Li Xiulan returned home in a somber mood. Chen Lishu, sensing something was amiss, was about to inquire when Li Xiulan pushed her bowl and chopsticks aside. "I'm not feeling well," she declared. "I can't finish dinner. I'm going back to my room to rest!"
With that, Li Xiulan turned and left. As she passed Gu Xingdong, she shot him a furious glare, as if she wanted to skin him alive.
Gu Xingdong and Chen Lishu exchanged a glance. They were baffled by Li Xiulan's sudden shift in attitude. If this was all an act, she was certainly throwing herself into it.
The strange atmosphere persisted until midnight, when everyone gathered in the basement.
As soon as Gu Xingdong entered, Li Xiulan bellowed, "You unfilial son! Kneel!"
The sudden demand stunned everyone present, especially Chen Lishu, who rushed forward, concerned. "Mom, what's wrong? Why are you so angry?"
Li Xiulan's chest heaved with rage. She then said coldly, "Lishu, divorce him tonight. After the divorce, Mom will take the children and live with you. As for him, he can get lost and never come back!"
Divorce?!
Wasn't this a bit too extreme? Chen Lishu took Li Xiulan's hand and asked worriedly, "Mom, did Zhang Wan'er say something to you earlier that upset you so much? We are a family. We need to stay united and not be influenced by her!"
"Lishu," Li Xiulan said, looking at Chen Lishu with heartache. She reached out and gently stroked her head, her voice thick with emotion. "How can you be so naive? Gu Xingdong is incredibly fortunate to have married you!
I've brought this upon myself, giving birth to such a degenerate! He doesn't cherish our family and instead fools around with another woman. Now that woman is pregnant and has come to our door. How am I supposed to face Lishu? Tell me honestly, when did you get involved with Zhang Wan'er?"
Li Xiulan's words left everyone stunned. All eyes turned to Gu Xingdong.
"What's going on here, my dear?" Madam He asked with concern.
Old Master He chimed in, "Indeed. How can you say they're involved? Speak plainly. If he dares to do anything to betray Lishu, we certainly won't let this brat off!"
Facing their questioning gazes, Gu Xingdong felt a mixture of amusement and helplessness. He looked at Li Xiulan, on the verge of tears, and said, "Mom, when did I ever get involved with Zhang Wan'er? If you're going to slander me, at least come up with a plausible reason. What you're saying doesn't make any sense!"
Li Xiulan's anger had not subsided. She glared fiercely at Gu Xingdong and said coldly, "Shut up! Don't you have any idea what you've done? She came to me so late tonight, claiming she's carrying your child, my grandson!
Let me tell you, my only grandson is Yi Cheng. Everything the Gu family owns belongs to Yi Cheng. If you want to give it to some pretty boy on the outside and that illegitimate child, I will never agree!
Furthermore, if you want to be with that woman, I won't stop you. However, there are things I need to make clear. If you choose to be with her, our mother-son relationship is over. I will never acknowledge having given birth to such a shameless son."
Gu Xingdong found Li Xiulan's words baffling. However, he did manage to glean some useful information: Zhang Wan'er was pregnant, and the child was his. Gu Xingdong felt a headache coming on. He took a deep breath and slowly said,
"Mom, can you stop jumping to conclusions? I'm beginning to understand. It's not someone else who's destroying our family, but your unreasonable behavior! When have I ever been intimate with her? Where did this child even come from?"
Seeing Gu Xingdong still trying to deny it, Li Xiulan, enraged, looked around, as if searching for something to strike the unfilial son with. But seeing the empty basement with nothing but a computer, she could only raise her hand and slap Gu Xingdong hard on the head.
"Then tell me, why were you and Chen Lishu arguing that time? I thought you were actually that honest, but I didn't expect everything that shouldn't have happened, has happened! My poor Lishu! She even had to hide this secret for you. You're a scoundrel! Your ugly face should be known to everyone. You abandoned your wife and child, you're shameless!"
Hearing the sharp crack of the slap, Chen Lishu gasped. She raised an eyebrow and stepped forward to hold Li Xiulan back. "Mom, please don't act rashly! Gu Xingdong really didn't get involved with Zhang Wan'er. You know my character. If Xingdong had done anything to betray me, I would be the first to refuse to tolerate it!
Gu Xingdong was drugged back then, and his senses were completely muddled. Fortunately, I arrived in time to rescue him. Think about it, it's my husband who's involved this time. If he had truly done such a thing, could I still be this calm and defend him?"
Li Xiulan found Chen Lishu's words quite reasonable. However, the thought of Zhang Wan'er's pregnancy test that day, and the doctor's confirmation, made her wonder what was truly going on. Li Xiulan took a deep breath, suppressed her anger, and sat back down. She then recounted everything that had happened that day, word for word.
After hearing Li Xiulan's summary, a bitter smile flickered across Gu Xingdong's face. He said aggrievedly, "Mom, can you please not be so impulsive? At least ask what's really going on! I never got involved with Zhang Wan'er. How can she be carrying my child? To be frank, the father of this child is someone else!"
Gu Xingdong then explained in detail the agreement between him and Li Zemin, and what had happened that day. When Li Xiulan learned that Li Zemin was the one who had been intimate with Zhang Wan'er, the stone that had been weighing on her heart instantly lifted. Her panic subsided, and tears began to flow uncontrollably. Seeing this, everyone became flustered.