In the dead of night, the mansion lay cloaked in silence, and the echo of footsteps drifted down the grand staircase. A single brimful suitcase rolled behind Su Weichu, wheels murmuring against the marble floor.

Just as she reached the final step, a figure appeared in the dim glow of the chandelier — Bai Xueping, draped in the lingering scent of expensive perfume and pungent cigarette smoke, fresh from an all-night card game.

She arched a brow, lips curling into a smirk. “It’s the middle of the night—what kind of drama are you up to now?” Su Weichu didn’t spare her more than a passing glance.

“I’ve left the divorce papers on the nightstand. Make sure Lin Huaiyu, signs them.” Her voice was like steel wrapped in silk — calm and composed, but utterly unyielding. Su Weichu readjusted her grip on the suitcase and carried on, intent on leaving without another word.

All at once—a sudden thud! Su Weichu had stumbled while her phone flopped from her pocket, meeting the floor’s solid surface. The screen lit up, frozen on an image—a photograph of Lin Huaiyu, his arm draped intimately around another woman, their faces squished together and their smiles too familiar.

Bai Xueping took a cursory glance and let out a disdainful scoff. “You’re divorcing him over this?” she sneered. “A country girl like you should know her place. If you had even the slightest ability to help Huaiyu in his business, he wouldn’t have to go looking for entertainment elsewhere.”

Su Weichu halted in her tracks.

The air revolving around her seemingly dropped in temperature as she slowly turned her gaze towards Bai Xueping. What was once indifferent eyes, now gleamed with a cold, sharp light, like ice catching the reflection of steel.

“I don’t need Madam Lin to remind me of my worth,” she uttered, her tone calm yet laced with quiet menace. “But…as for you…”

She stepped forward with her lips curving into something that might have been a smile—if not for the sheer iciness beneath it.

“People say Madam Lin is a kindhearted woman,” she mused. “That you travel to disaster zones every year, donating generously, following in the footsteps of noblewomen. Although, I beg to differ.” She tilted her head slightly as if contemplating something. “No, I think you’re truly compassionate. After all, not just anyone would be magnanimous enough to hand a mistress—ah, no…a secretary—a hefty sum to make her leave.”

The color drained from Bai Xueping’s face, her hands curling into fists at both of her sides.

Su Weichu’s smirk deepened, her voice soft but deliberate. “Such a pity, though. I heard that secretary of yours didn’t know her place…and ended up missing instead.” She let out a slow, thoughtful tsk. “What a waste of your kindness.”

Bai Xueping visibly flinched. “You—what nonsense are you spouting about?!”

Bai Xueping was left flabbergasted, her fingers tightening instinctively around the silk scarf draped over her shoulders. Though her voice carried its usual sharpness, there was a tremor beneath it, a hint of an unsteady matter.

Meanwhile, Su Weichu had already bent down to retrieve her phone without even sparing Bai Xueping another glance. Her delicate, slender fingers dusted the screen unbothered. Without another word, she turned and strode out of the Lin family’s grand estate, the rhythmic click of her heels echoed through the quiet, empty hall.

By the time she exited through the steel grand door with gold lining, a luxurious jet-black car was out the front of the entrance, waiting for her. The midnight air was crisp, carrying with it the faint scent of rain and city smog. She made her way towards the vehicle and pulled open the door. She slid inside, breathing out a sigh quietly as she seated comfortably.

Just as the car accelerated and departed from the towering mansion behind her, her phone vibrated twice in her palm.

Lin Huaiyu was calling.

Su Weichu didn’t hesitate.

With a single tap, she declined the call and instantly blocked his number from her phone.

Outside the window, neon lights bled into the darkness, streaking across the glass like smeared paint. The city’s glow blurred, distant and untouchable.

Her fingers curled slightly around her phone as images surfaced in her mind—Lin Huaiyu, holding another woman close, his lips brushing against her ear, his gaze filled with an intimacy that had never been meant for her.

She knew exactly who had sent those photos.

Qiao Shan.

In spite of the past three years, she had returned.

Lin Huaiyu hadn’t said a word. He didn’t need to.

