Soon it was the day for Gu Qianran to meet her biological father. Gu Lian brought her to the Li family's grand estate. Sitting in a leather chair, she faced a group of rather odd people.
At the head was a middle-aged man with a scholarly air, who seemed to be her so-called father, Li Junsheng. Behind him stood the male lead and his mother, along with his younger brother Li Junze, whose face resembled his by at least eighty percent.
Further back stood the rest of the extended family. All of them looked at Gu Qianran with eyes full of disdain. Gu Qianran rolled her eyes inwardly: A bunch of freeloaders, utterly shameless.
Li Junsheng asked her a few questions before sending her out. Gu Lian stayed inside, saying something unknown to him. When Gu Qianran was called back in, Li Junsheng's eyes were already filled with fatherly affection.
"Qian Ran, you and your mother have suffered all these years. From now on, we are one family. Come, let me introduce you to everyone…"
And so Gu Qianran was forced to listen to a long series of ridiculous family stories. Her guess was right: her father adored daughters, and since she was the only girl, he granted her the most freedom.
She had to admit this father was much more open-minded than the one from her previous life, which spared her a lot of trouble during this reunion. However, this household was far larger than the one in her past life, and the many scheming relatives quickly surrounded her with questions. Their urgency was obvious: they had seen her instantly favored and now wanted to choose sides. The vile struggles of a wealthy family indeed.
At that moment, the male lead's younger brother suddenly swooped in like a godsend to rescue her. "She's just an illegitimate child. What's so great about her? She doesn't even carry the Li surname! What was it again, Gu something?"
The reminder of Gu Qianran's embarrassing identity made the crowd scatter. Li Junze smirked at her, eyes dripping with scorn.
Gu Qianran narrowed her eyes. "You make it sound as if you were any different."
Li Junze's face instantly flushed red. He glared fiercely. "You investigated me?"
Gu Qianran rolled her eyes. "Who has the time to dig into your life? If you don't want people to know, then don't do it."
Li Junze stepped forward, trying to use sheer presence to crush her. "What do you mean?" His expression twisted in rage. Only his father and the male lead's mother knew this secret. He had arranged everything carefully. If Gu Qianran exposed him, he would lose many supporters, not to mention his chances against Li Junyao.
Gu Qianran looked at him with disgust. "Stay away from me." She pulled a photo from her pocket. "It's literal. Little brother, your mother is dead."
The words sounded off, but Li Junze did not get angry. The photo showed a gravestone bearing his mother's name.
That meant his identity was beyond proof. But he could not guarantee that the familiar-looking girl before him had no other evidence in her pocket.
He stared at Gu Qianran desperately. "Do you have any more evidence? I'll buy it all!"
Gu Qianran curved her lips into a smile. Following the plot and taking photos had indeed brought an unexpected reward. Look, someone was rushing to hand her money. She had no other proof, but tricking a fifteen-year-old boy was hardly difficult.
"Of course I do. Five hundred per photo. Three photos, that makes fifteen hundred. You're welcome." Surely he wouldn't be too poor to pay five hundred?
Li Junze glared, unwilling to believe her. "Swear on your mother's name! I'm telling you, if you dare expose this, I'll be the first to kill you! I'm the damn Zu'an Horse Hunter!" He had gone all in now. Forget dignity. Whether by threats or bribes, he had to keep Gu Qianran silent.
Gu Qianran gave him a helpless look. "Why does it always have to involve mothers with you? Fine, I swear. Now give me the money… wait, what did you just say?" Her eyes gleamed with a sharp, penetrating light. Li Junze staggered back, suddenly realizing the person before him was the real powerhouse. Trying to intimidate her had been laughably stupid.
"You said you were the Zu'an Horse Hunter?"
Panic seized Li Junze. The words had slipped from his usual banter. Damn it, he was about to be schooled by a real boss… He tried to explain. "Ah… that's just an online joke… not an insult to you…"
To his shock, the girl across from him looked at him with eyes full of recognition, softly declaring, "Ionia, ever proud and unyielding."
Lightning shot through Li Junze's brain. He tested cautiously, "You play Darius stacking Bloodrage through matches?"
The other answered without hesitation, "You play Yasuo, and your family portrait is complete."
"Sing, dance, rap, basketball?"
"Too beautiful to be chicken."
"Odd changes remain odd?"
"Check the quadrant with the sign."
"How much does the shirt cost?"
"Nine pounds, fifteen pence!"
Everything aligned perfectly. They shared a look, their eyes concealing deep shock. Gu Qianran was certain the boy before her was also a transmigrator.
And Li Junze was even more stunned. No wonder she had looked familiar!
This was none other than the former domineering CEO Gu Qianran! He had once pitied how such a flawless genius had ended up killed by her own sister. He never imagined they would meet again in this world.
As if reading his thoughts, Gu Qianran smiled and nodded. "Yes, I am Gu Qianran. In this life, too, I am Gu Qianran. And you?"
