In a humble room, the faint flame of an oil lamp flickered gently, casting two overlapping shadows against the wall.
The man lying on the bed had his eyes tightly shut, cold sweat beads forming at his temples. His handsome face was currently flushed with an unnatural crimson, and low moans—sounding like a mix of pleasure and pain—escaped from between his teeth.
Straddling him was a woman of sturdy build.
Her face was flushed as she panted heavily, her hands reaching out to unbutton the man’s robes.
In a few tugs, the man’s collar was torn open, revealing a smooth and taut chest. A triumphant smile appeared on the woman’s fleshy face as she reached further down.
Just as she was about to touch his skin, her hand was intercepted.
The man gripped the woman’s arm tightly. His slender fingers stood in stark contrast to her thick, heavy arm. His eyes were sharp, his dark pupils filled with rage and hatred as he forced words through gritted teeth.
“Vile woman, don’t even think about it!”
Facing such a gaze, the woman felt a flicker of fear. But things had already come to this; what was the use of being afraid?
Steeling her heart, she cried out in accusation, “Husband, we are already wed. Consummating our marriage is only natural. If it weren’t for your refusal, why would I have resorted to such lowly methods?”
As the man resisted her advances, he struggled to suppress the effects of the drug in his system. Hearing this, he sneered, “Yu Wanzhu, do you think you’re worthy?”
The woman turned a deaf ear and pressed her body directly onto him.
The weight of her heavy frame caused the man’s expression to shift. He gritted his teeth, grabbed her shoulders to hold her in place, and then pulled his uninjured leg out from under her, kicking her hard in the waist.
This kick carried every ounce of his strength. The woman was sent flying off the bed, crashing heavily onto the floor.
…
“Vile woman, why are you playing dead?”
Yu Wanzhu was jolted awake by pain. Her head throbbed, her arm ached, and the sound of a man’s harsh scolding rang in her ears.
Before she could make sense of her surroundings, a flood of unfamiliar memories that did not belong to her surged into her mind.
She had been in a car accident, but instead of dying, she had transmigrated. She was now in the body of an ugly, fat woman who was loathed by her husband. Despite being married for half a year, her husband had never touched her.
And just moments ago was the scene of the original owner’s attempt to climb into his bed.
Furthermore, this wasn’t the first time—it was just that she had failed every single time.
Yu Wanzhu tried to sit up, only to see a dark, unidentified object flying straight toward her. Startled, she quickly jerked her head aside. The object grazed her temple and hit the floor with a loud thud.
Wincing in pain, Yu Wanzhu gasped as she looked at the object. It was an inkstone.
If that had hit her, she would have been severely injured, if not dead.
“You really were faking it!” the man’s furious voice rang out.
Yu Wanzhu looked up. The handsome yet enraged man on the bed was none other than the original owner’s husband, Song Yubai.
She wanted to speak, but she suddenly felt a strange sensation rising within her body—heat, a primal longing…
A mist seemed to form before her eyes. Through the haze, she felt that Song Yubai’s disheveled hair and exposed collarbone looked incredibly tempting.
Almost uncontrollably, she stood up and walked toward the bed.
Seeing this, Song Yubai’s expression turned to one of panic. He gritted his teeth and warned, “Yu Wanzhu, you’re mad! If you dare take another step, I will divorce you!”
Yu Wanzhu didn’t answer. She walked woodenly to the bedside and leaned down.
In a panic, Song Yubai tried to dodge and stood up abruptly. However, his leg injury had not yet healed; losing his balance, he fell back onto the bed.
He was pinned down perfectly by Yu Wanzhu.
Crushed under the heavy woman, Song Yubai could only watch helplessly as she reached her “claws” toward him.
Yu Wanzhu was almost amused by his expression, which looked as though he were facing death. She reached out, pulled the copper hairpin from his hair, and then let him go.
Song Yubai immediately used the bedframe to pull himself up. Just as he was about to unleash a torrent of abuse, he saw the “vile woman” raise the copper hairpin high and stab it ruthlessly into her own palm.
He watched in disbelief. Was this woman trying to kill herself?
A squelching sound followed as the copper hairpin pierced her flesh.
Yu Wanzhu’s face instantly turned from red to pale, and dense beads of cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She clenched her teeth, enduring the agonizing pain. Only when she felt the strange, restless heat in her body finally being suppressed by the pain did she let out a sigh of relief.
The original owner had been truly foolish. To consummate the marriage with Song Yubai, she had actually drugged both of their meals.
However, Song Yubai loathed her. After taking only two bites and realizing she had cooked the food, he had stopped eating. The drug’s effects on him were likely not as potent as they were on her.
Looking at her pierced palm, Yu Wanzhu gave a bitter laugh. She looked at Song Yubai and asked, “Do you want to try it too?”
Song Yubai was still stunned by her sudden action. Hearing her words, he snapped back to his senses and mocked, “I, for one, have self-control!”
Yu Wanzhu said nothing. She took a deep breath and yanked the hairpin out. Blood immediately gushed from her fleshy palm. Her face grew even paler. She tossed the hairpin aside, wrapped the wound with the hem of her skirt, and pressed down hard on it.
Song Yubai watched coldly. “What kind of act are you putting on now?”
Once the bleeding had mostly stopped, Yu Wanzhu slowly touched the wound on the back of her head and said calmly, “If I said I just visited the gates of hell and have suddenly seen the light, would you believe me?”
Song Yubai’s expression softened slightly. He knew the kick he delivered earlier had been heavy, but as for this woman “seeing the light”?
He absolutely did not believe it!
Recalling everything that had happened tonight, anger and humiliation surged in his heart again. He said in a frigid voice, “Yu Wanzhu, no matter what tricks you’re playing, I advise you to drop those filthy thoughts. Don’t think for a second that you can use self-harm to gain my sympathy. Our Song family is a small temple that cannot house a great Buddha like you. Tomorrow, I will give you a letter of divorce. The world is wide; I shall return you your freedom!”
Yu Wanzhu countered with a question, “You truly want to divorce me?”
She didn’t ask because she was afraid of being divorced, but because her marriage into the Song family had been a transaction.
The original owner’s father was Song Yubai’s teacher. After serving as an instructor in the state school for many years, he had finally secured a position as a magistrate in a remote county.
On the eve of the family’s departure to the new post, the original owner had somehow become obsessed with the elegant and handsome Song Yubai. She had insisted on marrying him at all costs. Combined with the instigation of her stepmother, her father—who was utterly disappointed in his daughter—had agreed.
Song Yubai had agreed to the marriage because her father promised to secure him the only spot in Shuozhou for the accelerated imperial examinations.
Being able to take the accelerated exams meant he could enter the bureaucracy sooner, which would lighten his family’s burden.
Song Yubai had a mother who was seriously ill and three young siblings, all of whom hoped he would soon achieve success in the examinations. Now, he loathed her so much that he was willing to give up that opportunity?
Song Yubai understood the consequences as well, but he remained resolute. “It is merely a matter of waiting another three years. Furthermore—”
He glanced at his injured leg and sneered repeatedly. “This is also thanks to you!”
“In my current state, how am I supposed to go to the capital for the exams? Yu Wanzhu, you tell me, how?”
Having said this, Song Yubai seemed to have exhausted all his strength. He gripped his injured leg and slumped back onto the bed, his face filled with deep resentment.
Yu Wanzhu fell silent.