Chapter 1

In a spacious private room, a man and a woman sat face to face.

A waiter poured tea for the pair.

Jiang Yehui nodded in thanks, picked up the delicate porcelain cup, and took a light sip. She nodded to herself in approval.

It was her usual English milk tea—the ratio of milk, tea, and sugar perfectly balanced. Even the three-tiered porcelain tray on the table was set up in classic afternoon tea style, with exquisite desserts arranged in the correct order.

Clearly, someone around him had done their homework.

Gu Jingcheng waved the waiter away and took a small sip of the milk tea. His brow furrowed slightly—so subtly it was barely noticeable.

Jiang Yehui guessed he didn’t like the sweetness. She pretended not to see and continued sipping hers peacefully, adopting a “you don’t move, I don’t move” stance.

“When did you arrive?”

At last, Gu Jingcheng broke the five-minute silence since their meeting began.

Jiang Yehui set down her cup. After a brief pause, she replied honestly,
“Three days ago.”

He glanced at her—just briefly—then lowered his eyes and took a scone from the second tier of the dessert tray.

That brief look sent a chill through Jiang Yehui. She thought she saw a flash of sharpness, coldness—and a warning—in his eyes.

She was his fiancée. Coming to his city without informing him? Sure, he had a right to be annoyed. But warning her?

She secretly scoffed. His need for control was almost as bad as her elder brother’s. They were the type who couldn’t tolerate anything outside their expectations.

Suppressing her irritation, she smiled and explained,
“The apartment here hadn’t been used in a while, so I took some time to clean and redecorate. My arms are still sore from it.”

She deliberately added a hint of soft, playful coquettishness when mentioning her sore arms.

Gu Jingcheng glanced at her expressionlessly, then pushed his barely-touched tea further away.

Not buying it?

Jiang Yehui smiled sweetly, maintaining the perfect image of a refined lady—and thanked the heavens she hadn’t gone overboard by adding a whiny “I’m so tired~” or something equally embarrassing.

She sipped her tea calmly, sneaking glances at him from the corner of her eye.

He was dressed a bit formally today—probably having just come from the 30th anniversary event of Mingji Group.

On the ride over, she had seen a viral photo on Weibo showing him standing in the center of a group of top actresses. Hands in his pockets, looking relaxed and casual.

The actresses surrounding him posed seductively—sexy, pure, icy… all styles on display. With the perfect lighting and composition, he looked irresistibly charming and effortlessly dazzling.

At the time, the top trending topic was:
#GuJingchengOutshinesAllTheStars

The comments were a battleground. Fans of various actresses were fighting fiercely. The debate had started from a passerby’s innocent question:
“Who has the most chemistry with CEO Gu?”

Now, this CEO Gu had taken off his suit jacket and was wearing a neatly buttoned black shirt. A minimalistic silver pin sat at the collar—subtle, tasteful, and radiating understated luxury.

Jiang Yehui had to admit: he was gorgeous. He deserved the title “outshine the stars.”
Of course, the “shine” didn’t mean feminine beauty—his looks were sharp and masculine. It’s just that online fans probably couldn’t find a better phrase in the moment.

Neither of them spoke again.

Gu Jingcheng was now meticulously spreading jam and cream onto his scone with a silver spoon.

Jiang Yehui had studied aesthetic arts in the UK. By her refined standards, his current movements were elegant, his face handsome—he was captivating in every detail.

She nearly laughed aloud. This place was perfect for a romantic date: the aroma of tea, the gentle music, and a man so good-looking he could make your heart race.

If only they weren’t here for business.

Because—yes—there were other people in this spacious private room.

Two meters away sat a long conference table—not covered in desserts, but stacked with thick piles of documents.

Two teams in crisp suits faced each other in clear negotiation formation.

One side was the Zhou family’s legal team, led by Assistant Yang sent by her elder brother.
The other side was Gu Jingcheng’s team, led by his assistant.
They were currently discussing and finalizing a prenup agreement.

Jiang Yehui withdrew her gaze just in time to see Gu Jingcheng, ever the gentleman, place the scone with jam and cream on a porcelain plate and slide it in front of her.

“Thank you,” she smiled politely and began to eat it gracefully—quickly and considerately.

