Nian Gao seemed to understand human speech. She lifted her head and gazed at Lu Jin’an, her bright black eyes brimming with excitement.
Instead of biting his pant leg, she bounced around, meowing nonstop.
Gu Nianyi paused for a moment. “All right, I’ll pack up. You go take care of your own business. I’ve already kept you long enough.”
Now that she was better, she had reverted to her usual polite, impeccably perfect self.
“I’m off today,” Lu Jin’an said. “I’ll help you.”
He had slipped home once in the middle of the night and returned at dawn.
His new pants had become the kitten’s latest toy, covered in claw marks.
Gu Nianyi squatted down and pointed at Nian Gao’s head, scolding her gently. “Nian Gao, be good. No biting people’s pants. Mommy will give you extra treats.”
Her mouth pressed into a tight line, her face stern and serious—but it held no real menace.
Except to the little cat.
Nian Gao obeyed, stopping her scratching and sitting patiently on the floor, waiting to be fed.
Lu Jin’an’s lips quirked up involuntarily. Last night, who had been the one refusing her medicine and skipping meals? And now here she was, lecturing another cat.
“Her name is Nian Gao?” he asked.
He wasn’t familiar with cat breeds. This one was a patchwork of three colors—brown, yellow, and white—that didn’t match the sticky rice cake she was named for.
“Yes. When I found her, she was lying limp by the door, all soft and glutinous. And I happened to have some fried rice cakes in my hand.”
Gu Nianyi glanced around the room, considering what to pack. She had agreed to the move only because she didn’t want to upset Ruan Zhixu.
“She’s pretty cute,” Lu Jin’an said.
After spending a day and night together, Gu Nianyi had realized that he was simply cool on the surface. Still, the word “cute” sounded a little out of place coming from him.
Cat hair clung to his black pant legs. “Don’t worry,” Gu Nianyi assured him. “I’ll clean it up every day. I won’t let her go upstairs.”
Lu Jin’an began sorting her luggage. “It’s fine. I can live with it.”
He could accept it after just one night?
Who had treated the cat like a mortal enemy before? Gu Nianyi marveled at his adaptability.
“You rest,” he said. “What needs packing?”
“Just my clothes, the stuffed animals, and my water cup. Cypress View Pavilion has everything else.”
In the end, one suitcase and a single bag held all her belongings.
It was like those TV dramas where a single suitcase sufficed for a full move.
Lu Jin’an knew she was leaving herself an escape route. Gu Nianyi knew that he knew.
And he accepted it without a word.
Gu Nianyi scooped up Nian Gao. “Nian Gao, Mommy’s taking you to a big house. Say bye-bye here.”
Nian Gao waved a paw cooperatively. “Meow, meow.”
The door clicked shut. Gu Nianyi looked back with reluctance. This had been her first rental, her first apartment on her own.
In her lonely days in South City, it was her first real foothold, her first space that truly belonged to her—like a floating piece of duckweed that had finally taken root.
Now she was rootless once more.
“Meow, meow.” Nian Gao nuzzled against her in her arms. At least she still had Nian Gao.
Moon Gazing Bay was just two blocks east of Cypress View Pavilion.
The two roads ran parallel like the dividing line in chess that separated the rival kingdoms of Chu and Han, carving the city into distinct social strata.
And she had stumbled into a world that wasn’t hers.
Gu Nianyi stuffed her clothes into the walk-in closet. Lu Jin’an favored black, white, and gray; she leaned toward beiges. In that, they were alike.
The brighter pieces had all been bought by Lady Ruan.
Cypress View Pavilion had two full floors—plenty of space for Nian Gao to race up and down, scampering about with endless energy.
Compared to the exuberant cat, Gu Nianyi seemed remarkably calm as their official cohabitation began.
Lu Jin’an came upstairs from below. “I’ve got the night shift tonight. No need to wait up.”
He turned toward the closet in search of his watch.
Was that his way of checking in?
“Drive carefully, then,” Gu Nianyi replied politely. “Stay safe.”
It was the picture of a respectful marriage—courteous and proper. With him off at work, the house would hold only her and the cat. She felt her tension ease.
