Chapter 117: Sister-in-Law, Do You Think This Money Is Too Little?

Ever since receiving the call from Mrs. Bai, Chu Shixian had been deeply anxious that Gu Ci’s actions would lead the Meng family to settle their scores with her own household.

Zhiran was absolutely right; as long as Gu Ci shared a blood relation with her, they could never be truly severed, even if her household registration had already been transferred to the second branch of the Gu family.

It was not that Chu Shixian feared the outside world discovering their relationship—the Gu family had kept everything under such tight wraps that outsiders could never know the truth. Instead, she feared that Gu Ci might expose the matter herself, thereby inviting unnecessary trouble. Especially with the Meng family poised to take action against Gu Ci, what would happen if Gu Ci couldn't withstand the pressure and ended up revealing her connection to the first branch of the Gu family?

After much deliberation, she concluded that formalizing the adoption was the only prudent course of action. That way, even if Gu Ci were to reveal that she was the daughter of Chu Shixian and Gu Changfeng, they would have a ready-made explanation. She had been adopted into the second branch since childhood, so what did that have to do with them now? As for why it hadn't been mentioned before? Everyone had a few harmless secrets, didn't they?

Once the Meng family had finished teaching Gu Ci a lesson, she would find her a suitable marriage, which would fulfill her duty as a mother. As for the second branch of the Gu family, she wouldn't mistreat them either. The money on this bank card would be enough to keep their family worry-free for the rest of their lives. Thinking this way, Chu Shixian felt no sense of wrongdoing. She believed that by going to such lengths for Gu Ci, she had already acted with the utmost benevolence and righteousness.

Su Wan’s heart stirred. The mere thought of Gu Ci calling her "Mom" brought an involuntary smile to her face. However, as she looked at Chu Shixian’s dismissive attitude and her complete disregard for Gu Ci’s feelings, that smile faded.

"This is not just a matter between us adults, is it? Aci is the one involved. Why must you insist on her being excluded, sister-in-law?" Although Su Wan wanted Gu Ci as her daughter, she would respect Gu Ci’s choice rather than forcing a decision upon her like this.

"Don't be in such a rush to refuse. There is one million in this card. Could you and Changrong ever earn that much in a lifetime out in the countryside?"

"No, thank you, sister-in-law!" Su Wan refused without hesitation. When she heard the sum of one million, she didn't even blink. If Gu Jinyan were here, he would certainly tell Chu Shixian that the wardrobe of clothes he had bought for Gu Ci far exceeded that value; the fact that she was waving a mere one million in front of them was utterly laughable.

Chu Shixian, however, was unaware of this. Seeing Su Wan’s immediate refusal, she could only think of one possibility. Her contempt and disdain grew even stronger. "Is my sister-in-law complaining that this is too little?"

Chu Shixian hadn't expected Su Wan’s appetite to be so large. In fact, when Gu Changfeng had sent her, he had given her five million. But Chu Shixian felt that since it was just an adoption, there was no need to encourage such greed; one million was more than enough, and the rest of the money could be used to buy clothes for Zhiran. Ever since the call from Mrs. Bai, she hadn't had the chance to take Gu Zhiran shopping, and she felt she owed her. She intended to use the remaining money to provide Gu Zhiran with better things. Consequently, she had only transferred one million onto the card intended for the Gu Changrong family. She never expected Su Wan to be dissatisfied.

Su Wan took a deep breath, knowing that reasoning with Chu Shixian was impossible. She said directly, "Sister-in-law, you don't need to give us money. I believe that for such a major event, we should at least ask for Aci’s own opinion, don't you?"

Chu Shixian frowned, then replied as if it were a matter of course, "There is no need to ask for her opinion. I am her biological mother; naturally, I can make decisions for her."

"So you still remember that you are her biological mother." Su Wan stood up coldly and went to knock on Gu Ci’s door.

Gu Jinyan opened the door. Gu Ci was sitting at her desk, sketching something on a white sheet of paper. Seeing this, Su Wan’s expression softened slightly. She said gently, "Aci, are you free? Come out for a moment; we have something we’d like to discuss with you."

"Alright. Just a moment." Gu Ci wrote down the final character, set down her pen, and stood up.

Stepping out of the room, she saw Chu Shixian sitting on the sofa, sipping tea with a composed air. Gu Ci’s cold, indifferent gaze swept over her. "What is it?"

"Sister-in-law, why don't you just tell her," Su Wan said, feeling a surge of irritation at the sight of Chu Shixian. She looked at her and offered a mirthless smile. "Sister-in-law, you should tell Aci yourself."

Chu Shixian frowned, set her teacup on the coffee table, and folded her hands over her lap with an elegant, unhurried air. "Gu Ci, it’s like this: your father and I have decided to have you adopted into your second uncle’s family. I came here specifically to let you know."

Hearing this, Su Wan’s brow furrowed. Even now, Chu Shixian acted as if the decision had already been made and she was merely informing Gu Ci of the fact.

Seeing Gu Ci’s silence, Chu Shixian sneered inwardly, quickly casting aside the trace of guilt she had felt. If Gu Ci had been this obedient earlier, why would she have ever failed to acknowledge her as a daughter? Now that Gu Ci realized she had done something wrong and didn't want to break ties with them? It was too late!

"If you hadn't been so unreasonable, the Gu family would never have lacked food for you, yet you chose to be so ungrateful, defying my words time and time again! This time, you will agree to what I have decided, whether you like it or not!"

Saying this, Chu Shixian felt a sense of relief; the frustration that had been building up in her heart for days was finally vented.

Gu Ci carelessly rolled up her sleeves and looked up, her eyes filled with cold indifference. "Wasn't I already adopted into Mom and Dad’s family long ago? You don't mean to tell me you haven't informed the clan yet, Auntie?"

"Not agree? It’s already too late to... what did you say?" Chu Shixian spoke instinctively. In her expectations, Gu Ci should have begged her not to be adopted into the second branch upon hearing the news. Only when the words registered did she realize what Gu Ci had said.

Gu Ci actually thought she had already been adopted into the second branch, and was asking if she hadn't informed the clan yet? This indifferent attitude was like a slap across Chu Shixian’s face. What she had always taken pride in—and what she assumed Gu Ci would take pride in—had been treated by Gu Ci like discarded trash.