Chapter 220 - 219: Not Quite As Expected

Chapter 220: Chapter 219: Not Quite As Expected

The temperature dropped quite a bit from day to night, so by the time she returned to the Zhou Family’s home, Gu Qingyin had thrown on a short leather jacket. It made her look even more chic, with the don’t-mess-with-me aura of a gang leader.

So much so that when Zhou Jingchuan brought Lin Xiao home, he saw a woman with her back to them and didn’t even realize it was Gu Qingyin.

Even when Gu Qingyin heard the commotion and turned to give them a cool, indifferent glance, it still took them a few seconds to register who she was.

It was simply because the difference was too drastic. If they hadn’t known for a fact that Gu Qingyin didn’t have a twin sister, they would have never been sure the person before them was actually her.

Gu Qingyin merely glanced at them once before turning away to continue playing a tile-matching game on her phone.

Zhou Jingchuan was the first to snap out of it. Pushing aside his complicated feelings, he walked over and demanded out of habit, "Gu Qingyin, what are you doing at my house?" He paused, then added, "When did you get out of the hospital?"

Gu Qingyin’s eyes widened in mock realization. "Oh, right. I forgot to tell my godmother about calling off the engagement. No matter. Since everyone’s here, we can just discuss it all at once later."

Zhou Jingchuan’s face darkened. "Are you threatening me?"

Gu Qingyin shot him an impatient glance, as if she were looking at an idiot, before lowering her head to continue her game.

Lin Xiao nervously wrung her hands, her expression aggrieved. "Qing Yin, didn’t you say you were single? Why would you follow us here, especially when Auntie invited us over for dinner?"

Without looking up, Gu Qingyin said, "I’d shut your mouth if I were you. There’s a limit to being conceited. I don’t have the best temper."

Lin Xiao did indeed shut her mouth, but only to turn and look pitifully at Zhou Jingchuan.

Zhou Jingchuan took a deep breath. "If you don’t have any other business, you should leave. Today is Xiao Xiao’s first time having dinner at my house. It’s inappropriate for you to be here."

This time, Gu Qingyin didn’t even acknowledge him, treating his words as if they were hot air.

"Gu Qingyin!" Zhou Jingchuan raised his voice in anger.

"What’s all the shouting!" Sheng Wan’s voice, laced with obvious displeasure, came from the entryway. "Zhou Jingchuan, you’ve gotten bold, have you? How dare you speak to Yinyin in that tone of voice."

Zhou Jingchuan pressed his lips together. Unhappy as he was, he didn’t dare to argue back.

As for Lin Xiao... she looked even more aggrieved, standing frozen in place. She didn’t dare make a sound, nor did she dare to shoot another pleading glance at Zhou Jingchuan.

Gu Qingyin, who still had her back to the entryway, let a small smile grace her lips. She put her phone away, stood up, and turned with a bright smile, exclaiming, "What beautiful flowers."

Sheng Wan immediately broke into a smile. "I just picked them from the greenhouse. Yinyin, come, help your godmother with the flower arrangement. We’ll put it on the dining table later."

Gu Qingyin tossed her phone aside and walked over. The two of them stood at the dining table, completely ignoring everyone else, trimming flower stems and chatting away affectionately, looking for all the world like a real mother and daughter.

Lin Xiao was growing anxious. She tugged on Zhou Jingchuan’s sleeve, motioning for him to go over and say something. Her position was becoming far too awkward—after all, she was the invited guest!

Zhou Jingchuan led Lin Xiao by the hand over to the dining table. "Mom, let me introduce you. This is Lin Xiao." Then, for reasons unknown, he suddenly looked at Gu Qingyin and added emphatically, "The person I love."

Gu Qingyin rolled her eyes and went back to trimming the flower stems.

Sheng Wan nodded nonchalantly. "Got it. You go ahead and entertain her. Can’t you see I’m busy?"

Lin Xiao bit her lip, her big, red-rimmed eyes glaring at Gu Qingyin, unable to conceal the jealousy and hatred in her gaze.

