The ride back from the gala was silent.
Not the comfortable kind. The kind that hums with unspoken words and sharp tension. Li Wei sat with her arms crossed, eyes fixed on the dark city lights flashing past the window.
Zihan was checking his phone again.
"That kiss," she said flatly. "Next time, ask first."
He didn't even look up. "You signed the contract. Public appearances come with expectations."
Li Wei turned toward him, fire in her eyes. "I agreed to be your wife—not your puppet."
Zihan finally met her gaze, his eyes cold and unreadable. "You agreed to play a role. That means knowing your lines."
She bit her lip to keep from screaming.
This wasn't a man.He was a wall.Emotionless. Impossibly calm.And yet—there was something wrong behind his mask. Something she couldn't name.
Later That Night — Mansion
Li Wei couldn't sleep. She sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the moonlit garden outside. The kiss had replayed in her mind all evening.
It meant nothing.
So why did it feel like something?
She got up quietly and walked toward the hallway. Just as she passed Zihan's door—it creaked open.
Zihan stood there in a black shirt, sleeves rolled up. No jacket. No mask.
He looked… tired.
Their eyes met.
She stepped back, but he spoke first.
"Why did you agree to this?" he asked, voice lower than usual.
Li Wei blinked. "What?"
"You're not like the others," he said. "You don't chase money. You don't act sweet. You don't try to please me."
"Would you want me to?" she asked, folding her arms.
Zihan didn't answer.
But in that moment, something shifted.
For the first time… he didn't look like a CEO.
He looked like a man carrying the weight of something too heavy to name.
End of Chapter 4 💥
Want Chapter 5 to:
Reveal Zihan's secret past? 😱
Introduce a rival woman from his life? 🥀
Or let Li Wei visit her sick mother and start questioning this whole deal? 🏥