Forced to be a concubine? I turned around and married the scumbag's father.

"I urgently need fifty thousand taels of silver." Gu Wanru disregarded all decorum.

Since it concerned her position in the Duke's mansion, winning back Mu An was her most important task.

Gu Hua's feigned expression changed: "So much? How could my mother possibly have that much? My mother's dowry has all been used to supplement the Gu family's income. Why don't we have someone talk to Mother? Mother loves her own daughter dearly and will definitely help you find a way."

Aunt Pei herself wouldn't necessarily ask her family for it!

Gu Wanru was so angry that her stomach was cramping, but she had to try her best to maintain a kind expression.

"Since Mother doesn't manage the household affairs, your mother can control the money in the household. Besides, I don't want Mother to worry about me."

Ha, you don't want your stepmother to worry, but you want your real mother to worry, right?

Alright, then she'll add fuel to the fire, so you two, mother and daughter, can worry about each other properly!

Gu Hua nodded obediently: "I will definitely pass on the message, little sister."

Gu Wanru's anger subsided considerably.

"Then I'll trouble you, sister."

Gu Wanru didn't want to see her anymore and said directly, "It's getting dark. Sister, you've had a long day. Go back and rest."

Gu Hua didn't want to stay there for even a moment longer, so she readily stood up and took her leave.

The moment she turned around, the smile on Gu Hua's face froze into ice.

A cold wind brushed my face outside.

The resentment that had been building up in his heart when he faced Gu Wanru, that wicked person, immediately dissipated.

Gu Hua's mind became increasingly clear.

In their previous life, this wicked mother and daughter used every means to achieve their respective goals.

Robbery, deception, oppression, torture...

In this lifetime, let them both suffer.

……

After a busy day, Gu Hua was in a good mood. Seeing that it was still early, she asked Dong Mo, who said that his master had guests today and would not be able to return to the manor until very late.

Gu Hua was delighted and, taking advantage of his absence, prepared to go to the study to copy books.

There's still more than half of my late wife's poetry collection left; it will take at least two more days to copy it all.

They give me fifty taels of silver a month, so I have to do something for them to feel at ease.

Besides, if you want to freely enter and leave the Duke's mansion, you have to make the host happy, right?

She's going to start copying ancient books too; making money is just too important to her.

She took out the thousand-tael silver note Pei Yi had given her, looked at it reluctantly, folded it, and tucked it into her sleeve.

I'm going to take it to Mu Junyan's study to replace that jade pendant.

Once you've said something, you must do it.

She thought, Mu Junyan is a great and kind man, how could he really want the money of a pitiful girl like her?

Gu Hua smiled happily when she thought of this possibility.

She's too narrow-minded.

Gu Hua was engrossed in copying the text and did not notice a tall, dark figure appearing behind her.

As the shadow loomed before her, she turned around abruptly and was embraced from behind.

Gu Hua froze.

Mu Junyan embraced her tightly, his face pressed against hers. His warm breath brushed against her skin, making her feel ticklish all over. Her back involuntarily straightened, and she dared not sink any deeper into his embrace.

It was the first time she had been held like this by a man; she felt both embarrassed and warm.

There is also a strong sense of security.

Gu Hua held the brush in one hand and pressed down on the Xuan paper with the other, unsure whether to put down the brush or continue writing.

The people behind her made no further moves or spoke; it seemed they were simply... holding her and watching her write.

As his body warmed her and enveloped her tightly, she felt a sense of comfort and protection.

Gradually, Gu Hua also relaxed.

To break the awkward silence, he chuckled and asked, "Why are you back so early, sir? Didn't you say you had guests and would be back late?"

"Hmm? You're so concerned about my whereabouts?"

The man's voice was pleasant and deep, but his words seemed to carry a hint of threat.

Gu Hua was slightly startled.

Now that I've used silver to get information about Dong Mo for the first time, will he suspect that I've been spying on his whereabouts?

Gu Hua smiled sweetly, "Of course I care about you, my lord."

"Ah."

The man's voice sounded quite pleasant.

Gu Hua secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The embrace showed no signs of letting go, and Gu Hua didn't know what to do next.

Mu Junyan had only intended to tease her, but when the soft, fragrant woman was in his arms, he found himself completely captivated by her alluring scent.

They wanted to leave, but were unwilling to.

