Back to the 1980s: Transmigrated as the Bigshot's Pampered Wife-Chapter 19: Fame in a Single Battle

"Miss Sheng, please don’t say that. I grew up in this compound. Does that mean I’m childhood sweethearts with everyone here?"

"How is that the same? Zijin is your fiancé."

"Miss Sheng, are you confused? The one with the marriage agreement with the Song Family’s eldest son is you, the true daughter of the Sheng Family."

"Sister~ I... I never should have come back to the Sheng Family..." Sheng Xinglian said, her eyes welling with tears.

"Enough. Who’s your sister? Mr. Sheng already published a notice in the papers severing all ties with me. Stop trying to cozy up to me."

Gu Jiaojiao had no desire to deal with this two-faced schemer, who was always trying to be the center of attention.

"Gu Jiaojiao, how can an ungrateful wretch like you speak to Miss Sheng that way?" one of Song Zijin’s cronies interjected, coming to Sheng Xinglian’s defense.

Gu Jiaojiao looked at the boy who had spoken. ’He always had a huge problem with her former self.’

’The only reason he didn’t disrespect her to her face was because she was Song Zijin’s fiancée.’

’He acted all high and mighty because of his good grades, always looking down on people out of the corner of his eye.’

’Especially when he looked at classmates who didn’t like to study, he’d look down his nose at them so hard his nostrils were practically pointing at the sky.’

’Now that he knew Gu Jiaojiao was no longer his boss’s fiancée, of course he was going to lay into her.’

’Her former self had been exceptionally tolerant of the cronies surrounding Song Zijin.’

But Gu Jiaojiao was not her former self. She shot back, "Then how do you think I should speak?"

Seeing that Gu Jiaojiao was no longer as polite as before, the crony questioned her angrily.

"You enjoyed a life of comfort in the Sheng Family for eighteen years. Don’t you have any gratitude at all?"

"How should I be grateful? By getting on my knees and kowtowing in thanks every day? And what about Sheng Xinglian? Did she spend the last eighteen years surviving on nothing but air?

Everyone has eyes. They can see that Sheng Xinglian is well-read and polite, as beautiful as a flower. Does she look like a child who grew up being abused?

Isn’t everyone a treasure to their own family, cherished by their parents as they grow up?

After she returned to the Sheng Family, she only told me my surname was Gu. She never said where the Gu Family was.

She, the one who knew the truth, isn’t an ungrateful wretch? So why am I, the one who was kept in the dark, being called an ungrateful wretch?"

Gu Jiaojiao retorted with a beaming smile. Her smile was incredibly infectious, like a sunflower blooming in the sun, dazzling everyone who saw it.

After a moment of silence, the crowd’s opinion began to shift in Gu Jiaojiao’s favor. Some even began to gossip in low voices.

"Yeah, Miss Sheng doesn’t seem like she’s from the countryside at all. She must have been completely doted on by the Gu Family."

"She’s already back with the Sheng Family, so how come no one from the Gu Family has come to take Gu Jiaojiao home?"

"Could it be that she never told the Gu Family that Gu Jiaojiao was their daughter who was switched at birth?"

There’s never a shortage of conspiracy theorists. Prompted by this remark, people’s minds started to run wild.

Song Zijin didn’t know why, but whenever he saw Lian’er, he would feel an intense dislike for Gu Jiaojiao. Everything about her just rubbed him the wrong way.

Seeing Sheng Xinglian rendered speechless by Gu Jiaojiao’s retorts, he burned with rage and blurted out an accusation.

"Jiaojiao, you need to understand that I was nice to you before because of the friendship between the Song and Sheng families. Apologize to Lian’er at once."

"Who do you think you are? Why should I listen to you? What did I do wrong? What is there to apologize for?"

Gu Jiaojiao looked up at the handsome man again, her expression impassive as she questioned him, without a trace of the adoration she once held in her eyes.

"You... You’re... you’re being completely unreasonable," Song Zijin stammered, choked with anger.

"If I’m so unreasonable, then don’t talk to me. My husband and I were just walking along minding our own business. Did I ask you to come talk to us?"

’What’s so different about a handsome man’s brain?’ Gu Jiaojiao complained silently. ’The structure and components are all the same. The moment he opens his mouth, he’s just insufferably crass.’

