On the other side, Mrs. Zhou was fidgeting in her seat. She did not know what the outcome was. Just as she was about to get up to take a look, she saw Gu Rou and Mrs. Zhang return.
Before Mrs. Zhang and Gu Rou could sit down, Madam Zhou immediately asked, “How is it?”
Gu Rou was still thinking about how to answer when Mrs. Zhang replied, “Gu Man is eating with her teacher.”
Mrs. Zhou looked at Gu Rou and said with a faint smile, “So, you guys wanted to embarrass her, but now you’re embarrassing yourself.”
“Mrs. Zhou, I won’t hide it from you. Gu Man usually interacts with rich children. How do you think a country bumpkin like her knows these rich children? I’ve asked her, but not only did she not tell me, she even scolded me. That’s why I was so anxious just now.”
Mrs. Zhou recalled how indifferent Gu Man was when she accepted her gift. She would never contact those materialistic people.
A lady said in confusion, “I saw that she was well-behaved just now and didn’t say anything else. Why would she go and flirt as you said?”
“Speaking of which, I gave her a bag yesterday. That bag is the only one in Han City that can’t be bought even if you have money. This isn’t something that ordinary rich children can afford. But she hasn’t even opened that bag yet. It’s obvious that she doesn’t care about materialistic things,” Mrs. Zhou said as she looked at Gu Rou and then at the bag.
Gu Rou was a little embarrassed, but she was angrier at Gu Man.
Another lady said, “I saw it just now. She’s dressed very plainly. If she really interacted with rich people, she would have long been dressed in gold and silver.”
All the madams nodded in agreement.
Gu Rou felt like she was sitting on pins and needles as she cursed Gu Man in her heart.
Suddenly, Mrs. Zhou stood up and said, “I have something on. I’ll get going first. You guys take your time.”
She left the ladies behind, picked up her bag, and left.
Mrs. Zhang quickly asked her to stay. “Mrs. Zhou, the meal hasn’t started yet. There’s no hurry. I was afraid that something would happen to that child, so I got delayed.”
“I won’t join you guys for the meal. I can’t stand people talking bad about others behind my back. I’m used to doing whatever I want. Maybe it’s a bad habit I brought back from overseas. Don’t mind me.”
Although Mrs. Zhou was belittling herself, anyone with a discerning eye could tell that she was indirectly talking about how Gu Rou was talking bad about her sister behind her back.
The ladies looked at each other and said that they had something to do and needed to leave first.
Mrs. Zhang watched as everyone left. She was anxious and embarrassed, but there was nothing she could do.
These few people were all wealthy ladies in the circle that she was familiar with. Now that Mrs. Zhou had left, the others could only follow her.
She felt that it was all because of Gu Man. This Gu Man was getting more and more eccentric. Just now, she actually dared to question her openly, but now that she couldn’t scold Gu Man, looking at the table filled with food, she had nowhere to vent her anger, so she targeted Gu Rou.
“I pulled you away in front, but you still stood there and argued with them. Are you happy now?”
“Auntie, I’m sorry. You saw it too. It was Gu Man who insisted on staying there. I had no choice but to argue with them,” Gu Rou said aggrievedly.
Mrs. Zhang recalled that she was the one who had pulled Gu Rou to look for Gu Man. At the thought of this, she was less angry.
“Is that Teacher Zhong really going to send Gu Man to Zhong Chu University?” Mrs. Zhang asked.
“Auntie Zhang, you believe this too? Gu Man was still at the bottom of the grade in the previous mock examination. How could she go to Zhong Chu University? I’ve already helped Gu Man look at some of the schools in the city. I’m already happy for her if she can get into one of the schools in the city.” Gu Rou still looked like she was thinking for Gu Man.
“That’s true. With Gu Man’s results, it’s already blessed by the heavens that she can go to a specialized school.” Mrs. Zhang recalled that Zhang Yue had also said that Gu Man’s studies were a mess.
Gu Rou looked at Mrs. Zhang’s expression and asked, “Is Mrs. Zhou from the Zhou Family in Han City?”
This question puzzled the Gu family for a long time.
“Yes, she’s the daughter of the Zhou family, one of the four major families in Han City. She only returned to the country half a year ago and rarely mingled in Han City’s circles, so you don’t know.”
“I see that everyone calls her Madam. Zhou, but her husband’s surname is also Zhou?”
“I don’t know the details. I only know that Mrs. Zhou is the only daughter of Old Master Zhou and his first wife. She’s very favored by Old Master Zhou. She’s basically in charge of the Zhou Family’s overseas company. She’s back because of her daughter’s college entrance examination.”
When Gu Rou thought about how such a person was protecting Gu Man, hatred surged in her heart.