For the first time in their three years of marriage, Lu Wan and Gu Zhe shared a peaceful meal together.
She sliced the steak on her plate bit by bit. The sound of her knife and fork scrapping against the porcelain echoed through the empty Gu mansion.
"The lawyer will contact you in a few days. Start packing, I've arranged a house for you in the outskirts of Beijing. You don't have to worry about money," Gu Zhe took a sip of his wine and tossed a contract across the table. The bold words 'divorce agreement' seared into Lu Wan's heart.
She knew Gu Zhe had tried to divorce her more than once before. He had only held back to respect his elderly father. Now, with the father passed away, he was eager to move his young mistress into the mansion.
Lu Wan glanced at the contract, then focused her gaze on Gu Zhe.
"I recently acquired a high-quality bottle of red wine. Would you like to try some?"
"Lu Wan, what game are you playing now? Wei Rou's health hasn't been good lately, and I’m worried about her,”
Heh.
With a sarcastic smile, Lu Wan set down her knife and fork, walked over to the wine cabinet and opened a bottle of red wine. She poured a glass, walked up to Gu Zhe, and handed it over.
"There is not enough time to let the wine breathe. After this glass, we will owe each other nothing."
Gu Zhe, looking at Lu Wan in front of him, furrowed his handsome brows and took the wine glass with a helpless expression, draining it in one go.
"Now you can -"
Before he could finish his sentence, a fragrant bouquet suddenly enveloped him. Soft lips, with a hint of trembling and dominance, kissed him wildly!
For the first time in over twenty years, Gu Zhe was invaded by a woman!
By the time he realized what was happening and tried to push Lu Wan away, it was already too late.
His limbs weak, his body feverish, that sweet scent was like a cool spring, nourishing every inch of him, making him crave for more.
"You scoundrel, you actually drugged me."
Lu Wanhua pinned Gu Zhe down on the table. Perhaps because it was her first kiss, she was a bit clumsy, and since her partner wasn't cooperating, her lips got knocked slightly numb. She licked them, tasting a bit of iron tang of blood.
Yet this action, in Gu Zhe's eyes, was three parts seductive, seven parts captivating. Maybe it was pure instinct, but he suddenly exerted force, effectively turning the tables and pinning her beneath him, dominate in his restraint.
Lu Wanhua's heart throbbed wildly, barely able to breathe. Eyes closed, she felt Gu Zhe roughly pulling off her clothes. His fiery kiss was a mixture of punishment and passionate demand.
It would be a lie to say she wasn't afraid. She bit her lip, after all, it was her first time, and on a table at that. While she was willing to go all out in soliciting Gu Zhe, doing it for real made her regret it more than anything.
She twisted anxiously, trying to escape.
Following that, she felt herself being flipped over by Gu Zhe, his broad hand striking her derriere.
"Don't move."
With stern command in his voice, Lu Wanhua blushed, truly not daring to twitch a muscle.
The moment he entered her from behind, she cried out from the pain, her whole body shuddering. Gu Zhe, growing impatient, turned her back around, pressing her entirely under his weight that she couldn't even move.
"Lu Wanhua, are you scared now?" His magnetic voice near Lu Wanhua's ear, then he looked at her very seriously.
Maybe the alcohol blurred his vision, and Lu Wanhua's face overlapped with a face from his memories, his movements suddenly softened.
He planted a tender kiss on Lu Wanhua's lips, softly whispering: "Weirou."
Hearing these two words, Lu Wanhua stiffened, the warmth in her body turning cold. Her repressed despair causing her to close her eyes, without any blush or shyness, she let the man above her carry on.
Listening to his repeated calls:
"Weirou, Weirou, Weirou."
Lu Wan didn't know how she fell asleep—perhaps it was due to the effects of alcohol, or maybe because she had cried herself to exhaustion. All she remembered was dreaming throughout the night.
She dreamt about the first time she met Gu Zhe at the Gu's household a decade ago.
He was in his backyard, tenderly wrapping a quilt around Lin Weirou who was seated in a chair, patiently coaxing her to take her medicine.
She knew he was fond of Lin Weirou, a relationship she could never penetrate.
Yet, fate seemed fond of playing jokes on her.
The Lu family had been involved in politics during their early years, and engaged in business during their later years. They dealt with the Gu family in the armament industry for decades; the older generation even formed a sworn brotherhood.
When the patriarch of the Gu family rose to power, the Lu family had supported him only to be exterminated by his ungrateful relatives. The young Lu Wan was sent to the countryside to save her life.
Left with no one, the huge Lu family was left to Lu Wan alone. The Gu family patriarch felt guilty for the orphan, forcing Gu Zhe to marry her.
Lin Weirou despised her, treating her with hostility every chance she got. In order to protect her, the patriarch sent Lin Weirou away from the family home, resulting in Gu Zhe hating her with passion.
Even on their wedding night, he didn't return, spending the night at Lin Weirou's house instead.
The resurfaced memories gave Lu Wan a restless sleep. She slowly opened her eyes, rubbed her hungover head, and was about to get up, only to find out she could hardly move due to the soreness in her waist. Looking at the bedsheet, the spots of blood fiercely burned into her eyes.
Bruises covered her body, obviously from a tormenting night.
Last night…
She actually drugged Gu Zhe! She only just realized what she's done!
She’s doomed!
"Awake, are we?"
Suddenly, a furious voice came from behind, making her body stiff with fear.
She tried hard to maintain her calm demeanor, though the air was filled with a lascivious scent indicating the chaos of the previous night. Naked, without any clue where the blanket went, she wished to bury herself into the deepest crevices.
"Wake up and sign the paper quickly, I have things to deal with," he said without a hint of tenderness, Gu Zhe did not even spare her a glance and left immediately.
She sighed. What was she hoping for? Did she still expect him to take responsibility for her?
"Madam, Miss Lin Weirou is here." The butler's voice rumbled, snapping Lu Wan back to reality.
Last night the old master passed away, Gu Zhe asked her to sign the divorce papers, Lin Weirou probably knew about it all along. She wondered why Lin Weirou had shown up today.
"Why didn't you come home last night? I was worried all night long. How did things go?" Downstairs, Lin Weirou's voice came softly.
"It’s taken care of, she agreed, you can move in tonight."
When Lu Wan descended the stairs, she heard their conversation and didn't know what kind of emotions she should express, feeling more and more like an outsider in the Gu household.
"Lu Wan, you're here. Thank you for letting us be, I was worried you’d have a hard time moving out alone, so I took the liberty of getting some movers here," Lin Weirou looked pitifully at Lu Wan and added in a low voice, "Lu Wan, are you upset about me making these arrangements? Whenever you want to come back, just tell me. This will always be your home."
Finally, Lu Wan understood why Lin Weirou had come early in the morning. Knowing that the old master of the Gu family had passed away and that the divorce agreement has also been signed, she had come to claim her ownership.
With the tone of the hostess of the Gu family, Lu Wan had no reason to snap at her, nor did she have any right to.
But she was irritated by Lin Weirou's duplicity. On their wedding day, Lin Weirou deliberately sent her a photo of her and Gu Zhe in bed, simply to provoke her.
"Young master, you cannot sign this divorce agreement."
