Yu Zhiwan never expected this.
That morning, Xie Jingmo was still her brother-in-law. By afternoon, he had become her husband.
After walking out of the Civil Affairs Bureau with the man, Yu Zhiwan lowered her head and stared at the freshly issued red marriage certificates in her hands. She still felt somewhat dazed.
Suddenly, a bouquet of delicate, vibrant red roses was held out in front of her.
Yu Zhiwan froze for a moment before slowly looking up. She met the man’s lazy, flirtatious eyes. He raised an eyebrow slightly, a carefree smile dancing in his eyes.
“Happy wedding day—”
He moved the roses closer to her and lazily curled his lips.
“Mrs. Xie~”
Four hours earlier.
Yu Zhiwan received a call from Gu Chengfeng and made her way to a billiards club in the city center.
The club was an upscale establishment. Gu Chengfeng was a VIP member with his own private room, and he often came here with his friends.
When Yu Zhiwan reached the private room, she reached out and pushed the door open. The moment it opened slightly, she heard the sounds of billiard balls being struck, along with everyone’s laughter and chatter.
“Brother Feng, you never dated a girl for more than seven days before. But this time, you’ve been with the eldest daughter of the Yu family for three whole weeks. That’s unusual!”
“You don’t get it. Brother Feng spent three months chasing Yu Zhiwan before finally getting her. Of course he has to enjoy himself for a few extra days to make it worth it!”
“Tsk, tsk. He actually took the initiative to pursue her, and he’s even making an exception by dating her this long. Brother Feng must have really fallen for Yu Zhiwan!”
Surrounded by everyone’s flattery, Gu Chengfeng held his cue stick and sneered.
“Don’t make me laugh. Yu Zhiwan is nothing more than the biological daughter the Yu family found and brought back after all these years. She’s nowhere near as favored as the fake daughter. I just think she’s pretty, so I’m having a little fun with her.”
Yu Zhiwan’s grip on the doorknob tightened slightly.
Just having a little fun.
Of course she knew that Gu Chengfeng was a notorious playboy. He was wild and carefree, constantly changing girlfriends every few days.
She didn’t like Gu Chengfeng.
And she had never wanted to date him.
It was her biological parents and her brothers who had forced her to accept Gu Chengfeng’s pursuit, all for the sake of strengthening cooperation between the two families.
Yu Zhiwan suddenly remembered what she had heard the night before.
Standing outside a closed door, she had overheard her biological mother speaking to Yu Xiangxiang.
“Xiangxiang, even though we’ve discovered that you’re not actually the Yu family’s biological daughter, you’ve grown up by Mom’s side since you were little. In Mom’s heart, you’ll always be my dearest daughter.”
Her two biological brothers had said the same thing to Yu Xiangxiang.
“That’s right, Xiangxiang. You’re our most precious and beloved little sister. How could Yu Zhiwan possibly compare to you? Of course Big Brother and Second Brother can’t bear to see our Xiangxiang princess suffer even the slightest grievance.”
They couldn’t bear to see Yu Xiangxiang suffer even a little.
Yet they were perfectly willing to push their own biological sister into the arms of a playboy like Gu Chengfeng.
Yu Zhiwan felt a sharp pain in her heart, as though a knife were twisting inside her chest. She slowly closed her eyes, suddenly feeling utterly exhausted.
The laughter from inside the private room continued.
“Tsk. Young Master Gu may not have fallen for her, but I think Yu Zhiwan definitely has. So many people have chased after her before, and she never even gave them the time of day. But this time, she completely fell at Young Master Gu’s feet!”
“Hahaha! That’s because our Brother Feng is just too charming!”
Gu Chengfeng had his arm around a woman with long, wavy hair. His laughter was smug and carefree.
“Of course. One phone call from me, and didn’t she come running over obediently like a little dog?”
“I asked her to make me a bracelet with her own hands, and didn’t she obediently do it? This is the first time I’ve ever dated a woman and…”
He hadn’t even finished speaking when he saw Yu Zhiwan push open the door and walk inside.
He immediately fell silent.
The others noticed Yu Zhiwan as well.
The noisy atmosphere instantly went quiet.
Ignoring everyone’s scrutinizing gazes, Yu Zhiwan walked straight toward Gu Chengfeng.
Her skin was fair and luminous, while her delicate features carried a hint of coldness.
Gu Chengfeng panicked inwardly. He instinctively pushed the woman away from his arms. After doing so, however, he felt that he had overreacted and quickly put on his usual careless smile.
“Zhiwan, she’s just my sworn younger sister. I was teaching her how to play billiards.”
“You know I’m a good person. You wouldn’t get jealous over something like this, would you?”
Yu Zhiwan didn’t even spare the woman a glance. Her expression remained indifferent.
“No.”
Gu Chengfeng smiled in satisfaction.
He liked girlfriends who were this obedient and easy to handle.
Then he noticed the red-bean bracelet in Yu Zhiwan’s hand, and the smile on his lips deepened.
