My days grew hectic—work during the day, swimming lessons at night. I’d come home with damp hair and changed clothes, which didn’t escape Li Zhenyu’s notice.
One evening, as I walked in with my hair still wet, Li Zhenyu called out to me.
He sat in the dark living room, a cigar glowing faintly in the shadows.
“What have you been so busy with lately?”
I didn’t want to talk to him, so I made up an excuse.
“Learning a new skill.”
A vein pulsed on his temple as he stubbed out the cigar.
“What skill?”
I started spouting nonsense. “Synchronized swimming. Since you love bathtubs so much, I thought I’d perform for you next time.”
Li Zhenyu’s face twisted in anger. With a sweep of his arm, he sent everything on the coffee table crashing to the floor. He pulled a stack of photos from his pocket and threw them down, his voice tight with rage. “Learning from Lin Zeyan, are you?”
He turned on the lights and stormed over, yanking my hair and dragging me to the sofa.
I landed hard, hair falling over my face. I whimpered, “Ah—so painful—”
Then, realizing it was Li Zhenyu in front of me, not Lin Zeyan, I shut up and glanced at the photos. Sure enough, they were all candid shots of me and Lin Zeyan—clearly Bai Yuhan’s handiwork.
“Yan Qian, you’re disgusting,” Li Zhenyu spat, his face cold and contemptuous.
I rolled my eyes. “What do you want from me? If you hate me so much, why not just divorce me?”
“Divorce? Don’t even think about it!”
He got up, face dark, and lunged for me. I scrambled to my feet and ran, and soon we were circling the sofa in a bizarre game of cat and mouse.
The more I ran, the more energized I felt. All those swimming lessons had paid off—my stamina was fantastic.
After a few laps, Li Zhenyu must have realized how ridiculous this looked. He stopped, face thunderous.
“Yan Qian—come here.”
I stood my ground. According to the plot, Lin Zeyan’s presence was supposed to ignite Li Zhenyu’s jealousy. He’d beat me up, then do unspeakable things, and finally lock me up at home.
But I was determined to avoid that storyline.
I raised my hands. “Li Zhenyu, let’s talk. If you promise not to hit me, I won’t run. Deal?”
His expression was unreadable. I pressed on, “If you dare hit me, I’ll take photos and post them online—say you abused me. Your company’s stock would crash, costing you millions. Isn’t that a bit much for something so petty?”
I was still rambling when Li Zhenyu suddenly vaulted over the sofa, grabbed me by the neck, and—unexpectedly—kissed me.
This kiss was nothing like I’d expected. It was gentle, lingering, and carried an emotion I couldn’t quite name.
I was stunned, and suddenly, memories of the original Yan Qian and Li Zhenyu flashed through my mind.
They’d met through a blind date, back when the Yan family was still wealthy and Yan Qian was a beloved princess. She’d fallen for Li Zhenyu at first sight, and after they married, they’d even shared a few happy days. But when the Yan Group went bankrupt and dragged the Li family down with it, Li Zhenyu had accused her of plotting all along. Then Bai Yuhan returned, and the two of them drifted further apart.
I sighed. Really, he had no one to blame but himself—so easily manipulated by a supporting character. How did he even manage to make so much money?
I pushed at Li Zhenyu, but he didn’t budge. I laughed softly. “Li Zhenyu, admit it—you love me.”
As expected, he recoiled as if shocked, face darkening.
“Get out! Get out of my sight!”
I headed upstairs, and soon after, I heard him calling Bai Yuhan.
She arrived quickly, making sure to create plenty of noise upstairs. I stuffed my ears with pillows and slept soundly, not caring about their drama.
Maybe my threat about taking photos finally got through to Li Zhenyu, because he stopped getting physical with me. At the office, though, Bai Yuhan was relentless, finding new ways every day to make my life difficult.
I handled her tricks with ease, never letting her get the upper hand. In fact, I started calling my lawyer right in front of her, just to get under her skin.
“Attorney Zhou, what can I do if my husband refuses to divorce me? No, I don’t want any property, I just don’t want to live with him anymore. He just can’t let me go—it’s so annoying. Would filing a lawsuit help? He really can’t live without me, it’s driving me crazy.”
Bai Yuhan shrieked and slapped the phone out of my hand. “Yan Qian, what nonsense are you spouting? Zhenyu-ge doesn’t even like you! I’m the only one in his heart!”
I snorted. “Don’t kid yourself. If he liked you so much, why didn’t he marry you? Use your head for once. I’m broke, the Yan family is nothing but a burden to the Li family, and he still refuses to let me go. As for you, your Lin family is loaded. If Li Zhenyu married you, the Li family would rise even higher. He cares so much about profit, yet he still doesn’t choose you. Doesn’t that tell you something?”
Bai Yuhan went pale, lips trembling, and tried to slap me again, but I dodged easily.
“Impossible! Impossible! Stop dreaming, Zhenyu-ge doesn’t love you at all!”
That was the final straw for Bai Yuhan. She finally snapped.
Chapter 06
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