Chapter 3

Chapter 3

When I woke the next morning, Xie Ting was already dressed and standing beside the bed.

He fastened the top button of a tailored suit that traced the perfect lines of his body. The long hair I had once pestered him into growing fell quietly over his chest.

I rubbed my eyes.

Only when I noticed the medical file in his hand did I remember that today was his follow-up appointment.

Xie Ting’s selective mutism stemmed from a kidnapping when he was very young. It had left him with severe psychological trauma, and he had not spoken since.

Normally, getting him to go to the hospital required half a day of threats, coaxing, and relentless nagging. He would agree only after I had worn him down completely.

But today…

I frowned. “You’re going to the hospital dressed like that?”

The floating comments appeared.

[This is amazing! The crucial scene is finally here. Today is the first time our kindhearted heroine meets the beautiful, powerful, tragic male lead!]

[No wonder he dressed up! The heroine gets to feast, doesn’t she?]

[Don’t interfere, supporting woman. Stay home like a good girl. After today, the male lead will finally become normal.]

I nearly ground my teeth to dust, but my expression gave nothing away.

Xie Ting had already begun taking off his suit. I stopped him and said with feigned nonchalance, “Oh, never mind. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to look nice. Go by yourself, baby.”

His face stiffened. He stared into my eyes, crushing the medical file in his grip.

At my final few words, his thin lips trembled as though he wanted to say something. In the end, he turned away and left with his entire body held rigid.

Ha. Ha. Ha.

So eager to meet the heroine, was he?

They might be the destined leads, but this still counted as cheating during marriage. Maybe he could compensate me with some money.

Annoyed, I headed to the kitchen to make myself a bowl of extra-spicy instant noodles.

Then I saw the table.

There was fish with every bone already removed, a glass of milk prepared just the way I liked it, and a steaming bowl of noodles.

My steps faltered. Before I knew it, I was seated at the table with chopsticks in hand.

It smelled so good.

The thought that I would never taste food this delicious again after divorcing Xie Ting made me a little sad.

The comments seethed.

[The supporting woman is so demanding! The male lead was afraid she’d make a scene and stop him from meeting the heroine, so he anticipated her little tricks and removed every excuse she might use.]

[Exactly. I bet he deliberately indulged her. She’ll be incapable of taking care of herself after the divorce, which is why the fire disfigures her!]

[Of course. He’s the male lead. There’s no way this vicious supporting woman could force him to submit. He must have allowed it on purpose.]

That made so much sense.

The tenderness that had just begun to rise in me instantly flared into righteous indignation.

I stopped eating slowly and guiltily, and polished off the entire meal with perfect confidence.

Then I had an AI edit a photo to make it look as though the untouched food had been dumped into the sink. I sent it to Xie Ting with a message.

“Don’t make me any of this again. It tasted awful! I didn’t like it at all!”

I could survive without him.

Hmph.

The comments began feeding me spoilers.

[Ahhh! The leads spoke to each other! This is so exciting. The male lead’s voice is gorgeous!]

[As expected, his illness vanished the moment he stood before the woman destined for him. A handsome man and a beautiful woman. They’re perfect together!]

[The supporting woman should understand her position by now. Hurry up and pack. Leave before this gets ugly.]

According to their spoilers, the male lead looked normal on the surface, but was dark and obsessive underneath, capable of anything for the heroine.

I was merely seasoning in the love story between the true leads.

My only fate was to be discarded.

Fine. So that was how he wanted to play it.

The instant I learned that Xie Ting had spoken in front of the heroine, everything became clear.

My very existence was a mistake.

[Wait. Am I the only one wondering why the male lead’s first question to the heroine was whether something had suddenly become strange about his wife?]

[Right! Isn’t he supposed to hate the supporting woman?]

[The heroine is a psychologist. She probably guided him with just a few questions until he talked about the greatest source of pain in his life. The second female lead is spoiled and irritating. He’s probably wondering how to get rid of her!]

[The supporting woman should draft a divorce agreement. Give it to him the moment he comes home. Make the first move and prove you’re sincere, so the leads can get together faster. That’s how you escape the original plot.]

Out of sight, out of mind. I ignored every comment describing how perfectly matched the leads were and obediently followed the advice.

I immediately made an appointment with a divorce lawyer at a cafe.

Only after I sat down did I realize the lawyer was Shen Yu, an old high-school classmate.

He wore gold-rimmed glasses and had the composed air of a mature professional. Surprise flickered across his face when he saw me.

Too anxious for pleasantries, I asked, “How soon can you finish the divorce agreement?”

Shen Yu crooked a finger and tapped the tabletop. “Tonight.”

I let out a breath.

Wonderful.

This should be enough to escape the original plot, right?

Shen Yu smiled faintly and poured me a cup of tea. “Perhaps you could tell me what happened. I don’t mean to pry. It will simply help me organize the evidence more quickly.”

I leaned back. The tension I had carried for two days slowly drained from my face.

There was no stopping the plot. Soon, someone else would occupy Xie Ting’s heart.

I demanded absolute fidelity in love. I had chosen Xie Ting in the first place partly because he had never been with anyone else. If he truly couldn’t help falling for another woman, I could never accept him again.

All I wanted now was to save my face.

As long as I had my beauty, I still had my kingdom.

I shook my head, sounding deeply resigned. “Xie Ting and I aren’t a good match.”

“It was only ever a business marriage. There are no real feelings between us.”

The moment the words left my mouth, a hand landed on my shoulder. A figure leaned over me from behind, blotting out the light.

Shen Yu rose and lifted a brow. “And you are?”

Before I could react, Xie Ting hauled me to my feet. I stumbled two steps and fell into his arms.

“I am Xu You’s husband.”

He spoke slowly, which only made each word sound more forceful, like a declaration of ownership.

“Forgive the scene.”

“My wife has been sulking at me lately.”