Traditionally, one eats from the bottom tier up—savory to sweet.
But he had skipped the bottom and chosen a scone from the middle tier.

Clearly, he didn’t plan to spend long on this “date.”

This suited Jiang Yehui perfectly.

A man like him was best admired from a distance. Sharing an entire afternoon tea session with him would be too exhausting. She might as well go to the nearby Port Trade Shog shopping mall instead.

She quickly finished the scone, then elegantly took another sip of tea, mentally noting to come back with her girlfriends sometime for a proper afternoon tea. It would be a shame to waste such a lovely place.

As expected, once Gu Jingcheng saw she was done eating, he glanced toward the side.

At the long table nearby, Assistant Jin had been attentively watching for any signal. Upon receiving the boss’s glance, he immediately walked over with a stack of documents and pens, respectfully saying,
“The agreement is ready. Both sides’ legal teams have reviewed and confirmed it.”

Gu Jingcheng flipped directly to the last page of the agreement and said without looking up,
“Mingshan Villa, Jiangming Road property, and the suburban estate—all to be transferred under Miss Jiang’s name.”

Noticing that Jiang Yehui was calmly sipping her tea, he added in an indifferent tone,
“Also transfer this tea room to Miss Jiang.”

Assistant Jin remained composed and responded promptly,
“Understood.”

The bride price and dowry had long been settled by both families: cars, houses, stocks, and bank accounts totaling 680 million yuan. Both families were equally matched in status and wealth.

At this point, Gu Jingcheng’s additional gifts of real estate and business property were extra.

Jiang Yehui curved her lips in a polite smile.
“Thank you, Mr. Gu.”

Handsome, wealthy, generous—no wonder all those actresses flocked to him.

“Pick a day. Assistant Jin will take you to see the properties. Choose one for long-term residence.”

Long-term residence? Jiang Yehui blinked.
“You mean… after marriage? Both of us?”

“Is there a problem?”
Gu Jingcheng gave her a strange look.

“No.”

Jiang Yehui suppressed the little burst of joy in her heart.
The last time they met—at their engagement—she remembered her future mother-in-law hinting that the newlyweds would be living in the Gu family estate. She’d been racking her brain for ways to make Gu Jingcheng bring up the idea of living separately.

She was a native of Nanlin and unfamiliar with Beigang, so she wasn’t sure about the exact locations of the houses he mentioned. She thought for a moment, then asked:
“Where’s the Mingji Group located?”

“Jiangming Road.”

“Then I’ll choose the one on Jiangming Road.”
She smiled sweetly.
“You’re always so busy. That way, commuting to work will save you some time.”

Gu Jingcheng gave her a long look, then turned to Assistant Jin.
“Next week, personally take Miss Jiang to Jiangming Road. Have the place furnished according to her preferences.”

So far, they’d only met three times, but Gu Jingcheng didn’t dislike this fiancée his mother had chosen for him.

His mother’s evaluation had been: “Young in age, but gentle, quiet, and well-mannered.”

From what he’d seen, Jiang Yehui had indeed been quiet during their first two meetings. She obediently listened to her parents and elder brother, giving the impression of someone with little independence.

But none of that really mattered.

What mattered was that this marriage was a strategic alliance. The two families were about to embark on an unprecedented joint venture. That was one of the reasons he had agreed to the engagement in the first place.

He picked up the pen and signed his name, no different than signing any other business contract.

Jiang Yehui glanced at the thick stack of papers in front of her—well over a hundred pages.

Just the section identifying premarital assets took up dozens of pages. It also included clauses on post-marriage equity division, property rights, and even how future children’s inheritance would be allocated.

One particularly crucial clause stood out:

In order to protect the mutual interests of both families, divorce is not permitted.
Should a divorce occur, the division of property and equity would heavily disadvantage the party initiating the separation.
The details were extensive and complex.

In other words—barring any major accident—she was bound to him for life.

This agreement had actually been drafted two months prior and had undergone rigorous review by the Zhou family’s legal team. There was no loophole left unchecked.

She didn’t need to read it again—but she didn’t rush to sign it either.

Just as Gu Jingcheng finished the final stroke of his signature, he heard a soft but clear voice across from him:

“I have a problem.”

