Chapter 1

“Doctor, I interfered in someone else’s marriage, and I secretly gave another man a child behind my boyfriend’s back. Is that very immoral?” Rong Zheng was a psychologist. Today was her turn to conduct online consultations, and this was the first question from her client. A mistress. An affair. An illegitimate child. No wonder the client chose an anonymous consultation. In a professional tone, Rong Zheng typed: “Would you mind telling me more about your situation?” “Our two families have been close for generations. He and I grew up together. We were a perfect match, and the elders on both sides were happy to see us together. But just when we were about to get engaged, he fell in love with another woman. To please her, he even forced me to go abroad.” Rong Zheng sighed. A childhood sweetheart had lost to a woman who appeared out of nowhere. The engagement that seemed certain had slipped away. Anyone would find that difficult to accept. No wonder the client had psychological problems. “Please continue. I’m listening,” Rong Zheng typed. A good psychologist had to be a good listener first. “I’m not some pathetic woman either. After going abroad, I found a boyfriend to try and forget him. But on the very day I announced our relationship, he came to see me behind his wife’s back. We got together.” “I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t resist him. I became pregnant soon after, and I gave birth to the child behind my boyfriend’s back.” “I offered him a legitimate status back then, but he refused. Now there’s no way I’m breaking up with my boyfriend for him.” “Doctor, do you know? When I was giving birth, his wife was about to give birth too. But he chose to stay by my side. Do you think that means he really loves me?” She knowingly became the other woman and even had his child. She was seeing a married man while refusing to break up with her own boyfriend. What kind of twisted logic was this? Rong Zheng wondered if something like this could really happen in real life. By comparison, she was fortunate. Her husband, Lu Peichuan, also had a childhood sweetheart named Su Qingya. After learning about their relationship, Su Qingya had tried to drive a wedge between them. Eventually, she angered Lu Peichuan and was sent abroad. After that, Rong Zheng and Lu Peichuan lived a warm and happy life. Now she was more than eight months pregnant, with only a month left until her due date. Even though her body was heavy and her face wasn’t as beautiful as before, Lu Peichuan still treated her the same. Whenever she mentioned wanting something, he would get out of bed in the middle of the night just to buy her a late-night snack. All her friends said Lu Peichuan spoiled her terribly. That she was the happiest woman in the world. A notification pulled Rong Zheng back. “He’s a man of distinguished status, yet he personally changes our son’s diapers. As soon as our son was born, he bought him an education fund worth ten million yuan.” “This time, when my son and I returned to China, he personally came to pick us up. He bought us a huge villa and arranged a housekeeper and servants. He was afraid we’d suffer even the slightest hardship.” She was bragging about being a mistress with pride. Her mentality was clearly twisted. Rong Zheng was thinking about how to counsel her when another message came in. “Doctor, you must be very capable to become a psychologist. Let me ask you something. If your husband cheated on you and had a child with another woman, would you divorce him?” Rong Zheng was annoyed. The woman was far too rude. But she was a patient. A doctor shouldn’t take offense. After a moment, she typed: “Love should be mutual. One-sided betrayal destroys the balance of a relationship. A person shouldn’t cling to a relationship that no longer has genuine feelings.” “Doctor, you’re absolutely right. Every wife should be as sensible as you.” Then the woman went offline. Rong Zheng was speechless. Was this woman seriously ill in the head? If this wasn’t her job, she would’ve posted a warning for the unfortunate wife. But she had to uphold her professional ethics. Suddenly, her phone rang. Rong Zheng answered. Her best friend, Luo Qinghe, spoke immediately. “Zhengzheng, I saw Su Qingya has returned to the country. She was even carrying a child!” Rong Zheng’s heart jolted. Her eyes went to the gray avatar on her computer screen—the one that had just gone offline. “Zhengzheng, are you listening to me?” Rong Zheng shook her head. What was she