On the night of Song Wanxi’s twenty-sixth birthday, there were no surprises, only shocks.
Surrounded by several friends, she pushed open the door to the club suite. The lights were dim, the music was suggestive and alluring, and several hostesses in sexy outfits were posing provocatively, performing an erotic dance that oozed sensuality.
It was a decadent scene of debauchery and indulgence.
“Uh… we’re in the wrong room.” Liao Xue grabbed Song Wanxi’s arm. “Wanxi, our private room is next door.”
Song Wanxi shook off Liao Xue’s hand. She looked at You Jin on the sofa with outward calm, but her heart felt as though it were being ruthlessly squeezed by an invisible hand. Every breath brought a dull ache, and everything before her eyes began to blur.
They had been married for two years. She knew he had many scandals and played around, but seeing this sordid scene with her own eyes still filled her with inevitable grief and rage.
You Jin saw her too, yet he remained strangely composed. Not a single ripple appeared in his eyes; his expression was as normal as ever.
Wu Weiwei motioned for the dancing women to leave and turned off the music. She stood up from You Jin’s side and said, “Sister-in-law, don’t misunderstand. We were just playing around.”
“Sister-in-law?” The two men beside her, who had long heard of Song Wanxi, looked nervously at You Jin and then at her. “Sister-in-law, it’s really not what you think.”
You Jin ignored her and continued drinking.
Wu Weiwei complained, “Sister-in-law, we brothers were just watching a show. With me here, they wouldn’t dare take a hostess to a hotel room. You wouldn’t get mad at Ah Jin over such a small thing, would you?”
Hearing this, Song Wanxi looked at Wu Weiwei.
She was a reasonably pretty woman who had grown up with You Jin, treating him like a brother.
Song Wanxi hadn’t said a single word from start to finish. Where was this talk of anger coming from?
This woman certainly knew how to stir up trouble.
“Sorry for the intrusion.” Song Wanxi suppressed her bitterness, turned, and left.
In the long corridor, her friends were filled with righteous indignation.
Liao Xue pulled at her. “Wanxi, our room is just ahead. Where are you going?”
Song Wanxi stopped and looked at Liao Xue. “Delete my contact. Let’s not stay in touch anymore.”
The others were stunned.
Liao Xue was shocked, her eyes widening like copper bells. “Song Wanxi, is there something wrong with you? Your husband is fooling around—what does that have to do with me? We’ve been best friends for so many years; are you going to cut me off over a scumbag?”
You insisted on arranging a birthday party for me and forced me to come to the place I hate most to celebrate. How could it have nothing to do with you?
Song Wanxi felt a sharp pang of grief. She used all her strength to suppress her current fury. “What did Wu Weiwei give you?”
Liao Xue paused, her eyes flickering. “I…”
Song Wanxi didn’t give her a chance to explain. “I’ve been married to You Jin for two years. I know exactly what kind of man he is. I’m not a fool; I don’t need you and Wu Weiwei to set a trap to pressure us into a divorce.”
Liao Xue’s gaze shifted as she reached out with trembling fingers toward Song Wanxi. “Wanxi, I just… I didn’t want you to be lied to by him anymore.”
Song Wanxi dodged her touch. “This is where we end.”
She didn’t need this kind of toxic friend who would sell her out at any moment for personal gain.
Song Wanxi walked away quickly from the place that disgusted her.
Liao Xue was surrounded by the other friends, who began questioning her.
“Today is Wanxi’s birthday. What the hell were you doing?”
“Did you really take benefits from that Man-tea?”
“Liao Xue, is this the ‘surprise’ you arranged for Wanxi?”
Inside the alcohol-scented private room, it was exceptionally quiet.
An indescribable low pressure hung over them; no one dared to speak.
You Jin drank several glasses of hard liquor in a row. He leaned back lazily against the sofa, his gaze sharp. He tugged impatiently at his tie and, realizing the cloth used to blindfold him earlier was still hanging around his neck, became even more irritable and ripped it off.
