chapter 1

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On a summer afternoon, Liu Sisi was leaning against the tree roots by the back wall, staring blankly at the sky above her head, still unable to recover from the current situation.

A few married women passing by the Di Family’s courtyard looked at her from a distance and whispered to each other.

“Do you think the Di family’s new bride is not right? Her gaze is so straight, and she looks so foolish. Could it be because a high fever turned her into an idiot?”

“Don’t you know, this new wife of Di Yelei isn’t like any ordinary person. I heard that she had something going on with Businessman Zhang from the city… Anyway, she failed to escape marriage and jumped into the river on her wedding night. She ended up like this because of the cold she caught while having a high fever.”

“If you ask me, what’s the use of keeping such a shameless daughter-in-law? Better just tie her up and sell her to the brothel to save on medical expenses.”

“Di Yelei is pretty good actually. If it weren’t for his two children, he wouldn’t have married this disaster of a woman back home…”

The chirping in her ears made Liu Sisi gently close her eyes.

She had heard similar gossip over the past few days, but she simply did not pay attention to them!

Others thought she had caught a cold from escaping marriage and falling into the water, staying sick for several days. However, only she knew that she had changed her core by now, and she was no longer the same person.

The original her was just an orphan whose parents had died, grew up with her grandpa in their rural hometown. When she got her first month’s salary after graduating from college, she bought a bottle of red wine to celebrate, but after getting drunk, she woke up as this Liu Sisi, who had attempted to escape her wedding and drowned in an accident.

The gossip from a few married women suddenly woke up her idle thoughts, and she realized that she had forgotten about the big problem waiting for her!

A hurried footsteps were heard, and soon, a big man appeared before her eyes.

Di Yelei had just come back from the old house, and with a belly full of idle anger, he felt suffocated and irritable when he thought about his sickly wife lying in bed.

His biological mother passed away as soon as he was born, and tragedy struck his betrothed wife before their marriage. Years later, he finally found a new wife. Just when their lives were starting to improve, she had a fall and died, leaving him with two children and a mountain of debt.

Initially, Aunt Zhang had persuaded him, thinking about his young children, and hearing the matchmaker talking up the bride’s beauty and abilities. He gritted his teeth and agreed to the marriage, but in the end, it turned out like this.

Although he no longer longed for a harmonious and loving married life, the bride’s suicide attempt on their wedding night made him both angry and annoyed!

Fortunately, there was no loss of life. That was the silver lining within this misfortune.

Being a man with a doomed and unfaithful destiny, it might have been fatal if he were to “taint” the bride to death on their wedding night. In that case, his already tarnished reputation would continue to plummet, and there would be no possibility of marrying again.

He and his two children might even be driven out of the village and forced to live in isolation.

Thinking like this, he could not help but hasten his pace.

Just as he approached the courtyard, he saw Liu Sisi sitting dumbfounded under the big tree roots, looking up at the sky overhead.

As daylight sprinkled over her head, creating a dappled halo that cast her pretty face in an extraordinary beauty, such otherworldly beauty was definitely not something an ordinary villager like him could match.

With this thought, Di Yelei felt an inexplicable irritation as he met her big eyes.

Their lost and helpless, teary, resentful eyes seemed like a frightened and pitiful deer, instantly striking the softest part deep in his heart. He could not help but sigh heavily.

“Are you awake? Why don’t you sleep a little longer? It’s hot outside, let’s go inside and talk.”

As his deep, muffled voice rang out, a pair of large, bronze-colored hands reached out, reflecting a shiny radiance under the sunlight.

Liu Sisi blinked, her disheveled mind not able to process the situation.

She pushed away his support, trying to get up with her weak legs, almost coming into intimate contact with the ground again, but was immediately caught by Di Yelei.

“Be careful! When you’re still weak, just lie down in bed, don’t come outside and try to act tough. You’re really driving me crazy!”

Finally, there was a hint of warm anger in Liu Sisi’s eyes, reminding her of everyone’s gossip and losing her temper.

Although the incident was caused by the original host, she didn’t inherit the information left by the original host. However, the man in front of her didn’t let her live or die on her own. He had taken care of her, sought medical treatment, and hadn’t sold her directly to the brothel. He had done more than enough for her!

Just as she was considering what to do, Di Yelei casually pulled her into the main entrance, and with a bang, the door was heavily closed behind them.

“Let go of me, you’re hurting my hand!” Liu Sisi struggled.

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