“Nian Gao, this is our little world now. Happy? It’s a good thing I have you.” In the five-hundred-square-meter house, even her words echoed.
“Meow, meow.” Nian Gao spun in circles, tail wagging in response.
In the elevator, Lu Jin’an spoke with the property manager and connected to the surveillance camera at the front door for the first time. It would let him check for any emergencies at a moment’s notice.
He didn’t like leaving a young woman home alone.
Not that Lady Ruan would come demanding answers, he told himself.
At the hospital, Lu Jin’an changed into his white coat. His college classmate and colleague Zhou Ziyu wandered over with some gossip. “Director Lu, I heard something bizarre yesterday. Want to hear it?”
The man before him sat ramrod straight, intently reviewing patient records, and ignored him completely.
Undeterred, Zhou Ziyu launched into his story. “Word is, our hospital’s famous High Ridge Flower—some Lu guy—personally treated a woman’s wound. And he even swooped in at the ER entrance to snatch her away, nearly coming to blows. Too bad I missed the show. Director Lu, did you catch it?”
Lu Jin’an glanced up at him coolly. “Is your report finished? Time to repay those night shifts you owe me.”
The icy stare hit its mark. Zhou Ziyu flushed with embarrassment and annoyance. “You’re ruthless. How does a guy like you even land a wife?”
Leisurely, Lu Jin’an replied, “Didn’t you go to the wedding?”
Zhou Ziyu grew even more outrageous. “That’s exactly why I’m curious. How did such a gentle sister-in-law ever fall for you?”
“Are you sticking around to cover my shifts?” Lu Jin’an prompted, shooing him away.
“I get it—maybe she hasn’t fallen for you yet.”
Zhou Ziyu bolted after that final jab. He had no intention of repaying those shifts anytime soon.
Dusk settled over the sky as always, visitors trickling out of the inpatient ward until quiet reigned once more.
Zhou Ziyu reached the nurses’ station, where several nurses called him over.
One young woman asked, “Dr. Zhou, is it true that Dr. Lu got married?”
The group clustered around him, eager for answers. He was far more approachable than most, always chatting with them like old friends.
Even before Lu Jin’an had joined the hospital, Zhou Ziyu had been a big name—hospitals fighting to hire him until South City First Hospital won out.
The nurses who had seen his photo beforehand were thrilled.
But then they learned that this High Ridge Flower was for distant admiration only. He was so aloof that a single glance from him left them tongue-tied.
And heaven help you if he questioned you. No raised voice, just that frozen Arctic face.
Zhou Ziyu leaned on the counter and glanced toward Lu Jin’an’s office before whispering, “True as steel, genuine article.”
Another nurse spoke up. “What about the wedding candy? The ring? The honeymoon? Any posts on his Moments? Nothing.”
“Ask Dr. Lu yourself,” Zhou Ziyu said. “I’m not the one married to him.”
Ever since Lu Jin’an started at the hospital and his connection to Zhou Ziyu came out, the latter had become his unofficial spokesperson to the world.
The first nurse pouted. “I don’t have the guts. Last time my desk was a tiny bit messy, he saw it—and that look was like he wanted to wipe me out.”
“Hahaha, you’re exaggerating.”
“Dr. Lu doesn’t even post on Moments. His latest is just a repost of some hospital news.”
Their chatter grew lively, circling back to the incident at the ER.
“Was that girl from the emergency room his wife?”
“Dr. Zhou, take a look at this.”
Zhou Ziyu took the photo and squinted at it. “Too blurry. Can’t tell.”
The Head Nurse teased them. “Give it up, girls. Could you handle Dr. Lu as a husband? Does he sweet-talk? Does he do romance?”
“He doesn’t have to. Looking at him every day would be nice enough.”
“Still a pass. I’d freeze solid staring at an ice block all the time.”
These days, every young woman was a little princess at home. A day or two might be fine, but a lifetime? No way.
Zhou Ziyu hurried off, popping their bubble. “It’s a fact—he’s married. Whoever his wife is, it has nothing to do with you. Night shift time, ladies.”
Night shifts were the nurses’ lifelong nemesis. Wails erupted instantly, along with self-deprecating laughs. “Green apples on duty.”
