Jiang Yu had been lying in the hospital for three days with a high fever of 40°C. During that entire time, Shen Chengyan had not shown up even once.
Yet every day, he had appeared prominently in Hu Youyue’s social media posts.
On the first day, he took her out for Western food.
On the second day, he checked into a hotel with her.
On the third day, he went on a spring outing with her.
In the photo, Hu Youyue was sitting on a carpet with Shen Mo in her arms. The two looked as close as mother and son, flashing V-signs at the camera with bright, happy smiles.
Shen Chengyan appeared only in the corner of the photo, showing nothing but his back.
Jiang Yu knew that back all too well.
Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and powerful thighs.
On countless nights, that body had sweated over hers.
In the past, whenever Jiang Yu came across similar provocative posts, she had always chosen to turn a blind eye.
But this time, she did not want to endure it anymore.
“The little one mistakes a thief for his mother.”
“The big one is heartless and ungrateful.”
“Horizontal banner: The woman has no shame.”
She even tagged Shen Chengyan and every member of the Shen family so they could all enjoy the spectacle.
Less than two minutes later, her phone exploded with notifications.
Jiang Yu did not answer a single call.
Not until Shen Chengyan’s name lit up on her screen.
She answered.
The man’s voice was deep. Though calm, a trace of anger could still be heard beneath it.
“Where are you?”
Staring at the glaring white ceiling, Jiang Yu replied weakly, “The morgue. Are you coming to find me?”
The other end fell silent for several seconds.
Then he spoke again.
“Go apologize to Youyue.”
Jiang Yu replied, “Apologize my ass.”
The pen in Shen Chengyan’s hand stopped moving.
“What did you say?”
Jiang Yu laughed.
“What, are your eyes blind and your ears deaf too? If you didn’t hear me clearly, I’ll say it again. I won’t apologize to that vixen. And stop bothering me. I want a divorce.”
Silence fell again.
A few seconds later, the call disconnected.
Jiang Yu’s fingers trembled slightly.
The fever made her head feel as though it were splitting apart. She could no longer hold on. Tossing her phone aside, she drifted into unconsciousness.
That night, she dreamed many dreams.
Like scenes flashing past in a slideshow, they replayed the twenty-plus years of her life.
Eight-year-old Jiang Yu had been beaten by Jiang Guodong until her mouth bled, all because of a piece of birthday cake.
Fifteen-year-old Jiang Yu had run everywhere, hiding from loan sharks.
Twenty-one-year-old Jiang Yu had met Shen Chengyan after he broke his leg.
Twenty-two-year-old Jiang Yu had finally married Shen Chengyan as she had wished.
Twenty-three-year-old Jiang Yu had given birth to Shen Mo.
And now, the present-day Jiang Yu had decided to divorce Shen Chengyan.
In her muddled dream, she thought hazily:
She didn’t want Shen Chengyan anymore.
She didn’t want Shen Mo anymore either.
Those two black-hearted pieces of trash—a father and son pair—could roll as far away from her as possible.
The next day, her fever finally subsided.
Dragging her weakened body, Jiang Yu returned home.
The year she married Shen Chengyan, her future mother-in-law had gifted them this detached villa as their marital home.
The villa covered nearly a thousand square meters and was worth sixty million yuan. Rumor had it that the interior decoration alone had cost nearly ten million.
At the time, Jiang Yu had been overjoyed.
She had thought she finally had a home of her own.
Only later did she learn that she merely had the right to live there, not the right to inherit it.
As long as she divorced Shen Chengyan, she would not even get a share of a bathroom.
The entire Shen family had been guarding against her.
She could understand why.
After all, her marriage to Shen Chengyan was a mismatch in status and background. Back then, he had married her only to repay a debt of gratitude.
But from the bottom of their hearts, they had always looked down on her.
No matter how humble she was, no matter how carefully she lowered herself, she never received even a shred of appreciation.
This bout of high fever had finally burned some sense into her.
