Chapter 149: Since We’re Chasing Thrills, Let’s Go All the Way – 3

Eavesdropping from the corner, Gu Lian whipped her head around and locked eyes with her best friend in utter disbelief. “???”

My brother—my brother, who has women all over the world begging to marry him—was actually cheated on by that Su Ying?! Gu Lian nearly ground her pearly white teeth to dust. In her eyes, her brother was like a god. Ever since she was little, whenever she was wronged, all she had to do was run to her brother crying, and he would immediately step in to make things right. That was why she’d always been close to Gu Tianyou.

She never approved of Su Ying or Su Fufu, because deep down she believed that neither of those scheming women were worthy of her brother. Gu Tianyou might not be the best man in the world, but he was definitely the best brother. He deserved the best marriage and the purest love.

Gu Lian clenched her fists, and under her friend’s calming pats, she resisted the urge to storm out and continued listening in.

For a moment, Su Fufu thought there must be something wrong with her ears. But when she saw Yu Liuxue looking completely unfazed, like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, her shock quickly turned into wild delight. Su Ying was so fickle—if Gu Tianyou found out, he would definitely hate her even more. There was no way he’d agree to marry someone like that.

She did a quick mental calculation. Gu Tianyou hadn’t seen her for a while, so by now he must be frantically searching the whole place for her.

She tightened her grip on her phone and deliberately asked, “Su Ying, do you even realize what you’re saying? Which brother are you talking about? Don’t tell me… besides Brother Tianyou, you’ve got other men too…?”

Yu Liuxue glanced at her phone and crossed her arms innocently. “Weren’t you the one who asked me first? Go ahead, tell me—which brother do you like? I’ll help you get his contact info.” After a pause, she added in a tone full of exasperated disappointment, “You know, you’re not that young anymore. What’s wrong with asking a guy you like for his number? It’s not like you’ll get pregnant from it.”

Su Fufu’s face turned bright red under the scolding. She opened her mouth but couldn’t explain herself. “Su Ying, don’t talk nonsense. That’s not what I meant.”

Fuming, she blurted out, “You’re the one who’s engaged to Brother Tianyou, yet you’re still messing around with other men. If it weren’t for that, how could you afford such an expensive gown when Mom only gives you ten thousand yuan in allowance each month? Even if you saved for a hundred years, you still couldn’t afford it…”

Her voice cut off abruptly. Realizing she’d said too much, Su Fufu’s gaze flickered, then she twisted the truth and pinned a baseless accusation on Yu Liuxue. “Before Brother Tianyou finds out, you’d better cut ties with those men. I’ll help you keep it a secret from him.”

Gu Lian let out a cold snort. So that’s how it is.

She had to tell her brother right away! He needed to see Su Ying’s true colors and get as far away from her as possible!

Yu Liuxue didn’t argue. She simply smiled and asked lightly, “Who told you the people I’m ‘messing around’ with are men?”

Gu Lian’s eyes flew wide open. Not men?!

Could it be that Su Ying… likes women? In that instant, her entire worldview shattered into pieces. Her poor brother—not only had he been cheated on, but the third party was a woman. Gu Lian clenched her fists and, brimming with rage, stormed out. “Su Ying, what the hell do you mean by this? What does my brother lack compared to—”

Suddenly, Su Fufu, who had been standing right in front of Yu Liuxue just moments ago, staggered. The next second, a loud splash echoed from the pool downstairs, followed by screams and the sound of chaotic footsteps. Everything descended into turmoil. Gu Lian looked carefully—Su Fufu was nowhere to be seen. Only Yu Liuxue stood there, holding a wine glass, watching her with a half-smile.

Never seen a scene like this before, huh.jpg

Gu Lian was stunned. She rushed to Yu Liuxue’s side, pointed at Su Fufu struggling in the pool, and asked in disbelief, “Her? You? Did you—?”

“You can hit someone from a distance?! Are you from some ancient martial arts clan? Are your grandparents martial arts masters? Do you know how to do qinggong?!”

Staring into Gu Lian’s sparkling eyes, Yu Liuxue silently set down her wine glass. “…”

“Aren’t you going to save her?” Yu Liuxue motioned with her chin toward the crowd screaming by the pool but doing nothing to help Su Fufu. Gu Lian looked at Su Fufu and immediately felt a surge of anger. Because of her, she’d been scolded by her brother so many times. She would love nothing more than for Su Fufu to have an accident. “Not my problem.”

