Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Lu Yanchen drank most of the alcohol on Shen Peizhi’s behalf.

Even so, Shen Peizhi still ended up drinking quite a bit.

Shen Peizhi had a decent tolerance for alcohol and had dragged me into drinking contests a few times before.

But in front of Lu Yanchen, I used a fake alcohol allergy as an excuse and never touched a single drop.

Shen Peizhi had no idea about the little tricks I’d played, and in her good mood, she ended up drinking more than she realized.

As the night wore on, Lu Yanchen’s frown deepened.

Yet Shen Peizhi remained completely oblivious.

After the wedding, I was “dragged” by Shen Peizhi into the bridal chamber.

She put on the act of a virtuous wife and loving mother, fussing over Lu Yanchen with endless concern and attention.

I had to admit-watching a pampered young lady who never lifted a finger for menial chores put on a show of being “dutiful and domesticated” was nothing short of jarring.

Lu Yanchen, reeking of alcohol and exhaustion, headed straight for the bathroom.

Under the guise of helping him, Shen Peizhi followed, clearly hoping for a romantic bath together.

But Lu Yanchen “invited” her right back out.

She assumed he was just worried about her overexerting herself and cheerfully hummed a tune as she leisurely washed fruit at the counter.

That night, all the household staff in the villa had been given the night off.

I sat on the sofa, watching coldly as Shen Peizhi flaunted her charms, a deep sense of satisfaction swelling in my chest.

Back when I was dating Lu Yanchen, Shen Peizhi had always seized every opportunity to pry into the details of our relationship.

At first, I was honest with her, but as her questions grew increasingly intrusive, I began to feel uncomfortable and occasionally threw in misleading details on purpose.

I told her that despite his cold exterior, Lu Yanchen had an insatiable appetite for intimacy and that we had long since crossed that line.

In truth, during our years together, we had never gone beyond kissing.

We had made a promise-whenever I was truly ready, I would give myself to him in that way.

Until then, he would contain his passion and respect my boundaries.

What had originally been a reluctant decision born from childhood trauma had unexpectedly set the stage for events now unfolding.

The more blatantly Shen Peizhi tried to seduce him, the further she would push him away.

What Lu Yanchen despised most in life was deception. If he ever found out that Shen Peizhi was treating him like a fool…

I let the corners of my lips curl ever so slightly.

When Lu Yanchen emerged in his bathrobe, Shen Peizhi tossed aside the half-cut fruit and rushed eagerly into the bathroom to shower and remove her makeup.

Probably eager to have her way with him as soon as possible, she unusually skipped her usual long baths.

As she used the bath products I always favored, she moved with the ease of someone in her own home.

Mist veiled the bathroom, outlining her delicate, alluring silhouette.

Over the years, Shen Peizhi had coasted on her good looks, cycling through boyfriend after boyfriend.

As for me, from beginning to end, there had only ever been Lu Yanchen.

More than once, she mocked me for being rigid and old-fashioned-wasting such beauty by failing to use it to my greatest advantage.

Yet after all the men she’d been through, in the end, she had come to pluck the very unattainable flower I had been guarding all along.

Where did she get the nerve?

I sat in a daze, pondering for a long time.

It wasn’t until my eyes fell on the names on the welcome poster from the wedding venue that it belatedly dawned on me-

As early as seven years ago, I had been forced to change my name to “Shen Peizhi.”

And all through my relationship with Lu Yanchen, I had been using the name Shen Peizhi.

Her marriage to Lu Yanchen-Shen Peizhi to Lu Yanchen-was open, proper, and perfectly justified.

As for me, this “Shen Peizhi,” I was nothing more than a Shadow Person, living in the dark.

The mist beaded into droplets and slipped from the corners of my eyes.

Ridiculous-up until the moment I died, I never figured out who I really was.