The next evening, Gu Chengyu returned to the Gu family residence, a cold severity etched between his brows.
Shortly after, the elegant figure of Madam Gu appeared in the living room.
A trace of lingering worry was visible in her eyes.
"Mother." Gu Chengyu greeted her with a faint tone.
After sitting down, Madam Gu let out a soft sigh and spoke first, her tone consultative:
"Chengyu, since you have some time today, I wanted to discuss the matter of that previous marriage alliance announcement."
"I've been thinking, perhaps the Gu family could issue another statement, saying it was all a misunderstanding due to miscommunication that led to this whole incident."
"This way, we could at least preserve the Song family's dignity and not make things too difficult for that child, Qingwan."
"After all, I have a good relationship with your Aunt Song..."
Before she could finish, Gu Chengyu interrupted her.
"That won't be necessary." His voice was calm, yet brooked no argument.
Madam Gu was taken aback. She looked at her son and only then noticed his unusually severe expression today, as if a storm was brewing.
Gu Chengyu raised his eyes to meet his mother's gaze. "The first thing I came back to handle today is this matter, but not to clarify it."
"Mother, the online rumors slandering Qian Qian, the initial spread and the push from the paid trolls—the person behind it all is Song Qingwan."
"What?" Madam Gu's eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief.
"How is that possible? That child Qingwan, how could she..."
A cold smile touched the corner of Gu Chengyu's mouth. "Not only that, she also hired people to monitor Qian Qian's movements and took those photos."
"Mother, do you think this is something a gentle, well-mannered young lady from a good family should do?"
Madam Gu was utterly stunned, momentarily unable to process this.
Her mind flashed with Song Qingwan's face, always wearing a gentle, soft smile, and with the upright, noble images of Song Shuhua and Song Qingzhi. She simply couldn't connect the image of a schemer harming others from behind the scenes, as described by her son, with them.
"How could..." she murmured to herself, her brows tightly knit.
"How could the daughter raised by such honorable and principled people as Song Shuhua and Song Qingzhi be like this?"
She couldn't make sense of it.
"Is it just because she likes you? Unrequited love turning into hatred? But she shouldn't resort to such methods!"
"The Song family is a clan that values integrity and character so highly. Even if bowing out, it should be done with grace and dignity. Just like her mother, Shuhua—she appears gentle, but is actually straightforward by nature. She would rather voice any dissatisfaction face-to-face and has always despised underhanded tactics and secret schemes the most."
The more she spoke, the more absurd and disappointed she felt.
Gu Chengyu looked at his mother's shocked expression, his eyes still icy. "It is precisely out of consideration for your friendship with Madam Song that I came to inform you in advance."
"I will make her pay for what she has done."
"She will be utterly disgraced, more thoroughly than you can imagine."
Madam Gu's heart tightened. "Chengyu! What are you going to do? Could you possibly..."
Gu Chengyu cut her off. "No!"
"Furthermore, I didn't just uncover what I just mentioned. I also found out some particularly interesting things."
"About Song Qingwan's true background, and why she is so terrified of losing the halo of the Song family that she would go to any lengths, even resorting to such schemes, to hold onto me."
"I will make all of this public as well."
"It's time for people to see the flaws within this seemingly perfect jade that is the Song family."
Madam Gu was rendered completely speechless, sitting dumbfounded on the sofa.
She had originally only intended to clean up the mess left by the failed marriage alliance, never expecting it to unravel such a shocking truth.
Had it been any other young lady from a prominent family, she might have considered it human nature.
But for it to be the daughter of the Song couple, she truly could not comprehend it.
