Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Madam, I Like You!

“What’s this? You’re not happy to see me?”

Madam Gu spoke with a hint of annoyance.

“It’s not like that, Mom…”

Su Ruoxue quickly explained. Since marrying into the Gu family, it was Madam Gu who had always treated her the best. Whether it was when she had just joined the family or after Gu Tingyuan started to grow distant, Madam Gu’s attitude towards her remained constant.

Madam Gu, now 38 years old, had benefited from Mr. Gu’s early success and, combined with her diligent self-care, had unlocked the rare title of “charming widow.”

Just a few moments in her presence, and Ye Xiao found herself struck by Madam Gu’s elegant beauty, so much so that an inexplicable thought crossed her mind—a desire to take care of this woman for the rest of her life.

If that ever came to pass, Ye Xiao could only imagine the frustration on Gu Tingyuan’s face as she taunted him while walking arm-in-arm with Tang Su.

For someone like Ye Xiao, who harbored a deep appreciation for married women and prided herself on being a modern-day Cao Zhi, Su Ruoxue was just an entry-level target.

But Madam Gu—stunning and mature, or the gentle, motherly type like a “Yamato Nadeshiko”—was the ultimate prize.

Madam, I like you!

As these thoughts flooded her mind, Ye Xiao couldn’t help but steal a few more glances at Madam Gu.

Since the passing of Mr. Gu, both Gu Tingyuan and his brother Gu Tingxuan had become Madam Gu’s emotional anchors. After Gu Tingyuan got married, her next goal became clear—she was determined to have grandchildren!

Thus, Madam Gu always doted on Su Ruoxue. However, despite three years of marriage, Su Ruoxue had not yet conceived. The couple had been to countless doctors, all of whom insisted there were no issues with either of them.

Eventually, Madam Gu blamed it all on Gu Tingyuan, accusing him of not putting in enough effort.

So, whenever she saw Su Ruoxue, she’d shower her with nourishing food, but Gu Tingyuan often faced passive-aggressive remarks from his mother. It almost seemed like Su Ruoxue was her real daughter, while Gu Tingyuan was the adopted one. Because of this, unless it was for something important, Gu Tingyuan usually avoided meeting his mother.

“Come, come! Today, I made you Ejiao jujube soup and black bean sticky rice porridge. Xiao, you try some too. These are all homemade! Although they were prepared for Ruoxue, it won’t hurt for you to have some as well!”

Madam Gu didn’t mind at all that Ye Xiao was calling her “sister” and even seemed to enjoy it.

She laid out the food she had prepared, and Su Ruoxue gave a soft, helpless smile. Madam Gu truly cared for her, and if she ever divorced Gu Tingyuan, Su Ruoxue felt that the person she’d regret leaving behind the most would be Madam Gu.

Ye Xiao, of course, was thrilled. The prospect of not having to cook herself was a dream come true! She immediately filled a bowl with both soup and porridge.

“Delicious! Sister, how do you make such amazing food? It’s even better than those ridiculously expensive restaurants!”

After taking just a bite, Ye Xiao was thoroughly impressed by Madam Gu’s cooking. She had assumed that a wealthy woman like Madam Gu wouldn’t know her way around a kitchen, but she was wrong.

“If it’s good, eat more. If it’s not enough, I’ll have Aunt Liu send over more ingredients, and I can make more for you.”

Madam Gu’s motherly warmth enveloped Ye Xiao entirely.

Tang Su… You could be my mother! Tang Su was Madam Gu’s real (Maiden) name.

From her past life to now, Ye Xiao couldn’t remember the last time she had felt such maternal warmth. But despite being such a wonderful woman, Tang Su’s life had been full of hardships.

She had lost her husband at a young age and raised two sons on her own. If not for the backing of the Gu family, it was hard to imagine how difficult life must have been for her.

It wasn’t until both sons had grown up and Gu Tingyuan became CEO of the Gu Corporation that Tang Su’s life started to improve. Unfortunately, her eldest son turned out to be such a wretched person—and worse, he was now Ye Xiao’s sworn enemy.

Thinking of this, Ye Xiao’s previously softened heart once again grew firm. No matter how much she sympathized with Madam Gu, she couldn’t waver in her resolve to take down Gu Tingyuan!

After dinner, the night had fallen, and with Tang Su around, Su Ruoxue had to focus on her mother-in-law, so she couldn’t take the time to personally send Ye Xiao home. Knowing this, Ye Xiao couldn’t stay in Su Ruoxue’s room any longer.

So, Su Ruoxue casually assigned her a guest room. The villa had turned on the central heating after the departure of the old tenant, so the room was now warm and comfortable.

Ye Xiao was a clean freak and couldn’t stand going a day without bathing. After checking out her assigned room, she happily slipped into the bathroom. The natural gas heater soon filled the tub with hot water.

Tang Su, knowing Ye Xiao wanted to bathe, thoughtfully provided her with a brand-new set of pajamas, which she had originally bought for a future granddaughter. Tang Su had already prepared clothes for grandchildren ranging from one to eighteen years old, along with clothes for a future grandson.

As she lay comfortably in the warm bathtub, Ye Xiao’s eyes narrowed slightly.

It was time to seriously think about how to deal with the “Child of Destiny.”

Without her own power base, she couldn’t rely solely on the system to siphon off his luck. Her parents’ small business was insignificant to someone like Gu Tingyuan. If he wanted, he could destroy the Ye family with just a word. With assets barely exceeding 30 million, the Ye family was no match for Gu Tingyuan’s influence in Binhai City’s business world.

Thus, Ye Xiao not only had to use the system to win over the female leads and weaken the “Child of Destiny,” but she also needed to establish her own power and enterprise in the process.

In the end, it all came down to two things: power and money. Once she had wealth, she could gain access to influence and status. So, in reality, there was only one thing she needed to focus on—making money!

Our goal is to make money! Make money!! MAKE MONEY!!!

She repeated it three times for emphasis.

“Ding!”

Just as Ye Xiao was about to use her waterproof phone to start mapping out her plan to make money, she received a message from someone she had saved as “Princess Sister Shen Yunchu.”

“Xiao Xiao, are you coming home tonight?”

It was as if Shen Yunchu had sensed Ye Xiao’s thoughts. She, too, was soaking in her own bathtub at that moment, clutching her waterproof phone tightly. Her knuckles had turned slightly white from holding it too firmly.

The reason she hadn’t messaged earlier was because she didn’t want Ye Xiao to think she was a jealous girl. After all, her jealousy was already on full display when Ye Xiao left earlier. She didn’t want to push Ye Xiao away with too much possessiveness.