There was a saying in nursing circles: Nurses were like apples—red and fresh their first year, green and unripe later on, and finally yellow and overdone.
“What about doctors? Do they all end up bald?”
“Haha, anything but that for Dr. Lu.”
Now on someone else’s turf, Gu Nianyi laid down the rules for Nian Gao: no climbing on the bed, no scratching the sofa.
Nian Gao had no choice. A cat under another’s roof had to obey.
Alone in the house, Gu Nianyi felt more at ease. She settled cross-legged by the window, petting the cat and taking in the night view.
In a high-rise at the heart of South City, the higher the floor, the higher the status.
From her vantage, the city sprawled in an endless sea of lights.
Lights flickered on and off, each tiny window framing a different life.
A message came in from Chi Wenjing: 【Yi Yi, is your fever gone? You’re not home?】
Gu Nianyi replied: 【Just moved. Anything up?】
Chi Wenjing: 【Nothing much. Just wondering if the cake was good?】
Cake? Gu Nianyi had forgotten. She had set it on the coffee table when she arrived, and then…? Her mind drew a blank. Helpless, she turned to the other person involved.
【Hello, Lu Jin’an. Did you see the cake from yesterday?】
Lu Jin’an spotted the formal “Hello” and her overly polite tone. His brows furrowed as he replied truthfully: 【You were sick—no sweets for you. I gave it to Chenchen and Yaoyao.】
Chenchen and Yaoyao were the children of Lu Jin’an’s cousin Lu Jinyi—a pair of fraternal twins who had even served as flower children at her wedding.
Gu Nianyi: 【Is it tasty? What flavor is it?】
It wouldn’t be right to regift something someone had given her, and besides, she wasn’t good at lying.
Lu Jin’an: 【Ask them yourself.】 He created a new group chat and started a video call.
Soon, two little heads appeared on the screen.
Lu Jin’an hadn’t turned on his camera. “Auntie has a question for you. Is the cake good? What does it taste like?”
His deep voice rang out clearly in the vast room. Gu Nianyi pinched her earlobe, as if he were right there in front of her.
Yaoyao clapped her hands. “The cake is delicious! It’s fruit-flavored. Thank you, Auntie, but I can’t tell what kind of fruit it is.”
Gu Nianyi comforted her gently. “That’s okay. Next time, Auntie will teach you.”
Chenchen stared at the camera. “Auntie, where are you?”
Only his and his sister’s feeds showed video; the other two windows were pitch black, revealing no figures.
Gu Nianyi wasn’t used to voice or video calls, so she’d turned off her camera the moment she connected.
It felt rude not to turn it on now, so she gritted her teeth and clicked it open.
Chenchen jumped up. “Auntie, you’re so pretty! How did you end up marrying my uncle? Wait for me—I only have… thirteen more years until I’m an adult, and then I can marry you!”
Yaoyao slapped her forehead. “Meng Chenyi, if Little Uncle beats you to death, I won’t be able to hold him back.”
She sounded just like a little adult.
Chenchen shot back, “Little Uncle can just find someone else. Give me Auntie!”
Lu Jin’an turned on his camera, his expression stern. “Meng Chenyi, she’s not a toy to pass around.”
His sudden icy tone left the Meng siblings speechless.
Gu Nianyi chimed in, “Don’t scold him. He’s just joking.”
It was the first time anyone had interrupted Little Uncle while he was disciplining him—and Little Uncle not only didn’t get mad, he actually stopped talking.
Emboldened by Auntie’s support, Meng Chenyi grew even more brazen. “Little Uncle, you’re reluctant to let her go, aren’t you? After all, it’s not easy having a wife. Grandma nags you all the time about how hard it is to find someone who’ll have you.”
The kid was sharp as a tack, mimicking the elders so well it was uncanny—seven or eight parts spot-on. Gu Nianyi couldn’t help but purse her lips to stifle a smile.
Meng Chenyi kept going. “Auntie, you have no idea how much Grandma worries. If Little Uncle treats you badly, just marry me instead. I’ll give you all my New Year’s money.”
Meng Yueyao wasn’t about to be outdone. “Auntie, marry me! We’re both girls.”
