Volume One, Chapter Four: Tonight, Zhou Jinghuai Takes a Bold Step Forward

At nine o’clock at night, the two left the Zhou residence.

As Zhou Jinghuai fastened his seatbelt, he casually asked, “What were you just talking about with Zhou Jingyao? You seemed to be having a good time.”

Ye Wu responded with a faint “Mm,” then said, “Yes, we were talking about your little childhood sweetheart.”

Zhou Jinghuai was silent.

After a moment, he gently took Ye Wu’s hand in his and his voice held a rare tenderness. “I’ve never slept with her.”

Leaning back against the seat, Ye Wu’s eyes glistened with unshed tears.

She knew all too well that Zhou Jinghuai’s tenderness was merely because she was in her fertile period; he wanted to sow his seed in her womb.

It had nothing to do with love, and certainly nothing to do with her, Ye Wu.

She wondered: if Zhou Jinghuai knew she could no longer bear children, would he still want to keep her, or would he hasten to sign the divorce papers and search for the next woman fit to be Mrs. Zhou?

Tonight, Zhou Jinghuai was making an investment. He leaned close, trying to stir his wife’s desire.

Ye Wu felt utterly forlorn.

Her husband did not love her; he treated her as a machine for work and reproduction. He did not enjoy intimacy with her, yet every month, for the sake of conceiving a child, he shared her bed. How was this any different from animal coupling?

Ye Wu evaded his kiss, her voice hoarse with a strange sorrow. “Zhou Jinghuai, I’m serious about the divorce. If you think I’m asking for too much, we can talk again.”

The car was dim. Zhou Jinghuai stared intently at her face as if trying to see through her skin and bones.

After a long silence, his voice turned icy.

“I’ve told you before, divorce is impossible.”

“Ye Wu, once there’s a child, you won’t have these wild thoughts!”

Ye Wu closed her eyes, exhausted. “Zhou Jinghuai, what if I can’t have children?”

He frowned and replied dismissively, “That’s impossible. We both had premarital checkups when we got married.”

Ye Wu smiled bitterly.

The premarital reports from four years ago no longer held any meaning.

Just like the vows Zhou Jinghuai made when he proposed—those had long since been extinguished in the depths of a man’s conscience and lost within a young woman’s tender embrace.

They returned to Imperial View Garden close to ten o’clock.

Zhou Jinghuai showered in the guest bedroom. He had intended to persuade Ye Wu to share his bed that night, but then he received a call and left in a hurry.

Ye Wu guessed he was meeting his mistress.

She didn’t care. At least tonight, she no longer had to endure Zhou Jinghuai.

He did not return all night.

The lights in Imperial View Garden remained on throughout the night, waiting in vain for the master of the house.

For the next week, Zhou Jinghuai continued to stay out at night.

He made no progress on the divorce.

During those cold autumn nights, what was Ye Wu doing?

She often stood before the bedroom’s floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the plane tree leaves turning yellow outside, quietly thinking: if only she had never given up painting, had not married so early, had not entered the business world—would she be happier?

As for Zhou Jinghuai, she had not called him once. She treated the man who roamed outside as if he were dead.

They hadn’t seen each other for a long time. When they met again, it was at a business reception.

---

[Hidden Haven]

The most extravagant business club in Jing City.

As soon as Ye Wu entered the private room, she saw Bai Qianqian sitting closely beside Zhou Jinghuai, like a delicate little bird clinging to him. When she noticed Ye Wu approaching, Bai lowered her head to play on her phone, completely ignoring her.

Secretary Annie was about to lose her temper.

Ye Wu stopped her with a calm voice. “She’s currently Mr. Jing’s beloved. Let her have her way for now.”

There was no seat beside Zhou Jinghuai, and Ye Wu didn’t want to sit among the opposition. She excused herself to the restroom, giving Zhou Jinghuai ample time to deal with his mistress.

Inside the restroom, crystal chandeliers sparkled.

Ye Wu was washing her hands when she suddenly heard footsteps behind her.

She glanced up and saw Bai Qianqian in the mirror.

Bai approached, shedding her usual deference and wearing a sharp, provocative smile. “I’ve moved back to that villa. Zhou Jinghuai said I can stay as long as I want.”

Ye Wu turned off the faucet.

She stared at the innocent little face reflected in the mirror.

So pure, so full of youthful collagen, unlike herself, who was worn down by years spent in the cutthroat business world, her features always tinged with faint exhaustion. How wonderful to be young.

She inadvertently remembered she was only twenty-six.

Ye Wu lowered her head and gently twirled the six-carat wedding ring on her ring finger. She spoke with detached calm.

“Miss Bai, if I were you, I’d be a good little canary by Zhou Jinghuai’s side. Don’t make a fuss, just wrap your arms around his neck for money, and don’t go around broadcasting your bedroom affairs. Also, why cause a scene here? This isn’t the place for you.”

Bai Qianqian curled her lips. “Zhou Jinghuai protects me. He wouldn’t let me drink.”

“Really?”

Ye Wu smiled faintly. “You might not know, Miss Bai, but in Zhou Jinghuai’s heart, money is number one. He clearly separates business from women. Soon, even if it’s poison instead of a drink, he’d probably make you swallow it.”

Bai’s face turned pale. “I don’t believe it.”

Ye Wu’s smile grew even colder.

After Bai Qianqian left, Ye Wu stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror. Her earlier bravado seemed ridiculous even to herself. She knew that with a little effort and strategy, she would always be Mrs. Zhou. But such a life and marriage was not what she wanted.

