C36 I Want to Divorce You!

"Leave, now!" Despite the searing pain coursing through her, Gu Xiangyun sharply inhaled, refusing to bend to Su Jin's will even in her disheveled state.

"I'll make sure you regret this once I'm healed. You won't live comfortably ever again."

Su Jin's smile vanished, replaced by a mocking sneer. "You won't get the chance."

"What are you implying?" Gu Xiangyun demanded, her guard up.

Settling into a chair by the hospital bed, Su Jin spoke somberly, "My father will never fancy a disfigured woman like you. Abandon any foolish hopes of remaining Mrs. Su. He's bound to divorce you."

"That's absurd," Gu Xiangyun retorted, her chest heaving with anger, yet her face betrayed unwavering confidence. "Su Mingyuan doesn't have the courage to divorce me."

Su Jin couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow for Su Mingyuan, realizing he had no idea how malicious his wife of many years, Gu Xiangyun, could be.

In her past life, Gu Xiangyun had clandestinely gathered evidence of Su Mingyuan's tax evasion to keep him in check.

With a slight lift of her lips, Su Jin's smile shone brightly. "You're unaware, aren't you? Grandma has already relieved my father of his duties. The news will break tomorrow, rendering your evidence useless against him."

Gu Xiangyun stared at Su Jin, her face a mask of incredulity. "That's impossible. The Old Madame would never do such a thing. I refuse to believe a word of it."

"Believe it or not, tomorrow's news will make it clear," Su Jin replied, her lips curling into a chilly smile. "Besides, I've agreed to Grandma's wishes for a matrimonial alliance with the Fu family."

Hearing this, Gu Xiangyun's eyes bulged with fury. "I can't accept this. Why would the Old Madame trust you over me?"

How could her plans unravel so disastrously?

She had toiled for twenty years, all to secure Su Nuo's marriage into high society.

Now, with her efforts crumbling, she was far from ready to concede.

Su Jin's gaze turned icy, piercing Gu Xiangyun's heart like a blade, followed by a resounding slap across her face.

She locked eyes with Gu Xiangyun, her words deliberate and clear, "You can insult me if you want, but my grandmother is off-limits. If I catch you slandering her again, don't expect me to be polite."

"Just you?" Gu Xiangyun scoffed, clearly underestimating Su Jin.

"Try me. Whatever you hold dear, I'll shatter it. I won't let you die; I want you to live and watch helplessly as everything you cherish crumbles before you."

The fierce stranger that Su Jin had become was terrifying to Gu Xiangyun. She could never have imagined the usually mild-mannered Su Jin capable of such intensity.

"What do you want from me?" Gu Xiangyun finally conceded, her own safety precarious and with Su Nuo recovering from surgery.

She had no choice but to temporarily submit.

Su Jin, however, offered no answer, just a mysterious smile. "You'll find out soon enough."

With those parting words, she left the hospital room.

Gu Xiangyun's desperate screams followed, but the ward's soundproofing, coupled with her weakened state, meant her cries fell on deaf ears.

Su Jin sat in solitude on a roadside bench, cradling an ancient jade in her pale hand, her face a mask of confusion.

What connection did this jade have with her past?

The Old Madame had claimed that Su Jin was wearing this jade when she was brought from the orphanage. Gu Xiangyun had tried to claim it, but the Old Madame intervened.

Su Jin suspected Gu Xiangyun knew something, yet she was certain she wouldn't divulge it willingly.

No matter. Su Jin was prepared to wait for the day Gu Xiangyun would come to her, pleading.

Upon returning to the villa, Fu Siyan was still out. After a moment's thought, Su Jin brewed a cup of lemon tea, Fu Siyan's favorite, and left it on the table with a note tucked beneath: I won't intrude on your life.

With everything in place, she retired to her room, bathed, and settled in for the night, ready for the press conference awaiting her the next day.

When Fu Siyan arrived home, the sight of a pair of lady's slippers at the doorway gave him pause. Living alone for so many years, the presence of another person was something he wasn't quite accustomed to yet.

His attention shifted to the lemon tea on the table, and he withdrew the note tucked beneath it. With a cursory glance, he crumpled the note into a ball and tossed it into the trash, then picked up the tea and took a sip.

The night passed.

At the press conference, Su Jin stood beside Fu Siyan, her confusion palpable. The reporters' questions were relentless and probing, eager to magnify every detail and expose her flaws. To them, Su Jin, the adopted daughter, was unworthy of a man like Fu Siyan.

Thankfully, Old Master Fu was there to take command, effectively quelling the reporters' inquiries. "I've gathered you here to share some happy news," he announced.

The reporters, sensing the impending revelation, listened with rapt attention.

"My grandson, Fu Siyan, will be engaged to the Su family's Third Lady, Su Jin, in one month," declared Old Master Fu, his voice booming with authority.

A hush fell over the crowd before a wave of animated discussion broke out.

"The Fu family is allying with the Su family? Am I hearing this right?"

"They're choosing the adopted daughter over the Su family's own daughter? Why?"

Speculation ran rampant, with many suspecting that Su Jin must have used some cunning tactics to charm Fu Siyan into this decision.

"Mr. Fu, is this true?" a reporter challenged.

"Mr. Fu, do you have feelings for Su Jin?"

After a brief silence, Fu Siyan met the eager gazes with a dignified response, "In a month's time, we welcome your support."

With that, he took Su Jin's hand and they left the venue.

Once out of the public eye, Fu Siyan released her hand and said, "The news is out. Consider my debt to you repaid."

Su Jin was puzzled, but then it dawned on her. The favor Fu Siyan mentioned—could it be related to the arson at the hospital?

She never expected that he could discern things with such clarity.

Regardless of the reason, the news was truly sensational, completely stealing the spotlight from Su Mingyuan.

The Su family's news couldn't possibly create more buzz than the Fu's headlines.

Su Mingyuan couldn't stop grinning; now, he could finally breathe easy.

It was only after the pressing issue was resolved that he remembered the conundrum of Gu Xiangyun.

Her beauty had been marred beyond recognition. He had braved a visit once, and the sight nearly gave him a heart attack.

Gu Xiangyun looked nothing like her former self, resembling more a ghastly apparition than a woman.

Day after day, Su Mingyuan concocted excuses to avoid her, adamantly refusing to set foot in Gu Xiangyun's hospital room.

Gu Xiangyun spent each day longing for a visit from Su Mingyuan, but she was discharged without ever seeing him.