Yucheng.

Lightning tumbled within the clouds, while thunder roared as if it was about to breach the heavens.

Heavy rain fell, splashing up water and carrying with it the serpentine trail of blood on the ground, cries and screams painting the rainy night into a scene akin to Shura Field.

The traffic lights flickered indifferently.

Cheng Zhiwei's trembling fingers reached for her phone; the pouring rain hammered on her body, along with the pain all over, clouding her mind and blurring her vision with blood.

Not far off, there were booming explosions and high-pitched screams of terror.

Cheng Zhiwei clutched her phone, recalling the photo she had seen half an hour ago, her lips curving into a smile of despair.

Today was her and Zhou Lin's wedding anniversary. Although her marriage was in name only, Zhou Lin had come home for the past couple of anniversaries. Cheng Zhiwei had wanted to use this opportunity to have a serious conversation with him, but after waiting until ten in the evening, Zhou Lin had not returned.

Instead, she saw photos of Zhou Lin celebrating Bai Zhuzhu's birthday on someone else's social media.

Perhaps it was the heavy rain that induced anxiety, or perhaps it was this significant day and he was celebrating another woman's birthday, but at that moment, Cheng Zhiwei lost her rationale and rushed out of her home.

As fate would have it, her car broke down halfway there.

She hailed a taxi, but just as they were ascending the North-South Bridge, an accident occurred.

Heavy rain and a car accident, trapped and unable to move, Cheng Zhiwei, in her despair, dialed Zhou Lin's number instinctively.

The mechanical female voice rang out in the rain, "Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later."

Her broken voice was filled with despair, "Zhou Lin... Zhou Lin..."

She persisted and dialed again; this time, the call connected.

Her eyes, filled with desperation, suddenly lit up, "Zhou Lin..."

"Happy birthday to you... Happy birthday to you..."

"Zhuzhu, happy birthday," Zhou Lin's tender voice sounded, crossing the phone and heavy rain, reaching Cheng Zhiwei's ears, vague and fragmented.

"Wow, such a beautiful necklace, thank you, Brother Lin, for the birthday present." A winsome female voice resonated, "I want to be with Brother Lin forever."

Cheng Zhiwei felt the strength she had mustered completely drain away at that moment, as the phone slipped from her hand. She struggled to lift her head and gaze at the sky, letting the rain pelt her face.

It hurt, but not one ten-thousandth as much as the pain in her heart.

...

Sirens and the sound of ambulances tore through the night sky, mingled with the noise of the downpour, as if it were a requiem that shook heaven and earth.

At eleven at night, a chain reaction car accident occurred on the North-South Bridge, and the emergency room of Central City Hospital was a whirlwind of activity.

...

When Cheng Zhiwei awoke, her whole body ached, and the scent of disinfectant at her nose jarred her nerves, making her realize she was alive and lying in a hospital.

The nurse told Cheng Zhiwei she had been in a pile-up accident, with multiple abrasions on her body, then asked about her identity to contact her family.

That's when Cheng Zhiwei remembered she had lost her phone. The heavy rain and the accident, along with the subsequent rescue, turned the scene into chaos; it was normal for the phone to be lost.

Even if it hadn't been lost, after being soaked in the rain, it would have been useless.

After requesting a phone from the nurse, Cheng Zhiwei fell silent for a few seconds and then dialed a number, "Da Tiantian, come to Central City Hospital..."

She glanced at the nurse.

The nurse quickly said, "Emergency Room 202, Ward."

Cheng Zhiwei nodded her thanks and spoke into the phone, "Yeah, was in a car accident, you need to come over."

Xu Tian arrived quickly.

"Oh my god, Yueyue, are you alright?" Xu Tian looked at the gauze on Cheng Zhiwei's head and the abrasions on her arm, gasping in shock.

"It's nothing, just some scrapes from the car accident."

"The car accident, could it be the pile-up on the North-South Bridge? I heard a lot of people died, oh heavens, Yueyue, you..." Xu Tian's eyes turned red as she made sure that Cheng Zhiwei was intact, without any missing arms or legs, before she felt relieved.

"Where's Zhou Lin?" Xu Tian looked around, not seeing Zhou Lin's figure, and immediately frowned hard, "You were in such a serious accident, and he's not here... He couldn't be with that slut Bai Zhuzhu again, could he?"

Cheng Zhiwei lowered her gaze, the light above cast down, making her pale face seem even more lifeless, "I lost my phone, help me pay the fees, I want to leave the hospital."

