“Five hundred thousand a month to share my bed. What more could you possibly want?” In the quiet of the night, the man’s voice was flat, his body slouched lazily into the depths of the sofa. The casual indifference radiating from him was a clear dismissal of the woman standing beside him. A roar filled Jiang Lili’s head, and in an instant, every ounce of hurt she’d been holding back crystallized into a sharp point in her chest. “Five hundred thousand? For sharing your bed?” Scalding tears streamed down her cheeks as she met the man’s icy gaze. “Fu Xingchen, I married you. I didn’t sell myself to you…” Was this what a marriage was? Having money to spend, sleeping with a man? How was that any different from being a prostitute? The only distinction was a piece of paper—a legally sanctioned sale of marriage. Was this how he saw their union? No, this was how Fu Xingchen saw *her*—as someone who only deserved this kind of marriage. Three hours earlier, Jiang Lili had received a security video. In the dead of night, a scantily clad woman knocked on the door of Fu Xingchen’s presidential suite at a hotel. He opened it, let her in, and she didn’t emerge for a full three hours. A duration that was, admittedly, typical for Fu Xingchen. At first, she’d assumed it was just a business trip, a tool to satisfy his urges. He had strong needs, after all. In their two years of marriage, they had made love nearly every night, save for when she had her period. She had grasped for countless excuses, telling herself to stay calm, that there had to be a reason for it. Today was Fu Xingchen’s birthday, and she didn't want to upset him. She’d planned to ask about it tomorrow. She had personally made a fondant tiger cake, preparing a birthday surprise for him just like always. For both of their birthdays and their anniversary over the past two years, she had been the only one joyfully arranging the celebrations. She had thought he was simply a man who didn't understand romance—until she saw the news that he had booked out the largest hotel in Jiangcheng to celebrate the birthday of his company’s Vice President, Lin Xiran. He had sent cash gifts to all of the company's hundreds of thousands of employees, all just to see Lin Xiran smile. In front of countless media cameras, he had gifted Lin Xiran a piece of jewelry worth seven figures. And the limited-edition black tie around his neck right now? Lin Xiran had put it on him herself, just an hour ago. If a birthday celebration or a security video, on their own, didn’t mean anything, what if they both involved the same person? Jiang Lili recognized her at a glance. The woman at the birthday banquet, her smile radiant as she gazed lovingly at Fu Xingchen, was the same woman who had entered his hotel room. She couldn't bear it any longer. Still, she clung to a sliver of hope. Maybe… maybe it was all a misunderstanding. So she asked, cautiously, “Xingchen, you never told me that the company VP you so often travel with was a woman.” “That's a work matter. You don’t need to know,” Fu Xingchen’s reply was cold. He drank the hangover soup she had made for him, saw the news on her phone about Lin Xiran’s birthday, and didn't offer a single word of explanation. Jiang Lili bit her lip and summoned her courage. “Is celebrating a female subordinate’s birthday also part of your job?” Fu Xingchen’s brow furrowed slightly as his deep, inscrutable gaze landed on her. His eyes were dark voids, as vast as the cosmos, and her small figure reflected in them seemed frail and insignificant. The displeasure rolling off him was enough to drown her. “My affairs are none of your concern. Go pack a couple of things. I have a business trip.” His tone was hard, not only refusing to discuss the woman he had made a trending topic tonight but also forbidding her from asking any more questions. Jiang Lili finally lost control. “We’re husband and wife! Why is it none of my concern? The millions you spent on her jewelry came from our marital assets. I have every right to ask about every cent you spend on her!” “I spent a few million on her, and I need to report that to you? When your Jiang family was milking me for hundreds of millions, I didn’t see you keeping such a careful ledger,” Fu Xingchen shot to his feet, the sharp lines of his face radiating a chilling cold. Although their marriage was a secret, Jiang Lili knew that her family had seized every opportunity to acquire resources from Fu Xingchen. But she couldn't understand. “That’s different. We’re married! How can she compare to me?” “No, *you’re* the one who can’t compare to *her*!” The contempt in Fu Xingchen’s eyes was a barbed knife, plunging deep into Jiang Lili’s heart before being violently ripped out. “Those few million are a fraction of what her performance brings in. You tell me, how can you compare?” Her heart felt like a raw, bleeding wound. The look in Fu Xingchen's eyes held a coldness she had never seen before, as if he weren’t the same man who lost control for her in bed, who whispered sweet nothings in her ear. “If she’s so wonderful, you should have just married her! Why did you marry me?” Her eyes burned, her voice trembling. “When you married me… wasn’t it because you loved me?” Jiang Lili’s vision blurred until all she could see was the hazy outline of the man before her. His long, dark brown eyes, high-bridged nose, and thin lips. His broad shoulders and narrow waist were encased in a bespoke black suit, exuding an air of supreme privilege. She had seen this face every day for two years, and every time, her heart had skipped a beat. He was handsome, with a perfect physique, a powerful family, and immense capability. Jiang Lili couldn't find a single flaw in him. And so, when she first met him and learned he was the one she had been betrothed to since childhood, she had inevitably fallen in love at first sight. As for whether Fu Xingchen loved her… Jiang Lili remembered. Two years ago, the Jiang family’s investments had failed, and they had hit rock bottom. Her father was about to marry her off to an old man in exchange for cash. It was Fu Xingchen who had stepped in, expressing his willingness to honor their engagement, allowing her to stand here today as Mrs. Fu. So, at the time, she had assumed… he must have loved her too. But now, it was clear his affections lay elsewhere—with the woman who could stand beside him in the business world, the corporate elite he felt she, a housewife, could never compare to. But before Jiang Lili married him, she had been a promising interior designer, a graduate of a prestigious university with a bright future. She had given up her dreams for him, agreed to a secret marriage, and become Mrs. Fu, her entire world revolving around him. Fu Xingchen seemed to find her question—*wasn’t it because you loved me?*—laughable. He drained the hangover soup in one gulp and stood to head upstairs. “If you never loved me, then let’s get a divorce!” Jiang Lili squeezed her eyes shut, the words tumbling out. A loveless marriage was not what she wanted. She could tolerate a man who was cold, but she couldn’t tolerate a man who was cold only to her. To Fu Xingchen, her outburst was simply unreasonable. He hit her where it hurt, reminding her: five hundred thousand a month for sleeping with him. She should be grateful. In his eyes… this wasn't even a marriage. It was a transaction. He didn’t even think there was anything wrong with the phrase “for sleeping with me,” and he criticized her righteously. “Am I wrong? If you divorce me, do you expect to go back to the Jiang family and play the princess? Jiang Lili, don’t be naive. Know your place.” “I have hands and feet. I can live perfectly fine without the Jiang family.” Jiang Lili forced back her tears. She moved past him to go upstairs, dragged a white suitcase out from a corner, and started packing her clothes.