When she returned to the empty villa, everything inside remained exactly as it had been three days ago when she left.
That meant Shen Chengyan had never come back.
Then again, he had been too busy accompanying his childhood sweetheart on outings and excursions. Why would he have time to care whether she lived or died?
Jiang Yu kicked off her shoes carelessly and walked inside.
She casually removed her coat and tossed it onto the floor.
If it had been the Jiang Yu from three days ago, she would never have done something so “outrageous.”
The moment she came home, she would have neatly arranged her shoes.
Any clothes she had worn outside would immediately be placed into the washing machine for cleaning and disinfection.
Because Shen Chengyan was an obsessive germaphobe.
He hated disorder and chaos in the house.
Jiang Yu had always obeyed him completely.
As long as it was something he disliked, she would unconditionally comply.
She had pushed the role of a virtuous wife to the absolute extreme.
She could even adjust herself according to Shen Chengyan’s preferences at any time.
A virtuous wife off the bed.
A sweet, pampered wife on the bed.
She had even managed to wake up thirty minutes before Shen Chengyan every morning to apply a flawless “natural” makeup look in the bathroom.
She provided endless emotional support.
In front of him, she was always beautiful, obedient, well-behaved, and radiant.
But now, Jiang Yu was disheveled and haggard.
Her entire body smelled unpleasant.
Having gone three days without a shower, her lips were cracked and her hair was greasy.
During her hospitalization, she had barely eaten a proper meal.
Her body was weak and exhausted. Every cell seemed to be screaming for nourishment.
Dragging her limp legs across the living room, she moved a chair over, carefully climbed onto it, and opened the highest cabinet.
From inside, she retrieved the snacks and instant noodles she had hidden away.
Not only was Shen Chengyan a germaphobe, he also forbade her from eating junk food.
After wolfing down enough food to fill her stomach, Jiang Yu returned to the bedroom.
At eight-thirty that evening, Shen Chengyan parked his car.
The moment he stepped out, he sensed something was wrong.
The house was dark.
No lights were on.
The front door was shut tight.
That wasn’t right.
Normally, at this hour, Jiang Yu would already be standing at the entrance waiting for him with a bright smile.
She would gently take his briefcase and coat.
She would hand him a pair of soft, comfortable slippers.
A lavish dinner would already be waiting at home.
But today, she was nowhere to be seen.
Even her shoes in the foyer were scattered about haphazardly.
One lay to the left.
Another lay to the right.
Her coat had been tossed carelessly onto the floor as well.
A pungent smell lingered in the air.
Shen Chengyan’s brows furrowed deeply.
When he entered the living room, he froze.
The coffee table and floor were covered with snack wrappers and cookie crumbs.
There was also an empty cup of instant noodles, with only the leftover broth remaining.
The disgusting odor originated from this pile of cheap junk food.
The sharply dressed man stood before the coffee table for a full five minutes.
Only then did he turn around and head upstairs.
Entering the bedroom, he saw the familiar slender figure lying on the bed.
His wife—the woman who was always polished and glamorous, who rarely even allowed him to see her bare face—
was now completely disheveled.
Her mouth hung slightly open as she slept soundly and without restraint.
Walking over, he used the faint nightlight to examine her.
He saw her wrinkled clothes.
He saw crumbs stuck to her face.
He saw drool at the corner of her mouth.
His brows knitted together so tightly they could have crushed a fly.
…
A woman’s sixth sense was extraordinarily sensitive.
For example, when danger approached, the hairs on her body would stand on end.
Or when someone stared at her, even in her sleep, she would suddenly wake up.
That was exactly how Jiang Yu awoke.
The first thing she saw was Shen Chengyan standing beside the bed, tall and straight.
When had he come back?
And how long had he been staring at her?
Meeting the man’s dark, scrutinizing eyes, Jiang Yu blurted out irritably:
“What are you looking at, old geezer?”
There were many, many foreshadowing clues in this story. The early part would be told from the female lead’s perspective, while the later part would shift to the male lead’s perspective.