The night was bewitching.
Firelight flickered in the villa’s fireplace, dancing across Lin Shu’s smooth profile and illuminating her breathtaking beauty.
Her dark hair fell loose, veiling half her face. Her gaze rested on a line in the book she held, lingering there for a long time.
【The man’s childhood sweetheart is the original wife’s ultimate nemesis. He will never forget the love he had as a boy. After six years of marriage, it turns out I’m not even as good as a stand-in.】
Before she knew it, Lin Shu had begun to see herself and Zhou Yanli in every detail of the story. She was so absorbed in the romance novel that it had her laughing and crying, living and dying along with it.
“What are you reading?”
The fresh scent of cedar went straight to her heart. It was unmistakably Zhou Yanli’s scent. Someone slipped an arm around her waist, and she gave an involuntary shiver, but didn’t turn to look at the man behind her.
Lin Shu kept her eyes on the fire. The crackling beside her blended with the snowy night, making the silence feel all the deeper.
Zhou Yanli reached for the book in her hands. Lin Shu tossed it aside. It sailed through the air in an arc and landed in the flames, where the fire quickly devoured it.
“I’m tired. I’m going to bed.”
She tried to push him away. The embrace that had once intoxicated her now disgusted her just as much.
On countless nights after Zhou Yanli left, she had dreamed of him entangled with Wen Xin. The nausea that sent her rushing to the bathroom to retch whenever she woke still left her feeling wretched.
He didn’t let go. He assumed she was still upset about the wedding dress and angry with him for taking Wen Xin’s side.
But Zhou Yanli knew Lin Shu loved him deeply. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have agreed to save Wen Xin.
He was grateful to her, and the scales in his heart had quietly tipped a little in her favor because of what she had done.
He didn’t plan to leave her alone at home anymore.
Wen Xin’s condition was stable most of the time, after all. He thought he ought to treat Lin Shu better.
Zhou Yanli didn’t understand the unmistakable rejection in her words. Instead, he pulled her even closer.
He rested his chin lightly on her shoulder and breathed in the clean scent of her skin after her bath, his thoughts beginning to wander.
Because of Wen Xin, they hadn’t been together for more than half a month. The last time they’d been intimate, their daughter had interrupted them. Now he wanted—
“Shuangshuang isn’t here. Shall I carry you to our room?”
He had wanted to bring Zhou Shuang home too, but their daughter was worried about Auntie Wen Xin and insisted on staying there with her.
Wen Xin had come through surgery today and was doing well. He’d arranged for five medical staff to go to No. 3 Panshan Road, so he was perfectly at ease.
He wanted to set aside time for Lin Shu. She’d done him a great favor, and he wanted to comfort her properly.
In body and in heart.
“Zhou Yanli, what do you take me for? Some woman you can summon whenever you want and dismiss just as easily? Even if I were a prostitute, you’d still have to ask whether I agreed.”
Firelight washed over Lin Shu’s face, leaving it indistinct. Her long hair fell softly around her, and her red lips looked as if they’d just drunk someone’s blood. In the glow, her face seemed bewitching and alluring, but her voice was cold beyond words.
With her warm, fragrant body in his arms, and the mood and atmosphere stoking his desire, Zhou Yanli was close to losing control. Her words poured cold water over him, dousing most of his passion.
He had left Wen Xin, who’d just undergone surgery, behind just to come keep her company. What kind of attitude was this?
Lin Shu rose from the sofa. The thin blanket slipped down, revealing her slender yet tantalizing curves—and a face that was anything but welcoming, even angry.
Zhou Yanli’s ardor visibly ebbed. His temple throbbed with the anger he was forcing down.
The clock on the wall struck midnight. He’d had a long day and could have rested there, but thinking of his wife at home, he had returned here late at night through the bitter winter cold.
“I wanted to thank you, and not just with words. Lin Shu, thank you.”
Thinking of Wen Xin’s successful surgery, his heart softened again despite himself.
His Lin Shu had always stood by him, always thought of his needs.
“Because I saved your old flame?”
Lin Shu laughed, bitterly and scornfully.
Over the past half month, how many times had she called him? How many times had she gone looking for him? Had he ever come back to see her even once?
For his childhood sweetheart, he’d suddenly found his conscience and wanted to repay her with his body.
“I mean it. I’ve had someone take the wedding dress in for repairs. They should bring it back in ten days.”
Zhou Yanli’s words made her heart twist painfully in her chest.
“Then I really must thank you, President Zhou.”
Lin Shu turned away. The affection that had once filled her gaze was gone; not a trace of attachment remained.
When she reached the third step, she turned back. Her dark hair swayed with the movement, flowing like layered clouds.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you—you don’t have to thank me. The Zhou family traded fifty percent of its shares for Wen Xin’s life.”
She lightly wiped away the tear that had slipped from the corner of her eye. Her lips curved with cruelty and mockery, heedless of the apocalyptic storm already brewing in his icy black eyes.
“You’ve seen the divorce papers. Find a time to sign them.”
Zhou Yanli stood frozen in the middle of the living room, ice-cold all over. He had never imagined that Lin Shu—the woman who had never cared about profit or loss, who had only wanted to spend every moment with him until they grew old together—would become a woman full of schemes.
He seemed to hear something break inside him. In the stillness of the night, pain came in waves, tearing at his heart.
Lin Shu—
Had he been wrong about her?
Lin Shu went upstairs. Their daughter hadn’t come home, so she was probably still with Wen Xin.
That woman had just had surgery, and Zhou Yanli had come back too. Who was looking after Zhou Shuang?
She went into the bedroom and called the house on the landline.
Seeing a familiar number, the maid assumed it was Zhou Yanli and answered at once.
“Put Shuangshuang on the phone.”
Lin Shu’s voice was hard. The maid heard a woman’s voice, hesitated, and started to hang up.
“You know Zhou Yanli has come back, don’t you? That house still belongs to me. If you hang up, every one of you will be getting a lawyer’s letter tomorrow.”
The maid only wanted a job to earn money and support her family. She didn’t want to get caught up in the owners’ personal feud.
“Please wait.”
Silence fell on the other end. The maid hurried off to find Zhou Shuang.
Ever since Wen Xin had returned from the hospital, Zhou Shuang had been staying in her room with her.
The medical staff took turns caring for Wen Xin, while Zhou Shuang bent over the table, carefully folding something.
“Miss Shuang, you have a phone call. It seems to be your mother.”
The maid emphasized who was calling, but Zhou Shuang didn’t even lift her head.
“What’s she calling here for? Daddy just went home and left Auntie Wen all by herself. She must have had another fight with Daddy.
I still have to fold wishing stars for Auntie Wen. The seller said that once I’ve folded ten thousand wishing stars, Auntie Wen will be completely cured.”
The maid understood. Miss Shuang didn’t want to take the call; it wasn’t the maid’s fault.
Lin Shu waited patiently for more than ten minutes before the sound of the receiver being picked up finally came through.
“Shuangshuang—”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Zhou. Miss Shuang doesn’t want to take the call. I think you’d better not call again.”