Chapter One: All Their "Sacrifices"

"How many years has it been, and you still can't get used to it?" The man turned her body to face him and gave a low laugh.

Song Xixi forced a self-deprecating smile, her lips curving bitterly. Her slender, fair fingers brushed against his lips. "Isn't it exactly this tension that you like?"

He raised an eyebrow, caught her fingers, and drew them into his mouth. "Do you still want more?"

His voice was like velvet brushed over with sandpaper, soaked in the languor and seduction unique to satisfaction—thin threads of temptation that had ensnared her for years.

Song Xixi's gaze landed on the trash can, overflowing with so many used balloons that she needed both hands to count them. She gave a faint, indifferent smile. Her pale skin was tinged with a soft flush, her eyes swirling with unspoken resentment. Beneath her delicate nose, her lips bore fresh marks from her own teeth.

Tonight, they nearly broke their own record.

"No, it hurts now." She refused. This man had a frightening amount of energy! No wonder she had lied to herself for so many years, believing she had won love.

Without thinking, she reached out and poked his perfect abs.

"Still flirting?" he teased.

"I just want to touch them once more, or I won’t get another chance," Song Xixi replied, a smile still hanging on her lips.

But his eyes froze, and his face darkened instantly. "What do you mean by that?"

Wrapping herself in the silk quilt, Song Xixi sat up, meeting his gaze with determination. "It's been three years. It's time we end this."

His expression turned even more grim. Suddenly, he seized her chin. "Graduated and now you think you've grown wings?"

Song Xixi’s heart clenched painfully, but she forced herself to bear it, pulling her lips into a faint smile as she stared at him. "Mr. Qin, it’s time I graduated from you as well."

His grip tightened, his expression growing colder. Song Xixi ignored the pain in her jaw, facing his blade-like stare without flinching.

After a long moment of silence, he gave a chilling laugh. "Fine. I was getting bored, anyway."

With that, he got up swiftly, dressed himself, and left. Not long after, the door slammed shut.

Song Xixi wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes, her heart hollow, whispering to herself, "It's over. All over..."

She laughed at herself; three years of devotion, and she was nothing more than a plaything. The caged canary was finally free.

Yet, this freedom felt overwhelmingly desolate.

Tears welled in her eyes, but she bit her lip and forced them back, straightening her spine. She had planned for this night for seven days.

It was seven days ago that an accident awakened her.

That day—

"Mr. Qin, when will you let me have some fun with your canary?"

"Zhang Heng, you mean the fourth Miss Song, Song Xixi? That icy attitude of hers just makes me itch."

"Mr. Qin, your silence means you’re reluctant, doesn’t it?" Zhang Heng teased.

Qin Ze's lips curled faintly. "She’s just a pet."

"So you’re giving your permission? Then I won’t hold back." The group burst into laughter.

Song Xixi’s heart twisted. She hadn't expected to run into Qin Ze at the city’s largest nightclub, dragged there by her roommate and best friend, Ye Chunxi, for a graduation party.

The crude jests sliced into her soul like knives. All the affection and indulgence she thought she’d had now seemed like a joke.

So, in his eyes, she was nothing more than an insignificant pet. All the tenderness and intimacy were confined to the bed.

She had to admit, she had fallen hopelessly in love with this man.

Her body trembled; she wanted to escape this suffocating place. So she ran, aimlessly.

She didn’t know how long she’d run when suddenly—

A sharp screech of brakes. Song Xixi turned in panic. A black car’s headlights glared, bearing down on her.

Her heart leapt to her throat as fear froze her in place.

The next moment, a powerful force yanked her away.

Her vision went white, the world too bright, and then her mind was flooded with a book.

She realized she had been living inside a novel about a domineering stepmother.

Qin Ze was the male lead, Song Yanyan the heroine.

And she herself, in the future, would not only give them a pair of adorable twins, but would also be sacrificed by the Song family during childbirth, left to die so the children could live.

She would make her final exit, gloriously.

Song Yanyan would move into the Qin mansion under the guise of caring for the children; after a few rounds of seduction—and perhaps a dose of drugs—would inevitably become the new wife.

Song Xixi smirked coldly and shook her head to clear it.

She hooked the shredded silk nightgown from under the bed with her foot, slipped it on, and collapsed limply onto the mattress.

—

Elsewhere, Qin Ze returned to his villa, changed into swim trunks, and dove into the indoor pool with a splash.

His arms sliced through the water, sending waves crashing against the poolside.

Muscles taut, his form moved sleekly beneath the surface.

He stayed underwater for a long time before surfacing, then kicked off the wall, shooting across to the other side.

He churned back and forth in the water for a long while before finally slowing.

On the side, Uncle Zhao, the butler, rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn.

What was going on with the young master? He usually swam at seven in the morning, not three in the morning.

Qin Ze climbed out of the pool, took the towel Uncle Zhao handed him, and rubbed his hair absentmindedly, visibly agitated. He sat down on a lounge chair by the pool, staring at the still water for a long time.

That woman—why had she changed so much lately? Her little moods were one thing, but today she’d actually dared to break up with him?

She was the one who’d come to him in the first place!

—

Suddenly, the shrill, urgent ring of a phone shattered the silence.

Song Xixi's eyes flew open. She lay still for a moment before her senses returned.

Sleepily, she glanced at her phone on the nightstand, which was vibrating and flashing insistently.

The caller ID glared at her—the number saved under "Vicious Toad Stepmother."

She raised an eyebrow and answered without hurry.

Zhang Xiuqing's sharp, distinct voice screeched down the line.

"Xixi, come to the Golden Jade Hotel right now."

Song Xixi instantly adopted her "little white rabbit" persona, pulling a fake smile as distaste flashed through her eyes. "Mom, what’s wrong?"

"Just come when I tell you to. Why ask so many questions? And dress nicely—don’t embarrass the family."

Song Xixi replied sweetly, "Okay, Mom, I understand."

She hung up and curled her lip in disdain. What was this venomous woman up to now?

Still, she had to go. The time to reveal her hand hadn’t come yet; she had to keep up the act.

She opened her wardrobe and dressed herself carefully.

When she entered and saw the "vicious toad stepmother," she almost gagged.

Her biological parents had died in a car crash before she turned three. Her grandparents, in order to keep the family fortune within the Song family, adopted her after having her uncle take over the assets, ensuring everything stayed in their hands.

No wonder she’d always been suppressed in the Song family all these years. She used to think her mother only favored her sister, Song Yanyan.

But now she understood—she was nothing but a joke.

Even her college degree had been part of their scheme. They wanted to offer her to one of the city’s bosses in exchange for business cooperation.

She was gifted in mathematics, but they insisted she study classical literature.

Now, it all made sense.

In the end, she and her real parents had all been sacrificed for their benefit.

How pathetic.

Zhang Xiuqing’s face darkened when she saw Song Xixi in jeans, white shirt, and a messy bun. Even the other woman’s mother was left speechless.

Though furious, Zhang Xiuqing managed to keep her composure before the crowd. She barely contained her displeasure, squeezing out, "Why are you so late?"

Song Xixi strolled into the room, her gaze sweeping casually over everyone.

Well, well—so this was a matchmaking session.