Chapter 001:
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Su Niansheng received a video just as her critical illness notice arrived.
It was sent by her husband’s agent.
In the dimly lit KTV booth, a handsome man downed glass after glass. A scantily clad woman snuggled into his embrace, then slowly pressed her lips to his. He didn’t react at all.
Noticing the camera, the woman buried her face shyly against his chest. “Don’t film,” she murmured. “It wouldn’t be good if sister-in-law saw this.”
Hearing that, the man abruptly clamped a hand around her waist, yanking her closer. His icy, indifferent eyes stared straight into the lens, almost deliberately provocative. “So what if she sees? Do you think I care?”
Cheers erupted around them immediately. “Yixuan Jie, the real Mrs. Right! Yixuan Jie, the real Mrs. Right!”
The man in the video was her husband, Shi Yubai – the youngest triple-crown actor in the entertainment industry.
The woman was his lifelong “little sister,” the popular starlet Lin Yixuan – and also his affair partner.
And her, Su Niansheng?
She was nothing but a joke. A discarded pawn.
She had known Shi Yubai for seven years.
From campus to the wedding altar, she had poured her heart and soul into chasing him for six grueling years before finally winning him. She thought their marriage would be the start of happiness. Instead, it was the beginning of her descent into hell…
On their wedding night, he hadn’t touched her. Instead, he got dead drunk and was photographed by paparazzi sprawled in his trailer with Lin Yixuan, their clothes disheveled.
On Valentine’s Day, Lin Yixuan posted a picture on Weibo – two hands intertwined. Su Niansheng recognized them instantly. The internet exploded: #Ultimate Romance! Popular Starlet Lin Yixuan and Triple-Crown Actor Shi Yubai Officially Announce Relationship on Valentine’s Day!#
After that, May 20th, Qixi Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, New Year… Every significant date, they spent together, flaunting their sickeningly sweet romance for the entire online world.
When she and Shi Yubai married, they hadn’t held a ceremony. Beyond a tiny inner circle, no one knew of their relationship. To everyone else, like the netizens, Shi Yubai and Lin Yixuan were the couple.
They were the perfect match, made in heaven.
Sitting too long, Su Niansheng’s illness flared. Agonizing pain wracked her body, forcing tears to well in her eyes.
Total organ failure caused by severe somatic symptom disorder.
She didn’t know when this monstrous disease had claimed her.
Perhaps it was the hysterical fury the first time she saw Shi Yubai and Lin Yixuan’s bed photos. Perhaps it was the rage and madness fueling her endless phone calls. Or perhaps it was the soul-crushing grief and despair when she finally realized Shi Yubai never loved her – he had only ever used and tormented her.
In the end, the pain was too much. Too much to cry, too much to hate. She became like stagnant water, impossible to stir, no matter what was thrown in.
Since Shi Yubai hated her so much, she would grant him this final wish: she wouldn’t leave this world as his widow.
She pulled out the divorce agreement she’d prepared long ago. Tears splattered onto the clauses as she flipped through it.
She had nothing left.
She was once the heiress of the Su Group, the wealthiest family in the capital. But to be with Shi Yubai, she had hidden her identity, fought constantly with her family, and ultimately severed ties.
She was once the top seed in the Youth World Figure Skating Championships. But she had abandoned her career, devoting all her time and energy to managing Shi Yubai and Lin Yixuan’s careers.
She had even shattered the heart of the childhood friend who grew up beside her, driving him overseas, never to return.
For what she thought was love, she had gambled everything, convinced she would find happiness. Instead, she was now paying with her very life.
Stupid. Like a fool.
Tears fell like a dreary June drizzle, dampening everything as sleep claimed her after she emailed the divorce papers to Shi Yubai.
Early the next morning, a reply arrived: I’m at Universe Tower. We need to talk in person.
Universe Tower. An awards ceremony.
The venue teemed with titans of business and entertainment, a galaxy of stars. The red carpet stretched hundreds of meters, a constant stream of beautiful people posing before the signature wall.
When Shi Yubai and Lin Yixuan, resplendent in formal wear, walked arm-in-arm onto the stage, fans erupted in frenzied screams, hailing them as the perfect golden couple!
“Welcome distinguished guests to the 23rd Golden Ear Awards!” The host’s voice boomed with excitement. “Let’s give a thunderous round of applause for tonight’s prestigious presenter, Shi Yubai, who will award the Golden Ear for Best Actress to… Miss Lin Yixuan!”
The host lowered the mic, waiting for the spotlight to find Lin Yixuan.
Instead, with a whoosh, the brilliant stage lights suddenly swung towards the entrance. As the massive, gilded double doors slowly swung open, every eye in the venue was drawn to the figure standing there.
Su Niansheng, weakened by her illness and unaccustomed to such exertion, felt her heart racing and her body trembling with cold by the time she reached her destination.
Yet, the sight beyond the doors plunged her into an icy abyss!
Inside the opulent hall, amidst glittering lights and glamorous guests, were countless celebrities, reporters, and fans.
And…
In the premium seating section, sat a dazzlingly handsome but strangely unfamiliar young man.
Back then, he was just her childhood friend – a bit immature, domineering, and boastful, her constant companion and confidant.
Now, after years abroad, he had returned. Gone was the youthful awkwardness. He was now the official heir to the Shen financial empire, the capital’s most illustrious Young and Accomplished CEO. Impeccably suited, devastatingly handsome, he radiated an aura of untouchable, icy nobility. He didn’t even glance her way.
So, this was what Shi Yubai meant by “talk in person”…
To humiliate her – the woman betrayed by both her husband and her friend – before the glaring cameras and the estranged faces of family and friends, turning her into the laughingstock of the entire capital!
A complete and utter clown!
For a moment, Su Niansheng froze. Her vision blurred, her face turned deathly pale. Shame screamed at her to flee, but her frail body refused.
Simultaneously, shock rippled through the gala.
Who was she?
Simple shoulder-length hair, an ordinary black coat, and an undeniable pallor of illness marked her face. She was utterly out of place in this glittering affair. Yet, the ethereal grace in her features and her exquisite bone structure were mesmerizing, like a swan in distress.
Shi Yubai spotted her, his brow furrowing slightly, momentarily forgetting the award in his hand.
Why was she here?
“Is that Su Niansheng? She’s changed so much after all these years.”
“Young Master Shen? Are you alright?” A friend’s startled voice came from the premium seats beside the CEO.
The man’s reply was terse. “I wasn’t.” (“我没看” 的深层含义 – 否认自己在看苏念笙)
“I didn’t say you were looking,” the friend stammered, “I meant your hand…”
On the table, the crystal wine glass clenched in the CEO’s hand had shattered. Sharp shards were embedded in his long, elegant fingers, crimson blood welling and dripping, a startlingly violent sight.