“The water’s not even that deep. She’s not going to drown.” Gu Lian wasn’t stupid. She could see right through Su Fufu’s little scheme. This was clearly a setup to frame Su Ying, to get her brother’s attention and affection, and to push Su Ying out of the picture.

Gu Lian sneered and narrowed her eyes at Yu Liuxue. “Seems like the person you should be worried about right now is yourself. If I’m not wrong, my brother is going to show up any second now.”

Just then, the System’s voice chimed in: “Male lead arriving on the battlefield in three seconds.”

Yu Liuxue smiled sweetly. “I have a fear of shallow water.”

Gu Lian blinked. Fear of shallow water, my ass. Do you think I never graduated elementary school? She leaned against the railing with a sarcastic smile. “So what?”

“So I’ll drown.”

Before Gu Lian could react, Yu Liuxue’s figure swayed—and in the next instant, another loud splash rang out from below. She was gone. The crowd’s screams grew louder, and the sound of footsteps became even more frantic.

Gu Lian instinctively turned her head to look down. In the massive 100-square-meter pool, a vivid red gown floated eerily in the deep end, the color so striking it hurt the eyes. Yu Liuxue had “accidentally” fallen right into the deep water. She flailed twice, then went still.

At that moment, Gu Tianyou came rushing up the stairs. “Su Ying! You vicious—”

Halfway through his sentence, he realized that aside from his own sister, no one else was there.

But before he could say anything more, even Gu Lian vanished from the balcony.

A third splash echoed from below. Someone downstairs excitedly popped a bottle of champagne, and the spray splattered into the pool.

Gu Lian swam toward Yu Liuxue with all her might, gritting her teeth and cursing, “Freak!”

Su Fufu was a freak. Su Ying was a freak. And she herself was a damn freak too—for actually jumping from that height just to save this reckless woman!

She grabbed the limp, face-down Yu Liuxue and pulled her into her arms, then struggled toward the edge of the pool. Seeing the onlookers still just standing there, she couldn’t hold back and shouted, “What are you all staring at?! Help already!”

Just as her words fell, yet another splash rang out. Gu Tianyou had finally snapped out of it and jumped in too, swimming quickly toward Su Fufu. Gu Lian glanced back at the two of them, so furious she nearly smashed Su Fufu’s head in with her high heel.

Damn it, trying to kill yourself and dragging everyone else down with you!

Gu Tianyou was in better shape than Gu Lian, and in just a few strokes, he had Su Fufu back on the poolside. Gu Lian, exhausted and drenched, finally dragged Yu Liuxue ashore, nearly passing out from the effort. She was sure Su Ying had done it on purpose—telling her about her fear of water was clearly a setup to make her jump in.

Su Ying had calculated everything. She knew Gu Tianyou would show up, so she was certain Gu Lian wouldn’t just stand by. Otherwise, if both the fiancée and the mistress fell into the water and only Gu Lian was standing nearby, wouldn’t she be the prime suspect?

The more Gu Lian thought about it, the angrier she got. She shoved aside the people around Yu Liuxue. “Out of my way!”

She grabbed Yu Liuxue’s philtrum and pressed down hard. After a while, someone nearby timidly reminded her, “Miss Gu, pressing the philtrum doesn’t actually help.”

Gu Lian’s eyes were practically spitting fire as she glared fiercely at the speaker. “If you’re so smart, why don’t you do it?”

Luckily, Yu Liuxue came to just in time from Gu Lian’s pinching. Covering her mouth and nose, she gasped, “Even if I didn’t drown, I nearly died from her pinching. I’ve never done anything to her, but she still wanted me dead.”

The System quickly chimed in, “Host, you did outmaneuver her and successfully cleared yourself of suspicion. I’d say that’s a win.”

Yu Liuxue: “…” Thanks so much.

Gu Lian’s fiery gaze landed back on Yu Liuxue. Yu Liuxue instinctively shrank back a little. “You might not believe this, but I have low blood sugar. And to fit into this little dress, I didn’t eat anything all day…”

There was another commotion nearby. Yu Liuxue quickly turned her head and saw that Su Fufu had also woken up. The moment she came to, she burst into tears and threw herself into Gu Tianyou’s arms, sobbing like a weeping beauty. While Gu Tianyou comforted her with a dark expression, he also shot Yu Liuxue a warning glare. Yu Liuxue immediately grabbed Gu Lian’s hand. “Miss Gu, you have to testify for me. I’m innocent!”

