What a sin.

"Dad, I heard that Xiaorui and Lu Xiaoning are going to divorce?!"

"Dad, how could you let them get a divorce?! I heard that someone else gave you this idea?! Dad, you've lost your mind."

"Grandpa, Lu Xiaoning is utterly shameless. Not only is she ungrateful, but she also has another man outside. She has completely disgraced our Gu family."

The people who arrived were Gu Fengrui's and Gu Fengji's parents and sister. Upon receiving the news, the three of them rushed over together.

Mother Gu and Gu Mingzhi held extremely strong negative opinions of Lu Xiaoning; they practically loathed her to the core.

Years ago, when the Lu family faced a crisis, they came to beg the Gu family, asking Gu Fengrui to marry Lu Xiaoning. Gu Fengrui agreed, and Lu Xiaoning married into the Gu family.

Although the Lu family was facing trouble at the time, their social standing was still quite respectable. Not only was Lu Xiaoning pretty and a college graduate, but she also worked at the university, which made her a fitting match for Gu Fengrui. That was why the Gu family hadn't objected.

Over the years of their marriage, Gu Fengrui not only handed over his entire salary to Lu Xiaoning, but he also secretly arranged for people to take care of the Lu family, quietly sending them numerous provisions, goods, and money.

One could truly say that Gu Fengrui had given his all, whether through hard work or devotion. He was exceptionally good to his wife, basically satisfying every single wish Lu Xiaoning had.

Their children were cared for with the help of Elder Gu's logistics personnel and guards. Because Lu Xiaoning didn't want to live with the Gu family, Gu Fengrui applied for a separate apartment from his workplace. It can be said that during her years married to Gu Fengrui, Lu Xiaoning's life was not a single bit worse than before her marriage—in fact, it was even better.

"Mom, Dad, it was my decision."

Before the old man could speak, Gu Fengrui quickly chimed in.

Fortunately, right when he saw his parents and sister arriving, he had asked Lu Jiaojiao to take the children upstairs to do their homework and wash up. Otherwise, if the children heard this, they would undoubtedly start overthinking things again.

"Why would you agree?! If you don't agree, she can't run off, and she will never be able to divorce you!"

Mother Gu roared with overwhelming agitation. When she found out that her eldest son wanted a divorce, she had almost burst with fury.

If she hadn't had to wait for her husband to come home so they could travel together, she would have rushed over long ago to demand accountability.

"Mom, you can hold on to a person, but you can't hold on to their heart. Letting her go is letting myself go..."

"Bah! She and the Lu family owe our Gu family so much. What right does she have to be let off?!"

Gu Fengrui attempted to persuade Mother Gu not to be so obstinate, but his words only made her even angrier.

"That's right, Eldest Brother, what right does she have?! The Lu family has returned to prominence, and now that their daughter has done such a shameless thing, how come we haven't heard a single peep from them?!"

Gu Mingzhi genuinely felt that her eldest son was getting a raw deal. How exceptional her eldest brother was! In the past, many young women in the residential compound had fancied him, yet he ended up marrying Lu Xiaoning.

Marry her if he must, but who would have thought that this woman had never loved her eldest brother at all? Back then, she had merely wanted a safe haven.

The turning point occurred during Gu Fengrui's final mission three years ago. Out of all the people who participated in that operation, only three returned alive, and Gu Fengrui was the most severely injured among them.

After Gu Fengrui was pulled back from the brink of death, he could no longer stand up. For an entire year, he was confined to a bed, receiving treatment and unable to care for himself. Consequently, he had no choice but to retire and leave the military.

Not only did Lu Xiaoning refuse to take care of him, but she also began to ignore Gu Fengrui altogether. If she hadn't had nowhere else to go, she wouldn't even have wanted to return home.

Fortunately, the workplace sent comrades to assist, and with the help of the old man's bodyguard, Gu Fengrui was able to sit in a wheelchair by the second year.

Then, Lu Xiaoning found an excuse to apply to her workplace for a single room and spent most of her time living at the school.

However, starting from the middle of last year, due to changing policies, some of those who had gone abroad years ago were allowed to return. Unexpectedly, Lu Xiaoning's former first love had also returned.

No one knew how the two got back in touch, but Lu Xiaoning came home demanding a divorce. When denied, she packed up all her belongings and moved out, periodically returning to make massive scenes, acting as if she would make everyone's lives miserable if she didn't get her divorce.

Simply... shameless.

Utterly shameless.

The Lu family was just as bad.

No wonder they were sent down for ideological reform back then—every cause has its effect.

Speaking of the people in the Lu family, Mother Gu was furious as well. Now that the Lu members held higher positions than her husband, were they looking down on the Gu family?!

"Xiaorui, I heard that woman instigated your divorce?! Where did she go?! What do our family's matters have to do with that woman? I won't allow her to step foot in the Gu family's door! Is she trying to tear our family apart?!"

Mother Gu's anger flared higher and higher as she shouted, turning her head to search for Lu Jiaojiao.

She had heard that her eldest son had so readily agreed to the divorce because of the mischief stirred up by that country woman whom her younger son had been forced to marry. It must be because that woman held a grudge against her for not letting her enter the Gu family, so she was seeking revenge—if she couldn't have peace, she wouldn't let the Gu family have peace either.

What a curse.

What kind of bad karma had the Gu family accumulated in this lifetime? Her eldest daughter-in-law was causing a scene over another man for a divorce, and her younger son had been manipulated into marrying a country bumpkin. Mother Gu had nowhere to vent her fury.

"Shut your damn mouth."

Gu Fengrui was about to explain when he was abruptly cut off by a roar from the old man. The old man glared at Mother Gu with a face full of wrath.

"Dad, how can you..."

Mother Gu was cut off by her father-in-law's booming roar, shrinking back in intimidation for a brief second. However, she was too angry to let it go and mustered the courage to say something more.

"Don't use your narrow-minded, dog-eat-dog perspective to measure others. A virtuous wife is what makes a marriage worthwhile; do you expect your son to suffer for the rest of his life? Are you even Xiaorui's biological mother?!"

The old man rarely spoke harshly to his daughters-in-law. When he found out about his youngest grandson marrying Lu Jiaojiao, although he had no choice in the matter, he hadn't mistreated the younger granddaughter-in-law either.

Children and grandchildren have their own fortunes.

He was old now, unable to manage everything and no longer capable of intervening.

Xiaorui's issue had to be resolved sooner or later; they had simply dragged it out too long.

Little Lu's words had hit like a sudden blow to the head. While dealing with such matters might not cause overwhelming physical damage to adults, it deeply scars the minds and hearts of the children.

The old man had to admit that as he aged, he had grown less decisive.

"He who hesitates is lost, and indecision brings disaster."

"Little Dong's mother's heart is no longer here. Since she can disregard her own children, how could she possibly care about Xiaorui or this household?! Do you think the embarrassment falls on us? Do you think we are the ones losing face?!"

"The sooner a woman like this leaves, the better. Getting a divorce quickly is actually our blessing. This matter was agreed upon by Xiaorui and me. Never bring it up in front of the children again. That's final."

The latter part of the old man's words was directed not only at his daughter-in-law but also at his own son. The subtext was for him to keep his wife in check so she wouldn't act like a lunatic, and certainly not to slander others arbitrarily.

"Dad, I understand."

Father Gu pulled his wife back, signaling her to say no more, while echoing his aged father's words.