I Became The Stepmother of My Ex-husband

Gao Ran heard this and hurried to greet him. Gu Hui Yan was in the middle of questioning Gu Cheng Yao, and hearing the familiar voice, he stopped and looked at Lin Wei Xi in surprise, “Why are you here?”

Lin Wei Xi asked in response, “Didn’t you insist on bringing me to the residence?”

The expressions of Gu Cheng Yao and the old servants of the residence around them shifted. Before they could intervene, they heard Gu Hui Yan sigh helplessly and say, “I’m asking you why you’re not resting. Didn’t I arrange for someone to send you back? How can they let you just stand here?”

It turned out she was mistaken. Lin Wei Xi straightened up without waiting for Gu Hui Yan to speak, and said nonchalantly, “I waited to pay my respects to you.”

“Tell me the truth.”

“Actually, I don’t know where I’m supposed to stay. You didn’t say anything, so how can I wander around?”

As soon as Gu Hui Yan left the imperial palace, he unintentionally displayed his imposing manner on the way back, his overwhelming presence fully revealed. Even Gu Cheng Yao was struck with fear and awe, and surrendered wholeheartedly, when he saw Gu Hui Yan. But when it came to Lin Wei Xi, with just a few words, she could make Gu Hui Yan let out a smile and look at her in amusement, “Even if you can speak, your body is weak and must recuperate. Jingdan Garden is suitable, so move your things there!”

Jingdan Garden? Lin Wei Xi was very familiar with the layout of the Prince Yan Residence. She smiled and immediately thanked Gu Hui Yan with a salute, “Thank you Prince Yan.”

Gao Ran hurried out to welcome back Gu Hui Yan. Because she presented herself as a gentle and generous Miss Perfect, she would maintain her bowing position if Gu Hui Yan didn’t say anything. But who would’ve thought that the famous Prince Yan would unexpectedly act as if no one else was around, and talk to a young girl about such trivial matters like her everyday life, not caring at all that her status was lower than his. Gao Ran couldn’t help raising her head and glancing forward in surprise, only to find clear bewilderment in Gu Cheng Yao’s eyes. Evidently, Prince Yan wasn’t an easy-going person. In his presence, no one in the residence dared to rise, let alone contradict him. However, according to the norm of the Prince Yan Residence, Lin Wei Xi’s words just now were already very disrespectful.

Gao Ran felt somewhat jealous. For a while now, she had her eye on Jingdan Garden, and planned to leave it for her son in the future. Jingdan Garden and the courtyard where Gu Cheng Yao lived were built symmetrically. It’s significance was obvious. It was only because the Prince Yan Residence didn’t have many people that it went unused. Why should Lin Wei Xi, an orphan with unknown origins who was a guest of the residence, live there?

Gu Hui Yan only seemed to notice everyone else then. He glanced down, stepped into the main hall, and said flatly, “all of you may rise.”

Only then did Gao Ran straighten up, and she felt an indescribable pressure just from facing the other person. She finally realized that her impression of a real wealthy family was too superficial. Prince Yan definitely wasn’t like the rich men she had witnessed in her previous life.

Even though Prince Yan was the son of an influential family, he had grown his family’s honour many fold. Gao Ran had been full of confidence before, but now she hesitated. If Prince Yan really wasn’t satisfied with her status…  Would it change anything even if she worked hard in managing the household and on her image?

After Gu Hui Yan walked in, he clearly didn’t display any coldness or ferociousness, but the whole hall held their breath as they solemnly stood in position, watching him in awe and respect. His gaze swept from Lin Wei Xi to the other two, and he asked, “Have you introduced yourselves to each other?”

“Yes.” Gu Cheng Yao responded. He stepped forward and knelt down with his back straight in front of Gu Hui Yan. When Gao Ran saw this, she hurriedly followed suit.

“I haven’t been filial, paying my respects to Father.”

Gu Cheng Yao kowtowed, his forehead knocking against the ground, and Gao Ran followed suit. Lin Wei Xi stepped to the side to make space for Gu Cheng Yao and his wife’s kowtow ceremony. But at the same time, Lin Wei Xi felt a strange sense of pleasure. Although it wasn’t directed at her, she was the one standing while Gu Cheng Yao and Gao Ran were both kneeling, and it was enough for her to feel refreshed.

What’s done is done, and in the end, Gu Hui Yan didn’t embarrass Gu Cheng Yao and his new daughter-in-law. He calmly stared at them for a while, before motioning them to stand up. Gao Ran was overjoyed, and her maid immediately passed over the tea. She carried the teacup, her hands above her forehead, and said respectfully, “Daughter-in-law serves tea to Father.”