Gu Lian was about to explode from rage. These two women with the surname Su were a disgrace to such a divine surname. She kicked off her high heels and stormed over to Su Fufu. “If you don’t give me a reasonable explanation today, I won’t let this go!”

Su Fufu quickly burrowed deeper into Gu Tianyou’s arms, crying uncontrollably and completely ignoring Gu Lian’s presence. Seeing Gu Lian’s face darken even more, Yu Liuxue hurriedly scrambled to her feet and rushed over to grab Gu Lian’s arm. “Miss Gu, let it go. I just lost my balance. It’s not my sister’s fault. Please don’t let this affect your relationship with Tianyou.”

The onlookers immediately stirred with excitement. Was there drama? And not just any drama—top-tier rich-family sibling love triangle drama?

Gu Lian was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized that Yu Liuxue was scheming against her again. She gritted her teeth, but Yu Liuxue gave her no chance to speak. Tears streamed down her face as she looked at Gu Tianyou, who was still holding Su Fufu. She laughed and cried at the same time, her eyes red like a rabbit’s—pitiful and heartbreaking. “My sister only pushed me because she was emotionally overwhelmed by Tianyou. I don’t blame her. I know she didn’t mean it.”

“Right, Fufu?”

Su Fufu nearly jumped up. What nonsense was this? Afraid Gu Tianyou might misunderstand, she quickly turned to him. “Brother Tianyou, that’s not true! I didn’t! Don’t listen to her. I fell in first!”

Yu Liuxue added in a dejected voice, “I know, Sister. You lost your balance and fell accidentally.”

“So when you fell, you accidentally dragged me down with you. I never realized we had such a deep sisterly bond—sharing hardships together.”

Su Fufu’s eyes were practically shooting flames. She bit her lower lip hard. “Sister, how could I do something like that? Please don’t falsely accuse me…”

Gu Lian had been furious, but when she saw Su Fufu—whom she hated most—being driven to the brink of a tantrum by Yu Liuxue, her mood inexplicably improved. She tossed her high heels to the ground, elegantly slipped them back on, and smiled. “Brother, everything Su Ying said is true. I can testify.”

Under Su Fufu’s disbelieving gaze, Gu Lian smiled faintly. “She really did try to provoke Su Ying first, then slipped and fell into the water on her own, dragging Su Ying down with her.”

Until now, only Su Fufu ever tattled to Gu Tianyou about others. When had anyone ever spoken ill of her in front of him? Su Fufu was so furious she burst into tears. “Brother Tianyou, don’t listen to her lies. I didn’t. I really didn’t!”

Gu Lian couldn’t stand her fake innocent act. She snorted coldly. “I’m his real sister. You think I’d lie to him?”

At that moment, Gu Tianyou, who had been silent all along, finally spoke. “Xiao Lian, go change your clothes first.”

With that, he picked up Su Fufu and strode away from the crowd.

Yu Liuxue immediately fanned the flames. “I thought Tianyou just didn’t believe me. I didn’t expect that now, because of Fufu, he doesn’t even believe his own sister.” She lowered her head in guilt. “Miss Gu, I’m sorry. This is all my fault.”

The more Gu Lian listened, the angrier she became. Her chest ached with fury, and she finally stomped her foot. “I’m not done with her!”

Then she turned back, fuming. “And you! Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you cheating on my brother! It’s bad enough with men, but you’re so desperate you even go after women?!”

Suddenly remembering how she had almost given Yu Liuxue mouth-to-mouth just now, Gu Lian shuddered on the spot, goosebumps covering her arms.

Yu Liuxue blinked innocently. “Don’t worry, Miss Gu. You saved my life. I would never repay kindness with betrayal.”

Gu Lian sneered. “I’m straight. And I’m homophobic. Don’t even think about it.”

Then, as if still unsettled, she added, “I already have a man I like. You’d better stay far away from me.”

To say she wasn’t disappointed would be a lie. Yu Liuxue, dragging her soaked skirt, limped along and asked the System in confusion, “Is my destined love in this world really my stepmother? Or is it Gu Tianyou’s mom?”

She frowned. “It can’t be Su Fufu, right? That little white lotus?”

