On the day of graduation, I was dragged by my rich father to get the certificate

"It's protection." Nangong Xuan corrected, "After all, no one knows what dangers a six-year-old girl might encounter, right?"

Gu Wan felt dizzy and she held onto the edge of the table to avoid falling.

She knew that this was a naked threat, and she also knew that Nangong Xuan would do anything to take revenge on the Si family.

“What do you want?”

"What I want is simple." Nangong Xuan stood up, walked around to Gu Wan, and reached out to smooth out the nonexistent wrinkles on her daughter's collar. "Get engaged to Liang Heng next month, become the legitimate heir of the Nangong family, and shoulder the Nangong family's blood feud. That way, your daughter, my granddaughter, can continue to live the life she lives now... safely."

Liang Heng - Gu Wan's master, Nangong Xuan's most proud disciple, and the most promising successor candidate to the Nangong family business.

Gu Wan felt nauseous. She knew exactly what her mother was planning.

"What if I refuse?" Gu Wan looked straight into his mother's eyes.

Nangong Xuan's smile disappeared, and her eyes turned cold. "Then I'm afraid Nian Nian also needs to change her living environment..."

"Don't try to trick me. Si Yehan won't let you succeed. He will protect Nian Nian."

Nangong Xuan snorted coldly, "There was no way before, but it's different now. For your sake, he can't help but fall for it. After all, you are his real weakness."

Gu Wan dug her nails into her palms, the pain keeping her awake. She knew her mother would keep her word—after all, Nangong Xuan had lived in hatred for over twenty years, and she would do anything to avenge her blood feud.

"Give me three days to think about it." Gu Wan finally said, his voice so low that it was almost inaudible.

Nangong Xuan nodded with satisfaction. "Three days is three days. The engagement ceremony will be held in three days. Whether you like it or not, you have to accept this engagement ceremony. Remember, my patience is limited."

Back in the room where she was imprisoned, Gu Wan collapsed on the floor, tears finally flowing. Her three previous failed attempts to escape proved that it would be nearly impossible for her to break through Nangong Xuan's defenses alone. She couldn't afford to gamble with Nian Nian's safety.

In the dead of night, Gu Wan stood by the window, looking at the city lights in the distance.

"The engagement ceremony is also an opportunity..."

She had to change her strategy. If direct confrontation didn't work, she could just pretend to surrender and wait for the right opportunity.

The next morning, when Xiaomei brought breakfast again, Gu Wan did not give her the cold shoulder as usual.

"Tell mother that I want to talk to her." Gu Wan said calmly, his voice no longer having the sharpness of the past.

Nangong Xuan was obviously very satisfied with this change. When she saw Gu Wan again in the study, she had a victorious smile on her face.

“How do you think about it?”

Gu Wan took a deep breath, lowered his eyes, and made a gesture of submission. "I agree to your terms. But there is one condition - I want to ensure Nian Nian's safety, and you must swear from now on not to do anything to her that would harm her."

Nangong Xuan chuckled. "This is my clever daughter. As long as you're obedient, Nian Nian will be fine. After all, she's my granddaughter." She approached Gu Wan and lifted her chin. "Remember, any small movement will be reflected immediately on that child."

Gu Wan resisted the urge to shake off his mother's hand and nodded obediently.

For the next two days, Gu Wan behaved unusually well. She ate and took her medicine on time, and even began to cooperate with the tailor who tailored her engagement dress.

Nangong Xuan gradually relaxed her surveillance and allowed her to walk in the garden accompanied by bodyguards.

"Miss, have you really decided to get engaged to Mr. Liang?" Xiaomei asked cautiously during a walk.

Gu Wan looked at the bodyguards patrolling in the distance and replied softly, "Sometimes, we have to do things we don't want to do to protect people who are more important to us." She turned to Xiaomei and suddenly asked, "You have a younger brother in elementary school, right?"

Xiaomei opened her eyes wide in surprise, "How did you know that, Miss?"

"I guessed." Gu Wan smiled slightly, "Family is important, isn't it?"

Xiaomei seemed to want to say something, but ultimately nodded. Gu Wan mentally noted this potential breakthrough. She knew that if she wanted to truly escape her mother's control, she couldn't do it alone.

The night before the ceremony, Gu Wan gently stroked Nian Nian's photo - the photo her mother used to threaten her.

"Wait for mommy, baby." She said to herself, "This time, I will succeed."

Inside the luxurious banquet hall, the crystal chandeliers cast a dazzling light, illuminating the false smiles of every guest. Gu Wan stood before the floor-length mirror in the dressing room, her fingers digging into her palms, yet she felt no pain. The woman in the mirror was dressed in a white gown, her delicate makeup unable to conceal the despair in her eyes.

"Miss, it's time to put on the mask." Xiaomei respectfully handed over a silver mask inlaid with diamonds.

Gu Wan mechanically took it, her fingertips trembling slightly as they touched the cool mask's surface. Six years ago, on the day her mother, Nangong Xuan, announced Gu Wan's death, she had also given her a mask like this—from that day on, Gu Wan became Nangong Wan, a shadow without a past, without love.

"Have you paid your brother's medical bills?" Gu Wan suddenly asked.

It turned out that Xiaomei's younger brother had to take a leave of absence from school due to illness not long ago, and she had been worrying about her brother's medical expenses recently.

"Well, I've paid it. Thank you for your help, Miss."

"Is Nian Nian okay?" Gu Wan suddenly asked again, but his voice was hoarse and not like his own.

Xiaomei lowered her head: "Miss, your presence here today means that Miss can be herself in peace. She is safe."

Safe? Gu Wan almost sneered. Six-year-old Nian Nian was now a bargaining chip in her mother's hands, forcing her to go through with this ridiculous engagement ceremony. She took a deep breath and covered her face with the mask, obscuring all expression.

Liang Heng's gentle voice came from outside the door: "Xiao Wan, are you ready?"

Gu Wan closed her eyes, the image of Si Yehan's deep gaze emerging in her mind. Was the man she loved so deeply watching her from somewhere? She wished she could break free from it all and run into his arms. But Nian Nian's childish face flashed before her, and she had to swallow her impulse.

"Okay, Master." She answered softly, pushed open the door, and put her hand on Liang Heng's outstretched arm.

Liang Heng wore a matching silver mask, revealing the lower half of his face with a satisfied smile. "You look beautiful today," he whispered, his fingers gently stroking the back of her hand.

Gu Wan resisted the urge to pull her hand back. For six years, Liang Heng, her architecture teacher, had indeed taken good care of her. But she knew that beneath this tenderness lay a desire for power within the Nangong family. Furthermore, her heart had already been given to another.

The banquet hall's doors slowly opened, and applause poured in like a tide. Gu Wan's eyes searched the crowd eagerly, and suddenly, her breath hitched—a tall figure stood quietly in the shadows of the last row. Even though she couldn't see his face clearly, the familiar outline made her heart beat faster.

Si Yehan. He really came.