Chapter 404: Chapter 363: She is my Daughter-in-law
Mu Shuoqian picked up the ring, carefully took hold of her right hand: "If I don’t propose to you, were you planning to propose to me?"
"You wish." Gu Qili happily stretched out her fingers, allowing him to slip the ring on, a custom fit just right for her finger. A transparent pink diamond matched with seventy-seven smaller diamonds, it was so beautiful one couldn’t take their eyes off it.
"I have to go to the bank and open a safety deposit box. I dare not wear such an expensive thing every day on my hand." Gu Qili shook her finger lightly, "It’s too ostentatious."
"In the future, you are Mrs. Mu Shuoqian, even these few words are already a flaunt of wealth, what else are you afraid of?" He suddenly picked up her wrist again, "There’s something more."
No sooner had he spoken than a string of ocean-blue beads was looped onto her wrist,
"Once this is on, you can’t take it off again."
Seeing the string of beads, Gu Qili’s eyes moistened again. She had originally smashed this string of beads in front of him, venting her anger at the time, but she didn’t know how sad he was then. Now that she thought about it, her heart ached painfully.
She remembered that the string had broken, beads scattering everywhere. After she left, he must have knelt on the ground and picked them up one by one.
Gu Qili, touching the beads on her wrist, said with a sob in her voice: "I won’t take it off, not even in death."
Having said that, she hugged him, holding him tightly.
"Mu Shuoqian, you must have spent a long time making these things, right?"
"Just a day. People from the winery helped out."
"Where are they now?"
"They’re hiding so as not to be a third wheel." Mu Shuoqian kissed her forehead, "Let’s go get our marriage certificate tomorrow. Without it, I can’t even sleep peacefully at night."
"Afraid that someone will snatch me away?"
Mu Shuoqian gazed at her deeply, "I live in fear every day, thinking, if you really married someone else, what should I do."
Gu Qili could imagine his nervousness and helplessness. He would feel happy for her finding true love but also feared she would really marry someone else. She felt the same way; it seemed that apart from him, nobody could make her think of entrusting her life to them. Tang Tianyou and Reynolds were great, but she just couldn’t feel that kind of romantic love towards them.
She thought all her love was given to this one man, like water that’s been spilled, impossible to retrieve.
The next morning, Shuoqian dragged her to the door to wait to leave—he was indeed afraid of her slipping away every minute.
Coming here for the second time, her state of mind was entirely different. Before, she was coerced into getting married, but now, she was wholeheartedly eager to marry him.
The registration process went very smoothly. Receiving two little red books again, Gu Qili happily kissed them in her hand and then started to criticize the photographer’s skills. Mu Shuoqian obviously looked more handsome in the photos, while she was grinning too wide, her laugh somewhat exaggerated as though she’d never been married in her whole eight lifetimes.
After lunch, Mu Shuoqian had Yuan Yi help Gu Qili move. She hadn’t lived there for long and didn’t have many belongings, and soon all her possessions were transferred to their home in Jingshan.
Qiu Lan, knowing they had registered, happily hired a chef to prepare a celebration dinner at home in the evening.
Gu Qili drove Qiu Lan to the supermarket, the two of them bringing back lots of fresh ingredients.
Qiu Lan, being in poor health, sat down on the couch to rest once she got home. Gu Qili poured her a glass of water and brought it over: "Auntie, have some water."
Qiu Lan didn’t reach out to take it, looking at her intently. Both mother and son, Qiu Lan and Mu Shuoqian, had an intimidating presence when looking at someone. Gu Qili was a little flustered, fearing she might have angered her, but before she could speak, Qiu Lan said, "What did you call me?"
Gu Qili froze for a moment, then quickly realized what was happening. Although a bit embarrassed, she still shyly called out, "Mom."
Qiu Lan laughed happily and turned to take out a piece of jade from her bag: "You got registered, and mom doesn’t have much to give you, but this jade was left to me by your grandpa. I’ve worn it on me all these years. Jade gains a soul after being worn for a long time, I hope it can bless you with peace and safety."
Gu Qili knew the jade was very valuable, but it was Qiu Lan’s heartfelt gift, so she naturally would not refuse it and took it with both hands, "Thank you, mom."
"You’re finally willing to give away your antique." Mu Shuoqian leisurely held a teacup, having seen Qiu Lan wear this piece of jade since he was a child, for decades.
"Giving it to Qili is worth it." Qiu Lan smiled toward Gu Qili, "He is our daughter-in-law now and naturally has the right to wear it."
Gu Qili hurriedly put on the Jade Pendant around her neck, "I’m going to look in the mirror."
"Vain." Mu Shuoqian’s gaze was filled with tender affection, everything felt like a dream; he had only ever dreamed that one day he could make her his other half again.
