Volume 1, Chapter 155: Acting

Pei Jingmo is Gu Yuandong?

The moment this thought popped into his mind, the blood in Chu Xingzhi's veins heated up.

But isn't he Sheng Yuru's cousin?

He recalled Sheng Yuru mentioning that, other than catching a glimpse of Gu Yuandong once during their childhood, she hadn't seen him in all these years.

That being said, it made sense that his disguise had fooled Sheng Yuru.

What about Elder Gu, then?

Surely he wouldn't be unaware that his own son had married another woman, yet still force him into an arranged marriage with Lu Rongrong?

No, no, no, that was not the point.

The point was that these were merely his own conjectures. If he told Xiao Yu, she might not believe him and would likely think he was trying to sabotage her marriage.

After some thought, Chu Xingzhi sent a WeChat message to Meng Yucheng.

"Find a way to get me a photo of Gu Yuandong from his school days."

"Why are you looking for Gu Yuandong's photos?"

"Don't ask, and don't mess this up this time."

Still uneasy about Meng Yucheng, Chu Xingzhi sent another message to his own secretary.

A double insurance—that way, nothing could go wrong.

He quietly slipped back into the main hall and happened to see Sheng Yuru's complexion looking rather poor, while Gu Fengjiao glared at him with dissatisfaction.

Clearly, the mother and daughter had just had an argument because of him.

Gu Fengjiao strongly disapproved of Sheng Yuru bringing Chu Xingzhi to the Gu family estate.

She pulled Sheng Yuru aside to lecture her: "Why are you still with him?"

Gu Fengjiao disliked Chu Xingzhi. For one, she felt her daughter deserved someone better; even if she couldn't marry one of the four major scions of Shangjing, it had to be a young master of a prestigious family.

Although the Chu family had their own company, in elite circles, they still fell a bit short.

Moreover, she had heard that Chu Xingzhi previously had a deeply devoted fiancée whom he was about to marry before he cheated on her.

Later, he even got another woman pregnant and almost made her own daughter take the blame. Gu Fengjiao's dislike for Chu Xingzhi had escalated into outright aversion.

Today was a family banquet for the Gu family, and her daughter had actually brought Chu Xingzhi along—it was enough to infuriate her.

"Break up with him."

"No! I like him, I want to be with him, I don't want to break up."

Gu Fengjiao was heartbroken and exasperated. "There are so many men in the world, whatever kind you want is available, why must you cling to a man who has no place for you in his eyes?"

Sheng Yuru stubbornly argued, "He does have me in his eyes, he likes me!"

If a man truly had no feelings whatsoever for a woman, how could he possibly sleep with her?

Gu Fengjiao truly wanted to pry open her daughter's head to see what was inside. She had held her in the palm of her hand since childhood, giving her whatever she wanted.

Yet she turned out to be so brainless.

"If he liked you, how could he let you suffer grievances? When you were wrongfully accused before, did he even come to look for you?"

Sheng Yuru gritted her teeth. "He was held back by that vixen, Lin Tiange."

"You..."

Seeing Chu Xingzhi come out, Gu Fengjiao found it improper to discipline her daughter in front of the entire family; otherwise, her second brother would certainly accuse her of failing to properly raise her daughter.

She had no choice but to endure it for now.

Upon seeing Chu Xingzhi, Sheng Yuru bounded toward him eagerly. "Xingzhi, where did you go just now?"

"I went to the restroom."

"Oh, the family banquet is about to start. Make sure you put your best foot forward in front of my uncle later."

Chu Xingzhi was distracted, hoping only to quickly verify the information he sought.

Pei Jingmo's phone was ringing with a call from Song Qingyu.

"Qingqing, are you awake?"

"Mhm. Are you on a business trip again?"

She sounded like she had just woken up, her voice soft and very pleasant to the ear.

"Mhm, this is the last time. Never again after this."

"Did you find a new job?"

"I suppose you could say I've found a new goal in life."

"That's good, then focus on your work. I'm going to take a nap after I finish eating."

"Remember to eat lunch."

"I know."

Just as the two of them were sweet-talking on the phone, Sheng Yuru's voice suddenly cut through the air: "Cousin—"

Pei Jingmo hastily hung up the phone and glared coldly at Sheng Yuru.

