Chapter 1: He Is No Longer Her Brother

“Fang Yu, are you done yet?” The bedroom doorknob rattled.

Gu Fangyu lifted her head slightly, her small face tense, staring warily at the man before her.

Panic fluttered in her chest; on instinct, she reached out to grab him.

Her eyes darted around, searching desperately for someplace to hide.

Only one thought filled her mind: she must not be discovered—no one could know that Gu Hanchen was in her room.

Holding her breath, she heard the doorknob twist more forcefully. “Fang Yu, what are you doing in there? Open the door right now!”

Startled, Gu Fangyu’s nerves taut with fear of exposure, she shouted back hoarsely, “Coming!”

Again, she tried to pull him away.

But Gu Hanchen remained utterly uncooperative.

The man leaned in, his tall frame bent slightly, breath teasing the side of her neck. “So afraid of being found out?”

Her eyes reddened in distress. “Must you really do this?”

Outside, Madam Gu had lost her patience and ordered a servant to fetch the spare key.

In a panic, Gu Fangyu shoved the man toward the bathroom, replying anxiously, “I’m coming!”

All she received in return was a low, mocking laugh above her head.

Compared to her anxiety, Gu Hanchen was the very picture of calm indifference.

His tall, broad-shouldered form, clad in a perfectly tailored suit, projected an air of composed restraint.

Yet Fangyu knew better than anyone—he was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, ruthless to the core.

She knew when to yield; she bowed her head. “I beg you.”

Lowering his eyes, the man regarded his tamed prey with some satisfaction, gracious enough to spare her—for now.

“Interest,” he said, gripping the back of her head and pressing a fierce kiss to her lips.

As she watched him slip into the bathroom, she quickly closed the door behind him.

From outside, the servant announced, “Madam, I have the key.”

Gu Fangyu wiped her lips hard, then opened the door just as the key turned in the lock.

A woman in her fifties, elegant and well-preserved, stood in the doorway, her refined features the very image of a wealthy matron.

Yet her brow was furrowed in faint displeasure as she fixed Fangyu with a sharp gaze. “What’s going on? Do you know the Xie family has been waiting for you? What were you doing in there?”

As she spoke, Madam Gu’s eyes flicked past her into the room.

Fangyu quickly stepped forward, blocking her view.

Fortunately, Madam Gu did not press the issue, only urging her, “The Xie family is here to discuss your sister’s engagement to Xie Ershao. Your own engagement is off—it’s fate, nothing more. Even if you’re upset, today you should put your sister and the Gu family’s reputation first.”

Fangyu followed her downstairs, a bittersweet ache twisting in her chest.

Before she turned twenty, she was the cherished daughter of the family, the beloved jewel in her parents’ crown, pampered by both mother and father, adored by her elder brother.

But on her twentieth birthday, her parents brought home another girl, introducing her as Fangyu’s sister.

Gu Yao was the true-born daughter of the Gu family.

Fangyu, it turned out, was just a child switched at birth, a stranger with no blood ties.

From that moment, her world collapsed.

Her brother became someone else’s brother—and worse, she became his plaything.

That very night, after learning her true origins, Gu Hanchen had appeared in her room and claimed her for his own.

From then on, her parents, wracked by guilt over Gu Yao, lavished all their attention on her, doing everything to compensate for their loss.

Though they insisted Fangyu was still their daughter, every incident showed their hearts drifting further toward Gu Yao, until there was no room left for her.

Only for the sake of the family’s reputation did they not cast her out.

Downstairs, laughter and cheerful voices filled the air.

“I consulted a master. The eighth of next month is an auspicious day for the engagement. What do you think?” Madam Xie beamed, her face glowing with the joy of an impending wedding.

Seated beside her were Mr. Xie and Xie Chenhao.

On the other side, Mr. Gu waved a dismissive hand. “We’re not particular about such things. As long as the youngsters are happy, that’s all that matters.”

From the staircase, Fangyu caught sight of Gu Yao, sitting demurely, casting bashful glances at Chenhao across the room.

Madam Gu hurried ahead, her face alight with smiles. “You’re very thoughtful, treating our Yao Yao like your own daughter—sometimes even better than I manage myself. Look at you, bringing so many gifts…”

One side of the living room was stacked high with the Xie family’s betrothal gifts.

