After Becoming the Family Head, I Got an Unofficial Fiancée (GL) - Chapter 5

The next morning, Jiang Man was still asleep in bed. She had trouble adjusting to the new bed, and since moving in, she hadn’t been sleeping well. Her sleep was always light, so any noise in the villa would wake her up quickly.

Last night, after Gu Weiyan left, Jiang Man didn’t continue with her homework. She just washed up a little and went to sleep.

And for once, she had a good night’s sleep.

So, when she was woken up by noise from downstairs, Jiang Man was still a little groggy. She lay in bed, clutching the corner of the blanket. The air conditioner made the room cool, but not cold.

What time is it…

Still feeling fuzzy, Jiang Man reached for her phone and checked the time. It was already past 9 AM.

Had she really slept that long?

She yawned and sat up. The bedding was freshly changed and still had the scent of sunlight on it—fluffy and soft but with a slightly old-fashioned design. The bottom was a blue-gray color with pink flowers scattered across it, giving it a somewhat dated look.

Slipping on her slippers, Jiang Man opened the door and looked down. A few people in work uniforms were moving furniture into the villa, and the living room was filled with new items.

She looked closer—there was a table, some chairs, and what seemed to be a bookshelf.

Except for the chairs, which looked like expensive ergonomic ones, all the furniture was made of walnut wood. Jiang Man couldn’t help but wonder who bought all this.

Aunt Zhou was quick to spot that Jiang Man was awake. She waved and called out, “Xiao Man, you’re up! Perfect timing, have them move these tables into your room.”

“My room?” Jiang Man asked, confused. “What are these?”

“These are tables, chairs, and a bookshelf that Weiyan bought for you,” Aunt Zhou explained. “She told me about it before leaving this morning, and now they’ve arrived.”

Jiang Man was still puzzled as she watched the workers carry the furniture upstairs.

Aunt Zhou waved them to the side and then leaned in to explain, “You should go clean up a bit. They’re going to move your old furniture out soon.”

“Why are you suddenly changing my furniture?” Jiang Man asked, not fully understanding.

“Who knows?” Aunt Zhou sighed. “But these pieces do look nice. That chair alone costs over 7,000. I can’t even imagine how much the tables and cabinets cost.”

As soon as Jiang Man heard the price, her drowsiness vanished. Over 7,000 for just a chair? Then how much would the tables and cabinets be?

She was just a high school senior—how could she ever afford such expensive things?

“No, no!” Jiang Man looked at the workers carrying the tables and chairs into her room, her face turning pale. “The ones I had before were just fine! Why replace them? And what will happen to the old furniture?”

Aunt Zhou was taken aback by Jiang Man’s reaction. She knew Jiang Man was the fiancée of Gu Weiyan, and she also understood the relationship between the Jiang and Gu families. Normally, a young lady from a wealthy family wouldn’t bat an eye at spending thousands or even tens of thousands on furniture. Gu Weiyan had told her before she left that the new furniture was because they were in a rush to get them, and these were the only affordable options available. Thankfully, the furniture had no strong smells, so it was ready to use right away. Otherwise, they could have gotten something better.

Looking at the living room downstairs, the sofa alone cost over 10,000. Let alone these “cheap” cabinets.

But Jiang Man’s reaction didn’t match what a rich young lady would have. She didn’t seem to think the furniture was too cheap; rather, she seemed to think it was far too expensive.

Jiang Man looked at the workers who were ignoring her and nervously turned to Aunt Zhou, clutching the hem of her skirt. “Is there any way to return them? I… I’m not used to these things.”

Aunt Zhou didn’t agree to her request but instead replied, “I can’t make that decision. Weiyan bought these, and since this is her house, I can’t return them.”

Jiang Man fell silent for a moment. She watched as the workers carried the furniture into her room, and her face turned ashen.

Right, this was Gu Weiyan’s house. It wasn’t for her or Aunt Zhou to decide what to buy. Neither of them owned this house.

Aunt Zhou noticed Jiang Man’s pale face and kept a mental note, saying, “Xiao Man, go ahead and tidy up. They still need to move the old furniture out.”

Feeling resigned, Jiang Man went into her room and packed away her few belongings. The workers then took out the old furniture and helped tidy up the room.

In no time, the room had a new desk and chair, with a large cabinet placed beside the desk.

The desk was positioned by the window, and the sunlight streamed in, making the dark surface of the desk a little brighter.

As she placed her textbooks and stationery on the desk, Jiang Man realized that this new desk was much bigger than the old one, and it was solid and stable. It seemed like nothing on it would ever fall off, even if the desk was shaken.

She ran her fingers along the edge of the desk and sat down to test the chair. It fit her back perfectly, and the height and distance were just right. It was far more comfortable than the chair she used to sit in.

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Outside the window, a sparrow landed on a branch. Jiang Man looked out at the lush green phoenix trees, their branches full of life. In the distance, the mountains seemed to have become a hazy silhouette.

The sunlight and the greenery outside were very comforting to Jiang Man, who often strained her eyes.

