Ending Up with the Female Lead’s Mom - Chapter 7

“Future mother-in-law one moment, ‘Big Sister’ the next—is she a mother-in-law or a sister?” Lu Lu propped her chin up, gossiping openly.

She hadn’t expected Su Ming to actually dare call Gu Zhanci that, nor did she expect Gu Zhanci to indulge her.

Gu Zhanci was beautiful, but her looks were of the cool, aloof variety—the kind that seemed difficult to approach. Most people wouldn’t even have the courage to strike up a conversation, yet this kid in front of her was happily “Sistering” left and right.

Su Ming looked at Gu Zhanci. “The two don’t conflict. ‘Future mother-in-law’ is the relationship, and ‘Sister’ is the title. Just like right now, I can call you Sister Lu Lu.”

Su Ming’s voice was crisp, with an underlying hint of charm.

Lu Lu had spent years in social circles and heard all sorts of women call her “Sister,” but she had never heard a voice quite like this—naturally sultry without a hint of affectation.

She wore an expression of enjoyment and wiggled her eyebrows at Gu Zhanci. “I’m already starting to look forward to the day you two truly become mother and daughter-in-law. It’s guaranteed to start a new era for family dynamics. Why don’t you guys just fast-forward to that day?”

Gu Zhanci glared at her. “Stop fooling around. We have business to discuss.”

Lu Lu ignored her and turned to Su Ming. “Student Su Ming, your Sister Zhanci doesn’t support her daughter dating. What is a girl supposed to do at such a flowery age if she isn’t allowed to date?”

“I’m sure Sister has her reasons,” Su Ming replied, not taking the bait.

She turned to see Gu Zhanci still maintaining that calm, composed demeanor—so serious it made one want to drop a bombshell just to break the peace and stir up some ripples.

“Well, the Buddha doesn’t allow one to be moved by emotion either. The Buddha has his reasons, but being reasonable doesn’t mean it’s right. I support you; win over Gu Shiyue early. I want to see a display of ‘filial piety’ between you two,” Lu Lu said, clearly enjoying the chaos.

The more Lu Lu spoke, the more outrageous it became. Gu Zhanci knew Lu Lu didn’t have a high moral compass; not breaking the law was her absolute baseline as a citizen. Plus, being deep in the ACG subculture, Lu Lu loved “crack ships” and chaotic dynamics. Gu Zhanci said with a headache, “Just shut up.”

Lu Lu huffed and shifted her target. “Student Guoguo, let’s talk business now. You blacked out from drinking yesterday—do you remember everything now?”

“I remember.” Guoguo had been mesmerized by the fact that adults actually talked like this. Being called out felt like being back in high school; her whole body tensed up.

“Here’s the deal: I didn’t sleep with you, and you didn’t sleep with me. We are completely innocent. Gu Zhanci can vouch for my character.”

“Mm-mm, thank you, Sister Lu Lu.” Guoguo was only here to give her thanks.

“Also, thank you, Auntie… Auntie Gu.” Guoguo was still nervous facing Gu Zhanci. She couldn’t bring herself to call her “Sister” like Su Ming did. Gu Zhanci was Gu Shiyue’s mother, and Gu Shiyue was her junior.

In her eyes, they were a generation apart.

Gu Zhanci: “…” Actually, the ‘Sister’ Su Ming uses is much easier on the ears.

Lu Lu burst into laughter. “Hahahahahaha!”

“The desserts in this shop are good.” Gu Zhanci chose to ignore Lu Lu and spoke to Su Ming. “You should try some.”

But Su Ming was frowning.

Gu Zhanci asked softly, “What’s wrong? Feeling unwell? Or do you not like coffee? Should I have them change it to milk tea for you? Or an ice-cold Coke?”

“No, the AC in the shop is set too high. It’s too hot.”

Gu Zhanci looked around. No one else seemed to mind the heat, and she felt fine herself. She whispered, “Are you very sensitive to the heat?”

Su Ming was wearing very little—a navy blue sleeveless T-shirt and white shorts, leaving her milky-white arms and legs exposed. Su Ming had dressed like this every time they met, and Gu Zhanci had assumed it was just what girls that age liked to wear.

Su Ming nodded. “I prefer lower temperatures.”

Gu Zhanci gave an “Mm.” Just as she was about to speak, her phone on the table vibrated. She picked it up, and her expression stiffened slightly.

Lu Lu asked, “Something at the company? Your company really can’t survive without you; they won’t even let you have afternoon tea.”

Gu Zhanci shook her head. “No, it’s Gu Shiyue.”

“Oh? What’s wrong with Shiyue?”

Gu Zhanci said, “She says she wants to live in the dorms this semester.”

“Your house isn’t far from school. What’s so good about dorms? Cramming in with a bunch of people… the minds of young girls are hard to guess,” Lu Lu mused.

Gu Zhanci agreed with that sentiment and turned to Su Ming, who was a peer. “When do people your age usually choose to live in the dorms?”

Su Ming wasn’t exactly the Female Lead’s peer, but she had been rebellious since childhood, always arguing with her parents because she didn’t want to study medicine. Every fight made her want to run away from home.

