Chapter 2: The Arranged Husband

Jin Zhao had just opened the car door when Lin Rou followed closely behind.

She had originally thought that this fool would stir up trouble as usual, only to be humiliated by Lu Sichen, and then she could comfort him and score a substantial reward. But unexpectedly, today, this person didn’t fall for it.

“Zhao Zhao, where are you going?”

“Of course, I’m going home.” Jin Zhao wondered if Lin Rou had lost her mind.

In the book, this vicious female supporting character was nearly disowned by the Jin family because of her reckless behavior.

But she still had the arranged marriage partner she had just married recently. Though they were officially husband and wife, she still had to go home and keep up appearances.

Lin Rou only knew that Jin Zhao had recently entered into an arranged marriage but didn’t know who the partner was. Judging by Jin Zhao’s increasingly lavish spending, it had to be a wealthy middle-aged businessman.

After all, no one with good standing would agree to marry her otherwise.

“But… you just called at the banquet saying you wanted a divorce,” Lin Rou feigned shock.

Who would have thought this fool, after being provoked a few times and told that a married woman didn’t deserve to cling to Lu Sichen, actually called to say she wanted a divorce?

A golden pie falling from the sky and still she couldn’t catch it.

Jin Zhao: “…”

She was more willing to believe that the original owner of this body had caused some huge trouble, got scared to death, and then dragged her in as a scapegoat.

Jin Zhao looked at the scheming girl in front of her. In the book, most of the female supporting character’s bad deeds were stirred up by her. Now that she had a second chance at life, all these troublemakers had to be dealt with.

“It’s just married couple fun, just go home and soothe him. You wouldn’t understand if you’re not married,” Jin Zhao said flirtatiously, brushing her long hair before getting into the car and driving off.

Lin Rou was left standing there, disoriented by the exhaust fumes. Wasn’t she supposed to hate and fear her husband? How did she suddenly seem to have wised up?

“Dead, dead, this time she’s really dead!”

Relying on the faint memories transferred to her and the navigation, Jin Zhao smoothly drove back to Tanyuan.

Looking at the garage packed full of luxury cars, and the bag on the passenger seat, she felt these things would soon be slipping away from her.

“Miss, you’re back.” The servant at the door bowed and took the bag from her hand.

“Mm, I’m going upstairs to rest.” Just as Jin Zhao finished speaking, she noticed the servant’s expression, as if she had seen a ghost. Immediately, she recalled the book’s description of Jin Zhao.

Though a wealthy young lady, she was narrow-minded and ill-mannered, often either hitting or scolding others. Her daily routine consisted of spending money or chasing after Lu Sichen.

When Jin Zhao read that, she felt speechless—it was like she was just an NPC pushed along to advance the romance between the male and female leads, with no will of her own.

“Miss, the master said he’ll be coming home tonight,” the servant said cautiously. Since the marriage a few months ago, the two had neither been close nor shared a room, and the master had only stepped foot here once or twice.

Jin Zhao’s spirit instantly deflated. “Got it.”

Coming back to talk about divorce, huh? Although it wasn’t going to happen.

Their union had been arranged by the elders from childhood. In the book, right up until the end, the vicious female supporting character did all sorts of evil deeds and was punished by the male and female leads. It was this cheap husband who brought her back and locked her in a psychiatric hospital, sparing her from death.

So Jin Zhao thought she should get along well with her cheap husband. That way, not only would the money keep flowing, but if things really went wrong in the plot later, this immensely powerful husband could still save her life.

“System, system! Don’t fall asleep!” Jin Zhao called out in her mind as she returned to her room.

“What system? I’m Suisui,” the young feminine voice popped up.

“If I seduce others, like maybe sleep with the arranged marriage partner or something, that wouldn’t break the plot, right?” Jin Zhao’s face flushed a little.

Even though the system was a robot, talking about adult topics with that voice made her feel guilty.

She had never been in a relationship before she died. Since her cheap husband wasn’t short of money or power, it seemed the only weapon she had was this good-looking body.

“That’s fine, as long as the main male and female lead plot doesn’t get disrupted,” Suisui murmured. “Before seducing, do you want to see what you look like…”

“What could I possibly look like? Definitely a beauty—” Jin Zhao was standing in the walk-in closet when she suddenly screamed.

What the original owner had done to this face, which looked exactly like hers, was beyond her. The makeup looked like a plastic surgery job—highlight on the nose bridge so shiny it could be a slide, eyelashes like spider legs. No wonder everyone at the banquet stared at her like she was a ghost.

“Simple,” Jin Zhao took a breath. She was a designer after all—when it came to aesthetics, she crushed everyone else. It was just makeup.

At least she still had the essential attributes that characters in these novels always had: big chest, slim waist, and long legs.

She was definitely going to win over this novel’s business tyrant.

—

“Third Brother, you know Gu Jue just has a sharp tongue; don’t take him seriously.”

The man didn’t say a word, picked up the suit on the sofa, and prepared to leave. Gu Jue was scared and hurried over, tail wagging, to apologize.

“Brother, I only took that video at the banquet because I found her a little funny, really didn’t mean to mock you.”

Wei Ting glanced at him coldly, the taut corner of his mouth revealing his bad mood today. “You’re really bored, huh?”

“Third Brother, you’re leaving so early today?” Gu Jue asked.

“Something to handle.”

The waiter pushed open the private room door. Wei Ting left only his back to the others.

“You really don’t get it, do you? You don’t know that Third Brother treats his so-called wife like a corpse, yet you still joke about her,” someone nearby complained.

Gu Jue also regretted it. “I hadn’t met her before, but today when I saw her, she seemed pretty interesting—just a bit ugly. No wonder Third Brother’s embarrassed to bring her out.”

Because Wei Ting was coming home tonight, Tanyuan was brightly lit. Compared to Jin Zhao’s troublesome nature, the servants were more afraid of this male master.

He spoke little and was hard to read, his gaze always carrying a cold distance and a suppressed storm of rage.

“Where is she?” Wei Ting’s tone carried a hint of impatience.

“The young lady is resting in her room.”

Wei Ting frowned slightly. She had called to say she wanted a divorce, yet instead of waiting in the study for a conversation, she went back to sleep in her room. He found himself increasingly unable to understand what she was up to.

Jin Zhao was lying on her bed—wide enough to roll around on—lost in thought. “Is he crazy? Lu Sichen isn’t richer than Wei Ting. Does Wei Ting look really ugly?”

That would indeed be bad.

Just as the words left her mouth, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in.” Jin Zhao thought it was a servant bringing milk. “Just leave it by the bed.”

She turned off the room light. The moment the door opened, the hallway light spilled inside. A man stood silhouetted against the light, tall and upright with broad shoulders. He stood by her bedside and said coldly,

“Divorce is impossible. Behave and be a good wife. I don’t care how chaotic things are outside, but don’t get involved with anyone— you know that yourself.”

Jin Zhao was startled by his voice and quickly sat up, looking at him with a well-behaved expression.

“I lost a big bet. I won’t get a divorce.” She delivered the explanation she had prepared long ago. “Enough talking, are you thirsty? Husband, have some water to calm down.”

She switched the light back on and handed the glass to the man.

Wei Ting looked at the girl in the light—her skin fair and translucent. Her eyes held a playful and innocent glint, lively yet charming.

His brows twitched. “You—had plastic surgery?”