Outside, rain pours down in sheets. I pull my trench coat tight and answer my ringing phone.
“Hello?”
“Qian Qian, did you get the money? Your dad’s still waiting for surgery.”
It’s my mom, once the elegant Mrs. Yan Group, now living in a cramped rental with my dad.
After Yan Group went bankrupt, my dad had a heart attack and landed in the hospital.
With all our assets frozen, I had no choice but to ask Li Zhenyu for help.
I find an ATM, transfer the money to my mom, but she calls back, dissatisfied. “Only a hundred thousand? Your dad’s surgery costs at least five hundred thousand. What about the rest?”
I sigh. “Don’t worry, I’ll figure something out.”
Back at the Li family villa.
Li Zhenyu and I have always slept in separate rooms—he’s on the third floor, I’m on the second.
While the housekeeper isn’t looking, I sneak into Li Zhenyu’s room and rummage through his drawers, finding a few watches, rings, and bracelets.
Any one of these could fetch hundreds of thousands at a pawn shop. Why did the original heroine bother begging for money?
I stuff the loot into my pocket. The system pipes up, annoyed: “Host, how can you steal?”
I glare. “How is it stealing between husband and wife? Don’t you know the law? This is marital property—I own half.”
System: …
“No. Put it back. Yan Qian is a woman of pride. She’s supposed to work part-time and meet the second male lead. You’re messing up the plot!”
“I’ll just take one watch. I’ll still get a job. It won’t change the main storyline.”
“If you don’t put it back, you’ll be punished.”
Just then, footsteps sound outside.
Panicking, I clutch the watches and dive under the bed.
Right as I hide, Li Zhenyu enters with Bai Yuhan on his arm.
Bai Yuhan’s heels clack loudly on the floor. She cranks up the drama, calling out, “Zhenyu, carry me—!”
I’m still damp from the rain. A strand of hair tickles my nose, and I can’t help it—I let out a loud sneeze.
“Achoo—!”
Li Zhenyu’s cold, angry voice cuts through the room. “Who’s there? Get out!”
I play dead under the bed.
“I’ll count to three. One—”
The system nags me too. “Host, don’t make trouble. Get out and apologize, or you’ll be punished.”
Reluctantly, I stash the watches and crawl out from under the bed.
Bai Yuhan is livid. “Yan Qian, you shameless tramp! Were you hiding here to seduce Zhenyu?”
Li Zhenyu’s glare could kill. Thinking fast, I say, “Don’t get the wrong idea.”
“I’m not here to break you two up—I want to join you.”
Li Zhenyu and Bai Yuhan freeze. I force a laugh and sling an arm around Bai Yuhan’s shoulders.
“Don’t you always complain you can’t handle Zhenyu alone? Relax, we’re all on the same team. I’m a team player—I’ll help out.”
Bai Yuhan is stunned. “Who’s on your team?!”
“Oh, come on. We’re both Zhenyu’s women. If we’re not colleagues, what are we? Don’t worry, I’m all about teamwork. I’d never leave you hanging—”
“Get out!” Li Zhenyu finally snaps, his face dark, voice shaking as he points at the door.
I shrug and head out. “Fine, next time let’s all work together.”
But before I can leave, someone grabs my arm. Li Zhenyu shoots Bai Yuhan a cold look.
“Out.”
Bai Yuhan’s eyes fill with tears. She bites her lip but doesn’t dare defy him. She glares at me and storms out, sobbing.
“Shameless, disgusting woman!”
Li Zhenyu slams the door, pinning me against it, his eyes stormy.
“Yan Qian, you’d do anything for money? Is there no limit to your shamelessness?”
He bites down on my collarbone, hard enough to make me dig my nails into the wall.
I suddenly remember—in the book, every time Li Zhenyu humiliates Yan Qian in public, he comes home and vents his anger on her. Who knows what’s wrong with him?
Li Zhenyu kisses down my neck, his breathing heavy. I’m disgusted and about to knee him, but the system cuts in first.
“Forced punishment—”
I immediately drop my leg. Fine, whatever. I can take it.
Li Zhenyu kisses me, then pulls back, looking conflicted.
He runs his tongue over his teeth, then sticks it out—there are a few tiny black fragments on it.
He wipes them off with his finger, squinting suspiciously.
I let out a breath. “Oh, those are walnut shells. I’ve had them stuck for ages—couldn’t get them out with my nails. Your mouth is like a vacuum cleaner.”
“I’ve still got some stuck. Can you help me out?”
I open my mouth wide and lean in. Li Zhenyu immediately turns away, shoving me hard.
“Get out!”
“System, he told me to leave. That’s not breaking the plot, right?”
System: “…No, you’re fine.
Chapter 02
*