Firewood crackled in the villa’s fireplace.
Lin Shu held a glass of red wine, swirling it gently and occasionally bringing it to her lips for a sip.
Nanny Wu secretly called Secretary Yu. “Secretary Yu, you’d better come see Madam. It’s early in the morning, and she’s drinking.”
Two glasses of wine went down, chilling Lin Shu to the core.
The wine was cold, but her heart was colder.
She had just called the bridal shop.
They were supposed to deliver the wedding dress that morning, on her and Zhou Yanli’s wedding anniversary. That evening, she would wear it to the photography studio with him to have their anniversary portraits taken.
Because of one little mishap, Zhou Yanli had stood her up, and she had even forgotten about the wedding dress.
As it turned out—
“Mrs. Zhou, we already delivered the wedding dress. Didn’t you receive it?”
The answer left her baffled. When had she received it?
“Where did you deliver it?”
“No. 3 Panshan Road Residence. President Zhou specified the address.”
The wineglass tipped over. Scarlet liquid spilled across the pristine white carpet, blooming into a red flower like the blood in her heart—beautiful and horrifying.
No. 3 Panshan Road Residence.
The place where Zhou Yanli kept his mistress hidden away.
Wen Xin had lived there for six years. Zhou Yanli thought Lin Shu didn’t know.
In truth, she had always followed the old saying: keep both eyes open before marriage, and turn a blind eye after.
She had thought that as long as Zhou Yanli treated her and their child well, she had no reason to care about the women he kept on the side.
The Old Master had reminded her, too: men were men. It was normal for them to have a woman or two.
She would always be Mrs. Zhou. No one could take her place.
But—
Zhou Yanli had given her mother’s keepsakes to his childhood sweetheart, won over their daughter, and now he had given her the wedding dress she had arranged for their anniversary.
There was no way she could turn a blind eye anymore.
Secretary Yu followed Nanny Wu into the living room. Three empty wine bottles lay by Lin Shu’s feet, and a glass had rolled onto its side. Wine was splashed all over the carpet. The scene was a wreck.
Lin Shu reclined on the chaise longue, her beautiful eyes hazy—seven parts sober, three parts drunk.
Secretary Yu could smell the strong scent of alcohol on her.
Three months ago, Lin Shu had suddenly hired a female secretary. Until then, she had shut out the world and devoted herself to being Mrs. Zhou.
Secretary Yu had never thought Mrs. Zhou was the useless trophy wife people outside made her out to be.
But the last time Mrs. Zhou had attempted suicide, her eyes had held that same shattered despair they did today.
“Madam…”
Secretary Yu called softly. Lin Shu raised her eyes, and the blanket slipped gently from her shoulders.
“You’re here. Good. Come with me somewhere.” Secretary Yu tried to help her, but Lin Shu pushed her away.
“I’m not drunk.”
She put on an expensive fur coat, and a murderous air settled over her.
Lin Shu was nothing like the Mrs. Zhou who used to spend every day waiting for Zhou Yanli to come home, watching eagerly for his return.
No. 3 Panshan Road Residence was far from the city center.
It took Secretary Yu an hour and a half to get there.
The secluded villa sat nestled among the hills beside the water, far from the city’s bustle. It was an ideal place to recuperate.
The farther they went in, the more familiar everything seemed to Lin Shu.
She had happened to visit the area once two years ago. She had thought the surroundings were lovely and wanted to make a home there.
Zhou Yanli had refused, saying it was too far from the city and would make it inconvenient for him to work.
Wen Xin lived here, and he could still make time to visit her whenever he could. It seemed men didn’t object to living somewhere too far away—they just didn’t love you enough.
When the three-story French-style building came into view, Lin Shu thought she must be mistaken.
She wasn’t the only one. Even Secretary Yu, who had gotten out first to open the car door for her, privately thought she was seeing a ghost.
The villa was exactly like Lin Shu and Zhou Yanli’s home.
They entered the main hall. The living room had a six-meter-high ceiling, and a huge crystal chandelier hung above them. Floor-to-ceiling windows lined all four walls, looking out onto the lawn, which was buried beneath a thick layer of snow after several days of snowfall.
“Yanli, are you back?”
Wen Xin descended the spiral staircase in a wedding dress. The tens of thousands of Swarovski crystals on it glittered with every step.
Secretary Yu was stunned when she saw Wen Xin. Wasn’t that the wedding dress—
Even though Lin Shu had expected this, seeing the dress she had spent nearly a year preparing worn by Wen Xin still broke her.
Wen Xin had seen Zhou Yanli’s car pull in from the second floor, but she hadn’t expected Lin Shu to be the one who got out. The moment their eyes met, Wen Xin’s foot slipped, and she tumbled down the stairs.
A servant had just finished clearing snow from the courtyard. Seeing what happened, she cried out in alarm, “Mrs. Zhou—”
Lin Shu lowered her eyes and asked with a mocking smile, “Mrs. Zhou?”
Wen Xin rolled right to Lin Shu’s feet. Secretary Yu stopped the servant. “Who did you just call Mrs. Zhou?”
Secretary Yu wasn’t the only one Lin Shu had brought. A group of black-clad bodyguards stood behind her, their presence intimidating.
The servant was terrified and had no idea what was going on.
Wen Xin struggled awkwardly a few times before finally managing to get to her feet.
Lin Shu looked her over. She was plump and rosy-cheeked—not at all like someone sick enough to die.
And she was wearing a wedding dress in Lin Shu’s size, though it made her look rather bulky. She was half a head shorter than Lin Shu, and her proportions weren’t as good.
Secretary Yu couldn’t help wondering how the woman had managed to squeeze herself into that dress.
“Lin Shu…”
Wen Xin looked a little embarrassed. Lin Shu glanced around. Sure enough, the place was exactly like her own villa.
Out of habit, she walked over to the brown sofa and sat down. She lifted her chin slightly; every gesture of hers carried an air of elegance and composure.
“Take it off.”
Wen Xin had thought Lin Shu was being easygoing since she hadn’t said anything. She gradually grew bolder.
Then Lin Shu spoke, leaving her mortified.
“Yanli gave this to me.”
Wen Xin frowned. Why was Lin Shu asking her to take off her clothes in front of all these men? What was she planning?
Secretary Yu looked at Wen Xin, her face red with anger.
She had never seen such a shameless mistress. Stealing someone’s husband was one thing, but how could she wear the wife’s wedding dress, too?
“Don’t give me that bullshit. This is the dress Mr. Zhou gave Mrs. Zhou. What do you mean, he gave it to you? Are you Mrs. Zhou? You actually let your servant call you that—have you no shame? Mrs. Zhou and Mr. Zhou have a marriage certificate. Why don’t you show us yours?”
Secretary Yu wanted to slap Wen Xin even more than Lin Shu did.
“Lin Shu, this is my home. You’ve trespassed on private property. I can call the police.”
With Zhou Yanli backing her, Wen Xin looked at Lin Shu with disdain.
“And why are you driving Yanli’s car?”
Lin Shu stared at Wen Xin. She should have been in pain, but instead she smiled.
“Zhou Yanli’s car is mine, too. He bought this villa for you, didn’t he? Do you know what marital property means?”
Wen Xin was at a loss for words.
Lin Shu’s eyes fell on the wedding dress she was wearing. Her voice was calm. “Are you going to take it off yourself, or should I have someone do it?”