She was tired and ready to flip the table.

When Ye Wu returned to the private room, the seat beside Zhou Jinghuai was vacant. She sat down calmly and resumed the charade of a loving wife, just like before.

Bai Qianqian sat far away, her face full of grievance, on the verge of tears.

Zhou Jinghuai expressed slight displeasure. “Why trouble such a young girl?”

Ye Wu did not respond.

He didn’t understand that every word he spoke in defense of Bai Qianqian was like a knife piercing Ye Wu’s heart. He cared for Bai, but what about Ye Wu, who had stood by him through thick and thin all these years?

What was she, then?

Ye Wu’s heart bled, yet her expression remained unusually serene. She smiled and urged Bai Qianqian to have a drink with one of their company’s men, who clearly showed interest in the innocent young woman.

Bai, relying on Zhou Jinghuai’s backing, refused repeatedly.

Under the crystal chandelier, Zhou Jinghuai’s handsome face darkened with a storm brewing.

He knew full well that Ye Wu was doing this deliberately.

Holding his glass lightly, he looked at Ye Wu but spoke to Bai Qianqian.

“The Meiya Project involves over a hundred billion in investment. No matter what happens, Assistant Bai, you have to show General Manager Li some respect.”

Bai Qianqian dared not protest and nodded with trembling lips.

While Bai lowered herself to accompany General Manager Li, Ye Wu sat beside Zhou Jinghuai.

His face was expressionless, and Ye Wu felt like a cruel stepmother who had buried the great love of Mr. Jing herself.

At that moment, they forgot they had once been young newlyweds.

---

Night fell in the underground parking lot.

Secretary Annie supported Ye Wu and opened the rear car door. “Ms. Ye, be careful not to hit your head. You’ve had a bit too much to drink tonight.”

Ye Wu held her forehead and murmured, “I’m in a bad mood.”

Annie understood perfectly. Mr. Jing had gone too far today.

The Meiya Project had been Ms. Ye’s labor of love from the beginning—she had arranged everything from the project’s inception to the contacts. Yet tonight, Mr. Jing brought Bai Qianqian along. Even Ye Wu would be angry.

But Bai Qianqian had ended up in the hospital from drinking too much, which was some consolation.

Just as Ye Wu was about to get into the car, a male hand grabbed her wrist.

With a loud thud, her body hit the side of a black luxury car.

The cold metal made her appear even more fragile and alone.

It took a moment for Ye Wu to recover from the pain. She looked up at her husband’s face, dark and stormy, and softly said, “Annie, you should step away.”

Annie was reluctant but dared not stay after seeing Zhou Jinghuai’s expression. She whispered, “Madam isn’t feeling well either.”

Ye Wu’s eyes reddened slightly.

After Annie left, Zhou Jinghuai finally lost control. He approached Ye Wu, grasped her chin, and coldly demanded:

“Why did you deliberately make things difficult for her?”

“She’s going to the hospital for a gastric lavage and IV.”

“Ye Wu, I told you she’s just the daughter of an elder. I’m only looking out for her a bit more…”

Suddenly, a slap landed hard across Zhou Jinghuai’s face.

Ye Wu’s palm tingled, and her whole body trembled uncontrollably.

She looked at him with a cold smile. “Do you want to take care of her in your bed too? Zhou Jinghuai, is your affection so blatant, or do you really think I’m a fool?”

Zhou Jinghuai’s handsome face turned aside.

He slowly turned back, pressed his tongue against his mouth, and stared at Ye Wu as if he wanted to kill her. Yet his tone remained calm and controlled.

“You want my love that badly? No matter the cost?”

Ye Wu mimicked his tone mockingly. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

Zhou Jinghuai seemed to calm down.

After a while, he gently stroked her face. “Awu, you’re not as obedient as you used to be. Isn’t it good enough to play the role of Mrs. Zhou? Have a child and secure your place as Mrs. Zhou. Why do you have to care so much? Why must you oppose me?”

The night air was cold. Ye Wu’s face was wet with tears, but she was unaware of them.

“Used to?”

“You know it was in the past?”

“Zhou Jinghuai, are we still in the past? The past Zhou Jinghuai didn’t have a little girl by his side. The past Zhou Jinghuai didn’t stay out all night. The past Zhou Jinghuai didn’t calculate my ovulation period every month just to have a child.”

“Zhou Jinghuai, who has really changed—you or me?”

---

After four years of sharing a bed, they finally tore their masks off.

Zhou Jinghuai gazed quietly at Ye Wu, the wife who had accompanied him through the world of fame and fortune. After a long while, his eyes grew cold, as if making a firm decision in that instant.

The night was still and clear,

like a mourning for love.

Zhou Jinghuai released Ye Wu’s hand and stepped back. “Starting tomorrow, you won’t be responsible for the Meiya Project. As for your position, I will convene a shareholders’ meeting to decide.”

Ye Wu smiled softly—

Her first strike to shore up her position: cut down the one she loved.

Both of them knew deep down the rift between them was not just about Bai Qianqian. Zhou Jinghuai was burning his bridges, trying to force Ye Wu back home to be Mrs. Zhou full-time, to bear his children, trapping her with the pretense of love.

Love, children...

At that moment, Ye Wu’s grief and anger reached their peak.

She suddenly felt utterly disillusioned. Everything in the past had been her one-sided wishful thinking. Meeting Zhou Jinghuai was not fate—it was her curse.

She no longer wanted to hide the truth.

She was going to tell him now—tell Zhou Jinghuai that Ye Wu could no longer have children.