Li Xingze chuckled, "My brother wouldn't go there, he cherishes Luoxue the most and won't forgive Gu Mian."
The next second, Li Tingshen stood up and went to the kitchen.
Li Xingze: "..."
"It's true to his role as the eldest grandson, always obedient to grandma and heeding her words!" Li Xingze hurriedly added.
Old Madam Li's expression then eased somewhat.
Li Tingshen arrived in the kitchen and saw Gu Mian alone in the western kitchen area making a cake.
She was very focused, treating the cake with the seriousness of an artwork.
Over these past three years, Li Tingshen had rarely paid attention to his accidental wife.
He didn't resist her presence, and was even unexpectedly infatuated with her in bed, but apart from that, he seemed to have never really noticed her.
At this moment, he suddenly noticed that the focused Gu Mian seemed to be glowing.
Li Tingshen didn't know where these random thoughts came from, composed himself, and approached her, "Dinner is ready, come eat first."
"You all go ahead, I'm almost done. I'll be right there."
"Grandma said that she won't start eating unless you're there."
Gu Mian, aware of the significance and urgency, knew that making the Li family wait for her would invite hatred.
She could only place the cake in the fridge and follow Li Tingshen to the dining room.
When Old Madam Li saw Gu Mian, a smile immediately surfaced on her previously displeased face, "Mian girl is here? Sit down and eat."
"Sorry to have kept everyone waiting." Gu Mian first apologized before sitting down beside Li Tingshen.
"Let's eat."
After Old Madam Li spoke, everyone began to pick up their chopsticks to eat.
Li Xingze's eyes flicked around and he got up to pick up a shrimp for Gu Mian using public chopsticks.
Gu Mian was startled and looked puzzledly at the face that resembled Li Tingshen by a third.
The others also looked at him with surprise.
Li Xingze smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, the food in prison must have been terrible, right? You've lost weight, eat more."
Li Tingshen's brows furrowed!
"Xingze!" Old Madam Li looked at her grandson, her eyes filled with warning, "Don't talk nonsense!"
"What did I say wrong?" Li Xingze looked innocent, "Sister-in-law hasn't been to jail? Or hasn't she lost weight?"
"You..."
"Grandma." Gu Mian didn't wait for Old Madam Li to scold him, but spoke up first, "Xingze is not wrong, I did go to jail, and there's no need to hide it."
She knew very well that the more she tried to escape and resist, the more others would use it to attack and shame her.
Rather than holding onto meaningless inferiority, it was better to face it openly.
As for her dignity, it had been lost since the day she went to jail.
Old Madam Li looked at Gu Mian with sympathy, "You've already suffered enough, I can't let you be mocked in your own home."
"What suffering does she have?" Li Xingze spoke indignantly, "She only spent a year in jail and now she's back without any loss, while poor Luoxue will have to be in a wheelchair for life!"
Yin Luoxue lowered her head, looking at her legs with a pained expression but still sniffled and tried to sound unaffected, "Xingze, stop talking about it, let the past be the past. I've already said that I don't blame Gu Mian, so one year in jail was enough."
Gu Mian curled her lips, finding the situation utterly ridiculous.
Upon seeing Gu Mian's expression, Li Xingze became even angrier, "What kind of attitude is this! Luoxue has been so good to you, and you're still not satisfied, are you? While I'm here, don't even think about touching a hair on Luoxue's head! A woman like you should be locked up in prison for life, so you won't cause trouble for others!"
Old Madam Li was about to speak when a low, cold voice slowly started to rise.
"Have you said enough?"
Everyone looked towards Li Tingshen, who had been silent all along.
The man's face was stormy, and the low pressure surrounding him seemed to suddenly drop the temperature in the air by several degrees.
Li Tingshen raised his eyes to look at Li Xingze.
Li Xingze felt a chill down his spine!
He had been afraid of his brother since he was little; even now that he was grown up, just one look from his brother could make him shiver.
Li Xingze nervously swallowed, asking, "Brother, did I... say something wrong?"
"Hasn't grandmother said that nobody should bring up this matter again? Are you deaf or do you simply disregard her words, huh?"
Just as Li Xingze was about to explain, he heard him speak again, "Gu Mian is my wife; I have said nothing, so what gives you the right to criticize her? You dare to insult her in front of me, what would you do if I weren't here, kill her with a knife?"
The color drained from Li Xingze's face, and he spoke in a mix of fear and frustration, "Brother, you never cared about these matters before, why are you defending Gu Mian today?"
"I'm not defending her," Li Tingshen picked up a wine glass, took a sip of red wine, and said coldly, "I just want to remind you, even if Gu Mian is a dog I raised, she's not someone for others to discipline. Understood?"
Yin Luoxue clenched her teeth secretly, her face still adorned with a gentle, sweet smile, "Tingshen, how could you compare Gu Mian to a dog? Xingze won't discipline her anymore, don't let this minor issue ruin the brotherly harmony."
"Luoxue is sensible," Old Madam Li said with a smile. "Not like Xingze, who has grown wild from the entertainment industry, lacking discipline."
Yin Luoxue was pleasantly surprised, as Old Madam Li had always disliked her, usually just responding coldly to her enthusiastic advances, but today was the first time she had praised her.
Yin Luoxue quickly tried to curry favor, "Thank you, grandmother, let me get you some soup."
"That's unnecessary; it's something my granddaughter-in-law can do. Don't bother yourself."
Yin Luoxue's hand, ready to serve the soup, hung mid-air, visibly awkward.
Li Xingze hurriedly intervened, "Luoxue, you can't reach it, let me get it."
Yin Luoxue then awkwardly withdrew her hand.
Old Madam Li continued, "Luoxue was right; you two brothers shouldn't harm your relationship, especially since today is a family banquet, this is unseemly."
Li Xingze brought the soup to Old Madam Li, "Grandmother, I realize my mistake; please don't be angry."
"I'm old, nearly buried in the ground, I don't wish for much, just hoping for Tingshen and Mian to give me a great-grandchild soon. But fate isn't as I wish; Mian ended up in prison for a year because of you all," Old Madam Li said, wiping her tears. "Your actions delayed my wish for another year!"
Gu Mian clenched her clothes underneath the table.
If Old Madam Li knew she was pregnant, she would be overjoyed; yet this child was destined to be unknown to the Li family.
Li Xingze tried to console her, "Grandma, it was her own doing…"
Recalling Li Tingshen's recent look, he swallowed the rest of his words.
Old Madam Li wiped her tears and continued, "Now that Mian is finally back, this house has become a den of iniquity. Both of you brothers even dared to argue at the dinner table; it looks like it's time for this old woman to set things right."
Li Xingze's heart skipped a beat, "Grandmother, what are you planning to do?"
Surely she isn't going to confiscate his bank cards!
Old Madam Li looked towards Yin Luoxue, "All said and done, everything started because of Luoxue. Although the Li and Yin families have been friends for generations and neighbors separated by merely a wall, we are not blood relatives after all and should maintain boundaries. From now on, Luoxue need not attend such family banquets."