And now, barely out of the hospital, she was struck down once more, this time thanks to Zhang Meiâs reckless media stunt. Zhang Meiâs interview had inadvertently dragged the Gu family into a scandal about spreading false rumors regarding the provinceâs top scholar, and the school had already sent wordâLin Miaoâs academic future was in jeopardy.
The stress had quite literally made her sick. She had been bedridden for three straight days, with a doctor visiting daily to administer IV drips.
Zhang Mei wasnât faring much better. Her usually well-kept hair had turned half-white overnight. Just a short while ago, she had felt victorious, relishing the satisfaction of exposing Gu Zi as an ungrateful ingrate in the press.
But now? The entire newspaper was under fire, the journalists responsible for the slander had been sentenced, and her triumphant moment had turned into an unmitigated disaster.
Yet, she couldnât comprehend what exactly had gone wrong. Where had the newspaper lied? The Gu family had raised Gu Zi for eighteen yearsâwasnât her success a direct result of their sacrifices? How could Gu Zi have topped the provinceâs exams without their support?
She had been looking forward to the media frenzy, to the opportunity to further condemn Gu Zi for turning her back on her adoptive family. But now, all of that was ruined.
Adding insult to injury, she herself had been implicated. Her workplace had issued a suspension, demanding a formal statement of self-reflectionâan admission that her words had been nothing but baseless defamation.
She had no choice but to comply if she wanted to keep her job. Worse yet, her apology had been published in the papers for the entire world to see. Now, whenever she stepped outside, whispers followed, accusing her of being heartless, of discarding the daughter she had raised.
To make matters worse, public opinion had shifted entirely in Gu Ziâs favor. Everyone was saying that such an exceptional student must have been born talented, that had she not been forced into an arranged marriage in the countryside, she would be shining even brighter today. That brilliance, they insisted, was undeniableâgold, after all, gleams no matter where itâs placed.
Zhang Mei couldnât understand it. How had she suddenly become the villainous adoptive mother in this narrative? It was utter nonsense.
And yet, late at night, in the quiet solitude of her thoughts, she couldnât help but recall the old daysâwhen she had once truly loved and cared for Gu Zi as her own. But now, an unbridgeable chasm separated them. Gu Ziâs success was no longer tied to her in any way. This wasnât how it was supposed to be.
She shook herself out of her daze, redirecting her focus to the person who truly matteredâLin Miao. Her real daughter, who was lying sick in bed, was utterly devastated.
While prestigious universities clamored to recruit Gu Zi, Lin Miao had yet to receive even a single admission letter. She spent her days sobbing, refusing food, growing more gaunt and lifeless by the hour. Zhang Meiâs heart ached for her.
As if that wasnât enough, the Gong family had been relentlessly pressuring them to finalize the divorce. Zhang Mei, however, had stubbornly held them off, using Lin Miaoâs illness as an excuse. There was no way she would let Lin Miao be cast aside. The Gong family was her daughterâs last trump cardâthey couldnât afford to lose it.
Over at the Gong household, the atmosphere was equally tense. Chief Gong and Madam Chen both wore grim expressions.
âThe entire Gu family is utterly shameless,â Madam Chen fumed, her voice dripping with disgust. âI feel sick just thinking about being in-laws with those people.â
For once, even Chief Gong had no words of reassurance. He merely sat in his chair in silence. This divorce was proving far more complicated than anticipated.
The Gu family may not have wielded great power, but their sheer shamelessness had become infamous in their social circle. They refused to let go, and the Gong family, unwilling to resort to underhanded tactics, was left in a frustrating stalemate.
Time was slipping away. Gong Zhan was nearing thirty, his marital troubles unresolved, and the older generationâs dreams of holding a grandchild seemed increasingly out of reach. The family was beside themselves with regretâif only they had never agreed to let Lin Miao take Gu Ziâs place.
Gong Xin, too, was at her witâs end. âGong Zhan,â she snapped, glaring at her brother. âAre you going to say something or not? Do you even want this divorce?â
But Gong Zhan remained unbothered, his demeanor detached. To him, it made little differenceâif it wasnât Gu Zi, then whoever replaced her was all the same. If Lin Miao wanted to remain his wife in name only, so be it. At least that spared him the effort of finding someone else. Marriage was nothing more than a formality to him, an inconvenience he had no desire to waste time on. He had far more important matters to focus on.
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