“Divorce? What divorce?”
Su Yue blinked in confusion, caught off guard by the sudden topic.
Jin Mingyuan lowered her voice, leaning in slightly, her gaze cautious. “You’ve always hated Jiang Ci, didn’t you? The only reason you stayed by his side was because of Jiang Muhang.”
She paused, her eyes tracing Su Yue’s now radiant features. Her words faltered for a moment. That flawless skin, those bright eyes and delicate lips—any man would be moved. If Jiang Muhang could once ignore Su Yue’s existence, now that she looked like this, who could say what he might think? Still, Jin Mingyuan shook off the thought. That wasn’t the point.
“But Yueyue,” she continued, “Jiang Muhang is married. He’s the rightful heir of the Jiang family. He won’t ruin his reputation for you.”
There was a weariness in her tone, as though she had repeated this a dozen times before. And truthfully, she had. She had always disapproved of Su Yue’s stubborn obsession, but no matter how many arguments they had, Su Yue never listened. It wasn’t that Jin Mingyuan hadn’t tried to stop her. She simply failed—every single time.
“Didn’t you say you were miserable living with a blind man every day?” Jin Mingyuan pressed on. “Looking at Jiang Ci’s face was torture, right? Didn’t you beg to get out of this marriage? Now look at you—so beautiful, so dazzling. You’re part of an aristocratic family. What kind of man couldn’t you have now? Why continue to suffer, staying with someone like Jiang Ci, all for Jiang Muhang’s sake?”
It was a heartfelt plea, but Su Yue only smiled faintly.
Memories flickered in her mind—memories not entirely her own. The original Su Yue had indeed grumbled daily to her friends about how much she despised Jiang Ci. She’d even insulted him to his face, calling him blind and ugly. It was a wonder he had tolerated her at all. If he hadn’t been so indifferent back then, who knew how many times she would’ve been put in her place?
As for divorce… yes, the original Su Yue had mentioned it often. But she never followed through. Not because she didn’t want to, but because once she left Jiang Ci, she’d lose all chances of getting close to Jiang Muhang. So she clung to her current marriage, waiting, hoping.
Jin Mingyuan turned toward their quieter companion. “Xuexue, come on. Talk some sense into her! You can’t treat marriage like a joke.”
She sighed. Su Yue’s parents had spoiled her too much. If she were born into any other family, she would have been taught better. But here she was, doing whatever she pleased, unchecked.
Xu Xue looked up from her book. Her dark eyes were clear and gentle as she glanced at Su Yue. She hesitated for a second, then said softly, “I respect Yueyue’s decision.”
Her voice was delicate but firm.
Su Yue, meanwhile, wasn’t even considering divorce—not now. After all, she couldn’t leave Jiang Ci. Not yet.
“I think Jiang Ci is quite good,” she said slowly, clearly. “I have no plans to divorce him. So Mingyuan, let’s not talk about it anymore.”
Jin Mingyuan froze. “What did you just say?”
She was stunned. She and Xu Xue both knew how much Su Yue had detested Jiang Ci. The old Su Yue had been full of disdain, disgust written from head to toe every time Jiang Ci’s name came up. And now… she was saying Jiang Ci was good?
Was she dreaming?
Su Yue lowered her gaze. “It’s been a long time. I’ve developed some feelings. And I don’t like Jiang Muhang anymore, so please don’t bring him up again.”
Jin Mingyuan drew in a sharp breath. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Had Su Yue really moved on? She opened her mouth to say more, but the professor at the front of the room shot a sharp glare in her direction. With a grumble, she gave up—for now.
When class finally ended, curiosity erupted in full force. The restraint everyone had shown earlier dissolved the moment the bell rang. Whispers broke out across the classroom, and more than a few bold stares were directed Su Yue’s way.
“Did you hear? Jin Mingyuan just called her Su Yue. Is that really her?”
“It is! I recognized her the moment she walked in. I thought I was seeing things! She took a month off, right? She must’ve gone abroad for plastic surgery.”
“No way. Would she have healed this perfectly in just a month? And she looks too good for that.”
