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"Don't worry, Miss. I won't do anything irrational."
Gu Yufei bowed deeply, her voice calm and submissive. She wasn't angry at Zhao Yue's harsh words—she had no right to be.
She had never entertained delusions of rising above her station or tarnishing the young master's reputation.
Knowing he felt even the slightest physical desire for her was already more than she deserved. She was content with that much.
"It's best if you understand." Zhao Yue's tone remained icy. With one last cold glance, she turned and walked away.
Being near this woman made her skin crawl.
The thought that someone who already had a child had somehow ensnared—and possibly corrupted—her pure, innocent brother filled her with revulsion.
Her brother had explicitly told her not to interfere. She would obey.
But the discomfort lingered.
Gu Yufei watched Zhao Yue's retreating figure with a complicated expression, then let out a soft sigh.
She held no resentment toward Miss Zhao Yue, nor toward Young Master Zhao Yan.
She was merely a fortunate woman who had been granted shelter. The young master had already shown her far more kindness than she merited.
He even treated her daughter with unexpected gentleness through his actions. What more could she possibly ask for?
No—she wasn't conflicted.
She was simply ashamed. Unworthy.
She would never overthink it, never act out of line. She would remain quietly by the young master's side, obedient and grateful.
But… her daughter.
Gazing at the charming little wooden house, Gu Yufei's eyes grew even more troubled.
She could not accept such undeserved kindness—and her daughter deserved it even less.
The young master's gesture touched her deeply, yet it only deepened her sense of shame.
She already felt too filthy to receive his favor. How could she allow her child to bask in it?
This must be what Butler Li—and perhaps even Miss Zhao Yue—meant by "don't overthink it."
She did not deserve what the young master had done. Neither did her daughter.
It would be better if the young master never saw Gu Xiaohan again… given the child's origins.
His kindness should not be wasted on her daughter.
Every time Gu Yufei looked at the playhouse, the memories of those sordid, disgusting events resurfaced.
When kindness came at such a terrible cost, who would still choose to be kind?
She herself was no longer a kind person. She refused to let the young master pay the same price for his compassion.
Stepping back inside, Gu Yufei met her daughter's worried gaze. Her heart twisted painfully.
"Xiaohan… do you want to see Grandpa?"
The child carried her surname, so her maternal grandfather was naturally "Grandpa."
"Mommy, what's Grandpa?" Gu Xiaohan asked innocently, biting her finger as she tried to understand the unfamiliar word.
"Grandpa is Mommy's daddy," Gu Yufei explained, forcing her voice to stay steady even as it trembled.
After so many years of relying only on each other, how could she not love her daughter?
Yet her feelings were painfully complicated. Gu Xiaohan was her flesh and blood… but the man who fathered her was someone vile and hateful.
Now she had to harden her heart.
She would never abandon her child—but she could no longer allow Gu Xiaohan to appear in front of the young master.
She could not let him continue showing such kindness.
Otherwise, the shame would swallow her whole.
She admired the young master deeply, but she did not need—or want—his admiration in return.
Above all, she refused to let his gentle heart become tainted because of her.
She would raise her daughter herself.
Gu Xiaohan blinked her large eyes, looking up at her mother with pure confusion.
"Mommy's daddy is Grandpa… so why has Xiaohan never seen him?"
Gu Yufei's gaze darkened.
She did not blame her father for what happened years ago. The fault lay with that bastard—and with her own foolishness.
Her out-of-wedlock pregnancy had humiliated her refined family. Her mother had fainted from rage; her father had cast her out to preserve their honor.
But things were different now.
It shouldn't be impossible to ask her parents to help care for Xiaohan.
She had saved carefully over the years—enough to give them a substantial sum.
"Xiaohan will see Grandpa soon," she said gently, managing a soft smile.
She would never abandon her daughter.
She was simply ensuring the young master would never have to bear the burden of raising her.
Gu Xiaohan did not deserve to be supported by him.
He already looked down on Gu Yufei herself—how could he ever accept her child?
…
Meanwhile, Zhao Yan was in an excellent mood.
Butler Li had just reported that Gu Xiaohan had been "sent to the pigsty" and that Zhao Yue had obediently gone to do his laundry.
*Perfect.*
He really had a knack for playing the villain. Both female leads were now thoroughly intimidated and compliant.
Tomorrow he would threaten Gu Yufei again, then ease into the simp arc.
Speaking of which… how exactly did a simp behave?
After half an hour of searching on his computer, Zhao Yan slowly lifted his head, expression grim.
In summary: a simp willingly chooses to be a doormat instead of a person with dignity.
Beaten and scolded? No retaliation.
Kindness met with cold indifference? Keep trying harder.
Essentially no different from an ancient slave—except slaves were forced.
Simps did it voluntarily.
*Vomit.*
Honestly, "simp" was far too polite a term.
In his previous life, he'd been dirt-poor and still never stooped to that level.
And now, in this one…?
"System," he muttered darkly, "do we really have to do this?"
His face twisted in disgust. The sheer humiliation of acting like that was unbearable.
[The choice is yours, Host. If you wish to play the villain properly, defy fate, and survive this world, then no—you do not have to. The decision is entirely in your hands.]
Zhao Yan scratched his head helplessly.
His dogshit system was actually being reasonable for once.
But the mere thought of competing with the brainless protagonist in front of the female lead—like a trained monkey performing tricks—made his stomach turn.
Even in his poorest days back in reality, he'd never bowed his head.
He certainly wasn't about to start now.
Being a simp was just temporary acting.
But actually vying with the male lead for the female lead's favor? Even if he "won," he'd feel like cheap merchandise on display—lined up next to the protagonist for her to pick from.
If the protagonist had medical skills, did that mean he'd have to show off his own skills to compete?
Win a face-slapping contest, earn a glance of approval from the female lead, and then what—spend the rest of the arc being compared to Mr. Perfect?
Just imagining it made him cringe.
Zhao Yan disdained such pathetic comparisons.