Hearing Shen Zhu throw out an offer to triple my salary made my brain light up like a Christmas tree. If Tan Ran ever ended up bankrupt down the line, why should I stress about being unemployed? A jump to Shen Enterprises with an eight-figure income was practically waving at me from the finish line!

Right as I was lost in a glorious daydream of pure wealth—BAM! A sickeningly loud impact dragged me right back to reality.

Out of nowhere, Tan Ran materialized and landed a vicious right hook straight across Shen Zhu’s face, sending the grand male lead sprawling onto the ground.

I slapped both hands over my mouth, horrified. No way. Is the showdown for the heroine starting this fast?!

But no. Tan Ran stood over him, eyes colder than ice as he glared down at his rival. “Whose territory do you think you’re poaching on? To To is my wife—she’s not here to slave away for the likes of you.”

Turns out, the catalyst for that punch was me. Not because of romantic rivalry, but because he was terrified of losing his favorite pack mule.

Shen Zhu adjusted his collar, spitting out a cold, sharp laugh before sliding a business card toward me. “Miss Luong, the floor is yours to name your price. I truly look forward to our future partnership.”

Looking at that crisp card, my inner financial manager shuddered with raw excitement. This male lead wasn’t short on brains—he was just short on a brilliant financial strategist like me.

The second Shen Zhu walked away, Tan Ran slammed me against the wall, trapping me in a suffocating bubble of overwhelming authority. “Luong Vi To. You actually thinking about going with him?”

Staring into eyes that looked ready to devour me whole, I only dared to be half-honest: “I haven’t said yes to him yet.”

He leaned in closer, his scorching breath brushing against my ear as a dangerous, teasing smile tugged at his lips. “Gold digger. Your eyes lit up like a slot machine the second he mentioned money.”

I opened my mouth to defend myself… okay, fine, to explain. Growing up as an orphan across two lifetimes, the only thing that could ever offer me a shred of true security was a long, beautiful string of digits in a bank account. Money didn’t give me family, but it gave me the absolute right to blast the AC 24/7 without crying over the electricity bill.

Tan Ran brushed a stray lock of hair behind my ear, his voice dropping into a low, husky purr. “Doesn’t matter. I have more than enough money to keep you hooked for a lifetime.”

My ears burned. Was this man seriously using his bank balance to flirt with me? Uncalled for—but ridiculously effective.

Despite how tempting that triple salary was, I ultimately decided against jumping ship to Shen Enterprises. Working for a walking red flag like Shen Zhu, who treated the penal code like a suggestion box, was way too high-risk. What if he randomly ordered me “buried alive” one day? Where was I supposed to file a worker’s comp claim for that? Sure, the money was insane, but you have to actually be alive to spend it.

To secure my financial future, I decided to interrogate Tan Ran that night: “If you ever cheat on me, how much are you planning to pay me in compensation?”

At first, he just let out a long yawn. “I’m not going to cheat.”

I let out a sharp laugh. “It’s a hypothetical!”

Pestered to the point where sleep was completely out of the question, he bolted upright. “I’ll walk away with nothing. I’ll give you everything.”

Sounds great on paper, but it lacked legal teeth. I immediately yanked him out of bed. “We’re signing an agreement!”

Ten minutes later, Attorney Wang was dragged to the house at three in the morning. Stepping through the front door, he looked utterly miserable from sleep deprivation, but the instant Tan Ran offered to triple his fee, his spirit instantly soared: “Little Wang at your service, 24/7!”

Yep, turns out the most powerful superpower in the universe is still cold, hard cash.

While the lawyer’s keyboard clattered away in the background, Tan Ran lay stretched out on the sofa like a giant cat running on zero battery, his face dark and gloomy. I even benevolently chimed in to negotiate: “Don’t worry, I won’t actually leave you penniless. I’ll just take a few villas as a token of goodwill.”

Once the document was drafted, Tan Ran didn’t even bother reading it. He just signed his name with a swift, decisive scribble. His complete lack of hesitation gave me a slight twinge in my chest. Makes sense. Everyone knew he was destined for the female lead; divorcing me was just a matter of time anyway.

Before heading out, Attorney Wang leaned into Tan Ran’s ear and whispered, “Don’t let this drag on too long… both of you will end up hurting.”

