"Gu Yuan, are you trying to use this to get me to pass word to my sister? Do you want her to think you're still in high demand so she'll change her mind?"
Gu Yuan was temporarily speechless. He couldn't help but marvel at the sheer, breathtaking richness of his former brother-in-law's imagination.
With a single sentence, Lin Lei had managed to wound the pride of three different people all at once.
Not only did it insult his own sister's intelligence, but it also disparaged Gu Yuan's choices, making it seem as though Gu Yuan could not survive without Lin Xiangyu.
But the most innocent victim of all was Qian Ruixue, the heiress of the Qian Family. She had been dragged into this feud and mistaken for some hired shill brought along to put on a show. Worse, it made it seem as though she were desperately competing with some unknown woman for a man's attention.
When Qian Ruixue turned a strange look on Lin Lei and Gu Yuan, her voice carried a faint, almost imperceptible trace of pique. "Are you already married?"
Gu Yuan sighed softly and replied, "Actually, I just finalized my divorce. I have no desire to drag myself back into the quagmire of marriage."
This came as an utter shock to Qian Ruixue, sparking a wave of indignation.
As it turned out, the man she had assumed was her fiancé was actually a divorcee.
She felt her dignity had been insulted. How could she possibly be inferior to some woman named Lin Xiangyu whom she had never even heard of?
Seeing this, Lin Lei added triumphantly, "Hey, gorgeous, did you know? He's nothing but a parasite who lived off my sister. Without her, he's absolutely nothing."
He even tried to entice Qian Ruixue to date him, boasting about his sister Lin Xiangyu's status and his prospective brother-in-law's prestige.
But Qian Ruixue's response left him completely stunned. "What does Gao Shaohua amount to? Your sister isn't even worth a fart!" This blunt dismissal utterly shattered Lin Lei's confidence.
Fuming with rage, Lin Lei wanted to demand an explanation, but he realized she had already dragged the bewildered Gu Yuan away, leaving him behind.
Inside the car, facing Qian Ruixue's interrogation, Gu Yuan looked quite helpless. "Miss Qian, I've already made my stance clear. I don't want to force anyone."
Qian Ruixue's mind was a storm of conflicting emotions. She had never expected that after bringing herself to accept a marriage arrangement she hadn't wanted in the first place, she would be the one rejected.
"How did all of this happen? And your ex-wife, Lin Xiangyu—this so-called 'blessed daughter of heaven'—I've never even heard of her." Recalling the scene from moments ago, Qian Ruixue found herself curious about Gu Yuan's past.
Gu Yuan could only offer an awkward smile, unsure of how to explain it all.
In Tiannan City, the Lin Family loved to boast that their daughter, Lin Xiangyu, was the city's "darling of heaven."
But when compared to the Four Great Families of Tiannan City, she was entirely insignificant.
Even Qian Ruixue had never heard her name.
Seeing Gu Yuan fall silent, Qian Ruixue pouted slightly and said, "You must be devastated, aren't you? Being divorced by a woman like that."
But Gu Yuan responded with a double-edged remark: "People are always practical, aren't they?"
This comment made Qian Ruixue blush all the way to her ears, because it perfectly described her own family's behavior.
Originally, they had sought a live-in son-in-law just to cure her illness. But once she recovered, they felt their daughter deserved someone better.
"I don't know," she murmured, "but Grandfather has already announced it. All of Tiannan City knows. Since you cured me, it means you've accepted the betrothal. So... if you back out now, it will be a major embarrassment for the Qian Family."
"So, between the honor of the Qian Family and your own happiness, you chose the former?" Gu Yuan asked calmly.
After a moment's reflection, Qian Ruixue replied, "Because I was born a Qian. Ever since I was a child, I was taught to put the family first."
Gu Yuan smiled faintly, seemingly understanding her perspective.
Stealing a glance at him, Qian Ruixue whispered, "Besides, I believe you aren't a bad person. We can... build our feelings for each other later. For now, the most important thing is to resolve the internal issues within the family."
Upon returning to the Qian Family residence, it was clear that no one welcomed Gu Yuan except for the patriarch, Elder Qian, Qian Rushan.
The old man gripped Gu Yuan's hand tightly, treating his prospective grandson-in-law with genuine warmth and concern, before breaking the news that the wedding would take place in three days.
To ensure Gu Yuan could not back out, the elder had already sent invitations to the upper-crust circles of Tiannan City.
Gu Yuan's future father-in-law, Qian Jinyuan, and mother-in-law, Xiao Qing, had no choice but to force stiff smiles and offer polite words to their new son-in-law.
For the old patriarch had already warned them: if the third branch of the family refused to accept this marriage, they would be completely cut out of the Qian Family inheritance.
Faced with such overwhelming enthusiasm from Elder Qian, Gu Yuan had to make an excuse to delay, saying he needed to ask his master's permission first.
Qian Rushan chuckled and said, "You don't need to worry about that. I have already spoken with your master, and he has fully agreed to this marriage."
Gu Yuan was instantly struck by a wave of helplessness. So the old man had planned this all along?
No wonder his master had sent him to bail out the Qian Family at their absolute lowest point.
Should he thank his master as a loyal disciple, or curse him?
Just like that, Gu Yuan—having only just gone through a divorce initiated by his career-minded ex-wife—found himself thrust by his master into an even more high-profile marriage: wedding Qian Ruixue, the heiress of the Qian Family, one of the Four Great Families of Tiannan City.
News of the eldest young miss of the Qian Family's upcoming wedding swept through Tiannan City like a spring breeze, until there was hardly anyone in high society who hadn't heard of it.
Everyone was astonished by the identity of this lucky groom, and equally curious as to why the patriarch of the Qian Family held him in such high regard.
For minor families and local merchants, this was a golden opportunity of a lifetime.
If they could rub shoulders with a few powerful figures at the Qian Family wedding—especially those connected to the Four Great Families of Tiannan City—it would be a shortcut to instant prosperity.
Lin Xiangyu's family was also among the invitees, thanks entirely to her newly made friend, the young master of the Gao Family. Not long ago, Lin Xiangyu had resolutely divorced Gu Yuan; now, it seemed that very decision had brought unexpected fortune to her family.
The entire Lin Family was ecstatic. Li Xiuqin, Lin Xiangyu's mother, was so thrilled she couldn't stop praising her daughter. "Haha, my daughter is finally a member of Tiannan City's high society!"
"Exactly! I always said Xiangyu was cut from a different cloth. A loser like Gu Yuan could only ever hold us back. Look at that—the moment he leaves, our Lin Family begins to prosper!" Lin Xiangyu's second uncle chimed in.
Yet, a trace of unease lingered in Lin Xiangyu's heart. She said softly, "Mom, Second Uncle, please stop saying things like that. After all, I do still owe Gu Yuan."
"Owe him? You gave him five million! That is more than enough to make up for everything," Li Xiuqin said, displeased.
Just then, Lin Xiangyu's younger brother, Lin Lei, came running in, shouting, "Owe him? Ha! Gu Yuan got exactly what he deserved!" He then launched into a recount of how he had spotted Gu Yuan out with a beautiful woman.
Hearing this, the members of the Lin Family were completely stunned.
Lin Xiangyu in particular felt a wave of confusion wash over her.
How could a man who had been released from prison have such a beautiful fiancé?
The Lin Family's previous mockery of Gu Yuan suddenly felt incredibly awkward.
Li Xiuqin frowned, questioning whether her son had mistaken someone else for him, while Lin Lei insisted it was probably just an act.