Be good
The man’s voice was low and husky, like a luxury cello bowing across a rugged rock in wind and rain—rich and textured, the kind that made people instinctively hold their breath to listen.
Su Zesui stared dazedly at the man’s Adam’s apple as it moved ever so slightly.
“Focus.”
It wasn’t until the man waved a hand in front of his face that he snapped out of it and looked down at what was fastened around his wrist—
The handcuffs weren’t made of solid iron. They were light and smooth, and in the heat of summer, they even had a pleasantly cool feel against the skin.
“Eat,” Su Zesui said.
“Little master, no need to leave the room for meals,” the butler in charge quickly added. “A servant will bring them right to your door.”
Feeling content, Su Zesui rubbed his fingers and said, “Bathroom.”
Gu Yilan tilted his chin toward a door in the side room. “En suite. Right next door. The chain is long enough.”
Su Zesui thought for a moment more, then raised his cuffed right hand. “Homework.”
Without a change in expression, Gu Yilan stepped forward, unfastened the cuff with a click, and promptly latched it onto Su Zesui’s left wrist instead. He took half a step back and asked, “Still too big?”
Su Zesui tugged lightly at the handcuff.
His wrists were slender—so slender that even the smallest size hung loosely around his pale skin. A little force would be enough to slip it off.
So he didn’t dare pull hard. He gave it a couple of soft tugs, then said, “It’s fine now.”
Su Zesui looked up at Gu Yilan.
He had gotten everything he wanted: he’d successfully moved in, and the man had fulfilled every promise he once dreamed of. He was genuinely happy. But the man didn’t look like he shared that feeling.
Because Su Zesui saw him press his thin lips together and turn his head away.
Seeing this, Su Zesui quickly reined in his smile too. He lowered his head, pretending to be absorbed in fidgeting with his fingers, though he kept sneaking glances at Gu Yilan.
Gu Yilan tested the strength of the chain, pulling it until the handcuff clanged sharply against the headboard.
Amid the crisp ring of metal, he warned, “If you don’t behave, I’ll lock you in the cage.”
Su Zesui looked toward the window. The golden cage there was ornate and exquisite. He’d never seen anything like it in someone’s home before—must be a custom-made, high-end piece of furniture.
If it were lined with soft cushions and surrounded by plush toys, curling up inside to sleep or do homework would be incredibly cozy. It’d feel safe too. Like a carefree little bird with nothing to do but eat and nap all day.
The thought was too delightful. Su Zesui couldn’t help slipping into the fantasy and even let out a soft “chirp.”
“What?” Gu Yilan didn’t catch it.
Su Zesui came back to his senses and, realizing he’d lost composure, immediately straightened up and said earnestly, “Thank you.”
Gu Yilan: “…”
“What did you say you wanted just now?” Gu Yilan gestured for the butler to bring in all the luggage.
Su Zesui hesitated, then pointed—not at his original suitcase, but at a backpack sitting on top of one of the boxes.
The butler quickly brought it over.
Su Zesui rummaged through the bag, eventually pulling out a small bottle that looked like it was meant for holding candy. He gave it a shake, confirmed it was still mostly full, and handed it to Gu Yilan.
Gu Yilan took it and looked—
Throat lozenges.
Gu Yilan: “…”
Without a word, Gu Yilan tossed it to the butler nearby. He lowered his eyes to look at Su Zesui, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, and abruptly changed the subject. “Do you remember what was written on the schedule?”
Su Zesui had still been staring at his Adam’s apple, but suddenly snapped back to reality. Enlightened, he took out his phone and handed it over.
He’d always had an excellent memory—once he saw something, he rarely forgot it.
Gu Yilan gestured for the butler to take the phone, then handed Su Zesui a new, customized one.
It was noticeably lighter, with a warm, smooth texture—crafted from aerospace-grade aluminum alloy fused with ceramic, and even inlaid with diamonds. All the hardware was top-of-the-line: 1.5TB of storage, 120Hz AMOLED display, QHD+ resolution, and more.
The only downside? It couldn’t connect to the internet. It could only make calls. Basically, it was the most luxurious “grandpa phone” ever built—like using a cannon to swat a fly.
“You’re not allowed to contact your old friends anymore,” Gu Yilan said.
Seeing the dazed look in the boy’s eyes, the butler quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “Young Master Gu doesn’t like his fiancee interacting with anyone else. I’m sure you understand, Little Master Su…”
Su Zesui’s pupils shrank. He clenched the phone in his hand, completely tuning out everything the butler said after that.
These past few days, he had been constantly anxious—worried that someone from this parallel world might message him, trying to rekindle a friendship.
