Chapter 1037: She Couldn’t Contain Her Laugh

A relative from the Zhang family said, “I advise you to let go of the past. Whether you’re willing or not, you’re already married to a man from the countryside. Lin Miao spent over a decade struggling there too. Now things are finally getting better for her, so you can’t keep causing trouble.”

Several relatives from the Zhang family voiced similar sentiments, and some from the Gu family joined in. Even people from the courtyard chimed in, urging Gu Zi to let it all go.

Zhang Da, sensing the overwhelming support for his side, grew more insufferable. Remembering the grudge from when he had been denied a spot in First Bilingual Primary School, he glared at Gu Zi and snarled, “What are you still doing here? No one welcomes you. Get out.”

Gu Zi stood there, utterly speechless. The audacity! Did they really think this hotel belonged to them? Of all places to run into the Gu and Zhang families, this was her bad luck. It was honestly starting to ruin her mood.

She shot back, unable to contain her sarcasm, “Do you all have paranoid delusions or something? Who’s stirring up trouble here? I came here for dinner, and you all are acting like I’m here to find Lin Miao. Is this hotel owned by her, or is it some grand affair sponsored by the Gu or Zhang families?”

Zhang Da sneered, “We didn’t book the place, but my brother-in-law, Gu Shan, reserved a private room here, and someone important rented the whole venue. What’s the point of you being here? There’s no place for you. We’re just being nice by warning you, so you don’t embarrass yourself later.”

He paused for effect before continuing, “But since we’ve known each other for so long, if you apologize and say something nice, we might put in a good word for you. We’ll ask my brother-in-law to let you two have a seat out of pity. This Golden Sun Hotel isn’t for everyone, you know. You should be grateful.”

Su Shen’s face darkened. He would’ve thrown these people out, but today was Gu Zi’s special day, and he didn’t want to spoil the mood. But that didn’t mean he had to tolerate their arrogant behavior. He placed his arm around Gu Zi’s shoulders and spoke coldly, “We don’t need your charity. We’re going upstairs.”

Zhang Da saw Su Shen’s response as fear and, emboldened, blocked their way. “The second floor is booked, didn’t you hear? You can’t just walk up there. By the way, I heard you took the university entrance exam, Gu Zi. No news since–could it be you didn’t get in? Tsk, tsk, Gu Zi, you’ve really let down the Gu and Zhang families.”

He then smirked, clearly relishing the moment. “But our Lin Miao is different. She may be from the countryside and had a tough life, but she managed to get into university, scored 400 points! Not bad, considering she didn’t even perform at her best.”

Gu Zi’s face contorted with anger at first, but then she couldn’t help but laugh. “400 points?” she asked, incredulity ringing in her voice.

She had honestly thought Lin Miao would’ve at least scored in the 500s, given how the Gu and Zhang families were so eager to flaunt her accomplishments. But 400? Hilarious.

She typically didn’t laugh, but this time, she couldn’t contain herself.

Zhang Da mistook her laughter for distress and boasted further, “Yes, 400 points! Lin Miao is officially a university student now–unlike you, who’ll just stay home as a typical housewife.”

Gu Zi nodded, her smile as sweet as it was biting. “Mm, Lin Miao’s quite extraordinary, I admit. I’m just ordinary in comparison, right? Can’t measure up to her, really.” She wasn’t about to engage in a battle over 400 points–if she did, people would just think she was insulting their intelligence.

Zhang Da, sensing her lack of rebuttal, assumed she hadn’t made it into university and couldn’t help but gloat. People around them began to whisper in disappointment at Gu Zi’s lack of a response.

Just as they were preparing to unleash another round of verbal attacks, Gu Shan appeared, hurrying in with Lin Miao and Zhang Mei.

Zhang Da quickly approached, loudly proclaiming, “Brother-in-law, sister, niece, you’ve arrived! Perfect timing! Gu Zi and her ‘butcher husband’ are here too. I thought I’d give them two seats out of pity, but they didn’t appreciate it one bit.”

He continued his nonsense, oblivious to the fact that Gu Shan wasn’t listening to him. The man was still reeling from the shock of learning that Gu Zi had not only passed the exam but had also been named the province’s top scorer.

His joy was overwhelming–he’d raised Gu Zi for years, and there was genuine affection there. To know that his daughter had achieved such an incredible feat brought him immense pride.

His two daughters had both gotten into university, and one was even number one in the province. He couldn’t have imagined a better outcome. The honor and benefits that would come with this were beyond measure.