Chapter 1: Sold Into Marriage

On my wedding night, instead of acting shy like a normal bride, I took the initiative and made the first move. I left Jiang Yanshi so flustered that his eyes turned red with anger and humiliation.

His legs might have been impaired, but there was something about his cold, aloof demeanor that was exactly my type. Before I left home, my father had warned me to mind my manners. I asked him only one question:

“Is he… still fully functional?”

As it turned out, Jiang Yanshi wasn’t just functional. He was very, very functional.

The only problem was that he had terrible control over his facial expressions. He was obviously enjoying himself, yet he looked as if I were torturing him.

Grinding his teeth, he threatened, “Lin Xiyue, believe me, I’ll kill you tomorrow.”

I laughed and leaned in to cut him off. “That mouth of yours needs to behave. The angrier you get, the more I want to tease you.”

Our little “experiment” lasted until noon the next day.

When I finally opened my eyes, I found Jiang Yanshi staring at me with a dark, murderous look. He was sitting in his wheelchair, looking as though he wanted to deal with me on the spot.

Despite the sweltering heat, he was wearing a high-collared shirt buttoned all the way up, doing his best to hide the faint marks on his skin. The moment he caught me looking, he tugged the collar even higher.

He opened his mouth. “Lin Xiyue, let’s—”

Before he could finish, I threw myself at him.

“Good morning, hubby!”

According to psychology, repeating a behavior for twenty-one days turns it into a habit. I figured that if I called him “husband” every day, eventually he’d give in.

He pushed me away, his expression icy. “Don’t call me that.”

But the tips of his ears had already turned bright red.

I hid my smile and pretended to pout. “I’m not allowed to call you that? Fine. I’ll go call someone else. It’s not like I don’t have plenty of ‘internet husbands.’”

His hand immediately shot out and caught my wrist.

His voice dropped. “You have someone else?”

I took advantage of the opportunity to sneak in a little touching. “Of course not. You’re the only one I like.”

He shook my hand off in disgust.

“Shameless. Sooner or later, I’m divorcing you.”

I tilted my head, flashed him a bright smile, and leaned close to whisper in his ear.

“Divorce me? Then why are you trembling?”

Years later, when his legs had fully recovered, I finally realized I should be afraid. I fled in the middle of the night, dragging my childhood sweetheart along with me.

We hadn’t gotten very far when the cold muzzle of a gun pressed against his back.

Jiang Yanshi stood behind us, his gaze fixed on my swollen belly.

His voice was cold as ice.

“You’re planning to take my child away and have someone else raise him as his father?”

I immediately raised both hands in surrender.

“I’m sorry. I was wrong… but you’re just too handsome.”

Honestly, even sitting in a wheelchair, Jiang Yanshi looked no different from any other man.

There was only one small difference.

In this particular game, I was the one calling the shots.

Take this moment, for example.

His hair was soaked, both hands gripping the arms of his wheelchair. His deep, dark eyes were clouded with a thin sheen of moisture.

Two years had passed, and apparently, he’d gotten used to being teased by me.

But just when I was smugly thinking, Men really are all the same, he suddenly shoved me away and said coldly,

“It’s just a physiological response. Don’t flatter yourself into thinking I’m attracted to you.”

With that, he wheeled himself into the bathroom, leaving me staring at his infuriatingly arrogant back.

Wait. Seriously?

We were just getting to the good part!

Annoyed, I laughed and hooked my finger around the wheelchair, pulling him back toward me. I casually brushed my fingertips over his ear, then glanced downward and drawled suggestively,

“That’s quite a reaction… Not exactly convincing, though~”

Jiang Yanshi’s entire face instantly flushed.

His eyes were fierce, yet somehow irresistibly alluring.

Looking at him like that, I suddenly had a strange feeling.

If his legs ever truly recovered, I might be the one who was completely screwed.

But I didn’t care.

Standing on the bed, I leaned down with a crooked smile as the little bell around my ankle gave a clear, tinkling chime.

“Not yet. That’s nowhere near enough.”

…

Qu Ze, my childhood best friend, stared at me as if I were some kind of alien.

“Do you even know what kind of man Jiang Yanshi is? He once nearly crushed the hand of someone who crossed him! Don’t think you can take advantage of him just because he has trouble walking. If his legs ever recover, you’re done for!”

I took a sip of wine and answered calmly, “I married him. I didn’t sign up to work for him. If I don’t enjoy the perks, what’s the difference between being married and being a widow? Besides, the doctor said his legs can’t be cured. He hasn’t complained about me yet, so what do I have to worry about?”

I sounded confident enough, but the hand holding my glass was still trembling slightly.

To be honest, I’d taken advantage of his circumstances a little too much.

During the day, I’d make him put on lovey-dovey performances for appearances—hugging me, kissing me, even calling me “baby” in that ridiculously sweet voice whenever we were around other people.

And that wasn’t all.

I’d also quietly “borrowed” some money from him.

Officially, it was for handbags and jewelry.

In reality, I’d been transferring it overseas bit by bit.

What could I do? He was always threatening to divorce me first. I had to protect myself somehow!

That night, I brought a plate of watermelon back to our room, figuring it was the last bit of conscience I had left.

He glanced at it and gave me a cold laugh.

“A fox wishing a chicken a happy New Year. Come on. What are you scheming this time?”

He was stretched out on the bed, wearing a V-neck pajama top that exposed his collarbones and a set of abs that were frankly far too convincing.

I swallowed hard.

So this is what I’ve been enjoying all these years.

“Oh? Is that not why you’re here?” he sneered.

The moment I heard that, my competitive spirit kicked in. I pounced on him, closing the distance until I could clearly see the change coming over his eyes.

The coldness was gone.

What replaced it was something far more dangerous.

I smiled and lightly patted his cheek.

“So… aren’t you going to thank me?”

The next second, his hand closed firmly around my ankle.

His palm was burning hot, and his voice had gone hoarse.

“Lin Xiyue… I told you. Sooner or later, I’m going to kill you.”

I laughed.

“Sure. I’ll wait.”

But then I suddenly froze.

His thighs had always been completely unresponsive before.

Now, the muscles were tense with visible veins.

His knee moved.

My mind went completely blank.

Jiang Yanshi…

Could it be that your legs have been healed for a long time already?