After transmigrating, I became a stepmother.

"Wh-what?" Lin Hao was startled by Gu Liunian's words and almost bit her tongue. She didn't dare to turn around and stood stiffly, afraid that he would see her expression.

"I said, who exactly are you? I know you're not that illegitimate daughter of the Lin family." Gu Liunian's voice was flat.

"I am Lin Hao, who else could I be?" This wasn't exactly a lie; her name really was Lin Hao.

"You mean, your name is also Lin Hao?" Hearing the self-assurance in her tone, Gu Liunian had his own interpretation.

"..." Lin Hao was surprised that he was so perceptive and immediately seized on the loophole in her words.

Seeing her silence, Gu Liunian looked at her back and said sincerely, "Actually, I noticed before that you were a little different from before."

Lin Hao had her back to him, her eyes slightly widened.

Gu Liunian didn't see her expression and continued speaking: "As far as I know, Lin Hao was oppressed by her stepmother from a young age, which made her timid and cowardly."

He paused here, some things didn't need to be said anymore; Lin Hao's behavior was indeed not at all cowardly or timid.

"Then why didn't you expose me?" Lin Hao didn't finish her sentence, but Gu Liunian already understood what she meant.

"Because for me, it doesn't matter who I marry, what matters is what kind of person that person is, whether they will truly treat Yu-ge'er well, and whether they will wholeheartedly live a life in the Gu family!"

Gu Liunian frankly stated his requirements for choosing a wife. However, he did not expect that this wife not only met his requirements but also far exceeded his expectations!

"You don't care who I am?" Lin Hao asked in surprise, even turning around to look at him out of curiosity.

"Mm." Gu Liunian nodded.

"Why? Don't you even care who your wife is?" Lin Hao found it hard to understand.

"To be frank, the fact that you're not a daughter of the Lin family actually benefits me." Gu Liunian explained, seeing her shocked expression, "You've seen what the Lin family is like. Yu-ge'er is still young, and I don't want him to be too influenced by the Lin family!"

"Then why did you arrange a marriage with the Lin family in the first place?" Lin Hao asked subconsciously, only realizing after speaking that asking such a question would be tantamount to admitting that she was not a member of the Lin family.

However, having already spoken, Lin Hao could only grit her teeth and wait for an answer.

When Gu Liunian heard her words, he raised an eyebrow slightly. Sure enough!

"The reason we arranged the marriage with the Lin family was because my grandfather and Lin's grandfather had jokingly said that their children would become in-laws in the future. Unfortunately, both families only had one boy in the previous generation, so the matter was naturally dropped."

"Unexpectedly, after I passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, my father-in-law came to my door in person to discuss the marriage. My father had no choice but to keep his promise."

Gu Liunian spoke these words without any expression, as if he were not the one performing the wedding ceremony.

"So you don't have any special feelings for Lin Shu?" Lin Hao asked curiously. Everyone said that Lin Shu was as beautiful as an angel. Gu Liunian spent every day with such a beautiful woman, yet he wasn't moved.

"What?" Gu Liunian was taken aback for a moment, but when he saw the teasing look in her eyes, he instantly understood what she meant.

He said with some helplessness, "She is a very rule-abiding person."

He said only that one sentence, and then said no more.

Lin Hao thought for a long time before she understood what he meant. He was very particular about rules, which meant that Lin Shu might be a bit rigid and not very romantic, so the relationship between the couple would not be very good!

For some reason, Lin Hao felt a strange joy rising in her heart. Before she could figure out where this joy came from, her current predicament took over her mind.

"What kind of person do you think I am?" Lin Hao wanted to see what Gu Liunian thought.

Gu Liunian shook her head; this was also a question that had been puzzling her.

"I don't really know either, because you look exactly like the original second young lady of the Lin family. It's hard to believe that there are two people in the world who look so alike! Moreover, I can't understand why anyone would want to impersonate the second young lady of the Lin family."

Lin Hao was about to say that she was actually the original owner of the body, but Gu Liunian thwarted her attempt.

He said with certainty, "However, I trust my judgment. You are definitely not Lin Hao, the second young lady of the Lin family."

“If you really don’t want to talk about it, I don’t have to ask, but I need you to answer some questions truthfully.” Gu Liunian looked into her eyes and said each word clearly.

"What's the problem?" Lin Hao was curious about what he wanted to ask at this moment.

"First, will your becoming Lin Hao cause trouble for the Gu family?"

"No." Lin Hao answered without hesitation. Of course not. These days, she only goes to the Gu family and the restaurant, and rarely comes into contact with outsiders. How could she possibly cause any trouble?

"Secondly, did you come to the Gu family for another purpose?"

"No." She herself didn't know why she came here, let alone what purpose she had.

Third, will you leave in the future?

"Well, actually I don't know either," Lin Hao said honestly. She was even more eager to know the answer than he was!

"That's no problem!"

"?" What do you mean there's no problem? How can there be no problem? Lin Hao felt like she couldn't keep up with his train of thought.

"Don't you have anything you want to ask?" Lin looked at him, puzzled.

"Are you willing to talk?" Gu Liunian looked at her.

"..." Of course, Lin Hao couldn't tell him that she came from a later era and was from a completely different world. Even if their relationship hadn't reached that level of intimacy, there was no need to tell him; it would only cause him more worry.

"So, I agree to your request, and I hope you can keep your word. Otherwise..." Gu Liunian's eyes gradually hardened, making everyone's heart skip a beat.

Lin Hao quickly expressed his stance, raising his hand as if to swear an oath.

"Don't worry, I'm telling the truth. I would never hurt the Gu family."

"Hmm." Gu Liunian's eyes softened. He was willing to believe her. These past few days, her words and actions did not seem fake. Moreover, he was confident that even if she did something in the future, he could handle it.

Lin Hao breathed a sigh of relief. She had almost been scared to death by him just now, and felt like her life was in danger.

"Then it's settled. In the future, whether you want to take a concubine or marry a wife, just tell me in advance. I will never refuse to leave, so there's no need for you to plot to kill me!"

Lin Hao looked expectant; she wanted to secure her own future.

Gu Liunian looked at her, completely baffled as to why she would have such a strange idea, and could only say, "You should read fewer storybooks in the future!"

"?" What does this have to do with storybooks? But judging from his expression, he seemed to have agreed, so she didn't dwell on it and readily agreed, "Okay!"

Anyway, he has to go to the academy every day, so he doesn't have time to keep an eye on her. In the end, she can do whatever she wants, hehe!