She had always known although she refused to believe it.

Qiao Shan will forevermore have a special place in Lin Huaiyu’s heart.

Su Weichu contemplated if she had left his heart, questioning why he had never once touched her within those three years? Why had he always kept his distance, his business trips an easy excuse to escape her presence and company?

She had been foolish once, naive enough to believe that if she hovered long enough beside him, regardless of his indifferent behaviour or if she gave enough devoting her whole life to him, she could soften the heart of a man who had never wanted her in the first place.

Yet in the end…

“Ring—ring”. The shrill ring of her phone shattered the silence in the car, gently startling her and yanking Su Weichu out of her thoughts.

She lowered her gaze, her lashes casting faint shadows against her cheeks. The name flashing on the screen made her brows knit together ever so slightly.

For half a second, she hesitated before finally answering.

Her voice was nonchalant, distant. “What is it?”

“Chuchu,” a deep, amused voice drawled on the other end, smooth as silk. “Now that you’ve decided to get a divorce, shouldn’t we start making arrangements for our wedding?”

Su Weichu froze for a moment, gradually making sense of his words.

She had only just signed the divorce papers, yet before she had even taken her first step away from that failed marriage, Fu Wenbo already knew.

News traveled faster than she would’ve expected.

How ironic—when she had vowed to wholeheartedly love Lin Huaiyu, no one had believed her. Except, now that she had chosen to separate ways, it seems the entire world had been waiting for it.

The silence on the line was prolonged, but Fu Wenbo was never one to be ignored or the quiet type. His voice came again, rich with amusement and tinged with a harsh bite.

“Chuchu, Qiao Shan is back. Do you really think Lin Huaiyu will still play the role of your ‘loving’ husband?”

Su Weichu’s fingers curled around her phone as she felt something inside her chest tighten. A cold smile tugged at the corner of her lips, but it never reached her eyes.

“You seem to know quite a lot.” Her voice was lightweight, almost uninterested but there was a razor-sharp edge beneath it. “Fu Wenbo, remove whatever spies you’ve planted in the Lin family. The rest…we’ll talk about once I return to the Su residence.”

She didn’t wait for his response. With a swift motion, she hung up before he could utter another word.

The city lights blurred past the car window, smearing like watercolor against the glass. She gradually exhaled for a considerable amount of time before dialing a number.

Almost immediately, her call was answered, as if the receiver on the other end was patiently waiting for this moment.

“Well, well, well” a deep, steady voice rumbled from the other end. There was no surprise in his tone—only a knowing amusement. “You finally remembered to call me?”

At the sound of her grandfather’s voice, something in Su Weichu’s chest ached.

She had promised herself she wouldn’t cry.

She had promised herself she would walk away from this marriage with dignity, her head upheld high.

At the same time, with the weight of everything pressing down on her, her voice came out softer than she ever wanted it to be.

“I-I’m divorced…” she said, each word tasting foreign on her tongue. “I’ll be home soon. As for the inheritance…I’ll leave the arrangements to you.”

A long-lasting silence.

Was grandfather shocked? Matter of fact the answer is no, her grandfather had never been the kind of man to be caught off guard. This was a matter he had predicted long ago, something he had warned her about.

Su Weichu had been so certain yet so naive.

Hopelessly in love and devoted to Lin Huaiyu.

Eventually, her grandfather surrendered in persuading Su Weichu to reconsider. Instead, he made her a considerable deal.

“If, within three years, Lin Huaiyu does not fall in love with you, you will leave him immediately and return to inherit the Su family’s legacy as the rightful heir.”

Three years…

Three years of anticipating, of longing, of convincing herself that love—her love—could rewrite fate.

Su Weichu believed foolishly, that she could melt the ice in Lin Huaiyu’s heart.

She believed that if she lingered long enough and if she gave more than what she could offer, maybe one day…he would finally look at her the way he had once lovingly gazed at Qiao Shan.

Yet in the end, their story had precedently been written down.

Everyone had foreseen the ending—

Every other individual, except for her. Perhaps, she refused to accept their ending.

