The mansion returned to its usual quiet rhythm after that afternoon.
Gu Yichen went to the study.
Lu Bolin remained in the garden.
On the surface, nothing unusual had happened.
But something subtle had changed.
Inside the study, Gu Yichen sat behind his large desk, a stack of documents open in front of him.
Normally, when he worked, his concentration was absolute.
Numbers.
Contracts.
Strategies.
He processed them with machine-like precision.
But today—
His pen stopped halfway through a signature.
For some reason, the image of Lu Bolin standing beside the pond kept appearing in his mind.
The way he watched the fish.
Calm.
Peaceful.
Almost… detached from the world.
Gu Yichen frowned slightly.
This was ridiculous.
He placed the pen down and leaned back in his chair.
Why was he thinking about him again?
For three years, Lu Bolin had constantly tried to gain his attention.
Calls.
Messages.
Dinner invitations.
Endless attempts to prove himself useful.
It had been annoying.
Pathetic.
But predictable.
Now suddenly—
Everything had stopped.
No messages.
No attempts to talk.
No desperate looks.
Nothing.
And strangely…
The silence felt unfamiliar.
Gu Yichen picked up the pen again.
Then he put it down again.
Finally, he pressed the intercom.
"Yes, President Gu?"
"Where is Lu Bolin?"
The assistant hesitated slightly.
"…At the mansion."
"I know that."
"I mean… he hasn't left."
Gu Yichen paused.
"Has he done anything unusual?"
The assistant quickly checked the house reports.
"According to Auntie Zhang, Young Master Lu cleaned his bedroom this morning."
Gu Yichen frowned.
"Cleaned it?"
"Yes."
"Personally?"
"…Yes."
Gu Yichen leaned back slowly.
That didn't make sense.
The old Lu Bolin had always hired someone to do everything.
Cleaning his own room was not something he would do.
"Anything else?"
"He took a walk in the garden."
"That's it?"
"Yes."
Gu Yichen ended the call.
Then he sat quietly for several seconds.
Something really was different.
Meanwhile—
Outside in the garden—
Lu Bolin had moved to a stone bench near the pond.
He was reading a book.
The title was "Introduction to Behavioral Psychology."
The system hovered quietly in front of him.
[Host reading speed abnormal.]
Lu Bolin turned another page.
"That is normal."
[Host finished thirty pages in ten minutes.]
"Yes."
[Average human reading speed is significantly slower.]
Lu Bolin looked up from the book.
"That is inefficient."
The system fell silent.
Lu Bolin returned his attention to the text.
He had discovered something interesting earlier.
The mansion library was enormous.
Thousands of books.
Science.
Economics.
Psychology.
Philosophy.
Even novels.
Lu Bolin had immediately selected several psychology books.
If he wanted to understand emotions…
He needed data.
A soft breeze moved across the pond.
The koi fish swam lazily beneath the water again.
Lu Bolin looked up from the page.
"System."
[Yes, Host.]
"Question."
[Please state.]
"Does the villain always behave irrationally after emotional attachment begins?"
The system paused.
[Definition of irrational varies.]
Lu Bolin thought for a moment.
"For example, prioritizing emotions over logical decisions."
[Yes.]
Lu Bolin nodded slowly.
"That is inefficient."
[However, emotional attachment often overrides efficiency.]
Lu Bolin wrote that sentence down in the notebook beside him.
"Interesting."
A few minutes later—
Footsteps approached across the garden path.
Lu Bolin didn't look up immediately.
He finished the paragraph first.
Then he closed the book gently.
Gu Yichen stood several meters away.
He had changed into a dark shirt after finishing work in the study.
His sharp gaze landed on the book in Lu Bolin's hands.
"You're studying?"
Lu Bolin nodded.
"Yes."
Gu Yichen walked closer.
"What is it this time?"
Lu Bolin turned the cover slightly so he could see.
"Behavioral psychology."
Gu Yichen raised an eyebrow.
"You're analyzing people now?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Lu Bolin answered honestly.
"I want to understand emotions."
Gu Yichen stared at him.
"You're married."
"And?"
"You're telling me you don't understand emotions?"
Lu Bolin considered that question carefully.
Then he said calmly,
"I understand the theory."
"But theory and experience are different."
Gu Yichen crossed his arms.
