Chapter 464: Abandonment—She Could Not Forget, Could Not Erase

Old Master Gu did not look at Song Shiwei: "None of this is for you to decide. We never agreed to Gu Sen marrying you in the first place. Later, at the most critical period of Gu Hai's life, you abandoned your own biological daughter. Gu Sen would rather give up a bright future than divorce you. Years later, when your biological daughter returned, instead of thinking about making it up to her, you targeted your own biological daughter at every turn!"

These words sounded like he was standing up for Jiang Lai, but Jiang Lai knew in her heart that what the old man truly meant was that if Song Shiwei hadn't been unwelcoming to her return, things wouldn't have escalated to this point today.

The old man probably felt that if Song Shiwei had made up for the regret of her growing up without a mother all these years, she wouldn't have kept fixating on the abandonment, and would have acknowledged it as a "mistaken switch" for the sake of parental bonds.

Too bad.

This kind of hypothesis would never succeed.

Long before returning to the Gu family, she had already confirmed that she had a mother—two, in fact—so she did not lack so-called maternal love.

The abandonment—she could not forget it, could not erase it.

Facing the old man's rebuke, Song Shiwei was momentarily speechless. She wanted to say she hadn't been targeting her, but the words wouldn't come out.

Deep down, she simply couldn't understand why Jiang Lai had to come back. She was clearly already doing well—returning at twenty-eight, wasn't she just here to collect a debt from her?

Wasn't she just deliberately showing up at the Gu family to disgust her?

Gu Yinxue went over and hugged her mother, holding her tightly.

She wanted to use this silent way to tell her mother that she would always be by her side.

This was the difference between her and Jiang Lai.

Jiang Lai stood high and mighty, condemning her mother, while she offered silent companionship.

If the old man told her father to divorce, would her father actually divorce?

The day her father drove her away, he'd also said that not divorcing twenty-eight years ago didn't mean he wouldn't twenty-eight years later—yet there'd been no sign of any action.

Her father was a man of deep responsibility; how could he truly abandon his wife?

Besides, the two of them added up to a hundred years old—divorcing would be an absolute laughingstock. Even if they had to endure it, they'd have to endure the next twenty or thirty years!

As long as her mother remained by her father's side, she could continue to borrow the Gu family's halo through her mother.

Moreover, she now knew, just like everyone in the Gu family, the secret of Jiang Lai's abandonment, and the old man would protect her.

The moment Gu Yinxue embraced her, Song Shiwei seemed to find a warm pillar of support, pressing close against the adopted daughter she had cherished and nurtured for over twenty years, yet the look she directed at Jiang Lai still carried hatred.

Ke Zhongying saw the way Song Shiwei clung to Gu Yinxue while resenting Jiang Lai, and thought to herself that this person had no remorse and no intention of changing—she was truly about to explode with anger.

"Do you feel no guilt at all toward Sister Jiang Lai? I think Gu Yinxue is your real biological daughter. Was the original paternity test really not mistaken? Why don't you two go take another one!"

If Gu Yinxue were Song Shiwei's biological daughter, wouldn't that mean Song Shiwei had been unfaithful?

Song Shiwei looked at Ke Zhongying: "Is this what Nian Zhaoning taught you, to be someone like…"

Before she could finish, she was cut off by a cold, slightly intimidating voice.

"Who gave you permission to talk about her."

The one speaking was not Ke Zhongyu, but Jiang Lai.

When Jiang Lai looked at Song Shiwei with dark, heavy eyes and uttered these words, everyone was stunned.

Old Master Gu, Song Shiwei, and the others never imagined that Jiang Lai, as a daughter, would speak to her own biological mother in such a tone and manner.

Even if she didn't acknowledge the relationship, Jiang Lai still shouldn't speak to an elder this way.

Ke Zhongying and Chi Ce were also taken aback—they hadn't expected these words to come from Jiang Lai. In their fixed impression, this line belonged to Ke Zhongyu.

Moreover, the instant Jiang Lai said it, both of them caught a trace of Ke Zhongyu's spirit in her.

These two weren't even married yet! How did they already look like a married couple to this degree?

Only Ke Zhongyu silently lifted the corners of his lips.

Rather than using external things to tell others that Jiang Lai was his, it was better like this—when every word and action of Jiang Lai revealed his shadow.

Even if one day he wasn't by Jiang Lai's side, Jiang Lai would still use his way to protect herself and the people she cared about.

This was true possession and companionship.

Ke Zhongyu's mood improved slightly at this moment. His gaze toward Song Shiwei was not as icy as before, but still very heavy: "And who permitted you to criticize my mother? Ms. Nian raised a daughter brave enough to stand up for her friends—what have you raised?"

The man's mocking gaze fell on Gu Yinxue.

"Someone as selfish as you, someone even more ruthless than you."

Song Shiwei instantly deflated.

Gu Yinxue's face went pale and paler—she was afraid Ke Zhongyu would expose all the things she'd done.

Song Shiwei's maternal instincts surged again at this moment, holding Gu Yinxue tight and saying: "She has a heart condition, don't all of you bully her."

Ke Zhongyu: "When Jiang Lai was just born, frail and tiny, why did you bully her?"

The topic returned once more to the matter of abandonment.

Song Shiwei broke down again, tears streaming down her face as she said: "I didn't want to either, I didn't do it on purpose, I had no choice, I had no choice…"

"How did you have no choice?" Ke Zhongyu's gaze burned like fire.

Jiang Lai watched from the side, wanting to hear what Song Shiwei could possibly come up with.

Song Shiwei stammered: "I, I…"

She truly had no choice.