Xu Tian stiffened, sighed, and turned to go pay the fees for Cheng Zhiwei.

A few minutes later, she walked in on high heels, "Let's go, darling, leave this place to those who need it."

Cheng Zhiwei nodded, and was helped up by Xu Tian, just then, a man in the same ward, whose wife had not survived the car accident, was bragging on the phone.

"Baby, haha, she's dead, last night's car accident, all the property, insurance is ours now, plus we can even get some money from the funeral, oh my, we're rich."

Cheng Zhiwei lowered her gaze further, her eyes fell on the white sheet on the bed, and suddenly she thought of Zhou Lin – if she had died in that car accident, Zhou Lin would probably be just as pleased as this man.

But why should he?

Cheng Zhiwei moved her wrist and walked up to the man, slapping him across the face, "This is for your wife, you scum."

Then she walked away with Xu Tian by her side. Xu Tian was so stunned that she almost went to feel Cheng Zhiwei's forehead to check if she was feverish. The usually gentle Cheng Zhiwei, who never got angry, had actually slapped someone?

Cheng Zhiwei and Xu Tian had opposite personalities; Xu Tian was straightforward and fiery, while Cheng Zhiwei was quiet and gentle, the kind who never gets angry.

Xu Tian even wondered if Cheng Zhiwei had been secretly meditating and studying Buddhism, which allowed her to remain undisturbed despite her husband's rampant affairs.

Sitting in the car, Cheng Zhiwei watched the scenery outside rolling backwards. Last night's torrential rain made it seem as if the sky were falling; by morning, all was calm.

She closed her eyes, and suddenly her state of mind became peaceful, "Help me contact a lawyer."

"A lawyer?"

"Yeah, I'm getting ready for divorce."

The car came to an abrupt stop at the roadside. If Cheng Zhiwei hadn't been strapped in by the seatbelt, she might have suffered secondary injuries, but she was still shaken up.

Xu Tian placed a hand on Cheng Zhiwei's forehead, then on her own, with a look of utter confusion, "You're not feverish."

Cheng Zhiwei pushed her hand away, her tone light but her resolve firm, "I'm not joking with you."

Xu Tian's tense face relaxed into a smile of relief, "You've finally come to your senses, not fond of that dog Zhou Lin anymore?"

"Yeah, I've figured it out."

Everyone knew that Cheng Zhiwei came from a humble background but was deeply cunning. Right before graduation, she gave herself to her best friend's boyfriend, and that's how she rose from the ashes to become the Young Madam Zhou.

So, in Zhou Lin's circle, Cheng Zhiwei was looked down upon and despised, labeled as Zhou Lin's lapdog who licked her way to the pinnacle of life.

This lapdog, Cheng Zhiwei, no longer played that role.

... ...

The car restarted, and Xu Tian's voice soared with the wind, "Fine, it's rare that you've come to your senses. Don't worry, sister will definitely find you the best lawyer in Yucheng to draw up your divorce agreement, and then find you eight guys with six-pack abs to make you so happy you'll forget all your troubles."

Cheng Zhiwei let Xu Tian drive her back to Sparkling Sky City.

The villa in Sparkling Sky City was the marital home of Cheng Zhiwei and Zhou Lin. They had married three years ago, and since then, Cheng Zhiwei had always lived there, while Zhou Lin was mostly absent.

The villa's design and decoration, the furniture she bought, were all carefully selected by Cheng Zhiwei herself.

Once, she'd dreamed of spending a lifetime there with Zhou Lin. Sadly, even after becoming his wife and wishing earnestly for it, three years had passed, and she still hadn't warmed the stone-cold heart of Zhou Lin.

As she reminisced about the past, she opened the door.

As the door opened, a familiar, coquettish voice came through, "Brother Lin, where's the hairdryer? I can't find it."

Cheng Zhiwei's body stiffened, her knuckles white as she gripped the doorknob. She slowly walked in and looked up to the second floor.

The petite and exquisite woman was draped only in a towel, her fair shoulders and straight, long legs exposed to the air.

Seeing Cheng Zhiwei, Bai Zhuzhu's face revealed not a hint of panic or embarrassment, even deliberately feigning an innocent and unknowing demeanor.

"Sister Zhiwei, you're back."

The man standing up from the sofa was tall and straight, his handsome face like the most perfect work of art. Following Bai Zhuzhu's words, his deep and cold gaze turned towards Cheng Zhiwei.

