Gu Yuan looked at her phone, her eyes slightly drooping, full of restrained emotions. However, thinking of her deceased father, she called Su Lan in her dorm.

“Hey Lan Lan, I might be a little late coming back, don’t worry, I’m not lost in my thoughts; I just... need to go home for a bit.”

“Okay, rest well when you can.”

After hanging up, she hailed a taxi from the roadside. Gu’s mansion being situated in a high-end villa district, naturally didn't have public transport. So when she took out a hundred yuan bill, Gu Yuan's heart ached.

Looking at the brightly lit Gu mansion, Gu Yuan hesitated for a moment before walking in.

“Miss Gu, you're back?” Maid Mama Li immediately spoke kindly upon seeing Gu Yuan.

“Uh huh.”

Gu Yuan responded, her gaze shifted inside the room, where she saw two women sitting with their backs towards her on a high-end couch in the mansion's lobby. One of them was her foster mother, Li Mei, and the other was her eldest sister, Gu Meng. As for her, she was the nominal adopted daughter of the Gu family, whose name did not match reality.

"What is it? Do I have to invite you to come in?"

Gu Yuan had only paused for a moment when the dissatisfied voice came from inside.

She promptly walked in and stood in front of the sofa: “Mother, sister.”

“Well, sit.”

Li Mei barely lifted her eyelids and responded indifferently. The reason she did not reprimand Gu Yuan was that there was a man in a suit also sitting on the other side of the couch.

Gu Yuan obediently sat down, but still couldn’t help but eye the man out of curiosity. Li Mei generally didn't allow her to participate in anything. She couldn't figure out why she was called this time.

“Assistant Lin, this is my younger sister. What do you think of her?”

The exquisitely beautiful Gu Meng, dressed in a white suit and skirt, opened her mouth. But her attitude was akin to a salesperson peddling her wares. She turned and gave Gu Yuan a look, her eyes full of resentment and anger.

Gu Yuan was perplexed. She could only lower her head and pretend not to see it.

"It's not up to me to decide. This is the president's will. I'm only executing the orders. President Li, this is the contract you asked for. I hope you will fulfill your promise. I've other matters to attend to. I'll take my leave first," Lin Cheng spoke with utter seriousness. He glanced at Gu Yuan and promptly rose, smoothing his suit before heading out.

Gu Meng hastily picked up the contract from the table and thumbed through it, her eyes shining with delight: "Mom, look, he really did give it to us."

Li Mei also leaned over to look, her face quite overjoyed. Gu Yuan, feeling perplexed, had no choice but to wait a while before speaking: "Madam Gu, did you wish to see me for something?"

When there was no one around, Gu Nian would habitually call her Madam Gu.

The mother and daughter suddenly recalled that there was still another person present. Gu Meng looked at her, her face abruptly darkening.

She promptly stood up, her brightly manicured fingers gripping Gu Yuan's chin. Looking at her beautifully impeccable face, her tone was icily cold: "Mom, how can this little bitch be so crafty? Even that kind of man is taken in by her. You tell me, if her face gets ruined, who would pay attention to this bitch anymore?"

"Hmph, this little bitch is so young, and yet she knows how to bewitch your father, such that he only has eyes for her and neglects us. Isn't her method obvious?"

Li Mei swept her gaze over, exuding overflowing mockery and disgust.

However, remembering the contract that was within their grasp, Li Mei sobered up: "Ah Yue, we can't let anything happen to this little bitch now, otherwise, the cooked duck that’s already in our hands would fly away. She’s of great use to us now."