Only a few days had passed since her last visit, but this time, as she stepped out of the car, the Mo family’s servants greeted her with a chorus of “Young Madam.” A shiver went through Su Li at the title, and she walked into the grand mansion feeling deeply self-conscious. In the vast living room, Mo Xingyuan sat with his mother. Mrs. Mo’s gaze rested on her son, tender and loving, yet tinged with a hint of heartache. Su Li envied their bond. For her, such warm memories were a distant blur. “Ah Li, come, sit with us,” Mrs. Mo called, beckoning gently. Seeing Mrs. Mo again, hearing her call her name so familiarly, Su Li felt a fleeting vision of her own mother, smiling and calling to her. She pushed the sorrow from her heart and walked over. Mrs. Mo gestured for her to sit beside Mo Xingyuan. Su Li knew how much he despised her, but under Mrs. Mo’s watchful eye, she forced a smile and took the seat next to him. Mrs. Mo turned to look at them, her eyes filled with delight. “You two make such a handsome couple. A perfect match.” Mo Xingyuan’s face remained cold. Su Li managed a shy smile. “Xingyuan, Ah Li is a wonderful girl. She’s your wife now. You must treat her well.” Mo Xingyuan’s expression didn’t change. Mrs. Mo then turned back to Su Li, rising and extending a hand to her. Su Li quickly stood and took it. Mrs. Mo linked their arms affectionately, leading her upstairs as she chattered. Once the door was closed, Mrs. Mo released her arm. Her voice was still gentle, but a new distance had crept in. “You and Xingyuan aren't living together?” Su Li shook her head. “That won’t do,” Mrs. Mo frowned. “How can you build a relationship if you don’t live together?” *It’s not about building a relationship,* Su Li thought wryly, *it’s about having a baby.* Why else would the Mo family be in such a rush to find him a wife? To secure the family line, of course. She knew the real reason perfectly well, but she explained softly, “Our marriage happened without his knowledge. He surely hasn’t accepted me yet. If I just move in with him now, it will only make him resent me more.” “Don’t you worry, I’ll work on it,” Su Li said, placating her. “Since I’ve married him, I want to build a good life with him, bear his children, and make our family whole.” Her compliant attitude seemed to satisfy Mrs. Mo. She gently patted Su Li’s shoulder. “You’re a sensible girl. As long as you produce an heir for the Mo family, we won’t treat you unfairly.” Su Li offered a docile smile. “Tonight, you will both stay here at the old mansion,” Mrs. Mo announced, the decision made. Su Li’s smile stiffened slightly. Mrs. Mo beamed, as if not noticing her discomfort. “Opportunities don’t just happen, you have to create them. You must try, dear.” Su Li stretched her lips into a strained smile. A moment later, however, her expression relaxed. Mo Xingyuan would never agree to such an arrangement. After dinner, Su Li waited for Mo Xingyuan to leave. To her surprise, he simply stood up and went upstairs. Su Li’s brow furrowed. After a servant brought out a platter of fruit, Mrs. Mo handed it to Su Li with a smile. “Why don’t you take this upstairs and share it with Xingyuan?” Su Li took the platter, replying obediently, “Of course.” She took a deep, steadying breath as she climbed the stairs. Standing at his door, she raised her hand and knocked. The door opened to reveal the man’s pale, expressionless face and indifferent eyes. “Husband…” Su Li cooed, her voice deliberately sweet. Mo Xingyuan’s face darkened. She held up the fruit platter and tilted her head, her eyes sparkling with a playful charm. “Have some fruit.” Mo Xingyuan glanced at a shadow at the turn of the staircase, then wordlessly stepped back, letting her in. The moment the door closed, he shoved her against the wall. The washed cherries scattered across the floor. Su Li’s back slammed into the wall. Even through her sweater, the impact stung. She looked up into his eyes—bottomless pits, cold and sinister, radiating danger. His hand closed around her throat, utterly indifferent to her fragility. “All this effort. What do you really want?” Su Li had to admit, she’d been too quick to judge him as not being a monster. His grip was crushing her throat. Gasping for air, she slapped weakly at his shoulder. Seeing the red rimming her eyes and the moisture gathering within them, a vulnerable, pitiful sight, he finally let go. Su Li coughed violently, struggling to catch her breath. She held the fruit platter out to him. Mo Xingyuan’s brows knitted together. She was like an idiot, still clutching the platter after all that. “Your mother said you should eat more fruit,” Su Li said, her voice unsteady. “It’s good for you.” Mo Xingyuan took the platter. Su Li slid down the wall to the floor, one hand pressed to her chest. Her heart hammered against her palm; she had nearly suffocated. He hadn’t thought he’d been that rough, but seeing her crumpled on the floor, he briefly wondered if he’d used too much force. “What could I possibly want from you?” Su Li asked with a helpless laugh that held a fragile, broken quality. “If you think I have some ulterior motive, that I’m trying to get something from you, then by all means, draw up a contract. I won’t touch a single thing that’s yours.” He loomed over her, and she tilted her chin up to meet his gaze, her eyes misty and inexplicably wretched. For a moment, she seemed utterly sincere. “I will.” Mo Xingyuan’s reply was blunt. “Everything I have is none of your concern.” “Then…am I allowed to love you?” Su Li gazed at him, her watery eyes shifting, filled with a tender longing, yet tinged with caution. Suddenly, Mo Xingyuan found this all rather interesting. She had just broken up with He Shuming, only to turn around and marry a man she’d never met. And now she was asking a question that made it sound as if she were already deeply in love with him. Mo Xingyuan slowly crouched down, meeting her gaze. “How many faces do you have?” Su Li was speechless. “Loving a dying man? Are you planning to follow me to the grave?” His words were laced with venom. Seeing her stunned expression, he sneered. “You don’t want a divorce, so I’ll grant you that. But whatever your endgame is, to me, you are nothing but a name. That’s all.” Even in his sickly state, the intense pressure of his presence at such close range made Su Li’s heart race and her breath catch. Mo Xingyuan stood up, looking down on her. “You are not to mention your status to anyone. You have nothing to do with the Mo family.” Su Li took a quiet breath and said nothing, taking it as acceptance. She had no intention of telling anyone anyway. This marriage wouldn’t last. “You’ll have to make do for tonight,” Su Li said, tilting her face up, her misty eyes blinking slowly. “Your mother wants us to stay in the same room.” Mo Xingyuan turned his back to her. “You can sleep anywhere you want. Except the bed.” “…”