The moment Gu Yuwei got in the car, she was met with the man’s sharp gaze.

Gu Yuwei looked at him, her heart uneasy. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

The man eyed her for a few moments, then turned to face forward and snorted coldly.

"Have I been too good to you, letting you embarrass me on such an important occasion?"

Gu Yuwei bit her lip, her fingers digging tightly into her palms. Her expression was grim.

A moment later, however, a smile appeared on her face.

She scooted closer to the man, leaned in to give him a peck on the cheek, and then rested in his arms.

Her finger traced circles on his chest.

"I didn’t do it on purpose. I just mistook someone, didn’t I? I thought I saw someone I knew, but when I looked closer, it wasn’t them. Don’t be mad at me, okay? It won’t happen again. Here, feel... my heart is still pounding so fast."

As she spoke, she took the man’s hand and placed it on her chest.

The man’s expression softened considerably. He turned to stare at Gu Yuwei’s red lips, and the hand on her body stirred.

"Oh, you’re awful!"

The man roared with laughter and kissed her red lips, completely ignoring the driver in the front seat.

The driver, seemingly unfazed by the commotion from the back, slowly started the car and pulled away from the entrance of the Ministry of Commerce.

Half an hour later, the car stopped in front of a large building.

The driver got out and stood in front of the car, smoking.

After a while, the man got out. His clothes were a little wrinkled but otherwise intact. He lifted Gu Yuwei out of the car.

Gu Yuwei was now completely naked, wrapped only in a coat. Blushing, she buried her face in the man’s chest.

The man glanced down at her and strode quickly inside, heedless of the stares from others—stares that were fixed on Gu Yuwei.

Once in the room, Gu Yuwei went straight into the bathroom to take a bath.

The man glanced toward the bathroom and left immediately. Soon, the sound of a car starting up came from below.

In the bathroom, Gu Yuwei sat in the tub, the water up to her chin.

She hugged herself, staring blankly at a single spot.

’Ever since returning to Beijing City, her emotions had been unstable.’

’She’d only found out a couple of years ago that her parents had been assigned to a farm. She had always complained that they didn’t care about her, but it turned out her father had fallen gravely ill and passed away in his second year there. Her mother, mired in depression, soon followed him. Her older brother had gone to the frontier, and all contact was lost; she had no idea if he was dead or alive. And she, poor thing, had still been waiting for them to rescue her and bring her back to the city.’

’Gu Yuwei had run away from Da Liushu Village without a letter of introduction, hiding here and there. The little money she had was quickly spent.’

’Luckily, she still had her looks. She played pitiful, faked amnesia, and got by decently enough by deceiving people. Of course, the most important thing was that she was a woman—a beautiful woman.’

’Many men were good to her, rushing to help. She knew perfectly well what their intentions were.’

’She was no chaste martyr. To her, her innocence was just a bargaining chip for a better life.’

’Perhaps from the moment she fled Da Liushu Village, she had abandoned everything but her own life.’

’So now, she was living the life she wanted: no worries about food or clothing, living in a mansion. Though this man was old and unattractive, with her eyes closed, all men were the same.’

’She had renamed herself "Rose." She wanted to live beautifully, like a rose.’

’In the dead of night, she would sometimes think back to her days in Da Liushu Village. It wasn’t that she missed that hard life, but she missed her child... and... He Ze.’

’Her feelings for He Ze were complicated. They had been in love.’

’She knew how good He Ze had been to her, but the problem was, he had no money.’

’And in the face of reality, feelings were fragile enough to shatter at a touch.’

Today at the Ministry of Commerce, Gu Yuwei had recognized her at a glance. It was Xue Yue.

She would never mistake her, not even in death. She had always wanted to outshine Xue Yue; it was an obsession. She even saw Xue Yue’s face in her dreams sometimes.

’Is Xue Yue working there?’

’Oh, right. Xue Yue had gotten into a university in Beijing City back then.’

’Xue Yue must have recognized her today, too.’

’Would she tell He Lang? Of course she would. And then the entire He family would know.’

’He Ze won’t come looking for me, will he?’

Gu Yuwei blinked, her heart tightening. Suddenly, she felt it was very possible.

’But then again,’ she thought, ’it’s been several years. Maybe He Ze has already remarried.’

At this thought, Gu Yuwei shot up from the bathtub.

Gu Yuwei emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel. The room was empty.

Walking to the window, she saw the car in the courtyard was gone and gave a self-deprecating laugh.

’Rich men are never faithful. And I’m not his wife, just one of his mistresses.’

But Gu Yuwei’s charm was not to be underestimated. At the very least, she was the one who had stayed by the man’s side the longest. This was not just because of her charm, but more so because she knew how to read people and when to advance or retreat.

Leaning against the window, she touched her stomach and was suddenly overcome with a wave of sadness.

’She couldn’t have children anymore.’

’Six months pregnant, she had been beaten by the man’s wife until she miscarried.’

’From then on, she lost the ability to be a mother. To compensate her, the man bought her a villa and a car in Hong Kong.’

’It was better this way. She didn’t want to have another child anyway.’

’She still had Xiao Yu. Once she saved up enough money, she would go get Xiao Yu back. She would give her a good life.’

Gu Yuwei was still lost in her reverie.

When Xue Yue got home from work, she saw Mrs. He washing Xiao Yu’s hair.

She watched them silently for a moment before returning to her room.

...

"Are you feeling unwell?" He Lang placed a hand on Xue Yue’s forehead. Her temperature was normal.

"You’re back?" Xue Yue said softly.

He Lang sighed. "I’ve been wandering around the room for a while now. I saw you were just spacing out. What happened?"

Xue Yue looked at He Lang and sat up.

"I saw Gu Yuwei at work today."

He Lang just paused for a moment. "Mm, and?"

"She was with a man from Hong Kong, here to discuss a partnership. From the looks of it, she’s doing well."

He Lang nodded. "Whether she’s doing well or not has nothing to do with us. So what’s wrong? Did she bully you?"

Xue Yue shook her head. "Bully me? I’m not a child. We didn’t even say a word to each other. I’m just worried."

He Lang looked at her. "Worried about what?"

"About Mom. Your second brother is gone now, and Gu Yuwei is Xiao Yu’s birth mother. If she decides she wants to take Xiao Yu away, we can’t stop her, can we? Think about it, would Mom be willing to let her go? She might always seem to be complaining, but I can see it clearly. Mom adores Xiao Yu."

He Lang took a deep breath. "If that day really comes, there’s nothing we can do. After all, Gu Yuwei is her birth mother. As good as Mom is to her, she’s still just the grandmother."