About ten minutes later, the family's old housekeeper arrived at Zhao Yan's door.
"Xiao Gu, what are you doing sitting outside the young master's room?"
Gu Yufei forced a weak smile and quickly tried to stand. "Uncle Li, I'm sorry—I'll get up right away."
But her legs were still trembling; she nearly collapsed again.
Butler Li frowned, his tone carrying a gentle reprimand. "Xiao Gu, no matter what, we're still servants of this house. This isn't proper. Even if no one's around, you can't just sit in the hallway like that."
Gu Yufei was still in a daze, her mind a mess. She glanced up at him with difficulty. "I'm sorry, Uncle Li. I lost my composure."
With that, she hurried away on unsteady feet.
Butler Li watched her retreating figure, brows furrowed deeper at her clearly off-balance gait.
Without dwelling on it further, he knocked on Zhao Yan's door.
"Young Master, may I come in?"
"Come in," Zhao Yan called from inside.
Butler Li entered with his usual impeccable manners. "Young Master."
He had served the Zhao family faithfully for decades—methodical, discreet, and utterly reliable. That was why he had held the position of head butler for so long.
"Have Gu Yufei's daughter sent to the pigsty," Zhao Yan said coldly, not even looking up from whatever he was doing.
Butler Li's head snapped up in shock. "…Young Master?"
He wondered if he had misheard. But when he met Zhao Yan's calm, unreadable gaze, a chill ran through him.
"Young Master… may I ask if Gu Yufei has done something to offend you?"
Butler Li knew his young master well. Zhao Yan was competent, yes—but more than that, he was gentle and kind-hearted. He had never once punished a servant harshly, even when mistakes were made.
To every servant in the household, the young master was the epitome of gentleness.
For him to suddenly issue such a cruel order… it was unthinkable.
"No particular reason," Zhao Yan replied, a faint smile curving his lips as he finally glanced at the loyal old man who, in the original story, had stayed with the Zhao family until the very end. His voice softened just a fraction. "Just do it, Butler Li."
Since the young master had spoken so decisively, Butler Li—though still bewildered—wouldn't press further. He bowed and left the room.
He paused outside the heavy yellow wooden door, staring at it with a complicated expression.
*What on earth did Gu Yufei do to make the young master this angry?*
*To throw her little daughter into a pigsty…*
He sighed helplessly. *The young master's decisions are not for me to question. I just need to carry them out.*
But he couldn't help replaying the scene: Gu Yufei had been right outside the door moments ago, her face streaked with tears. And her unsteady walk when she left…
Could it be that she had done something unforgivable? Something the young master couldn't tolerate?
Butler Li knew exactly how broad-minded his young master usually was.
This sudden shift forced him to consider darker possibilities.
Moreover… the way she had stumbled away…
*Could it be that the young master…*
His gaze turned complex as he looked back at the closed door. He shook his head and let out a quiet sigh.
"Young Master… why are you doing this to yourself?"
From any angle, it was impossible for Gu Yufei to marry into the family as the young master's wife. And yet it was painfully obvious that she harbored deep feelings for him.
So why would he deliberately push her away with such cruel tactics?
It was clear to Butler Li: the young master had fallen for Gu Yufei.
And though she never said it aloud, how could an old man who'd watched her for years not see the longing in her eyes?
For Gu Yufei, receiving the young master's favor would be a blessing after so much hardship.
But the young master clearly disliked her daughter, Gu Xiaohan.
So… this was his way of forcing her to choose.
It made a twisted kind of sense.
Gu Yufei's reaction earlier had been perfectly normal. She was a mother first and foremost. No matter how deeply she loved the young master, she could never abandon her child. Even if she forced herself to harden her heart, the pain would still tear her apart.
*It seems she's truly going to give up little Xiaohan for the young master's sake…*
*No wonder she looked so broken just now.*
Butler Li, nearing fifty and having seen his share of the world's cruelties, let out a long, weary sigh.
Even with his calm, detached outlook, this situation left him feeling somewhat helpless.
In his view, there was no path for Gu Yufei to become the young master's legitimate wife. Even if the two somehow got together, the Zhao family would never accept a woman who already had a child.
The young master was overthinking things—or perhaps taking this infatuation far too seriously.
Since marriage was impossible anyway, what did it matter if she simply became his woman on the side?
*Enough with all this sentimentality. I'm just an old man; I won't play the villain here. You'll both figure it out in time.*
Reality was harsh. It didn't pause for heartbreak or noble sacrifices.
Still… he smiled faintly to himself.
*If being able to stay by the young master's side is enough to fulfill the feelings she's carried for so many years… maybe that's all she needs.*
*Why force him to play the villain?*
*Of course, I still have to follow his orders. But as for exactly how to carry them out…*
He already had an excellent idea.
Inside the room, Zhao Yan chewed his gum with smug satisfaction.
In just a few hours, he had perfectly grasped the villain's playbook and used ruthless, decisive means to advance the plot mission.
*It really isn't that hard.*
*Soon enough, I'll finish this nonsense and leave this fictional world behind. Back to reality—where I can live like a proper rich second-generation heir without all this drama.*
Reality was so much better. No need to constantly scheme against the brainless male protagonist, no need to outwit him in absurd contests of stupidity, no need to humiliate yourself in public just to block his path.
Zhao Yan knew the formula of these mindless wish-fulfillment novels all too well—which was exactly why he refused to engage in any "battle of wits" with that idiot lead.
It wasn't a battle of wits; it was a competition to see who could be more brain-dead.
Stealing the female lead, showing off in front of the protagonist, competing for her affections, winning her over through ridiculous feats…
Just thinking about it made him cringe.
It was like being the trained monkey in a street performer's act—chasing after scraps of favor while everyone watched.
Even with a system giving him powers far beyond the protagonist's, Zhao Yan still couldn't stomach that kind of nonsense.
"Next step," he muttered to himself with a grin, "spread the word far and wide: the villain is forcing himself on the female lead. Make sure the news reaches every corner of the household—especially so the female lead herself hears it immediately."