South City Mansion:
The driver slowly stopped the car in front of the South City Mansion, a lone villa nestled amongst a vast mountain range, hidden along a winding path, facing south with the mountain to its north. Surrounded by the chirping of birds and the fragrance of flowers, it enjoyed the best of heaven, earth, and harmony.
Gu Nian couldn't help but be amazed. An economist once appraised this villa and allegedly, it's worth more than ten billion.
"Madam, please come in."
"Alright."
Gu Nian nodded and walked into the villa.
The entire villa was designed in a European style, spanning three floors with marble floors and walls adorned with frescoes and exquisite crystal chandeliers.
What attracted Gu Nian the most was the rooftop garden. It was spacious and included a dedicated greenhouse nurturing some rare plants and flowers.
Gu Nian walked barefoot on the floorboards into the garden, feeling as if she had stepped into a heavenly abode, somewhat dazed.
She still remembered in middle school, during a Chinese essay writing class, the topic was "The Home of My Dreams."
Back then, Gu Nian fantasized in her essay, "My dream home doesn't need to be big, just facing south with the sun shining through is enough.
My dream home doesn't have to be luxurious; having a garden is enough. Filled with all sorts of flowers and plants, and if possible, it would be best if it's in the sky. That way, walking into the garden would give one the feeling of soaring.
Gu Nian: "..."
Gu Nian's mouth curved into a faint smile, as the rooftop garden before her eyes fulfilled her dream.
However... the entire villa was big and luxurious, yet not warm enough.
Gu Nian even felt like she had become a divorced wife.
Well, at least she had the rooftop garden from her dreams.
...
The first floor mainly consisted of a relaxation area, kitchen, and living room, while the second floor had the bedrooms and study. The third floor featured amenities like a gym and home theater.
After touring the third floor, Gu Nian returned to the bedroom and again became lost in thought at the sight of the pale pink princess bed.
When she was in Fu Jingshen's apartment, she used to stuff her mouth with chips and then cuddle up to the man.
"Fu Jingshen, if we get married in the future, let's use a princess bed as our wedding bed, okay? Ah, you don't know, every girl has a princess dream... So, they all want to be a princess sleeping in a princess bed."
Seeing that Fu Jingshen was unmoved, Gu Nian continued to speak, "Hey, you want to have a daughter, right? Mmm, maybe lying on a princess bed the chances would greatly increase, huh?"
"Childish."
At that time, Fu Jingshen, while looking at documents, would absentmindedly stuff chips into Gu Nian's mouth, silencing her incessant chatter.
"Mmm, so... are you going to buy it or not?"
Gu Nian muttered with her mouth full of chips.
"Hmm."
She received a cool "Hmm" in reply from the man.
...
Could it be that Fu Jingshen still remembered…
A glimmer of hope flickered in Gu Nian's heart but quickly turned bleak.
Impossible…
She had to press him at every step for him to finally agree to marry her.
Perhaps the princess bed in the bedroom was just a coincidence.
...
The entire mansion was very clean, and though there were no servants in attendance, it was evident that someone was regularly cleaning it.
In the evening, Gu Nian returned to the Gu Family's house and told Gu Wei about her and Fu Jingshen having registered their marriage.
Gu Wei was overjoyed beyond measure and asked Gu Nian when the wedding would be held. Gu Nian knew that since Fu Jingshen had chosen not to give her the rightful name of his wife, there naturally wouldn't be any wedding. Thus, she excused it with Fu Jingshen's busy work schedule and said the wedding date was undecided.
Worried about his wife and son in the hospital, Gu Wei no longer pressed for details once he knew the Gu Family could be saved and, after a brief chat with Gu Nian, hurried off to the hospital.
Gu Nian had lived abroad for the past three years, so there was almost nothing to pack up at home.
Gu Nian simply packed a set of pajamas and a change of clothes before rushing to the villa in South City.
...
The next day:
When Gu Nian arrived at the Gu Family company, the secretary approached her excitedly and said, "Miss Gu, the finance department from the Fu Family is here."
"Good."
Dressed in a smart business suit with a white blouse, Gu Nian walked straight into the meeting room.
"Miss Gu, long time no see."
"Yes, thank you for the trouble."
Gu Nian's lips curled up into a smile as she extended her small hand and shook the other party's larger one.
The strong injection of one billion in funds from the Fu Family timely salvaged the financial deficit of the company.
However, problems followed. Past product issues had caused the Gu Family's reputation to plummet, and at the same time, numerous partners had chosen to abandon past collaborations with the Gu Family.
Although Gu Nian had studied business management, her practical experience was lacking. She found the current chaotic state of the Gu Family rather troublesome to deal with.
Gu Wei had been greatly affected recently and was no longer able to attend to the affairs of the Gu Family.
Gu Nian knew that the situation for the Gu Family was not optimistic, but she hadn't expected it to be this bad.
For a week, Gu Nian lived in a daze, patching things up as best she could. Although the Gu Family had access to the funding from the Fu Family, Gu Nian didn't place all her hope on it.
Her intention was only to borrow the funds, planning to pay it back in full to Fu Jingshen once the Gu Family re-established itself.
This was her principle. Deep down, Gu Nian selfishly wished to marry Fu Jingshen but didn't want to bind their marriage with money.
...
8 PM:
When Gu Nian returned to the villa in South City after a busy day, she saw the bright lights in the living room and her expression changed slightly.
Fu Jingshen... had returned from a business trip in France today.
She had actually forgotten amidst the busyness.
Gu Nian's heart instantly became nervous, and her body somewhat rigid.
Toward Fu Jingshen, she felt both fear and anticipation.
Gu Nian lightly pressed her lips together, her gaze falling on her flat stomach. A month earlier, she had merely drugged Fu Jingshen at night… In fact, the two hadn't slept together.
So, she was not pregnant at all.
But she had used the child to force the marriage...
Gu Nian's beautiful eyes darkened, as she gathered courage for herself.
Since they were married, given their burning passions—ah, Fu Jingshen was fit and healthy, and she... was young.
Having a child shouldn't be difficult, right?
The main reason Gu Nian hadn't planned to sleep with Fu Jingshen previously was that she did not want to sacrifice a child for the sake of marriage.
Also… there was a secret hidden deep within her heart.
That was…
She had an extreme fear of intimate relationships between men and women, stemming from a trauma three years ago…
Past memories of gloom made Gu Nian's complexion turn ashen. Then, she saw Fu Jingshen's tall figure slowly descending the staircase, approaching her step by step, standing high above, and exuding a cold presence that was chilling to the bone.