Yu Lan had no interest in tormenting a stepson, and even less interest in being a good stepmother.

In the book, this perfume incident was the beginning of the deterioration of the original owner’s relationship with her stepson. From then on, the original owner abused the stepson more and more without restraint, until the old man found out and, in a fit of rage, had the original owner sent to prison.

In that kind of place, naturally, there was no good outcome. In less than half a month, the original owner got into a “fight” and had her head smashed by an iron pot, becoming a vegetable.

When reading the novel, Yu Lan thought that this ending was too easy on the original owner. But now, she just wanted to say goodbye.

The boy in front of her was no more than thirteen or fourteen years old. His bangs were so long they covered his lashes, and one could vaguely see the handsome features hidden by his hairstyle. He was definitely the school heartthrob type.

He was a bit thin and slightly hunched. Because he had broken Yu Lan’s perfume, his whole body was tense.

He did not look like the only young master of the Gu family, more like a child from an ordinary household.

Yu Lan coughed lightly, taking on the posture of an elder and spoke with a heavy tone. “It is only right to compensate others when you break their things. This is a fundamental principle. Even a middle school student cannot avoid this responsibility.”

Gu Sui’an: “……”

What was this woman saying? Shouldn’t she be viciously scolding him as a bastard, then crazily slashing his face with the broken glass?

Gu Sui’an felt like the world after rebirth had suddenly become strange.

For a moment, his previously trembling fingers stopped shaking, all because of the inexplicable direction the situation was taking.

On the other side, seeing the boy not respond for a long time, Yu Lan finally dropped the act and frowned. “Is three hundred too much? Then two hundred, no less than that.”

The last sentence was her own quiet mutter.

Unfortunately, Gu Sui’an still heard it.

The boy: “……”

Gu Sui’an lowered his eyes.

His overly long bangs covered his expression, making him appear even gloomier. He did not know what kind of trick Yu Lan was playing. Was she deliberately asking him for money just to later report to his father? Three hundred yuan… heh, just the name of Master Judy alone was worth tens of thousands.

Actually, Gu Sui’an had misunderstood. Yu Lan did not even know who Master Judy was. That awful perfume scent, in her opinion, was no better than cheap perfumes sold on roadside stalls.

No matter what trick it was, he had no way to avoid it. This woman was vicious at heart and would never let him go.

Gu Sui’an reached into the pocket of his school uniform. He remembered that there was exactly three hundred yuan inside. But when his hand touched the empty pocket, he suddenly realized that the money was gone.

His expression froze.

On the other side, Yu Lan was already impatient. “Are you going to pay or not?”

How could the dignified young master of the Gu family be this stingy!

Her impression of the old man she had not met grew even worse. He could not even bear to give the child proper pocket money. No wonder the original owner only had five thousand in her bank account.

But she was not as stupid as the original owner. Since they were married, the property was considered shared marital property. She could spend it however she liked.

“Madam.”

At that moment, the butler, having noticed the issue, hurried over. “This perfume has already been ordered by many people. Since it has been broken, I will ask Master Judy to design a unique new perfume for you.”

Yu Lan curled her lips and took the opportunity to accept. “Alright then. I like woody scents, those that are both light and rich. But it cannot contain pepper, because I am allergic to it. You can add Chinese angelica root. The slight bitterness when smelled up close adds a touch of sophistication.”

The butler bowed slightly. “I will convey your preferences to Master Judy.”

“By the way, arrange a car for me. I want to go shopping.”

The butler glanced at the shirt she was wearing, which belonged to Gu Yi, and hesitated to speak. “Would you like to change your clothes?”

“Change what clothes,” Yu Lan was puzzled. She had spent a long time picking this outfit. “I like this one very much.”

Butler He’s old face turned red. He no longer insisted. “Shall I have Xiao He accompany you?”

“Yes.”

Yu Lan stepped out in high heels. As she passed by Gu Sui’an, she suddenly said, “Since you have no money to pay, then come carry my bags.”

