Volume One, Chapter One: Bigamy? Divorce!

When Ji Shu received the confession, Lu Jinchuan was standing nearby.

She had never expected to run into him here; after all, their last encounter had been on their wedding night, three long years ago.

He was the center of attention, surrounded by a crowd like stars orbiting the moon. As they brushed past each other, the hem of his suit jacket lightly grazed the back of her hand—a fleeting touch that vanished in an instant.

The gathering ended as dusk fell. Declining her colleague's polite offer to drive her home, Ji Shu hailed a cab to the Lu family estate. Jingting Garden was North City's most exclusive luxury villa district, a place where land was worth its weight in gold. Only those at the very pinnacle of the city's social pyramid, like the Lu family, could reside there.

Her taxi could only drop her at the gates of the estate, leaving her to walk the rest of the way to the Lu residence. Just as she stepped out of the car, a black Cullinan swept past. She caught the driver glancing in her direction, but his gaze drifted away after only a second or two.

November in North City brought a deep autumn chill, and the evening air was biting. Hunching her shoulders against the cold, Ji Shu quickened her pace.

The Lu residence lay in the heart of Jingting Garden. Outside its gates sat the familiar black Cullinan. The same car, the same color, and the same familiar figure standing beside it.

Silhouetted against the streetlamp, Lu Jinchuan leaned against the car with one leg casually bent. A cigarette smoldered between his right fingers, its tiny ember flickering faintly in the dark. He stood there, tall, elegant, and striking.

Perhaps sensing her gaze, he looked up, and their eyes locked. For a second, she froze, as if rooted to the spot. On the deserted road, they stood at opposite ends—one in black, the other in white.

Lu Jinchuan flicked the cigarette with his ring finger, then let it drop. The ash and the butt fell to the asphalt, and he ground it out beneath the sole of his shoe before taking measured steps toward her.

Ji Shu watched the distance shrink. Three meters, two meters, one meter... Zero.

A lazy smirk played on Lu Jinchuan's lips. "It's been so long since you've seen your husband, you don't recognize him anymore?"

Ji Shu lifted her chin, meeting his dark, fathomless eyes. His gaze deepened, clouded by an unreadable intensity.

"When someone who's been missing for three years suddenly pops up, I can only assume I've seen a ghost," Ji Shu replied, pulling herself together and looking away.

Three years ago, Lu Jinchuan had vanished without a word the morning after their wedding. After their fleeting encounter this afternoon, seeing him standing right before her now left her in a brief daze.

"Didn't we see each other this afternoon?" He paused, as if a sudden realization had struck him. "Ah, Mrs. Lu was busy receiving a confession back then. No wonder you didn't notice me." He tilted his head. "So, should I consult my lawyer about the prison sentence for bigamy?"

The corners of his eyes tilted upward, his striking, captivating gaze laced with mockery. Standing so close to him, Ji Shu could feel the low rumble of his chest as he spoke, prompting her to take an instinctive step back.

Her studio had hosted a dinner that evening, and the person confessing was an intern who had only joined two days prior. He had cornered her in the hallway when she stepped out to use the restroom. Lu Jinchuan had emerged from the private dining room opposite them just as the intern pulled out a bouquet of roses.

Ji Shu shot him a look. "He's younger and more vibrant than you. It's only natural I didn't notice you." She paused. "Besides, Lu Jinchuan, we are getting a divorce. The agreement you signed three years ago is still sitting in my bedroom drawer."

With that, she brushed past him and walked into the house. The empty street was left with only his long shadow cast by the streetlamp and a scattering of cigarette butts.

When Ji Shu entered the mansion, the maid waiting at the door greeted her with a subtle, strained smile. "Miss Ji, you've arrived."

As she was led into the living room, a sharp, mocking voice reached her ears before she even saw the speaker. "Ji Shu, you've certainly grown quite prestigious. Ignoring my calls, refusing to reply to my messages... Must I personally come and invite you next time?"

The woman on the sofa turned around. It was Jiang Suqing, Lu Jinchuan's mother—and one of the people who had most vehemently opposed their marriage.

On her way here, Ji Shu's phone had been bombarded with notifications. Unwilling to answer, she had simply let the battery drain until the device died.

"My phone died," Ji Shu said, holding out the dark screen toward her.

Dinner was set for six o'clock, yet Jiang Suqing had only messaged her at five-forty. The drive alone took twenty minutes. It was a blatant setup to make her late.

Jiang Suqing took a sip from her cup, her tone dripping with disdain. "Hmph. Only you would have so many excuses for being late." She scooped a spoonful of honey into her tea and stirred. "By the rules of the Lu household, anyone who is late is not permitted to sit at the dining table."

Ji Shu's grip on her phone tightened.

Just as last week, Jiang Suqing had invited her over for lunch. Ji Shu had arrived fifteen minutes early, only to be told that the family rules dictated early guests must help out in the kitchen. It seemed the "Lu family rules" were whatever Jiang Suqing decided they were on any given day.

"I wasn't aware the Lu family had added such a rule. Any rule that denies people food is long overdue for a change."

The familiar voice echoed from behind her.

Before Ji Shu could react, a pair of arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back against a broad chest. She stiffened instantly at the touch.

Ji Shu was not short; at five-foot-six, she was taller than average for a woman. Yet, enveloped by Lu Jinchuan's six-foot-one frame, her head barely reached his collarbone.

"Didn't I tell you to walk a bit slower and wait for me?" he murmured.

Ji Shu looked up to find him smiling down at her. His palm traced the curve of her waist, sliding upward before drifting back down to rest against her side, his fingers lightly squeezing her waist. His slow, deliberate touch carried a suggestive, intoxicating warmth. A sudden jolt, like an electric current, coursed through her, and her heart skipped a beat.

Jiang Suqing's face lit up with surprise. She set her teacup down immediately and hurried over. "So you still remember the way home! Three years without a single visit, and the moment you step through the door, you're talking back to your mother!" Though she spoke in a tone of rebuke, the wide smile on her face betrayed her sheer delight.

"With people being banned from the table at the drop of a hat, how would I dare return?" Lu Jinchuan replied smoothly. He hadn't changed at all—always quick-witted, never at a loss for words. When he wanted to be sweet, he could make you feel like you were walking on air; but when he turned cold, every word cut like a knife.

"You and your tongue," Jiang Suqing scolded gently, swatting his shoulder. When she turned to Ji Shu, however, her smile vanished. "Why didn't you say you arrived with Jinchuan?"

Before Ji Shu could answer, Lu Jinchuan spoke up for her. He arched an eyebrow. "Mom, is there dinner for us? Because if not, I'm taking my wife elsewhere."

Ji Shu stared at the inscrutable smile on his face, unable to tell where the playacting ended and sincerity began.

*Wife.*

So, he actually remembered she was his wife.

"How could I ever let you go hungry in your own home?" Jiang Suqing dismissed, immediately calling for the maids to serve dinner. Her son, whom she hadn't seen in three years, was finally back; she was more thrilled than anyone, even heading to the kitchen herself to order a few extra dishes.

Once Jiang Suqing was out of sight, Ji Shu quietly but firmly pried his hand from her waist. "You don't need to defend me. We're getting a divorce anyway."