Gu Nuannuan said, "The ancestral teachings of the Jiang family are to be respected. Isn't 'respect' referring to elders and seniors? Since I have married Jiang Chenyu, my parents are in a kinship relationship with Jiang Lao. Although they may not be as old as the eldest sister-in-law, they are of the same generation as Jiang Lao. In terms of seniority, the eldest sister-in-law should address my parents as uncle and aunt.

"Last time, when my parents came to visit, you humiliated them. Doesn't that mean the eldest sister-in-law violated the ancestral teachings of the Jiang family? Since the Jiang family values these ancestral teachings so much, the eldest sister-in-law should fulfill them properly."

Gu Nuannuan looked at Jiang Lao, whose face was as dark as coal, and asked, "Dad, am I right?"

She deliberately embarrassed Jiang Lao.

Everyone in the family knew that Jiang Lao wanted to downplay that incident, but Gu Nuannuan was the only one who refused to do so.

She insisted that Wei Aihua should apologize in person!

Jiang Lao exploded, "Get out, all of you!"

Gu Nuannuan had already torn her face with Jiang Lao, so she didn't care about anything now except for her dignity.

She asked again, "Dad, was there anything wrong with what I just said?"

"I told you to get out!"

With her fists clenched, Gu Nuannuan was about to ask for the third time when the steward signaled to the servants, and immediately, one of them restrained Gu Nuannuan and dragged her out of the dining room.

After Gu Nuannuan left the dining room, the atmosphere inside was extremely tense.

Wei Aihua deliberately suppressed her breathing, taking shallow breaths.

Jiang Chenyu, however, sat quietly in the room, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the table.

Everyone looked at him.

Mayor Jiang reminded him, "Chenyu, go check on Nuannuan."

Jiang Chenyu glanced at the entrance of the dining room, then retracted his gaze and looked at everyone sitting at the table.

He smiled and said, "Even a dog has to look at its owner. Bullying my wife is like slapping me in the face."

His eyes were too sharp, making Wei Aihua dare not meet his gaze.

Jiang Chenyu asked, "Eldest sister-in-law, am I right?"

Wei Aihua remained silent.

Jiang Chenyu asked again, "You were quite spirited when you were humiliating my wife just now. Why are you suddenly mute when facing me?"

Wei Aihua lifted her head and said, "Chenyu, she deserved it."

Jiang Chenyu looked at Jiang Lao and asked, "I wonder if my in-laws deserve an apology from the Mayor's wife?"

Jiang Lao reminded him, "Chenyu, she is your eldest sister-in-law!"

Jiang Chenyu chuckled sarcastically, "Haha, it's really funny. Have you forgotten that Gu Nuannuan is my wife? Are you asking me to humiliate my wife for the sake of my eldest sister-in-law? Am I that spineless?"

"You..."

Jiang Chenyu calmly stood up from the dining table, straightened out the wrinkles on his clothes, and said to Wei Aihua, "The ancestral teachings of the Jiang family are to be respected. Eldest sister-in-law, don't forget, as a member of the Jiang family, you must abide by the ancestral teachings of the Jiang family, unless, of course, you are not a member of the Jiang family."

His smile was sinister, shocking Wei Aihua.

Jiang Chenyu strode out of the dining room.

When he went upstairs to look for Gu Nuannuan, he found that she was not in the room.

He stopped a servant and asked coldly, "Where is the Second Young Madam?"

"The Second Young Madam ran out crying just now. We don't know where she went."

Jiang Chenyu walked outside and looked around but couldn't find Gu Nuannuan.

"Where did she run off to cry again?"

Jiang Chenyu looked around once more, then gave up. Let her cry outside. When she's cried enough, she'll come back.

He then took out his phone and called his assistant. "Hey, help me buy a house."

"But, Mr. CEO, don't you already have a villa in Yenan?"

"Do I need to explain the reason for wanting to buy a house to you?" Jiang Chenyu retorted sarcastically.

"Okay, I won't ask anymore." Since he wanted to buy a house, the assistant needed to know its purpose. So, he asked again, "Mr. CEO, how many rooms do you want this time? Do you want a villa or a mansion? Is it for investment or for living? Do you have any requirements for the location? What is the maximum budget?"

Jiang Chenyu tightly gripped his phone and said in a low voice, "Have you worked in real estate before?"

The assistant, feeling anxious, hurriedly explained, "No, no, I swear, everything on my resume is true. This is my first time helping you buy a house, so I don't know your requirements."

Impatiently, Jiang Chenyu said, "A villa, for personal use, suburban area, unlimited budget."

"Yes, yes, I'll go find out for you right away, Mr. CEO."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Chenyu turned and went upstairs.

He couldn't stay at Jiang's house any longer. Originally, he had wanted Wei Aihua to bully Gu Nuannuan, but in the end, it was Gu Nuannuan who left in anger.

Now, the situation in Jiang's house was getting worse day by day.

Every day, his mind was at home when he went to work.

Obviously, he didn't need to worry about Gu Nuannuan. But every time, he couldn't help but imagine scenes of her being bullied at Jiang's house. Because of this, his work efficiency was not as good as before.

To put an end to this situation, he must buy a house and move immediately.

He had personal feelings for the villa in Yenan. It was a home he personally supervised and designed. He didn't want any unrelated woman to live there.

So, he could only buy a random house for now.

After arranging this, all he had to do was to tell Gu Nuannuan when she came back home that they were going to move out.

He waited and waited, but there was no sign of Gu Nuannuan even at nine o'clock at night.