“We’re half-sisters! That’s illegal!”

The System was getting a headache from her rambling and quickly interrupted her increasingly absurd guesses. “Host, how do you still have the mind to think about romance in the middle of this kind of melodrama? Your parents are already here.”

Yu Liuxue instinctively turned around and saw Su Zhenchuan storming over, face full of rage. She seriously thought he was about to slap her. Without thinking, she bolted. As she reached the door, she spotted Gu Lian and, gritting her teeth, jumped into her car. Then she frantically ordered Gu Lian’s driver, “Drive! Now!”

The driver instinctively slammed the gas pedal, and the car shot off like an arrow from a bow.

Su Zhenchuan watched helplessly as Yu Liuxue escaped. He was gasping for breath. “Wretched girl! How could someone like her be my daughter?!”

Cheng Susu bit her lip in disappointment and quickly clung to Su Zhenchuan’s arm. “Zhenchuan, don’t be angry. Fufu is still shaken and hasn’t recovered. Let’s go check on her. If it weren’t for Tianyou today, we might’ve had to bury our child…”

“Don’t say such things!” Su Zhenchuan snapped.

“Fufu’s lucky. Nothing like that will happen.” Then he sighed regretfully. “It’s all my fault for being too hasty back then. If I hadn’t rushed things, maybe Fufu and Tianyou would already be together.”

In any case, whether Gu Tianyou married Su Ying or Fufu, he would still be his son-in-law. Since Gu Tianyou liked Fufu, the smart move was to help them marry as soon as possible and bring Gu Tianyou into the family.

At that thought, Su Zhenchuan let out a deep sigh. Cheng Susu quickly tried to comfort him. “This isn’t your fault. After all, everything between Yingying and Tianyou has already made it into the newspapers. And Yingying is older than Fufu, so we have to consider her marriage first no matter what. Yingying is like my own daughter. As her stepmother, I have to find her a good match.”

Su Zhenchuan’s expression softened. He patted the back of Cheng Susu’s hand. “Seeing how well you treat her puts my mind at ease.”

“She’s just been too spoiled! She doesn’t know what’s good for her! Everyone outside is a saint, and only her own family are villains out to get her.” As Su Zhenchuan spoke, he grew angry again. “I never should’ve personally gone to arrange a marriage for her just to protect her reputation!”

Cheng Susu gave a self-deprecating smile. “Yingying’s mother passed away early, and she never liked me or Fufu growing up. It’s my fault you got dragged into this. But once she matures and comes to understand things, she’ll realize how much you’ve done for her.”

Su Zhenchuan didn’t respond, and Cheng Susu fell silent with him.

Yu Liuxue kept her distance from Gu Lian, standing properly and respectfully. “Miss Gu, I’m sorry. I really had no other choice.”

Gu Lian wasn’t about to believe her so easily. She sneered. “Oh? Then go ahead, tell me exactly how you had no other choice.”

That was Yu Liuxue’s cue to perform. Her head drooped in sorrow, and in the blink of an eye, hot tears rolled down onto her snowy white knees. “Actually, when my mother was just pregnant with me, my father had already gotten together with my stepmother. And right after that, she got pregnant with Su Fufu. When I was one year old, my mother developed a brain tumor. But right before her surgery, she found out my father had been cheating on her—and that he had a child with another woman.”

“The tumor was benign at first. The doctor said there was a 95 percent chance of a successful operation. But…” Yu Liuxue choked up before continuing, “My stepmother went out of her way to visit my mom in the hospital just to flaunt her victory. She smugly told my mom how good my father was to her. That emotional blow pushed my mother’s benign tumor into becoming malignant. In the end, she died on the operating table.”

Yu Liuxue raised her head, lips tightly pressed together. Her teary peach blossom eyes were red and swollen, and her delicate, beautiful face was streaked with tears. “After I went back home, my stepmother only acted nice to me in front of my dad. The moment he left, she and Su Fufu would bully me. They wouldn’t even let me eat. I had to wear the clothes Su Fufu didn’t want anymore. But in front of my dad, they’d say everything I had was the best. They claimed they treated me like their own daughter and older sister.”

“And now, just when my dad finally managed to arrange a marriage for me, Su Fufu is trying to steal it from me by any means necessary.”

Gu Lian’s face was expressionless. “So what?”

