Cecilia Gu's body stiffened, but she still slowly turned around.
As expected, Charles Yin was standing right behind her.
Charles Yin's face was dark and stormy.
He never expected that on the very first day his mother returned, she would force him to divorce Cecilia Gu!
And Cecilia Gu’s words just now had deeply pierced his heart.
Cecilia Gu, how can you say the word 'divorce' so easily?
Do you even know that I was never just playing around when it comes to you?
"Since Mr. Yin is here, I won’t interrupt your conversation. I’ll go pack my things and leave the Yin Family." After saying this, Cecilia Gu turned to go.
But Charles Yin grabbed Cecilia Gu’s wrist, refusing to let her leave no matter what.
"Mom, are you really going to drive your own son to the edge the moment you come back?" Charles Yin stared at Mrs. Yin, his face dark. "Has my years of compromise and tolerance become the weapon you use to hurt your own son?"
"You brat! Is that any way to talk to me?" Mrs. Yin instantly flew into a rage. "I am your mother!"
"So that gives you the right to hurt me like this?" Charles Yin was practically gritting his teeth, but since she was his mother, no matter how angry he got, he could only endure it.
"I’m doing this for your own good!" Mrs. Yin’s voice rose, her brows furrowed with fury.
"Is that so? My mother." Charles Yin’s voice was icy. "Do you think I’m still the same person I was six years ago?"
Mrs. Yin was stunned. She didn’t understand what Charles Yin meant by that.
What was different about him now compared to six years ago?
Wasn’t he still her son?
"Since you’ve finished your treatment, Mom, just relax and enjoy life here in China. Your son has been an adult for years and can handle things on his own, so you should just focus on living well and leave everything else to me." Charles Yin tried to suppress his anger, but at this moment, he was finding it hard to hold back.
"What kind of tone is that to use with me?" Mrs. Yin’s attitude hardened as well.
Just as the tension between Charles Yin and Mrs. Yin was about to boil over, Sylvia Ran appeared right on cue.
"Auntie, Charles, what’s going on between you two? You just got back today—why are you already at odds?" Sylvia Ran, ever the peacemaker, quickly soothed Mrs. Yin and said, "Cecilia, honestly. Auntie is your mother-in-law, and she just came home today. How could you make her angry? Do you realize how unfilial that is?"
Cecilia Gu looked away, trying to break free from Charles Yin’s grip, but he had no intention of letting go.
"Mom, let me be very clear—Cecilia Gu is my wife, and the child she’s carrying is the fourth-generation heir of the Yin Family! No other woman will ever bear me a child! If you force Cecilia to leave, then I’ll leave with her!" Charles Yin declared, his stance unmistakable.
Charles Yin’s words just now were a warning to Mrs. Yin.
He was no longer the Charles Yin from six years ago.
Six years ago, Charles Yin was still innocent, always believing the world was a good place.
But now, Charles Yin had become someone who’d survived countless trials by fire.
He was no longer someone so easily controlled.
Hearing Charles Yin’s words, Mrs. Yin’s eyes flickered violently.
She held back and held back, but finally, she compromised.
"Alright, I get it," Mrs. Yin finally realized her son had changed.
He was no longer the boy who panicked in the face of danger, but a calm, hard-handed king.
Mrs. Yin also understood that her old tricks to drive Cecilia Gu away wouldn’t work anymore.
If force wouldn’t work, then she’d switch to softer tactics!
"Alright, I’m a bit tired. Sylvia, push me back to my room to rest." Mrs. Yin waved her hand, refusing to look at Cecilia Gu again, and left.
Sylvia Ran glanced at Cecilia Gu with smug satisfaction—this time, she was sure she’d won!
Once everyone else had left, Cecilia Gu finally said coldly to Charles Yin, "Let go!"
Charles Yin stared at Cecilia Gu, his beautiful face covered in frost.
He didn’t want to let go; he had this nagging feeling that if he let go now, he’d lose her forever…
Cecilia Gu stared coldly at her wrist, trapped in his grip. Her voice was icy: "Even if you hold onto me like this, what does it change? We both know how this ends. Divorce is only a matter of time. I’ve told you before—there’s no way for us to go on…"
"I won’t let go. I won’t divorce you." Charles Yin forced out each word through clenched teeth.
Cecilia Gu gave a soft smile, lifting her gaze to Charles Yin. Her clear eyes reflected his striking features.
Charles Yin felt a stab of pain in his heart at Cecilia Gu’s smile.
"You don’t trust me?" Charles Yin asked in return.
"How could I? If your mother deliberately makes things difficult for me, how many times can you really stand behind me?" Cecilia Gu looked at Charles Yin calmly, her eyes growing ever clearer.
Charles Yin was left speechless.
It was true—he couldn’t always be at home to protect Cecilia Gu.
He couldn’t even bring himself to blame his own mother.
If his mother was determined to make things hard for Cecilia Gu, he really was powerless to stop her.
