Chapter 001: I Don’t Want to See Him

Inside a house filled with ancient charm.

“Miss, please wait a little longer, Master Qin will be back very soon.”

The maid beside her anxiously looked at the frail woman lying on the sickbed, her body thin as a twig, her breath so faint it seemed she could die at any moment.

The woman’s face was pale as paper, her voice as weak as a mosquito’s:

“I don’t want to see him.”

The maid was slightly surprised.

“Miss, haven’t you always admired Master Qin? Why do you suddenly not want to see him?”

The woman tugged slightly at her cracked lips, letting out a faint, bitter smile.

“I only respected him. How could it be love? For more than twenty years, I’ve accompanied him in this farce of deep affection. I am tired, so very tired. I want to go home.”

Tears welled in the maid’s eyes, her voice choking with sobs.

“Miss, don’t tell me you’re feverish and confused again. This is your home. Where else would you want to go?”

The woman’s gaze dimmed, and she sighed.

“This isn’t my home. I want to return to my own home.”

“It’s such a pity about Sister Yue—I won’t be able to see her grow up and marry. My life has already been unfulfilled. I only hope she finds a good husband and lives happily.”

“Tell Master Qin and my elder sister to treat her well.”

—

Back then, she had personally witnessed her husband happily strolling through the mall with his true love and their child.

After an unexpected car accident, she transmigrated into the body of a beloved daughter from a wealthy merchant family.

Later, when her father and brothers were implicated in the First Prince’s rebellion and thrown into prison, she had no choice but to seek help.

At that time, the case was presided over by Qin Yanche, who was then Minister of Justice.

With no other way out, she carried her family’s gold and jewels to the capital, begging Qin Yanche to save her family.

Perhaps moved by her beauty, he desired her. For the sake of her father and brothers, she had no choice but to become his kept mistress.

She had thought his interest was only temporary, that he would eventually tire of her.

But she waited, and waited… until the day he grandly married the lady of his household—yet he still refused to let her go.

Obsessed, he insisted on taking her into his manor as a concubine.

So she played the role of the gentle, obedient woman, devoting herself to him, acting out decades of false affection.

She witnessed with her own eyes his steady rise from Minister of Justice to the exalted position of Grand Chancellor, first in rank, powerful and decisive, trusted deeply by the Emperor.

She had acted in this play for so long that at times, she almost believed she truly loved him.

But now, gravely ill, she knew her frail body would not endure much longer.

Her lips curved into a stiff but contented smile. Her hand slipped weakly down, and she finally closed her eyes forever.

The maid called out to her hoarsely for a long time, but received no response.

Wiping away her tears in a panic, the maid ran out in haste.

Suddenly, she collided with a tall figure at the doorway. With reddened eyes and choked sobs, she cried:

“Master Qin… the Miss—she’s gone—”

Outside, Qin Yanche’s body swayed. Upon hearing of her illness, he had disregarded his own grave injuries, riding day and night without rest, hoping to see her one last time.

He had thought she would have many words for him. Yet in the end, she hadn’t even wanted to see him.

His so-called mutual love had been nothing but a one-man act, a lie he told himself. She had never truly loved him.

Overwhelmed with grief, rage, exhaustion from the journey, and his untreated wounds, Qin Yanche suddenly spat blood and collapsed.

Not long after, tragic news spread throughout the grand manor. Wailing and sobbing filled the halls:

“It’s terrible—because Concubine Su suddenly passed away, the Grand Chancellor was overcome with grief and has also passed away—”

—-

“Wen Fu! Where the hell have you gone? Why don’t you ever answer your phone? Don’t think that by playing hard-to-get and disappearing I’ll fall for it! We’ve been together for so long, and you’re still the same, like a dog that can’t stop eating shit!”

“I’m warning you—get back here immediately! You hear me? Stop with your constant tantrums—when will you ever stop?”

Wen Fu had just woken up from the hospital bed, dazed and groggy, when a man’s furious, piercing voice exploded through the phone.

Her head throbbed. She rubbed her temple, her face damp with a thin layer of cold sweat. She instinctively held the phone away.

Only when his angry curses began to fade did she finally, wearily, speak slowly, word by word:

“Lu Cheny i… I’m not making a scene. Let’s get divorced.”

Lu Chenyi gave a cold laugh, mocking:

“Wen Fu, how many times are you going to pull this divorce stunt? Isn’t it boring yet? Can’t you come up with something new? Don’t push my limits. If you really provoke me, and I actually divorce you, don’t come crawling back in regret.”

“If you don’t come home today, then never come back again. I’m busy every day—I don’t have time for your childish drama. Can’t you behave for once?”

Wen Fu snapped, cursing angrily:

“Lu Chenyi, to hell with you! I’ll say it again—I want a divorce! Go live happily with your precious white moonlight!”

Fuming, she hung up and threw the phone aside, her chest tight with frustration.

It was her birthday. He had promised to spend it with her. She had prepared a candlelight dinner.

But she waited the entire night, and he never came home.

She had sent him several WeChat messages, but he only ever replied with a few perfunctory words: Busy. Stop making trouble.

The next day, she went shopping—only to see with her own eyes the warm sight of him with his white moonlight and their child.

In that moment, she realized how foolish she had been, deceived so thoroughly without even a trace of suspicion.

They had already been together long ago, even having a child.

The boy looked about three or four years old—which meant that before their marriage, his so-called true love had already been pregnant.

Her painstaking three-year marriage to Lu Chenyi had become nothing more than a cruel joke.

They had grown up as childhood sweethearts, with their families arranging their marriage since they were young. Wen Fu had always believed she was destined to be Mrs. Lu.

As children, they had been close.

But when they entered university, Shen Qingli appeared—pure, hardworking, like a beam of light that illuminated Lu Chenyi’s heart, becoming his untouchable “white moonlight.”

Compared to Wen Fu’s spoiled laziness, he felt Shen Qingli was diligent, working part-time to achieve her goals, relying only on herself.

While Wen Fu had grown up enjoying her family’s wealth, a pampered heiress who only knew how to spend money.

For her sake, he had even defied his family, determined to marry Shen Qingli instead.

But how could a poor village girl be worthy of a prestigious family’s young master?

In Jiangcheng, families valued status and alliances. The Lu family patriarch had been very satisfied with Wen Fu as a daughter-in-law.

There was no way he would allow Lu Chenyi to be ruined by an outsider.

So, by force, Shen Qingli was sent abroad, severing all contact.

Since then, Lu Chenyi had harbored resentment toward Wen Fu.

Believing she had used her family to pressure him into marriage, destroying his love. Their marriage was cold from the beginning.

She never knew when Shen Qingli secretly returned. They rekindled their affair, hiding it from her completely.

She had been a fool for over ten years, giving her heart to Lu Chenyi.

Now, finally, she was awake.