Su Weichu let out a soft chuckle—shallow, almost self-mocking. The sound was swallowed by the night, carrying with it a quiet sense of desolation.

Thereafter, in the next instant—

A blinding beam of light gleamed through the darkness, so intense that she instinctively shut her eyes.

In an instant, the car lurched forward before she could react. The driver had slammed his foot on the gas without warning, the sudden force of acceleration caused her to lean forward. Her head struck the seat in front of her with a sharp thud. Pain resonated across her forehead as she steadied herself, her fingers pressing against the dull ache.

She had barely enough time to catch her breath when—

Bang!

The car door was wrung open and the night air rushed in quickly filling up the warm space from inside.

“Su Weichu, is that correct?” A firm, no-nonsense voice cut through the confusion. “You’ve been reported for theft. We need you to come with us.”

The words barely registered. Theft?

It wasn’t until she was brought to the station that she finally learned what this was all about.

The Lin family had reported a missing item—The Heart of the Ocean, a rare gemstone necklace worth ten million.

What is more, the accused thief?

Her. Su Weichu.

A slow, bitter smile curled on Su Weichu’s lips.

How preposterous.

She never cared for such things. Even if she did, would she need to steal?

She had no patience for this farce, hence Su Weichu applied for bail.

Yet before her people could arrive to pick her up, the ones who showed up first were—

Lin Huaiyu.

Alongside him—Bai Xueping.

The moment Bai Xueping stepped into the room, she crossed her arms and lifted her chin high, looking down at Su Weichu as if she were something filthy.

“Well, well” Xueping sneered. “Never thought we’d raise a thief in our own home.”

The amusement in her tone was unmistakable. She was enjoying this false accusation.

Bai Xueping took a step closer, her lips winding into a smile out of mockery.

“Listen up, Su Weichu. Hand over the necklace, and I might just turn a blind eye and pretend this never happened.” She let out a dramatic sigh, tilting her head and adjusting her big ruby gold ring. “But if you don’t…well, you’d better get comfortable in that cell since you’ll be staying there for a long time.”

Su Weichu did not entertain nor glance at her. She was unshaken.

On the other hand, she turned her head towards Lin Huaiyu—the man who had once been her husband.

He had been silent this whole time, standing at Bai Xueping’s side and watching like a hand-crafted statue. Not a single word came out of his mouth.

A thousand emotions skimmed through her heart but in the end, only one remained.

Disappointment.

She met his gaze, her own eyes calm, devoid of anger or pleading.

Looking into his eyes, she asked—

“You believe it too…?”

Her voice was quiet. Steady.

Yet within it was something that could shatter walls.

“Do you really think…I stole it?”

Lin Huaiyu’s dark eyes gleamed with an unreadable light, as deep as an abyss. He could not answer Su Weichu’s question. Instead, he spoke with words of finality.

“I won’t sign the divorce papers.”

The words fell between them like an iron lock, heavy and immovable.

Su Weichu’s fingers tightened at her sides, but before she could speak, a sharp, indignant voice sliced through the air like a blade.

“Huaiyu, do you even know what you’re talking about? She’s a thief! I will never allow someone of her likeness to stay, she’ll never become part of the Lin family!”

Bai Xueping stood rigid, eyes blazing with righteous fury.

However, Lin Huaiyu’s words were set in stone, his gaze remained fixed as he replied.

“She is my wife. Whether she stays or not—is for me to decide.”

His declaration sent a hush throughout the room.

At that moment, a police officer stepped forward, holding out the bail-out papers. Lin Huaiyu did not bother taking a glimpse at them. Without hesitation, he grabbed Su Weichu’s wrist and strode towards the door.

She followed in silence—until they reached the threshold.

At one point, she abruptly tore her arm away, breaking free from his grasp.

“Mr. Lin,” she said, her tone cool as the moonlight. “If you refuse to sign the papers, it will be dealt with by my lawyer, and as for the bail money—I’ll pay it back.”

Lin Huaiyu’s lips pressed into a thin line, his silence unreadable as always.