Yu Liuxue stared at her in disbelief. “System, this supporting female lead is so cold and heartless! She’s completely unmoved by my tears!”

Gu Lian narrowed her eyes, her smile not reaching her eyes. “So you just went around cheating on my brother?”

Yu Liuxue: “…”

“I can explain,” she said quickly.

Gu Lian nodded, folding her arms leisurely. “Alright. I’ll give you one minute to make excuses.”

Yu Liuxue: “…” She’d hit a wall.

“Stop the car!” she shouted at the driver.

“No stopping,” Gu Lian snapped, glancing at the sweating driver and gritting her teeth. “Drive! Take us to the countryside villa!”

Yu Liuxue hadn’t expected her favorite trope—captivity and forbidden romance—to come so quickly. Gu Lian, face dark, threw her two brand-new sets of clothes, then posted guards outside the door around the clock. Even meals were delivered straight into the room. She wasn’t allowed to take a single step outside.

For three straight days, Yu Liuxue didn’t see a trace of Gu Lian.

Bored out of her mind, she rested her chin in her hand, idly playing with her phone. “Su Fufu hasn’t seen me in three days. I wonder if she misses me.”

Ever since she fell into the water that day, Su Fufu had been feeling unwell—but it was all an act. Because of this, Gu Tianyou even went so far as to bring in the best psychological doctors from around the world. Su Fufu kept saying she had nightmares and would wake up drenched in sweat. Nothing helped unless Gu Tianyou stayed with her until she fell asleep.

So, after Su Fufu returned home, Gu Tianyou began stopping by the Su residence after work every day to help her sleep.

There was one time when Gu Tianyou had to work late and didn’t get off until three or four in the morning. Su Fufu forced herself to stay awake, waiting until he came home before she would close her eyes. Seeing how hard she tried to stay awake made Gu Tianyou’s heart ache. In the end, he canceled all his overtime and made it a point to leave work at exactly 8:30 every night to go to the Su residence.

Seeing how close his daughter was with Gu Tianyou, Su Zhenchuan enthusiastically had the servants prepare the room next to Su Fufu’s for him to rest in. At the same time, he started planning how to cancel Su Ying’s engagement. Now that Gu Tianyou and Fufu were getting along so well, and Su Ying couldn’t even keep her own fiancé in line, even if they did end up married, she’d probably be kicked out by the Gu Family in the end. That would be a disgrace for him. So why not just give Fufu to Gu Tianyou instead?

As for Su Ying’s marriage, they could just casually find someone who’d be useful for business later.

Once Su Zhenchuan had made up his mind, he discussed it with Cheng Susu. She had long had the same idea, but had kept it to herself, quietly waiting for the day Su Zhenchuan would bring it up on his own. She just hadn’t expected that day to come so soon.

After a brief moment of excitement, Cheng Susu frowned with concern. “Isn’t this a bit inappropriate?”

“What if people start saying we’re playing favorites with Fufu? That Fufu deliberately stole her sister’s fiancé?” Her worries weren’t unfounded. Over the years, she’d been trying to come up with a good excuse to elevate her own daughter’s position.

This was also one of Su Zhenchuan’s concerns. But Su Ying’s reputation was already poor, while Su Fufu was different. She was gentle, considerate, well-educated, and well-mannered. Besides Gu Tianyou, there were plenty of men secretly hoping to marry her. The Gu Family was powerful and influential, and the future head of the Gu Family should naturally marry the most proper and dignified woman. So replacing Su Ying with Su Fufu made perfect sense.

At worst, Su Ying would just have a harder time finding a husband later.

At that moment, Cheng Susu let out a soft sigh. “If only Yingying could be a bit more sensible and give up this engagement for the sake of the whole family. After all, that scandal before was just a misunderstanding.”

The speaker had intentions, and the listener took the hint. Su Zhenchuan immediately fell silent, seriously considering the feasibility of the plan.

Seeing his reaction, a smile tugged at the corners of Cheng Susu’s lips. Everything was unfolding exactly as she had planned. As long as she kept enduring a little longer, she would be the ultimate winner.

Five days later, Yu Liuxue was finally released from captivity, though Gu Lian still didn’t show up. After the person who came to inform her she was free left, Yu Liuxue stretched lazily and turned to the young maid cleaning up the dishes behind her. With a cheeky smile, she said, “Your identity isn’t just a maid, is it?”