In an instant, she had become the hottest commodity—the most sought-after person in the family.
It was a bit overwhelming. Growing up, whether at home or school, she’d always been the quiet, unremarkable one.
As the official husband, Lu Jin’an had inexplicably gained two love rivals. He’d even given them cake for free, and now, with full bellies, they were trying to steal his wife.
He hurried the kids along. “It’s late. Go wash up and get to bed. Don’t forget to brush your teeth, or the cavities will come play with you.”
Chenchen and Yaoyao waved frantically. “No, no! Bye, Auntie! Remember to miss us!”
No one paid any attention to Little Uncle. No one said goodbye to Lu Jin’an.
Gu Nianyi ended the call, then remembered the whole point of the video. She opted for the truth: 【Sorry, I gave the cake to some kids at home.】
Chi Wenjing: 【I’ll bring you another one tomorrow.】
Gu Nianyi demurred. 【No need. I don’t like sweets. Don’t go to any trouble.】
These days, people praised others for being “blissfully oblivious,” but she was the opposite—sensitive and attuned to every nuance.
Chi Wenjing: 【What about something else? What do you like?】
His intentions were obvious, but Gu Nianyi worried she might be reading too much into it. What if she was mistaken? That would be awkward.
She’d never been the self-absorbed type.
Gu Nianyi: 【No, really. You work hard for your money.】
Fortunately, Chi Wenjing didn’t press the issue. Turning down gifts was a skill in itself.
Lost in thought, she was startled by the doorbell. Peering through the peephole, Gu Nianyi saw a staff member in a Green Innovation Property uniform.
The woman left a note and a voice recording: “Hello, Ms. Gu. This is the cake Mr. Lu ordered. Enjoy.”
The mansion’s security system was top-notch, always considering the owners’ perspectives. They’d deliberately sent a female staffer who dropped off the items and left without lingering.
【What’s this?】 Gu Nianyi sent the two words along with a photo.
Lu Jin’an replied promptly. 【To replace your cake.】
Gu Nianyi hauled the large bag to the dining table and checked the order slip: blueberry, mango, strawberry, grape, original, mango sago with pomelo, peach…
Had he cleaned out the entire cake shop?
Staring at the pile of cakes, Gu Nianyi sighed dramatically. 【Bao, want some cake?】
Figuring out what to do with them was a problem—she didn’t have many friends.
Ming Yue was in the middle of a face mask. 【So many! Don’t you hate overly sweet stuff?】
【Did your cheap husband order them? Or some colleague?】
No one else she knew was after her “wife,” as far as she’d heard.
Gu Nianyi replied succinctly: 【Lu Jin’an.】
“No wonder those two brothers are so alike—so full of themselves, never bothering to ask what people actually like,” Ming Yue grumbled, yanking off her mask and venting about Xie Yunting in the process.
Guided by the principle of sharing joy and not wasting food, Gu Nianyi placed a voice call and pulled out all the stops with her wheedling. “Ming Yue, Miss Ming, Princess Ming—help me out with some of these.”
Only Ming Yue ever saw this side of her.
Whenever she acted spoiled like this, Ming Yue indulged her. “Fine, on my way to pick them up.”
Gu Nianyi reminded her, “Cypress View Pavilion, okay?”
Truth be told, Ming Yue rented in Moon Gazing Bay just like her—in the same building, even. A quick scooter ride and she’d be there in five minutes.
After navigating the mansion’s layers of security checks and interrogations, Ming Yue finally arrived. The moment she opened the door, Nian Gao was there to greet her.
Delighted, she scooped up the cat. “Nian Gao, has your dad finally accepted you? Congrats on your triumphant return to luxury, Princess Nian Gao.”
The surveillance camera captured both video and audio in real time. “Your dad” came through loud and clear to Lu Jin’an.
Ming Yue added, “Your cheap husband’s pulling another night shift, huh?”
Gu Nianyi portioned out the best cakes. “Yeah, no awkward staring contests with the cheap husband.”
Ming Yue’s influence had rubbed off; she no longer saw anything wrong with the nickname.
Cheap husband?!
So that’s what he was in Gu Nianyi’s mind.