After Becoming the Family Head, I Got an Unofficial Fiancée (GL) - Chapter 4
In the middle of the dance floor, graceful figures moved with the rhythm of the deafening music. The vibrant beats filled the entire bar, causing everyone to sway to the music as if they were trying to shake off all their troubles from the day, embracing the night instead.
For a moment, the entire bar was immersed in a wild release of emotions.
Gu Weiyan stood on the second floor, looking down. The VIP area wasn’t just for show; from her vantage point, she had a clear view of the entire dance floor and could see everything happening in the bar.
As Ke Yinan put it, this spot was perfect for “hunting for beauty.”
Gu Weiyan rested her hands on the railing, holding a glass of golden liquid. The light from the chandelier reflected off the drink, casting colorful glows, creating an ethereal and dreamy effect.
“Hey!” At that moment, someone rushed up to her, nudging her with their shoulder. “I brought you to the bar to relax, but why are you just standing here? Why aren’t you drinking with us, Miss Gu?”
Gu Weiyan glanced at the woman beside her, who was drenched in layers of perfume, and impatiently said, “You’re killing me with that smell. How much perfume did you spray?”
Ke Yinan straightened up, took a sip of her drink, and laughed. “The whole bottle.”
Gu Weiyan couldn’t help but laugh, then turned to lean on the railing, her gaze drifting toward the men and women on the nearby sofa. With a sigh, she said, “You know, it’s only been a few days, but why does this place feel so dull now?”
In the past, Gu Weiyan would rush to the bar right after work, but she hadn’t been coming as often lately—maybe two or three times a month. Each time, she’d enjoy herself thoroughly before going home. So when Ke Yinan invited her to the bar today, she agreed as usual.
But now that she was here, surrounded by the flashing lights and the clamor, Gu Weiyan found herself losing interest.
Ke Yinan, noticing her change in attitude, couldn’t help but comment, “So this is what it’s like when you’re engaged. You’re not like us single folks anymore, huh? You can’t even enjoy yourself anymore.”
“Stop talking nonsense,” Gu Weiyan replied helplessly. “You know very well, she’s just a high school kid. How could I really consider her my fiancée?”
“She’s so pure, she probably hasn’t even been in a relationship. You’re taking advantage of her.”
“Don’t say it like that, it’s creepy.”
Gu Weiyan finished her drink, casually put the glass on the railing, and said to Ke Yinan, “I’m leaving. You have fun.”
“Wait!” Ke Yinan was surprised when she saw Gu Weiyan really about to leave. She called after her, “You’re really going?”
“Of course.” Gu Weiyan answered. “I’m just not in the mood tonight.”
Ke Yinan quickly added, “But I still need to introduce someone to you. I’ve found someone who fits your standards—similar age, gentle personality, long legs, slim waist, and a big chest. Most importantly, she likes women. Don’t you want to at least take a look?”
If this had happened before, Gu Weiyan might have been interested, but now…
“Forget it,” she said. “You can play with her. I’m heading home.”
Ke Yinan, seeing her so determined, couldn’t help but tease, “It’s only ten, and you’re already thinking about going home? Your little fiancée isn’t living with you, is she?”
Gu Weiyan shot her a glance and ignored her. Turning away, she added, “I’ve called a chauffeur. I’m leaving now.”
After the chauffeur dropped her off and ensured she was safely home, Gu Weiyan pushed open the door.
Aunt Zhou was sitting on the couch, watching TV. When she heard the noise at the door, she walked over and, seeing Gu Weiyan changing her shoes, asked, “Why are you home so early today? Didn’t you go to the bar?”
“I had a drink, but it wasn’t interesting, so I came back,” Gu Weiyan answered as she changed her shoes and then looked at the TV. “Aunt Zhou, why aren’t you turning the sound on?”
Aunt Zhou came out of the kitchen, handing Gu Weiyan a cup of hangover tea. Hearing the question, she smiled and replied, “I didn’t want to disturb anyone.”
Gu Weiyan took a sip of the tea, confused. “Disturb who?”
“Who else? Xiao Man.”
Gu Weiyan couldn’t help but laugh. “You’ve been in this house longer than she has, but you’re still so considerate of her?”
“That’s not what I meant,” Aunt Zhou said, looking at her. “I’m just a maid, after all. I’ve been working in your family for nearly thirty years, but I’m not the owner. I can’t be disturbing Xiao Man.”
Gu Weiyan felt a little unhappy when she heard this. Aunt Zhou was in her forties or fifties and had worked for the Gu family for almost three decades. She had grown up with Gu Weiyan, and in her eyes, Aunt Zhou was more like a family member than a maid.
Hearing Aunt Zhou say this, Gu Weiyan spoke up, “Even so, why doesn’t she let you have the TV sound on?”
“It wasn’t her; I turned off the sound myself.” Aunt Zhou laughed. “Xiao Man is doing her homework. With the noise, it would disturb her studies.”
“Homework?”
Gu Weiyan felt that the term was rather novel. It had been so many years since she graduated, and the last time she had done homework was… well, the last time. Hearing Aunt Zhou mention it like this piqued her interest: “What homework? Isn’t it still August, and school hasn’t started yet?”
“I asked,” Aunt Zhou whispered to Gu Weiyan, “I heard there’s a lot of homework. She needs to finish it before school starts. She’s been at it all day.”
Gu Weiyan glanced upstairs, then handed the empty cup to Aunt Zhou. “I got it. It’s getting late, so you should head to bed soon.”
“Alright, I’ll sleep now,” Aunt Zhou said to Gu Weiyan, “You should go to bed early too.”
