Circle Of Love – Li Jiulin, Guan Chang

Gu Meng returned to the Gu Mansion in a bright red wedding dress, only to find it engulfed in flames. She sorrowfully called out "Father," but there was no one in the Gu Mansion to respond to her.

Two years later, at a banquet, a group of men were discussing the tragic incident at the Gu Mansion two years ago. They mocked Xiao Hongye, claiming he had achieved his high position through the support of women, and that he had taken advantage of his connection with the Gu Mansion to pursue a relationship with Zhou Daishuai's daughter. Zhou Jiaojiao happened to overhear these rumors and immediately slapped one of the men who was spewing slanderous words. As the man was about to get angry, one of his companions recognized Zhou Jiaojiao as Zhou Daishuai's daughter and quickly stopped him. At that moment, Xiao Hongye descended from upstairs and informed the three men that the last person who dared to oppose him was already buried in the ground. This frightened the men, and they started slapping themselves in fear of becoming the next unfortunate soul.

On the stage, Gu Meng, her face veiled, sang with an incredibly soulful voice. Xiao Hongye couldn't help but be drawn to her, which made Zhou Jiaojiao feel uneasy. She brought up Zhou Daishuai's hope for their marriage next month, but Xiao Hongye completely ignored her. As the dance music started playing, Gu Meng gracefully danced with someone, and Xiao Hongye invited Zhou Jiaojiao to dance with him, bringing a smile back to her face. Gu Meng intentionally approached Xiao Hongye to seek revenge for the Gu family. She concealed a pistol and a dagger on her person. However, the experienced Xiao Hongye quickly took advantage of the dance and disarmed Gu Meng, accidentally bumping into her in the process. When Gu Meng regained consciousness, she couldn't recognize Xiao Hongye anymore.

Xiao Hongye saw Gu Meng's performance of amnesia and suspected that she was pretending. Instead of letting Gu Meng go, he pointed his gun at her. Gu Meng had completely forgotten her identity and when she saw Xiao Hongye's actions, she appeared ready to face death, which made Xiao Hongye hesitate to shoot.

Gu Meng had been trying to find an opportunity to leave, but when Zhou Jiaojiao learned that Xiao Hongye had kept Gu Meng, she felt extremely jealous. Considering herself the mistress of the military governor's mansion, she ordered someone to capture Gu Meng. However, she was unexpectedly knocked out by Gu Meng and had her clothes changed. Gu Meng lowered her hat and was about to escape when coincidentally Xiao Hongye returned and noticed the flaw. He subdued Gu Meng and took her back to the military governor's mansion.

Xiao Hongye arranged a new identity for Gu Meng. Now she is a lowly and rough servant in the military governor's mansion. Xiao Hongye grew disgusted with her because she climbed onto his bed multiple times. In order to make Gu Meng believe in this new identity, Xiao Hongye had previously coordinated with another maid to provide consistent testimony. As a result, Gu Meng started to believe to some extent. However, she still doubted her own skills because they shouldn't be present in a servant.

Gu Meng is now a maid. Not only does she have to serve dishes, but she is also required by Xiao Hongye to personally feed him. Filled with anger, she poured the wine from her cup onto Xiao Hongye, provoking his anger. He forcefully pressed her against the table and shoved something into her mouth. Zhou Jiaojiao witnessed this scene and felt a chill in her heart.

At night, Gu Meng secretly sneaked into Xiao Hongye's room, intending to steal the key to the ankle shackles. However, Xiao Hongye directly pressed her onto the bed, mistaking her for a willing maid climbing onto his bed, and approached Gu Meng without hesitation.

Gu Meng struggled desperately against Xiao Hongye's forceful kiss. She bit Xiao Hongye hard, causing his mouth to bleed, so he had to stop. He watched Gu Meng hastily flee and believed that she had truly lost her memory. Otherwise, considering the deep-seated blood feud between their families, Gu Meng would never give up the opportunity to kill him. But now, all she wanted was to steal the key and leave.

The next day, Zhou Jiaojiao intentionally found an excuse about a lost piece of clothing and had someone bring Gu Meng, intending to use torture on her. Just as Zhou Jiaojiao was about to whip Gu Meng, Xiao Hongye descended from upstairs and stopped Zhou Jiaojiao. He took Gu Meng to a room and asked her to undress to prove her innocence. Gu Meng felt deeply humiliated, but with Xiao Hongye pointing a gun at her, she had no choice but to comply. Gu Meng took off her coat, revealing that she was wearing a maid's uniform underneath. However, Xiao Hongye was unsatisfied and demanded she undress further. When Gu Meng revealed the corset underneath, as well as the maple leaf tattoo on her chest, Xiao Hongye couldn't bear to watch anymore. He threw his clothes at Gu Meng and told her to leave.

