Volume 1 - CH 1

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In September, most parts of the country gradually entered autumn, but the city of Jiang, located in the south, remained hot and humid.

The night was pitch-black, and thick clouds covered the sky. A heavy rain was about to pour, but the tightly drawn curtains blocked everything out.

On the bed, there was a lump under the soft thin blanket.

A fair-skinned and beautiful woman tightly gripped the pillow with her delicate, soft fingertips. Sweat on her forehead made her black hair stick to her scalp. Her eyelashes trembled, and her half-closed eyes were lifeless, as if she was about to burst into tears at any moment.

"Younger uncle, I was wrong."

...

"Please, don't."

The sound of police sirens was deafening, and the cold handcuffs were clasped onto her wrists, sending shivers down her spine.

A crowd had gathered, whispering among themselves.

"That's Guo An."

"Even Miss Guo has her day."

"She deserves it. I can't even imagine what would have happened if it weren't for Mr. He... Miss Lu is such a kind person. She almost ruined her life."

"An An!"

Guo An's mother desperately tried to rush forward but was blocked by the crowd.

"Madam," a restrained figure stood in front of her parents, speaking in a calm and indifferent tone. It was Guo An's personal bodyguard, Ye Lang.

"Mom, don't bother with her. She's not the An An you thought she was, and she's not my sister!" Another slender figure, Guo Xun, Guo An's younger brother, held onto their mother, his face full of disdain. "I don't have such a malicious and despicable sister."

"Guo An, originally, for the sake of the friendship between the Guo and He families' elders, I was willing to overlook your impersonation of Lu Wan and lying about saving me that year, and part ways on good terms," said a familiar voice. Standing next to Guo's father and supporting him was Guo An's ex-fiancé, He Ran.

"But what did Lu Wan do wrong? She could have had a good life with the support of the He family, but you replaced her for so many years. She worked hard, was diligent, and kind, but because of you...if she wasn't lucky enough, you could have cost her life!"

"Guo An, I never thought you were this kind of person."

"I'm sorry, An An, this time I'm not on your side either...although we've known each other for many years and have been friends for many years, your methods against Lu Wan were so ruthless that I'm afraid that the next person to suffer might be me."

"A prison is the best place for scum like Guo An."

"Quick, apologize to Lu Wan and Mr. He!"

The noise in the crowd was like a boiling pot, and all the familiar voices made Guo An's head ache. She raised her hand, intending to cover her ears.

However, there was always someone in the front of the crowd who remained silent.

A tall man in a suit and leather shoes stood high and looked down on her like a god. His cold gaze was piercing, as if he couldn't see the delicate wrist of Guo An, who had always been pampered and delicate, turning red from the handcuffs. He just raised his chin in her direction and spoke calmly and indifferently to the police behind him: "What are you waiting for? Take her away."

"No, no, uncle..."

The woman's murmurs were filled with grievance, and a small bead of sweat dripped down her forehead.

"Uncle... He Jinyi!"

A loud thunderclap exploded in the distance, and Gu An, who had been sleeping, suddenly opened her eyes.

...

After a long evening of holding back, the rain finally came pouring down.

Sitting in the center of the soft bed, Gu An's head was pounding, but her eyes, round and black, were scanning the surroundings with a look of horror... The soft white coral velvet bedding, thick down comforter, and luxurious bedroom decor.

The crystal chandelier overhead had never been turned on in her memory, but it was still maintained to be spotless, hanging quietly in the center of the room. This was Gu An's guest bedroom.

Only after realizing that she was in her own familiar room did the intense ups and downs in her chest calm down slightly.

She had a nightmare.

Just now, fragments of the nightmare about a girl named Lu Wan, whom she had only met last week, were rushing into her mind.

In the dream, as the pearl in the palm of the wealthy Gu family in Jiangcheng, Gu An was always the most dazzling presence in the upper-class social circle. However, she was constantly bullying and suppressing Lu Wan, the female lead who lived in the lower city, as if possessed.

