Chapter 77: Is She a Stepmother?
Xu Youyou frowned slightly and asked, “Who’s causing trouble in the Gu family? Is it Gu Fengchuan again?”
Aunt Wang quickly replied, “No, it’s an older lady with the surname Zhao.”
As soon as she said that, a sharp and familiar voice came through the phone, “Who are you calling old? I’m not old! I’m only in my early thirties!”
Aunt Wang immediately retorted, “You’re obviously in your forties, maybe even fifty! How am I wrong? Do you think just because you brought people with you, you can intimidate me? If my family weren’t at work, they would have come to deal with you already!”
“I don’t care! You must apologize to me! And you have to give me Xu Youyou’s phone number!”
Aunt Wang’s voice was filled with frustration. “She didn’t agree to it, so how can I give it to you?”
Xu Youyou didn’t want Aunt Wang to suffer because of her, so she said, “Aunt Wang, just give her my number. I’ll handle it.”
Her phone was set to only accept calls from whitelisted numbers, so unfamiliar numbers couldn’t reach her.
Aunt Wang was genuinely fed up with Zhao Menglian’s relentless pestering, but she still explained apologetically, “Youyou, Auntie really wanted to block her for you, but this shrew is just too much. I had no choice…”
Xu Youyou reassured her, “I understand, Aunt Wang. I should be thanking you for holding her off for so long.”
Soon, a number was sent over.
Xu Youyou had Xu Fang contact the woman and arrange a meeting.
After the call, Xu Fang looked at her with a complicated expression and said, “Boss, the person on the other end isn’t easy to deal with. Are you sure you want to meet her?”
Xu Youyou nodded.
The meeting was scheduled for the afternoon. After a nap, Xu Youyou got up leisurely, while Xu Fang’s phone had already rung multiple times with the other party urging them to hurry up.
Unbothered, Xu Youyou took her time and finally got into the car, heading to a high-end tea house three kilometers away.
Before even stepping inside, she spotted a middle-aged woman wearing heavy makeup, her neck and ears adorned with excessive gold jewelry. The woman was craning her neck, scanning for someone.
Surrounded by her bodyguards, Xu Youyou walked over.
Zhao Menglian widened her eyes in disbelief. Wasn’t Xu Youyou an orphan? Why was she dressed so extravagantly, wearing expensive accessories, and accompanied by four bodyguards and a female assistant? She looked even more prestigious than the Gu family.
“Aren’t you the one who insisted on meeting me? Come in and sit down,” Xu Youyou said.
The tea house was mostly empty. Xu Youyou declined the server’s offer to take them to a private room and instead chose to sit in the open area.
Soothing instrumental music played softly in the background, and the air was filled with the aroma of tea, yet Zhao Menglian remained visibly unsettled.
She glanced at the two young men she had brought along, gritted her teeth, and said, “The Gu family sent me to bring you back to acknowledge your lineage. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you. You should be grateful.”
Zhao Menglian was not a direct member of the Gu family but a distant relative. She was one of Madam Gu’s sycophants, always clinging to her for favors. Her husband ran a small business, and their family assets barely reached ten million, surviving off the scraps that the Gu family tossed their way.
Whenever Madam Gu needed to handle something unsavory—like arguing in slum areas or harassing landlords—she sent Zhao Menglian.
And now, she was sent to threaten Madam Gu’s own daughter.
Xu Youyou always knew Madam Gu was biased, but this situation still left her feeling a mix of emotions. So, from the start, Madam Gu saw her as an embarrassment.
Xu Youyou casually said, “Whoever wants this ‘blessing’ can have it. If you’re so eager, you can go call Madam Gu ‘Mom’ instead.”
Zhao Menglian slammed the table angrily. “I’m talking to you nicely! Don’t be ungrateful!”
Xu Youyou gave her bodyguards a look.
The 1.9-meter-tall former soldier immediately barked, “Speak properly to our boss. Don’t slam the table.”
The other three bodyguards also stared at Zhao Menglian with intimidating expressions.
Zhao Menglian had never faced such a situation before and shrank back in fear. Then she remembered she had brought two nephews with her.
But as soon as her nephews met the bodyguards’ gaze, they recoiled in terror, practically wanting to disappear into a corner.
Zhao Menglian cursed them silently for being useless. She couldn’t understand—wasn’t Xu Youyou supposed to be penniless? The Gu family’s investigation had shown that this orphan was struggling financially.
Then she thought of those viral videos of people pretending to be rich, hiring an entourage to pose as high society figures.
She became convinced that Xu Youyou was faking it. Her eyes filled with disdain. “If you return to the Gu family and please my cousin and cousin-in-law, you might actually get to live like a true heiress. Then you wouldn’t have to pretend anymore.”
Xu Youyou: ?
She couldn’t comprehend Zhao Menglian’s thought process. She frowned and said, “If that’s all you have to say, don’t waste my time.”
The bodyguards glared at Zhao Menglian again.
She trembled but convinced herself it was all a bluff. Summoning her courage, she relayed Madam Gu’s message, “I represent the Gu family in accepting you, but since you don’t understand upper-class etiquette, you can only return as the adopted daughter.”
Xu Youyou looked at her even more strangely. “I think I’ve already rejected you people multiple times. Whether as a biological daughter or an adopted one, I don’t care.”
“The Gu family has a five-billion-yuan fortune! Even a fraction of that is more money than you’ll ever have!” Zhao Menglian was almost frantic. “How can you give that up so easily?”
Xu Youyou regretted choosing such a refined tea house for this meeting. She had done so to avoid watching Zhao Menglian throw a tantrum, but now she felt like she was the one about to lose it.
She smirked. “You seem to care more about the Gu family’s money than I do. Didn’t I already offer you the chance to be their daughter instead?”
“No one would refuse to go home! That’s where your blood relatives are! And the Gu family is a top-tier—”
Zhao Menglian rambled on.
Xu Youyou cut her off, feeling both irritated and amused. “If my ‘blood relatives’ truly wanted me back, why didn’t Madam Gu come get me herself?”
Zhao Menglian was at a loss. How could she explain that Madam Gu, with her obsession over cleanliness, refused to step foot in a poor area?
Xu Youyou could already imagine Madam Gu’s disdainful expression.
The Gu family hadn’t bothered her for a while. Why were they suddenly resurfacing? Had something changed?
She pondered for a moment, recalling what had happened around this time in her past life. A glint of understanding flashed in her eyes.
Zhao Menglian hesitated before saying awkwardly, “Your mother is busy, so she sent me to get you…”
Xu Youyou raised an eyebrow. “She sent someone like you to pick me up? Is she actually my stepmother?”
