The next second, the young girl heard Li Yunlian calling her.
Su Wan walked over and stood politely in front of her. "Mom."
Li Yunlian wasn't in a hurry to speak; she first picked up her teacup, blew gently across the surface, then took a small sip before finally taking a drink.
Her movements were slow—Su Wan guessed it took her a solid five or six minutes. She knew Li Yunlian was doing it on purpose to leave her hanging, so she just stood there quietly without speaking.
And she had already grown accustomed to the fact that every time she returned to the old house, Li Yunlian would always find new ways to make things difficult for her.
After a while, Li Yunlian finally spoke indifferently, "Wanwan..."
As soon as Su Wan heard her tone, she knew nothing good was coming.
"I heard from Xiaolin that you've been getting along quite well with Nanzhou lately?"
"It's fine, Mom."
Just the other day, Gu Nanzhou had given her a credit card.
Li Yunlian glared at her, holding her cup and taking her time with another sip of tea. "He seems to have learned how to pamper someone."
"Gu Nanzhou has always been quite nice."
Whatever Li Yunlian said, Su Wan agreed with, but she couldn't figure out why, if Li Yunlian disliked her so much, she still had so much to say about her. If Su Wan disliked someone, she would wish for them to stay as far away as possible, just like now.
Fortunately, Gu Yuan, Gu Nanzhou's father, appeared just in time to rescue the young girl from a predicament.
"Why are you standing? Sit down first."
The girl had been standing for so long that her legs were sore. Hearing this, she nearly wanted to see Gu Yuan as her savior.
Gu Yuan took the seat at the head of the table and glanced at Su Wan, frowning slightly. "What's the matter, didn't Nanzhou come?"
"Gu Nanzhou said he was busy today, so he asked me to bring the gifts for Mom and Dad."
As she spoke, Su Wan instructed the servants to bring up the gifts she had brought with her.
But she was lying—the gifts had been prepared by her; Gu Nanzhou hadn't even remembered about it. If he had come, now that would have been a problem.
Gu Yuan knew that Su Wan was just being polite. "Forget it, forget it," he waved his hand, "just put the gifts aside for now, let's eat first."
Su Wan obediently responded.
The dinner was extremely difficult.
Gu Yuan said nothing while Li Yunlian kept serving food to Shen Lin and her daughter Gu En, enjoying themselves merrily as if they were the only three people there. Su Wan ate her meal in silence, quiet like an outsider. She was happy to be left alone, hoping only to finish eating and return home.
In the middle of the meal, Gu Nanzhou's brother and Li Yunlian's biological son, Gu Ming, arrived late with a blonde young woman, exchanging a few sharp words with Gu Yuan that made him so angry he slammed down his chopsticks.
Gu Ming, the playboy, certainly inherited his father's traits; there wasn't much difference.
Undisturbed by being scolded by Gu Yuan, Gu Ming still took his seat with a cheeky smile. He glanced over at Su Wan sitting across from him, rested his face on one hand, whistled, and teased, "Yo, isn't this my little sister-in-law?"
Out of politeness, Su Wan gave him a forced smile and nodded.
Facing Gu Ming, she truly couldn't muster a genuine smile.
She felt that Gu Nanzhou and Gu Ming were like two extremes—one colder than ice, the other fickle to the utmost.
Gu Ming, not minding the day's occasion at all, casually winked at her. "Little sister-in-law, you're so pretty. Don't bother with my brother the block of wood; how about you divorce him and come with me instead?"
After finishing, they laughed with malice.
The woman by Gu Ming's side leaned on him, soft and boneless, and gave him a reproachful look, "Gu Ming, she's still here, saying that will make her angry."
With the beauty in his arms, Gu Ming pinched the woman's waist and spoke frivolously, "Just kidding, could a bankrupt young lady be better than my treasure?"
Shen Lin laughed, "Gu Ming, that's no way to talk. You're exposing Miss Su and making it difficult for her to save face. Doesn't that embarrass her?"
She then looked at Su Wan, feigning understanding, "Miss Su, Gu Ming always talks like this. Don't stoop to his level."
The laughter of the others reached her, and Su Wan's hand holding the chopsticks turned pale from the force, her lips bitten, feeling a nauseating turmoil in her stomach that made her want to vomit.
Under the table, her hand was tightly squeezing her thigh to restrain herself from the impulse to stand up and pour the food over their heads.
She forced a smile, "It's fine, I don't mind."
Shen Lin was taken aback by Su Wan's tolerance, and just as she was about to say more, Gu Yuan coughed and said coldly, "Enough, let's eat."
The table finally quieted down, and the young girl found her meal tasteless.
After the meal, Li Yunlian suddenly asked Su Wan to come to the study.
The young girl approached the study door, about to knock, when she suddenly heard voices from inside, faintly mentioning her and Gu Nanzhou's names. She paused, stood outside and listened for a few seconds.
Inside the study, Shen Lin was coquettishly holding Li Yunlian's hand, "Auntie, when will Su Wan divorce Brother Nanzhou? I can't get close to Brother Nanzhou with her around."
Li Yunlian's demeanor completely softened compared to her sternness with Su Wan, comforting Shen Lin in a gentle voice, "What's the rush? After all, Gu Nanzhou doesn't like her. It's only a matter of time before they divorce."
She paused as if a thought struck her and added, "I'll have your uncle help you secure a position at Gu Nanzhou's company soon. You'll have all the time you need to get close to him then."
At these words, Shen Lin's eyes lit up, "Really? That's fantastic, auntie, you're the best!"
Li Yunlian tapped her forehead affectionately, "You child, if you do succeed in the future, don't forget how your auntie helped you. And be sure you don't forget to give Gu Ming a hand."
"Auntie, rest assured, once I become Mrs. Gu, I will definitely not forget your kindness," Shen Lin assured her.
Su Wan heard every word of their conversation.
She stood outside the door, head bowed slightly, long lashes casting shadows on her face under the dim light, her expression unclear and unreal.
Only the trembling of her shoulders betrayed her emotions.
Su Wan exhaled, her palms red from the nails digging into them.
For a split second, it was as if she heard nothing at all, her mind a blank with only a piercing buzz, sharply tearing apart what little dignity she had left.
It was a long time before she gently knocked on the door.
The conversation inside came to an abrupt halt.
Su Wan walked in, pretending she hadn't heard anything, and obediently asked, "Mom, did you want to see me for something?"
Li Yunlian gestured for Shen Lin to leave, indicating she wanted to speak to Su Wan alone. Shen Lin got up and left.
As she passed Su Wan, she arrogantly scrutinized her with crossed arms, a look full of pride and hostility.
The young girl remained unmoved, feeling as if she was beginning to learn from Gu Nanzhou how to control her facial expressions.
Once Shen Lin was gone, Li Yunlian beckoned Su Wan over and spoke earnestly, "Wanwan, Mom knows you're a good girl. The Old Master didn't mind your Su Family's misfortunes and kindly took you in. You also know how influential our Gu Family is in City A. With Gu Nanzhou's status and position, you like this..."