Chapter 109: This ambition is a bit big

Not daring to utter a single word of rebuttal, the Long patriarch stood silenced. In the Long household, the family matriarch reigned supreme—his authority amounted to nothing. 

Though chairman of the Long Corporation, the moment he stepped through his own doors, he remained beholden to his mother's will. 

"And what are you gaping at?" The elder matriarch's sharp gaze sliced toward He Meiwei. "Must I have you escorted out, or will you spare us the indignity and leave on your own?" 

Humiliation burned through He Meiwei, her face alternating between pallor and livid fury. "There's no need for expulsion, Madam. I'll see myself out." 

Her figure vanished beyond the parlor doors. The elder matriarch turned her scrutiny upon her daughter-in-law. "Shufen, must you persist in this willfulness while your father and I are absent? You disregard your son's wishes, and now my words might as well be carried off by the wind—is that it?" 

"Mother, you misunderstand. I merely find Meiwei rather agreeable." 

"Agreeable?" The elder matriarch's brows arched in disbelief. "Have you forgotten you've two daughters of your own? Must you lavish kindness upon outsiders while neglecting your own daughter-in-law and flesh and blood?" 

"Enough, Mother. Must we dwell on this? You chastise us, yet turn no such scrutiny upon your precious granddaughter-in-law." 

"Precious indeed—why would I reproach excellence?" The elder matriarch's voice was measured. "Our Lili stands leagues above those gilded strumpets." 

A muscle twitched in the younger matriarch's jaw. "Mother… your partiality toward her is glaring." 

"Nonsense! Should I favor that He creature over Beibei's own wife? Cease this folly at once." 

"..." 

Where her expression had been glacial moments prior, the elder matriarch now softened into benevolence as she addressed Gu Lili. "Set your heart at ease, child. That woman shan't cross our threshold again. One glance reveals her for the scheming wretch she is—shameless to her core. Any decent girl would've withdrawn after the first refusal, yet there she was, courting ruin with every simpering glance." 

Gu Lili found the old woman's candor endearing. "Grandmother, you've no notion of the depths of her machinations…" 

She recounted He Meiwei's most egregious exploits. The elder matriarch nodded grimly. "My instincts seldom err. And yet your mother finds her 'agreeable.' It seems her sight fails though her years haven't yet. No matter—let us not soil the air with her name. Lili, have you attended to that special matter we discussed?" 

A flush crept up Gu Lili's cheeks. "It's been seen to," she murmured. 

"Splendid." Satisfaction warmed the elder's voice. "Your grandfather and I have begun compiling names—one for a son, another for a daughter. Rest assured, we'll select ones that please all, melodious yet dignified." 

Touched by her fervor, Gu Lili smiled. "As you wish." 

*** 

He Meiwei stormed from the Long estate in a tempest of fury. 

Back in her leased apartment, an idea struck as she sank onto the bed—she would conceive. Not just any child, but the Long patriarch's heir. Let another successor take root in her womb, one that would choke Long Yubei, Gu Lili, and those insufferable elders with rage. How they'd writhe when the day came that the young master and his wife had to address her as "Stepmother!" 

The ambition was audacious. 

Yet not, she reflected, impossible. 

Once her position solidified, once the world learned the truth—what exquisite shock would ripple through them all? 

The thought alone was intoxicating. 

But first—that detestable Gu Lili. 

Merely envisioning her rival set He Meiwei's blood boiling. 

She would break her. Humiliate her until her name became synonymous with disgrace, until the Longs recoiled from the shame she brought upon them. 

Wealth was no longer an obstacle. 

Now, she had resources to match her malice. 

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