The corridor on the third floor was especially quiet today.

This kind of quietness seemed to conceal some kind of secret. As one stepped onto the wooden stairs, precious antique paintings hung on the walls on both sides, and the thick woven carpet on the floor absorbed all footsteps, making no sound at all.

And in this place, only one person lived.

The butler walked to the end and knocked on the door.

“Young master.”

There was no response from inside the room.

The butler knocked again. “Young master, dinner has been brought up for you.”

This time, there was finally some movement inside.

The butler waited quietly. After a while, the door opened, and a blinding light spilled out from within. The butler squinted slightly, and once his eyes adjusted, he saw that there were actually five lights turned on inside the room.

Gu Sui’an appeared at the doorway.

He was wearing a plain grey pajama set, barefoot, with long hair still covering his eyes. He took the dinner from the butler and said hoarsely, “Thank you.”

The butler had worked in the Gu family for decades and had watched Gu Sui’an grow up. Smiling, he said, “Young master loved stars when he was little. At night, he would always cry to pick stars. We had no choice but to decorate the room with small light bulbs and trick him by saying the bulbs were stars. Who would have thought that he’d still be the same after growing up.”

Gu Sui’an pressed his lips together.

He did not remember this at all.

At least now, he was not doing it to look at stars, but because he was afraid of the dark.

The next day, Yu Lan slept in.

Ever since she had transmigrated into a wealthy woman, her days had become more and more comfortable. By the time she finished getting ready and went downstairs, it was already eleven o’clock.

In the past, she would surely have been scolded for being lazy, but now, no one in the Gu family would reprimand her. Instead, they laid out a spread of delicious, colorful, fragrant food in front of her for her to choose from.

Tsk, the evil of capitalism.

While condemning her own behavior, Yu Lan happily cut into the delicacies on her plate. During this time, she glanced at the empty long table and felt as if she had forgotten something.

After finishing her meal, she finally recalled what was odd. “Where is Gu Sui’an?”

The butler replied, “The holiday is over. Young master has returned to school.”

Oh, she forgot. Gu Sui’an was still a little brat who needed to attend school.

Yu Lan had only asked casually and did not take it to heart.

After that, she resumed her unrestrained and idle lifestyle. The original walk-in closet was completely replaced, and all the clothes inside were brand new.

Sometimes, when she was bored at home, Yu Lan would even schedule a beauty spa session to pamper herself from head to toe.

Her spiritual life, of course, could not be neglected.

In the past, she had to squeeze into a crowd to watch a movie. Now, she watched it directly in the home theater. A few more fashion shows, a few art exhibitions, and her days could not be more joyful.

The Gu family only felt that Yu Lan was becoming more and more beautiful and youthful. In private, they whispered that it was because Yu Lan’s horoscope did not match with the young master’s.

As the gossip spread, people began to look at Yu Lan differently. Horoscope compatibility was a matter of belief; some believed it, others did not. But the Gu family had one person who cared deeply about such things.

In the servant quarters of the side building, a maid who had finished sweeping the fallen leaves in the garden changed her clothes. She had taken leave from the butler today to visit her family.

As night fell, the maid walked out of the villa and took the sightseeing car down the mountain.

Half an hour later, in the main house of the Gu family.

All members of the Gu family, including those from the second branch, gathered to listen to the maid recount what had happened at the villa.

“Sui’an is, after all, our Gu family’s grandson now. Nothing must happen to him.”

Gu Changshun from the second branch sighed. “Back when Xiao Yi got married, he didn’t even inform us. And now look at this. The wife he married has neither power nor influence, and even her horoscope is problematic!”

Gu Yao, the youngest daughter of the main branch and Gu Yi’s biological sister, frowned when she heard this. “Second Uncle, the way you’re speaking, people might think we’re still living in the Qing Dynasty.”

“Hmph. You young girls only care about love and romance. You don’t understand that the prosperity of the family is what truly matters. Even taking a step back, if it really was a love match, then Xiao Yi’s judgment is terrible.”

Gu Yao was at a loss for words.

That was something she could not refute.

She had met her sister-in-law a few times, and honestly, it was hard to describe.

And Gu Yi marrying Yu Lan had always been a thorn in the side of the Old Madam Gu. Hearing these words now, her face had already turned grim.

She asked the maid, “Is it all true?”

“Madam, absolutely true. The people in the villa are already spreading the word.”

The maid affirmed. She suddenly remembered something and added, “There was one time, I saw light coming from the lady’s room, like she was performing a ritual.”

“……”

Maybe not exactly a ritual, but all the strange coincidences were enough to make the Old Madam Gu even more displeased with this daughter-in-law she already disapproved of.

“Have Aunt Li call Butler He. Next week, Yu Lan must bring Xiao An over. If she refuses to come, then I, as the mother-in-law, will personally go and bring them back!”

Upon hearing this, the members of the Gu family each had different thoughts.

Gu Changshun revealed a smug expression, while Gu Yao showed some concern in her eyes.

After leaving the old mansion, Gu Yao called Gu Yi.

Unfortunately, it was Gu Yi’s assistant who answered the phone. “The boss is in a meeting. Miss Gu, if you have something to say, you can leave a message, and I will pass it on for you.”

Gu Yao frowned.

As the saying goes, family scandals should not be made public, so she said, “Forget it, it’s nothing important.”