Tan Ran shot me a unreadable glance before snapping impatiently, “I get it.”

I lowered my eyes, a sudden tightness constricting my chest. Looks like this agreement would be going into effect real soon. The day I claimed my massive payout and walked out of his life forever probably wasn’t too far off.

Waking up the next morning, I caught sight of Tan Ran in a crisp white shirt, radiating pure, untouchable “monastic control” energy. Naturally, I suddenly craved his body.

Thought turned into action. I threw my arms around his neck and started causing total chaos. Tan Ran’s entire frame instantly went rigid, his breathing turning ragged as he rasped, “Wife… stop playing around.”

Instead of stopping, I pushed even further, deliberately pressing against the rising star down below.

Tan Ran startled, pushing me back before clearing his throat and making a quick beeline for the door: “I’m going on a week-long business trip tomorrow.”

Watching his strangely awkward gait and cold departure, I poked my lip out into a pout. Business trip my ass. Based on my extensive experience reading three thousand chapters of romance web novels, this was a textbook covert date with the female lead. What a simp in CEO’s clothing!

On the first day of his trip, I went back to that same roadside grill to indulge in a little nostalgia. A few beers in, the suppressed memories from that fateful night finally broke free from their mental vault.

I sat there, completely dumbfounded, as the horror dawned on me: It was me. I was the one who initiated it! I was the one who forced the kiss, and I was the one who pinned him down on the bed while he kept pleading, “Vi To, please, be reasonable!”

Turns out, the person systematically destroying the second lead and female lead’s romantic storyline from start to finish… was me all along.

Just as I was about to burst into tears of pure humiliation, Shen Zhu showed up with the female lead, Lin Wanqing. Seeing me sitting all by myself, Shen Zhu let out a smug sneer: “Miss Luong, aren’t you going to the hospital to visit your husband? He just had hemorrhoid surgery.”

My brain short-circuited. “How do you know that?”

Shen Zhu cocked his chin toward Lin Wanqing. “My wife performed the operation on him.”

Lin Wanqing offered a gentle, reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Miss Luong. The surgery was a complete success.”

I turned into a statue on the spot. Getting your hemorrhoids operated on by the story’s female lead… Tan Ran, you really used the most catastrophic, scorched-earth method possible to sever your red string of fate with her!

At the hospital, Tan Ran was lying stomach-down on the bed, his rear end sticking up in a remarkably “artistic” display. The moment he spotted me, he tried to scramble up, only to double over in sheer agony: “Agh…”

He lowered his head, sounding like a deeply aggrieved child. “I was embarrassed… The doctor said it was just severe constipation from eating too much spicy food. Please… don’t be disgusted by me.”

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, I couldn’t help but marvel: This man, suffering from a flare-up, still insists on maintaining his billionaire CEO dignity. Brutal.

In my lingering buzz, I started rambling aimlessly about second leads, female leads, and that stupid prenup agreement.

Tan Ran let out a soft, helpless laugh. “So you were terrified I’d run off with the female lead and leave you behind with a settlement check that wasn’t pretty enough?”

He reached out, gently patting my head as his voice softened to a whisper: “I wasn’t drunk that night. A man who’s actually wasted can’t pull off anything. It was completely consensual… because I like you.”

My head buzzed. Immediately after, he pulled a three-hundred-thousand-dollar diamond ring out of the bedside drawer and gently slid it onto my finger.

Scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, he mumbled, “I was planning to use this for a proper proposal… I just didn’t expect the hemorrhoids to pop up first.”

Staring at the blinding diamond sparkling on my hand, tears of genuine emotion welled up in my eyes. “It’s fine. A three-hundred-thousand-dollar ring heals all wounds.”

Tan Ran leaned down, pressing a soft kiss against my lips as his fingers locked firmly around mine.

“I am never divorcing you. I don’t give a damn about the female lead or some stupid plotline. In my world… you’re the only female lead that matters.”

I smiled softly. Turns out, transmigrating into a book wasn’t about being a sacrificial pawn after all—it was about landing a literal gold mine who loved me to pieces, and was even willing to get hemorrhoid surgery in front of the female lead just to prove his eternal devotion to me.