Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 171: Chapter 168 The Reaction of the Gu Family’s Ancestral Home

Huo Sining had no idea about Gu Xu’s inner turmoil; otherwise, he would have flown over to confess his feelings directly.

Poor old bachelor had been monk-like for too long, completely clueless about a woman’s heart.

He felt that his attraction to Huo Sining was just an old cow eating tender grass. Fearing his abruptness might frighten the young girl, he wanted to charm her gradually over time.

But little did he know that he’d missed the perfect opportunity, thus making his journey of wooing his wife long and arduous.

At the moment, he was sitting in the old house’s living room undergoing a trial by fire, as Master Gu, Mrs. Gu, Mr. Gu, Mrs. Gu, his sister-in-law, and his brother, six people in a row, sat staring at him with their big round eyes.

“If you like her, just bring her back. Our Gu Family isn’t uncultured. We don’t condone flirting with girls willy-nilly!” Grandpa Gu said.

“Exactly, bring her here for Grandma to take a look. Grandma will give you some advice!” Grandma Gu said with a smile.

“Just get married, you’re not getting any younger. When I was your age, your brother was already capable of running errands!” Mr. Gu said with a stern face.

“marriage shouldn’t be rushed. I think we should invite her parents over for a casual meal and set a date for you two!” Mrs. Gu suggested.

“Which family’s daughter is your sister-in-law from? You’re quite something, finding a partner without making a sound. Are you planning to keep it undercover from us?” Gu’s elder brother said with a laugh, patting Gu Xu on the shoulder.

“If you’re too shy, let your sister-in-law do the talking. I’m from the publicity department after all; getting you a wife is a small case!” Chen Yu’s eyes shone brightly, sparkling with the light of gossip.

Gu Xu felt cold sweat the size of beans forming on his forehead. He really didn’t realize his family was so anxious about his affairs. In recent years, they hadn’t meddled in his love life. So why did they go all panicky like ants on a hot pan over such unreliable news that Chen Yu brought back?

“Well, it’s that I have taken a liking to her, but she hasn’t taken a liking to me yet.” Gu Xu thought it over and decided to clarify, although it might dampen everyone’s spirits. He couldn’t very well send false reports, could he?

“What? You’re pining for her alone?” Mr. Gu was visibly disappointed upon hearing this and looked at Gu Xu with a ‘why are you letting me down’ expression.

“You’ve got to be kidding. You’re so tough in fights, so why aren’t you taking this chase for a wife more seriously?” Learning that the girl hadn’t been won over yet, Gu’s elder brother instantly showed disdain.

Grandpa Gu slammed down his walking stick and issued an ultimatum, “The Gu family doesn’t produce cowards. I give you three months. If you can’t win a wife in that time, don’t call yourself my grandson!”

Three months? Gu Xu was utterly taken aback. How could anything substantial be accomplished in such a short time? Grandpa, are you trying to rush your grandson into a shotgun wedding?

“What, you can’t even handle this little task?” Seeing that Gu Xu remained silent, Grandpa Gu grew displeased, raising his eyebrows as he lifted his walking stick.

Gu Xu immediately stood at attention, his voice ringing with determination: “Reporting, sir, mission will be accomplished!”

Grandpa Gu chuckled and pointed his cane at Gu Xu, chiding with a laugh, “Look at you, not the least bit ambitious! Off you go, and bring me back my granddaughter-in-law!”

Gu Xu’s forehead was etched with lines of worry. Kidnap her? His words made it sound like he was a human trafficker. No matter what, he was the CEO of a corporation, respectable in both private and public. He couldn’t be so undignified, could he? How did he turn into a marriage swindler when it came to his grandfather?

While Gu Xu was busy with his pursuit of a wife, Zhou Zhen was also busy “clearing his name.” After returning to the Zhou Family, he faced the formidable trial by three councils. However, the atmosphere in the Zhou Family was far from the relaxed one at the Gu Family Old House.

Master Zhou, while in the hospital, inadvertently learned of the preposterous deeds his grandson had committed in Pingzhou and got so angry that he sat up from his sickbed and went straight home without another word.

Father Zhou did not dare act presumptuously in front of his own father and could only have his wife urgently summon Zhou Zhen back.

After returning to S City, Zhou Zhen did not dare to delay and went directly to the Zhou Family Old House to face his elders.

Master Zhou’s face was somber, and on seeing Zhou Zhen enter, he immediately sent his walking stick flying towards him.

Caught off guard, Zhou Zhen was struck on the head by the rosewood cane, instantly splitting open a gash from which blood streamed profusely.

Mother Zhou’s heart ached at the sight, but faced with the oppressive atmosphere in the room, she didn’t dare even breathe heavily, let alone try to dissuade Master Zhou. She could only keep signaling with her eyes for her son to quickly kneel and apologize to his grandfather.

Zhou Zhen might not usually be savvy about the times, but he was quite slick with these matters. Seeing how angry his grandfather was, he hurriedly knelt down at Master Zhou’s feet and, with a mix of snot and tears, told his pitiful story from Pingzhou, “Grandpa, it wasn’t intentional. It was all a set-up by the Su siblings to frame me!”

Master Zhou had had no intention of paying further attention to Zhou Zhen, but upon hearing him mention the Su Family, his expression froze, and he stared at his grandson in astonishment, asking, “What happened?”

Zhou Zhen, seeing his grandfather’s interest, was secretly pleased and quickly repeated the version of events Ye Zixin had told him, even exaggerating the bet on Pingzhou Jade Street with Su Qingqing and blaming it on the Su family siblings.

According to Zhou Zhen’s story, the Su siblings had deliberately set a trap for him on Jade Street, tricking him out of his jade material worth more than three hundred thousand, and then conspired with Jin Youtai to get close to him. They had intentionally allowed him to see the bidding price at the stone gambling event, then had Jin Youtai collude with him to bid for the title of King Biao. It was a calculated plan, a series of steps perfectly orchestrated by the Su siblings, just waiting for him to fall into the trap.

Zhou Zhen’s account did not contain any significant flaws, so the Zhou family believed it to be true.

On hearing this, Mother Zhou’s eyes turned red with anger, “I knew Zhen’er has always been obedient. How could he make such a foolish mistake this time? It turns out it was the Su family siblings’ mischief!”

Father Zhou was also enraged, “The Su family has gone too far! They clearly have no regard for our Zhou family!”

Master Zhou, however, was wise. Having experienced much in his years, he was skeptical about Zhou Zhen’s narrative.

Although his face was lined with wrinkles, his eyes remained piercing as he continued to scrutinize Zhou Zhen’s expressions intently.

Seeing his grandson’s evasive eyes and panicked demeanor, Master Zhou knew Zhou Zhen was lying and was immensely disappointed.

The Zhou family was not particularly flourishing; his only son was no visionary. Consequently, he placed all his hopes for the Zhou family’s revival on this grandson.

But unexpectedly, this grandson turned out to be as unhelpful as an incompetent official.

He had arranged a strategic marriage between Zhou Zhen and the Su family, yet Zhou Zhen had unilaterally destroyed the marriage agreement and even got entangled with the friend of the Su family daughter.

The Sus were highly dissatisfied with this. Su Zhenhua even went to their doorstep personally with his children, demanding an explanation.

The marriage contract was indeed broken, but so were the ties between the two families.