Chapter 2: The Villain’s First Wife Who Died Young

Li Fan sprang up from the bed and screamed, “Me?!”

Substituting herself into the role of Jiang Rou’s daughter, Li Fan clenched her fists.

She almost wanted to laugh at how absurd this whole thing was!

Her mother married into the Jiang family, yet her father had a child with a mistress outside. Then when her mother died during childbirth, he started plotting to abandon her and bring the mistress’s child back home to raise as the official heiress?

Meanwhile, she, the real Jiang family daughter, had to grow up as an adopted child, suffering cold treatment and disdain.

Li Fan still remembered how the outside world praised Shen Guochang, saying he was a righteous and loyal man, devoted to his late wife Jiang Rou. Even after remarrying, he supposedly only cared about Jiang Rou’s child.

But who would have known that Jiang Rou’s child had long been swapped?

Li Fan had never found the world this ridiculous.

[Shen Guochang and Wen Lianxin plotted to abandon you, leaving you to fend for yourself. Later, when they found out you had been taken in by an orphanage, Shen worried that your resemblance to Jiang Rou might expose the truth one day. After some deliberation, he figured the best way was to keep you close, under his watch. It could even boost his reputation, and you would have to feel grateful to him.]

Li Fan sneered. Exactly.

She knew she was adopted, and even in that house, Wen Lianxin constantly reminded her, “You’re just an adopted daughter. Us adopting you is your blessing. You shouldn’t fight with your elder sister.”

The one engaged to Han Xuzhou from the Han family was Shen Yuwan. Two years ago, Han Xuzhou got into a car accident and underwent fifteen surgeries from head to toe. He barely clung to life and was left disabled.

Shen Guochang couldn’t bear to let his biological daughter marry a cripple, so he set his sights on having Li Fan take her place.

Li Fan sank into her memories, a hint of wistfulness appearing on her delicate and beautiful face.

Being a substitute bride didn’t sound good, but back then, she had willingly agreed.

Because it was Han Xuzhou—her adolescent dream.

The day she heard about Han Xuzhou’s car accident, she sat outside the hospital for two whole days, crying until her eyes were swollen like walnuts. But she couldn’t get in.

With unspeakable feelings of girlish yearning, she married the once-glorious, now-fallen favored son of heaven, full of hope.

She even fantasized that she might be the heroine of a novel—appearing at this very moment to save him and fulfill her own dream.

Until the wedding night came, and reality slapped her hard.

Han Xuzhou sat in a wheelchair and forbade her from stepping into the room. He coldly threw a contract to the floor.

The marriage would last two years. After that, they’d divorce. All she needed to do was be a decorative wife and follow instructions.

He promised Li Fan thirty million yuan and the current villa she lived in—Xinghua Danyuan.

She had still been a bit naïve when she signed the contract, thinking: “He just doesn’t understand me yet. Once he does…”

No. He never had any intention of understanding her.

Because the day after their wedding night, Han Xuzhou made entertainment headlines with popular actress Gu Lan.

[Film queen conquers another suitor—Fourth Master Han willingly falls under her spell.]

On the third day, Han Xuzhou was photographed vacationing in the Maldives with top influencer Xiao Yan.

On the fourth day… In the morning, he was skiing with his childhood friend. By the afternoon, he was at the airport picking up his first love.

Scandals like this piled up. Li Fan became famously known in the industry as the abandoned wife. Her youthful heart was shattered to pieces.

From crying deep into the night to now feeling as calm as still water.

During the entire two years of marriage, she’d seen Han Xuzhou less than five times. She had already learned to wait it out—just endure until the contract ended, take the thirty million and the villa, and walk away.

But now, 006 told her: Forget it. You won’t even live to the end of the two years!

“I think I’ve been pretty healthy though. Even if I stay up late, I still keep a routine—sleep at 1, wake up at 10. I even drink goji berry tea sometimes. How could I die so young?”

[Because of Aunt Liu. She’s been drugging your tea every day. Of course you’re dying early.]

Li Fan: “…No way. I’ve never wronged her.”

[She was planted by Zhou Jing, the Han family’s first madam. Zhou once confessed her love to Han Xuzhou and was rejected. She’s jealous that you got to marry him. But don’t take it personally—Gu Lan, Lin Qingqing, Gu Lanyi—any woman remotely involved with Han Xuzhou is someone she envies. You’re just the easiest to target.]

Li Fan: “???” So I’m basically a punching bag?

“Zhou Jing is fifty, right? And Han Xuzhou’s what—nearly thirty? That’s a twenty-year age gap. And she still wants to play out some sister-in-law forbidden romance fantasy? What is wrong with her?”

006: I think your concern right now shouldn’t be how she thinks, but rather the fact that this little cabbage is about to wither.

Li Fan suddenly remembered. Oh right, she had to deal with Aunt Liu first.

She opened the surveillance feed on her phone, rewound it, and saw that Aunt Liu had indeed been drugging her tea every day.

What to do now? Of course—call the police.

Li Fan picked up the phone and dialed 110.

[Even if you report it, Aunt Liu probably won’t implicate Zhou Jing.]

Li Fan chuckled, “I don’t care whether Zhou Jing gets exposed. If I start taking care of my health now, how long could I live?”

[You could probably live to 180. You’ve only been drugged for less than a month. The real physical problems started showing half a year later.]

Li Fan felt reassured. She didn’t even care if Aunt Liu ended up in jail. If the woman was willing to pay 1.8 million in compensation, she might even consider settling.

Although she was the wife of a rich man in name, she only got 500,000 in monthly allowance.

She didn’t get much dowry when she married from the Shen family. Plus, after playing background characters in the entertainment industry and earning peanuts for years, her net worth still wasn’t over ten million.

She was broke.

Li Fan called the police. With surveillance footage in hand, Aunt Liu couldn’t deny the charges and was quickly taken away.

After that, Li Fan messaged Han Xuzhou’s assistant, Chen Ji.

She didn’t have Han Xuzhou’s personal contact and always communicated through Chen Ji.

After reading her message, Chen Ji immediately called her back.

Even if she was just a contract wife, Li Fan was still Han Xuzhou’s “madam” in name.

Li Fan briefly explained the situation. “Good thing I caught it in time. I’m fine now. Of course, if Mr. Han has a kind heart and wants to offer some comfort or compensation, that’d be great.”

A few million would be ideal. I’ll even set up a shrine in his name!

Chen Ji was silent for a moment before replying respectfully, “Understood, Madam.”

Li Fan lay on the bed, humming a tune and twirling her toes, waiting for the transfer.

She didn’t know that on the other side, Chen Ji had already gone to Han Xuzhou and reported, “Fourth Master, Madam is fine, but she seemed frightened. She’s hoping you’ll visit her.”