I wanted to take it a step further, but it wasn't dark yet, and I was a little hesitant to lower my guard.

Besides, he's not a beast. Her delicate body hasn't recovered yet, and it would be too much to hurt her again.

Looking at her handwriting, her eyebrows twitched slightly; it was a little different from what she used to write.

The brushstrokes have become more unrestrained and free.

Mu Junyan wrapped his left arm around her slender waist and held her small hand and pen together with his right hand.

"You wrote in the delicate small regular script, but there was a sense of resentment in your writing. Actually, this kind of writing doesn't suit you; it's too repressive and lacks individuality."

Gu Hua was taken aback.

He actually discerned her changing mood from her words.

"Change to a larger sheet of paper."

With her right hand held by him, Gu Hua could only use her left hand to exchange for a large sheet of Xuan paper.

Mu Junyan held her hand, dipped his brush in ink, and began to write.

Here's a four-character cursive script in a vigorous, dragon-and-phoenix-like style: "May your noble spirit endure forever."

With the final stroke, the two finished in perfect unison, both feeling a sense of exhilaration. Gu Hua turned her head, and the two couldn't help but smile at each other.

Gu Hua winked playfully: "Didn't you like the late Madam's small regular script calligraphy? Why do you want me to write cursive script now?"

Mu Junyan turned her over and wrapped his arms around her waist, so she was now completely in his arms, her body pressed against him... making her even more awkward.

Gu Hua's face immediately turned red, her earlobes turning bright red. She lowered her head shyly, refusing to look at him, and placed the pen in her hand across their chests.

It was actually a meaningless protest...

Mu Junyan looked at her blushing face, his gaze falling on her earlobe, the feeling of holding it in his mouth was truly wonderful.

Oh, I really want to take a bite.

He was always meticulous, and he was surprised that he could lose control time and time again.

He suppressed his emotions and chuckled, "When did I ever say I liked small calligraphy with floral patterns?"

Gu Hua looked up, her eyes filled with surprise.

Why make her copy?

In an instant, she understood.

It's not because I like the words, but because I like the people who write them.

Gu Hua felt a strange pang of jealousy and stared down at the tip of her pen.

She said in a soft voice, "My handwriting is certainly not as good as the late Madam's; it's just a poor imitation. I'd better not copy it."

She twisted her little body, broke free from his embrace, turned away, and stopped looking at him. She placed the brush in the brush-washing bowl and carefully rinsed it.

Mu Junyan stared at the little girl's awkward profile.

Oh ho, you've grown temperamental?

"You don't need to copy Jiang Ruoyun's stuff anymore, I won't look at it anyway."

It's just an excuse to help her; since she's already been protected, there's no need to actually copy it.

Mu Junyan's words startled Gu Hua, who turned to look at him.

He really disliked her handwriting so much that he didn't even want to look at it.

He carefully gathered Jiang Ruoyun's poems with both hands, then put them into the rattan box that was used to store Jiang Ruoyun's manuscripts, and put them back in their original positions.

See it.

He also said that he didn't have Jiang Ruoyun in his heart, and that her things were always put in a fixed place, just like her position in his heart.

And what is she anyway?

Gu Hua pouted, looking extremely aggrieved.

Mu Junyan casually stuffed the box into the bottom shelf of the original bookshelf. When he looked back, the little girl had her eyes downcast and was leaning limply against the desk, looking listless.

What's going on here?

"Feeling a bit listless? Would you like another bowl of ginseng soup to perk you up?"

Mu Junyan's kind words were like a firecracker that had been set off a hundred times. Gu Hua was instantly numb all over, her beautiful eyes widened, and her hands clenched nervously, like a cat with its fur standing on end.

She's just a piece of trash, isn't she?

But she didn't dare to question the big spender.

Gu Hua asked weakly, her voice trembling, "Master... do you want me to drink last night's soup again?"

Seeing her nervous expression, Mu Junyan remembered what effect the soup from the night before had.

She must have been afraid of herself that night, so she quickly covered her lips with her fist and coughed twice.

"I didn't mean anything by it."

Gu Hua didn't believe it and secretly observed his expression and eyes.

It seems... there's no look of unfulfilled desire in their eyes.

Although he was still serious, his expression was much more amiable than usual.

Is it safe tonight?

Gu Hua was suspicious and uneasy.