"Shut up!" Gu Yufei snapped, anger flaring up from deep inside her chest.
Her daughter had spoken innocently—a little girl simply longing for a father—but those words had struck the one wound Gu Yufei never wanted to reopen.
"You don't have a father. You're never allowed to mention him again. If you do, you'll never call me Mommy again. I won't want you anymore." Gu Yufei's eyes were cold and stern, her voice carrying a gravity her daughter had never heard before.
Seeing the terror in the little girl's wide eyes, Gu Yufei felt a surge of irritation mixed with guilt. She truly loved her daughter, but some topics were absolutely forbidden.
Gu Xiaohan's very existence was a nightmare Gu Yufei could never erase.
"Waaah…" The tears that had been pooling in the child's eyes finally spilled over under her mother's fierce, frightening stare.
"No, Mommy! No! Xiaohan doesn't want Daddy anymore! Please don't throw Xiaohan away!" The little girl clung desperately to Gu Yufei's leg, trembling with fear.
A flicker of reluctance passed through Gu Yufei's eyes. She softened her tone just slightly. "Alright. Wipe your tears. I'll take you to Aunt Zhang's place for a while. Mommy has to go to work."
She refused to dwell on what had happened five years ago. Her daughter's innocent questions only reopened old pain and humiliation.
That single night had left Gu Yufei with a deep, unshakable sense of inferiority—even now, merely glimpsing Zhao Yan from a distance was enough to make her heart race with shame. Even with her own child, her feelings remained tangled and conflicted.
Most days she could be gentle and patient, but the moment Gu Xiaohan mentioned *that man*, Gu Yufei's emotions spiraled out of control.
Sometimes it even stirred a faint, irrational resentment toward her own daughter.
*That man ruined my life… and yet Xiaohan carries his blood.*
"Mommy, I'll be good," Gu Xiaohan whispered, her small voice still choked with sobs. She obediently wiped her eyes with her sleeve, tears streaking her chubby cheeks.
She could sense that her mother was upset because of her—because she had been thoughtless and made Mommy sad again.
"Mm." Gu Yufei gave a curt nod, her expression still icy.
She led her daughter to the kitchen.
"Sister Zhang, the young master suddenly came back and asked me to handle something urgent. Could you watch Xiaohan for a bit? I'll come pick her up later." Gu Yufei spoke quickly to the woman she assumed was resting, tugging Xiaohan gently by the hand.
"Young Master? Wasn't he supposed to be at work today?" Sister Zhang asked, puzzled.
"I don't know. He just came back out of nowhere—must be something important." Gu Yufei shrugged.
"Then go quickly. Don't worry about Xiaohan; I'll take good care of her."
"…Thank you, Sister Zhang." Gu Yufei offered a polite smile.
"Hey, what are you thanking me for? Xiaohan is such a sweet, sensible girl. I'm happy to have her here!" Sister Zhang took the child's small hand warmly. "Hurry up now—the young master's business can't wait."
"Mm."
Clutching Sister Zhang's hand, Gu Xiaohan pouted and watched her mother's retreating figure, her little heart heavy with sadness.
…
Zhao Yan's room was luxurious and refined, decorated in an elegant European style. The moment you stepped inside, you could feel the strong artistic atmosphere. The heavy curtains by the window swayed gently in the breeze.
*Life here is so much better than my previous one… but this world is just the setting of a damn novel—and to make it worse, I'm the villain.*
Fortunately, judging from the plot Zhao Yan remembered, although the villain (himself) met a gruesome end, the Zhao family as a whole survived.
His non-blood-related younger sister, Zhao Yue, was one of the novel's female leads.
In the original story, she had suffered terribly. The Zhao family had taken her in mostly as a publicity stunt for a charity welfare project his mother was running at the time—they never truly cared about her.
After arriving, Zhao Yan bullied her mercilessly. Even the servants treated her with disdain. Though she was technically an adopted daughter, she was treated more like unpaid household help.
Yet Zhao Yue was brilliant—her grades and talent far outshone her worthless "brother." Still, because she wasn't related by blood, she could never inherit the family business and endured constant humiliation.
Then she met the protagonist, Ye Chen, and the rest became history.
With his help, Zhao Yue rose triumphantly. An adopted daughter ended up inheriting the Zhao fortune and took revenge on the one who tormented her.
Even so, she still harbored genuine affection for the Zhao family. Despite the abuse, they had never let her go hungry or without an education. For appearances' sake, they gave her a certain dignity in public.
After Zhao Yan's death, Zhao Yue even took responsibility for caring for their parents. Among villain families in novels, the Zhao household was one of the rare ones that managed a relatively good ending after offending the protagonist.
Compared to the usual fate—where the entire family line was wiped out—this was practically merciful.
*Once I finish following the plot, I can finally leave this world with peace of mind.*
Ever since realizing this was a novel, Zhao Yan had felt suffocated here. He couldn't stand staying another second longer than necessary.
The only thing truly holding him back was his parents in this world.
As for his "sister"… after knowing the full plot, he found it impossible to look at Zhao Yue the same way.
A knock on the door snapped him out of his melancholy thoughts. A practiced, villainous smirk immediately curved his lips. He pulled out a small mirror, checked his reflection—*evil enough, perfect*—and called out lazily,
"Come in."
The door opened slowly. Gu Yufei's delicate face appeared in the doorway. Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her, her posture timid and uncertain.
"Young Master."
"Come in," Zhao Yan ordered, voice low and commanding.
Gu Yufei hesitated, then stepped inside, lifting her gaze just enough to meet his intense, predatory stare. Her heart thudded violently.
*Why is the young master looking at me like that? Could he… actually be interested in me?*
But… she already had a child.
A chaotic mix of joy, nervousness, and panic flooded her—emotions she had only ever dared to imagine in dreams were suddenly, impossibly real.
Then came the crushing wave of inferiority.
*Don't be delusional. The young master is outstanding, perfect. So many women want him. A single mother like you? How could you possibly deserve him?*
Yet even as she scolded herself, a tiny, stubborn spark of hope refused to die.
*What if…?*