Reborn as a Fake Heiress Marrying the Tycoon - Chapter 1063

Chapter 1063: Lin Miao Fell Sick Again

Gu Zi hadn’t intended to come across as so indifferent, but honestly, Huang Fei had brought this upon herself. There was no room for sympathy–only a mild sense of surprise.

Even after paying restitution, Huang Fei was still sentenced to a month in prison. And what was even more intriguing was that Xu Fan hadn’t gone all out to get his woman off the hook. So much for undying devotion.

Xu Fan, however, remained silent, unwilling to dwell on the matter. He had already made up his mind to abandon Huang Fei, and that was all that mattered. Without another word, he summoned Xu Sheng, and the father and son took their leave, slipping out as swiftly as they had arrived.

Meanwhile, back at the Gu household, Lin Miao had fallen ill–again. The last time, she had fainted right outside a restaurant upon hearing that Gu Zi had not only aced the exams but had ranked as the province’s top scorer. It had taken her weeks in the hospital to recover from the humiliation.

And now, barely out of the hospital, she was struck down once more, this time thanks to Zhang Mei’s reckless media stunt. Zhang Mei’s interview had inadvertently dragged the Gu family into a scandal about spreading false rumors regarding the province’s top scholar, and the school had already sent word–Lin Miao’s academic future was in jeopardy.

The stress had quite literally made her sick. She had been bedridden for three straight days, with a doctor visiting daily to administer IV drips.

Zhang Mei wasn’t faring much better. Her usually well-kept hair had turned half-white overnight. Just a short while ago, she had felt victorious, relishing the satisfaction of exposing Gu Zi as an ungrateful ingrate in the press.

But now? The entire newspaper was under fire, the journalists responsible for the slander had been sentenced, and her triumphant moment had turned into an unmitigated disaster.

Yet, she couldn’t comprehend what exactly had gone wrong. Where had the newspaper lied? The Gu family had raised Gu Zi for eighteen years–wasn’t her success a direct result of their sacrifices? How could Gu Zi have topped the province’s exams without their support?

She had been looking forward to the media frenzy, to the opportunity to further condemn Gu Zi for turning her back on her adoptive family. But now, all of that was ruined.

Adding insult to injury, she herself had been implicated. Her workplace had issued a suspension, demanding a formal statement of self-reflection–an admission that her words had been nothing but baseless defamation.

She had no choice but to comply if she wanted to keep her job. Worse yet, her apology had been published in the papers for the entire world to see. Now, whenever she stepped outside, whispers followed, accusing her of being heartless, of discarding the daughter she had raised.

To make matters worse, public opinion had shifted entirely in Gu Zi’s favor. Everyone was saying that such an exceptional student must have been born talented, that had she not been forced into an arranged marriage in the countryside, she would be shining even brighter today. That brilliance, they insisted, was undeniable–gold, after all, gleams no matter where it’s placed.

Zhang Mei couldn’t understand it. How had she suddenly become the villainous adoptive mother in this narrative? It was utter nonsense.

And yet, late at night, in the quiet solitude of her thoughts, she couldn’t help but recall the old days–when she had once truly loved and cared for Gu Zi as her own. But now, an unbridgeable chasm separated them. Gu Zi’s success was no longer tied to her in any way. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

She shook herself out of her daze, redirecting her focus to the person who truly mattered–Lin Miao. Her real daughter, who was lying sick in bed, was utterly devastated.

While prestigious universities clamored to recruit Gu Zi, Lin Miao had yet to receive even a single admission letter. She spent her days sobbing, refusing food, growing more gaunt and lifeless by the hour. Zhang Mei’s heart ached for her.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Gong family had been relentlessly pressuring them to finalize the divorce. Zhang Mei, however, had stubbornly held them off, using Lin Miao’s illness as an excuse. There was no way she would let Lin Miao be cast aside. The Gong family was her daughter’s last trump card–they couldn’t afford to lose it.

Over at the Gong household, the atmosphere was equally tense. Chief Gong and Madam Chen both wore grim expressions.

“The entire Gu family is utterly shameless,” Madam Chen fumed, her voice dripping with disgust. “I feel sick just thinking about being in-laws with those people.”

For once, even Chief Gong had no words of reassurance. He merely sat in his chair in silence. This divorce was proving far more complicated than anticipated.

The Gu family may not have wielded great power, but their sheer shamelessness had become infamous in their social circle. They refused to let go, and the Gong family, unwilling to resort to underhanded tactics, was left in a frustrating stalemate.

Time was slipping away. Gong Zhan was nearing thirty, his marital troubles unresolved, and the older generation’s dreams of holding a grandchild seemed increasingly out of reach. The family was beside themselves with regret–if only they had never agreed to let Lin Miao take Gu Zi’s place.

Gong Xin, too, was at her wit’s end. “Gong Zhan,” she snapped, glaring at her brother. “Are you going to say something or not? Do you even want this divorce?”

But Gong Zhan remained unbothered, his demeanor detached. To him, it made little difference–if it wasn’t Gu Zi, then whoever replaced her was all the same. If Lin Miao wanted to remain his wife in name only, so be it. At least that spared him the effort of finding someone else. Marriage was nothing more than a formality to him, an inconvenience he had no desire to waste time on. He had far more important matters to focus on.