SGEIRS -Chapter 319 Heart Shaken

“Ungrateful girl!”

Upon hearing such outrageous words, Gu Jingsheng immediately flew into a rage and raised his hand, slapping his daughter across the face with a sharp smack.

The blow left Gu Xuanyi stunned. Her father had always been good to her and had never raised a hand before—but today, simply because someone else had scolded her, he had struck her.

Madam Zhang was also taken aback.

Gu Jingsheng glared at his daughter with anger and scolded, “Gu Xuanyi, if you don’t want to embarrass yourself, you’d better hurry back to your husband’s house. Your husband has come to fetch you, giving you a way out. If you keep causing trouble and drive him away, I want to see how shamefully you’ll return on your own!”

Gu Xuanyi felt deeply wronged, holding her sore face, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Father, do you even know what life has been like for me in my husband’s house? Do you know how much I’ve suffered, and how your son-in-law has treated me?”

Gu Jingsheng’s face darkened. “No matter what grievances you’ve suffered, you’re already married. Didn’t you like him yourself back then? Marriage is for life. You marry a chicken, you follow the chicken; you marry a dog, you follow the dog.”

“Father, I—”

“Enough!”

Gu Jingsheng barked, his face stern and domineering, leaving no room for argument. “What kind of irreconcilable issues could there be between a husband and wife? Your mother and I have had our differences, yet we’ve been married twenty years and have three children. Now you, being childish, want a divorce. If you actually go through with it, it’ll be too late to regret. Besides, your husband has always treated you very well. You’d throw it all away over a minor problem? If you miss out on him, can you ever find someone better?”

Hearing this, Gu Xuanyi recalled moments of affection between husband and wife. Her heart wavered. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words died on her tongue. Yet, thinking of her husband’s attitude earlier today, her heart chilled again.

“Xuanyi!”

“Xuanyi!”

At that moment, hurried and tense calls came from outside—the voice of the heir of the Wu’an Marquis family.

Gu Xuanyi was taken aback. She hadn’t expected her husband to have caught up so quickly to her mother’s courtyard. Hearing that familiar voice, memories of their marital moments flashed through her mind, and the idea of divorce no longer felt as certain as before—her heart wavered once more.

Madam Zhang, not wanting her daughter to insist on divorce, spoke gently to soothe her: “Xuanyi, since your husband has come, you should talk to him properly. You’ve only just returned to your parents’ home, and he chased after you. It’s clear he cares about you.”

Gu Jingsheng, not wanting his son-in-law to hear anything unpleasant, gave his daughter a warning glare. “Your mother is right. Speak properly when he arrives. Don’t throw a tantrum, or if you drive him away, I’ll throw you out myself. Let’s see if you dare stay on the street!”

Gu Xuanyi tensed—she hadn’t expected that the father who once doted on her would now be so unyielding.

Madam Zhang glanced at her daughter and sighed quietly. She stepped out to fetch her son-in-law, and as soon as she did, she saw him looking anxious, asking urgently: “Mother-in-law, I heard Xuanyi is here. I rushed over immediately. How is she?”

Seeing him so worried about their daughter, Madam Zhang finally relaxed a little and softened her expression. “Son-in-law, come in first and speak. Xuanyi is inside.”

The heir of Wu’an Marquis nodded and hurried inside, eyes searching for Gu Xuanyi.

Upon seeing her, he quickly closed the distance, not caring about the elders present, and held her in his arms, murmuring apologies: “Xuanyi, it’s all my fault. I didn’t understand the situation and wrongly blamed you. Please forgive me.”

Gu Xuanyi, having been pampered all her life, had a fiery temper. Still fuming, she pushed him away and said coldly, “Yes, you didn’t understand the situation but treated me like this—now you come and cry crocodile tears, for whom?”

Gu Jingsheng felt his daughter was being ungrateful and scolded softly, “Xuanyi!”

Seeing her husband’s attitude, Madam Zhang quickly intervened. “Xuanyi, speak properly. Let’s resolve the problem first. Misunderstandings between husband and wife are normal.”

“I really was wrong, Xuanyi. I wrongly blamed you. If you’re angry, then hit me—I don’t mind. As long as you forgive me, you can hit or scold me all you want.” The heir of Wu’an Marquis said this, grabbed Gu Xuanyi’s hand, and before she could react, pressed her hand against his own face, slapping himself hard.

With a sharp smack, both Gu Jingsheng and Madam Zhang froze.

Gu Xuanyi was also stunned, not expecting her husband to act this way. Her hands were already injured, and being forced to hit someone again caused sharp pain at the wounds. She quickly tried to pull back, but he held on and continued to slap his own face with her hand.

Seeing this, Gu Jingsheng and Madam Zhang were shocked—they couldn’t let their son-in-law walk home with a handprint on his face; rumors would spread by morning. They hurried forward to stop him.

Gu Jingsheng hurriedly said, “Son-in-law, Xuanyi has been spoiled by us. Her temper is bad, and this whole incident is largely her fault.”

Madam Zhang added, “Son-in-law, it’s normal for couples to have misunderstandings. Just talk it out properly and don’t damage the marital bond.”

Hearing this, the heir of Wu’an Marquis stopped and looked at his father- and mother-in-law with guilt. “Father-in-law, mother-in-law, today’s matter was entirely my fault. I misunderstood Xuanyi and hurt her heart, causing you to worry—this is entirely my fault. Now that the truth is clear, we know that my younger sister-in-law was at fault first, and she was punished for disrespecting her sister-in-law. Xuanyi’s previous house arrest is now revoked.”

Hearing this resolution, Madam Zhang felt secretly satisfied. The in-laws had shown a proper attitude. Though the son-in-law had initially misunderstood Xuanyi, once he realized his mistake, he immediately came to make amends.

Gu Jingsheng also felt that this outcome preserved the family’s face, though he remained very unhappy that his daughter had run back to her parents’ home demanding a divorce. Fortunately, the son-in-law hadn’t heard that—otherwise, it could have caused an even bigger conflict.

After a moment, Gu Jingsheng said, “Son-in-law, since this was just a misunderstanding, you two should live happily from now on.” He gave his daughter a warning glare and continued, “Xuanyi, you’re no longer a child. You can’t cause such a fuss in the future. If there’s a problem, resolve it first. Running back to your parents’ house only makes people laugh. When you return with your husband, make amends to your in-laws.”

Gu Xuanyi had been relieved when her sister-in-law was punished and her own house arrest was revoked, but her father’s words reignited her anger. “If I have to go back, you go back with him yourself. I’m not going back!”