Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

Seeing that her father’s attitude was no longer as resolute as before, Wu Qiaoqiao saw a glimmer of hope and pressed her advantage.

She now had clear goals for her future, not only for her career but also for her personal life. To achieve them, she knew that at the very least, she couldn’t be in the opposing camp to Hua Yusen.

”Dad, setting everything else aside, just think about it. When the Li family was in power, it was utter chaos. Workers had no motivation to produce, and farmers had no will to farm. The entire system, from top to bottom, was obsessed with strengthening ideological control to further their own ambitions. After they got what they wanted, they showed no concern for the people’s livelihood. During that time, even for those of us in the upper echelons, getting a decent meal wasn’t easy. But now that the Gu family has risen, people have food to eat and clothes to wear, and even our own provisions have improved significantly. Are you telling me you’d abandon someone as capable as Gu Qingyu to work with people like the Li family? Won’t you regret it?”

Old Sir Wu thought for a moment and said, ”Sigh, it’s too late for all that. Your sister is engaged to Li Gongming!”

Mrs. Wu frowned and said, ”People get divorced even after they’re married, let alone just engaged. Besides, I’ve heard that Li Gongming isn’t just entangled with Guo Dongmei; he’s also involved with other women.”

”It’s far more than just being entangled! When Li Gongde was drunk, he actually said Guo Dongmei is pregnant. He threatened me, saying that if I played along, then after my sister marries over, he—as the future successor of the Li family—would only acknowledge my sister as the Second Young Madam,” Wu Qiaoqiao said urgently. ”If I refused, he said Guo Dongmei and her child would be brought into the Li family home anyway. Is that something any respectable family would do?”

”What?” Mrs. Wu was stunned, hardly believing her ears. ”You’re saying Guo Dongmei is pregnant?”

”That’s what Li Gongde said, anyway. He wouldn’t have just blurted it out if it weren’t true,” Wu Qiaoqiao said. ”This isn’t hard to investigate. Father, Mother, you can’t just push Sister into the fire!”

Wu Jingjing emerged from her room and overheard her sister’s words. The teapot she was holding slipped from her grasp and crashed to the floor. Hot water splashed onto her skin, but she felt neither the heat nor the pain. Her mind was in turmoil, a complete blank. ’What should I do?’

’Did Li Gongming really deceive me? Were all those things he told me lies?’

”Sister!” Seeing Wu Jingjing, Wu Qiaoqiao hurried over and had her sit down. ”Sister, did you hear what I just said? If Guo Dongmei is carrying Li Gongming’s child, will you still stay with him?”

Wu Jingjing had been feeling guilty toward her sister, thinking the Li family had gone too far and resolving to help her sister get justice. But upon hearing that Guo Dongmei was pregnant with Li Gongming’s child, her heart went completely cold.

”Dad, Mom, if Guo Dongmei is really carrying Li Gongming’s child, then don’t worry about me. Call off the engagement with the Li family,” Wu Jingjing said. Li Gongming had pledged his undying love to her, claiming that Guo Dongmei was just clinging to him relentlessly. He told her not to overthink it and swore he’d never been physically intimate with Guo Dongmei.

’If Guo Dongmei was pregnant, it meant everything Li Gongming had told her was a lie.’

After listening, Old Sir Wu said in a grave voice, ”Jingjing, you are a good girl. If this is true, it proves Li Gongming is not worthy of you.”

Wu Qiaoqiao was inwardly pleased. ’With me and my sister acting as catalysts, Father will have to reconsider his ties to the Li family. Once he loses all hope in them, he’ll have to choose a new partner.’

’And cooperating with Gu Qingyu would be the natural next step.’

The Wu family’s movements did not escape Gu Qingyu’s notice. He soon arranged for them to uncover the news of Guo Dongmei’s pregnancy.

Old Sir Wu flew into a rage and began to curse, while Wu Jingjing locked herself in her room, her face streaked with tears.

Wu Jingjing’s three older brothers were not in Jincheng City; if they had been, they would have likely stormed the Li family’s home and given Li Gongming a savage beating.

Old Sir Wu did not call off the engagement immediately. Instead, he secretly met with Gu Qingyu and reached a cooperative agreement. Although the agreement was purely verbal, it was still far better than partnering with a despicable family like the Lis.

”Qingyu, in politics, there are no permanent enemies,” Old Sir Wu said with a light chuckle as he sipped his tea. ”Putting aside the fact that I’ve been close with the Li family, our two families have no real conflict!”

Gu Qingyu, of course, understood Wu Jianxiong’s intentions and replied at once, ”Of course not. In fact, we’ve shared many of the same political views in the past. Even where we differed, it was on minor points. We can always seek common ground while reserving our differences!”

Hearing this, Old Sir Wu knew Gu Qingyu was also open to cooperation and continued, ”The reason I grew close to the Li family was that I saw no other hope. If your health had been better back then, I would have stood by your side without a moment’s hesitation. I’ve come to you in private this time because I want to hear the truth from you directly: how is your physical condition?”

’So he’s just worried I’ll die an early death.’

Sighing, Gu Qingyu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ”The poison was administered by the Li and Guo families,” he explained. ”But Doctor Sun is an excellent physician and has already cured me. If not for him, I would have been dead six months after I was poisoned.”

”That’s good, that’s very good! Brother Gu, you are truly blessed,” Old Sir Wu said with a hearty laugh. ”Then allow me to wish you a long and healthy life, so that we may build a future together.”

Gu Qingyu’s strategy was indeed to seek common ground while setting aside differences, uniting all possible allies to implement his policies and get his faction back on track. As for the Li family, they were not his most urgent concern at the moment.

”Excellent. To a shared future,” Gu Qingyu said, reaching out to firmly shake Wu Jianxiong’s hand.

With all his preparations in place, Old Sir Wu didn’t bother with a matchmaker. He stormed directly into the Li residence and called off the engagement in front of the whole family.

”Wu, why are you calling off the engagement all of a sudden?” Old Sir Li asked, a bit angrily. ”You know Gongming and Jingjing are deeply in love. It would be a shame to end things like this.”

”Hmph. Deeply in love? Bullshit. The way I see it, your son tricked my daughter with his sweet nothings.” Old Sir Wu ignored the fine tea the Li family had served. He glared icily at Old Sir Li and said, ”Your son went and knocked up another young woman. My daughter was raised with the utmost care. How could she possibly marry a philanderer like him?”

At these words, Old Sir Li’s expression stiffened. The truth always comes out. It seemed the matter had been exposed after all.

’But I can’t possibly admit this to Wu Jianxiong! Flat-out denial is the only way.’

”Impossible! Someone is spreading rumors to drive a wedge between our families and turn us into enemies!” Old Sir Li retorted with a straight face, twisting the facts. ”I’ll have my people investigate at once to find out who is slandering our name and trying to sabotage our families’ marriage alliance!”