009 How dare you dislike me!_1

Especially after suppressing her emotions all day, she had reached a breaking point; even a single straw would be enough to make her emotional defences crumble.

"I don't want to drink it."

Lady Gu looked up at her, her gaze could be called tender, but her tone was anything but kind, "Why, are you carrying Bichen's child?"

"No." Jiang Xi gritted her teeth.

"Then what reason do you have not to drink?" Lady Gu asked flatly, yet her stance was resolute, "Pick a bowl and drink it. It's not easy for the maid to brew this medicine, you should be grateful."

Jiang Xi was so suffocated by Lady Gu's attitude that she could hardly breathe. They all knew it was futile, yet Lady Gu continued to torment her day after day for four years.

At first, she truly believed that Lady Gu wanted to hold her grandson soon, and the reason she was given fertility soup to drink was to speed up her pregnancy with Gu Bichen's child.

It was only later that she discovered Lady Gu simply enjoyed watching her "suffer."

"If brewing medicine is not easy, then don't bother," Jiang Xi repressed the urge to rush over and smash those three bowls of medicine, "Mother, I have decided to divorce Bichen, you should save these medicines for your new daughter-in-law."

Such good fortune, she could not afford.

Lady Gu frowned, "You have to follow the rules for as long as you hold the title, as long as you are Bichen's wife, you've got to fulfill the duties of a Gu Family daughter-in-law."

Lady Gu's words became the last straw that broke Jiang Xi.

Jiang Xi glared at Lady Gu, her eyes reddening with the strain, "What if I don't drink today?"

Lady Gu looked at her helplessly, as if viewing her own child throwing a tantrum, and the invisible pressure made Jiang Xi feel suffocated.

Caught between giving in and going mad, she chose the latter.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

In one breath, Jiang Xi smashed the three bowls of herbal medicine; the bone china bowls shattered into pieces, and the brownish medicinal juice splattered everywhere, its bitter smell spreading through the air. She saw a crack appear on Lady Gu's usually calm and gentle expression, and a sense of satisfaction welled up inside her.

Surprised, aren't you?

The obedient her also had a day of rebellion and resistance.

She expected Lady Gu to explode, but instead, she casually glanced at her and instructed the maid to bring over three more bowls of herbal medicine.

"If you're done with your tantrum, pick a bowl and drink it before resting."

Jiang Xi's heart was full of grievance and anger, but in the face of Lady Gu's indifferent gaze, it deflated like a balloon pricked by a needle.

She knew that although Lady Gu seemed gentle and kind, she was actually very domineering; even if she smashed the medicine again, Lady Gu would simply have someone bring three more bowls until she watched her drink it.

Pressured by that invisible force, Jiang Xi felt extremely uncomfortable. With her eyes brimming with tears, she picked up a bowl and gulped down all three bowls of medicine in quick succession.

Her empty stomach immediately began to protest, and Jiang Xi covered her mouth as she retched twice, only to see Lady Gu looking at her with a disdainful expression.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear what you said about the divorce. Initially, it was your mother who desperately begged you to cling to the Gu Family. Now, as long as Bichen doesn't want a divorce, you'd better well play the role of the dutiful Gu Family daughter-in-law, even if you have to act. Go up now; looking at your bitter face makes me uncomfortable."

Jiang Xi thought to herself, 'I find looking at your 'national rejuvenation through science and technology' face unbearable too', but she held her tongue because of Lady Gu's seniority and didn't retort.

Lady Gu wasn't always the sort of high-born lady who seldom smiled; she used to laugh a lot when she was young. The reason she no longer smiled was because she had overdone the cosmetic procedures in her youth, and now her features would slip if she so much as smiled.

Dragging her weary body upstairs, as soon as Jiang Xi entered the room, her stomach churned violently. She clutched her mouth and rushed into the bathroom, leaning over the toilet as she almost vomited up bile.

With an unceasing stomachache, Jiang Xi returned to the bedroom with labored breath, and immediately saw Gu Bichen, arms crossed, leaning against the wall. Her stomach churned even more.

She diverted her gaze and walked over to sit at the foot of the bed, her face deathly pale.

Gu Bichen snorted lightly, "I heard you drank all three bowls of medicine. You're so eager to have my child, should I be moved to tears?"

Jiang Xi clenched the bedsheet beneath her slightly, her eyelashes quivered faintly, "I don't feel well right now and I don't want to talk to you. Go find your mistresses; they would be more than willing to coddle you."

A surge of rage shot from his guts to his brain. Gu Bichen charged over, grabbed Jiang Xi by the neck, and yanked her off the bed.

"Jiang Xi, what do you think you are, looking down on me?"

With breathing restricted, a pained expression spread across Jiang Xi's face. She grasped at Gu Bichen's arms, trying to push him away, but she lacked the strength.

She bore the pain and hoarsely squeezed out from her throat, "You're filthy, don't touch me…"

Gu Bichen's face turned a livid shade of green, wishing he could strangle her to death, "What right do you have to find me filthy, Jiang Xi, it's you who are the filthiest!"

The next moment, he shoved her away, causing her to fall harshly onto the springy mattress. She bounced slightly, a wave of nausea hitting her.

Gu Bichen pounced onto the bed, pinning her legs with one of his and grabbing her wrists to pin them above her head. He bent down to kiss her neck.

"Since you're so keen to bear my child, I'll grant your wish!"

Gu Bichen reached to pull down her pants, scaring Jiang Xi terribly. She fought back desperately, unable to believe Gu Bichen would humiliate her like this.

Her stomach cramped again, and she felt the urge to vomit.

Gu Bichen's hands, which had touched countless women, fumbled over her body, and his lips, which had lingered on many others, provoked her urge to retch even more.

She gagged, jolted upright, and yanked open Gu Bichen's shirt collar, as if finding a trash can, and began to vomit uncontrollably.

Time seemed to stand still.

After what felt like an eternity, Gu Bichen fiercely pushed Jiang Xi away, his face so twisted with rage it looked as if he would kill. He bellowed furiously, "Jiang Xi, I'll kill you!"