He was at a disadvantage!

On his way home, Lu Bochun drove recklessly, using speed to vent his anxiety and self-loathing.

Yes, he hated himself for being at a disadvantage in this game.

The rules of the game that Li Xiangsi set were completely unexpected; he never thought she would demand he divorce his wife.

In his half a lifetime, he couldn’t remember a woman who dared to threaten him or test him like this…

Damn it!

No, the real damnation was himself; he shouldn’t have let today’s situation arise. He shouldn’t have given that woman the chance to exert her charm on him.

He was out of his mind.

Lu Bochun frowned darkly, turning off the radio to find the channel that played the most intense music.

He turned aimlessly, the notes jumping chaotically from the speakers—some high, some low, forming the most bizarre sound.

Was there not one song that was listenable?

He was furious, almost wanting to punch the speakers, when suddenly, a soothing voice flowed like water—

“Good evening, listeners, I’m Yin Tianyu.”

He froze.

Tianyu? How could she be on the radio?

“Welcome, Miss Yin, to our program,” the host’s refreshing voice interjected. “We know that Miss Yin and Legislator Lu Bochun are quite the couple. Every time there’s a social event, you both attend together, and many listeners say they envy you two for being married for so many years and still having such a close relationship.”

“Not at all.”

“Today, we invited Miss Yin mainly to chat with our listeners about the dynamics of married life…”

After that, the host continued speaking, but Lu Bochun could no longer hear clearly. He slowed down, searching his mental database for his wife’s schedule for the night.

Right, she had mentioned a few days ago that she agreed to be on a nighttime radio program.

He remembered teasing her at the time, saying that her gentle voice would surely captivate a crowd of male listeners, which made her blush and scold him playfully.

So that’s what tonight was about.

Lu Bochun smiled slightly, adjusting the volume as he drove, listening to the conversation between his wife and the radio host.

The topics women chat about are usually fashion or men, subjects he typically had no interest in, but tonight, he was particularly focused.

The burning desire in his chest was slowly extinguished by that clear, flowing voice, leaving only a warmth as if from a fire that had just passed.

“…Could you share with our listeners what you love most about your husband?” the host suddenly asked with a smile.

He straightened his back, feeling his body stiffen unknowingly.

For this question, Yin Tianyu did not answer immediately. Lu Bochun could almost picture his wife blushing and looking helpless.

“Ha ha.” The host’s cheerful laughter seemed to hint at Yin Tianyu’s shyness. “Let me rephrase my question. When did you first realize you were in love with Legislator Lu? We all know that Legislator Lu is exceptionally handsome; you didn’t fall in love at first sight, did you?”

“Not at all.”

“Not at all?”

The host sounded curious, while Lu Bochun was greatly shocked.

Didn’t Tianyu fall in love with him at first sight? He had always been confident that she had developed feelings for him at that social banquet he had deliberately approached.

Wasn’t that the case?

“It was because of one time…”

__

That day was her mother’s birthday.

A month in advance, her mother had instructed her to perform a piece at the birthday dinner, allowing her to showcase her exquisite piano skills and formally reintroduce herself to the social world. 

She understood her mother’s implication very well. The phrase “reintroduce” indicated her mother was dissatisfied with her recent public appearances and hoped everything could start over.

That month, she was forced to undergo etiquette training again, from her overly innocent hairstyle to her not eye-catching enough toenails, undergoing a complete makeover.

“You just look too much like a student, which is why you can’t compare to Hai Qiang and the others,” her mother concluded.

In reality, both mother and daughter knew that the issue wasn’t her attire, but rather that she was naturally not as striking or beautiful.

But regardless, a mother always believes her daughter can become better and more charming, and is unwilling to accept that her daughter might not be as good as someone else’s.

Her mother insisted that she could make a perfect appearance, and she had no choice but to comply.

She was like a voiceless doll, manipulated by others; when they told her to curl her hair, she curled it, and when they told her to add sparkles to her nails, she did just that.

Even what piece of music to play was decided by the piano teacher; it couldn’t be a powerful march or a sorrowful minor tune, but rather a noble, elegant piece that suited her status.

She accepted every suggestion, hoping that this time, she wouldn’t disappoint her family again.

Because throughout her life, she had already let them down too many times.

But on the day itself, she still felt timid, clinging tightly to her cousin Hai Qiang, who had come specifically to support her.

“Don’t be nervous, Tianyu, you can do this,” Hai Qiang reassured her repeatedly.

She shook her head, her face pale, feeling a stomachache.

“Just play like you normally do, relax, you’re really great at it. Don’t be nervous. Come on, let’s take deep breaths together: in, out, in, out… that’s good.”

Encouraged by her cousin’s gentle words, she finally went on stage. Under the intense gaze of everyone in the room, she spotted him standing in the corner. He sent her a warm smile, which suddenly gave her courage.

She tremblingly completed her performance. Although it wasn’t as emotionally rich as usual, at least the melody flowed smoothly, and when she finished, she earned a round of applause.

The problem was that someone called out for her to give a speech to congratulate her mother on her birthday.

But she couldn’t get the words out.

She stood in the middle of the hall like a frightened rabbit, helplessly stuttering, breaking out in cold sweat, yet she couldn’t say a single word.

Her father was furious, her mother was embarrassed, and she wished she could just die on the spot.

Once again, she had embarrassed the Yin family. How could someone with the eloquence of a political gene give birth to a daughter so poor in speech?

Did she truly carry the blood of the Yin family?

That night, she hurriedly turned and ran upstairs, escaping to her room to cry.

Even locked in the darkness, she felt as if she could still hear the merciless snickers echoing from downstairs.

She cried under her blanket, resenting the heavens for letting her be born into the Yin family.