Chapter 805: Can’t Let Her Take the College Entrance Examination

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“There’s something else,” Gong Xin continued. “Don’t pretend to be blind to the fact that the Lin family was indeed poor. Yet, Lin Miao managed to complete high school while living with them. The Lin family scrimped and saved to provide her with an education, but it seems they couldn’t erase the rusticity ingrained in her. Is it her rural upbringing that’s the problem, or is it a flaw in her character?”

Upon hearing her daughter’s words, Mrs. Chen’s anger flared. The Gu family, after all, belonged to the military compound, and they had only managed to send Gu Zi to high school. If it weren’t for Gu Zi’s exceptional abilities, she wouldn’t have been able to attend the city’s top schools, given Gu Shan’s military rank and position. Therefore, in terms of family support, the treatment Lin Miao and Gu Zi received in education was equivalent.

This time, Mrs. Chen didn’t stop her daughter from speaking. She agreed with her sentiments, believing that Lin Miao was indeed of poor character. She blamed herself for being blind in the past, failing to see through Lin Miao’s pretense of innocence.

However, when Gong Xin’s words reached the ears of the Gu couple, they seemed particularly unreasonable. It was the Gong family who had been eager for their son to get married, which led them to persuade Gu Zi to forgo the college entrance exam and marry instead. They had to choose between Gu Zi’s future and the Gu family’s future, and anyone would choose the latter. Now that Gu Zi didn’t take the college entrance exam, how did it become their fault?

Zhang Mei was at a loss for words. She nudged Gu Shan from behind. Their relationship had been strained for a long time, and they hadn’t cooperated on anything for a while. If it weren’t for the need to maintain their marriage alliance with the Gong family and secure the Gu family’s backing, they wouldn’t have visited the Gong family together.

Gu Shan was annoyed, but in the face of the Gong family, he had to suppress his anger. He put on a brave face and said, “Commander Gong, regardless of everything, Lin Miao has changed now. Please give her a chance for the sake of my many years of service. She will fulfill her duties as a daughter-in-law and won’t make the same mistakes again. I assure you.”

Commander Gong remained silent, while Gong Xin scoffed and spoke for her father. “If assurances were enough, there would be no need for the police. Everyone in our family is clear-headed. Even if my brother can’t marry an outstanding woman like Gu Zi, we won’t accept Lin Miao. Whatever you say to my father won’t make a difference. If there’s nothing else, you can leave now.”

Upon hearing the name Gu Zi, a hint of regret flashed in Mrs. Chen’s eyes. “We were short-sighted back then,” she admitted. “I heard that Gu Zi is now working in a newspaper agency. She’s a good woman, anyone who is with her will be better off. Even when she went to the countryside, she didn’t give up on herself. Instead, she became even more outstanding.”

Mrs. Chen’s words left Zhang Mei feeling stifled. It sounded as if Gu Zi was the one who had married Gong Zhan, and the Gong family was now favoring her. It seemed that whatever they couldn’t have was always the best. She felt compelled to speak up for Lin Miao.

“Who knows what means she used to come back,” Zhang Mei retorted. “And that job, it should have been Miaomiao’s. It was stolen by her. I don’t even know why she came back. If she hadn’t been so persistent, Miaomiao wouldn’t have ended up in jail.”

She continued, “Even if she returned to the city and got a job at the newspaper, what does it matter? Her husband is a man from the countryside, a twice-married man with three children. Even his military service doesn’t amount to much. I don’t know what she’s up to, returning to the city, getting a job. Not even her three adopted children can hold her back. She really has a lot of energy.”

Zhang Mei remembered that Gu Zi was also planning to take the college entrance exam. She was a good student, and if she took the exam alongside Miaomiao, she would surely outperform her. The thought of Miaomiao being overshadowed by Gu Zi again annoyed Zhang Mei even more. If that happened, Gu Shan might completely favor Gu Zi, leaving no place for Miaomiao. She couldn’t let that happen…

Mrs. Chen couldn’t stand it anymore. “What do you mean Gu Zi stole Miaomiao’s job through underhanded means? The one who likes to play tricks is Lin Miao. If Gong Xin hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known that the incident involving Gong Xin was orchestrated by Lin Miao. She’s too cunning. If Lin Miao hadn’t ended up in jail, I would have settled this matter with her. She even dared to harm my precious daughter.”

In the end, the two families couldn’t reach an agreement. Gu Shan and his wife were practically driven out by the Gong family.

Zhang Mei, however, didn’t seem to mind. She was busy scheming and said to Gu Shan, “We can’t let Gu Zi take the college entrance exam. You must find a way to cancel her eligibility.”

Gu Shan frowned deeply, annoyed. “What kind of bad idea are you coming up with now? If Gu Zi does well in the college entrance exam, it might not be a bad thing.”

Zhang Mei argued, “If she scores higher than Lin Miao, our Gu family will be the laughingstock. People will say we’ve thrown away a pearl and picked up a grain of sand. Of course, I’m not saying my Miaomiao is a grain of sand. But you are Miaomiao’s biological father, you must plan for her future. Don’t forget, Gu Zi already has her own parents now. Does she still recognize you?”