–

Watching the two of them leave, the butler thought for a moment and still decided to inform Gu Yi, who was far away abroad.

The call was picked up after two rings. As expected, Gu Yi had not gone to sleep, even though it was the middle of the night in Country W. “What is it?”

The man’s voice was a little hoarse, and the fatigue in it was hard to conceal.

The butler felt somewhat apologetic, but this matter was better reported early. “Today, the young master accidentally broke Madam’s perfume.”

Other members in the video conference saw their boss, Gu Yi, frown after taking a phone call.

Everyone looked at each other, unsure of what had happened. They had heard that President Gu had recently gotten married. Could it be that his wife was calling to complain because he had been away from home for too long?

Even the butler became nervous. Gu Yi’s marriage had been quite sudden, and none of them knew the details. Before leaving, Gu Yi had only instructed him to keep an eye on Madam’s movements. Just as the butler was hesitating whether to continue, he heard the man’s calm voice ask, “And then?”

“Uh… Madam asked the young master to pay three hundred yuan. The young master had no money, so Madam told him to follow her to the mall and carry her bags.”

Gu Yi’s frown gradually relaxed. His expression grew unreadable. He held a fountain pen with his long fingers, lightly tapping the paper with the tip. “Mm.”

Just a single word, and nothing more.

The butler could not make out Gu Yi’s attitude, so he sensibly said he would continue to keep an eye on Madam. Before hanging up, he remembered an irrelevant little detail. “When Madam went out today, she was wearing your shirt.”

Hearing the beeping tone in his ear, a rare look of surprise appeared on Gu Yi’s face.

That woman wore his shirt?

　

In the Gu family’s garage, there were over a dozen luxury cars. Today, Xiao He was driving the extended version of the Chrysler.

When he saw Gu Sui’an appear with Yu Lan, Xiao He was a bit surprised.

Even though he was not often at the villa, he had still heard some gossip—such as how the new Madam was displeased with the young master, constantly criticizing him for eating, sleeping, and even breathing. Later, the young master simply applied to live at school and only returned on weekends.

In short, the two were incompatible and almost never appeared together in public.

But now it seemed that the new Madam and the young master got along quite well. Moreover, Madam was young and beautiful, like a lively university student. It was said she was only twenty-three this year, a full nine years younger than Mr. Gu! And only ten years older than young master Gu. When the two stood together, they looked more like siblings than mother and son.

Of course, Xiao He only dared gossip about this in his heart. Working for the Gu family was a respectable and easy job, and he had no desire to get fired.

After getting into the car, Yu Lan lowered the partition and closed her eyes to rest.

Being treated like air, Gu Sui’an secretly let out a breath of relief.

He knew this woman best. She had probably held back earlier because of Butler He. Now that there was no one else around, she would definitely torment him severely.

If Yu Lan had known the boy’s thoughts, she would have touched his forehead and asked, “Are you alright?”

Did she look like a bimbo with big breasts and no brain? If something happened outside, she, the one who brought Gu Sui’an out, would be the biggest suspect, right?

Halfway through, Xu Jiajia could not wait any longer and called to urge her.

“Lanlan, hurry up! The concert is about to start. In ten minutes we won’t be able to get in!”

Yu Lan said, “Don’t worry. I’ll be there soon.”

After hanging up, she nonchalantly told the driver, “No need to change the route. Go to the mall.”

“……”

The largest shopping complex in City A had clothing stores from the first to the fifth floor. There was no woman who disliked shopping. After Yu Lan browsed through all the affordable luxury brands, she saw an ASUTE store.

This brand had already existed in her previous life. She did not expect to find it in this novel world as well. This made Yu Lan start wondering about the possible connections. Once, to attend a high-society event, she had bought a piece from this brand. Its design was unique, the style simple yet playful—very suitable for young girls.

Cough, whether it was expensive or not was another matter. What mattered was that it felt comfortable.

