Chapter 2 — A Marriage of Convenience, A Graceful Exit

The girl’s face was now a mottled mess of red and blue, resembling a chaotic painter’s palette. I offered a practiced, hollow smile. "Yuan Yuan, I know you are still young, and it is only natural that you have yet to learn how to keep your tongue in check. No matter. Once I officially join the Xie household as your father’s wife, I shall take the time to properly cultivate your manners."

With that, I withdrew a thick stack of banknotes from my handbag. "Since you are the child Wen Yuan has kept by his side, I am, for all intents and purposes, your new stepmother. Call me Mother, and consider this your welcome gift."

Xie Yuan Yuan abruptly lifted her head, her eyes brimming with tears as she cast a desperate, pleading look toward Wen Yuan. I simply beamed, staring at her with unblinking intensity. After a long moment, she gritted her teeth, her gaze burning with resentment, but she eventually bowed her head. "…Mother."

I laughed, a radiant, shimmering sound, and flung the entire stack of cash directly into her face. "Such a good girl. I am most fond of young women who value their self-respect. In the future, do try to emulate me; stop wasting your time obsessing over men. That is what we call 'sexual brain'—or to put it plainly, a mental disorder that requires intensive therapy."

I stood up with effortless grace, brushed a speck of invisible dust from my dress, and turned to Wen Yuan with a smirk. "Why are you still standing there, Wen Yuan? Let us be off."

The wedding ceremony concluded in triumph, and I—Shen Shu Di—became an overnight sensation among the capital’s elite. Right there on the altar, I had slapped both my new ward and my husband-to-be. To strike such blows within a prestigious family was a feat that left everyone gasping in disbelief. People whispered that I was a true queen bee. The Xie family had intended to use the wedding as a stage to belittle and intimidate me, but I had turned the tables with such spectacular force that the filth they meant to heap upon me ended up stuffed squarely back into their own mouths.

I cared little for the gossip of outsiders. I knew only one thing: I was now the mistress of the Xie estate. On our wedding night, Wen Yuan entered our chamber, his face as dark as the bottom of a scorched pot. "Shen Shu Di, I will tell you this: you may possess my body, but do not dream of ever obtaining my heart!"

I let out a cold, sharp laugh and delivered a swift kick that sent him tumbling off the bed. "Who would want a pale, bloated slab of meat like yours? Looking at you for even a second makes me want to retch. Get out!"

The following morning, I awoke feeling refreshed. My first order of business was to summon every servant in the villa. The butler stood in the center of the room, hands clasped, waiting deferentially for my instructions. I swept my eyes over them, a slow smile spreading across my lips. "Who pays your salaries currently?"

"It is the mistress who provides for us," the butler replied respectfully.

I nodded. At least they understood the power dynamics. I lifted my teacup, using the lid to skim the foam from the surface. "Since you know who puts food on your tables, do not be foolish enough to bite the hand that feeds you. Be warned: if I have you dismissed, I highly doubt the old fossils of the Xie clan would lift a finger to keep you employed."

I glanced up; a few of the younger servants trembled, ducking their heads lower than a turtle. Once they had retreated, I looked up to see Wen Yuan on the second-floor balcony, scowling down at me. I set my teacup on the table. "If you have something to say, come down here. I have no patience for looking up at people."

Wen Yuan descended, dark circles bruising the skin under his eyes. Naturally—a man accustomed to the comfort of a bed does not sleep well on the floor. It takes time to get used to. His voice was frigid. "Shen Shu Di, was it really necessary to be so ruthless?"

I arched an eyebrow. "Ruthless? I am merely training my staff. If they obey me and fulfill their duties, I am not stingy. Reward and punishment—it is the bedrock of business. Have you been the head of the Xie household for this long without grasping such a basic concept?"

Seeing my mocking expression, Wen Yuan took a deep breath. "Fine. That fifteen billion... when will you transfer it to me?"

I burst into genuine laughter. "That is my dowry. On what grounds do you demand I hand it over? Have you even provided a proper bride-price for me? Why would you want my dowry, anyway?"

The barrage of questions forced Wen Yuan to clench his fists. He lowered his voice. "The Xie family is facing a temporary liquidity crisis. We need your dowry for capital investment. As for the bride-price... that was our oversight."

