C8 Chapter 8

After that night, Yan Jin had no intention of letting Hee Yu go.

Maybe Yan Jin—drugged out of his mind—hadn’t felt much of anything, let alone attachment. But Hee Yu, who’d been clearheaded the whole time, knew the truth: he didn’t dislike this woman. If anything, she intrigued him.

For years, as CEO of Yan’s Group, Yan Jin had it all—power, money, status—yet he’d stayed single. It wasn’t for lack of women throwing themselves at him, and it wasn’t that his standards were impossibly high. He’d simply kept women at arm’s length since he was a kid, let alone the idea of sharing a bed.

But as the heir to the Yan Family, having no children meant the family line couldn’t continue—an unforgivable failure.

And right now, more than anything else, Yan Jin had to choose a woman, marry her, and have a child—fast.

On top of that, aside from normal living expenses, this woman couldn’t have any designs on the Yan Family’s fortune. Under no circumstances could she demand a share of any Yan Family assets.

From the moment Hee Yu was taken from the hotel, every detail about her had already been placed in front of Yan Jin.

If fate had been generous enough to send him a woman he didn’t hate—one who clearly wanted something, and whose wants he could afford to satisfy—why would he turn that down?

“While you’re my wife, you’ll comply with every requirement I set.”

“As my wife, your problems are mine to handle.”

“Once the marriage ends, you will be the at-fault party and leave with nothing—no conditions.”

A complete marriage agreement lay there, along with a divorce filing that had no date. The only blank space was for Hee Yu, Party B.

By now, how could Hee Yu not understand? When Yan Jin pulled her out of the police station, he’d already planned all of this. Even if she refused, even if she said no, he had plenty of ways to make her give in.

This was exactly what she’d wanted. And yet Hee Yu realized she’d never once managed to step outside Yan Jin’s script—and that left a bitter edge in her chest.

She shot Yan Jin a look that was half-smile, half-sneer, then let out a soft, teasing laugh. “If you want life to stay interesting,” she said, “someone’s gotta end up wearing the horns.”

Since she could only walk away with nothing if she was deemed the one at fault, the only way out was to cheat.

Sure, cheating didn’t sound good for a woman’s reputation. But for Yan Jin—the injured party and a man known for being meticulous—to be made into a clueless cuckold? That would be an even bigger joke.

As she finished the last stroke of her name, Hee Yu let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Her mood suddenly steadied.

So this counted as having someone in her corner now, right? Against the Hee Family, she finally had the power to hit back. Staring at the bold, sweeping “Yan Jin” beside her own name, Hee Yu’s emotions tangled into something hard to describe.

She’d really just sold herself.

While Hee Yu was still frozen in place, her whole body suddenly lifted off the ground.

“What are you doing?!” she blurted, her tone sharp.

But Yan Jin’s next words left her with no room to refuse.

“Fulfilling the duties you owe as my wife.” As soon as he said it, a wide white wall in the private room began to slide aside, revealing a hidden inner suite.

Before Hee Yu could even process what she was seeing, she was dropped onto a soft bed. Wave after wave crashed over her, sweeping her up without mercy. Like a lone boat tossed on open water—like bone and blood on the verge of melting into one—Hee Yu, usually so rational, didn’t get a single chance to think. She could only be carried along, until she finally sank into it completely.

When Hee Yu woke up, her body was marked with bruises—blue here, red there—standing out starkly against her delicate, pale skin.

She rubbed her throbbing forehead. She’d had several glasses of liquor last night, and Yan Jin had kept her up the entire night. She didn’t even know when he’d moved her from the hidden room to this suite, a layout that felt strangely familiar.

If not for the pounding on the door and the stream of shouted insults outside, Hee Yu would’ve happily slept straight through to evening.

“Why, you little tramp! All you ever do is try to lure men in!”

“Come out! I know you’re in there!”

That sharp, unmistakable voice—how could Hee Yu ever forget it? The day she was taken away by the police, that old woman had been more than happy to “sing her praises” right in front of them. Other than the wife of that old man who’d been trying to get her into bed, there was no one else it could be.

The same empty insults, over and over, only made Hee Yu’s headache worse.

Ignoring everything outside the door, Hee Yu took a lap around the suite, but still didn’t see Yan Jin anywhere.

The corner of her mouth curved slightly. Of course. If Yan Jin were here, there was no way he’d let anyone storm in and cause a scene like this.

On the bedroom vanity, rows of skincare and makeup had been laid out. Hee Yu opened them one by one—every single item was brand-new. Outside the separate shower-and-toilet area, there was a full outfit waiting: a dress set that was exactly her style. Even the bra size was surprisingly perfect.

She filled in her brows, dabbed on lipstick, washed up, changed, and calmly put herself together until she looked impeccable.

After all, she’d signed that agreement with Yan Jin. No matter what happened, she couldn’t afford to embarrass him. What needed to be done—and how to do it—Hee Yu had always been clear about.