thinking? Lu Peichuan loved her so much. There was no way he would cheat or have an illegitimate child. “I heard you. So what if she came back? What does that have to do with me?” “How could it have nothing to do with you? What if she schemes against you again? Have you forgotten why she was sent abroad?” How could Rong Zheng forget? On their wedding day, Su Qingya had drugged her, intending to have another man violate her. Fortunately, Lu Peichuan discovered it in time. In his fury, he grabbed Su Qingya by the throat. It was the first time Rong Zheng had seen Lu Peichuan so enraged. His eyes were bloodshot. The veins on his forehead and neck bulged. His gaze was filled with murderous ferocity. If Lu Peichuan’s mother hadn’t pulled him away, he might have strangled Su Qingya to death. Afterward, Lu Peichuan sent Su Qingya abroad and paid a huge penalty to cut ties with the Su family. The incident shook Jiangcheng. To this day, people still said: “Don’t provoke Mrs. Lu. You can’t afford Mr. Lu’s fury.” “You said she already has a child, didn’t you? That means she’s in a new relationship. Why would she still scheme against me?” “That’s true. And Lu Peichuan loves you so much. Even if she has ulterior motives, Lu Peichuan won’t let her succeed.” The call suddenly ended. Was Qinghe busy? Just then, a new client came online, so Rong Zheng continued her consultations. At five o’clock, she shut down her computer and finished work. Lu Peichuan had asked her to take leave long ago to prepare for childbirth. But she was a key member of the hospital’s psychiatry department and was mentoring interns. She also didn’t want to stay home doing nothing. She planned to start maternity leave half a month before her due date, per national standard. Rong Zheng stroked her round belly as she walked out of the hospital. At a glance, she saw Lu Peichuan standing beside the car, talking on the phone. The man wore a silver-white tailored suit. His figure was tall and slender. His side profile was deep and well-defined. The sight brought Rong Zheng back to three years ago. She had still been pursuing her doctorate. Lu Peichuan had just taken over the Lu Group. He stood by the car in the same kind of suit, waiting for her. Then he held out a ring and knelt on one knee to propose. The Lu family had opposed their relationship. Her background was ordinary. The Lu family was the richest in Jiangcheng. She had rejected him, knowing their statuses were worlds apart. What made her decide to marry him was something that happened on a winter night. The cold wind howled. Torrential rain poured. She was curled under the covers in her dorm, chatting with Lu Peichuan. On a whim, she messaged that she wanted crispy, piping-hot fried chicken. Lu Peichuan replied: “Wait.” Half an hour later, he called her downstairs. She went down and saw him, his clothes soaked through. He took a sealed package of fried chicken from inside his coat and handed it to her with a doting smile. “The fried chicken you wanted.” It was still extremely hot. Her heart ached for him. She lifted his clothes and saw his fair chest scalded bright red. With tears in her eyes, she called him foolish. But in her heart, she decided to marry him. “What are you thinking about? You’re completely lost in thought.” A familiar voice sounded. Rong Zheng came back to herself. Lu Peichuan was already in front of her. She shook her head. “Nothing. Why did you come to pick me up today?” Normally, Uncle Chen the driver picked her up. “Today is May 20th. Of course I have to spend such a special day with you. I’ve already reserved a table at Ink-Wash Fragrance. Let’s go.” Lu Peichuan took Rong Zheng’s hand and walked to the car. “Are you tired? Was the baby restless today?” Feeling the warmth of his palm, Rong Zheng’s lips curved up. “Not tired. The baby has been kicking me more frequently lately.” Lu Peichuan’s gentle gaze fell on her belly. “Be good. Don’t give Mommy such a hard time. Otherwise, once you’re born, I’ll spank you.” Rong Zheng shot him an annoyed look. “What kind of father are you? The baby isn’t even born yet, and you’re already thinking about spanking him.” They chatted and laughed all the way to the car. Lu Peichuan opened the front passenger door. Rong Zheng was about to get in when a faint, sweet scent of perfume drifted into her nose. This scent… She felt like she had smelled it somewhere before, but couldn’t remember where. She turned to the man helping her into the car. “Why does your car smell like a woman’s perfume?”