Volume One Chapter One Little Uncle

"After the repair surgery, you'll have to wait three days before consummating the marriage."

Leaving the hospital, Jiang Wan received a call from her mother.

"I've already taken care of the doctor. There's no way the news will leak. On your wedding night, you must play your part well—don't let Huaixu discover anything about your past," Ji Jiali said with an air of disdain.

Sensing Jiang Wan's impatience, she continued, "You should feel lucky you’re marrying into the Gu family. If your father were still alive, even he would be satisfied!"

A cold laugh slipped from Jiang Wan's lips. "How dare you even mention my father?"

Eight years ago, when the Jiang family fell into a financial crisis, Ji Jiali was the first to file for divorce and soon after remarried. Her barbed tone was a clear provocation.

"Why shouldn't I mention him? To keep up appearances for you, I’m even having your uncle attend the wedding. You’re so ungrateful," Ji Jiali shot back.

"As if it's not for your own sake—to save your reputation. With or without your presence, I’d still get married," Jiang Wan retorted, her words sharp as knives. "But I suppose I should thank him. He was willing to take in a gilded canary like you, so you’d never have to suffer for a single day in your life."

"You—" Ji Jiali was so angry she was left speechless.

Since Jiang Wan’s father died under the weight of massive debts two years ago, the mother and daughter’s relationship had plummeted to the lowest depths, with no signs of healing.

"With your temper, you’re only lucky Huaixu is infatuated enough to indulge you now. If you keep this up, you’ll be the one crying in the future!" Ji Jiali scolded, but still reminded her, "There’s a family dinner tonight. Mind your manners. I heard some elders from the Gu family are coming—a very important figure from the capital, someone with substantial influence. Don’t embarrass the Jiang family. And don’t drag me and your uncle down with you."

Without another word, Ji Jiali hung up, as if cutting the call would assert her dominance.

Standing on the roadside, Jiang Wan felt a tightness in her chest.

Just then, her phone vibrated. A WeChat message from her fiancé, Gu Huaixu:

“Sweetheart, I’ll be home late.”
“Go ahead without me, don’t wait.”
“Love you.”

His message came with a cutesy heart gesture emoji. The reflection of her impassive face flickered across the darkened screen.

She was stunning—her features striking and unforgettable. Even in a crowd, she was the kind you'd notice at a glance. It was this very face that made Gu Huaixu fall for her at first sight.

The day he promised to help her reclaim control of the Jiang family business, Jiang Wan agreed to his relentless pursuit and consented to a whirlwind marriage.

Gu Huaixu wanted to marry her because she steadfastly refused to give herself to him before the wedding. Jiang Wan agreed because he could convince the company’s shareholders to return the shares they’d taken from her.

Each harbored their own motives, and together, they made a perfect match.

With the wedding just three days away, Jiang Wan knew she couldn’t delay any longer. She had the surgery that day, planning to head straight to the Gu family dinner afterward.

On her way in a taxi, Gu Huaixu messaged her again:

“By the way, don’t be nervous if there are relatives there.”
“It’s my aunt’s cousin—he’s got a high status but is about our age.”
“I don’t really know him either, no idea why he’s showing up. He’s aloof, arrogant, hard to approach. If he doesn’t like you, just keep your distance.”

He finished with a transfer of 520 yuan—a playful nod to “I love you.”

“Sorry I can’t pick you up myself, but here’s your cab fare, sweetheart.”

Jiang Wan immediately accepted and replied with a cute “okay” emoji.

Yet her gaze lingered on his previous message.

“Aloof,” “arrogant,” “hard to approach”—these labels conjured a face in her mind, unforgettable and chilling.

For a moment, she shook her head, shattering the memory before it could take root.

Soon, she arrived at the Gu family villa.

The sight of a Rolls-Royce with Beijing plates parked in the front yard was an unmistakable sign of the guest’s status.

Jiang Wan took a deep breath, let a gentle smile curve her lips, and softened her gaze.

She gracefully ascended the steps.

Inside, voices drifted out.

“Cousin, have some tea. I heard you only drink Xinyang Maojian—Old Gu had it specially brought in,” her future mother-in-law, Yan Yan, had replaced her usual harshness with a tone of utmost respect.

This only piqued Jiang Wan’s curiosity further.

Just what kind of person could make Yan Yan so eager to please, willingly offering up tea worth tens of thousands per pound?

Maintaining her composure, Jiang Wan approached the villa’s entrance.

But as the housekeeper announced her, she froze at the threshold, her expression stiffening at the scene within.

The lavishly decorated living room was a display of extravagance.

Yan Yan carried a cup of tea with both hands, presenting it reverently to the man seated on the sofa.

He was impeccably dressed in a suit, his presence commanding and powerful. His poised, steady posture radiated nobility and pride.

Yet, as he reached out for the cup and lifted his gaze toward her—

Their eyes met.

His cold, piercing stare was like a net cast across the sky, enveloping Jiang Wan and leaving her breathless.

Lu Wenzhou?

Jiang Wan could hardly believe it.

The first love who, two years prior, had loved her with wild abandon, only to vanish without a trace—was actually Gu Huaixu’s distant cousin?

Those inky black eyes locked on hers, predatory and unyielding, as though waiting for the perfect moment to ensnare her completely.

That restrained yet intense gaze—there was no mistake.

“It’s you,” she thought.

“Wan Wan, why are you just standing there?” Ji Jiali was the first to recover, drawing her forward to make introductions.

“This is Huaixu’s little uncle—the sole heir of the prestigious Lu family in Beijing,” Ji Jiali whispered, shooting Jiang Wan a meaningful look, every detail of her expression betraying her caution.

Jiang Wan remained silent.

She felt like a child being led to the teacher for punishment after misbehaving.

“Cousin, this is Huaixu’s fiancée—her name is Jiang Wan,” Yan Yan announced.

Lu Wenzhou lifted his eyes to her.

Though seated, his gaze from below still exuded an overwhelming sense of authority and intimidation, bearing down on everyone present.

He, too, remained silent, his face expressionless and cold.

“Jiang Wan,” Yan Yan prompted, frowning impatiently.

Only then did Jiang Wan force herself out of her turmoil.

She lowered her eyes, nodded to Lu Wenzhou, and called out, reluctant and subdued, “Little Uncle.”