I am an emotionless puppet.

My creator was a heartbroken noble wife.

Before taking her own life, she programmed all her feelings into my mind.

After her death, I took her place.

Her husband was infatuated with his personal secretary, and even their son wished for that woman to become his mother.

My creator was devastated—but I felt nothing.

When her husband received a call from that woman in the middle of their anniversary dinner and rushed to leave,

I handed him his coat while enduring the echoes of my creator’s pain.

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**1.**

The candlelit anniversary dinner was interrupted by a phone ringtone.

Gu Jingchen glanced at the caller ID and immediately stood, stepping onto the balcony to answer. His voice softened as he comforted Lin Yue’an on the other end.

Within moments, he changed clothes and grabbed his car keys, ready to bolt.

"Wait."

At my voice, his expression stiffened.

"Yue’an’s in trouble—someone’s been harassing her. I need to go..."

"It's freezing outside. Don't forget to wear something warm."

His impatient expression froze instantly, his eyes widening in disbelief as he stared at me for a long moment.

I simply cut a small piece of the anniversary cake and placed it in my mouth, chewing mechanically.

Seeing that I wasn’t hysterical as usual, Gu Jingchen walked over instead and planted a kiss on my forehead.

"Don’t be mad. I’ll be back soon."

I nodded, my heart numb, though a dull ache throbbed faintly in my chest.

Only after hearing the door click shut did I slowly press the control button at the back of my neck, temporarily blocking all pain signals.

I knew it was only a temporary relief, but at least it let me breathe.

Having been created just a month ago, I was already used to Gu Jingchen’s behavior—too indifferent to care.

For an emotionless puppet like me, the pain program implanted by my master was the only thing I could feel.

Especially when I received the parent-teacher meeting notice for our son.

He tore the letter to shreds, his voice icy. "No need for you to go. I’ve already asked Aunt Lin to attend."

I should have been furious, but all I felt was the mechanical pain programmed into me.

Slowly, I gathered the torn pieces of paper, my mind adrift.

"Then go to her."

Gu Yichen, who had been wearing a haughty expression just moments ago, suddenly found himself speechless.

My well-intentioned reminder struck him like a venomous barb.

He immediately burst into loud, dramatic sobs, hurling his backpack onto the floor with a heavy thud.

"You don’t care about me at all! You just push me away! I hate you, you fake mom!"

His wails cut sharply through the opulent silence of the lavish villa.

I continued tidying up calmly, turning my back to him without a word.

My programming didn’t include the function to comfort others—silence was my only option.

When he saw I wasn’t reacting, Gu Yichen’s cries grew even louder, and he swept all the books off the table in a fit of rage.

Children have a knack for saying the things that hurt the most.

Between sobs, he shrieked, "No wonder Dad likes Auntie Lin and not you!"

I pretended not to hear, though the ache in my chest was unbearable.

Expressionless, I set down my chopsticks and moved to the sofa, flipping through the day’s news.

2.

"What’s going on here?"

Gu Jingchen walked in, taking in the chaotic mess strewn across the floor.

Gu Yichen, as if finding a protector, immediately ran to Gu Jingchen's side to complain, telling him how I had torn up the parent-teacher meeting notice.

Gu Jingchen, who hadn't come home all night, scooped up his son and stormed over to me, his face dark with anger.

"Is it really such a big deal to ask Yue'an to attend a parent-teacher meeting? Do you have to make a scene like this? Your possessiveness is out of control—if you can't even let her help with something this small, maybe you shouldn't be in charge of the child at all."

I gave a slight nod and turned my head away, focusing back on my phone.

"What kind of attitude is that? Don’t think playing dumb will work. Fine, maybe Yue'an should just be the child’s mother from now on."

"Fine."

My calm response only stoked his fury.

He nodded repeatedly, his jaw tight. "Alright, you said it. Don’t regret it later."

As if afraid I might change my mind, he immediately pulled out his phone to make a call.

Just as he started dialing, I scrolled across yesterday’s viral video.

"Yesterday, Gu Jingchen, CEO of Tech Group, threw a lavish birthday party for his girlfriend. Sources say the CEO personally played the piano for her, and the two shared a tender gaze."

The clip ended on that very moment—their eyes locked, looking every bit the perfect couple.

When he turned back to me, there was a flicker of unease in his expression. He adjusted his glasses almost reflexively.

"Let me explain—we were just discussing a work project. It was all arranged by the company."

My expression shifted slightly, and I quickly rose from the couch.

"No need to explain. I believe you."

I struggled to keep my voice steady as I quickened my pace toward the bedroom.

Gu Jingchen followed close behind.

"What do you even want? Yue An is just handling project coordination. It's purely a professional relationship—don't overthink it."

With every word he spoke, my entire body convulsed violently. I frantically pressed the pain-blocking button, but it was useless.

