Back to the 1980s: Transmigrated as the Bigshot's Pampered Wife-Chapter 46: Picking a Quarrel Without Reason

Gu Jiaojiao had been frail since childhood, so her three brothers always made sure she got the best food and the most fun toys.

Since he had already snuck out, Sheng Shiwen decided to go to the Su family home and see if Gu Jiaojiao was really sick.

But halfway there, from a distance, he heard Gu Jiaojiao’s clear, crisp laughter.

’The sister he had pampered for eighteen years was actually laughing and chatting with a cripple. Was it because the Su family had delicious cold noodles?’

’Or was the Su family’s pork tastier than the Sheng Family’s? When did she sink so low?’

Overcome with fury, Sheng Shiwen stormed up to confront Gu Jiaojiao, his rage raw and genuine.

Growing angrier by the second, Sheng Shiwen blurted out, "Gu Jiaojiao, you ungrateful wretch! The Sheng Family raised you for eighteen years, and this is how you repay us?"

"Who’s that ungrateful wretch yelling at?"

"Yelling at you."

"What right does an ungrateful wretch have to yell at me? You make it sound as if your precious ’white lotus’ was raised on air alone.

Eighteen years ago, our Gu Family was by no means inferior to your Sheng Family. My grandfather was a professor at a top university in the Imperial City, and my father was a professor at Qingcheng University.

In what way were we worse off than your Sheng Family? The name my father gave Sheng Xinglian is proof of how much they cherished that daughter.

Xing for the stars in the sky, and Lian for the lotus, the most exquisite of flowers. Her name was filled with their adoration for their daughter.

Even when the Gu Family fell on hard times, they still raised Sheng Xinglian to be as fair and delicate as a lotus flower.

But my grandfather was malnourished. My parents were malnourished. My eldest brother’s body began to fail from severe malnutrition.

My second brother was tanned and gaunt, but look at Sheng Xinglian—rosy-cheeked and as healthy as a young calf.

She found her birth parents and immediately turned her back on the people who raised her. All I did was express my gratitude for the Sheng Family’s care, for the overwhelming affection you showered on me for eighteen years.

I wanted to fight for just two parts of that love from my adoptive parents and brothers. You could have kept the other ten parts to love your biological daughter and sister.

But you just called me unreasonable, irrational, and ungrateful.

You wouldn’t even give me a scrap of that love. Instead, you wounded your adoptive sister with vicious words. Are you trying to drive me to my death again?

You’re bound to be disappointed. King Yan said I’m beautiful and kind-hearted. Not only did he refuse to take me, he even granted me another eighty years of life.

Sheng Shiwen, you listen and you listen good. I, Gu Jiaojiao, will live to be ninety-eight years old. That’s a decree from King Yama himself.

Besides, your Sheng Family was the first to cast aside your adopted daughter. What right do you have to call me ungrateful now?

What did I do wrong? Do I have to be like that ungrateful wretch, Sheng Xinglian, to be considered ’grateful’? I’ll let all of you be the judge."

While there weren’t many pedestrians on the street, there were plenty of onlookers with time to spare—like Song Zijie and Song Zijin, who had also snuck out.

There were also retirees and homemakers, who, upon hearing the argument, all rushed over toward Gu Jiaojiao and the others.

Among them were Old Sir Sheng, Mr. Song, and Old Sir Dong. They had been drinking tea and playing chess together but came over to see the commotion when they heard the shouting.

"Gu Jiaojiao’s right. The Sheng Family raised her for eighteen years, but the Gu Family also raised Sheng Xinglian for eighteen years.

Gu Jiaojiao may have lived well, but she wasn’t the best-fed person in the Sheng household. Sheng Xinglian, on the other hand, was the best-fed person in the Gu household.

When Gu Jiaojiao tries to win back some of her adoptive parents’ affection, you call her irrational.

Sheng Xinglian is the real ungrateful wretch for disowning her adoptive parents! What right do you have to call Gu Jiaojiao ungrateful?"

Song Zijie, straddling his heavy-duty roadster with both feet on the ground, boomed out his support as if he actually knew Gu Jiaojiao and Sheng Xinglian.