He had no memory of this life and wouldn’t know how to respond. Every morning, he’d open WeChat in dread, terrified of seeing unread messages.
Now, just like that, this lingering nightmare of a problem was cleanly resolved?
Su Zesui thought that alone was the biggest win from moving in—but the good news just kept coming—
“There’s GPS in the phone,” Gu Yilan said, locking eyes with him. “No matter where you go, I’ll be able to find you.”
Su Zesui muttered another “thank you,” but his voice was so soft, and Gu Yilan happened to turn around at that moment to grab something, so he likely didn’t hear it.
“Heart-rate tracker,” Gu Yilan said, holding up a small wristband with his long, slender index finger and handing it over.
The idea of being monitored in real time was a bit terrifying. The butler, feeling awkward, added quickly, “It’s just to make sure you stay stable. Of course, if you’re ever in danger, we…”
“Mhm,” Su Zesui responded without hesitation. He took the wristband and obediently slipped it onto his right hand, then sat back upright, looking as composed as ever.
Gu Yilan’s movement paused for a moment. He pulled out his phone, opened a webpage, and checked the boy’s current heart rate—
134.
The butler, standing behind him, saw it too and whispered in a tone only the two of them could hear, “He’s really something… His face is just a little flushed, but his heart rate is actually that high?”
If he remembered correctly, a normal resting heart rate was between 60 and 100 beats per minute.
Su Zesui was incredibly nervous. From the moment he’d walked in, he hadn’t stopped fidgeting with his fingers.
He felt he hadn’t made a good impression last time and failed Gu Yilan’s first test. So today, he had to do better.
And so, when the two men turned to look at him together, he forced out a bright smile—the kind he had practiced countless times in the mirror, one that was friendly and just a little bit ingratiating.
Gu Yilan silently looked away.
The boy’s clear, luminous gaze gave the butler a jolt. He instinctively looked for something to busy himself with and spotted a suitcase by his feet. Quickly, he bent down to continue unpacking it.
The suitcase was heavy—he struggled with all his strength just to get it open and laid flat.
Inside was a suitcase packed full of academic prep books: <Advanced Training for High School Physics Competitions>, <The Road to Gold>, <Physics Olympiad Tutorial for Secondary Students>, <International Physics Olympiad: Training and Selection>…
The butler was stunned and muttered under his breath, “He brought this many books?”
There was a large wooden bookshelf next to the desk in the side bedroom. It had once looked imposing, but now it found its perfect purpose—to hold this overwhelming amount of study material.
Seeing everything settled, Gu Yilan turned to leave.
“Where are you going?” Su Zesui didn’t move, but his gaze followed him closely.
“The lab,” Gu Yilan replied.
Su Zesui didn’t say anything else, but his face practically had a line of glowing words written across it: When will you be done? Will you come back for dinner?
Gu Yilan said, “I’ll be back later to keep an eye on you.”
Su Zesui was satisfied and nodded obediently.
After Gu Yilan left, the butler continued helping Su Zesui unpack.
Aside from the mountain of study materials, the rest of the boy’s luggage was equally surprising.
For example, three whole suitcases full of plush toys. And another one packed with all kinds of flavors of Lay’s chips.
After a few hours of organizing, the side room was completely transformed—
From something that looked like a moody prison cell on the edge of legality, it had turned into a full-blown kawaii otaku bedroom. Even the golden cage now had a soft blanket inside, and honestly… it looked kind of adorable.
The butler stared in disbelief and took a flurry of photos to send to his boss.
[Butler: Young Master Gu, the room is all set up now. (Image)(Image)(Image)]
[Butler: This little master from the Su family is nothing like the rumors. He’s… kinda weird.]
His boss was, as always, concise.
[Young Master Gu: ?]
[Butler: Didn’t I ask around at the hospital? Everyone said he was lazy, spoiled, and had a bad temper—but now he’s already sitting down and doing homework!! (Image)]
The photo was a bit blurry, clearly a sneaky snapshot taken during the unpacking.
Even so, it clearly showed the boy’s upright figure at the desk. His left hand, still cuffed, was pointing word by word at the question prompt, while his right hand scribbled calculations on scratch paper. Sunlight bathed him in a soft golden glow.
[Young Master Gu: People also say I devour others whole and leave no bones behind.]
The butler immediately pictured his boss’s deadpan face delivering that cold remark. He instinctively started typing a rebuttal: But that’s only because you deliberately—
Halfway through, he realized it might be a bad idea, deleted the message, and typed again.
[Butler: You’re absolutely right.]
[Young Master Gu: Something came up in the lab. I won’t be back for dinner.]
