Chapter 3

After Li Li left, Gu Yuancheng pulled me down beside him.

“Are you exhausted?” he asked gently. “Or are you angry because I spend so little time with you? I’ll change, all right?”

Gu Yuancheng was handsome. When a handsome man coaxed me so tenderly—and seemed to truly love me—it was hard not to feel something.

But he had been passed around by far too many women, and now I was pregnant. I could not stay with him.

Tears fell before I even spoke. I shook my head. “I’m sorry. I’ve tortured myself for two years. I kept telling myself I loved you, so I could accept anything you did. I had to accept it. But I’m in so much pain. Every day, I see you and her together, closer than you ever are with me. Jealousy fills my chest like poison. I don’t even recognize myself anymore.”

Guilt flashed across his face, but he quickly replaced it with righteous reproach. “You’re imagining things. Li Li is only my assistant. There’s no need to be jealous of her. Look at who she is and who you are. How could she possibly compare to you?”

That part was true.

Li Li was plain. I was an actress, polished and beautiful. She could not compare.

But I understood our profession. The pressure was crushing, the hours brutal, and the industry was a glittering carnival of fame and temptation. Having someone beside you who loved you unconditionally and kept you company mattered more than most people realized.

Li Li filled that role for Gu Yuancheng.

He cupped my face. “Baby, don’t say such foolish things. We survived those days living in a basement together. Now that life is finally good, there’s no reason for us to separate.”

I nodded. Logically, he was right. That was why I had once sworn never to divorce him.

However, my baby’s father was rich and powerful. The moment I became pregnant, he gave me a traditional courtyard house in the capital. He also promised to marry me as soon as I got divorced.

So I really had no choice but to leave Gu Yuancheng.

I took out my phone and showed him the messages from Li Li.

Gu Yuancheng read them, his face darkening. His fists tightened again and again.

Then he explained in a panic, “I was only playing around. We spent too much time apart, and I was under enormous pressure. I only used her to release it. You’re the one I truly love.”

With tears streaming down my face, I gave him a deeply moved look. “Of course I know you love me. I also understand this industry. Physical infidelity hardly counts here. But I’ve spent two years trying to convince myself.”

I continued, “I still can’t accept it, especially with Li Li constantly sending me messages. She even told me about the temporary wives you take on other sets. I know your heart belongs to me, but your body belongs to many women. I can’t bear it anymore. Let’s divorce. I don’t want this to become ugly.”

I stood to leave, but he wrapped his arms around me.

“Don’t divorce me,” he pleaded frantically. “Please don’t. Everything I’ve done was for our future. We have money and fame now. Why should we separate? I’ve worked so hard to give you a good life. Baby, don’t leave me. I’ll give you all my money. I’ll fire Li Li and stop her from being my assistant. Just don’t leave.”

I shook my head sorrowfully. “Do you think Li Li will be that easy to get rid of? She’s obsessed with you. The fact that she secretly sent me all this means she’s kept evidence of everything between you. If you drive her away, she’ll expose you online and destroy your career. I couldn’t bear to see everything you’ve built ruined overnight.”

He was deeply moved.

I could see hatred for Li Li forming on his face. In his mind, she had tricked him and was now holding him hostage.

I took his hand. “Keep her calm for now. She’s had four abortions for you and may never be able to become a mother. Divorce me first, and then decide what to do about her. I know I am in your heart, just as you are in mine. We can go on loving each other in silence. Marriage is only a formality.”