Chapter 31: Her Only Mercy

The next morning, when Zhao Yingyue made her way downstairs for breakfast, she was met with the sight of Gu Yan by the door with a single duffle bag at her feet. The things was barely full and likely didn't hold much more than some clothes.

Standing in front of Gu Yan were Gu Yanya and Zhao Xiang. Gu Yan looked pleadingly over at her mother who could only turn her head away in shame. Even her mother, who she thought that she could always rely on, didn't want anything to do with her anymore and couldn't even look at her.

In the end, Gu Yanya had chosen to save herself, even if it meant sacrificing Gu Yan.

Gu Yan started crying, "But I have nowhere to go for even one night! I don't have enough money stay in even the cheapest hotel! Where am I supposed to live? How am I supposed to survive?"

Zhao Xiang said, "Then I suggest you start selling the few clothes that you do have. Or go looking for your father for all I care. he should have been the one providing for you all these years."

Gu Yanya paled and shrunk away. Part of the reason that her husband had been so angry was because he felt that he was duped into providing financially for a child other than his own. When Gu Yanya had used to ask to provide the child with stuff, he hadn't known the true reason why.

Because the Zhao family had provided so much to Gu Yan, when he was told she couldn't bring anything with her that they had provided, she was put in a really bad situation.

Zhao Xiang had taken all of her electronics including her phone and all the clothes that he and Gu Yanya had brought her over the years. He had even took any toiletries that they had provided!

Because everything had always been provided for her, she had spent her personal money that she got paid for being Zhao Yingyue's manager on activities or really expensive clothes that she really had no use for.

Very little of her luxuries were her own and that truth now smacked her in the face.

When she looked around, her eyes fell on Zhao Yingyue. She was angry and blamed her for everything, but unlike her mom, she wasn't too full of pride to beg for forgiveness and saving. She just didn't want to be out on the streets for the rest of her life.

"Please sister, you can't allow me to live like this. I have nothing, no one, and nowhere to go. How can I even get on my feet?"

"I'm so sorry that I've put you through so much. I'll kowtow and apologize to you everyday for the rest of my life. Just let me off this one last time! I can't survive if I'm put out there!"

Zhao Yingyue found this act pitiful and couldn't find a shred of sympathy in her heart for that girl. No matter what situation she was in now, she was still the girl who made sure that her life was difficult and sometimes, even torturous. In the same situation, would Gu Yan have let her off? That answer was an easy no.

Now, she would return the favor.

"I don't know Gu Yan. You've treated me quite terribly these last years and never once have you let me off easy. Am I even capable of being so gracious?"

Gu Yan fell to her knees and slammed her head to the floor. Based off the sound, everyone could tell how much it must have hurt.

Had this girl gone insane?

She shouted, "Please! Please have mercy on me!"

Zhao Yingyue shook her head.

"I would if I felt that you deserved it. Honestly, I don't think that you do Gu Yan. Maybe the hardships will teach you to be a better person in the future. You apologize only because this is happening now but if it weren't, would you have ever even considered it?"

Gu Yan's body sunk even further—as if she had lost all control over it. She had never imagined that she would sink this low so fast. But Zhao Yingyue was right, she wouldn't have considered it for even a second. She might have actually laughed had the day ever come.

If only she hadn't been so jealous of Zhao Yingyue and everything she had. If only she had treated her well and made it so that they could have been friends instead of being bitter and hateful.

In the end, there may have been an outcome beneficial to the both of them. But she couldn't go back and change history.

In this moment, she had even forgotten why she had hated Zhao Yingyue so much when she was nothing but kind to her. A lot of it was jealousy but how could that alone cause her to act out?

At one point, she had even forgotten about her jealousy. Had that hatred become such a necessary part of her that she lost track of herself?

"I'm sorry."

For the first time, the apology that Gu Yan uttered was genuine. It was soft and broken and without the expectation of something good. She had officially given up.

She slowly picked herself up from the floor and lazily slung her bag over her shoulder. Her forehead had a giant bruise forming but there was no bleeding.

Gu Yan held her head down and bowed lightly before shuffling out the door.

Once she was gone, Gu Yanya turned to sadly look at the door. There would be nothing that she could do to help her anyway so it was better to save herself rather than let them both suffer together, right?

Zhao Yingyue found it pathetic that her mother had let her own golden child go like that. All of the drama stemmed from Gu Yanya wanting to give Gu Yan a better life but in the end, she chose to save herself over her daughter.

How selfish could Gu Yanya be?