He paused slightly as his eyes touched upon the gauze on her forehead, frown lines appearing as he strode over.

Her view blocked by shadows, Cheng Zhiwei lowered her gaze and curled her lips in self-mockery. He seemed to be showing concern for his little lover; she had only taken a glance, and he had already hurried over to block her view.

"What happened to your head?" His cold voice lacked any warmth that should have been there from a husband.

Cheng Zhiwei remembered when she found out about Bai Zhuzhu's existence and had driven to see her. At that time, Zhou Lin was with Bai Zhuzhu, and the affectionate tone he used when speaking to her, the tenderness in his eyes, was something Cheng Zhiwei, his legal wife, had never received.

Yes, she was his legal wife, but she could only follow them like a peeping Tom, from afar.

How ridiculous.

"Speak," Zhou Lin's voice grew impatient before Cheng Zhiwei could reply.

She looked up at Zhou Lin, and a sense of aggrievement crawled out from the depths of her heart. Clenching her pale lips, she asked him, "Where were you last night?"

She knew where he had been, but part of her still stubbornly sought an answer.

Zhou Lin clearly disliked being questioned, his expression turned foul, "Where I was is none of your business."

At such cold response, Cheng Zhiwei felt her heart twist, and the question burst forth, "Do you know what happened to me yesterday...?"

"Sister Zhiwei," Bai Zhuzhu's crisp voice cut in. With one hand clutching the precarious towel around her chest and the other reaching for Zhou Lin, she smiled sweetly, "Last night, Brother Lin was celebrating my birthday with me."

Cheng Zhiwei conjured a sarcastic smile. Yes, celebrating a birthday, and after that went straight to rolling in the sheets, which was why he hadn't answered his phone all night.

Forget it.

Cheng Zhiwei felt as if all her strength had been drained, worn to exhaustion.

Since she had already decided on divorce, why bother clinging to such an answer, anyway?

She turned to walk away.

Xu Tian's wrist was seized by Zhou Lin, his brow furrowed as if tied in a dead knot, "Cheng Zhiwei, who are you putting on this deathly act for?"

After all, the two of them had married because they ended up in bed together—in Zhou Lin's mind, their sexual encounter was Cheng Zhiwei's scheme. Even if over these three years Cheng Zhiwei dutifully played the role of his wife, it couldn't change the malice in her bones.

To him, her current wretched state was nothing but a new tactic to deceive him.

But this time she seemed to be playing the part to the hilt, even going so far as to stick a piece of gauze to her forehead with faux concern.

Thinking of his own momentary worry just then, Zhou Lin's gaze instantly became cold and ominous. He raised his hand, intending to yank off that gauze and shatter Cheng Zhiwei's lies.

Cheng Zhiwei instinctively dodged, but failed to notice the cabinet beside her. Her elbow hit it, and the pain from the wound was immediate. She raised her hand abruptly, inadvertently knocking over the blue and white porcelain vase nearby. The vase fell to the ground with a "bang" and shattered into pieces.

"Ah!" Bai Zhuzhu cried out in alarm, hiding behind Zhou Lin, "Sister Zhiwei, that's the blue and white porcelain vase Brother Lin just bought."

Cheng Zhiwei's face turned a shade paler.

With such behavior, Zhou Lin became even more convinced that Cheng Zhiwei had deliberately put on the gauze to feign illness, considering she had done even more disgusting things than this.

His disgust for Cheng Zhiwei grew deeper, and so did his anger. Did Cheng Zhiwei really think he was someone she could fool over and over again?

Driven by his fury, he pressed down on Cheng Zhiwei's shoulders, grabbed the obnoxious piece of gauze, and tore it off.

The wound on Cheng Zhiwei's forehead was the most severe, and the doctor had said it would likely scar. Blood and medicine had already seeped into the gauze, sticking to it. When Zhou Lin yanked it, Cheng Zhiwei felt a searing pain as if her scalp was being torn off.

She let out a wretched scream, and tears immediately began to flow.

Zhou Lin, not expecting Cheng Zhiwei to actually be hurt, was startled, and the gauze in his hand suddenly felt burning hot.

"Ah, how could Sister Zhiwei have such a big wound on her head?" Bai Zhuzhu covered her mouth, crying out in shock, "It won't disfigure her, will it?"

Zhou Lin narrowed his eyes, his words coming out cold and hurtful, "Cheng Zhiwei, you've really grown, haven't you? Now you're using self-harm in your acting."

A woman values her face more than anything else; how could Cheng Zhiwei let her face be injured like this?