“Come on, with money, anything’s possible. Look at her skin—white and glowing. She must’ve gotten whitening injections. And her bust? Obviously padded.”
The boys, though less vocal, were no less obvious in their glances. Their eyes followed her with interest. People were visual creatures, after all, and no one could look away from someone so stunning.
Jin Mingyuan hurried to stand beside Su Yue, shielding her with exaggerated protectiveness. “My god, Yueyue, you’re about to become a national disaster.”
Xu Xue blushed as she tried to block the view with her book, whispering comfortingly, “Yueyue, you’re beautiful. It’s only natural people want to look. Don’t be scared.”
Su Yue laughed softly. “I’m not scared. Thank you.”
She truly wasn’t uncomfortable. Compared to standing before hundreds of cameras in her past life, being stared at by curious classmates was nothing. She didn’t take it to heart at all.
Despite the whispers, no one dared speak ill of her to her face. By the end of the day, Su Yue had spent a relatively peaceful day at school.
In the afternoon, with fewer classes left, Jin Mingyuan invited her out for dinner, karaoke, and a movie. But Su Yue politely declined, thoughts drifting to the man waiting in the little western-style building at home.
“You’ve changed,” Jin Mingyuan remarked, suspicious. “You didn’t just change your face—you’ve changed inside too. You used to be the first to suggest going out. You hated going home to Jiang Ci. But now, you want to head back early?”
She bumped Xu Xue playfully. “Xuexue, back me up here.”
Xu Xue blinked in surprise, then nodded thoughtfully. “Yueyue has a family now… it’s different from us.”
Su Yue chuckled. “Yes, I have a family now. I need to learn how to take care of it.”
She waved at them and got into the car.
When she arrived back at the Jiang residence, she stepped out of the car just in time to see Jiang Muhang striding out of the house. His expression was grave, brows furrowed, eyes like cold stone. He brushed past Su Yue without so much as a glance.
Alarmed, Su Yue turned to the butler rushing out behind him. “Uncle Zhang, what’s going on?”
The usually composed Uncle Zhang was visibly flustered, sweat beading on his forehead. He hesitated when Su Yue grabbed his arm, clearly reluctant to speak.
At last, he said with a troubled face, “It’s the Second Young Miss. Something’s happened.”
Su Yue’s heart sank. No wonder Jiang Muhang had looked so grim. “What happened?”
Uncle Zhang took a breath and explained, “While filming, the Second Young Miss’s crew clashed with local villagers. She’s been taken hostage. Young Master Muhang is going to bring her back.”
Su Yue’s eyes widened. “I understand. Go take care of it.”
She remembered this. It was a key plot point in the original novel.
To capture a more authentic atmosphere for the scene, Jiang Xuan’s crew had chosen a remote area deep in the mountains. The director hadn’t worried about food and lodging, since a village was nearby.
The villagers had seemed friendly at first, but kept their distance.
One day, Jiang Xuan discovered a horrifying truth: many of the village’s women had been abducted and sold. One of them, Qin Mei, had been taken from far away and forced to marry a mentally unstable man. Her days were filled with abuse. But when she met the kind-hearted Jiang Xuan, hope was rekindled.
Qin Mei begged her to help her escape.
Despite being warned not to get involved, Jiang Xuan couldn’t turn away. She helped Qin Mei escape, but the act didn’t go unnoticed. The villagers found out. Chaos broke out. The man who lost his wife—deranged with grief and rage—accused Jiang Xuan of stealing her and declared that Jiang Xuan would now be his wife.
He tied her up in his house.
The crew had already called the police, and when Jiang Muhang heard the news, he rushed over immediately.Su Yue was well aware that this time, Jiang Muhang had nearly sacrificed his life to save Jiang Xuan. From that moment on, their relationship grew rapidly closer—just like it had been described in the book. The beautiful, radiant love between them became the envy of many.
She turned silently and made her way toward the Xiaoyanglou. Even though she knew Jiang Muhang was stepping into danger, Su Yue felt no concern. After all, it had nothing to do with her. Besides, both Jiang Xuan and Jiang Muhang carried the protagonist’s halo—he wouldn’t die.
But just as she reached the edge of the small bamboo grove, a burst of bright, childish laughter floated over with the breeze.