Unexpectedly, another manly voice was heard through the hallway before Lin Huaiyu could respond.

A voice smooth as silk, carrying the weight of effortless confidence.

“She won’t need to since I’ll be covering it for her.”

Footsteps echoed lightly as a tall man stepped forward, exuding an easy charm. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a check, and flicked it carelessly toward Lin Huaiyu.

The slip of paper fluttered through the air before landing squarely against Lin Huaiyu’s chest.

“A million—should be enough, right?”

Silence crashed over the room like a tidal wave.

Lin Huaiyu’s face darkened instantly, his deep-set eyes turning as cold as a winter’s night. The air around him thickened, laced with a chilling hostility that delivered an unspoken warning.

Money meant nothing to him.

Rather, the unknown man’s actions?

A blatant provocation. A direct challenge.

Moreover, it was an insult he wouldn’t let slide by.

“Mr. Lin,” she pronounced calmly, “I’ve repaid the money swiftly. I’d appreciate it if you handled the divorce just as efficiently—we don’t need to waste anyone else’s time.”

That being said, she turned to leave, ready to follow the man beside her.

“Hold on now”

However, while she was about to take another step away, Lin Huaiyu’s grip tightened around her wrist halting her, his fingers clamping down like iron.

“Hold on now, since when were you especially close with the Fu family?”

His voice was low, but the tension beneath it was unmistakable.

A gradual pain pulsed through her wrist, but Su Weichu merely sneered, her cold eyes flicking up to meet his.

“What does that have to do with you, Mr. Lin?”

Lin Huaiyu’s face dimmed.

“Su Weichu!” he growled, barely suppressing the rage burning beneath the surface of his skin.

She held his gaze with strength until she suddenly let out a mocking chuckle, tilting her head slightly as if she were amused.

“Are you angry, Mr. Lin?” she pondered, her tone dripping with irony. “Oh…I see…You’re allowed to do as you please but I’m not, is that it?”

His brows furrowed even tighter, his facial expression gloomy and dark as a brewing storm. Without another utterance, he yanked her towards his car with a firm grip as his intention was clear.

Soon enough, a hand shot out, blocking his path.

Fu Wenbo.

His voice was steady, but the challenge beneath it was razor-sharp.

“Lin Huaiyu, did you not hear what she had just said?”

A charged silence stretched between them, thickening the smoke before a fire could ignite.

Lin Huaiyu’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“She’s still my wife until we’re officially divorced. Hence, this is a family matter—and frankly, Fu Wenbo, it’s none of your concern.”

The unspoken battle between the two men hung in the air, silent and still suffocating as an invisible war waged in the depths of their gazes.

Thereafter before Lin Huaiyu could tighten his hold, Su Weichu in an instant wrenched her arm free.

Without looking back, she walked past him and got into Fu Wenbo’s car. Lin Huaiyu was left standing lonesome, his hand forming into a fist at his side.

Lin Huaiyu instinctively took a step forward, ready to chase after her.

Fu Wenbo stepped onto his path and prevented Lin Huaiyu from taking a step closer to Su Weichu, his stance relaxed yet uncompromising.

“She’s already made her decision,” Fu Wenbo said, his tone smooth but laced with undeniable finality. “Why would you want to make a fool out of yourself?”

Soon after, he cast Lin Huaiyu a knowing smile—one that was both taunting and pitying—as if to twist the knife deeper.

Eventually, Fu Wenbo distanced and walked towards following her footsteps.

Inside the car, Su Weichu sat with an air of untouchable grace, her presence distant like frost on a mountaintop—beautiful, but impossible to reach.

Even with the car doors shut, Xueping’s sharp voice could be heard from the outside in, cuting through the steel like a dagger, reaching her ears with stinging clarity.

“I told you right from the start—marry someone of equal status! But no, you wouldn’t listen! Here we are now, look where it got you! Not only is something valuable missing but she’s made you the biggest fool in this entire city. Now, I see the reason why she was in such a hurry to be divorced!”

Su Weichu’s lips curled slightly, but there was no warmth in her expression nor life—only a deep, bone-chilling emotionlessness.