Disorder in marriage

Yan Zhi didn't sleep well that night, tossing and turning, feeling uneasy.

As dawn broke, she woke up inexplicably. There was a person sitting by her bedside, with a broad back and a faint smell of smoke on him.

Yan Zhi got up and turned on the bedside lamp. Seeing the dark circles under Gu Yunmo's eyes, she quickly sat up.

"You didn't sleep all night?"

He said wearily, "I couldn't sleep, so I came to see you."

The bedside lamp illuminated them, and both remained unusually silent, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Is Ji Shanmei's leg injury serious? Will she be permanently disabled?"

"It depends on her own recovery ability."

Yan Zhi said "oh" and then didn't know what else to say.

"Go to sleep, we're going to see Old Qin together this afternoon."

Just as he was about to leave, Yan Zhi grabbed his sleeve.

There are some things she still needs to clarify.

"I know Chen Jiayi and Ji Shanmei have no connection, but if Ji Shanmei wasn't the one who harmed me, who do you think it was?"

She wanted to guide Gu Yunmo to reveal the answer, even if it was just a hint of doubt, she would feel like she had won.

But Gu Yunmo just looked over without showing any emotion, and Yan Zhi could see weariness and exhaustion in his eyes.

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? I already told you to keep an eye on Chen Jiayi, but she's run away now. What's the point of saying all this?"

Yan Zhi hadn't expected him to react this way. She had just woken up and didn't want to get angry or argue.

But Gu Yunmo has the ability to drive her crazy with just one sentence.

"Are you saying it's my fault? Was I bullied, or was it my fault?"

Gu Yunmo frowned. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Don't you understand what I'm trying to say? In this world, besides Ji Shanmei, who else wants me and my child to die? Can't you guess?"

Perhaps her words were too sharp, which made Gu Yunmo feel a little disgusted. He took a deep breath before speaking again.

"It can't be her. What evidence do you have that Feifei harmed you? She's not even in the country."

Yan Zhi almost laughed. She picked up a pillow and threw it at him, yelling, "Get out!"

Gu Yunmo raised his arm to block the pillow, "Move over a bit, I'll sleep here with you."

Yan Zhi roared, "Get out!"

She regretted it as soon as she yelled, but she couldn't bear it any longer. Gu Yunmo left in a rage.

The door slammed shut with a loud bang, as if the entire floor could hear it.

Yan Zhi sat on the bed, hugging her knees, tears falling onto her thighs in a steady stream.

-

After Gu Yunmo went out, he heard Yan Zhi sobbing inside and stopped in his tracks.

The morning twilight shone into the unlit room. In the vast house, there were sounds of weeping and suffocating silence.

To be honest, he didn't want to argue with Yan Zhi, but he always had to be reasonable and have evidence when he spoke and acted.

Just because he dislikes Yan Fei doesn't mean he should blame everything on Yan Fei.

Back in his room, Gu Yunmo still couldn't fall asleep.

He took out his phone and called Grandma Gu.

The elderly usually get up very early, so the call was connected quickly.

"Hey, what brings you here today to call me?"

Unless absolutely necessary, Gu Yunmo really didn't want to trouble her.

"Grandma, do you know why Yan Zhi has such a bad relationship with the Yan family?"

"She's causing trouble with the Yan family? She's clearly the one who benefited and is now acting innocent! She's bullying Yan Fei and her parents because of your power. Yunmo, you shouldn't spoil her so much!"

Gu Yunmo sighed. "It can't be that Xiaozhi is targeting them for no reason, can it? There must be a reason for things getting to this point, right?"

Grandma Gu suddenly had a moment of enlightenment and slowly came to her senses.

"Yan Zhi's father is Yan Fei's uncle. When Yan Zhi was very young, her parents died in a car accident, and guardianship later fell to Yan Fei's parents."

She said, "You know all this. Although they aren't her biological parents, they've never skimped on her food or clothing, and they haven't let her suffer outside. For that debt of gratitude they owe her, what does Yan Zhi have to hate about the Yan family?"

Gu Yunmo recalled everything that had happened these past few days and was unsure whether to believe Yan Fei or his wife.

"Grandma, I don't think Xiaozhi is an unreasonable person. When Yanfei asked her to have a child with me, she readily agreed."

Grandma Gu clicked her tongue. "How about I inquire some more? Wei Dinglian often comes to our house; maybe I can find out something."

"Yes, thank you for your help. I'd like to clarify these grievances."

Grandma Gu: "Sigh, what's the use of you figuring it out? You and Yan Zhi lost a child. This is a hurdle. If you can't get over it, your relationship as husband and wife will fall apart."

Mentioning that child caused Gu Yunmo a sudden pang of pain in his heart. He lay on the bed, covering his eyes with his arm.

"I see."

-

In the afternoon, Yan Zhi and Gu Yunmo got into the car to see Old Master Qin.

Several of Mr. Qin's old friends have now bought houses in the southern part of Shenzhen and are enjoying their retirement.

She and Gu Yunmo got out of the car and naturally held hands.

People who came all came in groups, and those with children brought their children along.

Everywhere you look, there are warm and happy scenes.

After accompanying Gu Yunmo on a social outing, she was a little tired, so Gu Yunmo took her to rest by the pond in the courtyard.

A few children were sharing toys not far away, and in this situation, Yan Zhi's attention unconsciously fell on the children.

The children were all dressed neatly and elegantly, except for one little girl, who was very thin and stood at the very edge of the crowd. No one spoke to her.

Old Qin, standing nearby, was chatting with his bodyguard.

The old man scoffed, "Old Zhou keeps saying he doesn't discriminate against girls, but his daughter-in-law has already given birth to four daughters and he still wants her to have more! What's the use of having so many? He doesn't even raise them properly. Look at how skinny they are, I'm ashamed for him! Bah!"

The Zhou family—it just so happens that the place where they're having their gathering today is the Zhou family's villa.

No sooner had Old Qin finished speaking than a nanny, cursing, dragged the little girl away.

"What occasion is this? What are you doing here? Don't disturb your grandfather's guests!"

Seeing this, Old Qin sneered again, "Even a nanny dares to talk to a child like that, what kind of person is she! Humph!"

Yan Zhi felt sorry for the girl and asked Gu Yunmo, "Is that girl Mr. Zhou's granddaughter?"

Gu Yunmo glanced at the girl as well, and said, "Mm."

Yan Zhi frowned. "They're all our own flesh and blood, why are they so neglected? Other children are dressed better than her, and she's so timid and submissive. She doesn't look like the child of the family at all. Are the grandfather irresponsible, and don't the parents care?"

Gu Yunmo smoothed her hair. "Mind your own business."

"But--"

She simply couldn't stand it.

Gu Yunmo interrupted her: "Mr. Zhou's son and wife are still living off the family's money. They can't even support themselves, how do you think they can take care of the children?"