“Indeed,” Madam Xie replied. “My biggest regret in life was never having a daughter. Now that Chenhao has found me such a wonderful daughter-in-law, how could I not dote on her?”

The two families exchanged compliments.

Fangyu lingered at the stairs, feeling like an outsider to the lively scene.

“Sister, all of this was supposed to be yours. You don’t resent me for taking it, do you?” Gu Yao suddenly turned to her, eagerly pulling her toward the living room.

“What right does she have to resent you?” A low, rich male voice sounded above them at the foot of the stairs.

Gu Yao turned back with a bright smile. “Brother, it was supposed to be Sister who got engaged to Chenhao. If I hadn’t come back…”

“She’s not a daughter of the Gu family—none of this belongs to her,” Gu Hanchen said indifferently, brushing past them without a glance.

As he passed, Fangyu’s breath caught and her body stiffened.

In his eyes, she was only kept in the house because of her adoptive parents’ kindness, a remnant of twenty years of upbringing. She had no true ties to the family—any little she received was charity at best.

Madam Gu, sensing the awkwardness, quickly smoothed things over. “Now that the engagement date is set, we should start preparing everything for the event.”

“Exactly. That’s why I brought Chenhao today—to let the young couple shop for whatever they need,” Madam Xie said, pulling out an unlimited gold card from her purse.

“Why not have Sister come too?” Gu Yao clung to Fangyu’s wrist, feigning intimacy. “If I’m not sure about something, you can help me choose, right?”

Fangyu tried to pull her arm away.

But Gu Yao held on tightly, determined to drag her in.

“I…”

“So Sister still resents me for taking Chenhao?” Gu Yao didn’t give her a chance to speak, playing the victim before everyone.

Fangyu glared coldly, seeing through her little game.

She’d held her tongue long enough.

“Gu Yao, what are you so afraid of? If there was really anything between me and Xie Chenhao, you wouldn’t be getting engaged today. Since I agreed to end it with him, I won’t interfere in your relationship. You don’t need to keep testing me.”

Gu Yao’s petty schemes were exposed in front of everyone, leaving her humiliated.

She had only ever wanted to spite Fangyu.

After all, before she returned, Fangyu and Xie Chenhao had been deeply in love. If their parents hadn’t thought them too young, they’d have been engaged long ago.

Even after two years together, Gu Yao knew Chenhao’s heart was never hers.

He cared only for Fangyu.

Now pampered and spoiled by the Gu family, Gu Yao was not used to such humiliation.

She was unwilling to accept it.

“Brother…” she turned to Gu Hanchen, sitting alone in an armchair.

“Apologize.”

Fangyu stared back in silence, her pretty face icy, her defiance clear.

“Apologize to Gu Yao,” the man said, his voice even colder.

She resisted.

But she knew the consequences: every time she disobeyed, every time she opposed Gu Yao, he would come to her room at night and punish her in his own way.

Fangyu understood when to yield.

She had just opened her mouth when Xie Chenhao, who had been silent, suddenly stepped forward and took her hand. “Enough, let’s not argue.”

Gu Yao, spoiled as she was, could not bear her fiancé defending someone else at a moment like this.

“Xie Chenhao, what am I doing wrong? Even now, you still take her side?” Her voice rose sharply, “You still can’t let her go—yet we’re about to be engaged, and she’s the one who doesn’t want you!”

Fangyu looked on coldly as Gu Yao lost control, only wanting to free her hand from Gu Yao’s grip.

At the same time, Xie Chenhao tried to pull Gu Yao away.

But in her agitation, she shook him off. “Let go! Don’t touch me!”

The scene descended into chaos.

Suddenly, Gu Yao lost her balance and fell to the floor.

At once, she clutched her belly, face contorted in pain. “The baby… the baby…”

Bright red blood began to seep down her thigh.

Fangyu felt the metallic scent of blood rise to her throat, her stomach churning.

Before she could swallow her nausea, pain exploded across her face.

Madam Gu’s slap landed mercilessly. “If anything happens to the child in Yao Yao’s belly, not even ten lives of yours could make up for it!”

“Call an ambulance!”

In the chaos, everyone crowded around Gu Yao.

When the commotion finally subsided, Fangyu could no longer hold back; she retched violently.

At the rear of the group, Gu Hanchen glanced back at her, his look dark and unreadable.

Somewhere, a servant whispered, “Could it be that Second Miss Gu is also pregnant?”

Pregnant…