In the end, even Gu Yan was able to utter a genuine apology and Gu Yanya still hadn't even bothered to try giving one to her. Still, she denied, minimized, and only saved herself.

Zhao Yingyue walked up to her dad.

"Dad, is it possible for me to speak to you in private?"

Before Zhao Xiang could reply, Gu Yanya said, "At this point, you've aired all the dirty laundry. What point is there in private or secretive discussions? Besides, I am still your mother, your father's wife, and the Madame of this family!"

Gu Yanya did not want to be left out of any discussions any further. She was scared that this daughter of her's would only fuel the fire. Gu Yanya knew that she wasn't completely safe yet and didn't want to deal with such a big risk.

There was no way she'd let anything happen in that house without her knowledge.

Much to her dismay, Zhao Xiang said, "You, Gu Yanya, are in no position to be making any demands. What you can do is go wait in the dining room for me to talk to my daughter in the private setting that she requests. Understood?"

Gu Yanya didn't have a chance to argue before Zhao Xiang led Zhao Yingyue away and toward the living room.

Once settled, Zhao Yingyue said, "Dad, I've really thought through what I am about to ask you. Please just hear me out before making any decisions or asking any questions, please."

Zhao Xiang nodded so Zhao Yingyue continued.

"Well, I know that Mother has an endless allowance that you give her every week to hang out with her socialite friends and buy everything that she wants. But after everything that has happened, do you think that she really deserves it?"

"I mean, if you look back to a few minutes ago, even Gu Yan was able to apologize to me yet my mother even tries to bar me from speaking to my own Dad alone. I don't think that it's fair for her to live this luxurious life and for her own daughter to suffer so greatly."

"Don't get me wrong. I will never forgive that Gu Yan, but at least she has some decency. I think it's only fair that we limit Mom's spending and then take a portion of that to support Gu Yan until she gets on her own feet. Maybe things could change in the future, but for now, mother hasn't even tried to apologize to me."

Zhao Xiang was silent for a few seconds. It was true that Gu Yanya didn't deserve to live as luxuriously and that she had never apologized once. Not even to him! What his daughter said made sense.

"Alright, I'll do it. It isn't the daughter's fault that the apple didn't fall far from the tree. So maybe it's time for Gu Yanya to learn what it means to sacrifice and to have to give to someone else."

Zhao Yingyue nodded with a smile. She would do nothing more for Gu Yan after this. This was what her genuine apology gave her. This was her only mercy.

However, this would also act as a hit to Gu Yanya. She must have forgotten what it is to live like a normal person and it was about time for her to remember. Maybe the experience will humble her enough to realize how bad of a person she was.

Not only would she not be able to afford everything she wants, she will also have to care for her child out of her own pocket. It doesn't help that no socialite in the city would dare step near her, so she wouldn't have anyone to hang out with that matches her status.

This was the true way to hurt Gu Yanya, who only cared about appearances.

"I think I have the perfect idea of how that will work. I know that Mom signed Gu Yanya under one of her credit cards for emergencies. I know you guys likely took that away so just give it back to her. It'll be mom's responsibility to pay off the debt Gu Yan racks up on it every week."

"If she uses too much of her allowance on herself, she won't be able to pay it off. Instead, you just pay it off for her and deduct it from her allowance for the next week. That way, she feels the consequence of trying not to take care of the child that she brought into this world, something she's never had to deal with."

Zhao Yingyue was almost positive that Gu Yan was also never taught the art of restraint either so she would likely use quite a bit of money once she got her hands on it.

Zhao Xiang nodded along. It seemed to be a fair punishment to him. He had still been thinking of what to do with Gu Yanya since he still wasn't too sure about a divorce. This, at least, would buy him time to figure things out while making sure that Gu Yanya learned the meaning of the world responsibility.

Zhao Yingyue, that daughter of his, seemed to be quite scheming on her own. He couldn't believe that she'd come up with such a clever punishment. And it wasn't anything extreme wither, the way that most people would have if they had been in her situation. Instead, it was fair.

Zhao Xiang said, "Alright, I agree with you. We can let her know during breakfast and then I'll arrange for it immediately after. What do you say we go have breakfast now?"

Zhao Yingyue nodded obediently.

She knew that this breakfast would be an interesting show to watch. Her mother was going to blow up when she learned what would soon happen. She had grown too used to the lifestyle that had been supported for many years. Adjusting to something less would be extremely difficult.

Zhao Yingyue just couldn't wait to see it happen.