To be honest, he had spent quite a lot of effort trying to win Yu Zhiwan over during those three months. He had constantly checked on her, gone out of his way for her, and put plenty of thought into pursuing her.
That’s why he had asked Yu Zhiwan to give him a bracelet to commemorate their three-week anniversary.
The red-bean bracelet was simple and inexpensive. He normally wore watches worth millions, but for some reason, he suddenly felt like putting this bracelet on.
Gu Chengfeng lifted his chin and arrogantly extended his hand.
“Why is it so cheap-looking? Whatever. I suppose I can wear it. Come on, put it on your boyfriend.”
Yu Zhiwan gave him a cold, indifferent look. Her eyes were as distant as moonlight.
Then she grabbed the bracelet and pulled hard.
Snap!
The bracelet broke instantly.
The red beans scattered all over the floor.
Gu Chengfeng froze.
His brows drew tightly together, and an inexplicable sense of panic flashed through his heart.
For some reason, in that moment, he felt as though Yu Zhiwan had deliberately broken the bracelet because she wanted to sever their relationship completely and have nothing more to do with him.
His frown deepened as he stared at Yu Zhiwan’s expressionless face.
“What do you mean by this? You heard what I said in the private room just now?”
Yu Zhiwan’s exquisite, striking face was cold as ice.
There wasn’t a trace of emotion left in her eyes.
“Yes. I heard everything. So…”
“Gu Chengfeng, as of this moment, we’re breaking up.”
After saying that, she turned around and walked away.
Her back was straight and proud, her beauty cold and untouchable. She didn’t stop for even a second.
Everyone inside the private room stared blankly at what had just happened.
It wasn’t until Yu Zhiwan disappeared from their sight that one of the young men, surnamed Li, finally came to his senses.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
“Young Master Gu, you… you got dumped?”
“Damn! That woman Yu Zhiwan…”
“Brother Feng, Yu Zhiwan heard everything you said just now! She must be heartbroken. Go after her and comfort her!”
Someone beside him scoffed dismissively.
“Are you freaking stupid? What kind of status does Yu Zhiwan have? Does she even deserve to have Young Master Gu chase after her?”
“Exactly! Women are all like this. She’s deliberately throwing a tantrum and playing hard to get. She’s just waiting for you to go and coax her!”
Gu Chengfeng clenched his fists, staring intensely at the red beads scattered across the floor.
What did Yu Zhiwan just say?
Break up?
Heh. Looks like he’d been too good to her and had spoiled her rotten.
Had she forgotten what her position was?
She was a fallen heiress whom neither her father nor mother cared about, and even her brothers disliked her. Apart from him, Gu Chengfeng, who else would want her?
“Brother Feng, hurry up and go after her!” someone urged.
Gu Chengfeng cursed angrily.
“Go after her? Get lost!”
Yu Zhiwan had never paid attention to anyone else. She had only accepted his pursuit, which clearly meant she had fallen for him and was hopelessly in love.
Her saying they were breaking up was nothing more than something she’d blurted out in anger. She was just throwing a little tantrum.
Just wait.
Within three days, Yu Zhiwan would come crawling back to him on her own.
Yu Zhiwan left the private room and walked down the hallway toward the exit.
Breaking up with Gu Chengfeng had lifted a huge weight from her shoulders. A faint smile appeared in her eyes.
Finally, I’m free of that burden.
From now on, she would never have to deal with him again.
As for the Yu family…
Yu Zhiwan slowly pressed her lips together, finally making up her mind.
She was so deep in thought that she failed to notice what was beneath her feet.
Suddenly, she tripped over something, and her body lurched forward.
“Careful.”
At the critical moment, a strong, muscular arm wrapped firmly around her waist and caught her, pulling her safely into his embrace.
In an instant, a clean, distinctive woody scent rushed into her nose, surrounding her completely.
The man was very tall.
Yu Zhiwan crashed against his chest, and when she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was his black shirt, with two buttons casually undone.
His firm chest was partially visible beneath the fabric. The lines of his collarbones were clear and strikingly sexy. His skin was pale as jade, while his prominent Adam’s apple moved slightly as he swallowed.
There was something dangerously alluring about him, as though he could captivate anyone without even trying.
Yu Zhiwan froze.
She hurriedly lifted her head and met a face so devastatingly handsome that it was almost overwhelming.
His bone structure was exquisite, his features breathtaking.
Most striking of all were his unique, mesmerizing eyes—lazy, indifferent, and undeniably flirtatious.
Yu Zhiwan’s heart gave a slight jolt.
Of course she knew that face.
Xie Jingmo, the head of the Xie family, the most powerful and prestigious family in Beijing’s elite circle.
He came from an extraordinarily influential family, wielded immense power, and was known for his ruthless ways. No one dared to provoke him. He was notoriously untouchable.
However, Yu Zhiwan knew Xie Jingmo for a reason beyond his prestigious identity.
Because Xie Jingmo was, technically speaking, her brother-in-law.