In truth, Bai Tao and Pei Shi had no real emotional foundation. Bai Tao’s only impression of Pei Shi was from five years ago. She hadn’t truly experienced the doting details of his love, only reading about them in overwhelming news reports. Perhaps her intense involvement since transmigrating had caused her to genuinely invest in this role. She had completely embodied the betrayed wife, feeling a heavy weight on her heart as if it would never lift.

Had she seen such news earlier, she would have scoffed. With Pei Shi’s devotion to her, how could he possibly cheat?

But now, knowing she might have done something herself, Bai Tao felt a pang of guilt.

Was it because her future self, five years later, was too difficult, taking Pei Shi’s devotion for granted, never appreciating his efforts, and still longing for someone as mediocre as Zhong Xiao? Had she seemingly cheated on Pei Shi during their marriage, leading to Pei Shi’s long-suffering disappointment, and just as he began to lose hope, Huang Yueran stepped in?

Thinking this, Bai Tao lost her appetite.

She had resolved to change, but Pei Shi had already moved on…

For a moment, Bai Tao felt the sorrow of missing the opportunity to care for her parents before their passing, her heart heavy with grief, like an unfilial child mourning their parent. She regretted her past actions, but Pei Shi was already gone, leaving her to mourn and lament.

But would she just give up and hand Pei Shi over?

Remembering the taunts from Huang Yueran’s fans, Bai Tao couldn’t swallow her anger.

Absolutely not!

Feeling lost, Bai Tao summoned Yu Guo to discuss countermeasures.

Yu Guo, experienced in such matters, advised, “First of all, Pei Shi might just be on the verge of cheating. The last thing you should do now is to confront him angrily. That will only push him further away. You should first test his attitude, see if he is still worth saving, and then decide if you want to save this wayward man.”

Bai Tao nodded, “And if he is worth saving?”

“Then save him!”

Bai Tao humbly asked, “How do I do that…”

Yu Guo sipped her juice and lowered her voice, “Do I really need to spell it out? You just… you know, sleep with him!”

“Which one?”

“Sleep with him! Don’t couples do that? Fight at the head of the bed and make up at the end of it. Men are carnivores, just sleep with him more. A harmonious sex life will fix everything.”

Yu Guo sighed, “I didn’t expect you to care so much about Pei Shi. Before, you always acted as if you didn’t care about him at all, never even mentioning him. Why bother pretending? If you love someone, let him feel it and let everyone around him feel it. Even after getting married, you should still praise him and express your love often. Keep things fresh with new experiences to maintain the spark in your relationship.”

…

Five years later, Yu Guo had really grown up!

Bai Tao carefully digested Yu Guo’s advice. She immediately read through all the marriage rescue guides available on the market and decided to take it step by step, starting with testing Pei Shi.

When she heard the sound of Pei Shi opening the door, she quickly turned on the TV and tuned it to the latest hit melodrama, “Love Me or Not,” where Huang Yueran played the lead role.

Step one in saving her marriage: Don’t confront him directly. Instead, subtly mention the potential mistress and observe her husband’s reaction.

Some men with a guilty conscience might act extremely unnatural or become unusually attentive and compensatory towards their wives, or they might even confess their infidelity out of guilt…

However…

Pei Shi entered the house but didn’t end his call. Bai Tao listened as he discussed the next day’s schedule and meeting arrangements with Yuan Mu for half an hour, then took several calls from business partners, switching between English and other languages she couldn’t recognize…

This man was so engrossed in his work that he didn’t even notice Bai Tao, standing in the living room, let alone the tearful Huang Yueran on the TV screen…

Half an hour later, when Huang Yueran was once again crying her heart out on screen, Pei Shi finally finished his business calls. Bai Tao couldn’t hold back any longer and cleared her throat to make some noise.

Pei Shi seemed to finally notice her presence but only looked at her in surprise. “You’re at home?”

So he didn’t even realize she was there because he was so focused on his work?

Bai Tao smiled, trying to keep her tone natural. “Where else would I be if not at home? Unlike you, my dear husband, always so busy, going to high-end restaurants and luxury hotels.”

He had time to go to restaurants and hotels with Huang Yueran but was always too busy with work when it came to her! Ugh!

But Pei Shi didn’t react to her sarcastic and insinuating words. He remained calm and even slightly indifferent. He pressed his lips together, “I’ve been quite busy lately, but once I get through this, I’ll have more time to spend with you next month.”

Was he pretending to be calm, or was he genuinely calm? Talking about spending time with her? Bai Tao thought, I bet he’ll spend it with Huang Yueran instead! Trying to brush this off so easily? No way!

To make Pei Shi unable to ignore Huang Yueran on TV, Bai Tao turned up the volume a bit. The plot of “Love Me or Not” was reaching a climax—

Huang Yueran was crying and shouting, “Feng, do you love me or not? Did you really sleep with my best friend Yaya after getting drunk? Is Yaya’s child yours?! Tell me the truth!”

The male lead responded with equal passion, “Xueqing, I was set up! I don’t remember anything from that night, but the mistake has been made. Now Yaya has my child. I… I’m sorry, but a man must take responsibility. I can’t let my child grow up without a father. I only love you, but I will marry Yaya to punish myself, to live with someone I don’t love for the rest of my life as penance! Xueqing, let’s break up!”

…

After turning up the volume, Pei Shi finally reacted. Bai Tao could see from the corner of her eye that he was becoming visibly uneasy. He looked at her, then frowned at the screen, a hint of irritation appearing on his otherwise indifferent face.

Finally, Pei Shi stood up and walked over to Bai Tao, his face stern.

Was he finally going to confess? Or was he going to get angry and pick a fight?

This was the critical moment in their psychological battle!

Stay calm, Bai Tao, we can win!