Holding a black card, Yu Lan stepped into the store with a gait so unapologetically confident that she would never have dared in her past life.

Behind her, Gu Sui’an silently followed.

At this time of day, there were not many customers in the ASUTE physical store. Several sales assistants were chatting behind the marble counter.

Seeing someone enter, the attendant on duty enthusiastically came forward. “What kind of style would you like, miss?”

Yu Lan did not have a specific idea, but she did not panic in the slightest. “Do you have any recommendations?”

The salesgirl’s smile became even more sincere. Customers nowadays found enthusiastic service annoying, but if she did not do it, she would be penalized. “I think you look very young. If you are in high school, you could try our new butterfly dress.”

Gu Sui’an twitched the corner of his mouth. Although Yu Lan was young, her face with its childish makeup clearly did not pass for a high school student.

He sneered inwardly at the adult world’s lies. Catching a glimpse of the woman’s proud expression, he looked away in disgust.

“Aiya, I’m already in my twenties.”

As expected, Yu Lan said happily.

The salesgirl was surprised. “You really don’t look it! In that case, you could try this black swan strappy mini dress. It highlights your figure and makes your skin look fairer.”

Yu Lan also thought it looked nice. Her skin was pale, her height was one sixty-five, her limbs slender, but she was not lacking where it mattered. Sometimes, even she blushed when looking at herself. “I’ll try it then.”

“Alright. This way, please.”

As the fake compliments disappeared, Gu Sui’an lowered his eyes and stood silently in the corner like a stone.

No one noticed him.

Soon, Yu Lan came out after changing. The sales attendants turned to look when they heard movement.

“Hiss…” The sound of a breath being sucked in echoed in the air, its meaning unclear. For a moment, no one spoke.

Yu Lan frowned. Was it not nice…? She turned around on the spot and glanced at the boy in the corner. “Hey, Gu Sui’an, how do I look in this?”

Gu Sui’an looked up.

Her snow-white skin looked even more radiant under the pure black fabric. It was a short dress, just barely reaching her knees, exposing two long legs standing straight like bamboo. The neckline was an off-shoulder ruffle, and the sleeves were puffed, making Yu Lan look like a dark princess straight out of a fairy tale.

So beautiful it was hard to look directly at her.

But Gu Sui’an was only stunned for a moment. Who would have thought that such a woman could be so vicious and obsessive in private?

The sales assistants, after a brief moment of amazement, came back to their senses and began throwing out compliments as if they cost nothing. Hearing all the praise, Yu Lan was quite pleased. So it was not that the outfit looked bad, but rather it looked “too good.”

In a good mood, she picked out a few more items. During this, she noticed the men’s section in the store and finally remembered the boy who had been carrying her bags: “Wrap that one up too.”

A dark blue casual hoodie, not too big or too small. Just by the size, it was obvious who it was for.

A trace of disgust flashed in Gu Sui’an’s eyes.

Yu Lan took out a black card and waved it at Gu Sui’an: “Don’t be polite. It’s not my money anyway.”

The sales assistant had just sold seven pieces of clothing in one morning, worth several hundred thousand. The commission alone would be twenty thousand. Delighted, she smiled and said, “You two have such a great sibling relationship.”

Yu Lan raised her eyebrows and repeated with interest: “Siblings?”

“Yes, did I guess wrong?” The sales assistant looked surprised at the woman and the young man in front of her. Could it be… they were a couple?

Yu Lan glanced at the boy beside her, who stood like a statue.

Gu Sui’an looked as if he had nothing to do with the situation.

Since yesterday, how many words had he spoken?

The woman’s lips curved slightly, and she suddenly said, “This is my son.”

“Huh?”

Yu Lan didn’t explain further. She walked out under the stunned gaze of the sales assistant. After walking a distance, she recalled the boy’s twisted expression just now and couldn’t hold back a quiet laugh.

Tsk, serves you right for pretending not to hear.