The girl froze, then stammered in panic, “Miss Su, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Yu Liuxue calmly closed the door, then walked over and narrowed her eyes at the girl in front of her. “Did you get close to Gu Lian on purpose for Gu Tianyou? Or are you after the Gu Family’s fortune?”

A flicker of panic flashed through the other girl’s eyes. Yu Liuxue thought for a moment, then took two steps back in mock horror. “Don’t tell me… you’re the Gu Family head’s illegitimate daughter from some affair?”

That accusation was far too dangerous. If Gu Lian or Gu Tianyou found out, even ten lives wouldn’t be enough to save her. Pei Yiling quickly shook her head. “I’m not! Miss Su, please don’t make baseless accusations!”

Yu Liuxue smiled faintly and slowly sat down. “Then why don’t you tell me the truth? Who knows, maybe I can help you.”

“You know who I am. I’m not only the eldest daughter of the Su Family, but also the biological granddaughter of the Xi Family. My mother may have passed away, and my stepmother may treat me poorly, but those two iron-fisted figures in the Xi Family are my real grandparents.” Yu Liuxue rested her chin in her hand with an innocent expression. “The Xi Family is way more powerful than the Su Family. You get what I’m saying, right?”

Pei Yiling hesitated for a moment, inexplicably swayed. She really had no other way out—otherwise, she wouldn’t have taken such a desperate gamble. But if she had Su Ying’s backing, her chances of success would jump by at least eighty to ninety percent.

Still, she didn’t confess immediately. Instead, she asked, “Miss Su, what do you want in return for helping me?”

“It’s simple. Seduce my dad and destroy his family.” Yu Liuxue lowered her eyes and smiled lightly. “If you’ve got the skills, then no matter what luxury house or fancy car he buys you, or what expensive gifts he gives, I won’t take any of it back.”

She enunciated each word clearly. “They’ll all be yours.”

“Not only that, I’ll help you deal with my stepmother. I’ll make sure you’re safe—your life and your money.”

“You must be pretty desperate for cash. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have come to Gu Lian trying to make a quick buck.” Yu Liuxue chuckled. “Gu Lian might be a spoiled heiress, but she’s not as easy to fool as my dad. My dad’s different. As long as he’s happy, dropping tens of millions on a villa for you is nothing.”

Pei Yiling’s heart was racing. “But… why are you doing this?”

At that, Yu Liuxue wiped away nonexistent tears. “My dad used the money my mom worked so hard to earn to support his mistress and her child. I’d rather burn everything my mom left behind than let them have a single cent!”

“If you won’t do it, I’ll just find someone else. There are plenty of people willing to take this job. And these days, there are even professionals who specialize in this sort of thing…” Yu Liuxue said deliberately.

Pei Yiling panicked. “I’ll do it! I agree!”

Yu Liuxue smiled with satisfaction, then reminded her, “Just play with his heart, not his body. You’re still young, after all.”

Pei Yiling had never met someone as kind as Yu Liuxue before. Just as she was about to thank her, she heard Yu Liuxue add, “You’re pretty enough, so don’t let that old man ruin you. If you get lonely at night, you can always come to me.”

Pei Yiling: “…” So she’s just another pig who’s after my looks and body.

After sealing the deal with Pei Yiling, Yu Liuxue took her along when she left. She called the driver, and the car arrived quickly. To help Pei Yiling better seduce Su Zhenchuan and make things difficult for Cheng Susu, she even took her on a shopping spree, giving her a complete makeover from head to toe. On top of that, she signed Pei Yiling up for all kinds of training courses, determined to turn her into the number one elite overseas-returned heiress in high society.

Yu Liuxue thought, if this tool could prove useful, maybe even Gu Tianyou could be taken down in one go.

Pei Yiling stood in place, arms full of shopping bags, watching Yu Liuxue leave with mixed feelings. In addition to all this, Yu Liuxue had transferred a million yuan to her bank card and told her to invest in herself as much as she could. Pei Yiling couldn’t help but wonder if she was being kept. Otherwise, who would be so generous?

She had so many things in her hands that, for the first time in her life, she hailed a taxi back to the old apartment she rented. After unlocking the door, she saw a thin, malnourished-looking teenage boy on the narrow, worn-out balcony, doing homework. Hearing the door, he turned around immediately. “Sis…”

The boy’s voice cut off. He stared at Pei Yiling in a daze, as if suddenly struck dumb.

