Page 2

Clearly, Mocha had been wary of him the instant he entered the original owner's body, but an animal's mind was hardly that complicated. Having the same body and the same voice as his owner was enough to make him lower his guard.

Gu Bai reached up and rubbed the dog who had been the first in this world to discover him. Only when the soft fur brushed his palm did his heart settle-

He was still alive.

"Hello, Mocha. Let's get acquainted again. I'm Gu Bai."

Mocha did not quite understand what his owner was saying. He only heard his own name and nuzzled Gu Bai even more happily.

Gu Bai got up, washed in the bathroom, and changed into fresh, dry clothes. Then he opened the door, thinking over the memories in his mind as he left the room.

There were four children in the Gu Family. Gu Bai was the third, with an eldest sister and a second brother above him and a younger sister below him. The four children shared a father but had different mothers.

The eldest sister and second brother were born to the Gu Family's first mistress, Gu Bai to the second, and the youngest sister to the current mistress of the household.

The Gu Family was a prominent family that did not permit sordid affairs such as infidelity. All three mistresses had married into the family legitimately.

It was just that Gu Bai's father, Gu Haisheng, had not had smooth marriages. He divorced his first wife after less than five years together, and his second marriage lasted only two years. His third marriage was the longest, a full seventeen years. It seemed that only after two marriages had Gu Haisheng found true love.

Before Gu Bai reached the ground floor, he heard arguing downstairs.

"Seriously, Sis? I'm your own brother, and you're hiding even this from me? I thought you were only keeping the inheritance from those two younger ones. I never imagined you'd scheme against a brother born to the same mother."

"Ruilin, I only wanted to get everything arranged before telling you. You're my own brother. How could I do something like that?"

"Hmph. I'd believe that if I were still as naive as I used to be. You're my own sister, but before Father went out to sea, he put me in temporary charge of the clothing subsidiary you'd been longing for. Back then, you said you didn't mind, that what was mine was yours, and that you were happy to see your brother making something of himself. I know Father never intended to let you run Gu Corporation..."

Standing at the top of the stairs, Gu Bai listened to the man and woman downstairs and remembered something. The original novel opened with the Gu Family dividing the inheritance. In the book, Gu Bai was merely a helpless minor cannon fodder character, crushed to pieces right at the start.

Promotion, riches, and a share of the inheritance on my first day inside the novel. What a generous gift.

But why make things difficult for myself? Wealth is just a worldly possession. Life matters most. I'm minor cannon fodder now. Family disputes have nothing to do with me.

Gu Bai turned and went upstairs. Mocha trailed behind his owner, following him back up when he saw him heading upstairs.

Thirty minutes later, Gu Bai came downstairs pulling a suitcase. The argument below was still going on and seemed to be growing more heated.

Gu Jiazi did not want an open falling-out with Gu Ruilin yet. She forced herself to remain patient as she coaxed this younger brother of hers, whose loyalties had long since diverged from hers.

"Ruilin, we'll never be enemies in the Gu Family. Our enemies are..."

A bump from the stairs cut Gu Jiazi short.

The two turned toward the staircase. Dressed in casual clothes, Gu Bai was coming down with a suitcase.

Whatever else might be said, the Gu Family had first-rate looks, especially the third child. Tall and slender, Gu Bai had cool, aloof features, but his somewhat timid personality had thoroughly obscured that advantage. His bearing did not stand out among the Gu children, either.

The siblings felt something was strange the moment they saw Gu Bai, but they could not put their finger on it. He was clearly the younger brother they had lived with for over twenty years, yet the person walking down the stairs now felt unfamiliar.

A hint of panic appeared in Gu Ruilin's eyes. Afraid Gu Bai had heard their conversation, he seized the initiative. "Why are you awake?"

Gu Bai set down the suitcase in his hand, raised his eyes, and asked, "Am I not allowed to wake up?"

Gu Bai had remained unconscious since his car accident. His life was not in danger, nor were there any lasting complications. The doctor said he might have experienced an external shock beyond what he could bear and did not want to wake up.

That shock was, of course, the news Gu Bai had heard in the car that Gu Haisheng had gone missing at sea.

Hearing what the doctor said had only made Gu Ruilin more contemptuous of Gu Bai. He was delicate and weak, without any of the mettle of a Gu man.

Gu Jiazi had always presented herself in the Gu Family as an understanding elder sister. Although she was a little surprised to see Gu Bai before her, she quickly regained her composure.

She gave Gu Bai a gentle smile. "Bai, you must be hungry. There's soup simmering in the kitchen, and it's about time for lunch. Sit down and eat with us."

Their own father's whereabouts at sea are unknown, yet his children still have the energy to put on an act. It really is hard on everyone in a wealthy family.

Gu Bai sighed inwardly. Had he been any different in his previous life? Everyone had wanted a share of the Gu Family's wealth, and he had constantly dealt with all the Gu relatives like an actor. It truly had been tiring.

He would be better off enjoying more assets than he could count. In his previous life, he had been destined to toil. Not only had he never enjoyed a single day of the good life, but after living with such hardship, he had not even known what it was all for.

"No, thanks. I have something to do outside."

With that, he pulled his suitcase toward the door.

How could Gu Jiazi possibly let Gu Bai leave at a time like this? She hurried forward to stop him. "Bai, you haven't recovered yet. Where are you going?"

Gu Bai said, "I've recovered very well. Now I want to leave this den of trouble."

Both Gu siblings looked stunned at Gu Bai's words, regarding him as though he were someone who did not belong in the Gu Family at all.

How could someone born into the Gu Family be so weak? Not only had the news of Father's disappearance shocked him, but now he didn't even want his inheritance.

Wasn't this the perfect time to divide the inheritance?

Gu Bai pulled his suitcase out the door, then suddenly remembered something and turned to look at them. "Give me the share I'm entitled to. Divide the rest between yourselves. I don't want anything extra, just what belongs to me."

The two Gu siblings: ...

It was not that he did not want it, but that he did not want to fight for it.