Chapter 1

Chapter 1

When I arrived at school in my Rolls-Royce, Chi Ni was at the entrance selling egg-filled pancakes.

Standing at six-foot-one, he was lean and tall, his cheap apron accentuating a firm, narrow waist.

Just looking at him from behind, he radiated a powerful sense of domesticity.

As if sensing something, Chi Ni looked up.

His indifferent, world-weary eyes met mine.

“Five yuan with an egg, four without,” he said, his voice as flat as a pool of stagnant water.

I smiled and flashed my phone.

“To add you as a friend, how much?”

His hand tightened around the spatula, and his face hardened into a stern warning.

“Cheng Zhiyi, this isn’t a place for you to play around!”

His voice was icy, projecting an air of cold detachment.

I felt a momentary daze.

This wasn’t the Chi Ni I remembered.

In my previous life, my father went bankrupt and passed away when I was twenty-five, and my fiancé was sent to prison.

I fell from the heights of a wealthy socialite into a deep abyss.

To pay off the debts, I signed a contract with an influencer agency.

The company assigned me a twelve-hour daily livestreaming schedule.

If I didn’t want to do it, I had to pay an astronomical breach-of-contract fee.

I thought my life was over.

Then, the company was suddenly acquired by a mysterious tycoon, and all the exploitative contracts were voided.

When it came time to re-sign, I discovered the new boss was Chi Ni.

He had been my classmate in both high school and university.

He no longer possessed the destitute gloom of his youth.

His demeanor was composed, and his high-end, custom-tailored suit made him look strikingly noble.

He had become someone far beyond my reach.

I lowered my head, suppressing a surge of bitterness.

He took the pen from my hand, his gentle gaze lingering on my face.

It carried a faint, hidden heat.

Chi Ni asked if I was willing to marry him, promising to settle all my debts.

Seeing my stunned expression, he explained calmly that I had helped him in high school and that my father had sponsored him during university.

He considered me his benefactor.

I racked my brain trying to remember.

The “help” he mentioned was likely nothing more than the time he spent working a part-time job at my house during high school.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to. You don’t need to worry about the money.”

I only thought about it for a second before giving a straightforward yes.

Chi Ni fell silent for a moment, dropping his dark eyes.

“I’m not a good man. This is a case of using a favor to force a reward.

“I can give you time to think it over. You don’t have to force yourself.”

I shook my head.

“Mr. Chi, I’m willing.”

To show I wasn’t forcing myself, I cautiously hooked my pinky finger around his.

Chi Ni’s hand suddenly trembled, and his entire body went rigid.

Like a beast breaking out of its cage, his eyes swirled with intense emotion.

His gaze was so burning it felt like he wanted to swallow me whole.

It was a little intimidating.

But when I caught a glimpse of his bright red earlobes, my fear vanished.

I grew bold and threw myself into his arms.

After we married, Chi Ni respected me deeply.

In the words of the nanny, he practically treated me like an ancestral goddess.

But… Chi Ni refused to touch me.

I shyly took the initiative to flirt.

His eyes would shimmer with a faint red tint, and though his breathing would turn ragged, he would with great restraint tuck me back into the blankets.

“Sorry, I’m… not capable down there.”

He gave the explanation in a hoarse voice.

I glanced down.

Liar.

He was clearly so excited he was about to burst out of his suit trousers.

I thought Chi Ni didn’t like me and had only married me to repay a debt.

It wasn’t until after he died that I accidentally found his diary.

When I opened it, my heart pounded uncontrollably.

[The Young Lady smells so good; I can’t get enough of it.]

[I’m so jealous of that ugly dog. It gets to be held in her arms. Why can’t I be a dog? Is it because I’m not ugly enough?]

[Dreamed of the Young Lady. When I woke up… it was wet again. I am a sinner.]

[If I die, will the Young Lady cry? I should die quietly; the Young Lady looks best when she’s smiling.]

…

I never imagined that the cold and gentle Chi Ni harbored such a frantic obsession for me in his heart.

That dog of a man made me live like a widow for three years.

In this life, I don’t believe I can’t pry his stubborn mouth open!