It seemed to be just after her noon rest, as Lin Shuhua descended the stairs clad in a dark green silk robe, striding arrogantly.
Though in her forties, her skin was well-maintained. With a face resembling Lin Kexin by a third and a demeanor that matched by seventy percent, both held an air of superiority.
As she made her way down, not once did her gaze fall upon Gu Xiaoer, instead her nostrils flared pretentiously towards the sky.
Gu Xiaoer felt her heart sink, having come here in a gloomy mood to begin with, and upon seeing Lin Shuhua's obvious distaste for her, she wanted nothing more than to finish her business with Gu Zhengjin and leave promptly. Gu Xiaoer thus ignored her, signaling Aunt Li to hurry on with her tasks.
"Gu Xiaoer, what kind of attitude is this? I am after all your elder, shouldn't you greet me properly?" Lin Shuhua's nature was domineering, and she never hid her contempt for Gu Xiaoer, picking her words for maximum offense.
"Aunt Lin."
Gu Xiaoer knew she was just looking for trouble, and responded in a tone neither gentle nor harsh, then turned and headed towards the sofa, hoping that Gu Zhengjin would appear quickly.
Lin Shuhua snorted with contempt, feeling a lump of irritable anger in her chest. She found Gu Xiaoer unbearable, and though she was left speechless, she could find no fault with her. Seeing Gu Xiaoer about to sit on the couch, Lin Shuhua shrieked, "Don't sit!"
Pointing her finger, painted with bright red nail polish, at Gu Xiaoer, she said, "That's a handcrafted genuine leather sofa from Italy, just replaced a few days ago, cost over five hundred thousand. It's extremely luxurious!"
Jolted by her shrill voice, Gu Xiaoer awkwardly lifted her half-seated self, well aware that Lin Shuhua was picking a fight on purpose, yet Gu Xiaoer couldn't help feeling saddened. Indeed, there was no place for her in this house.
Her gaze darkening, Gu Xiaoer looked around the lavishly decorated yet tasteless space. The lady of the house lacked taste but loved to show off, turning a nice house into a spectacle of vulgar luxury. Not seeing Gu Zhengjin, she heard rustling sounds coming from around the stairwell.
With a twist of her lips, Gu Xiaoer simply headed for the door: "Aunt Lin, since there's no place for me to stay, I shall take my leave today. If Mr. Gu and your daughter have any issues, please don't come to me again."
It was Gu Zhengjin who had asked her to come today, but she was no punching bag, meant to be an outlet for Lin Shuhua's frustrations. If putting up with it wouldn't bring peace, why shouldn't she fight back?
"Wait a minute!"
Gu Xiaoer had not yet left the house when the rustling noise around the corner upstairs became impatient.
The rustling grew louder as Lin Kexin appeared hand in hand with Lu Tianze, leisurely, as if they too had just finished their rest.
It was almost blinding to witness; she rolled her eyes, pretending not to have seen.
"Tianze, please check for me, is the strap on the back done up properly?"
"You'll have to take it off again later, don't bother with it now," Lu Tianze whispered into Lin Kexin's ear, planting a kiss on her, unconcerned even in the presence of his mother-in-law, Lin Shuhua.
Such a public display of affection in the middle of the day was enough to disgust anyone, truly nauseating to tears.
However, Lin Kexin was in a surprisingly good mood, slowly approaching Gu Xiaoer. She lifted her lips and said, "What, did you find out about your sister's status only yesterday, and decided to come and acknowledge the relationship today?"
Acknowledge the relationship? Gu Xiaoer suppressed the feeling of revulsion inside her, "If it were up to me, I'd rather never set foot in this place again."
"Look at you, all high and mighty, Gu Xiaoer. And to think, who was it begging us for One Hundred Thousand Yuan two years ago?" Lin Shuhua was relentless, the mother-daughter duo almost seemed ready to devour her.
Mentioned two years ago, Gu Xiaoer instinctively glanced at Lu Tianze.