The next morning, I lay sprawled across the bed, feeling as if my body no longer belonged to me. Meanwhile, the “culprit” was suspiciously full of energy. Wearing a black athletic tank top, he was nonchalantly doing push-ups right beside the bed, looking as though last night’s relentless barrage hadn’t drained his stamina in the slightest.

I began to question the laws of nature. Even an eighteen-year-old brimming with youth shouldn’t be this indefatigable, right? Unable to hold it in any longer, I wheezed out:

“Qin Yu… are you taking enhancement pills or something?”

The moment the words left my mouth, I wanted to slap myself. Qin Yu stopped instantly, hovering over me like a massive mountain casting a shadow across the mattress. His large hand slowly massaged my soft, aching waist, a teasing smirk tugging at his lips:

“If you feel like it wasn’t enough… I can always up the dosage.”

With that, he opened the nightstand drawer and pulled out a prescription bottle, keeping his large palm wrapped tightly around the label. My eyes went wide. No way… he actually has them?! Before I could stop him, he swallowed two pills right in front of me, his dark gaze locking onto mine with a dangerous edge. Picturing the grueling ordeal ahead, my heart withered to cold ash. In sheer desperation, I weakly tugged at the hem of his tank top, pleading:

“Give me one… actually, make it three!”

A low, deep chuckle rumbled above me. Qin Yu leaned down and pressed a tender, lemon-scented kiss onto my lips. “They’re just vitamins. Taking too many isn’t good for you.”

That evening at the formal gala, the stiff atmosphere was so boring I was practically nodding off. I pinched Qin Yu’s hand lightly to signal that I wanted to sneak off for dessert. He whispered with affectionate helplessness, “Don’t eat too much, or you’ll be clutching your stomach complaining of a bellyache later.”

Once he let go, I slipped away into a quiet corner, only to have the honor of overhearing a group gossiping about me. Song Yuan, the biological daughter of the Song family who had recently returned, was surrounded by sycophants singing her praises:

“What does Song Nian have to be so smug about anyway? She’s just a cuckoo occupying another bird’s nest.”

“If Sister Yuan had come back sooner, a fake like her wouldn’t have stood a chance at landing someone as high and mighty as Qin Yu!”

I almost burst out laughing. The betrothal between our families dated back to when both were struggling; later, the Qin Corporation skyrocketed while the Song family went into a freefall. Three years ago, Qin Yu was the one who took the initiative to propose, and the Song family jumped at it like they’d won the lottery. That was how I, an adopted child, ended up lawfully wedded to my best friend’s youngest uncle. A plot twist for the ages.

Just as I was about to head back to the main hall, I spotted Song Yuan marching straight toward Qin Yu with a glass of wine in hand. Having clearly read too many cheesy romance novels, she tried the classic “stumble into the billionaire’s arms” routine.

Qin Yu simply stepped aside.

Clatter! Song Yuan hit the floor with a hard thud, wine soaking her dress. She looked up, her expression a mix of aggrieved heartbreak and stubborn pride. “Qin Yu, why didn’t you catch me? Do you even know who I am?”

Her parents rushed over, red-faced and flustered, trying to pull her up, but Song Yuan threw a full-blown scene right then and there: “I’m your actual biological daughter! Why are you defending that imposter?!” She tilted her chin up at him. “Qin Yu, you regret it, don’t you? As long as you apologize and divorce her, I’ll give you a chance to pursue me.”

I was about to step out when my husband’s deep, steady voice stopped me in my tracks:

“The betrothal belonged to you?”

“Of course it did!” Song Yuan sneered.

“I didn’t marry because of a betrothal. I married her because I love her.”

The entire room went dead silent. Qin Yu looked directly over toward my hiding spot, his gaze softening noticeably: “Because I love her… I used that betrothal as an excuse to keep her by my side. If I am a high branch, then she is the white magnolia blooming upon it. As for a betrothal with the Song family, without her, it means nothing at all.”

Standing in the shadows, I was equal parts annoyed and amused. To think that all this time I had been worrying about being a temporary substitute, while he had been quietly orchestrating a masterclass in obsession just to trap me in his arms. An old fox wrapped in a gentleman’s suit!

On the drive home, the silence between us was so thick you could hear each other thinking. Qin Yu tried to break the ice several times, but I gave him the cold shoulder every single time. The second we stepped through the front door, I spun around abruptly and slammed him against the wall.

“Are you scared?”

In the dark, I couldn’t see his face clearly, but the slight tremor in his voice was unmistakable. A man who was usually so decisive and unshakeable was actually panicking. I found it ridiculous, yet my heart ached for him all the same. “If you’re angry, what are you gonna do about it? Divorce me?”

Before I could finish, he flipped our positions, pinning me firmly against the wall. His kiss came down fierce and desperate, as though he were gambling his entire soul on it. “No divorce.”

Qin Yu held me tightly, as if letting go even for a second meant I would vanish into thin air. He hesitated, then spoke as if forcing the words out against his own pride: “You can hate me all you want… but I can’t let you go. Even if you bring Lu Su home… I’ll accept it. As long as he doesn’t stay overnight, as long as he doesn’t sleep in our bed… I can pretend I don’t see it.”

Listening to this ridiculous compromise, I realized he was completely off the rails. I opened my mouth to set him straight, but he immediately followed up with a ruthless roast of his rival:

“Even though he… aside from being younger than me, isn’t as rich as me, isn’t as thoughtful as me, doesn’t have as good a body as me, and definitely doesn’t love you as much as I do… if that’s what you like, I can still turn a blind eye.”

I was so exasperated I almost laughed out loud. “This is between the two of us! What does Lu Su have to do with anything?!”

Catching the core of my statement, he nuzzled softly against my neck, his tone instantly relaxing: “You’re saying he’s an outsider? So that means I’m family… right, sweetheart?”

Still holding onto my anger, I gave a blunt reply: “Not necessarily.”

Instantly, Qin Yu reverted to his domineering CEO mode, his grip tightening around my waist: “Divorce is off the table. Anything else you want, I’ll give it to you.”

I raised an eyebrow in defiance. “What if I want three young guys, a different one every night? Will you give me that too?”

He froze for a beat, his voice trembling slightly: “You… wouldn’t be able to handle that.”

“I can handle you, so what can’t I handle?!” I barked in frustration. Seeing him look like he was actually considering agreeing to it, I stood on tiptoe and bit his lip hard: “Don’t you have a mouth?! If you love me, just say it! Why keep up this act of being so damn generous? What’s wrong with being a little selfish in love?! Making me guess all the time. I thought my feelings were totally one-sided! You were suffering, but did you think I felt good?!”

Scoling him all at once, my tears spilled over uncontrollably: “This is so frustrating… scolding you feels like I’m scolding myself. From now on, if something’s on your mind, say it directly. Stop making each other guess, okay?”

“Okay.” The very next second, Qin Yu put his newly acquired knowledge into immediate practice. He leaned down and asked with complete seriousness: “Sweetheart, seeing you cry… makes me kind of want to do it. May I?”

I sniffled, calmly reaching down to do a quick “field check.” Amid his low groan, I delivered my verdict with absolute finality:

“No. You. May. Not.”