The winter in Nanbin City this year was exceptionally cold. It was only November, yet the sky was already overcast with light snow falling.
Perfect timing—it didn't require good weather to meet an ex.
Su Li stood outside He Shuming's house, dragging her suitcase, her heart brimming with excitement as she keyed in the code.
The door opened, and she froze.
Two bodies intertwined on the sofa—Su Li's mind exploded.
She clenched her fists. The people on the sofa were so engrossed they hadn't noticed her.
Suppressing her nausea, she pulled out her phone and switched to video recording.
When they changed positions, the woman finally noticed Su Li and screamed.
He Shuming was startled too, quickly pulling the blanket over himself and hiding the woman behind him.
"Su Li, what are you doing?"
With red eyes, Su Li said, "Such a spectacular scene obviously deserves to be recorded and shared on social media."
He Shuming, ignoring the naked woman behind him, wrapped himself in the blanket and stepped forward to grab Su Li's phone.
"If you take one more step forward, I'll send it to everyone," Su Li threatened.
He Shuming didn't believe her and advanced.
Su Li immediately hit "send to all."
He Shuming was shocked.
The gentle and understanding woman was capable of such ruthlessness!
"Su Li, you're asking for death!" He Shuming's forehead veins bulged with rage, wanting to kill her on the spot.
Su Li raised her phone—110 was already on the screen. "I've called the police."
He Shuming's eyes widened. "You…"
Seeing Su Li's ruthless, no-mercy expression, he pointed at her, "Fine, you win!"
Su Li's eyes were cold. "Two years of my life were wasted. No, you're not even worth a dog."
Leaving He Shuming's house, Su Li went to her best friend Lu Jing's place.
She stayed there for five days. Lu Jing cursed He Shuming every day.
One morning, seeing Su Li staring sadly at her phone, Lu Jing hugged her and said, "Don't be sad. You should be glad you saw his true colors."
Su Li shook her head. "I'm not sad anymore. I'm just hesitating about the marriage my father arranged for me."
"What?"
Su Li's father had arranged a match for her and had been pushing her to talk it over.
The prospective groom was wealthy, tall, handsome, and an only son.
If she agreed to marry him, the groom's family would give a seven-figure bride price, plus a bonus of 100 million yuan if she got pregnant within two months. Bearing a son and daughter would make her the lady of the house, owning endless wealth.
Lu Jing clapped and sneered, "That sounds like your stepmother's plan. If it was really that good, why wouldn't she want her daughter to marry him? It's a death trap."
"Do you know something?"
"It's true to some extent. But there's a key point she didn't tell you."
"Hm?"
"That guy's name is Mo Xingyuan. He really is handsome, rich, and powerful. Last year, every woman in Jiucheng wanted to marry him. Those who couldn't even hoped to sleep with him once."
"Mo Xingyuan…" Su Li murmured, "Sounds familiar."
Lu Jing snorted. "Everyone in Jiucheng knows that name."
She added, "Last year it was revealed he has a terminal illness, not long to live. His girlfriend apparently left the country when she found out."
"Basically, marrying a dying man is like marrying a corpse."
No wonder. That was pretty harsh.
Lu Jing rolled her eyes. "With a stepmother comes a stepfather. Your stepmother clearly wants you to become a widow."
"After he dies, I can remarry."
Lu Jing's eyes widened. "Wait, you actually want that? The guy's already seriously ill. Imagine how awful he must look now? And getting married now is just so he can leave a legacy before he dies."
"People like that are disgusting."
Su Li said softly, "But the money's good."
"…"
"And after he dies, I inherit everything." Su Li's expression was calm. "Then I'll have wealth and freedom—something many can only envy."
Lu Jing was stunned. "Are you crazy?"
"No, I've thought it through. Love is like a ghost—you hear about it but never see it. So why chase it?"
"And we work so hard just to earn more money and achieve financial freedom. Now there's a shortcut, why wouldn't I take it?"
Lu Jing: "...How can that make sense?"
Su Li smiled. "Because that's reality."
That night, He Shuming called Su Li from someone else's phone, insulting her as pretty but useless.
After hanging up, he called again from a different number, and kept blocking multiple numbers until Su Li turned off her phone.
The next day when she turned it back on, many messages flooded in, mostly from He Shuming—insults of all kinds.
The group chat exploded with He Shuming mocking Su Li's breasts as fake, calling her provocative while pretending to be innocent...
Every insult worse than the last.
Su Li took a deep breath to suppress her anger.
She called Su Weian and agreed to his proposal.
The father and daughter arrived at the Mo family mansion, but did not see Mo Xingyuan. His parents met them.
Knowing Su Li was willing to marry Mo Xingyuan, they couldn't hide their excitement.
Su Li had only one request: to register the marriage first.
Her reason was legal.
As for the wedding, she didn't need one.
Naturally, the other party had no objections, even worried she wouldn't agree.
Both sides quickly reached an agreement, and Mo's father invited civil affairs officials to the house to register the marriage.
It was then that Su Li saw a photo of Mo Xingyuan.
The man in the photo was just as Lu Jing described—handsome features, especially deep, captivating eyes that seemed to hypnotize.
Such a perfect man wouldn't be hers if not for his impending death.
Su Li carefully examined the marriage certificate and the photo, although composite, it was acceptable.
Mo's mother handed her a bank card. Even without a wedding, the bride price was still given, plus living expenses.
Generous, with such a large sum the card felt heavy in her hand.
She didn't refuse and accepted it openly.
Looking again at the marriage certificate, her eyes fell on the name "Mo Xingyuan." She wondered what the man thought when he learned his parents had "sold" him.
Leaving the Mo family mansion with her father, her father smiled happily.
"The Mo family gave you a lot of benefits, huh?"
Su Weian was taken aback, his expression awkward. "What are you talking about?"
"No need to pretend." Su Li stopped and looked at him. "If it weren't for your family's benefits, you wouldn't have come looking for me."
Su Weian looked embarrassed. "A Li..."
Su Li waved him off, not wanting to hear his sanctimonious words.
She walked ahead, calmly saying, "This is the last time. Don't contact me again."
Lu Jing knew Su Li had really married Mo Xingyuan and was pacing in place.
Unfortunately, it was too late to regret.
"Your dad is ruthless, pushing you into the fire knowing it's a pit. And you're foolish to register the marriage so quickly. If he tortured you, you could have run without the certificate. Now that it's done, if he wants to kill you, there's no escape."
Lu Jing was anxious, angry, and worried, her eyes red.
Her friend's anger warmed Su Li's heart. She smiled and comforted Lu Jing, "I registered, but I don't intend to show up in front of him."
Lu Jing stared at her.
Su Li's eyes twinkled mischievously. Although the idea was a bit cruel, it was the truth.
"You said he won't live until next February? Less than three months left. I'll hide for now, and when he's down for the count, I'll show my face."
Su Li's hopes were high, but reality was cruel.
A few days later, someone came looking for her.
"Mr. Mo wants to see his wife."