That single glare chilled Sheng Yuru to the bone, sending a layer of cold sweat breaking out across her back.

"Rong... Sister Rongrong is here. I came to tell you the news."

"Got it."

Pei Jingmo turned away and sent a WeChat message to Song Qingyu: "Sorry, I had something to attend to just now."

When Song Qingyu received Pei Jingmo's message, her brow knitted slightly. Was it her imagination?

Just a moment ago, she thought she had heard Sheng Yuru's voice.

Hmph, it must have been because Sheng Yuru had been frequently bothering her lately that she was starting to hallucinate.

Without dwelling on it further, Song Qingyu picked up Dingsheng and headed back to her bedroom to catch up on her sleep.

Lu Rongrong had been invited by Gu Chengde. She wore a red dress, looking bold and defiant.

Just as Pei Jingmo was about to go look for Gu Chengde, the latter walked down from the second floor and said indifferently to Pei Jingmo, "Let's eat first."

After everyone took their seats, Lu Rongrong very 'naturally' sat down right beside Pei Jingmo.

Chu Xingzhi's gaze remained fixed on Gu Yuandong, as if searching for proof that he was Pei Jingmo. Yet every gesture and movement of his exuded the aura of an aristocratic young master, bearing no resemblance whatsoever to some unworldly bumpkin.

Could he have been overthinking it?

And the phone call he had heard earlier—was it just because he missed Song Qingyu so much that he had misheard?

Everyone dined in silence around the table.

Sheng Yuru's eyes swept over the people present one by one until she finally couldn't help asking, "Uncle, has the wedding date for Sister Rongrong and Cousin been finalized yet?"

Gu Chengde replied indifferently, "Next Tuesday."

Hearing this, Pei Jingmo put down his chopsticks and cast a cold, detached glance at Gu Chengde, his eyes utterly devoid of warmth.

"I will not get engaged to Lu Rongrong."

His tone was calm, yet the words he uttered were resolute and unshakeable, allowing no room for refutation.

"This matter is not up to you."

Using serving chopsticks, Gu Chengde personally placed a piece of food onto Lu Rongrong's plate. "Rongrong, eat more."

Lu Rongrong looked at Pei Jingmo with a provocative gaze, her smile brilliant. "Thank you, Uncle Gu."

Gu Fengjiao chimed in with a laugh, "It won't be long before you have to change how you address him—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Pei Jingmo abruptly stood up, his gaze chilling as he looked at Gu Chengde. "Since you are so eager for this engagement, I wish you and Miss Lu a lifetime together."

"Slap—"

A heavy blow landed across Pei Jingmo's face. "You unfilial wretch!"

That single slap instantly plunged the family banquet—already a mere facade of superficial harmony—into a freezing atmosphere.

Seizing a rare opportunity to lecture Pei Jingmo, Gu Chengming immediately pointed a finger at him. "Yuandong, is that any way to talk to your father..."

Before he could finish, meeting Pei Jingmo's ice-cold stare, he snapped his mouth shut.

The others merely watched the spectacle, with the exception of Gu Chenxi.

Looking worried, she tugged at Pei Jingmo's sleeve, hoping to calm him down and prevent him from arguing with their father.

Pei Jingmo glanced at Gu Chenxi, his heart softening. He gently stroked her head before turning and walking away.

Gu Chengde didn't even spare him a glance. "Continue eating."

The rest of the meal passed insipidly.

Suddenly, Chu Xingzhi's phone chimed. Seeing a WeChat message from Meng Yucheng, he couldn't wait any longer and stood up to leave. "Chairman, I have an urgent matter to attend to, please excuse me."

Gu Fengjiao couldn't have been happier. "You're not a member of the Gu family anyway, leave whenever you want."

"Mom—"

Sheng Yuru cast a displeased look at Gu Fengjiao before hurrying after Chu Xingzhi.

"Xingzhi, the family banquet isn't over yet, where are you going?"

Chu Xingzhi shook off Sheng Yuru's hand. "Sheng Yuru, I have never liked you, nor do I wish to play along with your little games and pretend to play house anymore. Take care of yourself."