CHAPTER 616: 238 OUTSMARTING ONESELF WITH EXCESSIVE CUNNING

"Bichen, what nonsense are you spouting? The one with the marriage contract is Miss Yu Ruohuan, not that so-called granddaughter of Yu Yisen. Stop messing around."

Yao Huia spoke up to reprimand him, as though she were disciplining an unruly junior.

Although she appeared composed on the surface, inwardly she was panicking.

How did Gu Bichen come to know this secret? Auntie never allows anyone to bring up this marriage contract, and she would certainly never tell Gu Bichen herself.

Even she overheard this accidentally during a conversation between Auntie and Feng Gu.

They admired Yisen as a person, which is why they set up the marriage contract and agreed it would continue into the next generation.

But the crux of the matter is, Yisen only had one son, and his son has been missing for years—possibly even dead.

So when Wei Zhuhua approached her directly and laid out this plan, Yao Huia couldn’t help but marvel at her boldness in replacing one with another.

However, this marriage contract was certainly a secret between the two families. The Yu couple would never reveal it publicly, and Wei Zhuhua knowing about it now could only mean the Yu couple was firmly under the thumb of the Yu family. Whether they were even alive was questionable. After all, there hadn’t been any news for years. This physicist’s contributions and influence in academia and research circles had been quietly diminished until he was forgotten, as if he and his wife had never existed. How terrifying.

Auntie had despised her, and they hadn’t seen each other in months, so she couldn’t count on her. She had no choice but to find another hill to lean on. Luckily, Wei Zhuhua appeared just in time.

Of course, with Wei Zhuhua personally approaching her, no matter the matter, she didn’t dare refuse. If the Yu family bore a grudge against her, she couldn’t afford the consequences.

Moreover, a marriage alliance between the two families would be a great advantage. Auntie might even praise her for her competence when she found out.

On the contrary, Gu Bichen was completely spoiled by his grandmother to the point of no return, humiliating her publicly like this.

Gu Bichen sneered coldly, "Mrs. Xu, is it me who’s making a mess, or you? What benefits did the Yu family offer you to willingly spread such a monstrous lie?"

He didn’t even bother to call her sister anymore.

Yao Huia grew anxious: "How is this lying? Bichen, that son of Yu Yisen has been missing for years, so much so that the weeds on his grave might be waist-high already. Where would he find a granddaughter? They’re all surnamed Yu, after all. Blood runs thicker than water—what’s wrong with Miss Yu standing in for him?"

Yu Ruohuan glanced at Yao Huia coldly.

Standing in?

A layer of hostility surfaced in her eyes.

She utterly despised that term.

Gu Bichen shook his head with a laugh, his expression chilling like jade in winter: "Wrong, completely wrong. Why don’t you take these words to our grandmother?"

Gu Bichen turned and began to leave, but after taking two steps, he glanced back at Yu Ruohuan. "If you think you can use this to manipulate me and the Gu family, you’re welcome to try. But the consequences won’t be something you can bear, Miss Yu. Don’t be too reckless."

As he finished speaking, he shot a look at Wei Zhuhua.

Though his demeanor carried the elegance of youth, when he set his face sternly, he exuded a sense of crushing pressure. Wei Zhuhua’s heart instinctively clenched.

"Scheming so cleverly, yet overly proud."

With those words, he turned and strode away.

Wei Zhuhua froze in place.

Mei Qingdai had been enjoying the spectacle, grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh dear, sister-in-law, it’s not like Ruohuan can’t get married. Do you really need to force her like this? If word gets out, where does our Yu family’s dignity go? Outsiders might truly believe Yu daughters can’t find husbands!"

"Shut up." Wei Zhuhua’s head buzzed. She had made a disastrous move. Who could have guessed Gu Bichen would completely refuse to play along, leaving the Yu family with no face at all?

She hurriedly glanced at Yu Ruohuan.

Yu Ruohuan’s expression was as dark as the bottom of a pot. She stood and stormed out.

Yan Lu celebrated in the group chat—flowers flying everywhere in celebration: "How satisfying! Gu Bichen dumped Yu Ruohuan and even pointed at her nose to scold her. Haha, you all missed it—Yu Ruohuan’s face was contorted with rage! Who would’ve thought? Who would’ve guessed? He always seemed like such a mild-mannered guy, but Gu definitely showed his principles and backbone today. Gu classmate leveled up big time."

In Yan Lu’s impression, Gu Bichen always came across as a central air conditioner—good-tempered and kind to everyone. She didn’t particularly like people like that. Who knew today she’d see the central air conditioner’s other side, pure icy blasts capable of freezing people to death.

Mrs. Wen lowered her gaze and took a sip of tea, the teacup perfectly hiding the small smile at the corner of her lips.

Wen Wan muttered softly, "So Gu Bichen doesn’t like her, huh."

Exactly—Gu Bichen wasn’t the average person. He had the prerogative to refuse. As for Yu Ruohuan, it was honestly laughable, trying to use a decades-old marriage contract to force a union. If she were truly Yisen’s biological granddaughter, it might be understandable. But she wasn’t—that was just a case of swapping roles. What a petty move. Unremarkable and unimpressive. Then again, that was typical of the Yu family’s style.