Won't Repeat the Same Mistakes

After the call, Guo Lantai returned to his room. He opened the oversized suitcase and began packing.

He knew those two had gone out to make their presence known, but he had no intention of following them and getting involved in their little gathering.

The original Guo Lantai had gone after them after asking around everywhere. To keep the domineering CEO from accusing him of being jealous and presumptuous, he had even thrown together a gathering at the last minute, invited several rich playboy friends to a private room, and pretended to enter the wrong room so he could "run into" his wealthy husband.

That alone would have been nothing, but the moment Cen Muxiao's friends saw him, they immediately wanted to stand up for Song Anning. They enthusiastically invited him to join them in rock-paper-scissors and dice games, where every loss meant a drink.

How could the original Guo Lantai withstand their ill-intentioned teasing? After only a few rounds, he had been plied with alcohol until he was dizzy and miserable. Whenever he asked Cen Muxiao for help, Cen Muxiao deliberately ignored him.

In the end, those people only let him go after Song Anning spoke up for him, allowing him to leave the private room in a sorry state.

When the original Guo Lantai could no longer hold it in and ran to the restroom to throw up, Song Anning somehow followed him in. He sneered and taunted him, mocking him for getting smug over a marriage alliance. So what if he had succeeded for the moment? He would never enter Cen Muxiao's life or fit into his circle!

Those words happened to be overheard by Yu Tu, a friend who had come out to look for Guo Lantai. Yu Tu immediately punched Song Anning!

Well! What a coincidence!

This scene was also witnessed firsthand by Cen Muxiao, who had come to check on Song Anning. Without another word, the domineering CEO rushed over and gave Yu Tu a brutal beating. Before he left, he even dislocated one of Yu Tu's arms.

Before leaving with Song Anning, he looked at the original Guo Lantai as though he wanted to kill him!

By then, the useless original Guo Lantai had sobered up completely. He did not get a single chance to utter a word in explanation and could only panic as he called someone to take Yu Tu, whose dislocated arm was badly injured, to the hospital.

After returning that night, he was so scared that he did not dare go downstairs for several days. Yu Tu, meanwhile, was ultimately resented by Cen Muxiao because of this incident.

The Yu family's company soon encountered an operational crisis. All attempts to save it failed, and it eventually declared bankruptcy. Yu Tu disappeared for a long time afterward.

The original Guo Lantai's guilt toward Yu Tu, his best friend, lingered until his death. He always regretted what he had done that night.

If he had not been so eager to put himself on display, none of what followed would have happened.

Just thinking about it made Guo Lantai feel stifled for those two ill-fated brothers. The original Guo Lantai never realized, even until his death, that Yu Tu had been summoned by someone Song Anning sent. Song Anning had deliberately humiliated the original Guo Lantai with those words. The original Guo Lantai was too drunk and weak to do anything, but hot-tempered Yu Tu was provoked at once!

Once Yu Tu struck first, and given his close relationship with the original Guo Lantai, Cen Muxiao naturally counted the debt against the original Guo Lantai as well. Crushing the Yu family was his final threat and warning!

If he dared lay a hand on Song Anning again, the Guo Family would not fare any better!

Therefore, the Guo Lantai who had transmigrated decided not to rush over and court disaster this time. Yu Tu should not have his promising life ruined because of him, and the Guo Family could not be dragged into it either.

He would not repeat the path the original Guo Lantai had taken!

As for Song Anning, not everyone among the domineering CEO's friends could stand his constant stringing Cen Muxiao along. If Guo Lantai did not go distract those people, perhaps the opposite effect might even occur!

With that thought, Guo Lantai relaxed even more and happily packed his things while listening to music.

The original Guo Lantai had also been someone who lived exquisitely. The clothes and personal items he brought were obviously all luxury brands and of excellent quality. However, his clothing style leaned rather casual, mostly hoodies and T-shirts favored by young people, brimming with youthful energy.

In his original world, Guo Lantai had been a graduate student who had just finished school, a bona fide programmer diligently coding away at a tech company. Like everyone else, he had started wearing plaid shirts, while his own casual clothes had long been buried at the bottom of his closet.

Now that he saw these clothes, he was delighted. At last, the original Guo Lantai had something in common with him.

No, there was one more thing he found even more fortunate: their shared hobby was motorcycles.

In the original novel, Guo Lantai had been a pampered rich second-generation heir. He had been mediocre at school and, after graduating, had continued lounging around at home. Aside from meeting his playboy brothers every few days, his greatest hobby was motorcycles.

He was a senior member of the largest motorcycle club in the imperial capital. He was not particularly interested in the club's organized events, but he loved racing alone. Whenever there was a race, large or small, he always signed up, and his results were very good.

Yet someone so full of fighting spirit had gradually lost his drive to charge ahead after meeting Cen Muxiao. In the days that followed, he was even kneaded into a useless lump of mud before ultimately being thrown out of the house.

Heh! What an utter fool!

Guo Lantai carefully searched through the suitcase but did not find motorcycle keys or racing gear. It seemed the original Guo Lantai had been determined to hide that untamed, proud side of himself, willing only to obediently become the Cen family's young madam.

With a deep sigh, Guo Lantai continued organizing his things. But when he noticed that night had already fallen outside, he picked up his phone and went downstairs.

Regarding tomorrow's return visit to his family home, he had said he would try asking Cen Muxiao, so he had to give it a try. He did not have Cen Muxiao's phone number, so he could only ask Uncle Meng, the butler, for it.

The lights in the first-floor hall were already on. Apart from sounds coming from the kitchen, the entire villa was unusually quiet.

Without thinking much about it, Guo Lantai headed straight for the kitchen. Before he even arrived, he heard the conversation inside.

"Butler Meng, aren't there a little too few dishes tonight?"

"Young Master said he and Mr. Song won't be coming back for dinner. The dishes for the one upstairs are enough!" That was Uncle Meng's voice.

"Should we prepare more meat dishes, then?"

Uncle Meng replied flatly, "No need. Young Master instructed that, aside from Mr. Song's meals requiring extra preparation, everything else should remain as usual."

"Yes, then dinner can be served right away."

"Mhm. Serve the dishes. I'll go upstairs and call him down."

Guo Lantai backed away as soon as he heard that last sentence. By the time Uncle Meng came out and saw him, he appeared to have only just come down the stairs.

"Good evening, Mr. Guo. I was just about to invite you down. Dinner will be served shortly!"

Uncle Meng paused slightly, then smiled and greeted Guo Lantai.

"Thank you. I happen to be hungry too."

Guo Lantai replied with a smile and headed straight for the dining room, though he snorted inwardly. Uncle Meng had called him Madam earlier. Cen Muxiao had returned only once, yet Uncle Meng had changed his form of address and begun calling him Mr. Guo. Clearly, Cen Muxiao had instructed him to do so.

Uncle Meng stepped ahead of him and pulled out a chair. "Please wait a moment. I'll have them serve the food immediately."

As he spoke, he turned to leave, but Guo Lantai quickly called after him. "Uncle Meng!"

"Yes! Do you have an instruction, sir?"

"Could you tell me Cen Muxiao's private number? I need to contact him about something."

"Uh, well..."

Guo Lantai quickly interrupted him and asked in a faint voice, "What? Did he instruct you to keep his phone number confidential from me?"

"Not at all." Uncle Meng nodded slightly and answered honestly. He had only hesitated because he was curious why Guo Lantai did not have their young master's number.

"Then I'll trouble you, Uncle Meng!"

Guo Lantai curved his lips, unlocked his phone, and handed it over. Looking up, he added, "Once you've entered the number, you can have the food served. I'm not a picky eater."