The men of the Gu family were not like the women. They had nothing much to talk about.

In the lounge, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Gu Sui’an kept his head down, extremely awkward.

Due to his identity, Gu Yi rarely took him to the old house. So when it came to these elders of the Gu family, he felt more fear than respect. Just now, when Second Uncle Gu lightly put down his teacup, Gu Sui’an’s body trembled uncontrollably.

“Sui’an, you are now a grandson of the Gu family. There’s no need to be so reserved.”

This sentence appeared comforting, but in fact, it revealed and tore open a hidden wound buried deep in the mud. Gu Sui’an lowered his head even further, a trace of pain flickering in his eyes.

Sitting in the main seat, Second Uncle Gu took in the young man’s expression completely. “Since you are a grandson of the Gu family, do not be afraid. If anyone bullies you, Second Uncle will definitely stand up for you.”

As if that were not clear enough, he added, “Even if it is your parents.”

Unfortunately, Gu Sui’an only shook his head.

Second Uncle Gu was deeply disappointed. After offering a few perfunctory words of “concern”, he waved his hand, letting the boy go amuse himself.

The grand Gu family residence was brightly lit in all directions. As soon as Gu Sui’an came downstairs, someone approached him to strike up a conversation, probing between the lines about his relationship with the Gu family.

Anyone with eyes could see that he had gone upstairs with Second Master Gu, but they were unclear about how close their relationship was. This junior, could he be from the Bai family in the south or the Lin family?

Gu Sui’an clenched his fingers tightly, said nothing, and walked straight out of the hall to the garden to get some air.

Fortunately, there was finally no one in this place. While letting out a breath of relief, Gu Sui’an quietly found an open, well-lit spot to sit down and zone out.

Once he sat down, he stayed there for a long time.

Occasionally, a servant would pass by and inform him that the banquet was about to begin, suggesting he wait inside. Gu Sui’an ignored them all.

No one knew that he was waiting.

Waiting for that matter to happen.

Later, even he was unsure whether he truly hoped it would happen or feared that it would.

Until the moon was covered by clouds, the dim light became faint and pale, and finally, noise came from the hall—the banquet had begun.

Gu Sui’an abruptly stood up. The night breeze blew against his sweat-drenched back, sending a chill through him.

Only then did he realize that he was soaked in cold sweat.

But even so, his mood became unprecedentedly relaxed, as if a heavy boulder had been lifted from his heart. The fear and anxiety that had been trapped in his chest were instantly exposed and vanished into nothingness.

After living his life over again, Yu Lan had truly changed.

Gu Sui’an did not know why he cared so much, but perhaps, from now on, he could calmly accept the kindness from that woman, instead of accepting it while also hating himself.

His legs had gone stiff and numb, so he jumped in place a few times. If someone familiar had seen it, they would have been surprised that he could show such childlike “liveliness.”

But after all, he was merely a thirteen-year-old middle school student.

Gu Sui’an, feeling completely at ease, prepared to return. After all, even if they did not like him, the Gu family also did not like Yu Lan. That woman was alone, who knew how much trouble she would face.

Just as he reached the doorway, only a few steps away from entering the hall, someone suddenly stepped out from the side to block his path. “Young Master.”

Gu Sui’an turned his head.

The person raised their face, revealing a face that felt both unfamiliar and familiar to Gu Sui’an.

“Young Master, Madam asked you to come over.”

The servant was all smiles, but the words coming from their mouth made Gu Sui’an feel like he had fallen into an ice cave.

*

Before the banquet began, Yu Lan came downstairs from the second floor.

It was not of her own will. Just moments ago, the ever-elusive system had issued a new task: [Exploit one thousand yuan from the wealthy family and donate it to an orphanage. Time limit: twenty-four hours. If the task fails, the system will initiate forced plot progression mode.]

One thousand yuan!

Where was she supposed to get one thousand yuan?!

Yu Lan was in a foul mood. Seeing that Old Madam Gu was about to launch into another long speech about having children, she had no choice but to use her trump card. “I’ll listen to my husband in all things. If you want to persuade someone, why not try persuading Gu Yi?”

Old Madam Gu immediately fell silent.

If she had been able to persuade Gu Yi, how could she have allowed the daughter of a nouveau riche to marry into the family in the first place?

Yu Lan took the opportunity to slip away.

When it came to exploiting money, the first person she thought of was Gu Sui’an.

Though the teenager was not talkative, as the old man’s son, Gu Sui’an never lacked money. He was also especially generous. That incident where three hundred became thirty thousand—she hoped it could happen several more times.

But after searching the entire banquet, there was still no sign of Gu Sui’an.

When the servant sent to ask Second Uncle Gu returned, the unease in Yu Lan’s heart was confirmed.

Gu Sui’an was missing.

Her first reaction was to call the police.

But at the last moment, several fragments suddenly flashed through her mind.

[The dust in the air lingered, making him cough repeatedly.]

[Gu Sui’an curled up in a narrow cabinet, unable to see anything. Even the hand he extended out was not visible. In the silence, even his breathing sounded especially loud, let alone the bustling noise outside.]

[But he knew that no one would come here.]

[He could only hug himself, as if doing so would make him less afraid…]

These were parts of the original plot. Upon recalling them now, Yu Lan noticed many details she had previously overlooked. “So, Gu Sui’an was locked up during Old Madam Gu’s birthday banquet?”

System: [Correct.]

