"Stop... please stop..."

In the mist-shrouded villa atop the mountain, Yunxi nervously glanced at her sleeping husband on the bed before hastily pushing away the man in front of her.

Lixuan let out a low chuckle, his dark eyes glinting dangerously in the dim light. "Yunxi, drop the act."

"You want this just as much as I do, don’t you?"

Moonlight spilled over Yunxi’s delicate frame. Her fair cheeks flushed pink, and a flicker of hesitation passed through her wide, luminous eyes before she finally gave a small nod.

"Fine... just this once. And it has to be the last time."

Lixuan smirked, narrowing his eyes. "Deal. Let’s talk outside."

"Okay."

......

Perched at the highest point of Jiangcheng, the Mistview Villa overlooked the city’s glittering skyline while remaining shielded by dense woods—ensuring absolute privacy.

An hour later, Lixuan lazily took a drag from his cigarette before wiping his fingers with a tissue.

"Hey, why don’t you just divorce him and be with me instead?"

Yunxi completely ignored his teasing, her focus entirely on the task at hand.

Bathed in the moonlight, her striking beauty carried a touch of softness.

Lixuan unconsciously swallowed hard, his throat inexplicably dry. He fished out a lighter, about to light a cigarette.

Yunxi immediately stopped him. "Don't smoke here."

Leaning closer with a roguish grin, Lixuan teased, "Mrs. Yan, I'm not your husband. Why do you care so much?"

Without even glancing up, Yunxi kept her eyes fixed on the motorcycle in front of her. It had been ages since she’d gotten her hands on such a fine bike after her marriage.

As she packed up her toolbox and peeled off her gloves, she said matter-of-factly, "Motor oil can explode if exposed to an open flame."

"..."

"Damn it!"

Lixuan hastily tossed the lighter aside.

A gentle night breeze rustled past as he glanced at their overlapping shadows on the ground. With a smirk, he quipped, "Yunxi, doesn’t this look like we’re having an affair?"

Her hands never paused. "No. If that were the case, I’d have to modify your bike for free—what a rip-off that’d be. Besides, this is the last time I’m fixing your ride."

"What's the matter? Afraid Yan Bochuan will find out you've been secretly hanging out with me?"

"Please. Even if he knew, it wouldn’t matter."

"Of course he wouldn’t care," Li Xuan smirked, a teasing glint in his eyes. "You know Fu Jiaojiao, right? Bochuan’s first love? She just came back from abroad. Rumor has it he’s funding a whole lab for her. The whole circle’s buzzing about them."

"Yeah, I know."

Yun Xi had always been aware—her husband’s heart still belonged to someone else.

"Just seeing him every day makes me happy," she said softly, her eyes warm and tender, a faint smile playing on her lips. Even without makeup, her beauty was arresting.

She really did seem to love that husband of hers.

"......"

Li Xuan’s smirk froze.

The cigarette dangling from his lips dropped onto the damp grass, the filter crushed from how hard he’d been biting it.

It took him a long moment before he finally muttered, "Yun Xi, you’re something else."

Unfazed, Yun Xi calmly packed up her toolbox and stood. "This repair was minor. Combined with the last one, that’ll be 500K. Don’t forget to label the transfer as 'motorcycle maintenance fees.'"

Li Xuan: "......"

He silently sent the money.

Just then, the church bell at the foot of the mountain chimed—marking noon.

The melodious chime of bells echoed through the night sky, causing Yunxi to pause in her tracks as she was about to leave.

With a playful grin, Lixuan pulled out a small sky-blue box and tossed it to her.

"Happy birthday, Yunxi."

No sooner had the words left his lips than fireworks exploded across the sky, painting the night in a dazzling spectacle of light and color.

Brilliant bursts of fireworks illuminated the air behind Lixuan, casting a radiant glow on his handsome face. His deep, bright eyes sparkled even more brilliantly than the fireworks themselves.

Yunxi froze.

Her birthday was easy to remember—July 7th.

But few people actually remembered it.

If only Lixuan hadn’t been scheming to win her over just to make Fujiaojiao jealous, this moment might have felt genuinely romantic.

"Go on, open it," came the man’s low, velvety voice from above her.

Yunxi carefully lifted the lid of the box.

Inside lay a shimmering sapphire necklace, its facets catching the light.

Everyone in Jiangcheng knew that the eldest son of the Li family had recently splurged hundreds of millions at a Paris auction to acquire an antique sapphire necklace.

Yunxi stared at the box for a long moment before snapping it shut and pushing it back toward Lixuan. "Thank you for the thought, but this is far too extravagant. I can’t accept it."

Li Xuan's expression darkened instantly.

"Just throw it away if you don't want it."

"I never take back what I give."

Yun Xi had no energy left to argue. "It's late. I should go," she said softly.

"Sure. Goodnight." Li Xuan smirked, leaning lazily against his motorcycle with his hands stuffed in his pockets. His eyes followed her retreating figure, a look of smug confidence on his face.

But his triumph was short-lived.

His expression froze the moment he saw—

Yun Xi tossing the necklace straight into the trash bin.

Just then, fireworks burst across the night sky, illuminating the words "Wet Waste" in glaring clarity.

Li Xuan stood there, utterly stunned.

*

Free of the nuisance, Yun Xi returned to the villa.

That necklace was a fake—worthless.