Curled up on the steps, my limbs jerked uncontrollably.

In my dazed state, I heard Gu Jingchen's impatient voice.

"Putting on another act, I see."

"Annoying as hell."

"Convulse all you want, then."

Amid the violent spasms, I heard the slam of the door as he stormed out.

Gu Jingchen had really abandoned me.

3.

Silently, I condemned his coldness, unable to fathom why my owner could ever love someone like him.

But at least, just as my body felt like it was falling apart, the pain vanished completely—as if that program had been deleted from my system.

As a puppet, the concept of "leaving" wasn't programmed into my settings. Even if I wanted to escape, I had no idea where to go.

When the convulsions finally stopped, the house was empty.

Strangely, I felt a faint sense of relief.

I knew this wasn't normal.

So I dialed the contact number of the diagnostician my master had left in my system, hoping to check if my programming had malfunctioned.

"Initial diagnosis suggests severe abnormalities in your emotional module. Given your unique circumstances, we recommend attempting an emotional data transfer first. If that fails, the only option left would be to delete your emotional system entirely."

The diagnostician's words echoed in my mind the entire way home.

When I pushed open the door, cheerful laughter greeted me.

Lin Yue'an's suitcase sat in the living room, and she was playing a puzzle game with the Gu family—father and son.

Gu Jingchen guided her gently, his voice warm, while Gu Yichen cheered excitedly, "Auntie, you're amazing!"

It was the picture of a perfect family.

Until I walked in.

Their smiles vanished instantly.

Gu Yichen scoffed and turned away, while Gu Jingchen's expression darkened.

"So, you're done shaking?"

I nodded calmly. My emotional module remained unresponsive.

To my own surprise, I didn't feel the expected pain.

I chose to ignore their presence and walked straight toward the bedroom. Footsteps followed behind me.

"Madam."

I turned around to see Lin Yue'an wearing a polite smile.

"Madam, I'd like to discuss something with you. Since my work requires frequent project discussions with the CEO, and he's also asked me to look after the young master, I was wondering if I could move into the large room on the second floor? It's closer to both the study and the master bedroom."

The moment these words were spoken, both father and son immediately fixed their gazes on me. That room was the master's private space—no outsider had ever been allowed to set foot inside.

Their eyes seemed to be waiting for me to explode, just so they could label me as unreasonable.

But...

For an emotionless puppet, there was no program for losing temper.

"Fine, it's yours."

Lin Yue'an's face lit up with unmistakable triumph.

"Thank you for your understanding, Madam. I'll make sure to take good care of the CEO and the young master from now on. You can rest assured."

The blatant mockery in her words sent a faint ripple through my system.

Without changing my expression, I walked toward that large room.

Then she swept all the cosmetics placed there onto the floor.

The smug smile hadn't even faded from her face when the sound of shattering bottles and jars rang out.

"Ye Weilan, have you lost your mind?!"

4.

Gu Jingchen immediately stormed over to me, furious.

"If you're unhappy, just say it outright. Was there any need to knock over Yue'an's things?"

Lin Yue'an, seeing how fiercely Gu Jingchen defended her, instantly welled up with tears.

"Jingchen, it's not that I want to make a big deal out of this, but that serum was something I brought back from abroad for my skin treatment. It's priceless, I..."

Her gaze fell on the shattered glass bottle on the floor, the precious liquid spilled everywhere.

Seeing her tearful eyes, Gu Jingchen quickly pulled her into his arms, murmuring soothing words.

"Don't be upset. I'll make sure she apologizes to you properly, and she’ll compensate you for every last bit of the loss."

Though the imported serum was expensive, it wasn’t unaffordable.

Yet Gu Jingchen gripped my wrist tightly, his voice cold and demanding.

"Ye Weilan, apologize to Yue'an."

I stared at them, my face devoid of expression.

"I won't ask a third time—apologize now!"

"Miss Ye, if you have a problem with me, just say it. I'll leave right away. But why did you have to break my things..."

Her eyes welled up with tears again, looking utterly pitiful.

"No apology? Then you deserve it."

I was merely stating the facts.

What kind of polite person would leave their belongings in someone else's home without permission?

"Ye Weilan! If you don't apologize right now, we're getting a divorce. Get out of this house—immediately!"

I thought I'd feel pain.

But to my surprise, my nerves remained numb.

"Fine."

I shook off his grip and headed straight to the room to pack my things.

"Walk out that door, and don't you dare think about coming back."

I nodded silently.

As I passed Lin Yue'an, I slipped off the heirloom jade bracelet from my wrist and placed it in front of her.

"Take it. Consider it compensation for your potion."

The moment I removed the bracelet, Gu Jingchen's face twisted in fury.

"What the hell is this attitude?"