"Really?" Shen Mianyin quickly asked, "President Gu, where do you live? I need to check the rent."
With her current income and past savings, she should be able to afford an apartment in the same upscale neighborhood where Gu Huaizhi lived.
"Lijingyuan," Gu Huaizhi replied. In truth, he had no idea who lived upstairs, and there had been no intention to rent out the place at all.
But it didn’t matter. He could just have Zhou Jingqi handle it and get the tenant to move out.
"With me living downstairs, I can step in immediately if Gu Luoan comes to bother you," Gu Huaizhi said. "Plus, Lijingyuan is fully furnished, so you won’t need to worry about the hassle of moving in. Even with your current situation, you can still settle in quickly."
"Also, the security at Lijingyuan is excellent. They won’t let him through the gate, so you won’t need to worry about him showing up at your door to cause trouble."
Shen Mianyin sighed in relief. "Hearing you say that, I can’t wait to move in. President Gu, could you give me your upstairs neighbor's contact information?"
"I don’t have it right now, but I’ll ask for it when I get back," Gu Huaizhi replied.
"Really, I can’t thank you enough. This solves a big problem for me."
Gu Huaizhi gave a slight smile. "After all, Gu Luoan is my nephew. As his elder, I can’t just stand by and let him bully you."
After lunch, once the cleaning lady came in and tidied up, Shen Mianyin and Gu Huaizhi had a more detailed discussion about her proposal.
There were a few points where Gu Huaizhi offered his opinions, and Shen Mianyin would need to make revisions. A few other points would also require her to consult with Lin Jinshen to see if he would agree.
After the meeting with Gu Huaizhi, Shen Mianyin left his office feeling lightheaded and overwhelmed.
Supporting herself with the cane, Shen Mianyin exited the elevator and was about to leave the company lobby when she unexpectedly ran into Madam Gu, Gu Luoan's mother, who was just about to enter.
Shen Mianyin didn’t pretend not to recognize her, but before she could even say a word of greeting, Madam Gu’s face darkened and she snapped, "Shen Mianyin? What are you doing here?"
Shen Mianyin thought to herself, 'What does it have to do with you?'
Madam Gu's unkind tone made Shen Mianyin drop her pleasant expression. "What brings Madam Gu here? As far as I know, Mr. Gu is currently at home with no job, and Gu Luoan isn’t working here either."
Madam Gu’s face immediately soured.
Was Shen Mianyin mocking Gu Huaming for being unemployed?
In the past, Gu Huaming had worked at the Gu Corporation, but after one mistake, Gu Huaizhi had seized the opportunity to have him removed from the company.
This had always been a thorn in Madam Gu’s heart.
Now that Shen Mianyin had brought it up with her mocking words, Madam Gu gritted her teeth and spat, "You uneducated thing! I always thought you were out of place with the Su family, and now it makes sense. You come from a lowly background, and your natural genes have already decided that you have no manners. You can never rise above your station, no matter how much you’re taught."
Shen Mianyin's breath hitched for a moment before she suddenly sneered. "Madam Gu, your background may be good, but you were rude the moment you saw me, and now you're speaking vile words. It just goes to show that even with a good background, it doesn't necessarily mean you were taught well."
"You!" Madam Gu, enraged, raised her hand as if to strike her.
Shen Mianyin swiftly grabbed Madam Gu’s wrist. "What's this? After I've exposed you, you're going to hit me? I thought women with 'exemplary' family teachings wouldn’t act so disgracefully in public."
"Well, well!" Madam Gu shook off Shen Mianyin's hand and pointed a finger at her nose. "Before, with the Su family controlling you, you were respectful and polite to me. Now that you've broken free from their influence, your true colors are finally showing."
She was baffled. Was Shen Mianyin really so fearless to treat her like this?
Didn't she fear that Gu Luoan would break up with her?
Now, Shen Mianyin was no longer the daughter of the Su family—her only support was Gu Luoan.
As long as she could cling to him, she still hadn't truly escaped the world of the wealthy.
If Gu Luoan were to break up with her, she would be nothing more than an ordinary person.
Shen Mianyin shook her head, too lazy to continue arguing with Madam Gu.
Perhaps it's natural for some people to just have an incompatible aura. When Shen Mianyin was still considered the daughter of the Su family, Madam Gu had never liked her.
But because she was backed by the Su family, Madam Gu had to tolerate her.
However, every time they met, Madam Gu would only put on a fake smile in front of Su Father and Su Mother, but when alone with Shen Mianyin, her eyes would turn cold and her attitude completely different.
Shen Mianyin turned and walked away.
However, her injured leg made her steps slow.
As soon as she took a step forward, Madam Gu stopped her. "I happened to run into you today; I have something to say."
"Say it then," Shen Mianyin said, not bothering to hide her impatience.
Madam Gu glanced around at the people coming and going, and the employees passing through the company lobby who kept glancing in their direction. She then said,
"Let's find somewhere to sit and talk. Speaking here with so many people around would be inappropriate."
Shen Mianyin thought to herself, 'Madam Gu always talks about her status—what exactly is her status anyway?'
“Just say it here. I have to rush back to the company,” Shen Mianyin said coldly. “Madam Gu, I’m very busy.”
“Shen Mianyin, do you think you can act this way toward me just because you’re certain that Luo An can’t live without you?” Madam Gu said angrily. “Do you believe I can make Luo An break up with you?”
"That would be perfect." Shen Mianyin finally showed a genuine smile. "You’d better talk to Gu Luo’an properly and make sure he breaks up with me."
"What kind of attitude is that?!" Madam Gu looked at her in disbelief. "Do you really think you can act so brazenly?"
"Shen Mianyin, I’ll be blunt with you. I never liked you from the beginning. Back then, I thought, what do you even have besides the status of being the Su family’s daughter? Absolutely nothing of value." Madam Gu continued, "And now that even this so-called status as the Su family’s daughter is fake—something you stole—you’d better break up with Luo’an immediately. Stop shamelessly clinging to him."
"With your current status, you’re not worthy of our family or Luo An," Madam Gu said, looking Shen Mianyin up and down with obvious disdain. "You’re aiming too high."
Shen Mianyin rolled her eyes without bothering to hide it and said, "I already broke up with Gu Luo’an the day I left the Su family. What, he didn’t tell you?"
"So, don’t bother me about this again. I have nothing to do with him anymore," Shen Mianyin continued. "Do you really think Gu Luo’an is some kind of golden treasure? As if I’d need to cling to him."
“What do you mean?!” Madam Gu, who had always been proud of Gu Luo’an, couldn’t believe Shen Mianyin was speaking about him in such a dismissive tone.
“I mean that I don’t think much of him. I broke up with him a long time ago, but he refuses to accept it and keeps pestering me, which I find incredibly annoying,” Shen Mianyin said calmly.
“You’d better hurry up and discuss breaking off the engagement with the Su family. As for the things both sides exchanged, deal with them however you like. Of course, since the Su family still has another daughter, it doesn’t matter if the items aren’t returned—you can just arrange the engagement with someone else,” she added mockingly.
Shen Mianyin turned to leave after speaking, but how could Madam Gu allow her to walk away so arrogantly while she herself appeared to lose the upper hand?
She grabbed Shen Mianyin forcefully.
“Madam Gu.” A male voice suddenly rang out.
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