Chapter One: Reunion

Midsummer.
The height of the summer heat had not yet passed, and even in Ning City, a northern city, the daytime heat remained intense.
Lu Zheng had just finished a dinner gathering.
He had drunk a little at the event, and stepping outside, the hot wind hit him, making his head feel heavy and dizzy.
He frowned, rubbing his temples. His sharp, stern face looked unwell. Turning to the driver waiting by the car, he instructed:
“Take me back to the old family residence.”
The driver immediately nodded, stepping forward to open the car door. He watched the dignified man approach, the narrow waist slightly bent beneath a black shirt, the finely tailored suit trousers creased as he took a long stride and settled into the car.
The cool air inside the vehicle brought Lu Zheng some relief.
At that moment, his phone vibrated softly in his pocket.
His dark eyes lifted, and his long, knuckled fingers retrieved the phone and opened WeChat.
A message appeared in the group chat, tagging him.
More messages followed rapidly:
Han Guangzhou: “Brother Lu, I heard that Grandma Lu is coming back today. Is Gu Yao coming with her?”
Lou Yu: “Really? After all these years, Old Master Lu finally gets what he wished for!”
Qin Feng: “Congratulations!”
Han Guangzhou: “Wait, wait, aren’t you jumping the gun? She’s just coming back, not marrying Brother Lu. What if she already has a boyfriend?”
Seeing these words, Lu Zheng, who had been about to ignore the messages and turn off his phone, paused.
His expression darkened slightly. His fingers flicked rapidly across the screen, sending a message:
Lu Zheng: “@Han Guangzhou, she doesn’t.”
Lu Zheng: “@Qin Feng, @Lou Yu, thanks [Exclusive Red Packet 66666]”
Han Guangzhou: “What???”
After sending red packets to Qin Feng and Lou Yu, Lu Zheng no longer engaged with the lively chat.
He closed his eyes, seemingly resting, but the pounding heartbeat against his chest betrayed his intense nervousness.
Meanwhile, the old Lu family residence was bustling with activity.
The Lu family matriarch, who had been convalescing in the southern coastal city, had suddenly decided to return to Ning City permanently and had just stepped off the helicopter.
Concerned about the fatigue from travel, she was currently undergoing a medical examination by the family’s healthcare team.
Now eighty-eight years old, her health had been deteriorating since the beginning of the year.
This return was, in less flattering terms, both for reunion and for the eventuality that if she were not to awaken again, she could rest in her homeland.
Gu Yao had returned on the same flight as the matriarch.
Han Yuncai, Gu Yao’s mother, came along as well.

Han Yuncai had been the dedicated caretaker for the Lu matriarch for over a decade. When the matriarch moved to the coastal city for retirement, Han Yuncai had taken Gu Yao with her.
Within the Lu family, Han Yuncai was most familiar with the matriarch’s condition and was thus extremely busy now.
Gu Yao did not disturb her but instead returned quietly to the small suite that they had in the Lu family home.
The Lu family was vast and generous with their servants; even after seven years away, the rooms for mother and daughter had been kept.
She sat at the white desk she had once adored. The room’s arrangement was unchanged from seven years ago, but her mindset had shifted considerably.
She no longer fantasized as she had in youth about things beyond her world.
After a while, Gu Yao rose.
The room had been cleaned before her return, so there was nothing for her to tidy.
She only took out Han Yuncai’s luggage, carefully organizing and storing it in the closet.
As for her own belongings, she had no intention of staying in the Lu family home this time.
They were not employers and employees; a grown woman living uninvited in someone else’s house was improper and awkward.
Fortunately, Han Yuncai agreed, knowing Gu Yao wanted to live independently.
Before arriving, Chen Ping’an had already helped rent a place for her.
Chen Ping’an was Gu Yao’s university classmate, from a different school and major but the same club.
Part of Gu Yao’s reason for returning was to start a business venture in partnership with Chen Ping’an.
Thus, Gu Yao planned to stay one night at the Lu family residence today and move to the rented place tomorrow, leaving her suitcase untouched.
After organizing, half an hour had passed.
Gu Yao stepped out of the room to see if Han Yuncai had finished her tasks.
The Lu matriarch’s room was on the second floor. As Gu Yao walked up the stairs, she passed the elevator, which was just opening slowly.
She turned her head instinctively and met the gaze of the person inside, freezing in place and catching her breath sharply.
The man in the elevator was tall with broad shoulders, his tousled black hair like ink, dressed in a black shirt and tailored trousers that outlined his lean form. He exuded an intensely sharp aura.
Lu Zheng.
Gu Yao felt her throat tighten.
Scenes deeply embedded in her memory surged forth like a revolving lantern, but the clearest sound that echoed in her ears was the cold, indifferent question from the boy who closely resembled the man before her:
“What’s it to you? Who do you think you are to boss me around? Stay away from me!”
His outstretched hand felt like a thousand pounds, throwing her to the ground, immobilized!
The boy’s face was full of impatience, his gaze heavy with irritation and disdain, tangible and crushing.
In an instant, her youthful pride shattered into fragments.
Indeed!
Who was she?
Just the daughter of the Lu family’s maid—what right did she have to interfere with the eldest young master?
From then on, a mix of inferiority and shame clung to her heart like a persistent parasite, making it hard to breathe.
Seven years later, the cold and commanding man before her was completely different from the inexperienced youth she remembered.
Gu Yao only stared blankly for a moment before snapping back to reality, her gaze turning distant.
She looked at the man calmly and said softly:
“Greetings, Young Master Lu.”
Then she stepped back, allowing him to pass first.
But Lu Zheng stood at the elevator entrance, motionless.
He lowered his gaze to the indifferent-faced girl before him. Light flickered in his eyes before he finally spoke in a deep, husky voice:
“You’re back.”
She caught a faint scent of smoke and alcohol.
Looking up, Gu Yao noted that his bone structure seemed even more distinguished than before.
Beneath long black lashes, his shadowed eyes gave her the uncanny impression of being thoroughly scrutinized.
She nodded quietly, unsure of what else to say. Seeing he did not move, she turned and continued forward.
Lu Zheng seemed reluctant to speak further but watched her intently.
The gaze from behind was like a beast lurking in the darkness, waiting for her to expose her delicate neck so it could pounce.
When she left, he followed in the same direction and called out above her head:
“Going to Grandma’s room?”
Gu Yao acknowledged with a “Hmm” and then explained:
“I’m going to see my mother.”
As she spoke, her phone vibrated again. She checked the message — Chen Ping’an was asking if she had arrived safely.
She replied “Safe” and turned off the screen just as she reached the door of the Lu matriarch’s bedroom.
The door was ajar, and she saw Han Yuncai standing behind a group of doctors in white coats. Gu Yao stepped forward toward her.
She was unaware of the dark, intense gaze that fixed upon her from behind — like a fierce predator waiting silently in the night to seize its prey by the slender neck.