"My past life wasn't this name, but that doesn't matter anymore. I was just a poor nobody. After coming here, I wanted to change my fate. But… Boss Gu, you have to help me!" Li Junze felt ridiculously lucky. Others who transmigrated got systems or cheats. He got nothing, and had to face high-difficulty family scheming. It was too much for a straight guy to handle.
So he had tried imitating Gu Qianran's methods, clawing his way to a stable position with rough maneuvers.
Who would have thought, while reviewing strategy, the textbook itself would appear before him. This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance! He had to seize it!
Gu Qianran nodded. Since Li Junze seemed like a fan and a familiar fellow traveler, she would help him if possible. But first, she needed to verify some information.
In Li Junze's room on the second floor, Gu Qianran looked around and sighed. The place was filled with her own fan art of League of Legends characters, along with novels rewritten from memory.
Yes, definitely a devoted fan.
Li Junze scratched his head, embarrassed. "Um, Boss… I'm a rookie transmigrator with nothing to rely on. Please help me. If I manage to take over the company, I'll give you… most of the shares! Really, Boss, I can't beat you. We have to join forces."
Gu Qianran found it odd. She asked, "So you don't know what this place is? And you never encountered a system?"
"Huh? Isn't this just a parallel world?" Li Junze looked confused.
"No. More precisely, it's a novel. A cheesy CEO romance. You must not have read it, so you don't know the plot. And yes, there is a system, but never let it know you're a transmigrator."
"Huh? Why? Did you meet a system?"
Gu Qianran nodded and gave him a brief account of her experiences, carefully omitting her relationship with Bai Ziyuan.
Though Li Junze was like her, she could not risk his possible disloyalty. Protecting her little one had become second nature.
Li Junze listened, jaw nearly dropping. Boss Gu's start had been the true nightmare mode! As expected, the strong could thrive even in another world. "So, for our better lives, we have to deal with the system?"
Gu Qianran nodded. Hearing his words, an idea bloomed in her mind. What if she helped Li Junze this time? In her past life, she became an envied CEO, but only after exhausting herself.
In this life, Gu Qianran wanted things easier. "I can help you, but you must keep your promise, and agree to one more condition."
How could Li Junze refuse? For him, owning a company and a stream of spending money was enough. Now the strongest ally was offering to help. Not one condition, even a hundred, he would agree to.
"I haven't decided the condition yet, so it's a debt. But you should not take over the Li family company. First, we need a large sum. You have some money, right? Put everything into this project…"
Gu Qianran pointed him toward a mid-sized company. Though not as profitable as the one Ji Tang had invested in, it had great potential. A first move should be steady, not rushed.
Li Junze thanked her profusely and rushed to invest. Left alone, Gu Qianran idly checked her phone, only to find a message from her little one. It was a photo of Bai Ziyuan playing in the mountains. Her smile was so pure it outshone the flowers around her.
Gu Qianran stroked the screen, chuckling. In this life, if she could put down her burdens and rest more, she could spend more time with her little one, watch her grow, marry…
Wait. Wasn't she only two months older than Bai Ziyuan this time? Realizing her thoughts had taken a strange turn, Gu Qianran quickly reined them in.
Still, the little one was truly captivating. She almost missed the feel of that soft body curled in her arms.
Tsk. Gu Qianran, you lust after her body. Be honest. You deserve praise.
Meanwhile, in Bai family's village, Bai Ziyuan gobbled her food, sneaking glances at her phone. Grandma Bai smiled kindly at her. "Our little Yuan seems distracted today."
Bai Zilu nudged Bai Ziyuan. Wake up, kid. Your expectant gaze is obvious even to Grandma, let alone to the clever Gu Qianran you always brag about.
But Bai Ziyuan only shook her head, eyes glued to her screen. She had chosen that photo so carefully. With her looking this pretty, how could Gu Qianran not be moved? After all, summer vacation marked the start of high school, right? Hehehe.
Finally, the screen lit up. With a squeal, Bai Ziyuan dashed into her room, clutching her phone.
Gu Qianran's reply was simple: [Beautiful.]
Gu Qianran replied to her! Yes yes yes! Bai Ziyuan typed frantically: "Ran Ran, you finally replied to me!"
Gu Qianran's reply came quickly: "We're friends, aren't we? Why wouldn't I reply?"
Bai Ziyuan beamed and sent back, "Ran Ran, I pinned you to the top, even starred you!" To prove it, she attached a screenshot.
Gu Qianran responded with a voice message. "Bai Ziyuan, you are becoming cuter every day. I actually miss you a little. As a reward for pinning me, I'll treat you to milk tea when school starts. Don't forget to fill out your preferences, little one."
Gu Qianran's cool, clear voice came through the speaker, pounding straight into Bai Ziyuan's heart. She screamed silently inside, replaying the message over and over. "Ahhh, the last part was too much! Ran Ran, I miss you too…"
Behind the door, Bai Zilu hesitated, then left with a complicated look.
She needed to consider how their father would react once he realized his family line was ending here.