Xiao Hongye recalled the time when he and Gu Meng were deeply in love. Because the red maple leaf sounded like his name, Gu Meng had a special fondness for it. He also had a red leaf that they had picked up during one of their dates. He didn't want to get caught up in emotions again but couldn't control himself. He could only remind himself repeatedly in front of his parents' memorial tablets of their tragic deaths.

Xiao Hongye called Gu Meng to serve him and asked her to prepare the bathwater. Gu Meng was exhausted and accidentally spilled the water, so she had to use her own clothes to wipe it up. Only then was Xiao Hongye satisfied. He then asked Gu Meng to bathe with him, creating a conflicting mix of love and hatred. After a mere kiss from Xiao Hongye, he ordered her to leave. However, when Gu Meng heard Zhou Jiaojiao's voice, she took the initiative to kiss Xiao Hongye.

Gu Meng's sudden initiative greatly pleased Xiao Hongye. Just as Zhou Jiaojiao entered the room, she witnessed Gu Meng and Xiao Hongye kissing. Enraged, Zhou Jiaojiao demanded Xiao Hongye to send Gu Meng away. However, unexpectedly, Gu Meng's words stimulated Zhou Jiaojiao instead. Gu Meng claimed that Xiao Hongye enjoyed her service and that they would serve the same husband in the future, becoming sisters. Zhou Jiaojiao was unwilling to accept this, but Xiao Hongye refused to drive Gu Meng away. He deliberately stated that Gu Meng could only be a low-ranking maid, infuriating Gu Meng. However, she didn't genuinely love Xiao Hongye. So when Zhou Jiaojiao tried to assert her dominance, Gu Meng intentionally provoked her, saying that even if Zhou Jiaojiao became the legal wife and bore children, Xiao Hongye's body and soul would still belong to her, the low-ranking maid. Furthermore, as long as she remained in the Governor's Mansion, there would come a day when she would be promoted.

Zhou Jiaojiao had long regarded Xiao Hongye as her possession and was unwilling to let anyone take him away. So she wanted to send Gu Meng away, but Gu Meng desired nothing more than to provoke Zhou Jiaojiao further. Zhou Jiaojiao intended to get rid of Gu Meng, even if it meant killing her. Just as Zhou Jiaojiao ordered someone to take action against Gu Meng, Xiao Hongye appeared. In order to execute a fake plan, Gu Meng willingly endured the blow and spat out blood, falling to the ground.

Xiao Hongye took Gu Meng to a room, seeing through her scheme. He held her chin, warning her to behave and stating that without his permission, he would never let her leave. Zhou Jiaojiao became even more jealous and arranged for someone to drug Gu Meng. However, she didn't expect that when they went to catch the adulterers, it was Xiao Hongye in the bed.

Zhou Jiaojiao led people to catch the adulterer, but instead found Xiao Hongye on the bed. She knew that Xiao Hongye had already figured out what she had done, so she had no choice but to leave Gu Meng. While buttoning up her clothes, Gu Meng made sure Xiao Hongye saw clearly what kind of person his fiancée really was. Xiao Hongye had helped in a way, so he asked Gu Meng to show her gratitude. Unexpectedly, Gu Meng took the upper hand, caressed Xiao Hongye's face, and even flirted with him. Guilt surged within Xiao Hongye as he tidied his clothes and reminded Gu Meng that she was nothing but a lowly maid.

Zhou Jiaojiao knew that Xiao Hongye was angry with her and wanted to make peace. So she took the initiative to serve Xiao Hongye tea and water, but accidentally wet the documents on his table. It was then that she discovered Xiao Hongye had prepared a birthday banquet for her, and she became instantly happy.

Zhou Dashuai (a character's name) came to attend the birthday banquet and coincidentally saw Gu Meng. He immediately approached her and started to flirt. Just when Gu Meng didn't know how to respond, Zhou Zichen came to her rescue and advised Zhou Dashuai to be mindful of the situation, as today was Zhou Jiaojiao's birthday and it wouldn't look good for people to see them together.

Zhou Dashuai presented Zhou Jiaojiao with the latest model of a pistol as a gift and arrogantly suggested that she use it to shoot anyone she didn't like. As a result, Gu Meng became Zhou Jiaojiao's target, with an apple placed on her head waiting for Zhou Jiaojiao to shoot. In order to save Gu Meng's life, Xiao Hongye had to teach Zhou Jiaojiao how to shoot, ensuring that the bullet didn't hit Gu Meng. Suddenly, a sudden change occurred, and someone took action during the birthday banquet. Gu Meng disregarded her own life and took a bullet for Xiao Hongye.

