Chapter 1

Rong Weiyuan and his wife came to find Rong Yu'an just as Rong Yu'an was crouching in front of the microwave, watching a steamed bun spin around inside.

Ding! The microwave stopped. He opened the door, took out the steaming hot bun, transferred it from his left hand to his right, tore off a piece of the skin, took a bite, then lightly touched it to his lips, saying with some amazement, "It actually heated all the way through."

He didn't even notice that someone had come to see him.

Ye Ning couldn't help worrying at the sight, whispering to her husband, "Is this going to work? He's like a little fool. What if instead of making a match, we end up making enemies?"

Rong Weiyuan said, "It has to work, even if it's a long shot. We can't just watch the Rong family go bankrupt, can we?"

Ye Ning thought that was true, so she knocked twice on the door to get her nephew's attention: "Xiao An, are you going to have lunch?"

Rong Yu'an abruptly stood up straight, a little flustered, and called out, "S-second Uncle, Second Aunt."

Ye Ning responded with an "Ah" and said, "Just eating steamed buns for lunch? That's not exactly nutritious. How are you feeling?"

Rong Yu'an said, "Much better, but there's still a lot I don't remember."

Ye Ning frowned upon hearing this: "You can't remember anything at all?"

Rong Yu'an nodded and said "Mm-hmm," gave an awkward smile, and felt a pang of anxiety.

No one knew he didn't belong here, that he wasn't the Rong Yu'an they thought he was.

About five days ago, he had been the eldest young master of the Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion in the Great Xuan Dynasty, and the former husband of the Anguo Marquis. The reason for the "former" was that he and his husband, the marquis, had just divorced.

The marriage had been arranged by their elders since childhood, but before the ceremony could be completed, his husband had gone off with the army, and he had performed the wedding ceremony with his seven-year-old brother-in-law, who was holding a rooster.

For the next four years, he stayed in the marquis mansion, managing household affairs and serving the elders, full of hope for his husband's return. But what came instead was news that his husband had remarried and even had a child.

He couldn't bear to spend the rest of his life with someone so faithless, so he proposed a divorce.

His husband knew he was in the wrong, and since his own family wasn't weak, he agreed.

He packed up and rushed to his family home that night, but on the way, the horse was startled as it crossed a bridge, crashed through the railing, and he fell into the lake. When he opened his eyes again, he was in this strange place.

Ye Ning saw her nephew look a bit dazed and felt some pity, but she remembered the purpose of their visit and pulled him aside to sit down: "So, have you thought about what we discussed earlier?"

Rong Yu'an thought for a moment, then negotiated, "Second Aunt, can I get to know more about this Second Young Master Gu before making a decision?"

After waking up, he was told he was the youngest young master of the Rong family, that he had fallen into the water and been rescued, losing many memories. He also had a fiancé named "Gu Shenhan," and he had to marry the man as soon as possible. No, here they called it "getting married."

Of course, he knew this wasn't true—he didn't belong here at all. But no one believed him when he said he wasn't the Rong Yu'an from here. They just thought he had lost his memory after falling into the water.

Ye Ning said, "Second Aunt understands your feelings, but you have to consider the reality. Right now, the Rong family can't wait any longer. You know the family business has been going poorly recently, with heavy losses. If no one helps us out, the Rong family will go bankrupt. The only one who can help the family now is you. Old Madam Gu specifically asked for you, hoping you would marry Second Young Master Gu. Once this is done, the Gu family will help us get through this crisis."

Rong Weiyuan added, "Xiao An, if you're worried about Second Young Master Gu's character, don't be. Your second uncle has already inquired about him. He's excellent in both ability and appearance, and his family background goes without saying. If it weren't for your grandmother's old friendship with Old Madam Gu, this good fortune wouldn't have come to us. In short, once you marry him, they definitely won't treat you poorly. Besides, look at you now—talking nonsense, can't find a job. What are you going to do? You need someone to support you, right? But if our family goes bankrupt, we'll lose this house too. Where will you go?"

Rong Yu'an was silent. This really hit him where it hurt. This place was like a mythical world to him—so many things he had never even seen before. He didn't know their names or how to use them.

There were so many things he didn't recognize: the people, the roads—everything he heard was about someone else's past. Even when he tried to go out and ask questions, people looked at him like he was a freak after just a few words.

