Chapter 84 Walking on Thin Ice
Gu Jingxi's face was cold and his gaze sharp as he asked in a cold voice, "Do you think that because I only have one son, and you are the only one who can inherit the title, you feel that you have the right to act recklessly?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Xiuming trembled, a look of guilt and panic flashing in his eyes. He hurriedly shook his head, trying to defend himself: "Father, no."
Gu Jingxi stared at him intently, and said slowly, "Even if you are my only son, you are not indispensable as the heir to the title of Marquis. The Gu family does not only have you as a child. Since you are not up to the task, then the capable should take your place."
Gu Xiuming's face turned ashen, his eyes filled with fear. His legs went weak, and he knelt down with a thud, hurriedly admitting his mistake: "Father, your son truly knows he was wrong and will never do it again. I beg you, Father, to have mercy and give your son another chance to reform."
His voice trembled as he spoke. Before he was adopted, his biological parents told him that he was to become the heir apparent and inherit the title of marquis.
After being adopted, everyone in the Marquis's mansion treated him very well, and he adapted to life there. At the same time, he understood that others were only nice to him and flattered him because he was his father's son and the heir of the Marquis of Changxing's mansion.
He simply couldn't imagine what life would be like if he lost his position as heir apparent. Those who had once flattered and fawned over him would probably kick him while he was down and ridicule him, and even the servants in his household would mock him.
Gu Jingxi took in all the subtle changes in his son's expression, knowing what his son cared about and what he was afraid of. For this son to whom he had poured his heart and soul and placed high hopes, he now only felt disappointment.
He frowned in thought, his expression inscrutable, and looked down at his anxious son kneeling on the ground, uttering two words indifferently: "Get out."
Gu Xiuming looked up in surprise: "Father?"
Gu Jingxi remained silent, merely gazing at him with a dark and unfathomable expression.
Gu Xiuming was shocked, but dared not say another word. He kowtowed to his father and said, "Please calm down, Father. I will go back and reflect on my actions and never do it again."
When Gu Xiuming left the study, he was completely pale, his face ashen, and he was utterly exhausted. He stumbled as he went down the steps and almost fell.
His father didn't say the outcome, nor did he say that he would be deposed or that he would always be the heir to the title. As long as the final result was not out, he couldn't put his mind at ease.
This feeling was like having a sword hanging over his head, ready to strike and take his life at any moment. Fear and unease would accompany him, and his sense of superiority as the heir of a marquis's mansion would vanish in an instant, leaving only a sense of crisis, a sense of crisis that he could be replaced at any time. Every step he took was like walking on thin ice.
He looked up at the clear blue sky and felt a sense of desolation about the future. He wondered if it was because he wasn't his father's biological son that he felt this way. If he were, his father would never have treated him this way.
Even if you raise a dog, you'll develop feelings for it after so many years, let alone a person? He's called Gu Jingxi "father" for so many years, Gu Jingxi is truly heartless.
Gu Xiuming returned to Qingyuxuan in a daze, like a walking corpse. When he saw Li Wan'er crying with tears streaming down her face and heard her pitiful sobs, he unusually did not hug her and comfort her. Instead, a sense of irritation rose in his heart for no reason.
When Li Wan'er saw him, it was as if she had seen her pillar of support. She suddenly stood up and threw herself into his arms, feeling even more aggrieved. Her tears fell even more fiercely, and she choked out, "Brother Xiuming, your family doesn't like me. They all look down on me. Do they blame me for eloping with you that day and hurting your fiancée?"
As she spoke, she added in a self-deprecating tone, "That's true. She's a girl from the Yongchang Marquis's mansion, born into an official family, and she's so beautiful. I'm just a penniless orphan. It's normal for your family to like her."
Although Gu Xiuming was annoyed, seeing his beloved girl sobbing in his arms, her slender shoulders shaking, he still felt a pang of heartache. He suppressed his irritation and patiently coaxed her, "Wan'er, don't cry. It doesn't matter whether they like you or not. As long as I like you, that's all that matters."
However, Li Wan'er was not so easily coaxed this time. She was not soothed by those words. Whenever she thought of the embarrassing incident she had caused in Shou'an Hall because of her lack of manners, and the intriguing looks in the eyes of those people, she felt ashamed. The thought of being ridiculed by those people when she left the courtyard made her even more afraid.
She slowly raised her head to look at Gu Xiuming, her tear-streaked face full of grievance, her misty eyes looking at him with pleading eyes, her tone filled with helplessness: "But in the future, I will not only have to face you in the Gu family, but also them. What should I do?"
Gu Xiuming's mind was still replaying his father's words, and he was feeling restless and impatient. He didn't have much patience for her, so when he heard her say this, he said, "Since you're afraid, then go out less and avoid running into them."
Li Wan'er was stunned after hearing this, finding it hard to believe that he would say such a thing. It took her a long time to react, and she felt even more aggrieved. She said, "Brother Xiuming, are you also disgusted that I embarrassed you today? If you despise me so much, why didn't you marry Meng Jinyao in the first place and elope with me?"
Gu Xiuming looked at the usually understanding girl, who was acting somewhat irritably today, and felt even more annoyed. However, he thought that Wan'er must have been wronged today, and besides, without Wan'er's kindness, he would have died after being bitten by a snake that day. In the end, he couldn't bear to blame her, so he gently shook his head and said, "Don't think nonsense. How could I dislike you?"
As he spoke, he raised his hand to wipe away Li Wan'er's tears and continued to coax her: "Wan'er, your elder brother and sister-in-law got married at the end of last year and don't have any children yet. If we can give Grandmother a great-grandson before them, she will change her opinion of you for the sake of the eldest grandson. Once Grandmother changes her attitude towards you, she will change her attitude towards others as well."
Hearing this, Li Wan'er was temporarily calmed down. A mother's status rises with her son, which is true in any family. For the sake of the child, she believed that the elders of the Zu Gu family would soften their attitude and gradually accept her.
Seeing that she had finally stopped crying, Gu Xiuming said, "Alright, stop crying. Let the maid come in and tidy up."
Li Wan'er asked blankly, "Pack what?"
Gu Xiuming replied, "Pack your things and move them to the west wing. You should move to the west wing too."
Li Wan'er was puzzled: "Brother Xiuming, this place is just fine, I like it very much, why do we have to move to the west wing?"
“The main house is the residence of the legal wife, so…” Gu Xiuming stopped mid-sentence, not daring to look her in the eye and looking away, feeling guilty and ashamed.
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