BEFORE SHE ARRIVED

Ming Jun POV

(Second Young Master of the Gu Family)

⸻

The Gu family home was unusually quiet that afternoon.

My Gege, my Didi, and I were all seated in the living room, each busy with our own matters. I was scrolling through documents on my tablet, Didi was absorbed in his laptop, and Gege was reviewing files with a cold, unreadable expression.

Aba wasn’t home.

After a while, boredom crept up on me.

I leaned back on the sofa and casually started a conversation.

“So,” I said, glancing around, “we’re about to have a new meimei, huh?”

No one responded.

Didi finally lifted his head and scoffed.

“She probably came for wealth and status,” he said flatly. “Girls like that are common.”

Gege didn’t even bother to look up. He merely shrugged and continued working, as if the topic didn’t interest him in the slightest.

I clicked my tongue quietly. Cold as ever.

Just then, footsteps echoed down the stairs.

Aba appeared, neatly dressed in a tailored three-piece suit, looking far too refined for an ordinary afternoon. His expression was relaxed—almost… pleased.

He walked past us with a smile.

“They’re almost here,” he said lightly, already heading toward the door. “I’ll wait outside.”

Before I could ask anything, he was gone.

⸻

Gege suddenly stood up.

I blinked and called out, “You’re not coming to welcome our meimei?”

He paused briefly, then turned his head just enough to cast me a cold glance. Without a word, he walked upstairs.

I sighed.

So dramatic.

At least I could still make an effort.

I stood up and straightened my clothes.

“Well,” I muttered to myself, “first impressions matter.”

If we were really getting a new family member…

Then I should at least look presentable.

With that thought, I headed upstairs to change, unaware that this so-called “new beginning” was about to turn the entire Gu family upside down.

I went to my room and changed into a clean shirt, choosing something casual but neat. If Aba was making such a big deal out of this, then our new family member must matter to him.

As I adjusted my collar, I couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of anticipation.

It wasn’t often that the Gu family welcomed outsiders so formally. Ever since Ama passed away, the house had remained cold and orderly—too quiet for a family of men.

On my way back downstairs, I paused at the railing and glanced toward the front entrance.

The curtains swayed slightly as a breeze slipped in through the open windows.

For some reason, my heart skipped a beat.

I didn’t know why, but it felt like the moment those doors opened, something long-forgotten would return to this house—warmth, perhaps… or chaos.

I shook my head, dismissing the thought.

She’s just a girl, I told myself. Another responsibility.

Yet, deep down, a voice whispered that this “meimei” was different.

That whatever Aba was bringing home today wasn’t just a new family member—

It was the beginning of a change none of us were prepared for.

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