He tossed the black blindfold onto the table, took off his suit jacket and tie, and slowly unbuttoned the top of his white shirt.
Wu Weiwei crossed her arms and leaned back petulantly, sitting side-by-side with You Jin. She complained, “Are all women so narrow-minded? It was just a show. She’s already angry? I really don’t like hanging out with women; it’s so boring.”
Xu Chang refilled You Jin’s empty glass. “Let’s just drink. Don’t let it spoil the mood.”
You Jin leaned forward, picked up the glass, and downed it in one go.
As the liquor burned down his throat, he asked indifferently, “Who set this up?”
The group froze.
“We didn’t set anything up,” Wu Weiwei said with a panicked expression. “It was just a coincidence.”
You Jin curled his lips into a cold smirk. He lifted his eyelids to glance at Wu Weiwei and pointed toward the door Song Wanxi had left through. “Who is she?”
Wu Weiwei’s panicked, uneasy gaze drifted toward the other brothers, seeking their help.
You Jin repeated sternly, “I asked you, who is she?”
Wu Weiwei knew exactly who she was.
She was Song Wanxi, the untouchable forbidden territory hidden deep in You Jin’s heart, the bottom line that could not be crossed.
“Song Wanxi,” Wu Weiwei answered timidly.
You Jin let out a sarcastic, cold laugh.
Indeed! She was Song Wanxi!
Everyone present understood what that name represented.
You Jin spoke word by word, “It is impossible for her to simply appear in a place like this.”
Wu Weiwei muttered unhappily under her breath, “Who says pharmaceutical researchers can’t come to places like this to have fun?”
You Jin bent over, resting his elbows on his knees. He lowered his head, his voice growing colder. “Was it fun, making things this filthy?”
Seeing Wu Weiwei’s terrified expression, Xu Chang took the fall for her out of a sense of loyalty. “Ah Jin, I was the one who ordered the dancing hostesses, and I used my connections to trick Sister-in-law into coming here. I just wanted to test if you actually mean anything to her.”
You Jin looked up, his chillingly sharp gaze shooting straight at Xu Chang.
Xu Chang swallowed nervously, his spine stiffening.
Song Wanxi couldn’t sleep.
In the early hours of the morning, unable to rest, she went to the kitchen, poured a glass of milk from the fridge, heated it up, and sat on the living room sofa to drink it.
A gentle night breeze blew into the living room, fluttering the light gauze curtains. The city lights were brighter than the night sky.
Everything was silent.
She held the warm milk with both hands and took a slow sip, her heart unable to find peace.
A soft click sounded.
Song Wanxi turned her head toward the front door.
The door opened, and You Jin walked in, changing into his slippers at the entrance.
He looked at the brightly lit living room, startled for a moment, and his gaze fell on Song Wanxi.
Song Wanxi usually went to bed early; tonight was an exception.
She glanced at You Jin, finished the milk in large gulps, went to the kitchen to wash the glass, and turned off the light as she came out.
You Jin sat on the sofa with his arms and legs spread wide in a bold posture. He leaned his head back against the sofa. Whether he had drunk too much or was simply exhausted, he remained motionless with his eyes closed.
Song Wanxi walked past him without a sound.
“Waiting for me?” his cold, deep voice drifted out.
Song Wanxi paused, her back to him, her chest feeling tight and uncomfortable.
She let out a soft breath. “No.”
“Don’t you have anything to say after seeing your husband fooling around outside?”
Those words were like a needle stabbing into Song Wanxi’s heart—a sharp, piercing pain.
But she was used to burying her grievances deep inside.
Song Wanxi fell silent. For a few seconds, time seemed to stretch infinitely, and the air felt as though it had solidified.
Finally, she feigned magnanimity and spoke calmly, “Pay attention to hygiene and protect yourself.”
These words caused You Jin to completely lose his composure.
He stood up from the sofa, rushed toward her, and grabbed her wrist with a violent yank.
Caught off guard, Song Wanxi was jerked around. Pain flared in her wrist.
She panicked, tears welling in her eyes. “You Jin, what are you doing?”