Then, Gu Rongrong sat on the floor and began to cry. It was a very skillful display; tears streamed down her face one by one, and her voice was so choked with sobs she couldn’t speak, as if the entire act had been meticulously rehearsed.

Gu Shengsheng said, “What are you crying for? Are you trying to make this family fall apart with your tears?”

The sharp rebuke stunned Gu Rongrong into silence.

‘How did I never realize Gu Shengsheng was so aggressive?’

‘She had always acted so detached, as if nothing interested or bothered her. Even when she had to be the substitute bride, she didn’t show this much emotion.’

Gu Rongrong had been smug before, thinking Gu Shengsheng was a complete fool.

‘She was willing to leave home, wanted nothing to do with her biological parents, and even agreed to go to a place like Beijing City where she was a total stranger.’

But how much time had passed since then? Gu Shengsheng had already reached the pinnacle of her life—a level of success Gu Rongrong could have never imagined.

Never mind how much she earned in Beijing City; she had made over nine hundred million on this trip to Rui City alone.

The Gu Family Company’s total revenue had only been one or two hundred million, and that was at the Gu family’s peak. After that, it was all downhill. The family couldn’t even afford designer clothes anymore. Yet Gu Shengsheng’s life just kept getting better.

Gu Rongrong couldn’t figure it out. It felt like she had been winning all along, so how did she end up losing so completely?

What was even more terrifying was that she didn’t dare compare herself to Gu Shengsheng anymore. Though she’d never admit it out loud, deep down, she felt that even if she worked her entire life, she would never be able to measure up.

‘It was a feeling that came from the depths of her soul, a sense of limitation, as if trash like her shouldn’t even be compared to Gu Shengsheng.’

But Gu Rongrong couldn’t accept it. She just couldn’t! Why? Why couldn’t she be better than some poor country bumpkin?

Things might have been different if she still had her parents’ full support.

But they had only supported her because she was the one they had raised. She knew the rules and wouldn’t embarrass the family at banquets.

But Gu Shengsheng… she was no longer confined to the world of high society. She was now famous throughout all of Huaxia.

Song Shuhua was no fool, and Guan Wutian was even shrewder. With Gu Shengsheng’s fame on the rise and their own business in Rui City floundering, they saw an opportunity.

‘Why create a scene? She’s our daughter, after all.’

So they had come.

For long-time business people like them, losing face was never an issue as long as they got what they wanted.

So Gu Rongrong just watched, her fists clenched.

Now that Gu Shengsheng had scolded her for crying, Song Shuhua also frowned. “Rongrong, honestly. All you ever do is cry. Look at your sister! She’s strong and confident, a source of pride for our family in everything she does. And now she has such a wonderful brother-in-law. We can’t fawn over her enough.”

“Isn’t that right, Mr. Lu?” she asked, smiling at Lu Shijing.

Lu Shijing said, “I wouldn’t know. I was always under the impression my wife didn’t have any living biological parents. Now that I’ve met you, it seems you’re not very good ones.”

Gu Shengsheng shot him a look. “Why are you being so brutally honest? Aren’t you worried they’ll be embarrassed?”

Guan Wutian’s expression darkened for a mere second before he put on a look of deep regret. “My dear son-in-law. Shengsheng has always been a wonderful child. We, as her parents, have truly failed her. We’ve treated her poorly since she was little.”

“But it couldn’t be helped. I mean, who would ever expect their child to be switched at birth? Now we want to make it up to her, but she’s so outstanding that we don’t even have the chance.”

Lu Shijing said, “There’s no need for such grandiose excuses.”

“Mr. Gu, I have eyes. I can see things for what they are.”

Guan Wutian nodded sheepishly. “Yes, yes. I know.”

“I’m guilty of mistaking a pearl for a fish eye. I treated a diamond like a piece of glass. I’ve been getting an earful for it lately, so I hope our Shengsheng can give me a chance.”

“How about this? Let’s let the child talk with her mother. We can step aside, and I can take you for a game of chess and some drinks. What do you say?”

Lu Shijing glanced at Gu Shengsheng, who gave him a barely perceptible nod, indicating she could handle things on her own.

The reason she had agreed to come wasn’t to take a walk down memory lane with this family or engage in some other pointless activity.

It was because there was only one last shard missing from the Sky Blue Glaze Sunflower Bowl from the Ru Kiln, a piece she recalled being unable to find for a very long time.

The day Granny left, she had called to tell Shengsheng that it was a family heirloom. But when Gu Rongrong went to visit Granny, she had insisted on seeing it, then sneered at it, calling it a broken old bowl.

But she had taken it with her anyway.

Granny had originally intended to bring it to Gu Shengsheng, but then Gu Rongrong took it.

In any case, the exchange must have been unpleasant.

Gu Shengsheng had seen the photo of the bowl shard that Granny sent to Mrs. Lu. It was indeed from the Sky Blue Glaze Sunflower Bowl from the Ru Kiln.

Once she got this last piece, the set would finally be complete.

It hadn’t been easy.

Of course, Gu Shengsheng also intended to get justice for the wrongs Granny had suffered.

If they hadn’t come looking for her, she would have gone to the Gu family home soon anyway to take back what was hers. But since they had come to her, she saw no reason to be polite.

Song Shuhua looked at her, her face radiating affection. “Shengsheng, you must come back and visit often. This will always be your home.”

“Our family will love you forever.”

Gu Shengsheng felt sick to her stomach listening to this.

“Lu Shijing has been led away by Guan Wutian, so you can drop the act, Song Shuhua. We signed an agreement. We went through the entire legal process. What are you putting on this show for?”

Song Shuhua frowned. “I carried you for ten months. I have always considered the bigger picture. Having you marry in her place was the best possible match for you at the time. You were just a girl from the countryside.”

“But Rongrong is different. I raised her myself, so of course she deserved a better match. Lu Shijing is doing so well now. Shouldn’t you be thanking me?”

Song Shuhua genuinely didn’t understand. She didn’t think she had done anything wrong. In her mind, she had simply made the best possible use of Gu Shengsheng’s assets.

At this, Gu Rongrong piped up. “Mother, don’t worry. I’ll definitely marry into a good family. The He Family I’ve been in contact with—they’re no less prominent than Lu Shijing. He Chen is a wonderful boyfriend.”

Song Shuhua looked at her with disdain. She was trying to win over Shengsheng and didn’t want to hear any of this. “The He Family may be good, but didn’t Shengsheng already point this out? If this He Chen was so favored in his family, why would he be in Africa chatting with you online?”

“You need to take a good look at the situation. If you don’t marry well, wouldn’t all the money I’ve spent on you have been for nothing?”

All in all, Gu Shengsheng had always seen Song Shuhua for who she truly was.

In her mother’s eyes, people were only divided into two categories: those with value to be exploited, and those with none.

When Gu Shengsheng had no status and no money, she was kicked to the curb. But now that she had made a name for herself through appraising antiques, now that Lu Shijing and his family were on a meteoric rise, Song Shuhua couldn’t be more pleased with her.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.