Watching Aunt Zhou return to her room, Gu Weiyan finally went upstairs.
Her room was at the far end of the second floor. To get there, she had to pass by the guest room. Jiang Man had been living there for two days now. During the day, she was at work, and at night, she was socializing. To be honest, the two barely saw each other, and sometimes it felt like they didn’t see each other at all.
As Gu Weiyan passed the guest room, she didn’t walk quickly but slowed her pace, looking inside.
The room wasn’t small, but because there wasn’t much furniture, it felt a bit empty. The only things in the room were a bed, a wardrobe, and a desk, so it was easy for Gu Weiyan to spot Jiang Man sitting at the desk, looking down and writing something.
Since Jiang Man was facing away from the door, she didn’t immediately notice Gu Weiyan standing there watching her.
The bed was neatly made, and the room was very clean. There was a desk lamp on the desk. Gu Weiyan recognized that the chair Jiang Man was sitting on came from the dining room. No wonder she had felt like one of the dining room chairs was missing these past couple of days.
At that moment, Jiang Man was holding a mechanical pencil, writing something. Occasionally, when she encountered a difficult or complicated problem, she would stop, pick up a textbook beside her, flip through it, and once she found the answer, she would use her elbow to press down on the book, tilting her body as she wrote.
The only sound in the room was the soft scratch of the pencil on paper, a faint sound that Gu Weiyan still caught.
After watching for a few minutes, Jiang Man must have sensed Gu Weiyan’s gaze. She turned around and, seeing Gu Weiyan standing in the doorway, was startled.
Gu Weiyan was startled too, but being an adult, she recovered almost immediately. She calmly looked at Jiang Man and said, “Aunt Zhou said you’re doing homework. Is that right?”
“Mmm.” Jiang Man pushed her chair back, stood up, and said, “I still have quite a bit of summer homework left. School’s starting soon, so I need to finish it.”
Gu Weiyan nodded and casually asked, “Which high school do you go to?”
“North City High,” Jiang Man replied.
North City High?
In an instant, Gu Weiyan’s mind flashed with a mental map of the city. Their city was a first-tier city in the country, and North City High, also known as No. 11 High School, was located outside the Fourth Ring Road in the northern part of the city. Gu Weiyan’s villa, on the other hand, was in the eastern part. If Jiang Man lived here, it would take her more than three hours to commute to school every day.
And that’s assuming there’s no traffic.
“You’d have to leave at 6 a.m. every day if school starts,” Gu Weiyan said, looking at her. “I’ll arrange a driver for you, someone to take you to and from school.”
“Ah?” Jiang Man was a bit surprised. She quickly responded, “No need, I can take the bus.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. Since you’re living here, I’ll take care of everything for you,” Gu Weiyan said lightly. “Go ahead and finish your homework, then sleep early. There’s still half a month before school starts in September.”
Jiang Man nodded. When she saw Gu Weiyan about to leave, she hesitated, then opened her mouth and nervously clutched the hem of her clothes. “Gu Weiyan, did you drink?”
Gu Weiyan, with her pale green eyes, glanced at her with interest and asked, “How did you know? Were you eavesdropping on my conversation with Aunt Zhou?”
“No, no!” Jiang Man hurriedly denied. “I just… I just smelled alcohol on you, so I thought maybe you drank.”
Gu Weiyan had only had one drink at the bar, and the alcohol wasn’t very strong. She was completely sober by now. The only reason she had called for a designated driver was for safety. Jiang Man saying she smelled alcohol struck Gu Weiyan as odd. If anything, her perfume should be stronger, right?
After all, in a crowded bar like that, even someone like Ke Yinan would end up with other people’s perfume on her. So, Gu Weiyan found it strange when Jiang Man said she smelled alcohol.
Amused, Gu Weiyan leaned against the doorframe and curiously asked, “So, you only smelled alcohol on me?”
Jiang Man froze, her face turning red. “And… a lot of different perfumes.”
“Do you know where I went tonight?” Gu Weiyan asked.
“No… I don’t know…” Jiang Man stammered.
Gu Weiyan coaxed her. “You don’t know? Then take a guess.”
Jiang Man anxiously looked at her, nervously clutching her clothes, and said in a low voice, “It must have been a bar, right? You can drink, and there are so many people wearing perfume there. That’s the only place I can think of.”
Gu Weiyan looked at Jiang Man, finding the girl quite clever. A playful feeling stirred in her heart, and she nodded. “Yes, I went to a bar to relax with some friends. You should come with me next time. People there are really open.”
Jiang Man didn’t know whether to shake her head or nod. She just nervously stood by the desk and said in a low voice, “Bars aren’t good. You shouldn’t go anymore…”
Gu Weiyan didn’t quite catch what she said. She walked into the guest room, stood in front of her, and asked, “What did you say? Speak up, your voice is too soft for me to hear clearly.”
Jiang Man was startled when Gu Weiyan entered the room. She instinctively took a step back, but since she was already right by the desk, there was nowhere else to retreat. So, when she stepped back, she bumped into the desk.
The desk wasn’t large, and since it was covered with homework and textbooks, everything tumbled down with a loud crash, waking both of them up.
Gu Weiyan finally realized what she had been about to do. She coughed awkwardly, then said to Jiang Man, “You should clean up and go to bed. I’m heading back to my room now.”
She didn’t wait for Jiang Man to respond and quickly left the guest room. After returning to her room, she took a shower. By the time she was done, it was already eleven at night.
Sitting on the edge of her bed, drying her hair, Gu Weiyan thought to herself. It looked like she needed to buy Jiang Man a desk and chair.