"But Second Aunt, I don't remember what Second Young Master Gu looks like."

"Isn't that easy?" Ye Ning pulled up a photo on her phone. "Here, this is Second Young Master Gu. Isn't he handsome? You should be grateful that your parents gave you such good looks, or he might not have agreed. Listen to your second aunt—go to the Gu family. Your second uncle and I have raised you for so many years; would we harm you? Besides, you can't really bear to watch the Rong family go bankrupt, can you? Xiao An, you have to have a conscience."

Rong Yu'an couldn't help but seriously consider it.

He didn't want this marriage. No matter how good others said Second Young Master Gu was, he wasn't someone he knew. And once married, it wouldn't just be about the two of them—it would involve two families.

But if he refused, the Rong family would fall, and would the elders still tolerate him? From the looks of it, no. If he ended up without a place to stay, that would truly mean calling out to heaven and earth with no response.

Perhaps marrying into the Gu family might bring some turn for the better.

Besides, if he went to the Gu family, he would be helping the Rongs. If one day the real Little Young Master Rong came home, maybe he wouldn't hold it against Rong Yu'an for borrowing his identity, given that he had contributed to the Rong family.

Rong Yu'an said, "Then let's do it as Second Uncle and Second Aunt suggest. I'll go meet this Second Young Master Gu."

A tree moved will die, a person moved will live. He couldn't let himself be trapped. He'd go see the man first.

·

Two days later, in Haicheng City, Cuixi Garden.

The sound of punching echoed from the fitness room—thump, thump, thump.

The sandbag swung wildly. Gu Shenhan, wearing a black tank top and black hand wraps, struck with lightning speed, his eyes blazing like fire.

Liang Zheng leaned against the doorway, looking down at his watch: "It's already 10:15. Aren't you leaving yet?"

Bang!

Gu Shenhan threw his last punch and turned his head, his eyes bloodshot: "What, the Liang family is going bankrupt? You have nothing better to do than come here to watch the show?"

Liang Zheng was almost knocked breathless by his words: "Damn! You—did you have arsenic in your coffee this morning? I'm just curious about what my future sister-in-law looks like. Why else would I bother coming to be your driver? Hurry up, or we'll be late."

Gu Shenhan tilted his head back and downed a bottle of water, then crushed the empty bottle with a screech of plastic: "Go get the documents Fang Yankai sent over for me. Have the car at the door in twenty minutes."

Liang Zheng said, "Fine, you're the boss today. Just hurry up, okay?"

Gu Shenhan replied, "Got it. You talk too much!"

With that, he frowned and tossed the empty bottle accurately into a trash can four or five meters away, then went to shower and change clothes.

Today, they were taking the marriage registration photo. He chose a white shirt, silver collar stays, a well-tailored navy single-button suit, and a silver-white silk tie embroidered with eagle feathers.

After a moment's thought, he threw the tie back, removed the collar stays, and unbuttoned two buttons of his shirt, revealing just the right amount of unruly casualness.

At 10:35, Gu Shenhan got into the car on time, taking the back seat.

"Seriously? You're treating me like a driver?!" Liang Zheng complained. "It's a forty-minute drive. Sit in front and chat."

"Chat, sure. Why do I have to sit in front? Did your voice suddenly become directional, only able to broadcast to the right?"

"I just thought it'd be easier to turn right and talk to you! Fine, you're like a firecracker today. I won't argue with you." Liang Zheng slowly drove the black Rolls-Royce Cullinan out of Cuixi Garden. "You're bringing the documents directly. Are you going to get the marriage certificate today?"

"Sooner or later, it's the same. No need to waste time. Besides, I'm quite looking forward to seeing the faces of the eldest branch when they find out I'm marrying Rong Yu'an."

If it weren't for his grandmother insisting he marry Rong Yu'an before handing over the international shipping business to him, he wouldn't have considered such a marriage at all. What he wanted was someone who could fight alongside him in business and resonate with him spiritually, not some art student who hadn't even mastered his craft. But he had to do this—it was the only way to gain the capital to compete with the eldest branch for control of the Gu family's future.

Gu Shenhan took out various prenuptial property certificates from the document bag.

Originals and copies—he wanted to do a prenuptial property settlement.