She pushed the wheelchair and walked away without looking back, her posture ramrod straight and somewhat aloof.

The twilight stretched her shadow long, making it look somewhat endearing. Song Zijin stared blankly at Gu Jiaojiao’s departing figure.

Sheng Xinglian was so angry her eyes turned red, and the veins on her neck throbbed like worms.

’Gu Jiaojiao had gotten smarter since her marriage; she couldn’t get the upper hand with her anymore.’

Sheng Xinglian glared fiercely at Gu Jiaojiao’s back, her eyes filled with a ferocious hatred that stunned Song Zijin.

He rubbed his eyes. When he looked at Sheng Xinglian again, she had reverted to her usual delicate and pitiful appearance.

’Song Zijin thought he must have been imagining things. ’Lian’er is so kind. How could she possibly have such a ferocious and terrifying look in her eyes?’’

"Lian’er, Gu Jiaojiao has gone crazy. Let’s just ignore her. Come on, let’s go home and eat."

"I can’t walk with you. You’re my sister’s fiancé. I... I..."

Sheng Xinglian finished speaking coyly, waiting for Song Zijin to coax her as he usually did. But to her surprise, Song Zijin just stood there, motionless.

Riding his beloved old roadster, Mr. Sheng heard Gu Jiaojiao’s voice, as clear and bright as an oriole’s song, from a distance.

Her words were clear, and she raised a point they had never considered before.

’That’s right. His wife complained at home every day about how she had given eighteen years of a mother’s love to Jiaojiao.’

’But they had never considered that the Gu Family had also given all their love to their Lian’er.’

’Although Lian’er’s life was hard, it was much better than that of an average person from the countryside. They even sent her to high school and spoiled her rotten.’

The Gu Family hadn’t shown up for a long time, and Mr. Sheng had only recently investigated and found out that the Gu Family’s eldest son had returned home injured.

The second son got into a fight over the vicious rumors and was taken in by the local police for "re-education," and the shock caused Mrs. Gu to fall ill.

The Gu family’s patriarch had been in poor health for years and was now bedridden.

’And yet, when his Lian’er returned to the Sheng Family, the Gu Family was in dire straits, but Lian’er never said a word about it.’

’Now *that’s* a true ungrateful wretch,’ Mr. Sheng thought. He glanced at his daughter and called out, "Let’s go home and eat."

Sheng Xinglian froze, stunned by her father’s indifferent glance.

Her scalp tingled, and it felt as if a snake was crawling on her back. A prickling unease made her shudder despite the lack of cold.

She had no choice but to steel herself and follow her father, looking back at Song Zijin every few steps.

But Song Zijin’s gaze was fixed on Gu Jiaojiao’s back, his thoughts unreadable.

The setting sun filtered through the dense leaves of the plane trees, casting a fragmented, grid-like pattern of light and shadow across his face, making his expression seem deep and mysterious.

’Song Zijin was thinking that Gu Jiaojiao was still the same, stunningly beautiful Gu Jiaojiao.’

’He had once treated her with tenderness, and they shared many beautiful memories.’

’But whenever he saw Lian’er, he would be filled with pity for her and, in turn, feel a deep-seated hatred for Gu Jiaojiao.’

Su Shuochi sensed someone staring at their backs. He turned and saw Song Zijin’s "infatuated" gaze.

He shot a cold, harsh glare back at him, his eyes filled with an imposing, inviolable pressure.

Song Zijin was so startled he turned and fled. Su Shuochi was delighted. ’Stare all you want, it’s useless. My immortal wife belongs to me now.’

"Jiaojiao, Song Zijin just told Sheng Xinglian that you were crazy and unreasonable."

"So you’re saying I should go back and beat him up?" Gu Jiaojiao said teasingly.

"Heh heh, better wait until I’m recovered. I’ll beat him up then. You’ve got such delicate skin, you might hurt yourself."

Gu Jiaojiao and Su Shuochi headed back, talking and laughing. Passersby couldn’t help but look on with envy.

So what if he was disabled?

The man had his stipend and salary; he could afford to support a wife.

Gu Jiaojiao made a name for herself with that one confrontation. No one in the compound dared to look down on her anymore, and no one called her an ungrateful wretch.