The events from three years ago tumbled through his memories, making Zhou Lin feel sick.

The pain from Cheng Zhiwei's wound was nowhere near as intense as the pain in her heart from Zhou Lin stabbing her with his words. She hurt so bad she could hardly speak.

Zhou Lin's brows were etched with cold indifference and impatience.

Cheng Zhiwei paused in her steps, her eyes downcast and lips curled mockingly. Look, he was no different from the man in the hospital who had lost his wife.

As she thought this, she had already reached the door. The color drained from her face at the threshold.

In the otherwise neat and tidy room, everything was now in disarray. The blue duvet on the bed was carelessly thrown aside, at the foot of the bed lay a white dress and pink lingerie, and the same colored underwear was strewn upon the wooden floor at the foot of the bed.

It was suggestive and frivolous.

The skincare products on the dressing table were a total mess, and the room was saturated with the scent of jasmine she loved most, the smell of her favorite shower gel.

Cheng Zhiwei's body swayed, her fingernails digging into her palm. She, his wife, wasn't dead yet, and here was Zhou Lin, brazenly bringing Bai Zhuzhu into their home.

They might have even tumbled in this very bed.

Disgusting.

Utterly disgusting.

... ...

The grievances she had suffered over the past three years turned into a huge anger that burst through Cheng Zhiwei's usually obedient reasoning.

Her nerves taut like a drawn bow, she screamed shrilly, "Ah..."

Her fingers clung to the door frame, knuckles pale.

The room she had loved the most and the scent she had liked best now made her feel so nauseated she wanted to vomit.

Downstairs, Bai Zhuzhu's pitifully pursed lips spoke, "I don't know if Sister Zhiwei encountered any dangers outside, why would she be so badly injured."

As she spoke, her gaze fell on Zhou Lin's hand, and she covered her mouth and whispered, "Brother Lin, you should throw that thing away quickly."

It was covered in Cheng Zhiwei's blood, utterly disgusting.

Zhou Lin then looked at the gauze in his hand, his brows gathering in gloom and bemusement; such a filthy item, and yet he had not discarded it immediately, instead holding onto it, an irritation surfaced in his heart that even he hadn't noticed.

He then threw the gauze into the trash and carefully washed his hands.

When he came back, Bai Zhuzhu was still standing there wrapped in a bath towel, meeting his gaze with flushed cheeks, "My clothes are still upstairs, Brother Lin, will you accompany me to get them? I'm a bit scared of Sister Zhiwei."

"Let's go, get dressed, and I'll take you home."

Zhou Lin was about to lead Bai Zhuzhu upstairs when they heard Cheng Zhiwei's piercing scream, which immediately made him think impatiently, What craziness is Cheng Zhiwei up to now?

Bai Zhuzhu, holding her bath towel, had a face full of concern, "Does Sister Zhiwei have a headache? Brother Lin, should we call the family doctor?"

Zhou Lin replied with an indifferent expression, "Don't bother with her."

"But Sister Zhiwei is injured, if the wound isn't treated it will leave scars," Bai Zhuzhu said worriedly.

"Zhuzhu, you're just too kind," Zhou Lin touched her damp hair, "I'll go get you a hairdryer and clothes."

"Okay."

Cheng Zhiwei heard them going upstairs, she turned to face them, and with a raised hand slapped Zhou Lin, "Zhou Lin, you are really disgusting."

Bai Zhuzhu let out a shriek and darted forward to block Cheng Zhiwei, "Sister Zhiwei, how can you hit someone?"

Cheng Zhiwei's temples throbbed fiercely, and the blood and anger roared within her like a tsunami; the injustice of three years erupted with a surprising force, driving Cheng Zhiwei to an action that was beyond everyone's expectations.

She yanked away the bath towel from Bai Zhuzhu's body, her voice ice cold, "If you don't like wearing clothes, then don't wear them. Isn't it that you want Zhou Lin to see your body, what's the act for?"

The white bath towel fell to the ground, Bai Zhuzhu clutched her chest, squatting down with a scream, looking as if she were petrified, squatting on the floor, with the bath towel right at her feet, yet not picking it up to cover herself.

It was Zhou Lin who, out of compassion, picked up the bath towel and wrapped it around her, lifting Bai Zhuzhu up with tender care, "Zhuzhu."

"Brother Lin," Bai Zhuzhu threw herself into Zhou Lin's arms, crying breathlessly, "I... I..."