Under the documents was another agreement, which stated that during the marriage, both parties needed to be mindful of their words and actions in public. If improper statements caused trouble and damaged each other's image or company interests, the consequences must be borne by the party at fault. Also, neither party could have ambiguous relationships with any third party before divorce. If discovered, the marriage would be immediately dissolved.

Of course, this document is legally worthless—he just wanted to see whether Rong Yuan, that pretty little ornament, would buy it.

He'd heard that this Young Master Rong was exceptionally innocent, a recent college graduate from an art academy.

At exactly 11:20, the Cullinan arrived at the airport.

Gu Shenhan walked toward the domestic arrivals gate while sending a WeChat message to his subordinate: "Where are you?"

Xiao Ke had gone to pick up Rong Yuan and was waiting for luggage. He replied: "Second Young Master, I'm getting the luggage—about five more minutes."

Gu Shenhan pocketed his phone and stared straight ahead.

Liang Zheng, looking in the same direction, couldn't resist gossiping: "I heard this Young Master Rong is timid, doesn't talk much, but is very good-looking."

Gu Shenhan turned his head: "Who told you that?"

Liang Zheng showed his phone to his friend: "It's online. He was pretty famous at school before he graduated. Not to mention, a guy with waist-length hair really stands out. Look at the photos—even though they're blurry, you can tell he's a looker."

Gu Shenhan had, of course, seen the photos—not just the ones online, but also those specially sent by the Rong family's elders, as well as childhood videos of Rong Yuan that were in his grandmother's possession.

He really was good-looking; otherwise, even with the shipping business pressing on him, Gu Shenhan might not have agreed. For now, he saw this as marrying a pretty mascot. Once he achieved his business goals, they'd part amicably. As long as his counterpart cooperated and behaved, he wouldn't skimp on rewards.

At that moment, Rong Yuan emerged with Xiao Ke.

Gu Shenhan thought he'd spot Xiao Ke first—the assistant was about 6'1" and built, quite conspicuous in the airport crowd.

But to his surprise, he saw someone else first.

Clearly not very tall—maybe just over 1.7 meters—walking beside Xiao Ke like a fluffy marshmallow. But this "marshmallow" seemed to reflect light.

Too fair.

"Whoa," Liang Zheng was startled too. "That's way too beautiful?!" Fair to the point of glowing, with striking but not exaggerated features, sparkling eyes, and such long eyelashes! How many butterflies did that family's elders eat while pregnant to produce such a delicate doll? He could see many people around turning around to look at Rong Yuan, taking photos almost forgetting which way they were going.

"So heaven is fair after all," Gu Shenhan snorted.

"What do you mean?"

"This guy's brain isn't working well now."

Especially after falling into the water—it was said that when he was brought home, he couldn't remember many things. The Rong family didn't dare hide it; they were honest about that. Gu Shenhan wasn't yet sure to what extent the memory loss and cognitive issues would affect things, but as long as it didn't interfere with his plans, he could act like he didn't see it.

Rong Yuan was still dressed in white today. He wanted to wear other colors, but most of the young master's wardrobe was white—only a few Hanfu had extremely rich colors, which his family wouldn't let him wear.

It was only in the past couple of days that he'd barely gotten used to dressing "in mourning" every day.

Today he wore a white half-sleeve shirt. Uncomfortable with bare arms, he put a long-sleeved outer shirt over it. The pants were also white, the fabric was pretty comfortable.

As he walked, he quietly asked Xiao Ke beside him: "Guard Xiao, is Second Young Master Gu waiting outside for us?"

With less than three meters to go before coming face to face with the man himself, Xiao Ke was speechless: "Look ahead—he's right in front of you."

Rong Yuan: "..."

Liang Zheng muttered under his breath: "Seems this 'not working' thing is pretty bad, buddy."

"Anyone who's ever been online would recognize the guy walking right up to them, right? He was only wearing sunglasses."

Gu Shenhan couldn't help frowning slightly. He tentatively held out his hand: "Gu Shenhan."

Rong Yuan looked at the broad palm, then at the man's hidden eyes, and didn't move.

Gu Shenhan tilted his head: "What do you mean?"

Rong Yuan said: "Second Young Master, we're not—not married yet. That's inappropriate."

To take his hand in public like that—such an act was far too forward.

Gu Shenhan, Liang Zheng, Xiao Ke: "..."