Chen Lishu asked somewhat puzzled, "Mom, nothing happened. How could the two of us possibly have a pointless argument? Where did you get this bit of gossip?"
Li Xiulan frowned, her face filled with worry. "I heard everything from Qin Yue, and coupled with Gu Xingdong not coming home for days, I just don't believe you two are fine."
Upon hearing Li Xiulan's words, Gu Xingdong nodded in understanding and said with a hint of helplessness, "Mom, whatever Qin Yue told you is best ignored."
After speaking, Gu Xingdong recounted everything Qin Yue had done and the real reason for his absence over the past few days.
Hearing about Qin Yue's actions, Li Xiulan rose from her seat excitedly. "What? You're saying Qin Yue had ulterior motives towards you? I thought she was a decent girl before. How do you plan to handle her?"
"I've already contacted Old Yang. Once he finds a suitable replacement for Qin Yue's position, she can leave." Gu Xingdong then turned to Chen Lishu, looking at her dotingly and said, "I've found a new factory location for you. You can go sign the contract tomorrow."
Chen Lishu looked up in surprise. "So soon?! You've been rushing around these past few days, did you also put a lot of thought into my matters?"
Gu Xingdong shook his head and denied, "No, I have acquaintances who helped speed things up."
Seeing their interaction was much the same as before, Li Xiulan's worried heart finally relaxed. She then asked, "Looking at factories? Why would you open a factory out of the blue?"
Chen Lishu smiled and said, "A food factory. I want to challenge myself again."
"That's a good thing. Since you're signing the contract tomorrow, you should get to bed early today. Xingdong, hurry and take your wife to her room." Li Xiulan said, getting up and pulling them towards the room.
As they entered the room, Chen Lishu couldn't help but ask, "What about you, Mom?"
"I'll sleep later. No matter how excessive Qin Yue's actions were, she's still a girl. It's late and pouring rain, I'm worried she might encounter danger. I want to wait until she returns before I sleep."
Li Xiulan sighed. Such a dramatic turn of events happening within their own family.
Gu Xingdong's deep voice came through, "No need. I've already instructed Su Nian to take her to a hotel for the night. With Su Nian there, nothing will happen."
"Is that so? Alright then." Li Xiulan agreed and closed the door for them. Whether she went back to her room to sleep afterward, Chen Lishu and Gu Xingdong had no way of knowing.
----
The next day, Chen Lishu woke up early and headed towards the factory Gu Xingdong had arranged.
Unbeknownst to her, someone knocked on the door shortly after she left.
"Why are you back again? Did you forget something, so careless? How can you go discuss business like this?" Li Xiulan said, wiping a cup as she opened the door.
Focused on her task, Li Xiulan didn't see who was at the door until a familiar voice reached her ears.
The person said, "Discussing business? Oh, it looks like your daughter-in-law has landed another big deal."
Hearing the familiar voice, Li Xiulan quickly looked up. When she saw Li Xiuli and Qin Yue standing before her, the smile on her face gradually faded. She replied in a soft voice, "No, Lishu is just preparing to venture into a new field recently."
"I can see that. Your daughter-in-law is good at everything. Your life must be so much more carefree than mine." Li Xiuli's tone carried a hint of sarcasm as she spoke.
Why should her daughter be in jail, talked about by neighbors, while Chen Lishu lived so carefree and doing as she pleased? She was already so wealthy, why did she still hold a grudge against their family? Li Xiuli ultimately believed that Li Xiulan was deliberately making things difficult for them and looked down on her poor relatives!
Li Xiulan didn't go along with Li Xiuli's words but got straight to the point. "Sister, what brings you here? Didn't we agree that you should come to me less often unless it's something important? We both have our own families now. You know I live off my son and daughter-in-law and don't have much capability myself. If I had money, I wouldn't mind helping you, but the key is that this money isn't mine."
Li Xiuli rolled her eyes and casually said, "What son and daughter-in-law? Aren't they all yours? As long as the family hasn't separated, they have to listen to you! Anyway, you earn so much money a day, giving us a few hundred or a thousand yuan shouldn't be difficult."
Li Xiulan never expected Li Xiuli to be so brazen, to stand there with her hands on her hips and directly ask for money! However, no matter what, the person before her was still her sister. She didn't want to escalate the situation and said through gritted teeth, "Even a cornered rabbit will bite. A wicked mother-in-law won't have a good ending! Sister, you say it so easily, giving money to your family. If my son and daughter-in-law found out, how would we live our lives in the future? Sister, if you have nothing else, please go back. I still have many things to handle, and I don't have time to chat with you today."
Li Xiuli, upon hearing Li Xiulan's refusal, cursed her as stingy in her mind. But thinking about the purpose of her visit, she could only force a smile. "Alright, alright, I know you're a busy person. I wouldn't disturb you if I had nothing important to say."
As her words fell, Li Xiuli pulled Li Xiulan into the house while beckoning to Qin Yue beside her, "Child, why are you still standing outside? Come in quickly. We can chat about anything when we sit down."
Qin Yue looked at Li Xiulan timidly, as if testing her attitude. Li Xiulan opened her mouth. She knew Qin Yue was not a good person, but seeing her innocent expression, she didn't know how to utter any humiliating words. So, she put on a straight face and said, "Come in. Auntie has a few things she wants to make clear to you."
With Li Xiulan's permission, a forced smile appeared on Qin Yue's face before she followed them into the room.
Seeing Li Xiulan's serious expression, Li Xiuli directly grabbed her hand and pulled her aside, questioning in a low voice, "Why the long face? We can talk about anything slowly. Don't scare her! Tell me first, what are your plans for Qin Yue?"