The real antique necklace wouldn’t appear until the story’s end, when Li Xuan would personally fasten it around Fu Jiaojiao’s neck, blessing her and Yan Bochuan on their wedding day.

Yan Bochuan was Yun Xi's husband—and also the male lead of this novel.

A week ago, Yun Xi had a sudden epiphany.

Turns out, she was the ex-wife of the male lead in *Bright Moon, Radiant Moon*, a doomed supporting character destined to be cast aside.

The novel told the story of a "poor girl who accidentally stumbled into an elite school and, with her unique charm, captivated a group of wealthy heirs."

The female lead, Fu Jiaojiao, wasn’t materialistic. She chose to study abroad, and upon her return, she skyrocketed to fame in the entertainment industry after appearing on a variety show as the "Science Queen."

Everyone adored Fu Jiaojiao.

And Fu Jiaojiao’s greatest love was Yan Bochuan.

But because she had left without a word, Yan Bochuan, in a fit of spite, married a woman he didn’t love.

That unlucky woman was Yun Xi.

The book described how, just three months into her marriage, Yun Xi suddenly became the center of attention—wealthy heirs confessing their love, manipulative men fawning over her, even A-list celebrities publicly declaring their affection. But after the divorce, those bloodthirsty hypocrites vanished without a trace.

And when they crossed paths again, they tore off their gentle masks, revealing their true, vicious faces:

"Yun Xi, you didn’t actually think we *liked* you, did you?"

"If it weren’t for Jiaojiao’s sake, who’d even bother with a woman like you?"

"It was just a game—how could someone like you ever compare to Jiaojiao?"

"......"

When Yunxi woke up, she realized the novel was already halfway through its plot.

The female lead, Fu Jiaojiao, had returned from her long journey in search of love. Now, a group of wealthy young heirs—led by Li Xuan—had begun their insincere pursuit of Yunxi.

She didn’t turn any of them away.

The reason was simple: she needed money—a lot of it.

But she never accepted their extravagant gifts. Instead, she only signed formal contracts with these men.

And every time they met, she carried a voice recorder with her.

In the recordings, she played the role of a naive, sweet girl.

Meanwhile, every word those men spoke dripped with hidden agendas.

The night was still long.

Tonight, her husband was dead drunk after his white moonlight’s confession.

So, she knew Li Xuan wouldn’t be the only one trying to lure her into "betrayal."

Sure enough, her phone buzzed.

A contact labeled *Idiot No. 2* sent a voice message:

*"Big sis, my stomach hurts so bad... Can you come over and check on me?"*

Fu Wenjing, affectionately known as "Dumb Sweetheart No. 2," was quite the character among Fu Jiaojiao's suitors.

As the youngest heir of the Fu family, this college sophomore had a doll-like face small enough to fit in one's palm—absolutely stunning. His voice was soft and coquettish, laced with a whiny sweetness that made him sound like a sick Samoyed, practically begging for head pats and comfort.

Unfortunately, his attempts at charm were completely wasted.

Because Yun Xi was the epitome of a no-nonsense straight shooter—her emotional intelligence was about as refined as a block of wood.

She replied coldly, "Sorry, my husband's drunk. I need to take care of him." Then, with clinical detachment, she added, "If your stomach's bothering you, maybe go to the hospital. Want me to call an ambulance for you?"

The screen showed that he was typing.

After a long pause, Fu Wenjing sent a voice message.

"*Sister*," he whined, his voice dripping with exaggerated misery, "I *really* don't feel good. I just want to eat *your* cooking. I'll pay double—no, *ten times* the usual rate!"

Without waiting for a response, he immediately transferred the money.

A cool **100,000 yuan.**

Yun Xi hesitated, then finally typed out a reluctant, "...Fine."

But despite her half-hearted reply, her hands moved with surprising efficiency.

She packed the hangover soup she had prepared for Yan Bochuan into a thermal container, deliberately adding coptis, gentian, and bitter ginseng. The pungent bitterness wafted up with the steam.

A smirk curled her lips as she carried the container out of the kitchen.

Suddenly, a deep voice sounded behind her. "Where are you going this late?"

Turning, she saw a tall figure standing in the dimly lit living room, his chiseled features half-shadowed.

It was her husband, Yan Bochuan.

His gaze locked onto the thermal container in her hands, his brows furrowing deeply.

Yunxi answered plainly, "Going to see a younger brother. He said he wasn’t feeling well and asked me to check on him. Want to come along?"

Yan Bochuan let out a cold snort, his expression dripping with sarcasm.

"Brother?"

"Bring him around sometime. I’ll help you vet him."

From his reaction, Yunxi knew he didn’t believe her.

The air between them instantly turned icy.

Rubbing his throbbing temples, Yan Bochuan’s voice was rough with impatience and the lingering haze of alcohol. "The old man’s seventieth birthday is in a week. I’ll play the doting husband for appearances—don’t flatter yourself. I have no affection for you."

Yunxi replied crisply, "Relax. I won’t like you either."

Yan Bochuan let out a cold laugh.

Not like him? Then who was the one who drugged him that night?

His eyes flicked to Yunxi’s flat stomach, his tone laced with mockery. "It’s been three months. Why is there still no change? You know how badly the old man wants a great-grandson. If he finds out he’s been deceived, you know what’ll happen."