Meeting her for the first time, Jiang Lili had to admit that Lin Xiran was an impressive woman. Was this his type? The undisguised admiration in Fu Xingchen's eyes as he looked at Lin Xiran was something Jiang Lili had never seen directed at herself. She couldn't begin to imagine how he saw her. He made no effort to hide how special Lin Xiran was to him, right in front of her. Where did that leave her? Her head was slightly bowed, revealing the pale, delicate nape of her neck. A faint pink blush crept up to her ears from their brief argument, and Fu Xingchen’s gaze burned as it landed on her. She looked stunning tonight, an image he wouldn't easily forget. His throat tightened, but he turned and walked back toward the car. His assistant, Sun Ting, hurried to open the door. After Fu Xingchen settled inside, he murmured a quiet instruction. Sun Ting then walked over to Jiang Lili. “Mrs. Fu, it’s getting late. Shall I drive you and Mr. Fu home?” “That won't be necessary. I'm not worthy of riding in Mr. Fu's car,” Jiang Lili said, her eyes fixed on the eight-figure Cullinan parked at the entrance. She had never once ridden in Fu Xingchen’s car. Not before, and certainly not now. “Mrs. Fu, you can't be serious. You're his wife. His car is your car,” Sun Ting said, a cold sweat breaking out on his back. He couldn't understand why the usually agreeable Mrs. Fu had suddenly become so sharp-tongued. Jiang Lili reminded him, “Not for much longer.” The words caught in Sun Ting’s throat. He glanced back at the man in the car, then at the defiant woman on the steps, completely at a loss. “Sun Ting, drive!” The window was halfway down, revealing Fu Xingchen’s face, half in shadow, his expression cold as ice. Sun Ting scrambled back into the car. As he buckled his seatbelt, he whispered, “Mr. Fu, do you think she’s angry because of what was trending online? Should I go and explain that I was the one who planned the birthday surprise for Vice President Lin?” Trending online? Fu Xingchen recalled that Jiang Lili had indeed started making a scene after seeing the news. But it was just a rumor. Was it really worth escalating to the point of divorce? “There's nothing to say. Let her think about what she's done.” Just as he finished speaking, Su Yunyou’s voice cut through the air from outside the car. “That bastard Fu! Our Lili is going to be a designer, and you're the one who's not good enough for her!” Outside, Su Yunyou was shouting curses in their direction while Jiang Lili tried to restrain her, drawing stares from passersby. His face darkened. “Go.” Sun Ting stomped on the accelerator, and the car sped away. As the car moved on, Su Yunyou’s words echoed in Fu Xingchen's ears. His hawk-like eyes reflected the neon-drenched streets. After a long moment, he asked Sun Ting, “What did my wife major in at university?” Sun Ting thought for a moment. “Interior design.” “Have someone watch her every move. She's not to work for any design firm.” Fu Xingchen didn't want to waste energy on this; it would affect his work. He had always been decisive and efficient, leaving no room for negotiation—a strategy that had brought him countless victories in the business world. It would surely work on Jiang Lili, too. — Jiang Lili pulled Su Yunyou back to their car. Only when she saw Fu Xingchen’s car drive off did she finally breathe a sigh of relief. “What are you afraid of?” Su Yunyou demanded, revving the engine, fired up like she’d had a shot of adrenaline. She had only heard that Fu Xingchen had shown up at the restaurant when she went to get the car—and that he’d summoned Jiang Lili to play the piano, then tipped her! It was a complete insult. “You're the wife! The cheating husband and his mistress combined shouldn't have more nerve than you!” Jiang Lili felt that she, the wife, was a complete joke. “From my perspective, and from my family’s, antagonizing Fu Xingchen is not a smart move.” Causing a scandal for the Fu family would only complicate the divorce. It would no longer be about the two of them, but about their two families. “Lili, have you told your family about the divorce?” Su Yunyou asked, turning to her as they stopped at a red light. Jiang Lili shook her head. “No.” The Jiang family depended on the Fu family. If her father found out she wanted a divorce, he’d be the first to object. Her mother was gentle-natured and always followed her father’s lead. Besides that, she was constantly whispering in Jiang Lili’s ear about being a good wife and a loving mother. Jiang Lili had always believed that Fu Xingchen liked her, that he was just a man of few words. Bombarded by her mother's advice, she had endured his cold indifference for two long years. Now that the affair was out in the open, she saw her two years of patient endurance as nothing more than a pathetic, cruel joke. No one in the Jiang family would understand how she felt. That was why she had to finalize the divorce before they found out. “Alright, let’s not cause a scene for now. We’ll focus on the divorce first. Have you drafted the agreement?” Su Yunyou still felt it was unfair. “You can't leave with nothing. You have to ask him for the house, the cars, or at the very least, tens of millions of dollars.” “I’ll… I’ll figure that out later.” Jiang Lili hadn’t even thought about it. Su Yunyou knew her friend’s mind must be a mess right now, so she didn’t press. She took her home, made her some late-night snacks, and even offered to take her out for an all-nighter to blow off some steam. But Jiang Lili refused. She sat down on the sofa with her laptop. “I need to send out my resume and find a job. As soon as possible.” Su Yunyou considered it. “Do you need my help?” With a single call, she could get Jiang Lili a job, no resume required. “No, thanks. I believe I can find one myself.” Jiang Lili didn’t want to use connections. She was confident she could find a job on her own merit. This wasn’t just bragging. Although she had no work experience and had been out of the design world for two years, the award-winning project from her university graduation was enough to get her interview invitations from most of the companies she applied to. This successful first step filled her with a rush of motivation, and Jiang Lili felt a renewed sense of purpose. The next morning, with Su Yunyou’s help, she bought a professional suit, fully prepared for her interviews. Keeping busy helped, but Fu Xingchen still invaded her thoughts from time to time. And whenever his image appeared, so did Lin Xiran’s. The woman she barely knew, yet whose memory always made her feel inadequate. A dense thicket of thorns pricked at her heart. The pain both drove her to find a job and prove herself, to escape them, and simultaneously shattered her concentration. She couldn't help but wonder: if she hadn’t married Fu Xingchen two years ago… perhaps she would have achieved something by now. On Friday, she had interviews scheduled with several companies. At nine in the morning, she arrived at the first one. After introducing herself, she waited for the questions. “Ms. Jiang, what have you been doing in the two years since your graduation?” the interviewer asked. Jiang Lili wasn’t surprised by the question about her two-year resume gap, but she felt a flush of shame. “I… got married.” The interviewer looked at her with pity. “There's a golden window for starting a career. If you had applied right after graduation, we would have been very interested. But now… I’m sorry.” It was a polite refusal. Jiang Lili had braced herself for rejection, but she couldn't understand. “You haven't even asked me a single question related to my profession. Are you rejecting me simply because I have no work experience and I'm married?”