Far away in the villa, Yu Lan was still unaware that she had already caught the attention of the Old Madam Gu. In the evening, just as she was about to walk the dog, she suddenly found that the dog was missing.

“Pi Dan!”

Yu Lan stood in the garden and called out. Pi Dan was the name of her newly adopted dog, a beautiful husky.

This matter actually started a few days ago.

Living too indulgently every day, Yu Lan was shocked to find she had gained two pounds when she weighed herself.

As a refined beauty, her heart immediately sounded the alarm. She wanted to be a salted fish, but not a fat-headed one.

Because of this, Yu Lan lost her appetite for several days, but instead of losing weight, she gained another three taels.

Weight loss mainly relies on controlling food intake and increasing physical activity. After thinking it through, Yu Lan asked the butler to buy her a husky.

It was said that this kind of dog was full of energy, and if not walked daily, would destroy the house. Yu Lan had high hopes for it.

Ideal was full, reality was unyielding. Who would have thought that on the very first day of walking the dog, something would go wrong?

Yu Lan searched the garden for a long time but could not find any trace of the dog. She had no choice but to return to the villa, intending to ask the butler for help. However, just as she entered, she heard a sound coming from the second floor.

“Woof woof!”

That direction seemed to be where the old man’s bedroom was located.

Yu Lan’s expression changed drastically. She hurried upstairs and saw a scene that made her blood pressure soar.

“Pi Dan!”

—

Half an hour later, after finishing his meeting, Gu Yi walked out of the study. His phone suddenly received a payment notification.

These days, he had become used to receiving such messages from time to time. The phone number was linked to his secondary card, which he had handed over to the butler before going on a business trip.

Most of the time, they were receipts from clothing stores and restaurants. Recently, there had also been purchases from jewelry shops and Taobao pet food stores.

The butler had also told Gu Yi that Yu Lan had adopted a dog.

The expenses varied, ranging from tens to hundreds of thousands. But regardless of the amount, Gu Yi only glanced at them casually. Since he had given the card to the woman, he did not care how much she spent.

As long as she behaved properly and did not do anything unnecessary, he did not mind letting this marriage last a little longer.

So this time as well, Gu Yi paid no attention to the contents of the message. That was until, after making a cup of coffee and sitting down to continue working, he inadvertently glanced at his phone screen, and the coffee he had just drunk sprayed out directly.

[Your card ending in 4558 transferred 100 yuan at 18:08 on June 24 to Taobao store [Ten Wolves Men’s Underwear Shop]. If you have any questions, please call *****.]

Gu Yi: “……”

—

Gu family villa.

Yu Lan hugged the husky, sneakily searching Taobao for the cheapest men’s underwear.

Soon, she found a pair that looked exactly the same as Gu Yi’s in one of the shops. However, she had difficulty choosing the size. Thinking of the scraps she had just seen—although torn by the dog, there still seemed to be a lot of fabric—she decisively chose the largest size.

XXL!

When placing the order, Yu Lan even specifically asked the seller to protect the customer’s privacy and to ensure the package must be signed for in person.

The seller patted their chest and promised there would be no problem.

Yu Lan let out a sigh of relief, deleted all her browsing history, and finally had the chance to scold the culprit—

“Pi Dan! You almost got me into big trouble!”

Yu Lan pinched the dog’s ears and sternly reprimanded it as the husky howled and rolled around trying to act cute, but she remained unmoved.

Fortunately, no one had discovered it. Otherwise, it would have been a disaster!

Of course, Yu Lan had no interest in the old man. She was very aware of her current situation. The reason she could live such a life was entirely due to the identity of the old man.

So rather than calling him a partner, it was more accurate to say that Yu Lan treated him like a boss. A boss who paid her without requiring her to work. In return, she would stay far away from him and not cause any trouble.

Thinking of this, Yu Lan felt somewhat guilty.

She had reacted quickly. No one should have noticed, right?

Over the next few days, Yu Lan no longer dared to let Pi Dan roam freely. She assigned a servant specifically to walk the dog.

On the third day, a mysterious package arrived, wrapped so that nothing could be seen except the delivery address. Yu Lan avoided the butler and signed for it herself.

She then opened the package and secretly placed the contents in the old man’s wardrobe, covering up all traces.

Looking at the crime scene that had been cleaned up to the point of leaving no evidence, Yu Lan clapped her hands in satisfaction.

Perfect!

Even the system praised her: [Rest assured, host. I have scanned it, and the position matches exactly.]

“Good. Then there is no problem at all.”

Yu Lan closed the wardrobe door and prepared to leave.

She did not expect that just as she walked out, she would bump into the returning butler.

“……”

For a moment, the two of them stared at each other, neither saying a word.

The awkward atmosphere hung heavily in the air.

Yu Lan: What do I do if I get caught doing something bad? SOS!

Butler: Madam really loves Sir deeply, even sneaking into his little bedroom to sleep.

Yu Lan: “……”

In the end, it was the older butler who first stated his purpose. “There was a call from the old mansion, saying that tomorrow is the old madam’s birthday, and she wants you and young master to return together.”

Yu Lan heard the hidden meaning. “Old… Gu Yi is not going back?”

“Sir cannot return for the time being. Tomorrow, Madam can pick up young master from school first. Sir said not to let young master return to the old mansion alone.”

The butler’s words seemed to have an implied meaning, making one inexplicably concerned.