His hand paused mid-air. He looked up at her.

Jiang Yehui calmly pulled two thin A4 sheets from her handbag. She placed one in front of him and smiled:

“This is a supplementary agreement.”

Gu Jingcheng’s eyes drifted from her smiling lips to the paper in front of him.

There was only one clause:

After marriage, both parties must remain loyal to one another.
If either party engages in sexual relations with a third party, the other party has the right to request separation and may refuse any form of physical contact with the offending party.

In simpler terms:
If you sleep with another woman, don’t expect to touch me again.

For the first time, a flicker of surprise appeared on Gu Jingcheng’s usually composed face. He narrowed his eyes at her.

Jiang Yehui blinked slowly and smiled serenely.
“I’m a clean freak.”

The room fell into silence.

Gu Jingcheng slowly set down his pen.

Leaning back lazily in his chair, legs crossed, a faint smirk began to form at the corner of his lips.

Standing nearby, Assistant Jin had also seen the clause. He silently lowered his gaze and took two steps back—to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

He was about 60–70% familiar with his boss’s private affairs. Flirting and socializing were unavoidable, but to his knowledge, Gu Jingcheng was very picky. He’d never seen him get too close to any woman.

Still—marriage was a long road. Who could guarantee fidelity in the future?

Especially in this industry—which man didn’t have a string of “flags” fluttering outside?
Mutual loyalty? That was a fairy tale.

No one ever brought this kind of thing up—much less put it in black and white.

Jiang Yehui smiled faintly.
“This clause doesn’t hurt you in any way. I’m simply particular about hygiene. And, of course, it’s also for safety reasons. Just in case there’s… something contagious. You understand.”

In that moment, Gu Jingcheng’s eyes turned cold.

Assistant Jin shivered. He immediately shot a warning look to Assistant Yang across the room.

Your family’s lady is supposed to be a dignified heiress—how is she saying things like this out loud?

Assistant Yang couldn’t hear what was being said from where he sat. But remembering his boss’s orders not to let Miss Jiang suffer in any way, and seeing Gu Jingcheng’s icy expression, he dared not act recklessly. He could only sit tight, anxious and tense.

“Pfft!”

Gu Jingcheng suddenly let out a low chuckle.

He slowly straightened in his seat, clasped his hands on the table, and fixed his gaze intently on Jiang Yehui—as if this were the first time he was truly examining his fiancée.

His eyes traced from her delicate brows and calm eyes to her slightly upturned lips, then to her graceful collarbone, and finally—boldly—settled on her modest chest. His lips curled slightly as he said,
“Your body… doesn’t interest me.”

The air turned icy.

As the treasured daughter of the Zhou family, Jiang Yehui had never been insulted like this before.

She maintained a serene expression, nodded slightly, then suddenly stood up.

With both hands pressed firmly on the table, she leaned in close, lowering her voice deliberately as she looked down on him with a smile full of dominance:
“What should I do, Gu Jingcheng? I’m very interested in you.”

Their eyes locked in the air, sparking an invisible clash.

For a brief moment, Gu Jingcheng’s pitch-black pupils flickered with a thousand hues.

Right in front of him was her fair face, those provocative eyes, and her light sweet scent enveloping his senses.

He lowered his gaze and picked up the pen to sign.

Assistant Jin quietly held his breath. This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime sight—someone daring to go head-to-head with Gu Jingcheng without losing ground. And even more shocking—the boss seemed to have… backed down?

“Wait.”

Just then, Jiang Yehui glanced deliberately at her famously “outshining the stars” fiancé, then pulled the document from beneath his hand.

With a sweet smile, she added a few words to the clause and pushed the paper back to him.

Gu Jingcheng looked down—and his eyelid twitched involuntarily.

On the page, written neatly, an extra four characters and parentheses had been added. The clause now read:

If either party engages in sexual relations with a member of the opposite sex (or the same sex), the other party has the right to request separation and may refuse any form of physical contact with the offending party.

He lifted his gaze and gave her a cold smirk, lips tightening as he reconsidered everything he thought he knew about her.

Obedient, quiet, lacking initiative?

He and his mother had both completely misjudged her.