“What did you say?” The man stared at her in disbelief, his voice rising unconsciously.
“I said I’m not getting divorced!” Yun Qingya repeated firmly.
The man before her had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs, easily over 188 cm tall. His facial features were sharp and striking—deep-set eyes, a high nose bridge, and a sculpted jawline so defined it looked carved from stone. His lean neck extended downward elegantly, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly, a small mole resting just above it, adding an undeniably seductive charm.
This was the original host’s bargain-bin husband—Li Jingye.
That’s right.
She was not the original owner of this body.
She had transmigrated into a novel.
Specifically, into a period-era romance novel called Sweet Military Marriage, where she became the cannon-fodder ex-wife of the powerful male lead, Li Jingye—a woman who happened to share her exact same name.
Li Jingye was a third-generation military heir from an elite Beijing compound family, while the original host was merely the daughter of an ordinary worker’s household. The two should never have crossed paths, except for one thing: the original host’s grandfather had once saved Old Master Li’s life. To repay the favor, the two grandfathers arranged a marriage between young Li Jingye and the original host.
When the original host was ten years old, her mother died. Her father remarried, and her stepmother brought along a daughter of her own. Upon learning about such an excellent marriage arrangement, the stepmother immediately became greedy, believing someone like the original host didn’t deserve such a good match.
Fortunately, the original host’s grandfather was still alive and protective of her. Since she listened to him obediently, the engagement was preserved.
Although Mother Li also wanted a well-matched bride for her son, the marriage agreement had been made by the two old masters, and the girl was the granddaughter of the Li family’s savior. She could only grit her teeth and accept it. Once the original host came of age, Li Jingye registered their marriage, and the wedding was scheduled for three days later.
But the day before the wedding, Li Jingye was urgently recalled to the military for a secret mission.
So on the wedding day, his younger brother, Li Jingmo—five years younger than him—went in his place to fetch the bride.
The original host was furious. Throughout the wedding ceremony, she didn’t smile once, and before the banquet was even over, she caused a scene. Unsurprisingly, the wedding became a complete joke, and everyone in the military compound developed a terrible impression of her.
Still, the Li family felt that Li Jingye had wronged the girl. They believed her anger was understandable, so they treated her with extreme tolerance and patience.
Unfortunately, instead of restraining herself, the original host only became more outrageous, constantly stirring up trouble until the entire household was in chaos and her reputation in the compound was utterly ruined.
During this period, the Li family’s adopted daughter—her nominal sister-in-law—treated the original host exceptionally well. In the unfamiliar environment, the original host clung to this warmth and gradually came to trust her deeply.
That adopted daughter often united with the original host against Li Jingye, subtly planting ideas in her head. She implied that Li Jingye hadn’t missed the wedding because of a mission at all—he simply didn’t want to attend because he looked down on her and didn’t value her.
Such an obvious lie wouldn’t fool even a dog.
Yet the original host believed every word of it.
She even began considering divorce.
But before she could bring it up, Li Jingye returned.
Though injured, his charisma remained overwhelming.
The moment she saw him, the original host froze.
She had never imagined Li Jingye would be this handsome.
One glance lasted a lifetime.
Immediately, she abandoned all thoughts of divorce. She wanted to live a good life with him, bear his children, and grow old together.
Then the very next day, the Li family was reported to the authorities.
Three days later, the Revolutionary Committee arrived to confiscate their property, and the entire family was exiled.
Hearing the news, the original host panicked. Her resolve to spend her life with Li Jingye vanished instantly, and she immediately began demanding a divorce.
Although Father and Mother Li were heartbroken and felt this daughter-in-law was too materialistic, they could still understand. Ever since the political movement began, such things had become common. Even biological children abandoned their parents—how much less a daughter-in-law unrelated by blood?
But the original host demanded an outrageous settlement.
Not only did she insist on divorce, she also demanded “emotional compensation”—
A job assignment and the entirety of the Li family’s assets.
Under normal circumstances, neither request would have been difficult for the Li family.
But at this critical moment, they could fulfill neither.
In the end, although she didn’t get the job, she walked away with most of the Li family’s wealth. After divorcing Li Jingye, she immediately published a newspaper announcement severing all ties with the Li family.
When her grandfather learned of her disgraceful actions, he died on the spot from rage.
With her greatest protector gone, the stepmother no longer held back. She quickly married the original host off to another man, claiming that being married would save her from being sent to the countryside. The original host gladly accepted.
Less than a year later, she was tortured to death by her new husband.
Her corpse was dumped in a mass grave and left for wild dogs to devour.
Until the moment she died, she never knew she was merely a cannon-fodder supporting character in a novel.
And the mastermind behind everything was the very person who had deliberately befriended her—
The novel’s female lead.
Her former “sister-in-law,” Cao Zhizhi, the Li family’s adopted daughter.
Although Cao Zhizhi had been raised by the Li family, her household registration was not under theirs. Her biological father had died for the country, making her the child of a martyr. Every year, she received government subsidies directly in her own name.
Since she wasn’t legally part of the Li household and also possessed the protected status of a martyr’s child, the Li family’s downfall naturally didn’t affect her.
Not only was she unaffected, but when the Revolutionary Committee came to confiscate the Li family’s property, she even reported that they had hidden money and ration coupons, ensuring they boarded the train to the frozen Northeast completely penniless.
As a result, Cao Zhizhi’s reputation only improved.
Overnight, she became one of the most sought-after marriage candidates in the compound.
That was the difference between the female lead and the cannon-fodder side character.
One gained fame and admiration.
The other died miserably beneath endless curses and humiliation.
What else could she expect? The damn author clearly had no conscience.
Yun Qingya let out a deep breath.
Fortunately, she hadn’t transmigrated at the worst possible moment. Things between her and Li Jingye hadn’t yet reached the point of no return.
This powerful man would now belong to her.
The original host lacked the fortune to keep him, but blessed people do not enter unfortunate households—and fortunate households do not marry unfortunate women.
When she read the novel before, she had been furious at the heartless author’s treatment of the cannon-fodder character, but she never imagined she herself would become that very victim.
Still…
Since she was here, she might as well stay.
The original host’s mess? She would clean it up.
The man the original host abandoned?
She liked him very much.
Since the Li family had been falsely accused, there would inevitably come a day when justice prevailed. This was an enormous golden thigh worth clinging to tightly.
And in the original novel, the Li family really was eventually rehabilitated.
But in the end, only Li Jingye returned alive.
It was truly tragic.
Even alone, however, Li Jingye still made the original novel’s male and female leads suffer terribly. Of course, despite all the twists and turns, the protagonists still got their happy ending in the end—
Li Jingye was ultimately killed by the male and female leads working together.