Just as Gu Qili left, there was a knock at the door, and Qiu Lan said, "I’ll go open it. You go put the stuff in the kitchen."
Qiu Lan was already at the door as she spoke, and upon opening it, she was startled to see who was there: "Feifei."
"Mom." Qiu Yufei threw herself into her arms and hugged her tightly, "Mom, I’ve missed you so much, I really have."
Qiu Lan’s emotions were complicated. Although Qiu Yufei wasn’t her biological daughter, she had raised her for many years, so it was impossible to say there was no affection. But Qiu Lan was someone who detested betrayal intensely, and ever since she found out Qiu Yufei had been eavesdropping on her, her affection for this daughter had waned.
"Mom, won’t you forgive me? I promise, I won’t ever dare to do it again. Please, forgive me," Qiu Yufei implored between sobs, looking quite pitiful.
She was now so thin that it was alarming, nearly skin and bones, but she was originally pretty and still looked delicate despite being so emaciated.
"We’ll talk about this later," Qiu Lan said with a stern expression, "I think, Shuoqian might not want to see you."
"Mom, please let me see Shuoqian, I need to talk to him." Qiu Yufei, grasping onto Qiu Lan’s sleeve and pleading with tears, saw that Qiu Lan seemed unmoved, so she knelt down with a thump in front of her, "Mom, do you really not want your daughter anymore? I don’t want to marry Steve."
"Mom, who is it?" Gu Qili walked from behind Qiu Lan and narrowed her eyes when she saw Qiu Yufei kneeling there.
Qiu Yufei clearly heard Gu Qili say "Mom," and couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Looking incredulously at Qiu Lan, she said, "Mom, why is this woman calling you mom? How is she qualified to call you mom? I’m your daughter."
Qiu Lan, somewhat annoyed, said: "She is my daughter-in-law, why wouldn’t she be qualified to call me mom? Feifei, go back."
Qiu Yufei stood up from the ground and suddenly pointed at Gu Qili, accusing: "It’s all because of you, isn’t it? You must have badmouthed me to mom. You woman, took away my Shuoqian and now you want to steal my mom too, how shameless can you be?"
"You can try insulting her again," Mu Shuoqian appeared at the doorway, his gaze stabbing into Qiu Yufei’s heart like two knives,
"Brother Shuoqian." Qiu Yufei, who had just been fierce, did a 360-degree turnaround, smiling joyously at the man she was smitten with to death, "Brother Shuoqian, I don’t blame you at all, and I won’t sue you, you’re my brother, the man I love, how could I bear to sue you?"
Listening to her threatening tone, Mu Shuoqian coldly chuckled with disdain: "If you want to sue me, I’ll make sure to hire the best lawyer for you."
"Brother Shuoqian, how could I sue you? I really won’t, please let me in, we’re still family, I would often play in your room, and one time I even fell asleep on your bed..."
"Feifei, shut your mouth." Qiu Lan interjected angrily, clearly catching the insinuations in Qiu Yufei’s words, "Don’t spout nonsense in front of Qili."
Qiu Yufei’s eyes widened in disbelief at Qiu Lan’s words; she was actually defending Gu Qili. She had clearly hated Gu Qili so strongly before, so why was she suddenly taking her side and not her daughter’s?
"Mom, to you, she’s the outsider, I’m your daughter," Qiu Yufei said desperately, shaking her head.
"She’s not an outsider, she’s my daughter-in-law," Qiu Lan stated with a hint of a headache, "Feifei, please leave. Marrying Steve isn’t a loss for you. His family is wealthy, and you’ll be taken care of for life."
Qiu Yufei didn’t want to leave, and the security guards from the nearby complexes had already rushed over, "Mr. Mu, what’s the matter?"
Mu Shuoqian gave Qiu Yufei a cold glance and then looked away, as if unwilling to linger even a second longer, "Throw this woman out."
"Yes, Mr. Mu." The security guards didn’t hesitate as they grabbed Qiu Yufei and dragged her out.
"You can’t do this to me, how can you treat me this way, mom, I’m your daughter..." The sound of Qiu Yufei’s voice grew more distant until it was no longer audible.
Qiu Lan glanced at Gu Qili with some remorse, "Qili, my daughter has been spoiled by me, don’t take her nonsense to heart."
"It’s alright, I didn’t take it seriously." Knowing full well that Qiu Yufei’s words were all provocative, how could she foolishly fall for her tricks? It was just that this person was annoying like a buzzing fly; previously she had pretended to be innocent and naive in front of her, and now her true nature was exposed, no need to pretend anymore.
In terms of acting, Hu Jiaojiao couldn’t compare to Qiu Yufei who had been restraining herself for years, secretly planning everything, even Mu Shuoqian had not thought to guard against her.
"Qili, don’t worry, she won’t bother you both again," Qiu Lan assured decisively.