“A little higher!”
“Haohao’s not scared! Swing higher!”
Su Yue raised an eyebrow. Jiang Ci… actually playing with Xiao Haohao?
Had that cold-faced man changed?
Her red lips curved faintly in disbelief as she strode forward. But the moment she stepped out from the bamboo’s shade and rounded the corner, the sight before her made her footsteps falter slightly.
Beneath the sunlight, Jiang Ci was lying on a long bamboo chair in the pavilion, eyes closed as he basked in the golden warmth of the afternoon. But on the swing nearby, it wasn’t him playing with Haohao—it was Song Nianyue. She was gently pushing the swing, and the little boy was laughing with pure delight, his small mouth stretched into a wide grin.
They looked… harmonious.
A scene of familial bliss—like a mother, father, and their cheerful little son.
Su Yue’s chest tightened.
An inexplicable irritation welled up in her heart.
Was Jiang Ci… preparing to cheat?
Her expression turned cold as she walked over without a word and sat down on another bamboo chair across from Jiang Ci. She didn’t say anything, merely stared in silence as Song Nianyue continued playing with Haohao, her lips tightening with every giggle that left the boy’s mouth.
The scent of milk and sunlight mingled in the air. A few moments later, Jiang Ci’s eyes slowly opened. He tilted his head slightly in her direction, the corners of his mouth pulling into a slight smirk, though his tone was distinctly cool.
“You didn’t come back at noon.”
Su Yue picked up a small pastry from the bamboo table beside her and popped it into her mouth. “Didn’t you say this morning it didn’t matter?” she replied indifferently. “Besides, even if I’m not around, you’ve got company. You seem to be having quite a bit of fun, Jiang Ci.”
The osmanthus cake melted sweetly in her mouth—but it was far too sweet. The sugar was overdone.
So thoughtful. Instead of mango cake, Song Nianyue had chosen to make sweet-scented osmanthus cake. Clearly, she’d gone to great lengths to please Jiang Ci. Su Yue had assumed that after his cold dismissal the other day, Song Nianyue wouldn’t dare show her face again so soon.
Apparently, she had underestimated her persistence.
Jiang Ci frowned, clearly displeased by Su Yue’s sarcasm. “There’s no one here keeping me company.”
“Oh?” Su Yue raised a brow, her tone laced with mockery. “So Song Nianyue doesn’t even count as a person in your eyes?”
Jiang Ci chuckled lightly. “What did you eat to make you so sour today?”
His voice was teasing, almost amused, as he turned his face toward her. His lips curved into a faint smile, and his eyes shimmered faintly under the sun’s rays.
Su Yue stiffened, caught off guard. Her pale, porcelain face flushed instantly, a faint pink blooming across her cheeks. She bit down on another piece of the overly sweet pastry and muttered, “Just the sweet-scented osmanthus cake Miss Song made for you. It’s not sour—it’s too sweet.”
She felt a stifling weight in her chest.
Hadn’t Jiang Ci chased Song Nianyue away with sharp words the other day? Why had he allowed her to return so soon?
While Su Yue’s thoughts tangled, Jiang Ci suddenly reached out with one large hand and lightly touched her cheek. Before she could react, his long, slender fingers tilted her chin up.
Su Yue’s heart skipped a beat. She froze as Jiang Ci’s face leaned in closer, his thin lips parting in an expression of faint disgust. “Spit it out.”
Su Yue blinked. “I already chewed it. Swallowed it too.”
Jiang Ci tsked softly.
Before she could say another word, he leaned in again. His cool lips pressed firmly against hers. In a smooth motion, the tip of his tongue brushed against hers—quick, electric, and fleeting—before pulling back.
The kiss was brief, but it left a trail of heat behind.
“Sweet,” he murmured, his low voice curling like smoke around her ears. “Didn’t eat it just now, but I have now.”
Then his fingertips, still lingering at her chin, slowly brushed against her skin one last time before withdrawing completely.
The warmth of his touch still lingered, but Su Yue’s face had already gone up in flames.
She stared at him in stunned disbelief, her heart racing wildly in her chest.
This man… was too much.