Hua Hua hadn’t seen her cousin in years. The Li family wouldn’t let her set foot in their house, and she didn’t have the means to get in on her own.

She wasn’t one for studying hard, either. Her family wasn’t well-off, but she had grown accustomed to the good life and couldn’t stand being poor.

So she started finding boyfriends to mooch off of, bleeding them dry until the man couldn’t take it anymore and broke up with her.

Then she’d find the next one. She knew how to dress herself up and had a silver tongue, so most men would fall for her the first time they met.

Once the man was hooked, Hua Hua would move in with him. Since she was a gluttonous slob, a well-off family might be able to support her for six months to a year.

Those who weren’t so well-off would be sighing and shaking their heads within two to six months. In any case, they never officially registered their marriage or held a wedding banquet.

When the couple fell out, they would just go their separate ways. The men never wanted to cause trouble, just chalking it up to being blind and accepting their misfortune.

They just wanted to get rid of this high-maintenance woman as quickly as possible.

And as for Hua Hua?

The moment a man was no longer willing to spoil her, her good life was over. She certainly wasn’t going to stick around at his place.

She had to find the next, even better target and continue her carefree life of leisure and indulgence.

She bled one family dry after another, and soon Hua Hua became infamous in the region as the lazy woman who would eat you out of house and home.

She had recently returned to her parents’ home and stayed for two months, but no one was willing to be set up on a blind date with her anymore!

Hua Hua hadn’t been invited to Li Xiulan and Second Brother Gu’s wedding banquet. Her father and two brothers hadn’t wanted to bring her, either.

But her mother felt sorry for her and wanted to bring her out for a free, high-quality meal. Secretly, she also hoped her daughter might find another good match.

Who would have thought that her daughter would try to cause a scene the moment she arrived? Li Xiulan’s second aunt was so frantic she started to cry, not knowing what to do.

But what kind of person was Gu Jiaojiao? Did they really think she would allow someone to cause a ruckus at her second brother’s wedding?

Upon learning the truth, Gu Jiaojiao struck one of Hua Hua’s pressure points to render her mute, then grabbed her and threw her out.

She drove her parents and two brothers out along with her. "You all better remember this! Li Xiulan is my sister-in-law. She’s not someone you can afford to mess with."

"Young lady, I’m Lanlan’s second uncle. You can throw my daughter out, that’s fine, but please let me and my two sons inside."

Her second uncle stood at the restaurant entrance, pleading desperately. His younger son still needed to suck up to his new brother-in-law to find a job!

"No. If you want to see your sister, go find her at her home. This is my brother and sister-in-law’s wedding. I will not allow anyone to cause a disturbance."

Without another word, Gu Jiaojiao turned and walked away. A large group of exceptionally handsome young grandnephews followed in her wake.

Every one of them glared viciously at Hua Hua’s family, raising their fists. "Dare to mess with our great-aunt again, and you’ll have to answer to our fists!"

Although Huahua’s father didn’t recognize all of them, he had seen a few before, like the Li family’s eldest grandson.

That was someone even his brother-in-law and nephew had to curry favor with. And yet, the Li family’s eldest grandson wasn’t even at the front of the group, but was merely standing in the middle of the crowd.

This realization made Li Xiulan’s second uncle break out in a cold sweat. "Help your sister up and get the hell home, now!" he hissed at his sons.

Hua Hua’s two brothers dragged her away as she wailed in frustration, but no sound came out of her throat.

Her father and brothers were so furious they wanted to kill her, but in the end, the family just dejectedly squatted on the curb outside the restaurant.

Since Hua Hua couldn’t speak, she couldn’t cause any more trouble. So, Huahua’s father hoped that his sister or brother-in-law would spot them and invite them back inside to eat.

Li Xiulan’s maternal grandmother stood at the window, her heart aching as she watched her second son’s family squatting miserably on the street below.

But she didn’t want to put herself in that difficult position again. She steeled herself, drew the curtains, and put them out of her sight and mind.

"Mom, don’t be upset," Li Xiulan’s eldest uncle said, walking over to comfort her.

Hearing her eldest son’s voice, Li Xiulan’s grandmother sighed. "Having an unfilial granddaughter like Hua Hua... it must be my bad fate. It’s my fault."

"Mom, every generation has its own destiny. You shouldn’t worry about it," her eldest son comforted her again.

Li Xiulan’s grandmother shook her head. "It was because of my greed back then. I wanted Hua Hua to have a good life, but who knew it would end up harming my second son’s entire family..."

"Mom... what are you talking about?!"

Hearing his mother’s words, her eldest son exclaimed, "How could this have anything to do with you? Hua Hua is just a scoundrel, a lazy good-for-nothing."

Li Xiulan’s grandmother gave a bitter smile. "Back then, I just thought that since your sister’s family was well-off, Hua Hua could go to their house to benefit from their good fortune and enjoy a better life."

"Who knew... SIGH..." Li Xiulan’s grandmother let out another long sigh.

Then she added, "I never expected Hua Hua to turn out like this. I should have raised her myself back then.

If I hadn’t sent her to the Li family, none of this would have ever happened!" At this, Li Xiulan’s grandmother began to sob quietly.

"Alright, Mom, that was more than twenty years ago. What’s the point of bringing it up now?"

Li Xiulan’s eldest uncle quickly tried to console her. "Don’t be sad. Hua Hua brought all of this on herself."

"Sigh... It’s true, Hua Hua brought it all on herself. The Li family treated her so well, yet she did... what she did."

As she spoke, another wave of grief washed over Li Xiulan’s grandmother.

Seeing his mother in such a state, her eldest son felt pained as well.

He knew very well how much trauma Hua Hua’s actions over the years had caused their mother.

"Mom, please calm down. Our sister and brother-in-law have never blamed us," her eldest son urged again.

"But I blame myself so much! Your family still has a son who hasn’t found a wife and a daughter who isn’t married, all because Hua Hua has dragged you down!" Li Xiulan’s grandmother’s tears flowed endlessly.

Her eldest son comforted her again, "Mom, don’t overthink it. We should go out and take our seats at the banquet now."

His wife, however, snorted coldly. "When we get back, we’re going to have to deal with her properly."

「In another room」 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Li Xiaobin asked quietly, "Dad, what’s going on? Why did Second Uncle bring his daughter?"

"You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask! This is an absolute disgrace!" Mr. Li’s face was dark as he glared angrily at the people on the street below.

Seeing the look of utter disappointment on his father’s face, it was obvious how furious he was.

Li Xiaobin, however, wasn’t that angry anymore. "Dad, don’t blame yourself. My brother-in-law’s sister is amazing. She threw Second Uncle’s whole family out."

"Sigh... I just feel so ashamed. I’m going to be so embarrassed in front of our new in-laws."

Mr. Li knew his wife had invited her second brother’s family. ’He had truly loved his wife when they married all those years ago.

’And she had indeed been a sweet and sensible young woman. But this incident left him deeply disappointed.

’They had been married for over twenty years. While his stable job was certainly thanks to his influential paternal uncle, it was largely because his home life was stable.

’His wife managed the household so well that he never had to worry about anything.

’They had a son and a daughter, after which his wife could no longer have children. Their family life had been perfectly happy and harmonious.

’But the niece they had raised had broken their hearts, and now she had actually tried to ruin their own daughter’s wedding.’