C3 The Winner of Life Mrs Shen!

Fu Yunyi quickly turned her head away, biting her lip. "Mr. Shen, please show some restraint!"

"You mentioned signing the divorce papers back then, but did you know?" He abruptly seized her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. "A divorce agreement is only valid when both parties sign it."

"You..."

Fu Yunyi's beautiful eyes blazed with fury. Could this despicable man actually be suggesting...

Witnessing her disbelief and rage, Shen Qingli found himself oddly pleased.

"Yes, I never signed those divorce papers, so you are still, by all rights, Mrs. Shen."

He was well aware of the impact his words had on Fu Yunyi, yet he relished seeing her distressed, articulating his final words with deliberate clarity.

Predictably, Fu Yunyi lost her composure. "Shen Qingli, you're spouting nonsense!"

"Whether I'm spouting nonsense can easily be verified with a visit to the Civil Affairs Bureau," he retorted.

His menacing gaze swept over her. "You've been running for years, but at last, you've been caught, Mrs. Shen."

Fu Yunyi detested that look he gave her, as if she were clad in seductive lingerie rather than her loose, white shirt dress.

As Shen Qingli's Adam's apple moved sensually, he caught a stray lock of her hair, toying with it as he asked in a deep tone, "I saw you dancing with that man earlier, and he kissed your face, didn't he?"

"Who is he? Has he touched you as I once did?"

The thought of Fu Yunyi, his woman, possibly beneath another man, exposed to prying eyes, was unbearable.

Enraged and jealous, Shen Qingli's grip on her shoulders tightened almost to the point of crushing.

"What business is it of yours?" Fu Yunyi defiantly raised her chin, swallowing her frustration. "Even if we are still married, a two-year separation allows for divorce. I'm going to the Civil Affairs Bureau tomorrow!"

"You wouldn't dare—"

Shen Qingli bellowed in rage, his hand uncontrollably tearing at her clothes. "Fu Yunyi, you belong to me alone!"

"Shen Qingli, back off! We're already married!" Fu Yunyi trembled with anger, her hands pushing against him, only fueling his fury.

"Are you really that averse to my touch?" The man sneered as he loosened his tie. "You don't want me to touch you? Well, I insist on it!"

His fingers, graceful as jade, expertly bound her pale wrists with the pure black tie, the action carried out with an almost beautiful ruthlessness.

"Yunyi, you belong to me."

"In this lifetime, you can only be mine!"

Shen Qingli declared coldly, tasting the woman's sweetness without a moment's hesitation, as if he intended to devour her whole.

Overwhelmed by a tingling numbness and dizziness, Fu Yunyi's eyes misted over as she gazed at the man's familiar handsome features, her red lips pressed together in defiance.

Shen Qingli, if I could turn back time, I would never allow myself to fall in love with you...

Six years earlier.

Fu Yunyi stood before the full-length mirror, tracing her beautiful eyes lightly dusted with glitter, confronting the reflection of a woman who seemed both familiar and strange.

The handcrafted wedding dress she wore was the epitome of luxury, adorned with diamonds and lace embroidery, the billowing white tulle symbolizing nobility and purity, as if it were the embodiment of every young girl's princess dream.

Her figure was impeccable, and her beauty was renowned throughout C City.

Now, clad in this bridal gown, her makeup exceptionally radiant and ethereal, she was on the verge of being crowned with the enviable title of Mrs. Shen.

No term seemed more fitting than 'winner of life' to describe Fu Yunyi at that moment.

Yet, Fu Yunyi would rather relinquish this title than marry the man chosen for her by her family elders.

Despite Shen Qingli being her childhood friend, she harbored no deep affection for him.

Even if she did, someone as resolute as Fu Yunyi would fiercely resist a love that was forced upon her.

Her delicate fingertips involuntarily tightened around the somewhat coarse tulle as she stared at her reflection, feeling as though her own face was becoming increasingly unrecognizable.

"Yo!"

A mocking greeting abruptly snapped Fu Yunyi back to reality. She turned to see her half-sister, Fu Jianing, entering the room with a push of the door.

Though they shared the same father, Jianing had fully inherited their mother's spiteful and petty nature, always taking pleasure in antagonizing Fu Yunyi since their childhood.

Even now, without making eye contact, Fu Yunyi could sense the venom in Fu Jianing's gaze.

"What's the matter?"

Swiftly masking any superfluous emotion, Fu Yunyi gathered her skirt and took her seat with elegance, exuding the poise of a hostess.

"By donning that wedding gown, do you actually believe you're Mrs. Shen?" Fu Jianing's lips curled with scorn. "Fu Yunyi, you really lack self-awareness, don't you?"