“Ah!” Li Yulan shrieked, kicking wildly at Mr. Wang. “Mr. Wang, let go of me! Look closely, I’m not Xia Xiwan! You’ve got the wrong person!” Mr. Wang, seemingly having lost all reason, kept tearing at her clothes. “Don’t struggle, little beauty. The more you fight, the more excited I get! Hahaha.” “Let me go! Help! Help me!” Li Yulan screamed. Just then, the door slammed open with a bang and a squad of uniformed officers rushed in. “We received a tip about solicitation taking place here. You’re both coming with us for questioning!” The police quickly subdued Mr. Wang. Shaken, Li Yulan frantically tried to straighten her clothes. “What do you mean, solicitation? We weren’t doing anything! We’re not going to the station!” “Please cooperate with our investigation. Take them away!” … Li Yulan had no idea what was happening as she was forcibly handcuffed and led away. As they crossed the main bar area, a crowd gathered, their eyes fixed on her. In her youth, Li Yulan had been a celebrated actress. After marrying Xia Zhenguo, she had gradually retired from the entertainment industry, but she was still revered as a veteran performer. It didn’t take long for someone to recognize her. “Hey, look! Isn’t that woman the actress Li Yulan?” “Oh my god, what happened to Li Yulan? Why are the police taking her away?” “Haven’t you heard? The rumor is she was caught in a hotel room with some business tycoon. That fat guy in front is her lover.” “Quick, get your phones out! This is huge!” For years, Li Yulan had spent a fortune on public relations to meticulously maintain her reputation. Now, being arrested for solicitation while a gawking crowd shoved phones in her face, she finally broke. “Stop filming!” she shrieked, her voice cracking. “Don’t you dare take my picture!” … Meanwhile, Xia Zhenguo was dining with several business executives at a six-star hotel. One of them chuckled. “Mr. Xia, how come Mrs. Xia isn’t with you tonight?” Having come from the entertainment world, Li Yulan was well-connected and exceptionally savvy. After marrying Xia Zhenguo, she had become his right-hand woman, frequently attending social functions and securing numerous sponsorships for Xia Corporation’s medical division. She thrived in that world. Xia Zhenguo smiled. “My wife had something to attend to this evening, so she couldn’t make it.” The men showered him with praise. “Mr. Xia, for a famous actress to willingly become such a devoted wife to you all these years… you truly have a way with women. We’re all quite impressed!” Xia Zhenguo, a man who cherished his ego and reputation above all else, beamed with pride. Basking in their flattery, he felt on top of the world. Just then, a melodic ringtone cut through the chatter. It was a call for him. “Ah, Mr. Xia, is that your wife calling to check up on you? Don’t go anywhere, put it on speaker so we can all attest to your innocence!” Enjoying being the center of attention, Xia Zhenguo happily obliged, accepting the call and pressing the speakerphone button. “Hello?” A crisp, official voice came through the line, clear enough for everyone at the table to hear. “Hello, is this Xia Zhenguo? Your wife, Li Yulan, has been arrested in a hotel room on suspicion of engaging in prostitution. Please come with your lawyer to handle the proceedings.” Suspicion of… prostitution? Xia Zhenguo froze. At that moment, the other executives were already pulling out their phones. The news of Li Yulan’s arrest had exploded online, shooting to the top of the trending charts. The photos showed a disheveled Li Yulan, her face contorted in a desperate scream, while the shirtless Mr. Wang was being led away in front of her. Comments were flooding in. *I can’t believe the veteran actress Li Yulan is still secretly meeting men in hotel rooms at her age.* *She’s from the entertainment industry, what do you expect? Dig into her past and you’ll find she was a serial homewrecker back in the day.* *Isn’t she married? I almost feel sorry for her husband.* The executives exchanged glances, trying to suppress their laughter. Seeing the thunderous expression on Xia Zhenguo’s face, they stifled their amusement. “Mr. Xia, you should probably go… bring Mrs. Xia home.” … Both Li Yulan and Mr. Wang were taken into custody. It wasn’t long before Xia Zhenguo arrived with his lawyer. After the lawyer completed the paperwork, Xia Zhenguo approached Li Yulan, his voice low and hard. “Let’s go.” Li Yulan followed him out of the main hall, grabbing his sleeve. “Zhenguo,” she hissed with venom, “I’ve figured it out. This was all Xia Xiwan’s doing! She pretended to agree to the meeting, but it was all a trap to frame me!” Xia Zhenguo gave her an icy stare. “Are you saying Xia Xiwan is the reason you were found in bed with Mr. Wang?” “Yes.” “And this scandal going viral, with nearly a hundred million views and shares already… that was Xia Xiwan’s doing too?” Li Yulan had a sinking feeling about the online fallout, but she hadn’t imagined it would be this severe. After all her years in the industry, this was the scandal that had finally made her a top trending topic. She dug her nails into her palms. “Yes, it was all her! Xia Xiwan did all of this. She—” Xia Zhenguo’s hand shot out, and a sharp crack echoed as he slapped her across the face. The force of the blow sent Li Yulan sprawling to the floor. He had hit her so hard she could taste blood. She was stunned. In all their years of marriage, he had always doted on her. This was the first time he had ever laid a hand on her. “Zhenguo, why… why did you hit me?” Xia Zhenguo’s jaw was clenched, his expression menacing. “Li Yulan, Xiwan just got back from the countryside. What power could she possibly have to pull something like this off? Is this how you repay me after all I’ve given you? You’ve utterly destroyed my reputation! My good name is ruined because of you!” Only then did Li Yulan realize she had crossed his ultimate line. Xia Zhenguo’s pride was everything. Now that he was a laughingstock, he was taking all his fury out on her. “I’ll have someone suppress the news online,” he spat. “Never mention Mr. Wang’s name again. And you will stay out of trouble!” With that, Xia Zhenguo turned on his heel and stormed out, leaving Li Yulan alone on the cold floor. Li Yulan bit her lip until it bled, whispering a name with pure hatred. *Xia Xiwan!* … Huo Xize, having watched the whole drama unfold, was ready to applaud. “Second Brother, our new stand-in sister-in-law is something else. With a performance like that, I doubt her stepmother has any peaceful days ahead of her.” Lu Hanting stood with his hands in his pockets, his expression unsurprised. His wife was full of surprises. She was an enigma, one that was slowly, inexorably drawing him in. “I’m leaving.” As Lu Hanting turned to go, a figure stepped into his path. It was… Xia Xiaodie. Xia Xiaodie was malicious, but she had unfortunately inherited none of her mother’s cunning. She was spoiled, headstrong, and jealous—a thoroughly unpleasant person. She was still oblivious to what had just happened to her parents, her entire focus consumed by the ‘pretty boy’ standing before her. Xia Xiaodie held out a check. “Hey, pretty boy. This is for you. Stay away from Xia Xiwan from now on.”