Chapter 108: Get the He guy out!

"Mother, your son explicitly forbade her from entering our home. Are you completely disregarding his feelings? How do you think Beibei will perceive this? Might he believe a stranger holds more importance in your heart than he does?" 

"Spare me your attempts to sow discord," the matriarch retorted without so much as a glance. "So long as you refrain from meddling, this household remains peaceful. The moment you interfere, turmoil follows." 

"Then perhaps I should reclaim that talisman Fengxi took," she remarked coolly, settling onto the opposite sofa and idly examining her nails. "Since you no longer desire it, Mother-in-law, you may return it to me." 

The matriarch slammed her tablet aside, her eyes flashing with indignation. "When did I ever say such a thing? Must you stir conflict the instant Meiwei appears? Your insecurity is palpable—do you truly fear Yubei slipping from your grasp?" 

"Of course you wouldn't fear it, Mother. Otherwise, you wouldn't dare invite her here daily." Her lips curled in a faint, mocking smile. "I simply despise her presence. Either ensure she never returns, or surrender the talisman now. This matter ends here—I'll leave it to your son to handle. How does that sound?" 

"You—!" The matriarch, still haunted by the memory of her possession, recoiled at the thought of reliving such terror. There was no chance she would yield. 

"Auntie, please don't distress yourself on my account. I'll take my leave," interjected He Meiwei, seizing the moment before the matriarch could speak. A master of reading the room, she recognized the older woman's helplessness against Gu Lili's demands. Better to retreat gracefully than be dismissed. 

"Meiwei, I truly feel I've wronged you..." 

"Don't say that, Auntie. I shan't return henceforth. I'd never wish to sow discord in your family." 

Gu Lili scoffed at her performative humility. "Had you an ounce of self-awareness, you'd have stayed away after my husband's warning." 

"Gu Lili, must you be so cruel?" He Meiwei's voice trembled with feigned hurt. "I've not sought out Yubei—I came only to visit Auntie. As the young madam of the Long family, you wield authority now. But had I not ended things with him back then, do you imagine you'd even have the right to speak this way?" 

"And who, pray tell, caused that separation? Must you harp on it endlessly, playing the victim? Yubei was the one wronged—cast aside without explanation, only to later secure your transplant, arrange your housing, and extend endless favors. And how do you repay him? By scheming to ruin his marriage, all while his own mother enables you. Get out of this house—now!" 

"Enough!" The patriarch descended the staircase, his voice laced with disapproval. "Lili, must you speak so harshly? Miss He may be Yubei's former lover, but she has been a companion to your mother-in-law, offering solace in your absence. And yet you demand she leave? This is the ancestral home, not Qinyuan—mind your tone." 

His words struck like a blow. Gu Lili stared at him, incredulous. "Father, whose side are you on? Who is your daughter-in-law here? If you insist on welcoming her, then so be it—I shall never cross this threshold again. Does that satisfy you?" 

The patriarch faltered under her icy gaze, rendered speechless. 

"Throw that He woman out!" The commanding voice of the family matriarch echoed from the doorway. The elder Longs entered arm-in-arm, their presence immediate and formidable. 

"Mother—" The patriarch began, only to be silenced by a single withering glance. 

"Hold your tongue. I've been listening long enough. I find nothing objectionable in Lili's words—unlike yours!" The elder matriarch's voice dripped with disdain. "Ancestral home or not, let me remind you: Beibei and Lili hold equal—no, greater—authority here than you do!" 

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