In the hotel, Xia Xizhi was wiping her hair as she emerged from the bathroom. Suddenly, her vision was consumed by a shadow, and before she could look up, she was slammed against the wall. The next second, a fevered kiss rained on her.

Smelling the familiar scent, Xia Xizhi tilted up her chin, loosened her grip on the towel, and returned his fervid kiss.

A simple kiss wasn't enough to satisfy him. The man roughly pulled off her robe, causing Xia Xizhi to furrow her brows. This man was as crude and straightforward as ever.

She felt his kisses pepper her neck, and his warm breath caressed her earlobe, provoking a shiver from Xia Xizhi.

The next morning, Xia Xizhi slowly opened her eyes. As she tried to stand, her body felt as if it were falling apart. She vaguely remembered him wanting her throughout the night, and her drifting off to sleep at some unknown hour. Looking at her radiant skin, untouched by evidence of their intimacy, Xia Xizhi had a faint smile.

The sound of water in the bathroom abruptly stopped. Lifting her eyes, she saw him approaching. Looking at his chiseled muscles, Xia Xizhi swallowed hard.

The man was handsome with a chiseled face and sculpted features. His eyes were deep, his nose high, and lips thin. He was lean with a six-pack that drew the eye. Nearly 1.9 meters tall, with perfect proportions, he was extensively leggy.

Noticing her direct gaze, he closed the distance, bent down and, with a teasing inflection in his voice, took hold of her chin. "Up for another round?"

His voice was rich and pleasing to the ear. Leaning on his shoulder with her elbow while her fingertip traced his cheek, she laughed coyly, "You surely are eye candy, but unfortunately, I have other things to do today." Finish talking, Xia Xizhi threw off the quilt, attempting to stand, but her legs gave way and instead, she tumbled toward him.

With an amused raise of his eyebrows, he caught her around the waist. "Oh, you're not interested, huh?"

She gave his chest a squeeze, Xia Xizhi replied with a teasing smile, "Just milking you for all you're worth." Saying so, she calmly extricated herself from his arms.

The man calmly, put on his clothes, the cut of his suit defining its expensive origin. After a two month acquaintance, she still knew nothing about him except his surname, Qi. Hence, she referred to him as Mr. Qi. Propped on the table with her legs crossed, Xia Xizhi chuckled, "Do we, perchance, appear like secret lovers?"

The action of adjusting his tie froze for a moment as he gave her a sidelong glance. His deep gaze landed on her. After a while, he gave an indifferent response, "Quid pro quo."

Upon hearing his answer, Xia Xizhi neither confirmed nor denied. Seeing his intention to leave, Xia Xizhi smiled lightly, "Care to join me for breakfast?"

"No need, I have other matters to attend to." He softly answered, gave her head a gentle pat, then withdrew his hand and calmly departed.

Watching his retreating figure grow distant, Xia Xizhi shrugged her shoulders. They were always like this, indulging in a night of passion before going their separate ways.

She took a set of clean clothes from the wardrobe and changed into them, then looked at her reflection in the mirror. Suddenly, her phone vibrated. Xia Xizhi picked it up, answering the call with confusion in her voice. "Hello?"

No sooner had she picked up the call than a sharp voice echoed through the receiver, "Xia Xizhi, what's the meaning of this? You were actually thrown out like some rubbish? Did you really think you could keep such a thing a secret?"

Furrowing her brows in confusion, Xia Xizhi asked, "Thrown out?" Sitting leisurely with her arms crossed in the villa, she coolly looked at the quarrelling lady of the Xia family. "Xia Xizhi, you're utterly useless, unable to even keep your own husband. You've even been driven out of the Ji family. Beg Ji Xiuyu immediately, even if you have to grovel at his feet, make him rethink the divorce."

Leaning lazily on the sofa, Xia Xizhi smiled lightly. "Auntie, even if I wanted to grovel at his feet, I'd have to actually get the opportunity to do so. Our relationship was only nominal at best."

Just as she finished speaking, Zhu Lingling, slapped her across the cheek in fury, bellowing, "You useless thing, how dare you say such things?!" If this marriage ends, it would humiliate our family, and in that case, you'll be thrown out of the Xia family as well. You ungrateful wretch, our Xia family isn't interested in supporting you."

Despite the sharp pain in her cheek, Xia Xizhi seemed numb. With a slight smile on her face, she coolly stared at Zhu Lingling. "Auntie, I entered the Xia family rightfully. Even if I am a failure, I am still a failure of the Xia family. In fact, if not for this failure, Xia Family would have probably gone bankrupt a long time ago."

Zhu Lingling's face turned green as she shouted, "How dare you talk back to me?"

As Zhu Lingling raised her hand, ready to teach Xia Xizhi another 'lesson', Xia Xizhi grabbed her wrist. She attempted to pull it back, but Xia Xizhi held on tightly. "Auntie, until the divorce is signed, I'm still the lady of the Ji family. You better be careful, or I won't mind causing you a bit of embarrassment."

"You're going to embarrass me? To the Ji Family, you're nothing more than a useless dog!" Zhu Lingling replied mockingly.

Eyes narrowing, Xia Xizhi said slowly, "If the Ji Family knew that, at the time of the alliance, you feigned that Xia Xueqi was seriously ill, just to avoid marrying your own daughter to the disabled Ji Yu... I wonder if they'd be angry?"

At her words, Zhu Lingling paled. Xia Xizhi let go, smiling calmly as she said, "Since my husband dislikes me, there's no need for me to continue being a thorn in his side. Auntie, about the divorce, I'll handle it myself. I have things to do, we'll chat another time." She turned and left in a poised, leisurely manner.

Left behind, Zhu Lingling seethed, "Once you no longer have the Ji family backing you, I'll make you pay."

Stepping out of the Xia house, Xia Xizhi raised a hand to her swollen cheek, managing a bitter smile. Picking up her phone, she scrolled through her contact list, and on seeing a familiar yet distant name, pressed the call button. The phone rang for a long time before a cold voice came through. “What is it?”

Even over the phone, she could feel his icy demeanor. Xia Xizhi couldn't help but shiver, steadying her breath before she said, "Mr. Ji, as your wife, I just received notice that we are to divorce. I'm not sure whether I should feel happy about it."

Suppressing her fury, Xia Xizhi forced herself to stay calm. In this marriage, she'd been on the back foot from the very beginning, whether it was getting married or filing for divorce. "If my memory serves me right, there are still six more months to the end of our agreement. Don't you think you owe me an explanation for asking for an early divorce?" Xia Xizhi continued.

Ji Xiuyu’s voice had no fluctuations whatsoever and he coldly delivered his response, "You no longer possess any value."

On hearing his answer, Xia Xizhi wanted to laugh but couldn't, “That's an excellent answer, Mr. Ji; be assured, I won't cling on to you.”

"Hmm." Ji Xiuyu answered icily and then abruptly ended the call.

As she heard the beep on the line, Xia Xizhi appeared almost indifferent. Lifting her head high, she confidently departed, without the slightest trace of melancholy.