“It’s definitely for freedom. To escape the constraints of home, to date whenever you want, to stay up as late as you want. Young people love chasing excitement.”

Gu Zhanci muttered, “Have I not given her freedom?”

Su Ming spread her hands. “I wouldn’t know. I haven’t moved into your house yet, future mother-in-law.”

Gu Zhanci: “…”

“Could it be that you’ve neglected her lately?” Su Ming remembered that in the original book, the Female Lead was actually quite dependent on Gu Zhanci. She was a contradiction—wanting to escape control while simultaneously craving attention.

“It was her birthday a few days ago. She asked me to have dinner with her, but I had a business banquet, so I pushed it back.”

Su Ming asked, “And after that?”

Gu Zhanci: “After that… she seemed to have forgotten about it, and I didn’t bring it up again.”

Su Ming sighed. “My mom is like that too. The things she promised me were always ‘tomorrow and then the next tomorrow.’ I grew up day by day, and she was still thinking about ‘talking about it tomorrow.’”

Gu Zhanci became thoughtful. Seeing that Su Ming really was suffering from the heat and the sun was blazing outside, she said, “My office is nearby. You can come sit in my office for a bit. I actually have some things I’d like to consult you on.”

Su Ming readily agreed. “Sure!”

Guoguo: “Mingming!”

Su Ming said, “You stay and have a nice chat with Sister Lu Lu.”

Guoguo: “…”

Gu Zhanci had walked to the cafe. As soon as they stepped out, Su Ming opened a sun umbrella, sheltering both herself and Gu Zhanci. Physical contact was inevitable.

Su Ming sighed. “You’re so cool to the touch.”

Gu Zhanci felt quite uneasy. “I have a ‘cold’ constitution.”

Under the umbrella, as they walked, Su Ming wore lotus-root-colored sandals with bright red nail polish. Her toes were cute. Gu Zhanci expressionlessly looked away; she never knew she was the type to notice someone’s toes.

“The college admission notices should be out by now. What major did you pick, and which school?”

Gu Zhanci asked casually, struggling to find a topic. Only then did she remember that this girl who wanted to “ease the mother-in-law relationship” was still a student.

“A University. Interior Design.”

Because the Female Lead was still in her senior year of high school, the original host had sacrificed a lot and didn’t apply to schools further away. Su Ming had noticed this when checking the applications, but as long as it wasn’t medicine, she didn’t care; she’d just treat it as experiencing a new life.

Gu Zhanci mused, “Interior design is quite good.” When she was little, her dream was to be a designer.

Su Ming said, “Then can I come find you in the future?”

Images of cat emojis flashed through Gu Zhanci’s mind. She didn’t find the idea of staying in touch with Su Ming repulsive; on the contrary, she wanted to see exactly how Su Ming planned to “please” her.

“You can. As long as you don’t send me any more strange pictures.”

Su Ming: “…”

The two entered the company building together. Many employees greeted her: “President Gu.” Gu Zhanci nodded slightly in return.

Entering the office, the air conditioning hit them like a wave. Su Ming felt like she had come back to life. Gu Zhanci lowered the temperature further and said, “A friend gave me a neck fan recently. If you don’t mind, you can have it. It’s silent.”

Su Ming: “Thank you, Sister.”

It was a long, u-shaped fan designed like a pair of headphones—compact and lightweight.

“Take a seat for a moment. I have some urgent matters to handle, sorry,” Gu Zhanci said.

Su Ming was considerate. “No problem, go ahead.”

While Gu Zhanci worked on her emails, Su Ming lay on the sofa in the guest area, playing on her phone.

Meanwhile, the secretarial office was already buzzing.

“Who is that in President Gu’s office? Is it the Little President Gu?”

“The Little President doesn’t look like that. I’ve seen her; she’s practically a carbon copy of President Gu. Different features, but the same aura.”

“Maybe a new intern?”

“Or a relative?”

“Could it be President Gu’s… romantic interest?”

“Ahem, get back to work unless you want to get fired.”

“Sister Sun.”

The group fell silent at the sight of Gu Zhanci’s head secretary.

After finishing her emails, Gu Zhanci sat down across from Su Ming. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Su Ming: “I didn’t mind.”

Gu Zhanci got straight to the point. “I have some questions for you. You should know that Gu Shiyue and I… my daughter and I don’t have a very good relationship.”

Su Ming said, “It’s pretty normal for mother-daughter relationships to be strained.” Nine out of ten protagonists in novels have issues with their families. Su Ming only cared about the mother-in-law relationship being good.

Unexpectedly, Gu Zhanci changed the subject. “I find that our interactions are quite natural. You and Gu Shiyue are similar in age. I think I should be able to learn some secrets to getting along with her from our time together.”

Su Ming: “???”

There’s a problem with those “secrets”—they aren’t suitable for you and the Female Lead!

Su Ming said seriously, “No, no, that won’t work.”

Gu Zhanci was puzzled. “Why?”

Su Ming said solemnly, “These are the rules for ‘Mother-in-law and Daughter-in-law’ relations. They are not suitable for mothers and daughters.”

Otherwise, we’re going to end up with a very ‘cult-like’ non-canon ship!