Chapter 31: Gu Fengji Loses His Temper

At this very moment, in the capital, at the Gu residence.

"Mom, is Lu Jiaojiao actually at our house or not?! I want the truth."

Gu Fengji, having been buried in heavy tasks and busy with work for the past two months, hadn't even found the time to call home during the Lunar New Year. Now that the Lantern Festival had finally passed, he had managed to carve out some time to rest, and his thoughts turned to his family back in the capital and his wife.

Since they were married, he had to take responsibility; it was a man's duty. He had initially resisted the match, but after witnessing so many life-or-death moments on the battlefield, he had gradually come to terms with this sudden, unexpected marriage.

Yet, when he called home just now and asked to speak to his wife, his mother first dodged the question and then, pressed by her son, claimed with blatant dishonesty that she didn't know.

"Mom, she’s a young woman in a strange place, far from home for the first time. If something happens to her, how am I supposed to answer to her family?! She is someone’s daughter, too. If you don't like her, you could have told me; I would have made arrangements for her myself. But you cannot disregard her safety... No, I have to apply for leave and come back immediately."

Gu Fengji went from shock to disbelief, his heart pounding with an unease he couldn't calm. He never imagined his own family would deceive him like this. Furious, he hung up the phone. Even if they were dissatisfied with Lu Jiaojiao as a daughter-in-law, they couldn't treat a person's safety so lightly. How could they be like this?

"Old Gu, what's wrong?! What happened?"

Ling Yulin, who had been talking to other comrades at a nearby desk while Gu Fengji was on the phone, heard his friend’s angry tone and asked with concern.

"Lu Jiaojiao isn't at my house, and it seems she hasn't returned to the Lu family either."

Gu Fengji took a deep breath, his mind in chaos. If she wasn't at the Gu house, where was she? A woman alone... He dared not think further. Ling Yulin understood, and he was equally shocked, immediately grasping his friend’s worry and fury.

Is Lu Jiaojiao missing?

"I’m going to find the leadership to request leave. I must find her."

If anything happened to Lu Jiaojiao because of his family, he would never forgive them, nor would he forgive himself. Gu Fengji’s eyes were bloodshot; he didn't dare imagine if she had been abducted or trafficked.

"Old Gu, this must be your mother acting on her own. Your father might not even know. Going back now might not be useful; you should have your father use his connections or hire someone to search."

As an outsider and a lifelong friend, Ling Yulin knew the Gu family well, especially the snobbish Mrs. Gu. How could she ever accept a country girl as a daughter-in-law? He wasn't surprised by the situation, but he warned his friend that he wouldn't make it back in time, and it would be better to seek help from his father or others.

Gu Fengji calmed himself, regained his composure, and picked up the phone again, this time dialing his father directly.

"What?! What are you saying?! Your mother didn't tell me about this; I thought she had returned to her hometown. Don't panic now. You don't need to come back yet; I will go home immediately to get to the bottom of this and arrange for people to help search."

"By the way, you should also check with your wife's family. Don't say she's missing, just probe around to see if they know her whereabouts."

When Mr. Gu received the call and heard the news, he was shocked and furious. He truly hadn't known about this, nor that his wife had kept it from him. That woman. She was going to cause a disaster this time; she had no sense of propriety and was so snobbish. She had been this way with their eldest son, and now she was doing it to their third. Mr. Gu couldn't sit still in his anger and left work early. This girl could not come to harm.

"I’m at fault?! Wasn't that country girl at fault too?! What does it have to do with the Gu family? She was the one who insisted on clinging to my son! I refused to acknowledge her. She’s an adult; she can go wherever she likes. In any case, whether she lives or dies has nothing to do with me."

Mrs. Gu knew things couldn't be hidden once her son called. She had been panicking and had already called her daughter to come home quickly. But before her daughter could arrive, her husband returned. Seeing his furious expression, she knew her son had called him.

When her husband confronted her, Mrs. Gu jumped up, disregarding her usual image and shouting. She couldn't accept a country girl as her daughter-in-law. Her son was the best, the most brilliant, with a limitless future. Her daughter-in-law should have a good family background, top-tier education and temperament, beauty, and the ability to help her son—at the very least, someone on par with their own family, not a farmer from the countryside.

"She may have nothing to do with you, but she has everything to do with your son. Regardless of how they married, they are married. She is now a military spouse. If something happens to her, what kind of reputation will your son have in the military?! What kind of reputation will you and the Gu family have in this compound? Nothing but labels of being money-grubbing and snobbish. What decent family would want to marry their daughter into our home? No matter how excellent your son is, he can't withstand his mother dragging him down."

"And what is wrong with people from the countryside?! If they didn't farm, would you be eating dung?! Is your brain filled with water? If you were dissatisfied, you could have persuaded them to divorce properly. Now that she’s missing, are you happy? Did you get your wish? You've already lost one son; I think you're close to losing the other."

Mr. Gu was driven to madness by his wife’s actions. He didn't like his youngest son’s wife either, but there were ways to handle it without destroying someone else. What she had done was despicable.

"I..."

"Dad, Mom."

Just as Mrs. Gu was about to retort in fear and hatred, Gu Mingzhi hurried back.

***

Author's note: I was in a bad mood, so I suddenly went to meet other authors and chase after a celebrity. You know how it is—no computer to type on, so I missed an update.