In reality, he had only seen Gu Jiaojiao at the black market that morning and had never even met Sheng Xinglian, but that didn’t stop him from running his mouth.

"Yeah, Boss Song is absolutely right! And Sheng Er just admitted he’s an ungrateful wretch himself," Song Zijie’s sidekick added.

"Tsk, tsk. Jiaojiao’s right. The Sheng Family’s biological daughter is a real ungrateful wretch for abandoning her adoptive parents."

A woman who held a grudge against Mrs. Sheng chimed in, gloating. ’I have to tell everyone in the compound every last detail of this,’ she thought.

"Since the Sheng Family already published a newspaper announcement disowning her, why is Sheng Er still harassing Gu Jiaojiao?"

The crowd buzzed with chatter.

"Get lost," Su Shuochi said, his voice icy. "Sheng Shiwen, are you going to stand here and continue to make a fool of yourself?"

After hearing Gu Jiaojiao’s words, Sheng Shiwen could only stare at her blankly, a bitter and complex mix of emotions churning inside him.

It wasn’t that he didn’t care about the pointing and whispering from the crowd; he simply didn’t know how to refute any of it.

When he heard the man beside Gu Jiaojiao tell him to get lost, he looked at her again.

When he saw that she made no move to stop the man, Sheng Shiwen’s heart ached as if someone were sawing at it with a dull knife.

The man’s fierce glare, filled with loathing, was particularly cutting—sharper than any blade.

In an instant, Sheng Shiwen felt his world crumble. Numbly, he got on his bike, turned, and fled as if on wings.

’He knew how savage and ruthless that man could be. It wasn’t just people; even a fierce wolf would probably make a wide berth around him.’

Sheng Shiwen had never had a good impression of Su Shuochi, not since the day he first arrived at the compound.

Over the years, it had only gotten worse, never better.

Su Shuochi’s roar made his scalp prickle. He felt exposed, a chill running down his spine despite the heat. ’If I don’t run now, when will I?’

And just like that, Sheng Shiwen fled. The crowd dispersed in twos and threes, murmuring to their companions and collectively scorning him. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Old Sir Sheng watched his second grandson flee in disgrace. He desperately wished he could tell everyone that he didn’t know that person.

He gave Gu Jiaojiao a long, deep look. ’She’s still the same person, just with much more backbone than before.’

’Is it because she has the Gu Family backing her now?’

’She was right. The Sheng Family can’t compare to the Gu Family. Setting aside everything else, just comparing her to Lian’er was enough. The cultural refinement in Gu Jiaojiao’s bloodline was far superior to Lian’er’s. She carried herself with a natural grace, unlike Lian’er’s provincial air.’

’The Sheng Family has been a military family for three generations. In the old-fashioned way of speaking, they were just uncultured brutes of generals.’

’What’s more, the most accomplished son in the Sheng Family had only managed to become a minor general.’ Old Sir Sheng beat a hasty retreat.

He was afraid Gu Jiaojiao would see him. Besides, he needed to get home and take his medicine; he already had a heart condition, and the stress was becoming too much to bear.

Across the main road, Mrs. Sheng was leading a cultural troupe through an outdoor rehearsal. She had heard every single word.

She remembered with chilling clarity that if it hadn’t been for Gu Jiaojiao that day, she really would have drowned in that pond.

Looking at the calm and composed Gu Jiaojiao, Mrs. Sheng finally realized that after they had severed ties, the ones who couldn’t let go were the Sheng family.

Gu Jiaojiao, on the other hand, already saw them as strangers.

Just now, she had seen the lingering, reluctant look in her father-in-law’s eyes before he left, and she’d seen her second son pick a fight for no reason at all.

’In Jiaojiao’s own words, that big oaf was just worried about her and trying to get her attention.’

Song Zijin had originally snuck out to buy some cold noodles for his dear Lian’er.

He gazed at the dazzling Gu Jiaojiao. Her complexion was as smooth and delicate as silken tofu, looking incredibly supple and tender.

She wore a short-sleeved dress, and her long hair cascaded down, a few strands straying by her ears to rest against her arm. The contrast of her dark hair against her pale skin was breathtaking.