The bullet hit Gu Meng below her scapula, fortunately at a distance from her heart. Although it wasn't life-threatening, it was still extremely dangerous. After the doctor removed the bullet from Gu Meng's body, he instructed Xiao Hongye to give her medication on time. She would have a fever tonight, and if she could get through it, she would be fine. Xiao Hongye personally fed the medicine to Gu Meng, but before she could swallow it, she fainted. Xiao Hongye had no choice but to administer the medicine orally. Even in her unconscious state, Gu Meng was restless because the shackles on her feet had already rubbed her skin raw and caused excruciating pain. Xiao Hongye noticed Gu Meng's discomfort and finally removed the shackles himself, applying ointment to her wounds. When Gu Meng woke up, she happened to witness this scene and felt that the bullet she took was not in vain, as she had at least obtained her freedom.

Xiao Hongye promoted Gu Meng to be his personal maid, providing her with not only her own room but also various privileges. Gu Meng thought that Xiao Hongye was a person who appeared cold on the outside but was warm-hearted on the inside. With Xiao Hongye taking good care of her, Gu Meng became a bit spoiled, even demanding that he peel an orange for her. She enjoyed this kind of life, but Zhou Jiaojiao couldn't stand it.

One day, Gu Meng was enjoying the snow in a pavilion when Zhou Jiaojiao, feeling jealous and thinking that Gu Meng was seducing Xiao Hongye, went to confront her. Unexpectedly, Xiao Hongye caught them in the act. Gu Meng took advantage of the situation and demanded the fox fur cloak that Zhou Jiaojiao was wearing. Zhou Jiaojiao couldn't swallow this indignation and that night ordered someone to throw sulfuric acid, intending to disfigure Gu Meng's face.

Xiao Hongye caught the person responsible for the attack and the person revealed that it was Zhou Jiaojiao who had instructed him to drug Gu Meng last time. Xiao Hongye then expelled Zhou Jiaojiao from the mansion.

Xin Fan claimed that on that day, he was dressing up as a character and casually placed the headgear on the sofa. Xiao Du and Qianjin's father happened to be sitting on that sofa, which is how the hair got on the headgear. This explanation was seamless and both Mi Yue and Qianjin seemed convinced. Just as Xin Fan, Su Du, and Qianjin's father breathed a sigh of relief, Qianjin astutely pointed out that Xin Fan usually only watched Crayon Shin-chan and wouldn't know about that character. Seeing this, Xin Fan quickly gave a secret signal, asking Qianjin's father and Su Du to leave first. However, Qianjin and Mi Yue wouldn't let them off the hook.

When Qianjin's father recruited Xin Fan as reinforcement, he had anticipated the possibility of failure and prepared a contingency plan. He wore a pained expression and admitted that he enjoyed dressing up but felt embarrassed about indulging in such a hobby at his age. He also wanted to hold onto his pocket money, so he had been keeping it a secret. Qianjin didn't expect her father to be so pitiful and offered to give him money since she was earning her own. Su Du also shared the same hobby and happened to encounter Qianjin's father at the entrance of the comic exhibition. At that time, he had deceived Mi Yue into going out for a meeting and then attended the exhibition. Therefore, he had made an agreement with Qianjin's father to keep it a secret.

In this interrogation, Qianjin's mother's influence was actually present. After all, she had been married to Qianjin's father for decades and was familiar with his quirks. She had already suspected that he might seek external assistance and deliberately made Qianjin and Mi Yue lower their guard, while secretly observing the secret communication methods between men and then planning her move to counter the enemy.

The close relationship between Gu Meng and Zhou Zichen stung Xiao Hongye's eyes. So Xiao Hongye mocked Zhou Zichen, the son of a grand general, for not even having a maid to serve him. He couldn't believe Zhou Zichen had set his sights on a maid from the General's Residence and reminded Gu Meng that she was just a servant. Gu Meng told Zhou Zichen that she would prepare the things Zhou Jiaojiao needed. Zhou Zichen understood that Gu Meng was hinting at helping her deliver food to the people in prison.

Xiao Hongye was angry with Gu Meng and let her walk back on her own. When he saw her being hit by a yellow carriage, he stopped voluntarily and wanted Gu Meng to get in the car. However, Gu Meng was already angry and completely ignored him, walking towards the General's Residence by herself.

