猫咪u9有你有我足矣

As long as Gao Hongying genuinely regards herself as a tool to curry favor with Jianmu, her status would quickly rise.

Among the young females of the Gao Family, her talent was exceptional and she was unrivaled in beauty.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been handpicked by Gao Hongying just for her talent.

Gao Wenyuan both admired and flattered Gao Hongying and kept a wariness towards him in the depths of her heart.

She was not born as a direct descendant of the Gao Family after all, devoid of the stable support provided by blood ties.

Her current status seemed like a castle built on air.

Although the direct descendants of the Gao Family treated her as an equal on the surface, they still looked down on her as a lowly maidservant from the side branches.

The people from the side branches fawned over her after she had climbed up to the main branch. Yet, she had no idea what they were saying about her behind her back!

Occasionally, Gao Wenyuan would stay at her parents’ house. Late at night, she overheard people saying that her promotion was due to her clinging onto the direct descendant of the Gao Family, Gao Cheng.

And playing the role of an addition to Gao Cheng’s harem.

Although the direct descendants and the side branches in a powerful clan seemingly share the same bloodline, after countless generations, the bloodlines of the side branch members and direct descendants diverged by at least three generations or more.

Hence, it was considered acceptable for a direct descendant to marry a member of the side branches, albeit a very shameful act.

It was as if the direct descendants had no better options and needed to keep matters within the family to avoid damaging the family’s reputation.

Therefore, when the side branch members were chosen by the direct descendants, they were usually referred to as maidservants.

Gao Wenyuan deeply detested becoming a subject of gossip.

If this defamation was fact, she could bear with it. But it wasn’t true at all.

This made it very hard for Gao Wenyuan to swallow her resentment!

Gao Cheng did pursue her once, but she rejected him mercilessly.

The side branch members of the Gao Family thought highly of Gao Cheng as a direct descendant, but in truth, Gao Cheng was not as valued as she was in Gao Hongying’s eyes.

With Gao Wenyuan’s power, she could easily deal with the two side branch members, but in the end, she chose to endure their provocations.

This was because she wanted to maintain a gentle and elegant image before she could truly spread her wings.

Otherwise, if word got out in the Gao Family, it would surely pose a significant obstacle in her future marriage prospects.

Gao Wenyuan knew early on that marriage was the best way to change her fate.

“If uncle thinks I’m lesser than She Wan, it’s only in terms of our statuses.”

“She Wan is the Noble Lady of the She Family who has been surrounded by glory since childhood.”

“But I’m just a side branch member that you’ve taken a liking to. It’s hard for others to compare me with She Wan.”

While speaking, Gao Wenyuan gently bowed her head, showing the sense of vulnerability that Gao Hongying found most appealing.

Gao Hongying liked to have control over everything.

The moment she displayed vulnerability, she was satisfying Gao Hongying’s desire for control.

In her downcast eyes, Gao Wenyuan’s cunning calculations could be seen.

To Gao Wenyuan, Gao Hongying, as the helmsman of the Gao Family and someone of high status, was just a stepping stone.

Her talents and beauty were her capital for climbing up this ladder.

Just as she needed to rely on the power of the Gao Family, the Gao Family also needed to exploit her.

As Gao Wenyuan had expected, Gao Hongying said in a serious tone.

“Wenyuan, you’ve always been smart, understanding my thoughts without me having to spell them out.”

“Do you think you can forge a relationship with Jianmu if I were to give you the status of the Gao Family’s Noble Lady?”

It was vital for Gao Wenyuan to appear intelligent enough for Gao Hongying to admire her, but not too clever that he would fear her.

So she feigned surprise as though she had heard something she hadn’t anticipated.

Yet, in reality, she was thinking, ‘it’s about time I got the title of the Gao Family’s Noble Lady!’

“Un…uncle, I am just from the side branch. Can I really become the noble lady of the Gao Family?”

“I’m afraid…”

Before Gao Wenyuan could finish speaking, Gao Hongying interrupted her.

“In the Gao Family, I have the final say. If I tell you to become the Noble Lady, no one will oppose.”

“The position of the Gao Family’s Noble Lady is still vacant. There’s only a noble son.”

“Having you as the Noble Lady will just fill that vacancy!”

As he spoke, Gao Hongying’s expression was slightly complex.

Though a younger member of the family, Gao Wenyuan thought she hid her ambitions well, but in fact, Gao Hongying had long seen through her ambitions.

Instead of objecting to her ambitions, he admired her for them.

Compared to the other four major families in Lu City, the Noble Son of the Gao Family appeared too content, without the desire to compete.

Ambition is the driving force of all actions, and Gao Hongying was confident that Gao Wenyuan would not overstep her bounds.

Even if Jianmu really favored her, it would still be the same.

In the end, Gao Wenyuan was just a stepping stone to facilitate contact between the Gao Family and Jianmu.