Chapter 1

Chapter 1

When the floating comments first appeared, I had Xie Ting pinned against the kitchen counter while I kissed him.

I hated having to tilt my head up, so I forced him to bend down. I bit at his lips with no finesse whatsoever, domineering enough to forbid him from retreating or resisting.

Then he hissed.

Xie Ting pressed his lips together. A thread of blood stained one corner of his mouth, and his brow creased ever so slightly.

Afraid he might notice something was wrong with me, I instinctively slapped one of the broad pecs left bare by his single apron.

“Why are you still standing there? Go cook! Can’t you see I’m starving?”

A red handprint immediately bloomed across his pale skin. He glanced at me, the tips of his ears turning pink, then turned around, lit the stove, and began cooking with practiced ease and not a word of complaint.

I fled to the living room with my head in my hands and screamed without making a sound.

Oh my God.

I was the vicious supporting woman!

Sure, I was a little too fond of dirty talk, my tastes were a little twisted, and I could be somewhat spoiled and imperious. But I was obviously still an amazing human being!

I reflected on my flaws for all of three seconds before dropping to my knees before the empty air.

“Dear heavenly grannies, could you please tell me the rest of the plot? Save my beautiful, flawless face!”

[No way. The supporting woman can see us!]

[Huh? I finally get to be the savior! Listen, supporting woman, just get out of the plot and let the leads return to their proper storyline. Problem solved!]

[Exactly! The male lead hates you. You always force him to do this and that, while the heroine is your complete opposite.]

…

According to the floating comments, I was trapped inside a healing-romance novel. I was supposed to be nothing more than a spoiled, vicious supporting character, but through a twist of fate, I had devoured the male lead whole and sent the plot careening off course.

The original heroine was my exact opposite.

She was gentle and kind. Her role was to save the male lead, restore him to normal, and live happily ever after with him.

And me?

Unable to endure hardship after the divorce, I would burn through all my money in record time, then be disfigured in a fire. A wretched ending if ever there was one.

I shuddered.

The truth was… Xie Ting and I had married first and fallen in love later.

At the beginning, he had resisted me with everything he had. I had shamelessly clung to him and tied him in knots with my crooked logic. Little by little, his defenses had loosened, and he had begun showing expressions he revealed to no one else.

I had always thought his awkwardness came from his illness.

Now I knew the truth: only the woman destined for him could save him.

A sour ache spread through my chest.

While I was still wondering what to do, Xie Ting brought out three dishes and a soup, then expertly began picking the bones from my fish.

I automatically reached for my chopsticks, only to see the comments complaining again.

[I can’t with this woman. She insists on eating this stupid fish, then makes the male lead spend half an hour picking out every bone! What kind of person does that?]

What was wrong with not eating fish bones?

I puffed out my cheeks and put my chopsticks down.

“I don’t want it. I don’t want it. I haven’t really felt like eating fish lately.”

Xie Ting’s hands paused. His face remained cool and unreadable, but he set the fish aside and served me vegetables instead.

[It’s not just fish! She won’t eat tomatoes unless they’re minced, eggplant unless it’s peeled, or eggs unless the yolks are runny!]

I stared at the table full of incriminating evidence.

Every time, I had lounged on the bed with my legs crossed, calling out whatever dishes struck my fancy. I had never considered whether Xie Ting knew how to make them or how long they might take.

I had simply ordered him around and threatened, “A good puppy remembers everything his owner likes.”

Whenever he looked silent and aloof, I would deliberately jump on him and tug his ear in a huff.

“What’s with that face? I’m warning you, if you can’t remember my habits, you’re dead!”

Only then would Xie Ting nod and murmur a soft, “Mm.”

But now, I no longer dared play empress in front of him.

If my exquisitely beautiful face were ruined, I wouldn’t want to live either.

I could only rein in my temper, bury my face in my bowl, and angrily shovel down two mouthfuls of plain rice.

“You don’t have to go to so much trouble anymore. I’ll just find something simple for myself from now on.”