Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It wasn’t until the day I moved into Gu Yanzhou’s villa that I understood what it truly meant to ‘marry in.’

I wasn’t staying in a guest room, and I wasn’t just a piece of decorative furniture.

Everyone there took it for granted that from that day forward, this place was my domain as well.

When the servants saw me, they all respectfully addressed me as Mrs. Gu.

The room on the second floor with the best natural light had been converted into a studio. Hanging on the walls were sample boards in my favorite warm gray; my usual drawing tools were laid out on the desk; even the fiddle-leaf fig in the corner was there-something I had only mentioned once.

I stood at the door, dazed for a long time.

“How did you know I liked these things?”

Gu Yanzhou stood behind me, his tone flat.

“I looked at your social media.”

I turned around, barely keeping my composure.

“Does President Gu have a habit of lurking on other people’s feeds?”

“Only yours.”

He answered so naturally that I didn’t know how to respond.

That was the most lethal thing about this man.

Usually, he was as cold as a block of ice, but whenever he did speak, he always managed to strike with precision, leaving a searing mark.

During the first few days of our marriage, our interactions were subtle.

Gu Yanzhou was very restrained.

He gave me plenty of space, never entering my room without reason or touching my things. Yet, the moment I so much as knitted my brows, he was always the first to notice.

When I worked on my designs until midnight, hot soup would be delivered from the kitchen right on time.

When my stomach flared up, a private doctor would arrive within half an hour.

When my mother was in a bad mood at the hospital, he went to visit her personally that evening. When he returned, my mother actually praised his maturity over the phone, even telling me not to be so temperamental with him.

My face heated up just listening to her.

But Gu Yanzhou wasn’t always gentle.

That oppressive aura of his was ever-present.

Once, I worked late and didn’t get home until one in the morning. The moment I stepped inside, the living room lights were on. Gu Yanzhou was sitting on the sofa, still in his suit, legs crossed. He looked like a living King of Hell waiting for someone to return.

His gaze made my skin crawl.

“You’re not asleep yet?”

“What time do you think it is?”

“…One o’clock.”

“You know it’s one o’clock and you’re still running around outside alone?”

His voice wasn’t loud, but the pressure was immense. “Xu Yutang, you’re not living in a rental by yourself anymore. You are Mrs. Gu. If something really happens to you, where am I supposed to go to fish you out?”

For some reason, I felt a spark of defiance.

“I’m not a child.”

Gu Yanzhou stood up and walked over to me in a few strides.

He was very tall, and as he approached, he completely enveloped me in his shadow. Instinctively, I tried to step back, but he grabbed my waist, pulling me directly toward him.

“You’re not a child.”

He looked down at me, his eyes darkening. “Then let me be more direct. If you’re coming home late in the future, tell me in advance. If you dare to let me wait until the middle of the night without a word again, I’ll go and drag you back myself.”

My heart raced out of control, but I remained stubborn.

“What right do you have to control me?”

Gu Yanzhou leaned down, his breath almost touching my lips.

“The right that comes with you being my wife.”

My mind went blank for two seconds.

Gu Yanzhou, however, acted as if nothing had happened. He simply let go of me, turned around, and pressed a glass of warmed milk into my hand.

“Drink it and go to sleep.”

Clutching the glass, I watched his retreating back. My chest felt numb, as if a cat’s claws had been scratching at my heart.

I knew then that I was probably done for.