The Priceless Husband's Invitation

Qin Youbei rushed to the window and took a quick glance outside. It wasn't very high—just the second floor—and there was a swimming pool below; she could technically jump straight down.

But the height was enough that jumping down would surely cause a big splash and noise, drawing the attention of others.

She pulled down the bedsheet, tore it into strips, tied them together, and then fastened them to the railing, ready to make her silent escape.

Every step she took was cautious and meticulous.

Climbing down the makeshift rope of sheets, and seeing that there wasn't much distance left, Qin Youbei slowly exhaled, only to hear a mocking hiss next to her ear.

Qin Youbei instinctively looked up to find Gu Xiao looming above, his face devoid of any emotion, like the oppressively still sky before a thunderstorm hits.

Her body tensed, and she clenched her teeth nervously, unsure of what to say.

"Heh, planning to run away?"

The man's deep and rich voice, filled with chilling menace, reached Qin Youbei's ears.

He leaned on the railing, his tall figure casting a giant shadow down like the wings of a demon, making it hard to breathe, making one want to curl up and hide in a corner where his shadow couldn't reach.

Qin Youbei opened her mouth, force a smile, her voice trembling uncontrollably, "No, no…"

"Oh?" Gu Xiao's voice, ever so slightly rising in pitch, "Then what is this for? Surely you haven't done something guilty?"

"No, no, not at all…"

Qin Youbei's brain wasn't just mush—"I just saw there was a pool below and felt like swimming. That's all there was to it."

"I thought you were trying to kill yourself."

This casual remark sent chills up Youbei's spine. Still suspended mid-air, she found herself gasping for breath.

She whined at him coquettishly, "Mr. Gu… you're so mean, always scaring people…"

"This is scaring you?" Gu Xiao suddenly revealed a dagger, flicked it at the bedsheet with a backhand slash, "Then what is this?"

"Ah————" The bedsheet snapped.

Qin Youbei fell abruptly, her body like a wing-damaged butterfly, dropping gracefully.

"Splash… whoosh…"

A huge splash rose in the pool, Qin Youbei flailing embarrassingly.

After thrashing around several times, she finally steadied herself in the pool.

Gu Xiao watched with a cold and wicked amusement as Qin Youbei's clumsy figure drew a sneer across his lips—one that was obviously mocking.

"Ugh… cough, cough…"

Qin Youbei choked on several mouthfuls of water, unable to suppress a feeling of dizziness and the urge to vomit.

At that moment, only one thought crossed her mind: Damn you, Gu Xiao!

-

While Qin Youbei was taken away by Uncle Wang for cleanup, the handsome and noble Mr. Gu sat in his study.

His capable assistant Modong stood in front of him.

A comprehensive investigation document was laid out neatly before Gu Xiao.

Every detail about Qin Youbei was meticulously listed:

Qin Youbei—from H City, twenty-one years old, a senior in the History and Archaeology department at A University, orphaned at an early age, with three older brothers. At the age of eight, she was sent to live with relatives at Kaikai Martial Arts Gym, and in high school, she was taken away by her brothers to live with them...

Every single detail was there.

Like how she could recite the first two hundred digits of pi in third grade.

Like her victory in a speed typing competition during her second year of middle school.

As the details approached her university years, they even specified how many dresses Qin Youbei had bought!