Gu Hui Yan took it and lifted the lid of the teacup, before setting it on the table. It was just a gesture and he didn’t intend to drink the tea, but this was enough for Gao Ran. She kowtowed to Gu Hui Yan, before being supported by her dowry maid to stand up.

Lin Wei Xi stood on the sidelines watching the entire thing. She was sneering to herself when she suddenly heard Gu Hui Yan call her name, “You are unwell. It’s bad for you to stay outside for too long. Why don’t you go back and rest.”

Lin Wei Xi’s goal had been achieved, and she didn’t want to stay here any longer to look at this pair of ‘lovers’, otherwise she would feel queasy. She bowed to Gu Hui Yan to retire and he nodded somewhat worriedly, before adding, “Jingdan Garden has been unoccupied for a long time. Tell me immediately if anything happens, and don’t endure it by yourself, okay?”

Lin Wei Xi responded with an “okay”, and couldn’t hold herself back from asking, “Prince Yan, about my box… “

Gu Hui Yan raised his eyebrows and didn’t speak, looking at her with clear eyes. Lin Wei Xi smiled at him, and shamelessly said, “Of course I dare not doubt Your Highness Prince Yan… It’s just that I’ll only feel at ease if I hold on to it myself.”

He looked away, still silent, but there was a smile in his eyes, “You really can’t do without your things, just go.”

Only then did Lin Wei Xi leave, completely satisfied. As the servants of the residence led Lin Wei Xi to Jingdan Garden, their expressions remained terrified throughout.

Lin Wei Xi had suddenly gone from being an exploited wife and transformed into a privileged exploiter, oh how refreshing. As expected, Jingdan Garden lived up to its superior location. Lin Wei Xi took a comfortable bath to wash off the dust. And after a nap, the servants outside cautiously reported, “Miss Lin, have you woken up?”

The person speaking thought that Lin Wei Xi didn’t recognize her, but Lin Wei Xi was actually very clear about the situation. She looked at the old servant’s distinctly different attitude, and smiled to herself sarcastically, “What is it?”

“The meal will be ready soon. The Prince said that if Miss wakes up, this slave will be the one to bring Miss to the main hall for the meal.”

Prince Yan had returned, so the dinner arrangements naturally couldn’t be sloppy. Lin Wei Xi’s clothes and hair accessories were all ready, so there was no need to dress herself again. She stood up and said, “Got it, lead the way.”

When they arrived, everyone was standing straight while holding their breath, and even Gao Ran stood to one side without sitting down. Lin Wei Xi calmly greeted Gu Hui Yan, then walked to the side and sat down. She carried herself as if she had always been a member of the family.

She sat down comfortably, while Gao Ran had to stand and serve the elders, and this contrast really made people feel uncomfortable. On the contrary, Gu Hui Yan paid it no mind. When he saw that Lin Wei Xi had changed her clothes, he frowned slightly and asked, “Does your head still hurt?”

This was clearly an illness she only had while travelling. She was weak, and would get a headache when a wind blew past so she needed to be careful after washing up. Lin Wei Xi shook her head and replied, “It’s nothing, you don’t need to bother with it.”

Gu Hui Yan frowned again after hearing this, but now wasn’t the time to talk about it, so he didn’t say anything. The dishes were passed from maid to maid, and they were silently delivered into the main hall one after another. Gao Ran used the serving chopsticks to serve food to everyone, and inevitably had to serve Lin Wei Xi. Lin Wei Xi felt gleeful, but she still declined in the end, “Thank you Shizi Fei. Shizi Fei is too polite.”

Gao Ran smiled stiffly, “As a married woman, of course I have to assist my husband, raise our children, and manage the household. This is what I ought to do.” It was custom for unmarried women to sit, but the daughter-in-law not to sit during meal times. It was also a rule for newly wedded brides to serve their elders during meal times. But who was Lin Wei Xi? Gao Ran really wanted to vomit blood.

Gu Hui Yan glanced at Lin Wei Xi slightly and said, “No one here is a stranger, there’s no need to do this. Sit down.”

Gao Ran declined as usual. Gu Hui Yan’s expression didn’t change, but a light bulb suddenly went off in her head, and she remembered what an old servant had mentioned before: Prince Yan never repeated what he said.

Gao Ran didn’t dare carry on her act. Gu Cheng Yao coincidentally happened to look at her, and she immediately took the opportunity to sit down next to him.

The room was completely silent throughout the meal, and when Gu Hui Yan stopped eating, everyone else immediately put down their chopsticks. There were still many matters that needed to be tended to after dinner. After rinsing her mouth and washing her hands, Lin Wei Xi heard Gu Hui Yan questioning Gu Cheng Yao. The voice was emotionless, but there was a fierce anger hidden within, “I heard from Gu Ming Da that our residence has been distant from the Princess Royal Shou Kang Residence these past few months. What the hell is this about?”