Chapter 876: The Desire to Climb Higher

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Upon hearing Gu Zi’s instructions, the guard saluted with the seriousness of a soldier receiving orders. “Rest assured, Madam Gu Zi,” he said, “We will not let them in.”

Zhang Mei gritted her teeth in frustration, unable to comprehend why everyone seemed to favor Gu Zi. She was Gong Zhan’s mother-in-law, after all. Shouldn’t they be trying to curry favor with her instead? Why were they addressing Gu Zi as ‘Madam’? Was Gu Zi worthy of such a title? Cursing under her breath, she wondered if Gu Zi had been pretending to be Gong Zhan’s wife all along.

She couldn’t let this misunderstanding continue. Raising her voice, she clarified, “You all need to understand, I am Gong Zhan’s mother-in-law. My daughter, Lin Miao, is Gong Zhan’s wife, not Gu Zi. How can you listen to Gu Zi and neglect me?”

The surrounding crowd looked at her with puzzled expressions, finding her outburst amusing. In the capital’s military district, what was a deputy regiment commander like Gong Zhan? If it weren’t for their regiment commander saving him, many wouldn’t even know who he was.

Someone spoke up, “We all know that Madam Gu Zi is not the wife of the deputy regiment commander. Only you keep saying that. You should stop making a fuss. It’s embarrassing at your age.”

“Madam Gu Zi really has it tough, having such a troublesome foster mother who spouts such nonsense. It’s confusing. It’s clear to anyone with eyes that Madam Gu Zi has no interest in the deputy regiment commander.”

As the crowd dispersed, discussing amongst themselves, they all sided with Gu Zi. Zhang Mei was livid, nearly fainting from anger. Gu Zi had done this on purpose. She had been laying the groundwork here for a while now. Even the doctors and nurses were speaking up for her. She must have put a lot of effort into winning Gong Zhan over.

Continuing to argue with Gu Zi would get her nowhere. She needed to find a way in. So, she signaled to Mo Li, who was standing next to her. Taking advantage of the guard’s distraction, Mo Li slipped inside.

Gu Zi noticed Mo Li’s sneaky move but didn’t care. After all, she had only spoken out against them in retaliation. Whether they got to see Gong Zhan or not had nothing to do with her. She had planned to go shopping for some meat and vegetables to cook something delicious. If it weren’t for Zhang Mei’s interruption, she would have been at the market by now.

Meanwhile, Mo Li quickly found the ward where Gong Zhan was staying. He was alone. Tears streamed down Mo Li’s face as she looked at Gong Zhan with apparent concern. “Mr. Gong,” she said, “how did you get so badly injured? Are you okay?”

Gong Zhan gazed at Mo Li, who was becoming more and more similar to Gu Zi. For a moment, he was lost in a daze, almost believing that it was Gu Zi who had come to see him. However, he quickly snapped back to reality. Gu Zi would never come to see him. Her heart was with Su Shen. She cooked delicious meals for him, entertained guests, and was always by his side. He didn’t want to think about it anymore.

Gong Zhan composed himself and looked at Mo Li again, curiosity piquing. “I’m fine, I’ve recovered quite a bit. What brings you here?” he asked.

“I heard about your accident in Guangcheng and was worried,” Mo Li replied. “Later, Aunt Zhang came to find me and asked me to come and take care of you with her. Considering her age, I couldn’t bear to let her travel alone, so I came with her. Mr. Gong, please forgive my uninvited presence.”

Upon hearing that Zhang Mei had arrived, Gong Zhan couldn’t help but frown. He had no desire to deal with anyone from the Gu family at the moment.

Mo Li, sharp-eyed as she was, naturally understood Gong Zhan’s reluctance to interact with Zhang Mei. However, if Zhang Mei couldn’t stay, she had no reason to stay either. This wouldn’t do. She had to seize this opportunity. She wanted to become Gong Zhan’s true woman.

She wanted to be Gong Zhan’s wife, to proudly attend these special, status-displaying occasions, to accept the respect of others. This trip had given her a taste of the capital’s prosperity and the privileges of the elite. Now, her desire to climb higher was swelling uncontrollably, impossible to rein in.

Feigning self-blame, tears welled up in her eyes as she choked out, “You can blame me if you want. I… I have ulterior motives too. I want to see you recover. I want you to be well, but that’s all. I traveled a long way with Aunt Zhang, we didn’t have enough money for tickets, we had to sit in hard seats, the journey was bumpy, and my feet were swollen when we got off the train. But we were willing to do it.”

Seeing Mo Li cry like this, Gong Zhan figured she must have suffered quite a bit on the journey. It was hard on them, two women traveling such a long distance just to take care of him. How could he completely ignore that?

Gong Zhan sighed, “I don’t blame you. Go and call her in too. Have my guards go with you, they won’t dare to give you a hard time.”

When Zhang Mei was brought in by Gong Zhan’s guards, she held her chin high, casting a triumphant glance at the guard who had tried to stop her earlier, and walked in with an air of arrogance.