Gu Meng took the pastries and brought a token, pretending that Xiao Hongye had sent her to deliver food. She successfully found the man and he pretended to have a message for his mother. He restrained Gu Meng and took off the hairpin from her head, using her as a shield to walk out of the prison cell. Although Xiao Hongye stubbornly claimed that Gu Meng was not important to him and warned the man not to dream of escaping, the man intended to kill Gu Meng. Xiao Hongye couldn't afford to lose, so he had someone prepare things, but the man realized that something was amiss. Gu Meng also realized this, so she turned her head slightly, allowing Xiao Hongye to shoot the man. However, the man reacted quickly and grabbed the gun from the person next to him, shooting Xiao Hongye's arm. Xiao Hongye then killed him with a single shot.

Gu Meng only then realized that the man was the leader of the assassination plot against Xiao Hongye, disguised as a refugee attempting to escape. Fortunately, Xiao Hongye had seen through his disguise. Thanks to remembering Xiao Hongye's teachings to obey orders in critical moments, Gu Meng managed to save her own life. Xiao Hongye didn't like the taste of medicine, so Gu Meng fed it to him with her mouth.

Xiao Hongye enjoyed it when Gu Meng fed him the medicine with her mouth, but he regretted it afterwards. In his dream, he saw his mother reproaching him, saying he was unworthy to be a descendant of the Xiao family, and that he was actually falling in love with the enemy's daughter. Xiao Hongye was in great pain, so he locked himself in the study, repeatedly copying books to remind himself not to forget the hatred.

Gu Meng knew nothing about all of this. She carefully added sugar to the medicine and brought it to Xiao Hongye, but to her surprise, he got angry and threw the things against the door.

Gu Meng could only leave dejectedly with the medicine. Zhou Zichen found Gu Meng and apologized for the incident that put her in danger that day. She claimed that she didn't know about it and would never let Gu Meng be in danger intentionally. Gu Meng thought that she misjudged people and didn't blame Zhou Zichen, but it provoked Xiao Hongye to mock her for being naive and unable to see Zhou Zichen's true colors.

Today is the anniversary of Xiao Hongye's mother's death. Gu Meng was deliberately arranged to clean the ancestral hall. Looking at the array of memorial tablets, she felt heartbroken for Xiao Hongye's loneliness. Suddenly, Xiao Hongye appeared and startled Gu Meng, causing her to drop the memorial tablet she was holding. This angered Xiao Hongye, who then made Gu Meng kneel as punishment while he knelt in the ancestral hall. The deputy officer realized that Xiao Hongye was punishing himself and reminded him that some things were beyond his control, such as his feelings for Gu Ru.

Xiao Hongye made up his mind to set everything back on track. He personally went to the Grand Marshal's Mansion to welcome Zhou Jiaojiao back and set a wedding date for ten days later. Gu Meng continued to kneel as a punishment until she fainted, and then Zhou Zichen carried her away.

Zhou Zichen brought Gu Meng back to the room and took care of her for the night. Xiao Hongye really wanted to go and see her, but he forcibly stopped himself. Zhou Jiaojiao noticed that Xiao Hongye still cared about Gu Meng, so she deliberately provoked a conflict between Zhou Zichen and Gu Meng. When Xiao Hongye went to see Gu Meng, she sincerely apologized to him and wished him happiness and a prosperous future. Xiao Hongye asked if this was Gu Meng's true feelings. Gu Meng couldn't speak up because she still cared about Xiao Hongye.

Gu Meng had just gotten out of bed when Zhou Jiaojiao assigned her to bring pastries. Zhou Zichen felt sorry for Gu Meng and secretly slipped a pastry into her hand. Xiao Hongye saw this and immediately felt jealous. He told Gu Meng to go help Zhou Jiaojiao, and Zhou Jiaojiao took the opportunity to mock Gu Meng, saying that she could never reach Xiao Hongye and that she would soon become the mistress of the Commander's Mansion. Gu Meng was combing Zhou Jiaojiao's hair when Zhou Jiaojiao moved and pulled her hair, causing Gu Meng to slap her back. The two women started fighting, which attracted the attention of Xiao Hongye and Zhou Zichen.

Zhou Jiaojiao stubbornly demanded that Xiao Hongye help her vent her anger by scratching Gu Meng's face. Zhou Zichen quickly stepped in to protect Gu Meng and said that Gu Meng was also a hindrance to Xiao Hongye and Zhou Jiaojiao's relationship. She then asked Xiao Hongye to give Gu Meng to her. Xiao Hongye initially thought that Gu Meng wouldn't want to leave the Commander's Mansion, but a deeply hurt Gu Meng chose to go with Zhou Zichen. Xiao Hongye could only watch from the window as Zhou Zichen protected Gu Meng and helped her into the car, feeling a deep sense of reluctance that he couldn't put into words.