Chapter 16: Did it Overturned?

Yu Zhi’s motion of wiping away tears suddenly stopped.

Her sobbing froze on her face, and she forced a smile, saying, “Jiang Gege, what are you saying? Why can’t I understand?”

“How could I be such a frivolous woman!”

Yu Zhi covered her chest, looking like she had been hurt by her beloved, a mix of sadness and anger. But in her mind, an alarm was ringing frantically.

Help! How does Jiang Qianchen know that she is Vivian!

Vivian had never revealed any personal information about herself through her alternate account. The tone and style of speech were completely different from the elegant and dignified “Yu Zhi.” They seemed to have nothing in common, and every time she endured the chill and flirted with Jiang Qianchen.

One was a gentle and virtuous wife who silently waited, and the other was a clingy and annoying little demon. Unless Jiang Qianchen had supernatural powers, it would be impossible for him to recognize these two completely opposite individuals as the same person.

Perhaps he was testing her to see how she obtained the chat screenshots?

Yu Zhi: As long as I don’t admit it, no one can expose my alternate identity.

The wife’s reaction was beyond Jiang Qianchen’s expectations.

He deeply examined the chat content on the paper, and the printed screenshot clearly showed the woman’s profile picture.

At a glance, he could see the delicate collarbone in the picture, which was captivating.

The paper had deep creases. Jiang Qianchen had always had a good memory. During his years abroad, Yu Zhi had rarely gone on trips, and every time she went out, someone would inform him. One of the locations was the small island in the background of her selfie.

And… thinking of some indescribable scenes, Jiang Qianchen’s eyes darkened.

Below her collarbone, there was a faint red mole.

The person in front of him was still sobbing and saying, “Vivian came to me on her own. She said you two were supposed to meet here today and wanted me to come in person to face the reality.”

“Vivian also said that she is your true love and advised me to leave early and give up.”

Yu Zhi lowered her head, “I know you don’t have me in your heart. Even a random celebrity outside can bear your child, but you don’t have to humiliate me like this!”

As she continued to exaggerate the situation, Jiang Qianchen rubbed his forehead and interrupted in time.

“Who’s pregnant?”

He had been on a business trip in Huacheng for a week and had no idea when he had become a father.

If we’re going to argue, why bother asking so clearly? Yu Zhi was immersed in her melodramatic script when she was suddenly interrupted and had to give up her long-planned old-fashioned lines.

“I don’t want to say.” She turned her head away and finally, under Jiang Qianchen’s deep gaze, she reluctantly spoke up, “Okay, it’s Chen Baiwei.”

The man didn’t say anything, and the furrowed brows showed his unfamiliarity with the name.

“That’s the female celebrity I met in the hotel that night.”

Jiang Qianchen was too indifferent, as if they were not on the same wavelength at all, which made Yu Zhi feel powerless despite her intention to argue passionately. After explaining to him for a while, the anger she felt during the argument disappeared. Yu Zhi held onto her last bit of stubbornness, “She’s already three months pregnant.”

…Although she’s not carrying your child.

Since Chen Baiwei was caught being arrogant by Jiang Qianchen at the hotel, life seemed to have been difficult for her. First, she was stopped from continuing her contract on “Perfect Heartthrob Idol” and was unable to appear in the final live broadcast. Then, all sorts of endorsements were cancelled. Yu Zhi even received paparazzi photos sent by enthusiastic people, showing Chen Baiwei looking miserable as she entered the obstetrics and gynecology department of the hospital, and then being slapped by a middle-aged woman wearing a gold necklace, who reportedly shouted “vixen” loud enough to be heard for miles around.

Yu Zhi started from the beginning and ended with the conclusion, first putting on a painful mask on herself, “Do you think I lost my dignity when I hit her last time?”

“I don’t want to be the forever rational, forever gentle wealthy wife anymore.” As if relieved of a heavy burden, she bowed her head, covered her face, not allowing her sadness to show in front of him. “I just want to love someone simply.”

She choked out the words. Her delicate fingers covered her palm-sized face, revealing only her exquisite earlobes. Yu Zhi, with tears in her eyes, her temples dampened by tears, and tiny droplets clinging to her hair, looked like a lotus after a light rain.

Jiang Qianchen had never realized his wife’s difference like he did today.

They had been married for two years, always treating each other with respect. The Jiang and Lian families were acquainted, so he had heard a little about Lian Grandfather’s granddaughter, who was beautiful and quiet in his impression.

So when Lian Grandfather passed away and his grandfather proposed that Yu Zhi become his granddaughter-in-law, Jiang Qianchen did not refuse.

With a decent background, gentle and knowledgeable in etiquette, she won the favor of the Old Master. She was obedient and sensible, indeed the best choice for a wife.

At that time, he needed a good family background to create a reliable and approachable image of himself. And according to the Jiang family tradition, the direct line would receive a fixed amount of shares after marriage, which was exactly what he needed while in the midst of a power struggle. This would give him the absolute control over the group.

Although he had other means to achieve the same goal, it had to be said that this was the most secure and controllable option.

The married life turned out to be as expected. His wife was dignified and generous, handling household matters in an orderly manner. Her character was gentle and virtuous, never arguing with him, always quietly standing behind him.

Except for today.

Jiang Qianchen pulled his thoughts out of his memories.

He knew that Yu Zhi didn’t want a simple marriage with him, but he never expected her love to run so deep.

If you can’t have the other person’s heart, would you choose to bless and let go?

Jiang Qianchen folded the chat “evidence” in his hand.

