"No matter what, your wife is an outsider with no blood relation. Yu Chuan and Xin Yue are cousins who grew up together. What's there to avoid?"
Shen Ling's face turned green with anger, but she didn't dare to contradict or question her mother-in-law.
In order to get rid of Tong Xinyue as soon as possible, she had no choice but to swallow her anger and tell her her plan.
"Mom, Yuchuan and I are thinking about having a child. If Xinyue is here, it will make us feel uneasy."
As Shen Ling spoke, she deliberately raised her hand to touch her lower abdomen.
“I’ve been taking tonics for days now. If I can’t share a bed with Yu Chuan because Xin Yue stayed overnight, it would be a complete waste.”
These words accurately hit Wang Yulian's sore spot.
She may not care about Shen Ling, but anyone who dares to waste money is touching her lifeline.
“You’re right. Buying tonics costs a lot of money, so we can’t let them go to waste.”
Wang Yulian quickly went to Tong Xinyue and urged her to go home.
"Xinyue, I've been thinking about it. Yuchuan is married now, so it's inconvenient for you to stay overnight. You should go home quickly."
"You can come over to play whenever you want during the day, just don't disturb your brother and sister-in-law."
Tong Xinyue immediately guessed that Shen Ling was behind it all, and she rolled her eyes inwardly in exasperation.
That woman is no real sister-in-law; she's just a figurehead.
Although she was inwardly cursing and swearing, Tong Xinyue outwardly pretended to be weak and helpless.
“But Aunt, it’s so late now, it’s not safe for a girl like me to go home alone.”
"As you know, I'm most afraid of walking at night. What if I run into some bad guy who wants to do something bad to me?"
She whimpered and pretended to wipe her eyes, looking utterly pitiful.
The women present weren't buying it and didn't react much, but Gu Yuchuan, who was standing next to them, felt a pang of heartache upon seeing it.
"Xinyue, don't cry. My mom is wrong. You're my only cousin. How could I be afraid of being influenced by you?"
"You can stay home tonight. No one can make you leave unless I agree."
Gu Yuchuan eagerly moved closer to Tong Xinyue, his face full of worry, as if he wanted to hug and comfort her.
Wang Yulian was initially only concerned about the cost of the tonic, but upon hearing Gu Yuchuan's words, she instantly became unhappy.
"I'm your mother, can't I even make a decision about this little thing?"
"Mom, that's not what I meant."
Gu Yuchuan pinched the bridge of his nose helplessly, wanting to say a few more words on behalf of Tong Xinyue.
But Wang Yulian was furious and kept escalating the situation by criticizing him.
"I'm not trying to be mean, but don't you two find it strange how you get along?"
"He's such a grown-up, yet his younger sister still clings to him like a brother. Doesn't she worry about being laughed at by outsiders?"
Shen Ling was secretly pleased to finally find someone who would stand up for her, and she joined in the charade.
"Brother Chuan, don't blame Mom and me for being suspicious, but after all, I am your wife, and I should be the person closest to you."
"Although I know that you and Xinyue are cousins and there's no way you could have anything going on, times have changed. There are a lot of people and eyes in this tenement, so you still have to be careful about your image and avoid giving anyone cause for gossip."
Her words, seemingly for Gu Yuchuan's sake, were actually a show of defiance towards Tong Xinyue.
Although marriage between blood relatives within three generations is now strictly prohibited, Shen Ling still felt uneasy.
I can't help but judge Tong Xinyue by the same standards I would use to judge a love rival.
She didn't think she was overthinking things at all. After all, if it were ancient times, it would be perfectly normal for cousins to have illicit affairs, so her vigilance was justified.
If Gu Yuchuan and Tong Xinyue have a clear conscience, they naturally have nothing to fear from what others say.
The problem is, their relationship wasn't really close to begin with.
What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listeners. Fearing that Wang Yulian and Shen Ling might discover some clues, the two quickly relented.
"Then I'll go home tonight."
Tong Xinyue then left reluctantly.
Seeing her looking back every few steps, Gu Yuchuan felt very uncomfortable and quickly quickened his pace to catch up with her.
"Wait, Xinyue, it's getting late. It's not safe for you to be alone. Let me personally escort you out."
After leaving the Gu family's house, the two walked one after the other in the alley, neither of them speaking.
Tong Xinyue waited until they were far away and sure that Wang Yulian and Shen Ling wouldn't hear them before suddenly turning around.
She fluttered into Gu Yuchuan's arms like a butterfly.
"Cousin, it's been so long since we last saw each other. I really miss you. Why are there always so many obstacles between us?"
Gu Yuchuan also held her tightly in his arms, deeply infatuated with her fragrance, which was completely different from Shen Ling's.
"Moon, I miss you so much too."
Upon hearing him call her that, Tong Xinyue instantly pursed her lips, looking at him as if she were extremely heartbroken.
“I don’t like your wife at all. She bullies me. We’ve both severed ties completely, but she still can’t tolerate me and even abuses our son!”
She omitted the part about Lele grabbing mud and throwing it at people, and only exaggerated to Gu Yuchuan how vulgar and hateful Shen Ling and He Shuhui's words were to Lele.
"Luckily I saw it today, otherwise Lele would have been bullied terribly by that bad woman."
Tong Xinyue hugged Gu Yuchuan's waist tightly, constantly whining and complaining in a low voice.
"Shen Ling only wants to seduce you because you're too good to me and steal you away from me."
“She’s too superficial. All she cares about is your money and the position of Mrs. Gu. Unlike me, cousin, only I truly love you.”
Gu Yuchuan's heart almost melted at Tong Xinyue's soft voice, and he quickly hugged her and comforted her.
"What wife, Yue'er? In my heart, there will always only be one wife: you."
No matter how beautiful or pretty other women are, they are not qualified to stand next to me!
Tong Xinyue smiled after he coaxed her, but her expression still looked somewhat preoccupied.
“We love each other so much, but we can’t really be together. The thought that I can’t stand by your side as your wife openly and honestly in this life makes me so sad.”
She frowned and clutched her chest.
"But the current situation forces me to suppress my feelings. My aunt would never accept me. She would be more satisfied with a woman like Shen Ling than with me."
“Cousin, every time I think about this, I wish I could just snatch you back, but we have a son, and for his future happiness, I can’t bear to do it.”
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