She had heard the elders discussing that Gu Sen was to have an arranged marriage, but no one had been selected yet. She happened to encounter him and thought this was a chance heaven had given her.

She had to try!

Who knew she would actually see Gu Sen standing alone under a tree sheltering from the rain—sword-browed, star-eyed, extraordinarily handsome, a true young master of a noble house. Her heart pounded.

She used the single box of candy she had on her to close the distance. She'd thought their connection would end there, but who knew they'd meet a second time, when Gu Sen bought her that blue ready-made dress.

Her parents noticed something. She told them her thoughts and the details of her meetings and conversations with Gu Sen. Her parents told her to seize the opportunity by all means, and that was exactly what she thought too.

With her parents' help, she found out the route Gu Sen had to take, and she was brave for once.

That one time earned her more than half a lifetime of wealth and glory.

But how could the Gu family's wealth and glory be enjoyed for free? As Gu Sen's wife, the rules were frighteningly numerous—she even had to learn how to interact with people.

Those were secondary. The primary task was to bear a son.

The in-laws urged, and her natal family urged even more fiercely.

Her natal parents said urging her to give birth wasn't out of fear that the in-laws would despise her; they tried every medicine, but it only harmed her body.

Recovering her health would take time; even if Gu Sen said the problem was his, the Gu family elders wouldn't believe it, they said nothing to his face, but what about when Gu Sen wasn't around?

Later she finally became pregnant and gave birth to a son.

Her status in the Gu family rose steadily, and she was extremely comfortable.

If she could bear another son, wouldn't that be a great achievement?

Having two sons would be perfect—one could pursue an official career, the other inherit Gu Sen's family business; then the whole family would belong to her and Gu Sen, giving them the highest status.

She and Gu Sen are the biggest winners of the entire family.

Even if it couldn't be that perfect, if one doesn't work out, there's still another; at least one could be raised.

But who can guarantee the second child will be a son? What if it's a daughter?

Sometimes she also told herself, a daughter is fine too, just to have a good omen.

But Gu Jin's mother committed suicide.

And she was the one who discovered it.

Fresh blood flowed to her feet, a scene she could never forget in her lifetime.

She knew exactly why Gu Jin's mother had done it, as did everyone in the Gu family, but they could not prevent the tragedy.

She was afraid.

She could not bear a daughter, only a son.

Heaven thwarted her wishes—it was a daughter.

She was in agony, and what she gave birth to was a daughter!

She did not accept it.

She did not want it.

She summoned her strength, clutching the child and ran out; on the way she met Zhao Zheng, unfamiliar with K City, he asked where she was going, she mumbled just taking a walk, and he pointed her to a path.

It was a small path.

She ran along that path until she could go no further, reaching a deserted roadside with a patch of tall grass.

She left the child there.

At first she hid it deep inside, then, about to leave, she turned back, pulling the child from the deepest part of the grass to the outer edge, hoping someone might see and take it to raise—perhaps...

She ran off without looking back.

She thought she had finally resolved a major issue, but crying echoed behind her; she felt daughters and sons were different—Zhi Yan rarely cried and seemed destined for greatness, while this little girl cried incessantly, nearly dying in pain at birth, surely a hopeless good-for-nothing.

She returned to the hospital, hearing nothing but the crying growing nearer—from the snow, from the grass.

She cries so much—why does she cry so much!

Why must she cry!

She is utterly disobedient, utterly disobedient!

So she does not want her, does not want her anymore!

The child was lost, and her husband lost his post—how could this happen? She had done everything for his good, yet she ended up harming him.

It turned out Gu Hai was under political investigation... what did that have to do with Gu Sen?

Her husband brought back a girl; she could tell at once it wasn't the little girl she had abandoned—why bring one back?

Is she dead?

Is she dead?

It seems not—Gu Sen is searching for her.

They must not look for her; the little girl cries too much and is useless.

The little girl cannot be found, completely gone—then no one will know she did this.

Yes, no one knows.

Everyone believed the girl Gu Sen brought back was the real one; as long as she stayed, no one would suspect, and she would never be thought to have abandoned the little girl.

She wanted to treat this child better, and better still.

She bore no dislike for daughters; she swore she didn't—see how well she treats this girl, how dearly she loves her, how attentively she cares for her.

In the rest of her life, Gu Sen still doted on her; the son was obedient, the daughter thoughtful; she was blissfully happy, the envy of all.

Even if Gu Sen went into business, he remained just as successful; she continued to be respected, and the Gu family's in-laws remained on good terms with her, daring not to provoke her lightly.

What wonderful days these were.

But the appearance of Jiang Lai shattered all this.

Jiang Lai's appearance was like a time bomb, like a knife hanging over her head—either it would blast her to pieces or make her bleed on the spot.

As expected.

This day still came.

Song Shiwei looked back on these twenty‑eight years and felt only hatred for the biological daughter before her.

Jiang Lai is a debt‑collecting ghost!

Whenever Jiang Lai appears, it forces her to recall that unbearable past!

She recalled the pain of bearing a daughter, the way the cold wind had ripped her throat, and the realization that she was... a vicious woman who would abandon her own daughter.

Why did Jiang Lai return? Why did she uncover this past? Why did she condemn her to eternal ruin?

What ought to have been forgotten, what ought to have moved on!

Song Shiwei's tears surged ever more.

Just then, the old master Gu sent one of the guards tasked with watching Gu Sen, who arrived holding a document.

The old man reached out and took it; the paper was still warm.

He opened it and looked.

A divorce agreement.

Turning to the last page, Gu Sen had already signed.