Wife, who?

Xu Wei had been in this house for almost a week now.

He had learned a few things.

One—Xinyi was starting to lower her guard. She still didn't fully trust him, but at least she talked to him now.

Two—Yichen was suspicious as hell. He wasn't openly hostile, but he watched Xu Wei like he was waiting for him to mess up.

And three—Liang Zhihao did not care about his wife.

Not in a cruel way. Not in an angry way.

No, it was worse.

Zhihao treated Jiang Yurong like background noise. Like something he had learned to ignore years ago.

It wasn't rudeness. It wasn't avoidance. It was pure, calm indifference.

And somehow, that pissed Xu Wei off more than anything.

Not because he wanted Zhihao's attention. No, that wasn't it. The man was ridiculously attractive, sure, but Xu Wei had no intention of getting close.

His goal was simple—fix this broken family.

And in order to do that, he had to understand exactly how messed up it was.

That's why, at breakfast, he decided to test the waters.

"Didn't sleep well?" Xu Wei asked casually, sipping his tea.

Zhihao didn't even glance up from his phone. "I slept fine."

Xu Wei raised an eyebrow. "Really? You look like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders."

Zhihao turned a page in his newspaper. "That's called working."

Xu Wei huffed. Alright. Noted.

He tried again later that day.

Accidentally bumped into him in the hallway?

Zhihao stepped aside without missing a beat.

Sat next to him in the study?

Zhihao continued working like Xu Wei wasn't even there.

Dropped a pen right in front of him?

Zhihao picked it up, handed it back, and walked away without a word.

Xu Wei was offended.

Not that he wanted Zhihao's attention, but some kind of reaction would be nice.

He collapsed onto the couch with a dramatic sigh. "Man, this house is cold."

From across the room, Yichen muttered, "No sh*t."

Xu Wei grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.

That evening, just when he thought he could relax, Xu Wei was hit with a new problem.

A formal business dinner.

"You're coming with me," Zhihao said simply, fastening his cufflinks.

Xu Wei, horrified, flopped onto the bed. "Why?"

Zhihao barely spared him a glance. "Because you're my wife."

Xu Wei frowned. "Since when do you care about that?"

Zhihao exhaled slowly, like he was running out of patience. "Just don't cause trouble. Smile, nod, and look presentable."

Xu Wei narrowed his eyes. Oh, that sounded like a challenge.

When they arrived at the fancy hotel ballroom, Xu Wei felt severely underprepared.

Not because he lacked confidence—oh no, he had plenty of that.

But because the moment they stepped inside, all eyes were on them.

It was a weird feeling. Being watched.

It wasn't admiration. It wasn't curiosity.

It was gossip.

Xu Wei could practically hear the whispers.

"She actually showed up?"

"I thought they were on the brink of divorce."

"Did she finally come to her senses?"

Xu Wei resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

Zhihao, meanwhile, looked completely unbothered. He greeted the important people with polite nods, shook hands, and carried himself with the kind of ease that came from being a man who knew exactly how much power he held.

Xu Wei, on the other hand, was fighting the urge to grab a drink and watch the chaos unfold from a safe distance.

He could do this. He could behave.

At least, that was the plan—until someone stepped directly into his path.

A tall, sharp-faced woman smiled at him, lips curling in a way that immediately set off warning bells.

"Jiang Yurong," she said smoothly. "It's been a while."

Xu Wei had no idea who she was.

But judging from Zhihao's slight pause and the tension in the air, this was not a friendly encounter.

Ah.

Sh*t.