Cecilia Gu gave a bitter smile: "A few days ago, I already told you—eventually, we’d go our separate ways. You didn’t believe me; you said you could handle it! But now I’ve lost faith in all of this. Charles Yin, think carefully before you answer me. If your mother is dead set on tearing us apart, how much faith do you really have left?"
Charles Yin’s expression was cold and stern.
Cecilia Gu gently closed her eyes and said softly, "I know your answer now. Alright, can you let go?"
Charles Yin looked at Cecilia Gu, torn between restraint and pleading.
He didn’t want to let go. He didn’t want to watch the person he finally found and loved walk away.
He thought that after all these years of experience, he was invincible, fearless.
But at this moment, he felt utterly powerless and defeated!
He could command the world outside, but he couldn’t balance the relationship between the two most important people in his life.
Charles Yin felt like a complete failure.
Cecilia Gu pried his fingers off her wrist one by one and turned to leave.
But behind her came Charles Yin’s voice, wounded and desperate like a wild animal: "Cecilia Gu, can you really bear to leave me?"
Cecilia Gu suddenly stopped, lowered her gaze, hiding her emotions. After she calmed herself, she spoke softly: "Mrs. Yin was right—people shouldn’t covet what was never theirs to begin with. I was too greedy. I thought I could eventually earn Mrs. Yin’s approval, but I was wrong. I’m just an ordinary person, not a miracle worker. I can’t change any of this."
"I told you, if you give me enough time, I can change everything." Charles Yin quickly replied.
"But I might not be able to wait any longer. If nothing unexpected happens, Mrs. Yin will do everything she can to push you and Sylvia Ran together. How am I supposed to face the two of you? Isn’t that cruel to me?" Cecilia Gu said softly. "I’ll go pack my things. Tomorrow, I’ll leave with Rona. Maybe without me here, you two can talk things out."
After saying this, Cecilia Gu didn’t pause for a second. She turned and went to her room, asking her assistant to pack two suitcases for her, getting ready to leave.
Before Cecilia Gu could even walk out the door, she heard Mrs. Yin’s voice from outside: "Sylvia, bring this supper to Charles in the study—he’ll want it tonight! Oh, and the fruit, peel it and bring it to him too."
Sylvia Ran’s cheerful voice quickly followed: "Alright, Auntie, I’ll bring it over right away!"
A moment later, sure enough, Cecilia Gu heard Sylvia Ran knocking on the study door next door.
Cecilia Gu gave a bitter smile.
On the very first day, Mrs. Yin was already shoving someone beside Charles Yin—and doing it so blatantly.
In Mrs. Yin’s eyes, this so-called daughter-in-law was just a decoration—or worse, not even that.
It looked like Mrs. Yin really couldn’t wait to get rid of her.
Cecilia Gu dragged her suitcase outside, and Rona Muir had already packed up as well.
Rona Muir had a car, so leaving wasn’t a problem.
It’s just…
Just as Cecilia Gu stepped out the door, her big belly made it a bit awkward. As she turned around, she bumped right into someone.
Crash—
Cecilia Gu looked down at her clothes, now a complete mess.
Sylvia Ran shrieked, "Oh no, Cecilia, are you alright? I didn’t mean to! Look, you’re about to leave and now you’ve dirtied your clothes."
Cecilia Gu looked down at the stains on her clothes—Sylvia Ran had clearly done it on purpose.
But with Mrs. Yin standing right there, what could she say?
Charles Yin was hiding out in the study, refusing to come out, wasn’t he?
What more could she possibly hope for?
Cecilia Gu handed her luggage to Rona Muir and turned back to her room to change clothes.
But before Cecilia Gu reached her room, Sylvia Ran suddenly blocked her path, looking at her maliciously: "Since you’ve come out of this room, do you really plan to go back in? I remember the lock uses fingerprint recognition. Since you’re leaving, cancel your fingerprint access. Or do you intend to come back?"
Cecilia Gu’s face turned pale.
Sylvia Ran, you’re ruthless.
Gritting her teeth, Cecilia Gu pulled up the room’s panel and deleted her fingerprint access.
Sylvia Ran quickly entered her own fingerprint, then looked at Cecilia Gu in triumph.
Cecilia Gu clenched her fists tightly, forcing herself to calm down with deep breaths.
"Since you’re leaving, I won’t see you off. I have to go to the kitchen and prepare supper and tea for Charles. Not seeing you off." Sylvia Ran said smugly, looking at Cecilia Gu.
"No need." Cecilia Gu replied coldly, turning and slowly heading down the stairs.
When Cecilia Gu reached the doorway, Mrs. Zhang hesitated, wanting to say something.
"Mrs. Zhang, thank you for taking care of me these past few days," Cecilia Gu said with a gentle smile. "I don’t have much to give you, but please accept this as a keepsake. It’s not worth much, so don’t refuse."
Cecilia Gu pressed a jewelry box into Mrs. Zhang’s hands.