I laughed with utter contempt. A vague, half-hearted admission of "oversight" and he expected to relieve me of fifteen billion? He was dreaming. I crossed my legs on the sofa and curled my lips into a smile. "You want my dowry? Very well. But every cent you invest, and every dollar you inject into the family firm, must pass through my associates. Every business decision you make will be subject to my assistant’s approval."

At this, Wen Yuan’s long-suppressed anger finally exploded. "Shen Shu Di! Do not push your luck! I have never in my life met a woman as cold-blooded as you!"

I slammed my teacup onto the floor. *Crash!* I glared at him, my voice chillingly detached. "Wen Yuan, your double standards are truly repulsive. When the Xie clan was hoarding resources and refusing to let me touch a single asset, you kept your mouth shut. You did not offer a word of 'fairness' then. But the moment I exercise my own rights, you call me cold-blooded?"

"Listen well. This is a commercial alliance. If you want to cooperate and share resources to our mutual benefit, I am prepared to play along. But if you think you can freeload off me—let us see if you have enough lives to play such a dangerous game."

I rose to my feet, looming over him. "I know your type prefers the gentle, obedient kind. But your 'preferences' look like nothing more than dog feces on the sidewalk to me—completely irrelevant. Go reflect on your own actual market value before you return to discuss 'cooperation' with me."

Without waiting for a response, I took my handbag from the butler and strode out the front door.

I was never the type to play the idle mistress, waiting for others to provide. I had my own career, and no desire to be a decorative vase in the Xie household. I had poured immense effort into the Beijing branch of the Shen Group, and my initial agreement to this alliance had been purely to expand my connections. With that goal achieved, I had to focus on my business.

After my "lesson" with Wen Yuan that morning, my work in the capital progressed with ease. Seeing the Xie family finally showing a bit of sincerity, I did not remain stingy. With a wave of my hand, I authorized the first round of capital injection into the Xie firm. After all, as a shareholder, I stood to profit if they succeeded.

However, investment required clear stipulations. To prevent the Xie clan from squandering my funds, I drafted a strict investment contract. If the firm failed to meet the profit benchmarks I set within three months, I would withhold any further funding. My assistant reported that Wen Yuan had flown into a rage upon receiving the contract, but what did that matter? In the end, he had signed it.

When my assistant, Xiao Min, brought the signed document to me, she looked worried. "Director Shen, are we being a bit too harsh?"

I flicked the contract, smiling. "Xiao Min, you are still young. You do not yet realize that with the Xie family, one must be ruthless. They look down on me, they despise my background, and they dismiss my capability simply because I am a woman."

Society remains far too harsh toward women. We are expected to be soft, submissive, and to remain in the shadows. Any sign of strength or independence is immediately labeled as "unladylike" or "difficult." What I was doing was merely adhering to sound business principles. Yet, Wen Yuan called me "overbearing" and "not a good woman."

A "good woman"? To hell with that.

Under my iron-fisted policy, the giant ship known as the Xie firm finally began to move. Terrified that I would pull my funding, Wen Yuan gritted his teeth and threw himself into operational restructuring. The upper management was shaken to its core, and the company was caught in a vortex of change. Every night, Wen Yuan returned home long after midnight.

Once the affairs at the Beijing branch stabilized, I remembered I still had a "foster daughter" named Xie Yuan Yuan. The butler informed me that her birthday was approaching. By tradition, Wen Yuan had always held lavish celebrations for her at the villa. I followed suit, even going so far as to be slightly more extravagant by preparing a set of jewelry for her.

Watching her feign nobility while the excitement flickered in her eyes, I curled my lip. Let her be happy for now; she would not be staying in the Xie household for much longer anyway.

At the banquet, I wore a form-fitting red dress and a necklace of blood-red rubies—a piece my mother had just won at auction. The center stone was as vibrant and dangerous as fresh blood. Xie Yuan Yuan, meanwhile, wore a pink silk cheongsam, her hair curled in long, cascading waves. She wore light, delicate makeup, looking as fragile as if she were on the verge of tears. Wen Yuan watched her with eyes as tender as water, though his gaze curdled into a scowl the moment it shifted to me.

I could not be bothered to care. I turned toward the mirror to touch up my lipstick.