Zhou Lin lifted his eyes to glare coldly at Cheng Zhiwei, the light casting a shadow on his face, full of darkness and disdain, as well as disbelief.

Cheng Zhiwei's demeanor had always been gentle and demure; in these three years, she could be said to have never given anyone a hard time and would just casually admonish the servants at home if they did something wrong and leave it at that.

This was the first time he had seen her so furiously enraged.

It was like a fire, hysterical.

And it slightly pained his heart.

But what he felt even more was rage, "Cheng Zhiwei, have you lost your mind?"

Cheng Zhiwei felt her heart was being squeezed so tight she could barely breathe, and her entire body was shaking.

"Zhou Lin, must you really humiliate me like this? Not only have you trampled my sincere heart under foot, you even brought her into our home. Do you think I, Cheng Zhiwei, am so easily bullied, that I could tolerate you keeping a shameless mistress right under my nose?"

There was a dark and sinister air about Zhou Lin as he said, "Cheng Zhiwei, watch how you speak. Zhuzhu is not a mistress."

Bai Zhuzhu clung to Zhou Lin's chest, her slender fingers tugging at his shirt, tears rolling down her cheeks as she cried weakly, "Brother Lin, don't argue with Sister Zhiwei. It's okay, Sister Zhiwei is just misunderstanding things, I'll explain it to her clearly."

She then turned her head to look at Cheng Zhiwei, sobbing softly, "Sister Zhiwei, Brother Lin and I are innocent."

Cheng Zhiwei stormed into the room, grabbed Bai Zhuzhu's clothes along with her lingerie, scrunched them up in a mess, and threw them at her, "Is this your idea of innocent?"

The pink lingerie fell out of the dress and landed on Zhou Lin's arm.

Bai Zhuzhu's cheeks flushed with shame, and she quickly grabbed the lingerie into her hands. Seeing Zhou Lin's increasingly terrifying expression, she bent down to pick up her clothes, and her tears started swirling, "Sister Zhiwei, how could you humiliate me like this?"

Zhou Lin frowned and looked down at Bai Zhuzhu.

He began to understand why Cheng Zhiwei was angry.

She had misunderstood.

Bai Zhuzhu was an expert at reading people's expressions. She averted her gaze, tears hanging from her eyelashes, trembling. Petite and fair-skinned, with lips slightly bitten, she looked the picture of vulnerability.

Blinking back tears, she apologized to Cheng Zhiwei, "Sister Zhiwei, I'm sorry, I... I didn't know this was your room. I'm sorry, please, don't argue with Brother Lin over me."

Cheng Zhiwei turned her gaze away, her face filled with indifference.

Bai Zhuzhu, close to tears, lamented, "Brother Lin, I really didn't do it on purpose."

Zhou Lin affectionately stroked her hair and then, when he looked at Cheng Zhiwei again, his brow furrowed, "Zhuzhu simply walked into the wrong room by accident. Stop making a mountain out of a molehill."

Cheng Zhiwei felt an immense desolation inside her. Walked into the wrong room? Such a feeble excuse, and only Zhou Lin would believe it.

Cheng Zhiwei's laughter was cold and hollow, "It seems I returned at an inopportune time, disturbing your passionate affair."

Bai Zhuzhu hugged her clothes, shivering, struggling in Zhou Lin's embrace, "Brother Lin, let me go, let me leave. Sister Zhiwei's misunderstanding makes me wish I were dead."

Her mouth said leave, but her body seemed desperate to cling to Zhou Lin.

Zhou Lin, his arms around her waist, a dark storm brewing in his eyes, commanded, "Cheng Zhiwei, shut up."

"In Sister Zhiwei's eyes, am I that kind of person?" Bai Zhuzhu's voice shook with tears streaming down heavily.

Asking what she already knew.

"Can you just leave?" Cheng Zhiwei said coldly, looking straight at Bai Zhuzhu.

She felt terrible, with injuries all over her body from yesterday's car accident, and now she was furious, her rage exacerbating her condition.

At this moment, she felt an icy chill throughout her body, uncontrollable tremors, and her vision was fading in and out of darkness.

She couldn't hold on any longer.

Zhou Lin's gaze was fixed on Cheng Zhiwei; the anger had drained from his face leaving her complexion snow-white, her dark eyes filled with indifference, his gaze then caught the wound on her forehead.

His brow furrowed in concern, "You..."

Cheng Zhiwei couldn't keep up any longer, her legs gave way, and her body leaned forward.

... ...