Her marriage was a beautiful mistake.

Years later, when Yin Tainyu recalled how she met her husband, her heart still fluttered just like it did back then. However, after these years of marriage, she was no longer as naive as she once was. She had come to realize that her husband didn’t approach her out of love, but out of need.

He needed her. He needed a wife who could help him smoothly climb the political ladder, and her family background was a perfect match for that.

He pursued her with an ulterior motive.

Yin Tainyu wasn’t sure when she first began to suspect all the causes and effects. Maybe she had always known, somewhere deep down, but just didn’t want to admit it to herself. But one day, when he was enthusiastically recounting at the dinner table how he had played dumb and acted sincere to mediate between two major factions within the party, finally getting both sides to agree to push through a certain bill, she suddenly realized that he had probably used the same tactics on her.

He wasn’t as earnest and harmless as he appeared to others. His thoughts were much deeper.

In front of the party elders, he always portrayed himself as a talented and ambitious young man, but one who was perhaps too passionate and impulsive, lowering their guard against him. Just as he had once pretended to be an awkward and uneasy young man in front of her.

Those political veterans were fooled, and naturally, she was as well.

He was not the socially awkward, inarticulate boy she once imagined him to be. She had thought that he, like her, was also helpless in the face of social interactions. But in reality, he was quite skilled—charming and able to blend humility with enthusiasm to win everyone over, making people happy and drawing them into his orbit.

Even her parents had now been completely won over by him, praising her for her good taste in choosing such a talented and promising son-in-law.

After her brother, Yin Fanya, the only male heir of the Yin family, decided not to enter politics, her father had poured all his resources into grooming Bochen, hoping that one day he could inherit all of his political influence.

He was the brightest rising star within the party and perhaps, in the future, would be a man who could influence Taiwan’s political landscape.

He was her husband, the man she loved the most.

Yes, even though she suspected that she was just a pawn on Lu Bochen’s chessboard of life, she was still deeply in love with him, infatuated with him.

She was hopelessly in love…

Yin Tainyu critically examined herself in the antique dressing mirror.

Over the years, her figure had filled out slightly, no longer as thin as a bamboo pole, but her height hadn’t changed. No matter what, she couldn’t look delicate and petite.

Moreover, her plain appearance wasn’t suited to the fragile and charming look of a beauty. Her nose was too prominent, her lips had nothing to do with the word “sexy,” and her single-lidded eyes were prone to puffiness when she lacked sleep.

She didn’t have the beautiful face typical of the Yin family. If she had even a tenth of Haixiang’s beauty, maybe she would have more confidence in her appearance.

But now, she just wanted to say goodbye to the reflection in the mirror.

She turned away, picked up a string of lustrous pearls from the table, and tried to fasten it around her neck but couldn’t quite manage to find the clasp.

“Let me help,” a clear and soothing voice rang out.

She trembled, turning her gaze towards the man who had appeared at the doorway without her noticing. He was dressed in a dark suit, the tailored fit perfectly highlighting his good figure. He leaned casually against the doorframe, as if he had been waiting there for a while and didn’t mind standing there a few minutes longer.

“Bochen,” she softly called, watching him stride towards her, her chest habitually tightening for a split second.

Is there any wife who, after years of marriage, still feels her heart skip a beat when she sees her husband? She was probably the only one.

“You’re still not good at this, Daphne.” His sigh, whispered like a breath, stirred a springtime ripple in her heart.

When they were alone, he would occasionally tease her like this, and she loved the way he called her “Daphne,” his tone rich with a seductive allure that always made her heart flutter.

“Give me the necklace.” He took the string of pearls, brushed aside her hair, and gently fastened it around her neck. After securing the clasp, he smoothed her hair, letting the sleek, dark strands cascade softly over her shoulders.

“You didn’t pin up your hair today.” His warm breath, accompanying his low voice, lightly brushed the fine hairs at her nape.

“I’ll do it right now.” She hastily gathered up her hair, feeling as though the tips of her ears had been heated.

“It looks nice down too,” he suggested.

“No, leaving it down doesn’t look professional.”

“You’re right. You have to give a speech today, so it’s better to look professional.” He turned around and stood in front of her, his deep black eyes seeming to say that he preferred her hair down.

No, she must be imagining things. How could he possibly think that?

She lowered her head, quickly twisting her hair into a bun, securing it with a pearl hairpin, and then glanced at herself in the mirror.

Black cocktail dress, pearl jewelry—would she look like a boring stick next to his handsome figure?

But he didn’t give her much time to ponder this serious issue. Smiling faintly, he kissed her cheek, took her arm, and gracefully escorted her downstairs to the waiting luxury car.

Tonight’s charity dinner was aimed at raising funds for abused women and children, hosted by a certain foundation, with Yin Tainyu invited to speak as a sponsor of the foundation.

She had never dared to give a public speech before, but now she was used to it. Although her speeches weren’t particularly brilliant, they were at least well-structured and occasionally brought a small smile to the audience’s faces.

She still remembered how, when she first received a speaking invitation, Bochen had spent an entire week helping her practice. Every night, he had her recite her speech to ensure she had it perfectly memorized before allowing her to go to bed.

She knew he was trying to help her avoid embarrassment, but she sometimes couldn’t help but wonder if he was actually afraid that she, as his wife, might embarrass him.

In any case, public speaking was a skill that could be learned, and now she wouldn’t embarrass anyone.

With a smile, she took the stage, and five minutes later, she stepped down amid enthusiastic applause from the audience.