Gu Qingyin met her glare with a dazzlingly sweet, provocative smile. Her radiant features were somehow even more beautiful than the flowers in full bloom.

Lin Xiao instinctively dropped her gaze, not daring to look for more than a second. But when she realized what she had done, she was so furious that tears welled up in her eyes.

For a rare moment, Zhou Jingchuan was also stunned. He completely forgot he was still holding Lin Xiao’s hand, his mind filled with just two words: dangerously beautiful.

Lin Xiao noticed. She angrily yanked her hand back and took the initiative to speak. "Auntie, my name is Lin Xiao. I’m a senior in the finance department at Jing University. I met Jingchuan while organizing a chamber of commerce event. We hit it off right away, and I hope you’ll give us your blessing."

Sheng Wan methodically inserted the trimmed flowers into the vase, one by one. Only when every last flower was perfectly placed did she finally turn to face Lin Xiao, her face fixed with a polite, formal smile.

"You’re a highly educated woman, Miss Lin, but one’s character and one’s education are two different things. When you and Jingchuan were ’hitting it off,’ were you not aware that he had a fiancée?"

Lin Xiao’s face went a shade paler. As if terrified of being misunderstood, she rushed to explain, "I honestly didn’t know at first. We were just purely drawn to each other, and we couldn’t stop ourselves from growing closer."

"When I found out Jingchuan had a fiancée, I thought about ending things, I really did. But... Jingchuan told me that his relationship with Sister Gu was just a marriage alliance, that there were no real feelings between them."

Sheng Wan chuckled. "So, does being in a marriage of convenience mean you deserve to have a so-called ’true love’ horn in? Feelings are one thing, morals are another. Miss Lin, you’re a top student from Jing University; surely you can tell the difference between the two, can’t you?"

Lin Xiao’s face went completely pale. Tears welled in her eyes as she tilted her head back defiantly. "I thought you invited me here today with the intention of accepting me. I never imagined I was just walking into a trap to be humiliated."

She gave a bitter laugh. "I was naive. A family like yours, of course, you prioritize profits. What does true love matter? Why would you ever accept a girl from an ordinary background like me?"

At these words, Sheng Wan’s expression grew uncharacteristically serious. She stared at Lin Xiao as if she were observing some kind of rare, exotic creature.

Gu Qingyin let out an unfiltered "Ha!" "You really know how to deflect, don’t you? As expected of someone smart enough to get into Jing University. You’ve got quite a brain on you."

Lin Xiao maintained her defiant posture, willing her tears not to fall as she stubbornly held Sheng Wan’s gaze.

Sheng Wan took a deep breath. "I wanted to see what kind of person Jingchuan had fallen for, but I never expected..." She turned to Zhou Jingchuan, her tone unreadable. "That you’d be into *this*."

Zhou Jingchuan chose this moment to speak up. "Mom, Xiao Xiao is a really good person. She’s innocent and kind-hearted. Trust me, you’ll grow to like her, too."

Sheng Wan’s expression grew even more complex. She stared at Zhou Jingchuan for several long seconds before turning to grab Gu Qingyin’s hand. "Yinyin, my dear, your godmother was wrong. I never should have insisted on this engagement..."

A flicker of triumph flashed in Lin Xiao’s eyes. ’She just knew it! A successful businesswoman like Sheng Wan was bound to have a favorable impression of someone who was highly educated, strong-willed, and had her own opinions.’

’See? Sheng Wan was already regretting her decision!’

Sheng Wan patted Gu Qingyin’s hand, her eyes filled with heartache for the girl. "This fool, Zhou Jingchuan, is nowhere near good enough for you!"

Gu Qingyin looked deeply moved. "It’s alright, Godmother. I know you were just trying to take care of me. Even if the engagement is broken, I’ll always be your daughter."

Sheng Wan sighed. "Such a good girl, such a good girl!"

Zhou Jingchuan’s brows knitted together, and he clicked his tongue in displeasure.

Lin Xiao froze as well. ’What was going on? This wasn’t how she’d imagined things at all.’

’Between Gu Qingyin and Zhou Jingchuan, who was the actual biological child?!’