The lethality of a mind-blowingly gorgeous man whispering sweet nothings is no joke. I had to splash my face with cold water three separate times just to cool off my overheated brain. Red alerts immediately blared through my head:

After a moment of solemn reflection, the system offered a serious proposal:

Actually… that made a ton of sense. Done!

The very next afternoon, Xie Huaiyan came home exactly five minutes late. Golden opportunity, here I come! I immediately sprinted over, threw my arms around him, and threw my head back, crying as if my whole world had collapsed. Xie Huaiyan paused, his expression softening as he gently wiped away my tears.

— “What’s wrong?”

I clutched his collar, sobbing uncontrollably. “Hubby… do you have someone else? Why are you late?! You were definitely out meeting another woman!”

Right on cue, a fancy bakery bag lightly brushed against my cheek. His voice carried a trace of helpless affection:

— “I told you your memory is terrible. A few days ago, you said you wanted pastries from this shop. They finally reopened today, so I went to pick some up.”

I froze. That bakery only sold five portions a day, and I had just mentioned it offhandedly… Yet he actually remembered… No! I can’t fall for this handsome-trap!

Just then, I spotted a red mark near his collar, and my combat mode immediately kicked into overdrive:

— “What’s this?! Why is there a lipstick stain?!”

Xie Huaiyan’s ears flushed slightly pink. He reached up, lightly brushing his thumb against my lips, his voice dropping an octave:

— “That’s yours. The morning kiss you gave me… I didn’t have the heart to wipe it off.”

My face turned bright red in a fraction of a second. I had to admit, even if he was the villain, his boyfriend game was a solid ten out of ten.

Desperate to cover my tracks, I stammered out an excuse: “I… I just lack security, that’s all. I want you to stay by my side all the time, to only have eyes for me… that’s why I overreacted a little…”

— “Alright,” he cut in cleanly.

Then, out of absolute nowhere, he pulled out a pair of gleaming silver handcuffs. His smile remained completely gentle, but the look in his eyes was… a little unhinged:

— “In that case… why don’t we lock ourselves together forever?”

I scrambled backward instantly. What normal person casually carries handcuffs on them?! But he wasn’t joking. He pressed me against the wall, his overwhelming presence taking over every inch of my space.

With a tiny metallic snap, my wrist was bound.

— “Don’t worry, baby. We’ll never be apart again.”

Thankfully, after I sobbed and pleaded, swearing up and down that I was “just joking,” he didn’t actually keep me locked up forever, he just… “punished” me for the entire night. By the next morning, my lower back felt like it belonged to someone else.

Plan A: Total failure. I thought I was clingy enough, but his level of possessiveness turned out to be final-boss tier.

The system slammed its fist on the table for an emergency round-two meeting:

That evening, the moment Xie Huaiyan walked into the bedroom, he found me sitting there with red, tear-filled eyes. He hurried over, his face etched with worry: “What happened?”

I forced myself to glare at him: “I hate you!”

Unfortunately, the damage output was probably sitting at a pathetic twenty percent because my voice choked mid-sentence. He wasn’t mad in the slightest; instead, he gently rubbed the corners of my eyes:

— “I know. But I love you. And because I love you, I worry about you. Tell me what’s wrong?”

His voice was as smooth and warm as velvet, completely vaporizing my first wave of attack. Desperate, I tried to land another blow:

— “You… you’re such a creep… who could possibly stand living with you!”

Xie Huaiyan stared at me, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly as his tone grew deeper, heavier:

— “Alright, I admit that handcuffing you last night was wrong. Don’t cry anymore. Next time… I’ll be gentler. Or, if you prefer, you can handcuff me instead.”

Me: “……”

I began to deeply question reality, are we even speaking the same language?!

When he turned to grab an ice pack for my swollen eyes, I mustered every ounce of courage I had left to raise hell. How could I let him off the hook so easily? I bolted upright, pressed hard against his shoulders, and shoved him! Unprepared, Xie Huaiyan tumbled straight back onto the bed.

This is it! I slammed the heel of my high heel onto his tight, sculpted abs. The system shrieked in cheerleader mode:

To be completely honest, stepping on those abs felt… insanely satisfying. I put on my best ruthless tone:

— “What’s the matter? Didn’t you just say I could get my revenge? Trying to run now isn’t an option!”

My words sounded badass, but inside, I was trembling like a leaf. The system chose that exact moment to drop a fatal stat: I just checked, everyone who ever walked all over Xie Huaiyan disappeared without a trace!

I went rigid, ready to yank my foot back, but it was already too late. Xie Huaiyan’s gaze suddenly flared with a dark, blazing intensity. He grabbed my ankle and yanked me down. In a split second, the tables turned, and I was pinned firmly beneath him. The corners of his lips curved up into a dangerously sharp smile:

— “You keep calling me a creep… turns out you’re into even wilder things than I am? Fine. Tonight, we’re trying everything.”

After a full week of being “tormented,” Xie Huaiyan wasn’t anywhere near tired, but I was on the absolute brink of collapse. The system threw out its last-ditch effort: Max out his credit cards!

At the elite city auction, I swiped his black card without batting an eye. Buy, buy, buy. I bought up practically every rare luxury item in sight. Murmurs and whispers rippled through the surrounding crowd, while I sat there, anxiously awaiting a furious phone call from him.

I answered nervously: “Hello? Hubby, is something wrong? Feeling heartbroken over your money?”

A soft chuckle drifted through the line, his tone shockingly sweet:

— “What are you talking about? I’m just worried your hands are getting tired. Isn’t carrying all those bags exhausting? I just sent a few more assistants over to help you. Go ahead and splurge all you want. I’ve got the tab covered.”

I sat there, stunned. The plan was a complete flop, but strangely, my heart started beating way faster than usual. It felt like… I was falling into serious trouble.

When the auction ended, I headed into the fitting room. Before I could even catch my breath, a group of wealthy socialites walked in, immediately bursting into loud, animated gossip.

— “That girl burning through cash out there earlier is Xie Huaiyan’s woman! Talk about a brainless gold digger. Is she trying to show off in front of us or what?”

Hearing that almost made me laugh. I decided to ignore them and just leave. But then, another grating, piercing voice chimed in:

— “Honestly, Xie Huaiyan isn’t any better. Just an illegitimate bastard with trash in his blood!”

My footsteps ground to a sudden halt. I knew a different Xie Huaiyan, the man who gently bandaged stray cats, the man who spoiled me completely without condition. Mocking me was fine, my skin was thick enough—but talking trash about him… I couldn’t stand for it.

The group continued smugly:

— “What’s there to be afraid of? It’s not like he has people bugging the women’s fitting room…”

I stepped forward and lightly tapped her on the shoulder. The entire group went dead silent, their faces draining of color as if they’d seen a ghost. I flashed a sweet, radiant smile, though my eyes remained as cold as ice:

— “What are you ladies talking about that’s so fun? Mind if I join in?”