Sensing Alice's malice, Chen Lishu relaxed a bit and then inquired, "What about your brother?"
Speaking of this matter, a smile couldn't help but appear on Alice's face, "My brother? Teacher Cruz pulled some strings and found a school for him in China. From now on, my brother and I can finally live together. I've already disappointed Teacher once, and I don't want to disappoint him a second time, which is why I came to you today, hoping we can bury the hatchet!"
Chen Lishu nodded and said calmly, "I said that Miss Alice and I have no grievances, so there's no need to bury the hatchet. We're both in the design industry, and perhaps we can be good friends. We can have someone to consult with regarding design issues in the future. What do you think, Miss Alice!"
"I think that's excellent! No wonder so many people resent you. Miss Chen, this is the first time I'm formally meeting you. I think you're a very good person, and it's my honor to be friends with you!" After speaking, Alice extended her hand, hooking the corners of her mouth towards Chen Lishu in a friendly gesture, and nodded.
Later, the two discussed some design-related issues. Alice had initially come to apologize to Chen Lishu to alleviate her guilt. She hadn't expected that as the conversation progressed, she would treat Chen Lishu like an idol, with her respect stemming from the heart.
----
After resolving some of the pressing matters, Chen Lishu finally breathed a sigh of relief. She thought the following days would be as peaceful as this, but that tranquility was shattered the next morning by a commotion.
Su Nian pushed open the door and looked at Chen Lishu, who was fast asleep. Her right eyelid twitched violently, and she couldn't help but step forward and call out, "Madam, please wake up! Zhang Wan'er has brought her dowry and is demanding that Brother Gu marry her! This matter has caused quite a stir, and many neighbors have come to watch the spectacle!"
"Bigamy?" Chen Lishu blurted out the words instinctively. Ever since China was founded, monogamy had been deeply ingrained in people's minds. Although the law currently did not have explicit provisions for bigamy, never in history had a woman eagerly offered to become a concubine!
This was an interesting development. Chen Lishu couldn't be bothered to sleep any longer; she sat up abruptly from the bed and rushed towards the door.
"My dear, what kind of man do you want that you can't have? Didn't you promise you wouldn't pester Gu Xingdong anymore? You've coaxed me here to propose marriage for you two, and now this situation is just a colossal joke!"
Zhang Hehua looked around at the onlookers pointing fingers at their family, wishing she could close her eyes and faint on the spot to avoid facing this situation.
She thought Zhang Wan'er had brought her out today because the mother and daughter hadn't spent much time together and wanted to reconnect. She never expected Zhang Wan'er to bring her directly to the courtyard and reveal her intentions! If she had known the outcome would be like this, she would never have agreed to Zhang Wan'er's request to be allowed to go out freely!
There's no medicine for regret. At this moment, Zhang Hehua suddenly realized how outrageously she had spoiled her daughter. For the sake of a man, she disregarded her reputation and family honor. Such a selfish daughter was actually spoiled by her step by step!
Sensing the anger in Zhang Hehua's tone, Zhang Wan'er lowered her head with a hint of guilt, but her actions showed no sign of backing down. She still held onto Zhang Hehua's wrist tightly and whispered in her ear,
"Mom, I've chosen to go all in. If I can't marry Gu Xingdong, I'll have nothing. Everyone knows I'm pregnant, so who would dare marry me in the future? I don't think you'd want your daughter to become a slut, would you?"
"Zhang Wan'er!" Zhang Hehua was already annoyed at the word "slut." As her daughter, how could she belittle herself for a man who didn't love her?
"Mom, we can talk about whatever it is when we get home. I'll apologize properly to you for what I've done. The urgent matter now is to help me successfully marry into the Gu family." After saying this, Zhang Wan'er looked up at Zhang Hehua, her eyes brimming with tears, her entire expression filled with grievance.
There's no turning back once the arrow is shot. Zhang Hehua looked at her daughter with a pained expression. She understood that if she wanted to help this daughter any further, she could only go along with her wishes.
So, she straightened her back and said to the guards of the courtyard righteously, "Where are the people from the Gu family? Are they all dead? With such a big incident, they don't dare to come out and clarify, do they? Are they too cowardly to act on their desires?"
"The matter has reached this point, and I don't want to make things too unpleasant, as we will be in-laws in the future. However, if they are ungrateful and insist on hiding in the courtyard like turtles, then don't blame our Zhang family for being ungracious!"
Hearing Zhang Hehua's righteous words, the guards' expressions turned grim. They wished they could call them shameless, but they represented the Gu family's dignity and naturally couldn't act so绝.
Just as they were about to report the matter, the courtyard gate slowly opened, and Chen Lishu and Li Xiulan walked out.
Seeing Chen Lishu's fearless demeanor, a wave of anger surged within Zhang Hehua. Why should her daughter be subjected to criticism, while Chen Lishu remained unaffected by any repercussions?
A sense of imbalance instantly ignited in Zhang Hehua's heart, and her speech became more sarcastic, "So you finally decided to come out? I thought you were going to be turtles and not take responsibility for the shameless thing you did to my daughter!
Chen Lishu, I don't think you'd want your daughter and son to know their father is a rapist, would you? You wouldn't be happy living in such a household. Why don't you choose to divorce, and let my daughter marry in! That way, we won't make things too unpleasant and cause the children to be gossiped about."
Hearing Zhang Hehua's words, everyone present couldn't help but murmur,
"I've seen shameless people, but I've never seen anyone this shameless. I heard this Zhang Wan'er is like a piece of dog skin, clinging to the Gu family's son! As a woman, she has no shame and yet dares to show up with a shameless face to the legal wife, demanding she abdicate?"
"I think the Zhang family's actions are indeed a bit immoral, but what the Gu family did is also not something a decent person would do. They've harmed two girls at once. Didn't you hear that the girl from the Zhang family is pregnant?"