Volume 1, Chapter 18: Is Anyone as Despicable and Shameless as Fu Yanchen?

"Gu Li, what are you doing?"
"Li-li, what is this outburst for?"

Bai Ying watched as her eldest daughter overturned the table, sending food and dishes scattering across the floor. With a flash of irritation, she shoved her daughter. "I was happy to see you return home, so I prepared a meal and served you myself, yet the moment you walk through that door, you flip the table. When did you become so hot-tempered?"

"Did you give Lu Zhaobei permission to dig up Grandmother’s ashes?" Staggered by the sudden push, Gu Li’s face turned deathly pale from the pain in her injured hand and abdomen. She stared at her furious mother with biting sarcasm.

Upon hearing this, Bai Ying’s expression shifted instantly, and she turned as if to leave.

Gu Li suddenly grabbed her arm, tears streaming down her face as she rasped, "Mom, Grandmother treated you so well. She hasn't even been gone for three years, and you allowed Lu Zhaobei to dig her up just to threaten me?"

"I don't care how you treat me, but to do this to Grandmother—to deny her peace even in death—you..."

"Slap!"

Before Gu Li could finish, Bai Ying raised her hand and struck her across the face. Trembling with rage, she gripped Gu Li’s arm tightly and shouted, "Li-li, don't think that just because you married into the Fu family, you can forget your place. You were born of me! You are my daughter, Bai Ying’s daughter, and you belong to the Gu family!"

"Look at how you’re treating your sister and your brother-in-law. How are they supposed to survive?" She pointed toward Gu Mo. "She is still young. How can you do this to them?"

Gu Li found it laughable. She pointed at Gu Mo, her knuckles white as she clenched her hands. "So, for the sake of Gu Mo and Lu Zhaobei, you dug up Grandmother’s ashes to blackmail me?"

"Gu Li!" Gu Mo shook off Lu Zhaobei’s hand and lunged toward Gu Li, raising her hand to strike her.

Just as Gu Li prepared to intercept her, a large hand appeared in mid-air, catching Gu Mo’s wrist. Gu Mo turned to see Lu Zhaobei and pouted, "Husband, are you going to help her instead?"

"She is your sister. Your mother may hit her, but you, Mo-mo, you cannot!" Lu Zhaobei looked at Gu Mo, his expression grim.

Gu Mo pulled her hand away and glared at Gu Li with burning resentment. "Gu Li, let me tell you something: Zhaobei is part of our family now. You ruined his future; don't think digging up a grave is the limit. Even if it means you have to die, I will do whatever it takes to help my husband."

"You’d better go beg that impotent Fu Yanchen for mercy. Otherwise, we’ll throw Grandmother’s ashes on the mountain for the stray dogs, or bury them at the foot of the hill where you will never find them again."

"Don't act so pious with me. Do you think you're actually filial? You only stayed close to Grandmother because it benefited you, and because you were afraid she’d come looking for you in the afterlife."

Seeing that Gu Mo was becoming increasingly unhinged, Bai Ying stepped forward to hug her and cover her mouth. "Mo-mo, what nonsense are you spouting? Regardless of everything, she is still your grandmother. You cannot be so disrespectful."

"But Mom, look at how she treats us! She’s ungrateful. You raised her all these years, and look at her—she’s nothing but a wolf with a white-eyed gaze. It was a complete waste of time."

"Go inside the room. Don't talk about your sister like that." Bai Ying pushed her into the room, terrified that she might say something else to provoke her eldest daughter.

She was only now realizing that this eldest daughter was not the obedient girl she had been in childhood; she had actually dared to overturn a table in their own home.

It seemed that marrying into a wealthy family truly made a difference—the Fu family provided her with plenty of backbone!

It appeared she was highly favored in the Fu household. If she could be brought back into the fold and made to serve the family, the Gu family would be able to call the shots and command anything they desired.

Bai Ying looked at her eldest daughter, suppressing her anger. She wept as she looked at Gu Li’s bandaged hand. "Listen to your mother. Just swallow your pride and beg the Fu family for us. As long as you let Zhaobei go, your father and I will cherish you. Trust me, I will make up for everything you lost over these years."

Bai Ying’s words sounded heart-wrenching, but Gu Li remained unmoved. She pulled her arm away, retreated a few steps, and shook off Lu Zhaobei. "I have grown up. I don't need it anymore. What is lost is lost; whatever is recovered will never be the real thing again."

Bai Ying began to panic. Lu Zhaobei, standing to the side, shook his head at her. "Mom, go inside and comfort Mo-mo. I will speak with her."

Seeing her eldest daughter’s heart of stone, Bai Ying felt a surge of resentment. She had already apologized—what more did she want?

Once Bai Ying had retreated into the room, Lu Zhaobei opened the front door. Seeing that Gu Li did not move, he grabbed her arm and dragged her outside.

"Don't touch me!" Gu Li shook him off and wiped the spot where he had touched her.

Lu Zhaobei was not angered. He closed the door with a sneer and looked at her mockingly. "What, you let Fu Yanchen touch you, but not me?"

"Lu Zhaobei!"

Gu Li’s body ached intensely, and she had no desire to engage with him. She wiped away her tears and looked at him with stubborn defiance. "Lu Zhaobei, if I agree to beg Fu Yanchen, will you promise to give me back Grandmother’s ashes?"

"I never realized you cared so much about the old woman." Lu Zhaobei laughed, feeling that he had finally found a weakness to exploit. He believed that as long as he held those ashes, he could hold her hostage forever.

Gu Li watched him with guarded suspicion, her hands clenched tightly. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't worry. As soon as Fu Yanchen lets me go, I will treat the ashes with the utmost care!"

So, he was refusing to hand them over?

Gu Li raised her hand and slapped him, glaring at him through gritted teeth. "Lu Zhaobei, you are a despicable, shameless man."

"More despicable and shameless than Fu Yanchen?"

Despite the slap, Lu Zhaobei laughed instead of getting angry. He touched his cheek, feeling a sense of twisted satisfaction.

Gu Li took a few steps back. "Lu Zhaobei, Fu Yanchen is a man of honor. He doesn't use my grandmother to coerce me like you do. You know better than anyone that she is the person I care about most, yet you..."

"Right now, the Gu family’s assets are in my hands. Your sister and your parents all support me. I advise you to think carefully about how you’re going to beg Fu Yanchen to let me off."

"However..." He walked up to Gu Li and tapped her chest. "This place... it can only belong to me. Gu Li, I know that in your heart, you only have me."

Gu Li did not know where he found such confidence. She retreated further, saying coldly, "Lu Zhaobei, you are truly disgusting."

"Keep your distance from me. You had better treat Grandmother with respect—burn incense for her every morning and evening. Otherwise, I will not let you off."

"I’ve heard your threat. I’ll give you three days. If you cut off my escape route, I have no idea where your grandmother’s ashes might end up!"

Lu Zhaobei glanced at her slender, fair legs and her pale face. A flicker of pity touched his heart, but it vanished in an instant, and he turned to leave.

Gu Mo was still waiting for him inside. The Gu family’s fortune, he would hold onto that firmly. And not just the Gu family—Gu Li, too. One day, she would be his.