Pei Yiling smiled and pulled him over. “It’s me, Yiling-jie. Don’t recognize me?”

The boy shook his head, then nodded. Pei Yiling chuckled softly. “Today, your sister met a good person, Ronghua. We’re finally going to have a better life. I’ll be able to earn money to treat your illness soon.”

The boy, Ronghua, felt a pang of sorrow. “Sis, my illness can’t be cured. You should save your money for yourself and find a good man to marry…”

“Don’t say such nonsense!” Pei Yiling scolded.

Ronghua obediently shut his mouth. Pei Yiling said stubbornly, “Before your mom died, she entrusted you to me. No matter what, I have to fulfill her wish.”

Though she said that, Pei Yiling still felt uneasy looking at her little brother’s face, which bore a striking resemblance—at least seventy percent—to Gu Lian and Gu Tianyou. She had originally planned to send him back to the Gu Family, but what if they didn’t accept him? Her brother had always been smart, ranking first in his class every year. He was still in high school, yet he had already self-studied all the university courses and even found freelance work online, supposedly developing software.

Pei Yiling didn’t understand much, but she knew her brother was brilliant. That was enough. She thought, now that she had Su Ying’s support, maybe once she became more powerful, her brother could find a place in the Gu Family. In this country, people valued bloodlines and heritage. Ronghua had to return to the Gu Family. Only there could his talents truly shine and not be wasted.

Thinking of this, she smiled. “Ronghua, remember this: the Su Family’s eldest daughter, Su Ying, is our benefactor. Got it?”

“We must always be grateful to her.”

Ronghua’s eyes flickered softly, then he nodded. “I’ll remember, Sis.”

Just then, a chunk of plaster from the ceiling fell onto Ronghua’s homework notebook. The siblings froze, then burst into laughter together.

“Hungry? What do you want to eat today?”

“Egg noodles.”

The System was deeply confused. “Host, why did you pick Pei Yiling to seduce Su Zhenchuan? She’s clearly not his type.”

Yu Liuxue gave a look that said, “You dumb machine could never understand human emotions.” “You don’t get it. When someone’s used to gourmet delicacies, a simple broth and veggies can be a refreshing change.”

The System immediately responded in a tone of sudden realization, “Oh! So even the S outside still smells good, huh?”

Yu Liuxue instantly lost her appetite thanks to that comment. She changed her mind and decided to head home. But just as she reached her door, she ran into Gu Lian, who had been missing for several days. The moment Gu Lian saw her, she shot her a sharp glare. “I heard you took my maid?”

“Injustice! It’s all a misunderstanding!” Yu Liuxue hadn’t expected to keep this from Gu Lian for long anyway. She glanced into the house to make sure no one was around, then lowered her voice. “Actually, I have my reasons… ones I can’t talk about.”

Gu Lian didn’t believe a word of it. She already knew Su Ying’s preferences, so it was obvious to her that Su Ying had taken her maid to keep her as a hidden lover.

An inexplicable wave of frustration surged in her chest. It felt just like the whole world knew her boyfriend was cheating on her—everyone except her, left completely in the dark. Only now, the situation was flipped: the whole world thought Su Ying was madly in love with her Big Brother, but the truth was, not only did Su Ying not like him, she was out there two-timing and putting a green hat on his head.

Only she knew that Su Ying was a heartless player.

Gu Lian was utterly displeased. She let out a cold snort and couldn’t be bothered to deal with Yu Liuxue. A woman like that was best kept far away from the Gu Family. If she ever married in, the household would be turned upside down, with no peace to be found.

But compared to Su Ying, the one who was really giving her a headache now was that white lotus who had captured her brother’s heart—Su Fufu.

Just thinking about Su Fufu soured Gu Lian’s entire expression. Lately, her brother hadn’t been coming home at all and was instead staying at Su Fufu’s place. Gossip was flying everywhere, and both Grandpa and Dad were already displeased. Gu Lian was afraid her brother would be punished by them, which was why she had come to remind him.

It’s just Su Fufu. How could she possibly be more important than the Gu Family’s legacy?

