At six in the morning, Lin Wanning was jolted awake by the relentless vibration of her phone.
Half-asleep, she glanced at the screen—over a dozen unread messages, group chats exploding, her Moments nearly overloaded.
What shocked her the most was—
[#MrsShenRevealed][#MysteriousMrsShenAppears][#ShenCorporationSpouseSparksBuzz]
She clicked on one headline, only to see a high-resolution photo of her standing on the Shen residence's balcony the previous night. Dressed in loungewear with still-damp hair, the light softly outlined her delicate features—serene and mesmerizing.
The comment section was a warzone:
💬 "This is Shen Sihan's wife? She looks like everyone's first love when she's not talking!"💬 "Quite elegant. Doesn't seem born into a wealthy family."💬 "Didn't President Shen always reject interviews? Suddenly going public? Something's up."💬 "Dig up her background! There's got to be some juicy gossip!"
Startled, Lin Wanning almost dropped her phone.
She rushed downstairs, and as soon as she stepped into the living room, the news was already blaring from the TV:
"Sources reveal that Shen Corporation's CEO, Shen Sihan, recently registered a marriage. The woman in question has reportedly moved into the Shen household—"
The screen froze on her balcony photo, zooming in dramatically.
Click—
The TV shut off abruptly.
She turned around to see Shen Sihan seated on the sofa, tablet in hand, his expression calm.
"You did this?" she asked.
"Mm." He didn't even glance up. "Releasing some controlled information will help stop the rumors about you."
"You exposed me without permission? I thought we agreed to keep a low profile."
Only then did Shen Sihan raise his head, his voice cold and cutting like ice over a fault line."Low profile? The media smeared you—calling you a mistress, claiming you were forced into this marriage by your family."
"I don't care what they say," she gritted her teeth.
"But I do."
The room fell deathly silent.
Lin Wanning froze.
He calmly put away the tablet and said in a deep, steady tone, "Since you're the wife of Shen Sihan, then you must carry yourself as such."
"Even if it's just a contract, we have to play our roles convincingly."
This man… had orchestrated a full-blown "public announcement" for their contract marriage overnight.
She wanted to get angry, but his final words left her speechless.
"Don't go out for the next few days." He stood, picking up his suit jacket. "Someone will come to teach you how to handle the media, train your etiquette, and prep you for formal occasions."
She turned sharply to him. "Why are you doing all this?"
He paused, looked her in the eye, and said, "Because I want you to appear at the upcoming board annual meeting—as my wife, by my side."
"…You're insane."
"This is part of the revised contract." His voice was calm as ever as he walked to the door. "If you refuse, the breach penalty is 300 million."
"…"
Lin Wanning bit her lower lip, watching his figure disappear out the door. Her emotions churned within.
She had expected one day she'd have to live as Shen Sihan's wife, but she never imagined it would come this quickly and this forcefully—without even a second to adjust.
And she knew, from this moment forward, there was no such thing as being the "invisible wife."
A few hours later, a posture coach, speech consultant, and styling team arrived.
Lin Wanning was "packaged" into the dressing room, surrounded by piles of designer clothes and sparkling jewelry. She was forced to try on outfits, practice her smile, and rehearse answers for nosy reporters.
By nightfall, she collapsed onto the sofa, exhausted. Yet her phone was still bombarded with DMs from reporters and paparazzi offering "exclusive interview deals."
She ignored them all, leaned back, closed her eyes—and found herself longing for the day before it all began, when she was just a regular woman living an ordinary life.
But fate had turned the page, and there was no way back.
Her phone buzzed again.
This time, it was her mother calling.
"Wanning! You really married into the Shen family? I saw the news this morning and nearly fainted! Why didn't you tell us?"
Lin Wanning lowered her voice. "Mom, I was going to tell you… it just happened too fast."
"Are you really… willing?" her mother asked softly. "That family isn't ordinary. Will you suffer there?"
"I'm fine, Mom," she whispered. "This was my choice. I'll take responsibility."
There was a pause, then a sigh on the other end."Then be well… don't let yourself be wronged."
After hanging up, she clenched her phone tightly.
Wronged?
She had never thought of this as a "happy marriage." But at the very least—She would never let anyone step on her again.
She would rise, step by step, to claim the position that was hers.
Even if it meant fighting her way there with everything she had.