Volume One, Chapter 18: Masterful Acting

A flicker of surprise crossed Lu Xiaoyun’s eyes, then an uncontrollable smirk curved her lips, tinged with a hint of pride. Such a meaningful house was actually given to her to live in—she should feel as if she was about to replace me, rendering me useless.

“By the way, Secretary Lu, could you please talk to the property management and ask for the surveillance footage? I suspect someone’s been living here,” I shifted the topic, fixing Lu Xiaoyun with a sharp gaze.

The smile on Lu Xiaoyun’s face froze instantly, replaced once again by a look of terror.

It was as if I were a magical pen, able to rewrite the expression she wore like a mask at will.

She stammered, “What’s wrong, Madam? Why would you think that?”

“I haven’t lived here for a long time, but today I glanced at the utility bills. There are regular charges every month, so I suspect someone’s been living here secretly or stealing electricity and water,” I explained solemnly.

Earlier, when I suspected Lu Xiaoyun was residing here, I had paid special attention to the utility bills to confirm my suspicion.

Lu Xiaoyun was truly panicked; the complex feeling of wanting to challenge me yet fearing exposure must have been intense.

If the property management pulled up the surveillance footage, everything would be ruined.

Yet she had no choice but to agree. “Madam, I understand. I’ll take care of it and report back to you.”

Report back to me? I glanced at Shen Yixiao in the living room and smiled, “That won’t be necessary. Just report to General Manager Shen.”

I knew everything that happened here; there was no need to tell me again.

I just wanted to see the fear and anxiety written on Shen Yixiao and Lu Xiaoyun’s faces, to give Shen Yixiao a small scare.

Lu Xiaoyun was struggling to maintain her composure; she forced out an unpleasant smile. “Alright, Madam, I’ll head back now.”

Watching her hurried departure, my smile faded. After closing the door, I turned to Shen Yixiao’s side.

He lay sprawled on the sofa, unconscious.

Looking at his drunken state, my eyes were void of warmth, my mind filled with memories of his past wrongs against me.

He never spoke harshly to me and always defended me against Lu Xiaoyun. I endured the life of a polygamous wife for years—though I never bore children, I tried my best to fulfill the role of a mother, raising the children he had with Lu Xiaoyun.

But I couldn’t deny that when he was with Lu Xiaoyun and the children, they seemed like a genuine family of three. He indulged them, even letting them wear matching mother-child outfits. When I was ill, he sent Lu Xiaoyun to the kindergarten’s parent-child sports day. He even tested me by asking if I wanted a daughter.

Knowing I couldn’t have children, wanting a daughter meant he intended to “borrow” Lu Xiaoyun’s womb again.

One humiliation wasn’t enough; there had to be a second.

My eyes reddened slightly; it was so difficult to remain cold and numb. Pain doesn’t disappear through indifference.

“Wife…” Shen Yixiao’s voice was faint as he woke up the next morning.

He sat up groggily, trying to grab my hand. I didn’t pull away.

He had no idea how many times that night I had wanted to kill him with my own hands, to wash away the grievances and humiliations endured in my previous life. But I wasn’t reborn to destroy everything—I wanted to correct the mistakes of my youth.

“Do you know where you are?” I asked softly.

“This is…” Shen Yixiao looked around, clutching his head in discomfort, confused. “How did I get here? I remember drinking with Zicheng and Afeng, then running into Secretary Lu. We all had a couple of drinks together.”

He seemed to realize something, then looked at me nervously. “Wife, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have drunk with Secretary Lu. I was wrong. I promise it won’t happen again!”

Watching his Oscar-worthy acting, I was amazed.

I knew he was pretending to be drunk last night; he hadn’t truly passed out. I knew his limits well. Besides, he came here with Lu Xiaoyun specifically to have some private time. How could he let himself get completely wasted?

It was just that when he saw me open the door, he quickly adapted.

Pretend enough, and he actually fell asleep on the sofa—alcohol did have some effect.

“Secretary Lu brought you here. Did you give her the password?” I stared into Shen Yixiao’s eyes.

He scratched his head, as if recalling, then nodded. “Yes. We had an argument, and I missed the times we lived here together. I just wanted to sleep here for a night. Zicheng and Afeng were also drunk, so I had to trouble Secretary Lu to bring me.”

Such a flimsy excuse, yet Shen Yixiao delivered it smoothly because he had lied to me many times before, and I always chose to believe him, so he let his guard down.

He could make up any excuse, and I wouldn’t doubt him.

That was his confidence in me.

After he finished speaking, he stood up, grasped my hand a little tighter, looking somewhat guilty and apologetic. “Wife, I’m sorry. I was rude yesterday. I apologize. Please don’t be angry, okay?”

Seeing the cautious look in his eyes—the anxiety and unease was genuine.

I forced a smile. “I’m not angry. I wanted to come here last night too. Didn’t expect we’d be so in sync.”

Shen Yixiao breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face. “We’re a perfect match, so we have to be in sync!”

We’re not a perfect match; we’re a cruel joke of fate.

Before leaving the apartment, I deliberately circled near the TV cabinet. Shen Yixiao didn’t understand, holding my hand as we left.

From start to finish, he never noticed that the pair of tiny clay figurines were gone.

I suppressed my disappointment and disgust, following him into the elevator down.

Not long after returning home, Meng Zicheng and Afeng called in turn to apologize.

“Sis-in-law, sorry. We drank too much last night and didn’t send Xiao Ge back. Secretary Lu happened to be nearby with a friend, so we asked her to take him.”

“Don’t misunderstand, or I’d be the villain here.”

“I planned to call a driver and a chauffeur, but I drank too much and lost my phone, so…”

“If I had known, I would have stopped him from drinking. It’s my fault. Sis-in-law, please don’t quarrel with Xiao Ge!”

Listening to their sincere and hurried explanations, my heart remained unsettled. Compared to Shen Yixiao’s betrayal, the backstabbing from Meng Zicheng and Liang Feng was even harder to understand.

Love may lose its freshness and uniqueness, making it hard to keep the original passion—I could barely accept that.

But could friendship be like this? I treated them like brothers, sharing so much together. I didn’t expect them to be as loyal to me as to Shen Yixiao, but the least they owed me was respect.

They could turn a blind eye out of loyalty, unable to tell me about Shen Yixiao’s infidelity, but they shouldn’t help cover for him or create opportunities for his affairs.