C11 Not Willing to Divorce

Dung Qiu's eyes narrowed slightly. Her initial worries and anxiety had faded after spending a day with her daughter. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I'm determined to get a divorce. Please, help us through this."

Years ago, she had followed Gu Chengwang mainly because she found out she was pregnant. But when they got together, there was no big celebration—just two tables for a family meal. No one from the village was invited.

Dung Qiu quietly joined the Gu family, working tirelessly for over a decade, feeling it was her duty. Hearing her firm decision to leave, Gu Chengwang's eyes turned cold. "Over my dead body," he said, refusing to relent. "You can forget about it."

Dung Qiu's expression darkened. "There's no future for us," she stated firmly, her resolve to leave unwavering.

"Say that again?" Gu Chengwang's voice rose, his gaze fixed intently on her.

But Dung Qiu was done living without dignity. Even if it meant hardship with her daughter, she was leaving the Gu family. "As of yesterday, I have no ties to your family."

"No ties? You're still my wife. Come home with me."

"If you keep this up, I'll call the police," Gu Yingchu stepped in, standing protectively in front of her mother.

Gu Chengwang waved his hand, and Gu Yingchu stepped back. As she did, she felt something was off, and her whole body started to sway.

It wasn't just Gu Yingchu who felt it; others who hadn't been pushed also began to step back. Gu Yingchu steadied herself against the wall and noticed the rope hanging there was swaying too.

"An earthquake?" The thought flashed through her mind.

However, the shaking only lasted a little over three seconds before it stopped.

The elderly woman's face changed. "What on earth just happened?" The brief tremor had frightened her.

"It was probably an earthquake," Gu Hann said, his expression serious. But he quickly calmed down, tapping his fingers on the table. "Chengwang, do you have any sense of discipline left? Stop thinking about hitting women."

Lin Yan regained her composure and looked back at Gu Chengwang.

Lin Manru, unsure if she was more shocked by Gu Chengwang's persistence or the recent push that had startled her, felt that something was different about him today.

However, Dung Qiu and Gu Yingchu couldn't go back. They needed to stay with the Gu family and required Gu Yingchu's room. If Gu Chengwang found out about their plans, it would be a disaster.

Lin Manru quickly said, "Cousin, don't get too worked up."

Lin Yan was fuming. Raising a daughter is already a thankless task, and now she was stuck raising someone else's child, one with a bad reputation at that. How could she expect to marry her off to a good family and receive a decent dowry? What was the point of all this?

"Exactly," someone chimed in. "It's just a woman, and she's dragging along a shameless daughter. Our family has wasted so much on them, and after all these years, this is how they repay us? Like mother, like daughter."

Gu Yingchu's eyes grew colder at the old lady's words. She spoke up, "Ma'am, this isn't over yet. Once I gather evidence of what Hsu Sheng has done, I'll make sure he ends up at the police station."

Lin Manru's face turned even more sour. Why hadn't the river washed away this little troublemaker?