[Butler: Understood. I’ll take good care of Little Master Su!]
. . . . .
Little Master Su was doing just fine on his own.
Gu Yilan had indeed kept his word—not letting him take even a single step outside.
Lunch, dinner, and freshly cut fruit in the afternoon were all delivered right to the door by the housekeepers, who’d knock and say, “Your meal’s here,” before leaving.
Only after they were gone would Su Zesui quietly sneak over to open the door.
Since the phone couldn’t connect to the internet, the online courses his father had just recorded for him were effectively dead on arrival.
Su Zesui still remembered his family’s phone numbers. He sent a text to his older brother first, just to let him know he was okay:
[Brother, it’s me. I’m doing well.]
Then, he dove into his homework in earnest—completely unaware that his phone, set to Do Not Disturb mode, was now being bombarded by Su Mingyu’s frantic:
[???]
There were so many problems he couldn’t solve.
A child without access to online classes had no choice but to push forward alone.
Knock knock.
There were two knocks at the door.
Su Zesui glanced at the time—7:20 PM.
TV time.
“Little master, may I come in?” came the butler’s voice from outside.
Su Zesui peeked out from behind the door, revealing just half of his face, and opened it cautiously.
The doorframe had an infrared sensor system. The moment the butler entered, the live occupancy count in the room updated to: “2 people.”
“Little master, it’s time to go downstairs and watch TV,” the butler said, holding the handcuff key.
Su Zesui had no issue with the strict schedule. He accepted it gladly and headed downstairs without bringing anything with him.
Every time he passed through the enormous living room before, it had always been completely empty—so he’d assumed there weren’t many servants in the house.
Until now.
Rows upon rows of security guards and housekeepers were seated neatly in front of the massive living room TV.
At the sound of his footsteps, all of them turned their heads in unison to look at him.
Dozens of eyes instantly locked onto him.
Su Zesui’s knees nearly gave out. He almost collapsed on the spot.
“N-No…” he stammered, wanting to run, but his legs refused to cooperate.
He wasn’t wearing a hat, sunglasses, or even a mask. For him, being stared at like this was no less humiliating than running naked through a public street.
The butler, who had followed close behind, was stunned as well.
He saw the boy’s slender frame trembling, saw the mist rise in his clear eyes, and watched as his rims turned red at a visibly alarming pace—as if he might burst into tears from sheer panic at any second.
“No, no, no—it’s not a horror movie, just regular social news! Don’t be scared, don’t be nervous,” the butler stammered, trying to calm him down.
But he wasn’t getting to the point fast enough. Su Zesui remained frozen, hands covering his face, until he finally collapsed to his knees with a soft sob.
The butler jumped in alarm and rushed forward to help him up. “Young Master Gu’s coming back soon! If you stick to the schedule, he’ll be so pleased—he’ll praise you first thing!”
“…Ugh.” Su Zesui was half-lifted by the arm, still terrified, knees buckling again.
“He’ll even reward you!” The situation was so dire, the butler no longer cared what nonsense he was spouting—as long as it got the boy to stay put.
“Ughhh…”
“It’s true! You can watch whatever you want—even Crayon Shinchan if that’s what you like!” The butler was completely at a loss, frantically trying to comfort him while also blocking his way, terrified the boy might bolt.
. . . . .
So when Gu Yilan returned, the first thing he saw in the living room was several rows of nannies in aprons and several rows of burly bodyguards—all sitting stiffly, eyes blank, staring vacantly ahead.
They looked like soulless puppets—lifeless, emotionless, unmoving.
On the screen in front of them was a projection of—
“In-Depth Video Lessons for the Secondary School Physics Olympiad.”
“Now, this here is an optical tweezer. What does it do? That’s right—it traps particles. In addition, it transfers part of the laser’s energy to the particle. So, as the particle is being confined by the tweezer…”
The nannies: distracted.
The bodyguards: dull-eyed.
The butler: visibly disoriented.
Who am I? Where am I? What kind of arcane incantation is playing on this screen?
Gu Yilan: “…”
And the culprit was huddled all the way in the back, sitting on the last row of chairs, hugging his knees and taking pitiful notes under the faint glow of the projection. Every now and then, he sniffled softly, his nose still pink.
The lights in the living room were off, and the dim light from the projector cast a pale gray haze over the entire room, as if covering everyone in a translucent shroud.
In the soft, misty glow, most people’s faces were hard to distinguish.
But the boy’s skin was far too fair—any change stood out starkly. His reddened eyes were painfully visible, and his knees, bruised and tinged with purple, were downright shocking.
Gu Yilan frowned.