Chapter 2: What an Interesting Prey

"Handsome guy, you’re quite the looker. What’s your name?" Gu Li’s lips curled into a playful smirk, her eyes sparkling with mischief and a hint of danger.

Gu Li didn’t have many indulgences in life, but she had a well-documented soft spot for handsome men.

Otherwise, how else could she have amassed such an impressive collection of dashing older brothers?

Her gaze lingered on the man’s striking face. Maybe I’ll treat his wound…

But before she could make a move, the man shoved her away, stood up, and left without so much as a glance or a word.

He moved swiftly, his long legs making quick strides, showing no trace of the injuries he’d supposedly sustained.

His cold, indifferent demeanor left Gu Li staring after him, momentarily stunned. Then she chuckled softly.

Glancing down at the bloodstains on her clothes, her eyes gleamed with intrigue, and her red lips quirked into a devilish grin.

What an interesting prey.

The next day, in the capital of Country Z, at the Su family villa.

Gu Li stepped into the sprawling estate, casually chewing gum, her glasses perched on her nose as she surveyed the Su family home with thinly veiled disdain.

This time, her return to the Su family was under unusual circumstances—she was standing in for her twin brother, Su Zheng.

Born as fraternal twins, Gu Li and Su Zheng had been separated early in life due to their mother’s tragic passing. Their mother, overwhelmed by postpartum depression, had ended her life in the hospital shortly after their birth, leaving a will behind.

According to the will, Gu Li’s maternal aunt had taken her to Country M, raising her with her mother’s surname, while Su Zheng had stayed with their father, Su Hong, under his surname.

The will stipulated that their mother’s estate would be passed on to Su Zheng when he turned twenty. Until then, all assets were to be managed by their father, Su Hong. Over the years, Su Hong had renamed the family business from “Gu’s” to “Su’s,” and through rounds of financing, diluted Su Zheng’s shares to almost nothing.

Half of their mother’s wealth was meant to remain with Su Hong, while the other half was designated for Su Zheng. Yet, with the will in Su Hong’s possession, neither Gu Li nor her aunt had seen its contents to confirm its authenticity.

Gu’s legacy, her mother’s life’s work, had become Su’s—a fact neither Gu Li nor her aunt could stomach.

Back then, her mother had married Su Hong, a penniless man, out of sheer compassion. Who could have imagined he would turn out to be so opportunistic?

Now, twenty years later, with Gu Li and her brother both about to reach their milestone birthday, tragedy struck. A devastating fire at Shengshi Paradise left Su Zheng critically injured.

If not for her aunt’s timely rescue, Su Zheng wouldn’t have survived. Even so, he remained in a coma in a hospital in Country M, with 90% of his body severely burned.

Their twentieth birthday was only two weeks away. Gu Li couldn’t allow her mother’s hard-earned inheritance to fall into the hands of the heartless Su family.

Gu Li had spent her entire life in Country M, but this was her first time stepping foot into the Su family villa.

Not that Su Hong, her father, had any idea about her brother’s condition.

As she crossed the threshold, Su Hong approached, his face darkening when he saw her carefree demeanor. Her gum-chewing and relaxed attitude only fueled his rage.

"Su Zheng! Where the hell have you been for the past month? Why didn’t you just die out there? What are you doing back now?" he barked, his voice booming.

Gu Li eyed him coolly. Su Hong’s stiff, square face and domineering stance didn’t intimidate her in the slightest. Instead, she smirked, her tone laced with mockery.

"Why the temper tantrum, old man? Miss getting spanked as a kid?"

Su Hong’s fury escalated. Pointing an accusatory finger at her, he growled, "Su Zheng, you listen to me! You can forget about escaping the family marriage. You think running away for a month will solve anything? No chance! If you don’t settle things with the Zhang family’s daughter, I’ll break your legs!"

Gu Li inwardly rolled her eyes, scratching her ear with exaggerated impatience.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I came back to deal with it. Can you stop shouting? It’s giving me a headache."

A month ago, Su Zheng had tried to escape the arranged marriage between the Su family and the Zhang family by visiting Shengshi Paradise.

No one could have predicted the devastating fire that followed.

The Zhang family, one of the most powerful aristocratic clans in the imperial capital, had demanded the marriage. For the Su family, agreeing to it was a matter of survival.

The Zhang family’s daughter, for reasons unknown, had insisted on marrying Su Zheng from the moment she met him.

Now, Gu Li’s mission was twofold: secure her brother’s inheritance and settle the marriage issue in his stead.

Su Hong, taken aback by her sudden compliance, blinked in confusion before recovering his composure. He sneered, "At least you’ve come to your senses. Still, you’re nothing but useless! Why did I even bother raising you?"

Gu Li’s eyes narrowed, her gaze turning icy. Her voice dropped to a dangerous whisper as she leaned in, her words cutting like a blade.

"You’ve got some nerve, you spineless parasite. Living off my mother’s hard work and then calling me useless? Look in the mirror, old man."

(End of Chapter 2)

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