Rebirth: She is Ready for a Counterattack!-Chapter 242 - 241: Seeing Clearly (Second Update)

Later, Li Xuemei asked Gu Xiaoqing privately, as she couldn’t understand why Gu Xiaoqing changed her mind so suddenly.

Since she wanted them to be ruthless towards Gu Xiaoying, what was her true intention?

But Gu Xiaoqing was insistent on getting Gu Ruhai and Li Xuemei to make a firm decision.

Gu Xiaoqing explained her reasoning to Li Xuemei, worried that Shang Wenming would make a reckless move and actually register to get married with Gu Xiaoying. That would be like sticking to a bad decision that was hard to undo.

If they got married, a divorce would damage Gu Xiaoying’s reputation. After all, it was the 1990s, not the later 21st century, and divorces were still detrimental to a woman’s societal image. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Right or wrong, society would always blame the woman, thus the public opinion was unfair to women.

Even if she was frustrated with her sister’s inability to make progress, Gu Xiaoqing didn’t want to see that outcome. Her actions were to save her sister from one pitfall, not to push her into another.

Moreover, since Shang Wenming was willing to accept even a minor position like a team leader, it indicated that someone was pressuring him severely from behind the scenes, so his actions were likely imminent.

To resolve everything in the simplest way possible, Gu Xiaoqing wanted to avoid unnecessary troubles that might truly hurt Gu Xiaoying.

Making Gu Xiaoying see Shang Wenming’s true colors was one thing, but it should not come at the cost of Gu Xiaoying being hurt.

That’s why Gu Xiaoqing agreed to let Shang Wenming return as a team leader.

Only then did Li Xuemei understand the painstaking effort Gu Xiaoqing went through, and she felt a chill run down her spine.

Neither she nor Gu Ruhai had seen any malicious intent in Shang Wenming. In their eyes, Shang Wenming was a good person, considerate and filial, with a loving heart. They had always thought of him as a future son-in-law.

But after what Gu Xiaoqing said, they couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious.

After all, this concerned Gu Xiaoying’s entire life, and as parents, no one wanted to see their child suffer over this.

If they could prevent it, who would choose not to?

Gu Xiaoqing made it clear that this was an opportunity for the family to see Shang Wenming’s true character, and only then were they willing to cooperate.

Everything seemed to have returned to normal.

Gu Xiaoying continued working at the shop, Gu Xiaoqing still helped at the shop, and Li Xuemei and Gu Ruhai were busy with their tasks.

Shang Wenming was possibly the unsettling variable everyone was waiting for.

Shang Wenming returned to work at the shop, but this time not as the general manager — just a small team leader.

Many didn’t understand what had happened, but they wouldn’t easily offend Shang Wenming. After all, Shang Wenming and Gu Xiaoying were still going to and from work together, always riding in Gu Xiaoying’s car, with no indications of their relationship ending.

So no one wanted to disrespect Shang Wenming, as who knew if he might return to being the boss’s son-in-law one day? Maybe this was all just for show.

However, Shang Wenming was anxious deep inside although he appeared businesslike and by the book. Recently, he had been trying to sneak into the kitchen.

Unfortunately, getting into the ingredients room was not that easy. A door lock had been installed that could only be opened from the inside.

Only the two Zhang Brothers worked as recipe masters inside — two unyielding individuals, and Shang Wenming didn’t know how to get hold of that secret recipe.

After several days of observation, Shang Wenming finally came up with a plan.

This plan took a lot of thought and a long time to devise.

The entire shop’s kitchen ingredients were now under the authority of the Zhang Brothers, and the ingredients room was off-limits. Only Gu Ruhai, Li Xuemei, Gu Xiaoqing, and Gu Xiaoying could enter — nobody else.

Shang Wenming tried asking Gu Xiaoying. Unfortunately, Gu Xiaoying wasn’t concerned about the recipes at all and didn’t pay attention to the details of the latest recipe.

Gu Xiaoying was a dead end.

However, Gu Xiaoying did disclose one useful piece of information: on the cabinet in the ingredients room, the Zhang Brothers posted the latest proportions and ingredients of each recipe to prevent them from forgetting any details.

It was posted on the cabinet door, covered neatly with a layer of plastic for cleanliness.

Shang Wenming was intrigued.

This was the best source for him.

The problem was accessing the ingredients room.

A few days later, Shang Wenming had everything planned out, though not without Gu Xiaoqing intentionally turning a blind eye, revealing a gap for Shang Wenming to exploit.

So, in the dead of night at Gu Family Spicy Hot Pot, a shadowy figure stealthily opened the main door of the shop.

Bumping into obstacles in the dark, the figure made its way into the kitchen and turned on the lights.

The surroundings lit up instantly.

In the light, Gu Xiaoying’s eyes froze as she was held at bay, and the person was Shang Wenming.

She stopped struggling with muffled cries.

Like a lifeless body, she was sitting there with her mouth covered by Gu Xiaoqing, crouching beneath the counter outside the kitchen.

Familiar with the procedures, Shang Wenming used a key to unlock the ingredients room, which was always locked after work hours, with the key only held by the Zhang Brothers.

Shang Wenming entered the ingredients room, leaving the door ajar. He worked swiftly, pulling out a paper and pen from his pocket and quickly copying down the recipe for Haidilao from the cabinet, along with the latest ingredient proportions.

Gu Xiaoying sat there, stunned, watching Shang Wenming with sweat glistening on his forehead in the dead of winter. Her heart ached, as the world turned into an unfamiliar place.

The man she regarded as the most tender, considerate, and devoted, the one she envisaged spending her life with, was now doing this.

The hand that always gently wiped her sweat and tucked her hair behind her ear was now stealing their family’s secret recipe.

A world-shattering heartbreak.

After finishing everything, Shang Wenming wiped his forehead, anxiously surveying his surroundings. For some reason, he felt an unsettling sensation of being watched, yet the room was empty.

He chuckled quietly to himself, perhaps it was just his guilty conscience.

Turning off the lights, locking the doors, and restoring everything as it was.

The kitchen lights were turned off, doors secured, unchanged from when he had entered.

Shang Wenming quickly disappeared out the hot pot shop’s main door, locking it behind him.

Everything settled into silence.

Only the sound of breathing remained in the darkness with the four people. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)