"Thank you all for coming to celebrate my birthday today. I'm deeply grateful. I have another important announcement to make today. I'm welcoming my only biological daughter and her family back to the Gu family. I'm deeply grateful to God for allowing me to meet them in my lifetime!"
Lu Tian listened to Mr. Gu's impassioned speech. The Gu family hadn't revealed the truth of what had happened. His half-truths only made people speculate that Tian Jing had been lost and abducted, and that Gu Yalan was their daughter's replacement. This allowed Gu Yalan and her daughter to maintain their dignity, while also preserving the Gu family's reputation. The original novel handled the situation this way, except that in the original novel, Gu Yalan and her daughter were the only family members standing together, and Mrs. Gu excitedly announced that she now had two biological daughters.
The original owner was driven mad with jealousy, practically putting herself in the shoes of Tian Jing, the victim of the switch. While Tian Jing was annoyed, she didn't lose her temper outright. Instead, after the family photo, the original owner privately addressed Yu Ningxuan, publicly scolding her and even pushing the smugly, fake-goody Gu Yalan to the ground.
Gu Yalan was an adult, so a pushover wouldn't have been a big deal. The problem was that she was pregnant with her second child, a child she'd finally gotten. Gu Yalan had suffered complications from giving birth to Ning Xuan, and due to policy restrictions, she hadn't had children. But she'd actually wanted another child, and after the policy was relaxed, she'd been preparing for pregnancy. No one knew she was pregnant, not even herself.
Perhaps Gu Yalan's pregnancy wasn't a good sign to begin with, and even with the original owner's push, she was sent directly to the hospital, where she inevitably miscarried. After all, she was the Gu family's beloved daughter for over forty years. Old Master Gu, heartbroken and angry, also sent her to the hospital, where she suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and became severely ill. She died soon after, and all the blame was placed on the original owner.
Ever since Lu Tian met Gu Yalan, he kept his distance from her and didn't dare to provoke her at all.
This time, for a family photo, they called Gu Yalan's family over. Lu Tian pretended not to notice. Even if she was angry, it wasn't her turn to be angry. Before Tian Jing could say anything, she secretly glanced at her. Tian Jing smiled normally, but there was still a hint of sadness in her eyes. In the original novel, the original owner was able to vent her temper freely because she was indulged by her. Everyone has selfish desires, no matter how powerful she is.
Yu Ningxuan stood with her cousins, smiling shyly as if relieved. A man in the distance saw her smile and gradually smiled as well.
After taking a group photo, everyone went their separate ways to get their meals. The birthday party was a buffet, which made it convenient for everyone to chat and communicate. Lu Tian had been hungry for a long time, but had no appetite to eat. She held a glass of juice and drank it in sips. Not long after, there was a commotion at the party. It was Meng's father who had arrived late.
Old Master Gu wasn't angry at all. After all, the Meng family was stronger than the Gu family, and it was a great honor for Meng's father to come. But should she go up and say hello? Originally, everyone had rushed to the hospital, and the banquet hall was in a mess. Who would notice that there were other guests?
Tian Jing didn't give her time to hesitate. She gave her a look from a distance. She put down the juice and was about to walk over, but she didn't expect someone to suddenly appear behind her and hold her hand.
"It's me, let's go together." Meng Jingdong appeared behind her at some point, and for the first time in his life, he showed a gentle smile.
Lu Tian gave him a gentle smile, holding up her skirt with one hand and holding his arm with the other, as she walked towards Meng's father calmly and freely. This was also the reason why she had agreed to announce the divorce by the end of next year. The Gu family would definitely know about her and Meng Jingdong's affairs, and she couldn't afford to lose face in such an occasion.
Father Meng and Old Man Gu stood together and looked at the approaching couple with kind smiles.
"What's going on?" Old Mrs. Gu murmured.
Mr. Gu patted her hands and said to his wife gently, "Tiantian and Jingdong have already obtained their marriage certificate. I am so happy!"
"Really?" Old Lady Gu was wondering how Lu Tian had managed to get Meng Jingdong without anyone noticing. She seemed quite calculating.
Lu Tian and Meng Jingdong had already walked up to them. In front of everyone, they shouted in unison, "Dad," as if they were walking hand in hand into the wedding hall to greet their father-in-law.
Father Meng nodded with great satisfaction.
Back home, Zou Rui carried his son upstairs. Tian Jing stopped Lu Tian and asked her to stay in the car and talk for a while. Lu Tian inexplicably felt the uneasiness that her friend had described: the feeling of being called in for a talk by your boss.
"What do you think about the Gu family's affairs?"
Lu Tian touched his nose and looked directly into Tian Jing's serious eyes: "The Gu family wants to save face, so they have a lot of concerns. If Gu Yalan hadn't done anything wrong, they wouldn't have just abandoned her."
"Get to the point! What are you thinking? Did you reveal the truth before just for these reasons?" Tian Jing still remembered that she had asked Lu Tian what benefits he wanted to gain from this matter. At that time, she was an outsider, but now that she was in the middle of it, it was difficult for her to analyze rationally.
"I exposed it at the time because I was angry and jealous of Yu Ningxuan, but after seeing the Gu family, it's no longer just jealousy. I can't control the Gu family's thoughts, and I can't guarantee to make up for the loss of the Gu family in cutting off Gu Yalan. The Yu family is not wrong, and the baby swap was not done by Gu Yalan. The only one who is wrong is Old Madam Tian. The Yu family doesn't want to lose face, so they have to keep it secret. The Gu family also keeps it secret because they think they can make it up to you privately, but the interests of the Gu family cannot be lost. Even if the old man is willing to give it up, his sons and grandsons don't want to lose this solid family alliance with the Yu family."
The bottom line is, Tian Jing and Lu Tian weren't important enough to warrant giving up some of their own interests. On the other hand, if she hadn't deliberately pursued it, Tian Jing wouldn't have cared that much about the Gu family's affection. If she didn't get it when she needed it most, then making up for it would just be icing on the cake.
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