Gu Susu finished her makeup and changed into the dress Qin Tianyi had chosen for her. Together, they walked out of the bridal chamber.
As they descended the stairs, the memories of the previous night made her legs tremble. Every inch of her body ached, and she could barely walk steadily.
Fortunately, Qin Tianyi noticed and, with a silly grin, steadied her by the waist.
The Qin family's main hall was adorned with "xi" (喜) characters everywhere, signifying the joyous atmosphere of a recent wedding.
In the grand and spacious dining room, a large, long dining table was set. The Qin family's matriarch sat at the head, her face beaming.
Several uncles and aunts were seated on both sides of the table, with at least seven or eight people on each side. The scene made Gu Susu's heart pound; she had never seen so many people at a family breakfast.
Gu Susu put on a demure expression, nodding and smiling at the elders. She glanced at the lavish breakfast spread on the table and secretly swallowed, her stomach rumbling with hunger.
The Qin family matriarch, Bai Qiuping, beckoned them over. "My dear grandson, come sit by Grandma."
Gu Susu noticed two empty seats beside the matriarch, presumably reserved for them.
Qin Tianyi, like a young child, called out, "Grandma," and sat down right next to Bai Qiuping.
She had no choice but to follow and sit down, asking, "Can we eat now?"
"How rude! Sleeping until this hour and then coming down, making a room full of elders wait for you two. No one has touched their chopsticks, and you're already clamoring to eat. Don't you have any manners as a new bride?"
Gu Susu glanced at Huang Xiuli, whose tone was stern. She disdained to argue with her. Bowing her head slightly towards the matriarch, she said shyly, "Grandma, last night, I... Tianyi and I were exhausted all night, that's why I..."
Before she could finish, a maid, who looked to be in her fifties or sixties, approached the matriarch and whispered something in her ear.
The matriarch looked at Gu Susu, a satisfied smile appearing on her face. "Newlyweds are like this. It's fine, it's fine. Rong Ma, quickly get Susu a bowl of bird's nest soup. She worked hard last night."
"Mom! A new daughter-in-law shouldn't be spoiled so much..."
Before her second aunt, Huang Xiuli, could finish speaking, Qin Yangliang, sitting beside her, interrupted, "Shut up. Mom hasn't said anything, so it's not your place to speak about Tianyi's wife."
Seeing her husband's displeased expression, Huang Xiuli dared not say anything more. She shot Gu Susu a fierce glare.
She had never imagined that here, in the Qin family, after decades of dominating with her sharp tongue that could cow anyone, she would be so effortlessly disarmed by this woman who had just married into the family.
Gu Susu glared back, thinking that if she had come this far, who else would she fear? If anyone in the Qin family dared to provoke her, she would never be polite!
"Alright, alright, everyone, let's have breakfast," the matriarch said. "My dear grandson is finally married, and I, this old woman, am so happy."
During breakfast, the Qin family members followed the matriarch's lead, offering them congratulations again.
Gu Susu looked at the masked faces, knowing that none of these people were easy to deal with.
Before marrying Qin Tianyi, Ai Shunan had also given her a detailed overview of the Qin family's situation, describing it as complex and comparable to a TVB wealthy family drama.
Qin Tianyi's biological mother had passed away long ago. He was also considered mentally challenged and not favored by his father, leaving him with no status or real power within the Qin family.
His only stroke of luck was that the Qin family matriarch didn't mind his perceived mental state and doted on him the most, which was why he was still respected as the second young master.
However, it was rumored that the matriarch's health had been declining in recent years, and if things continued like this, she wouldn't be able to protect him for much longer.
Thinking this, Gu Susu felt that Qin Tianyi's life in this wealthy family was not easy either.
It was somewhat a shared plight, and she couldn't help but glance at him, meeting his vacant gaze as he grinned foolishly at her.
Seeing that Qin Tianyi hadn't touched his chopsticks and was stuffing a sandwich directly into his mouth, she feigned concern. Picking up his plate, she said, "Tianyi, don't eat by yourself. You'll get your clothes dirty. Let me feed you."
Qin Tianyi immediately clapped his hands. "Okay, okay, Wife feed me."
"Open your mouth." Gu Susu then cut his breakfast into small pieces and fed them to him, like caring for a child.
The matriarch looked at Gu Susu with increasing satisfaction. This daughter from the Ai family, who had returned from abroad and was previously unknown, was indeed a good match for her dear grandson.
After breakfast, the matriarch asked everyone to stay a while longer and directly announced that since Qin Tianyi was now married, she would transfer one of her fashion companies to him.
The atmosphere in the dining room immediately became as solemn as a board meeting. Qin Tianyi merely played along, clapping and cheering.
As his wife, Gu Susu was about to thank the matriarch when a young woman, about her age, suddenly stood up.
The young woman was dressed fashionably in designer brands. Her oval face and slightly curly short hair gave her a playful yet capable appearance.
She said indignantly, "Grandma, I've always managed Mi Shang Fashion Company. How can you hand over my hard work to an idiot?"
"Who are you calling an idiot?" Gu Susu instantly shot up from her chair.
After learning that Qin Tianyi was merely pretending to be foolish, Gu Susu had realized something clearly: if she wanted to establish a firm footing in the Qin family, the first step was to win Qin Tianyi's favor.
To gain his trust and favor, she had to actively defend him when he was being bullied while pretending to be foolish.
"You are not allowed to speak about Tianyi like that. Apologize to Tianyi immediately!"
Gu Susu glared furiously at Qin Yaxuan, appearing to be fiercely protective of Qin Tianyi.
Qin Yaxuan looked at her contemptuously. "Who do you think you are? Everyone knows the Ai family used their daughter as a bargaining chip to get involved with our Qin family. If you couldn't bear to sell the one you had by your side, you found this bastard from somewhere to foist upon our family! Whoever you were sold to, they are the idiot!"
"No matter what my identity was before, I am now your second sister-in-law, and Tianyi is your second brother. Yaxuan, as a young lady of our Qin family, how can you speak so disgracefully, as if you've lost your own status? It's too embarrassing." Gu Susu retorted without backing down.
"Second Uncle, Second Aunt, is this how you teach your sister Yaxuan?" Gu Susu said, then deliberately looked at Huang Xiuli and Qin Yangliang with feigned surprise.