Once emotions are involved in certain matters, they become uncontrollable. He needed a wife, and Yu Zhi needed a support. If this cooperative marriage was influenced by emotions, the rules and boundaries would become blurred, and there would be no guarantee that things would develop as planned.

Rationally, he knew he should present all the evidence to Yu Zhi. For example, he could tell her that very few people knew his private number, yet Vivian became his friend through a phone number search. He could also mention the surveillance in the office. Then he could warn her not to cause trouble unreasonably, not to probe into his private life, and not to lose sight of the bigger picture over trivial matters. Otherwise, he would consider dissolving the marriage. The consequences of that would be something she couldn’t bear alone.

But Jiang Qianchen hesitated and decided to follow his heart, choosing to indulge her a little.

He looked at Yu Zhi, her eyes red from crying, and wanted to extend his hand to wipe away her tears, but then he withdrew it.

“I don’t know who this Chen Wei is.” Jiang Qianchen patiently explained, “Secretary Xu has already handled the matter. That day, she went into Mr. Zhu’s room, and I instructed him to send the surveillance footage to the original wife. The results should be forwarded to your email.”

“Perhaps you want to see the hotel surveillance now?”

The man stood with his hands in his pockets, looking straight into her eyes without mentioning a word about Vivian.

“I will strictly fulfill the commitments of our contract and will not do anything disloyal or unfaithful in our marriage. You can rest assured,” Jiang Qianchen said word by word. Beneath his golden-rimmed glasses, his expression was serious and solemn. “At the same time, I hope you will also abide by the agreement.”

“This is the best way. So, I want to leave…” Yu Zhi trembled as she asked, quickly changing her words under the warning of the system’s character collapse, “Do you want a divorce?”

After saying that, Yu Zhi was taken aback.

Goodness, has Jiang Qianchen transformed today? He actually watched her entire performance and patiently explained without changing his expression?

She had an inexplicable premonition. Could this marriage… not end in divorce after all?!!

Sure enough, Jiang Qianchen spoke:

“Yu Zhi, I believe our marriage is very stable,” he said to her. “You can do whatever you like without considering other factors, because you are Mrs. Jiang.”

“If someone makes you unhappy,” Jiang Qianchen’s eyes flashed with a cold edge as he said this, filled with the dominance and pride of a superior, “you can come directly to me.”

“There’s no need to resort to divorce.”

How can that be!

Yu Zhi almost screamed out loud.

The man’s tone was calm, but it carried a tremendous message.

It was as if sitting on a throne, a monarch high above, who usually remained sober, calm, and adhered to principles, suddenly held a scepter and was willing to let her play and indulge in some harmless little privileges.

But this was also terrifying.

Yu Zhi took a deep breath in her heart. Others might envy the feeling of being doted on by a cold-hearted boss, but she felt very tempted yet refused.

What’s the point of being a puppet exclusively tailored for Jiang Qianchen? She would have to go along with his every whim and make an effort to study his preferences. She would have to wait for the monarch to be pleased before receiving any favor. Which of these is stronger than having a sweet and romantic youthful love affair with a young and fresh partner?

She married young, and the most beautiful years of her life were already lost in Jiang Qianchen’s hands. Did she have to continue living with him until the end of the story and then go offline?

Yu Zhi really wanted to shake Jiang Qianchen awake and make his intelligent brain calm down. Even a fool could see that she was just picking a fight for no reason today, yet he remained unfazed and accepted everything. Was her acting so brilliant that it had reached the level of distorting right and wrong, or had Jiang Qianchen drunk fake alcohol during his business trip?

Yu Zhi gritted her teeth in secret, just one step away from divorce, and she could retire early. Couldn’t that scumbag man just grant her this one wish?

[Warning! Host’s infatuated character has collapsed to a degree of 76%. Please be mindful of your words and actions, host!]

As a lovestruck supporting character, her current mood should be one of jubilation, not despair.

Thinking about her cute sunny boy and her future loyal puppy-like companion, Yu Zhi felt that she could endure a little longer.

“Wow, that’s great! I didn’t expect that this was all a misunderstanding.”

Yu Zhi pinched herself to snap out of her previous emotions and tearfully exclaimed, “I’m so happy! Jiang Gege, you’re so good to me.”

First, she played the “good person” card with Jiang Qianchen, and then she laid the groundwork to whitewash herself.

“Actually, I’ve always been an insecure person and often do unreasonable things. Sometimes, even I find it unbelievable.”

“Everything I said earlier was nonsense. You won’t blame me, will you?”

Jiang Qianchen nodded slightly.

Yu Zhi ran towards him, hugged his arm, and shook it. “Actually, I don’t want a divorce either. My heart aches when I say those two words. It would be best if we could be together forever.”

That’s weird. J

It seemed that Jiang Qianchen was quite pleased with her sweet talk, as he didn’t push her away at the first moment and even tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. He just made a sound of acknowledgment and remained silent.

The two of them walked towards the coffee shop.

Yu Zhi was about to continue sending some sweet talk to salvage her shock and resistance upon hearing that she didn’t need to divorce. She gazed deeply at Jiang Qianchen, refusing to shift her gaze even a bit.

Then she noticed that the man suddenly stopped.

There was a life-sized cardboard standee outside a shop window, and Jiang Qianchen frowned as he glanced at the face printed on it.

“Is this what you specifically flew to Huacheng to see, little rascal?”

The man said the last two words with some unfamiliarity.

Yu Zhi turned to see He Mengxin’s face, and instantly felt her vision go dark.