It all started with the fact that Lu Wan had accidentally saved He Ran, the young master of the He family who happened to be Gu An's fiancé, when he was kidnapped in the past. Because of her greed, Gu An lied that she was the one who saved He Ran, securing her position as his fiancée. After that, it seemed like a bad omen had been triggered, or the first episode of a melodramatic TV show had begun, and everything went wrong...

She was malicious.

She was cunning.

She used every means to bully Lu Wan.

As a result, her fiancé fell in love with someone else, and her friends and family saw through her ugly face and turned against her one by one. To make matters worse, she somehow offended He Jinyi, the actual controller of the He family and He Ran's uncle, for the sake of Lu Wan...

Finally, because of her hatred for Lu Wan, she went crazy and drugged her, causing her to inadvertently sleep with He Jinyi. After learning the truth, the jealousy in her heart burned brighter than the evening sky in midsummer, and she even tried to hire a hitman to run over Lu Wan with a car.

In the end, when everything was revealed, Gu An was sentenced to prison. It was He Jinyi, the powerful figure in Jiangcheng, who sent her there.

And finally, because of the loss of their daughter, Gu An's parents were devastated, and the Gu family's fortune was almost destroyed for three generations, nearly seventy years, until He Jinyi stepped in and took over...

Gu An's mother's hair turned white overnight.

Her father, who should have been in his prime and a model husband in the eyes of the upper-class women of Jiangcheng, suddenly lost everything.

Everything was gone.

It all started with Gu An's jealousy towards Lu Wan, which led to her desire for security.

As she drifted off, the sensation of handcuffs tight against her skin felt so real that Gu An shuddered.

She lifted her delicate hand to push aside the damp hair covering her face, reassuring herself that it was just a dream. She was Gu An, the daughter of the Gu family in Jiangcheng. There was no way that she could end up in prison.

Yes, everything that happened in the dream was fake.

Except for two things.

First, Lu Wan was the one who saved He Ran years ago.

Second, Gu An once poured a glass of red wine over Lu Wan's head.

That second incident was the beginning of everything.

Last week, Lu Wan, who was also a student at the same school as Gu An, was working on a yacht for the 60th anniversary celebration of the Gu family. She was tasked with taking care of Gu An's beloved pet, a golden Chinese village cat with strong muscles.

As a worker, Lu Wan lacked the knowledge of how to handle special clients. That night, she had to temporarily leave the cat in a resting room filled with lilies due to an unexpected task to serve dishes.

Unfortunately, the cat died of acute kidney failure before they could save it.

Gu An went mad.

In front of everyone, she poured a whole glass of red wine over Lu Wan's head...

Soon after, He Ran, who knew of this incident, realized that the person who saved his life years ago might have been the poor girl in front of him, Lu Wan, instead of his fiancée Gu An as he had previously thought.

On a pouring rainy evening, He Ran showed up at Lu Wan's door alone and demanded to call off the engagement.

Thunder and lightning struck, and the sound of rain outside seemed to be reminding them of something.

Gu An turned her head to look at the rain tapping on the floor-to-ceiling windows. "..."

At that moment, the bedroom door creaked open.

The housemaid, Ade, with her round and kind face, wearing a black and white maid uniform with neatly tied hair, peered in from the gap of the door and made eye contact with Gu An, who was holding the blanket on the bed.

"An An," Ade hesitated as she called Gu An by her nickname, "Young Master He from the He family is here."

A few seconds of silence passed.

Gu An blinked slowly, "Ah," she said.

This can't be happening. Please, no!

"An An, my little ancestor!" Ade spoke hesitantly, "Young Master He looks bad. He's soaked through from head to toe. Did you two have a fight?"

"..."

"An An?"

"I'm not here." Gu An took a deep breath and said expressionlessly, "Tell He Ran that I'm dead. If he needs anything, he can communicate with me by burning paper during Qingming Festival half a year later."

"..."

4: As per tradition, let's give a high five and send some red envelopes to kick off the story. Just tap and receive, mwah mwah, let's make it rain confetti! Love you guys.