"So now you're experimenting?"
Lu Bolin nodded.
"Yes."
"With people?"
"Yes."
Gu Yichen's eyes darkened slightly.
"And who is your test subject?"
Lu Bolin answered immediately.
"You."
The silence that followed was heavy.
Gu Yichen stared at him.
"…You're testing me?"
Lu Bolin corrected him.
"Observing."
"That sounds worse."
Lu Bolin tilted his head slightly.
"Why?"
Gu Yichen stepped closer.
The distance between them was now less than a meter.
"You're saying I'm some kind of experiment."
Lu Bolin answered calmly.
"Yes."
Gu Yichen laughed again.
Low.
Dangerous.
"You really have no fear."
Lu Bolin thought about that.
"That might be accurate."
The wind shifted again.
Gu Yichen studied him carefully.
The way he spoke.
The way he moved.
Even the way he looked at people.
Everything felt different.
Before, Lu Bolin always looked at him like someone looking at the sun.
Bright.
Hopeful.
Now he looked like a scientist examining a strange phenomenon.
It was irritating.
But also…
Strangely intriguing.
Gu Yichen suddenly asked,
"Tell me something."
Lu Bolin waited.
"If you're studying emotions…"
"What do you think about me?"
Lu Bolin thought about it seriously.
Then he answered.
"You are highly controlled."
Gu Yichen raised an eyebrow.
"And?"
"You suppress emotional responses unless necessary."
"That's called discipline."
"Yes."
Lu Bolin continued calmly.
"But your emotional reactions increase when variables change unexpectedly."
Gu Yichen stared at him.
"…Such as?"
Lu Bolin looked directly at him.
"My behavioral change."
Silence.
Gu Yichen suddenly realized something.
Lu Bolin was right.
His curiosity had started the moment Lu Bolin stopped acting the way he always had.
Gu Yichen narrowed his eyes.
"So your plan is to keep acting unpredictable?"
Lu Bolin shook his head.
"No."
"Then what?"
"I'm simply behaving naturally."
Gu Yichen scoffed.
"This is natural?"
"Yes."
Gu Yichen studied him again.
Maybe…
Just maybe…
This was the real Lu Bolin.
And the one from the past three years had only been pretending.
That thought created an uncomfortable feeling in his chest.
If that were true…
Then everything he thought about Lu Bolin might be wrong.
The system suddenly appeared again.
[Villain emotional fluctuation detected.]
Interest Level: 18%
Lu Bolin observed Gu Yichen quietly.
The numbers were rising faster than expected.
Interesting.
Gu Yichen finally spoke again.
"You're reading psychology to understand emotions."
"Yes."
"Then let me give you some advice."
Lu Bolin waited.
Gu Yichen leaned slightly closer.
His voice dropped to a quieter tone.
"Emotions are dangerous."
Lu Bolin asked calmly,
"For whom?"
"For everyone."
Lu Bolin thought about that.
"Even you?"
Gu Yichen's eyes darkened slightly.
"Yes."
Lu Bolin nodded slowly.
"That makes them more interesting."
Gu Yichen looked at him for several seconds.
Then he suddenly smiled.
Not the cold smile he used in business meetings.
Something sharper.
More dangerous.
"If you keep studying me like this…"
"You might regret it."
Lu Bolin answered simply.
"That is acceptable."
Gu Yichen turned away slightly.
But as he walked back toward the mansion—
A strange thought appeared again.
He had intended to return to work.
Instead…
He had just spent fifteen minutes talking to Lu Bolin about emotions.
Gu Yichen frowned faintly.
This pattern was new.
And he didn't like patterns he couldn't control.
Behind him—
Lu Bolin reopened his book.
But before reading again, he said quietly,
"System."
[Yes, Host.]
"Update."
The system displayed the current data.
Villain Interest Level: 18%
Lu Bolin nodded slightly.
Then he wrote one more sentence in his notebook.
Curiosity stage is progressing faster than predicted.
He closed the notebook.
Across the garden, Gu Yichen had stopped walking.
For some reason—
He looked back again.
And once again—
Lu Bolin was not watching him.
He was simply reading his book.
Completely absorbed.
As if Gu Yichen was no longer important at all.
Gu Yichen's eyes narrowed slightly.
And the strange feeling in his chest…
Deepened.