Dogs bite people, and people cannot argue with dogs, let alone bite back.
Gu Nian was entangled in trifles, so she did not intend to get entangled with Zhao Meng. She prepared to walk past Zhao Meng and leave, but Zhao Meng, who was not willing to give up, called out from behind.
"Gu Nian, what are you so proud of? The Gu Family isn't what it used to be. You're no longer the 'Little Princess' who used to be above us all, hmph."
"That's right, your mom and brother haven't been discharged from the hospital, have they? Gosh, really a family of sickly ones, huh. Oh, and are you worried that after being discharged, you won't be able to go back home because the house will be taken by the bank as collateral?"
Gu Nian: "..."
Foolish dreams, the act of a petty person kicking someone when they're down.
Zhao Meng's words made Gu Nian stop in her tracks, her eyes narrowing into slits, the edges of her lips curving up into a cold smile.
Gu Nian slowly turned around, gazed at Zhao Meng in front of her, and opened her mouth indifferently, "I never fully understood the saying 'a fallen tiger is bullied by dogs' before, but now, I think I'm starting to get it a little."
"You...who are you calling a dog?" Zhao Meng was infuriated, her face turning the color of a liver.
Gu Nian stepped in front of Zhao Meng, her beautiful eyes cold and sharp.
"Of course, it's you. And, Zhao Meng, which eye of yours saw me clinging to Fu Jingshen? Hmm, there's a saying, 'Grapes are sour when you can't eat them.' Three years ago, Fu Jingshen was not someone you could touch, and three years later, don't even think about it... This man, could only possibly be mine."
Gu Nian's eyes were resolute, and the words she spoke were filled with unmistakable confidence.
Zhao Meng's expression changed slightly at her words, still remembering how back in junior high, Gu Nian was just as vivacious and determined in saying that Fu Jingshen would eventually be hers.
The woman's unshakeable confidence had always been her own nightmare, lingering and inescapable.
In fact, harboring a sense of schadenfreude, she hadn't expected that in just two years, Gu Nian in her second year of junior high really did win over Fu Jingshen.
Afterward, Fu Jingshen doted on her to no end, inducing envy, jealousy, and hatred.
Gu Nian paused, then continued to speak, "Lastly, don't think that my coming to the banquet today is because I'm begging the Zhao Family to provide me with raw materials. This morning, I already contacted three raw material suppliers, and I've already paid the deposit to two of them. I originally thought of giving the Zhao Family a chance at lunchtime. If the Zhao Family had been sensible, I might have continued to use the Zhao Family's materials out of consideration for the past. But since the Zhao Family was unappreciative, I guess I'll just have to reluctantly change my supplier."
Gu Nian's smile was radiant, her eyes filling with sparkles, incredibly bright.
"As far as I know, the collaboration between the Gu Family and the Zhao Family constitutes thirty percent of the Zhao Family's annual profits. Thinking about it, losing the Gu Family as a client is really going to be a huge loss for the Zhao Family."
After finishing, Gu Nian watched Zhao Meng's face turn pale with satisfaction, as well as Zhao Wenbo's troubled expression not far away, before she walked towards the sedan by her side.
"Zhao Meng, take care of yourself. Laiya, let's go..."
"Yes, Miss Gu."
Zhao Meng: "..."
Zhao Meng watched Gu Nian leave, grinding her teeth with frustration, while Zhao Wenbo quickly stepped forward, scolding, "Meng Meng, look at the mess you've made. Now we've offended both Fu Jingshen and Gu Nian in one go."
Zhao Wenbo had originally thought he held the winning cards, but to his dismay, he had faced setback after setback today.
"Dad, I didn't want this either, I just didn't expect..."
She didn't expect that three years later, Fu Jingshen would still be siding with that witch.
Zhao Meng's eyes brimmed with tears, and she spoke irritably, "Dad, I don't care; no matter what, I can't let Gu Nian get away with it. Mr. Fu must still hate her."
"Hmm, let's take it one step at a time. I'll go find out which raw material factory sold the goods to the Gu Family and see if we can stop it. Oh, and also, the way Mr. Fu looks at Gu Nian isn't ordinary. I'm a man, and I understand men."
Zhao Wenbo's heavy words made Zhao Meng's expression grow even uglier.
...
Gu Nian settled into the car, gently massaging her temples, her eyes narrowing into slits. What she had just said was a mix of truth and lies.
The collaboration on essential oil raw materials is under negotiation, but it's not something that can be easily concluded.
"Laiya, do we have any schedule arranged for this afternoon?"
"Miss Gu, the company has compressed a lot of matters for you to handle."
"Hmm, let's go to the hospital first; I want to see how mom, dad, and brother are doing."
"Alright."
When they arrived at the hospital, Gu Nian collected her emotions before getting out of the car and reapplied her makeup to make sure she looked well.
Gu Cheng was undergoing rehabilitation after his surgery, and as for the mother, she was constantly by his side, the love for her only son was evident.
Gu Nian walked up to the door of the ward to find that Gu Cheng and her mother had gone for rehab, leaving Gu Wei alone on the sofa, looking somewhat dazed as he chain-smoked one cigarette after another.
Seeing this, Gu Nian hurriedly pushed the door open and said, "Dad, why are you smoking so much?"
Gu Nian reached out and snatched the cigarette from Gu Wei's hand, tossing it aside.
"Niannian, you're here."
Gu Wei's expression brightened a bit when he saw Gu Nian, but he couldn't hide his exhaustion.
"Dad just feels so useless, not having protected you three siblings well, including your mother..."
As he spoke, Gu Wei began with an apologetic tone, "Your brother is now a cripple."
"And your second sister has disappeared."
"The funding for the Gu Family has been cut off; there was nothing to do but to essentially sell you to Mr. Fu."
Gu Wei didn't say it out loud, but he knew very well that the relationship between Gu Nian and Fu Jingshen was fraught with tension. Gu Nian felt uncomfortable inside and wanted to explain, but found herself at a loss for words.
"By the way, Niannian, dad hasn't asked you, how did you manage to marry him? Mr. Fu was furious back then."
Seeing that Gu Nian hesitated, Gu Wei advised, "Niannian, don't hide it from dad..."
"Hmm, I said I was pregnant."
Gu Nian said coolly.
Gu Wei's face changed as he roughly understood.
Forced marriage, indeed.
Gu Wei raised his hand and patted Gu Nian's shoulder gently, his voice trembling, "Dad is sorry for you."
"Dad... please don't say anymore."
"Niannian, if having a child could stabilize your relationship with Mr. Fu... then keep it, you two... were truly in love, dad can tell. If... there is no child, and Mr. Fu finds out he's been deceived, I fear that not only the Gu business but also the Gu Family could face an utter disaster."
"Hmm, I understand."
Gu Nian comforted Gu Wei, but in reality, in the stillness of the night, just Fu Jingshen coming near her would make her uncomfortable and tense, let alone taking a further step to have a child.
But Gu Wei was right... if Fu Jingshen found out she had tricked him.
The consequences were indeed unthinkable.
At that thought, Gu Nian's mind grew heavy.