When he called Gu Nuannuan, he found that her phone was ringing in the gap of the sofa.

Gu Nuannuan went out without taking her phone?!

Realizing this, Jiang Chenyu began to search outside. He stopped a servant and asked, "Have you seen the Second Young Madam?"

"Master, no."

Jiang Chenyu frowned. Where did she go?

So, he went to the monitoring room.

After being dragged out by the servant in the afternoon, Gu Nuannuan struggled free and went out alone.

It had been four hours since she left the gate of Jiang's house.

Jiang Chenyu sat in the monitoring room, his brows furrowed, never relaxing.

He pressed his index finger against his lips. "If she's upset, she definitely won't go back to her parents' house. So, where would she go?"

Jiang Chenyu couldn't figure it out. As time passed, he became increasingly nervous.

A young girl not returning home late at night must not have any accidents.

He blindly searched for her outside.

...

Seaflower Mansion.

Gu Nuannuan ran out alone in the afternoon after being upset by her in-laws. After coming out, she realized that she had forgotten to bring her phone and wallet.

To avoid worrying her parents, Gu Nuannuan had no choice but to seek help from her good friend, Su Xiaomo.

Su Xiaomo came from a well-off family. Her father was a police officer, her older brother worked in the police station, and her mother was a businesswoman. Although Su Xiaomo was not as prominent as Gu Nuannuan in terms of social status, she was still someone not to be messed with in Z City.

She also had a brother who adored her. Su Linyan was Su Xiaomo's brother, five years older than her.

Su Linyan's affection for his sister was envied by everyone.

As long as Su Xiaomo said a word, there was nothing Su Linyan couldn't do.

Being the youngest daughter of the Su family, Su Xiaomo was showered with love.

Gu Nuannuan and she met by chance, but they quickly became best friends because of their similar personalities.

Gu Nuannuan only told Su Xiaomo about the forced marriage situation in the Jiang family.

At that time, Su Xiaomo was indignant and wanted to stand up for her friend, but Gu Nuannuan stopped her. "Be careful not to involve Auntie's business. Our family's business is also being threatened by the Jiang family, let alone Auntie's."

Gu Nuannuan had been married for several days, and when she saw her friend again, it was to find a place to stay.

After walking for two hours, Gu Nuannuan arrived at Su's house. Su Xiaomo opened the door, and when she saw her friend, Gu Nuannuan burst into tears of grievance. "Xiaomo, can I stay with you tonight?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? Forget about just one night, you can stay as long as you want."

Su Xiaomo pulled Gu Nuannuan into the house. "Nuan Nuan, what's wrong? Did the Jiang family bully you?"

Gu Nuannuan nodded and shook her head at the same time.

Su Xiaomo said, "You didn't want to worry your parents, but don't hide it from me. Did the people from the Jiang family bully you?"

Gu Nuannuan replied, "Yes, they bullied me, but I fought back."

Su Xiaomo asked, "Did you fight back hard?"

"No."

Su Xiaomo said, "If anyone bullies you again, just fight back hard. My brother said that self-defense is not a crime."

Gu Nuannuan smiled and nodded at her friend. "Okay."

In the evening, Su Linyan returned home from work.

He intentionally draped his clothes over his arm.

Su Linyan had a handsome appearance and worked in the police station, radiating integrity.

His mannerisms, speech, and conduct were all as dignified as his father's.

Su Linyan's appearance was slightly more handsome than others. He had phoenix eyes and looked serious, but when facing Su Xiaomo, he often smiled at her.

With Su Xiaomo's company, Gu Nuannuan's mood improved a lot. She noticed the clothes on Su Linyan's arm.

Gu Nuannuan thought to herself, It's not yet the season to wear a coat, why is he carrying it with him?

Then she looked at his hand.

Gu Nuannuan understood.

He was deliberately covering something on his hand with his clothes.

When Su Xiaomo passed by, Gu Nuannuan reminded her, "Watch out for your brother's left hand."

Su Xiaomo understood and, when she went to greet Su Linyan at the door, she swiftly snatched the clothes from his left hand when he wasn't paying attention.

Seeing the object, Su Xiaomo exclaimed in surprise, "Wow!"

Then, Su Linyan quickly covered it with his clothes again and asked, "Do you want some?"

"Yes, my brother is always the best to me."

Su Xiaomo smiled with crescent-shaped eyes.

Su Linyan smiled and handed the object to Su Xiaomo. "It's sugar-free."

He looked at Gu Nuannuan and said, "You guys have fun. I have to go busy myself."

Su Xiaomo secretly pulled Gu Nuannuan upstairs while holding the bag.

"Xiaomo, what did your brother bring you again?"

Su Xiaomo opened the bag to let Gu Nuannuan see. "Look, my brother knew I was craving it, so he bought me milk tea."

"You shouldn't drink it. Too much will make your teeth hurt."

"Don't worry, my brother said it's sugar-free."

When she was with Su Xiaomo, Gu Nuannuan forgot the fact that she was already married.

She was still like before, the cherished daughter of her parents, loved and pampered, acting as the young lady of the Gu family.

She didn't need to restrain her temper or suppress her emotions.

She didn't have to confine herself to a small bedroom all day long.

Being with the carefree Su Xiaomo, she forgot all the troubles and played with her until late at night.

Little did she know, the people from the Jiang family were searching for her everywhere at this moment.

Jiang Chenyu couldn't wait any longer. The later it got, the more anxious he became when Gu Nuannuan still hadn't appeared. So, he called his subordinates and asked them to search for Gu Nuannuan in the streets and alleys of Z City.

He also called his friends for help.