After Forcibly Marrying a Capitalist's Daughter, the Widowed Old Man Had Enough

Gu Xia was reborn three months after her previous life ended in tragedy. In her past life, her family, though well-off with a father who was a university professor and a mother who was a dancer, was denounced by the eldest branch of the Lu family. They were falsely accused of hoarding the Four Olds and secret wealth, leading to a raid that found only a few goldfish figurines from her maternal grandfather’s dowry. The entire Gu family was sent to a harsh rural village in the Northwest, where they suffered humiliation and abuse. Her older sister, Gu Mingyuan, died under these conditions, and her parents succumbed to the unbearable pressure. Gu Xia had once loved Lu Ye, the son of the Lu family’s eldest branch, but he despised her. It was revealed that Lu Jianming, the patriarch of the eldest branch, and his son Lu Ye had orchestrated the family’s downfall to seize their assets and remove Gu Xia from their lives. Determined to change her fate, Gu Xia sought out Lu Shaoting, the youngest son of the Lu family and a high-ranking military deputy division commander. Although he was an elder figure she had called Uncle, she drugged him and slept with him to create a binding link. She returned to the city pregnant, intending to use the child as leverage to force the Lu family to help her parents and sister return to civilization.

Upon arriving at the Lu residence, Gu Xia announced her pregnancy to the entire family. Lu Shaoting was furious, realizing he had been manipulated. The Lu family matriarch, Zhang Yuelan, was equally displeased, viewing Gu Xia as a scheming girl from a tainted background who threatened her son’s career and reputation. Lu Shaoting initially demanded an abortion, offering money in exchange for Gu Xia disappearing. However, Gu Xia refused to abort until her family’s jobs in the city were secured. She moved into a small apartment rented by Lu Shaoting, waiting for him to fulfill his promise. During this time, Lu Shaoting struggled with his feelings, haunted by the memory of their intimate encounter and his own physical reaction to her, which contradicted his cold exterior. He also discovered that Gu Xia was carrying twins, a fact that complicated his plans to simply dismiss her.

The conflict escalated as Lu Shaoting faced political pressures and investigations within the military, making it difficult for him to intervene in the Gu family’s affairs. Meanwhile, Gu Xia’s attempts to seduce or manipulate him further failed, as he remained resolute in his refusal to marry her or help her family without conditions. Lu Ye, Gu Xia’s former crush and the nephew who had ruined her family, continued to taunt her, unaware that his actions had driven her to such desperate measures. Gu Xia’s older sister, Gu Mingyuan, remained in the countryside, unaware of Gu Xia’s scheme. As Gu Xia waited in isolation, she faced health issues, including a high fever, which Lu Shaoting had to address by taking her to the hospital. This incident revealed the twins and deepened the complexity of their relationship.

Lu Xiaoyan, Lu Shaoting’s second sister, began to intervene, bringing supplies to Gu Xia and showing unexpected concern. This shift suggested that the Lu family dynamics were changing, possibly due to Lu Shaoting’s insistence on handling the matter privately. Gu Xia, however, remained trapped between her desire for revenge and her need to protect her family. She realized that her plan was failing; Lu Shaoting was not the ally she had hoped for, and the Lu family was united in their opposition to her. The story moves toward a critical juncture where Gu Xia must decide whether to continue her dangerous game or find another way to save her family, while Lu Shaoting grapples with his growing, albeit reluctant, attachment to her and the responsibility of the twins he fathered.