CHAPTER 483: 193 TRANSFORMATION_3

"Go ahead," Yu Ruohuan poured herself a glass of clear water.

"My third aunt’s niece has been staying at our house recently. She’s been clinging to my brother every single day, calling him ’brother’ over and over again. She acts like such a two-faced hypocrite, really annoying! Ruohuan, you better keep an eye on my brother and make sure she doesn’t steal him away."

Yu Ruohuan’s lips curved slightly. "Cousins ... historically, they make for quite a tale."

Wen Wan stomped her foot anxiously. "What cousin? She’s not blood-related to my brother at all! It’s clearly just her one-sided wishful thinking. Anyway, Ruohuan, you better know this—my brother has only ever cared about you, from the beginning until now."

Yu Ruohuan took a sip of water and elegantly pulled a napkin to wipe the corner of her mouth.

"Your brother and I are merely friends. There’s nothing more between us."

"But ...."

Yu Ruohuan patted her shoulder gently. "Aren’t you tired? Go back to your room and rest early."

Wen Wan studied her seriously, unable to discern any emotion from her face. She responded with a quiet "oh" and returned to the guest bedroom.

As she closed the door, she glanced at the slender figure standing by the floor-to-ceiling bar counter.

Yu Ruohuan was someone who was difficult to fathom.

This time, Wen Wan came with a mission. The main branch of the Wen family held immense power, and for her second branch to secure footing, a marriage alliance with the Yu family was indispensable.

Originally, she thought that with her brother’s closeness to Yu Ruohuan, Ruohuan might harbor special feelings for him. At that point, proposing the marriage alliance would be smooth sailing and satisfying for all parties.

But Yu Ruohuan ... she was too complicated. Her thoughts ran deep, and she didn’t even allow Wen Wan a chance to test the waters.

Wen Wan shut the door with a hardened expression.

"Miss." A black-clad bodyguard approached her from behind.

Yu Ruohuan gazed out of the floor-to-ceiling window at the myriad city lights. Her dark almond-shaped eyes seemed to conceal an abyss, unfathomably deep.

"The girl that was with Gu Bichen today—I don’t want to see her again."

And just like that, a seemingly trivial stranger’s fate was sealed.

The black-clad bodyguard stiffened for a moment before bowing his head.

"She’s a descendant of the Ren family in Qingzhou. The Ren family is not to be underestimated. Miss, are you sure ...?"

"It’s not her."

Today, the young master of the Gu family was accompanied by three girls. If it wasn’t Gao Yu’e, then was it Yan Lu? Her uncle is Yan Ting. That would be even more troublesome.

Suddenly, the bodyguard thought of someone, and his gaze flicked upwards in surprise. "Is it her?"

He remained baffled.

To describe his Miss with a phrase—she was like "still waters running deep."

What she hated or favored, she would never let anyone discover.

Conversely, if she desired something, she’d stop at nothing to obtain it.

And anything she despised would never appear before her again.

Her sentiments were crystal clear, bolstered by the Yu family’s resounding influence.

But today, that black-clad girl had stayed silent the entire time—so muted in fact that she barely had any presence. From start to finish, she hadn’t even offended his Miss in the slightest. Why then ...?

"What’s wrong? Too complicated?" Yu Ruohuan cast him a cool glance.

The black-clad bodyguard immediately lowered his head. "Understood, Miss."

By rank, such questions were one he ought never to voice aloud. But for reasons unknown, he unexpectedly had spoken them. "If I may ask ... what did that young woman do to offend Miss?"

Yu Ruohuan curved her lips. "She didn’t offend me."

The bodyguard: ...

"Jiao Long, you’ve overstepped."

Jiao Long quickly bowed his head. "I acknowledge my error. Please, punish me, Miss."

Yu Ruohuan waved her hand lazily. "You may go."

Once his silhouette faded, Yu Ruohuan retrieved an effervescent tablet from her bag and dropped it into her glass of water.

In an instant, steam surged within the cup, its glowing reflections under the light revealing a dazzling brilliance—a fantastical, otherworldly realm contained in the glass.

Within the depths of her pupils, the turbulent swirling of water mirrored back—distorted and frenzied.

From a young age, her instincts had always been sharp, helping her avoid one danger after another.

The moment she laid eyes on that black-clad girl, her instinct told her:

This was a dangerous person.

And also a detestable one.

Bearing the surname "Yu," nothing in the world—not people nor circumstances—would ever compel her to tolerate anything.

So why let a dangerous, detestable person linger for a second encounter?

What irked her even more was the subtly peculiar glances that Gu Bichen—otherwise so composed and pristine—directed toward that girl.

Gu Bichen seemed to have forgotten that he had a fiancée; how could his eyes ever be drawn to another woman?

Gu Bichen had forgotten. The Gu family clearly had forgotten too. Perhaps they needed ... a reminder.

As the cup’s contents settled, its liquid transformed into a vibrant orange vitamin C juice, appearing particularly appetizing under the light.

Wen Yu might be a decent man, but that kind of life wasn’t the one she sought.

If the goal was for the Yu family to escape the shadows of their origin, there was a far quicker shortcut.

And that shortcut was the Gu family.

A thousand-year aristocratic family, their nobility etched into their very bones—generation after generation, enduring and illustrious.

These days, the Gu family had devoted themselves to scientific research, with each descendant possessing extraordinary intellect and standing out as prodigies.

Only such noble genes would be worthy enough to completely elevate not only the Yu family but herself as well.

What would she do if the Gu family refused?

No matter—that particular branch had already been eradicated.

The Gu family ... acceptance would not be optional.