As she watched the sparrows chirping and flying away, Jiang Man couldn’t help but touch the table and think that when Gu Weiyan came back, she should thank her properly…

At lunch, Aunt Zhou made several dishes, each one delicious and perfectly suited to Jiang Man’s tastes.

Unlike most high schoolers who enjoyed food with strong spices and salt, Jiang Man preferred dishes that were mildly spicy and slightly sweet. Fortunately, Aunt Zhou’s cooking was fragrant, spicy, and sweet — exactly the kind of food Jiang Man liked, and it went down easily with rice.

Aunt Zhou served Jiang Man a piece of pumpkin chicken and said, “Xiao Man, I’m off tomorrow to visit home. I’ll leave some dishes in the fridge. You and Weiyan can heat them up and eat them. Don’t eat them cold, okay?”

Jiang Man nodded, chewing the chicken. “When will you be back?”

“I’m just going home to check on things. I’ll be back the day after tomorrow morning,” Aunt Zhou smiled. “If you need anything, just call me.”

“Okay…”

Jiang Man lowered her head and continued eating, but she couldn’t help feeling anxious. She wasn’t sure if she’d be able to get along with Gu Weiyan. She was bad with words and was afraid that one wrong thing she said might upset Gu Weiyan. If that happened, her situation would be even more awkward.

Thinking about it, Jiang Man’s focus on her homework began to fade. The whole afternoon, her mind was filled with thoughts of having to share the house with Gu Weiyan alone. Looking at the equations in her book, they all started to blur together.

Around 5 p.m., Aunt Zhou left, having stocked the fridge with several meals and giving Jiang Man instructions on how to reheat them. Then she left.

Looking at the fridge full of prepared meals, Jiang Man couldn’t help but feel a little anxious.

Dinner tonight was a big problem.

At 11 p.m., Gu Weiyan finally finished her work at the company. She had been in meetings all day and hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. Her stomach was growling from hunger.

Gu Weiyan’s company, Guorui Group, was a huge enterprise with many subsidiaries. It had started under her grandfather’s generation and had slowly grown to be one of the top companies in the city. Their business ranged from heavy industry to daily consumer goods, and the Gu family had their hands in all of it.

With such a large company, the number of people in charge was enormous, and disagreements were frequent.

Today was the quarterly meeting for Guorui, and a group of senior executives had been arguing loudly, leaving Gu Weiyan with a headache. After finally finishing her part of the work, she checked the time — it was almost 11 p.m.

Sitting in the car, she rubbed her eyes. She realized she couldn’t keep working this way. Her head ached, her stomach hurt, and everything felt off. If she kept this up, she might just collapse one day.

The driver glanced at the rearview mirror and said, “President Gu, I heard from Brother Chen that you haven’t eaten all day. Do you want to stop somewhere for a quick bite before heading home?”

“No need,” Gu Weiyan leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes to rest. “I’m not hungry. Just take me home, and you can head back quickly.”

Seeing she didn’t want to stop, the driver didn’t ask further and drove her home. By the time they arrived, it was already 11:30 p.m., and most people in the neighborhood had gone to bed. Only the streetlights were still shining, lighting the way for late-night returnees.

Gu Weiyan leaned back against the seat, clutching her stomach. It hurt a bit, probably from not eating all day. She thought maybe a warm drink would help ease it.

As she thought this, the driver pulled up to her home.

Home already?

Gu Weiyan glanced out the window and saw that it was indeed her villa. She opened the car door and got out, saying to the driver, “You can go home now.”

Walking up the steps to the door, she was about to unlock it with her fingerprint when, suddenly, the door opened with a soft click. It startled her.

The hallway light was on, and there stood Jiang Man, wearing a pale pink nightgown. When she saw Gu Weiyan, she whispered, “I heard a car pull up and figured it must be you. I came to open the door for you.”

Gu Weiyan stared at Jiang Man standing in the doorway, and an indescribable feeling welled up inside her.

This girl had suddenly entered her life, disrupting the future Gu Weiyan had carefully planned. She was supposed to dislike her, just like Ke Yinan had warned her — with a young fiancée at home, she would even have to report when she went out to bars.

That would be so stifling, right?

But now, seeing Jiang Man standing there, waiting to welcome her home, Gu Weiyan couldn’t help but think that it actually felt nice to have someone waiting for you.

Even though Aunt Zhou would also open the door for her, it felt different somehow.

As she thought about this, Gu Weiyan walked in and sat down on the hallway bench to take off her boots. Looking down casually, she asked, “Why aren’t you asleep at this hour?”

“Aunt Zhou went home today and won’t be back until the day after tomorrow morning,” Jiang Man replied, standing beside her. “I didn’t have your number, and since you hadn’t come back by mealtime, I figured you must be busy with work. I wanted to wait for you and heat up your food when you got home.”

Gu Weiyan looked up at Jiang Man’s face as she heard this. After a long pause, she said, “I’m not hungry right now. Could you get me a glass of water?”