Yu Lan: “…”

The system seemed to sense her thoughts: [The original owner was a malicious supporting character, constantly at odds with her stepson. OOC is prohibited!]

Yu Lan sneered. “The original owner may have been malicious, but before Gu Sui’an was locked up, she hadn’t done anything that was truly unforgivable. Now it’s been proven that the one who locked him up was not the original owner!”

She had a flash of inspiration. “Right, and also, last time when I bought clothes for Gu Sui’an, that wasn’t OOC either.”

[The clothing only cost two thousand yuan. The system judged that the host may have intended to humiliate the stepson and therefore approved it.]

Yu Lan nodded. “All right. Right now, I really want to humiliate him, so shouldn’t I go find him first?”

As she spoke, she decisively pressed the call button to report to the police.

System: […]

The system was exhausted.

Out of all the hosts it had carefully selected, this one was worse than those it had randomly bound.

—As recorded in the system’s 383rd regret entry.

Yu Lan could not care less about its frustration.

After making the call, she did not sit and wait. Since this matter was not done by the original owner, there must be someone else behind it.

Thinking of this, she pulled aside a Gu family servant and asked whether there were any storage rooms in the old mansion. After a moment’s thought, she added, “Preferably ones without lights, really dark ones.”

The maid said, “There is a house where we store the old things where we live. The light inside broke a long time ago. At night, you can’t see anything when you go in.”

Yu Lan’s eyes lit up. “Please take me there.”

The maid hesitated. “The old madam asked me to go to the kitchen to add more food. I’m afraid I can’t get away.”

“It’s fine. Just tell me the exact location.”

The moon was completely obscured by dark clouds.

The moisture in the air increased, and as she moved, it was both stuffy and humid. Her clothes felt heavier, sticking to her skin, very uncomfortable.

Yu Lan used the light from her phone to find the storage room the maid had mentioned.

Darkness covered most of her vision. Before entering, Yu Lan glanced out the window one last time. The dark clouds pressed low over the city, a heavy and oppressive sight.

For some reason, the door to the storage room was not locked.

Yu Lan gave it a gentle push, and it opened. A wave of dust hit her face, causing her to sneeze several times. “Gu Sui’an?”

There were too many things piled up inside the storage room. Yu Lan looked at the pitch-black space, her steps hesitating for a moment.

Should she wait for the police to arrive?

But then she thought of how, in the novel, the original owner was wrongly accused because of this incident, which led to a life-and-death struggle with her stepson, eventually ending up as a vegetable. She gritted her teeth and braved her fear, stepping inside.

The door behind her slowly closed, plunging the room into deeper darkness.

With the light from her phone, Yu Lan saw four or five cabinets stacked in the corner. She did not know which one Gu Sui’an was locked in. There was no response when she called out, so she had to carefully avoid the things on the ground and prepare to go check.

But she forgot that she was wearing a gown today. After only a few steps, her skirt got caught on something. With a tearing sound, Yu Lan fell to the ground, and her phone flew out of her hand.

In the dark corridor, faint footsteps echoed.

“In the room up ahead. Push open the door and you’ll see him.”

“Why?”

Gu Sui’an, who had been silent the entire way, suddenly asked.

The servant thought he was asking why they were meeting in such a place and replied impatiently, “This was all ordered by Madam. I don’t know either. Young master, you can ask her yourself.”

As he spoke, he half-forced Gu Sui’an into the storage room. The moment he stepped inside, Gu Sui’an heard the sound of the door locking behind him.

“Young master, don’t blame me. This was all Madam’s request.”

The servant’s voice was full of smugness. “If you want to blame someone, blame yourself. You’re not truly a Gu family member.”

Gu Sui’an’s face instantly turned pale. “What do you mean?”

“So you didn’t know? How pitiful. Then I’ll tell you today—you’re not Gu Yi’s son.”

“Impossible!”

“Believe it or not. Gu Yi has no son. You’re just an adopted child he brought back from outside.”

After the servant smugly finished, there was no movement from the person inside. He thought the boy had been struck speechless by the revelation. He casually threw the key downstairs and quietly left.

He had no idea that Gu Sui’an already knew the truth.

In his past life, he didn’t understand why his father was always so busy, barely seen throughout the year. When he did return, it was only to pat his head and then let him go play by himself.

The servants in the villa whispered that it was because he had caused his mother’s death that his father was cold to him. As a child, he believed it. So when Yu Lan bullied him later, he never told Gu Yi.

But much later, when he was mentally pushed to the brink and staying in the hospital every day, he learned of his true background from visiting members of the Gu family.

At that moment, he understood everything.

Just like now, he listened indifferently as the servant revealed the secret. Inside, he felt nothing.

What he cared more about was that the woman had indeed deceived him once again.

Gu Sui’an gave a self-mocking laugh. Even after living a second life, he still could not escape this painful existence.

The darkness covered his eyes and enveloped his entire body, seeping into every part of him.

Sweat formed on his forehead, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Just then, he suddenly heard a painful cough.

“Ugh, it hurts.”

In that instant, Gu Sui’an froze.

It must be an illusion. How could he hear that woman’s voice?

But the next second, that voice sounded again, and this time it was especially clear, as if it was right in front of him. “Hey, help me find it. My phone fell on the ground.”

This time, he was sure it wasn’t an illusion. Gu Sui’an locked onto a direction in the dark and vaguely saw a shadow moving there.

Yu Lan was really here.

But then he became confused.

Why was she here? Was locking him up not enough? Did she come to hit him as well?