Yu Liuxue followed Gu Lian back home. Coincidentally, Su Zhenchuan was there today as well. The moment he saw Yu Liuxue, his face darkened. If not for the presence of Gu Lian and Gu Tianyou, that ashtray in his hand might have already been hurled at her head. Yu Liuxue quickly ducked behind Gu Lian. Gu Lian frowned and couldn’t help but glance at Su Zhenchuan. Had he gone senile? How could he let a Fox Spirit bully the daughter of his legal wife?

Truly a petty, low-born family with no sense of propriety. In a prestigious clan like the Gu Family, nothing was more important than bloodline and hierarchy.

And yet a mere Su Fufu dared to climb over Su Ying’s head and push others around.

Gu Lian immediately lifted her chin and stepped protectively in front of Yu Liuxue, then shot a warning look at Cheng Susu. Cheng Susu’s heart skipped a beat. She secretly wondered how Su Ying had managed to get close to the Gu Family’s heiress. If that were the case, getting Su Ying to voluntarily give up Gu Tianyou would be ten times harder.

After feeding Su Fufu her medicine, Gu Tianyou finally lifted his eyelids and looked at Gu Lian. “Why are you here?”

Gu Lian instantly exploded with anger. “Big Brother, are you seriously not coming home just because of her?! Who does she think she is? You’re engaged to Su Ying, but you’re spending every day with her instead. Do you even know what people are saying about you? They say you favor your mistress over your fiancée, that you’ve let lust cloud your judgment, that you’re thinking with your lower half!”

“Xiao Lian!” Gu Tianyou cut her off sharply. “Watch your mouth.”

Gu Lian felt utterly wronged. Just for Su Fufu, her brother had scolded her in front of everyone. Before Su Fufu came into the picture, he had never spoken to her like that. As her anger surged, Yu Liuxue stepped in to support her. “Gu Tianyou, what’s that supposed to mean? Did Xiao Lian say anything wrong? You’re engaged to me, yet you’re being all ambiguous with my sister. Do I even matter to you anymore?!”

Although Gu Lian didn’t like Su Ying either, she couldn’t help but warm up to her a little at this moment.

She had never been wronged like this before. But Su Fufu—this girl seemed born to be her nemesis. Every time they met, it rubbed her the wrong way. Compared to Su Fufu, Su Ying was practically pleasant.

At the mention of this, Gu Tianyou looked at Yu Liuxue with a calm expression. “Do you really want me to explain why the reporters caught that photo back then?”

“Go ahead.” Yu Liuxue gestured for him to speak. “Gu Tianyou, you’re a man, aren’t you? Don’t tell me you’re going to blame me for not closing your door while you slept. I don’t even have a key to your room. But it is suspicious, I’ll admit. Maybe I should have someone investigate. Who knows what secrets we might uncover?”

Su Fufu immediately panicked and clutched Gu Tianyou’s hand weakly. “Brother Tianyou, please don’t fight because of me.”

Gu Lian rolled her eyes on the spot. “Who do you think you are?”

She had just taken a deep breath when Gu Tianyou turned to Su Zhenchuan and said flatly, “Uncle Su, I’m officially announcing that the engagement between Su Ying and me is canceled. From now on, Fufu is my girlfriend. I want to marry her.”

Cheng Susu was overjoyed and quickly chimed in, “Tianyou, maybe you should think it over a little more.”

“No need.”

With just a few words, her brother had kicked aside the fiancée handpicked by Grandpa himself. Gu Lian instinctively turned to look at Yu Liuxue. Sure enough, her eyes were already rimmed red. Her plump cherry-like lower lip was bitten tightly, and tears were about to fall. When she noticed Gu Lian looking at her, Yu Liuxue forced a smile that looked even worse than crying. “I’m fine.”

The moment those words left her mouth, her tears poured out like a dam had burst.

Gu Lian’s mind went blank. How could her brother be so reckless? How could he just dump a girl like that? How was she supposed to survive in high society after this? Gu Lian was instantly furious. Su Fufu as her sister-in-law? Over her dead body!

Maybe it was the anger clouding her judgment, but she lost control and blurted out, “Fine! Big Brother, if you’re really going to abandon the girl Grandpa chose for you just for that bitch, then so be it!”

“She’s mine now.”

“I’ll marry her!! You can go run off with that slut all you want!”… Wait! Wait a second!

Gu Lian suddenly pressed her lips together and widened her eyes, her dark pupils trembling with unease. What did I just say?

Did I just say I’m going to marry Su Ying?!!