There are still five minutes until the hero escapes from marriage.

The crisp sound of chains echoed as Wen Zhao looked at her work with satisfaction.

The butler, looking disheveled, was sitting on the floor against the wall, with one leg extended straight and a sturdy chain shackled to one of his wrists. 

This villa was Wen Zhao and Gu Xianting’s marital home. Rather than just a villa, it was more like a small estate.

In the front yard of the villa, there weren’t many expensive flowers or plants but a carefully maintained patch of sunflowers.

Since Wen Zhao had knocked Gu Xianting unconscious and taken him away on their wedding day, she hadn’t returned here until now.

Before coming back, she had already instructed her assistant to contact the staff here and make preparations well in advance.

On the third floor of the villa, Wen Zhao looked at the butler, who was tense, with one leg bent and sitting against the wall.

“You’re experiencing what my husband hasn’t,” she said, her gaze fixed on his left wrist, where a thumb-thick chain was securely fastened. “With this, you won’t be able to escape.”

He kept his head lowered, avoiding eye contact with her, emanating an aura of keeping others at a distance.

Wen Zhao took a few steps forward, crouching in front of him, and forcefully grabbed his chin to make him look at her.

“Don’t want to see me?” her smile carried a hint of coldness. “Is it because I forced you to do something you dislike?”

He remained silent, his gray eyes glaring at her like a wild wolf.

At that moment, Wen Zhao’s phone rang. She glanced at it and saw that it was Gu Xianting calling.

The butler’s gaze shifted to the phone screen, and he suddenly sneered. “Your husband is calling you. Do you think he would care if he knew you brought me here?”

“Oh, are you worried he’ll get jealous?” Wen Zhao’s tone was somewhat nonchalant.

She released him, stood up, and answered the call. “Xianting, have you seen the doctor?”

The butler watched her profile through a gap in his bangs, noticing a faint curve at the corner of her mouth.

He glanced at the chain on his left wrist and then back at her retreating figure as the door closed behind her.

His previously tense demeanor turned languid. “Well, what now? I tried to resist and escape, but…”

He raised his left hand and shook it, the chains making a crisp, pleasant sound. “It seems like the more I resist, the worse it gets.”

【Ahhhhh! Be quiet!】

The system was truly overwhelmed. It just wanted some peace and quiet; this situation was something it hadn’t anticipated!

The butler wore a bold smile, thinking, as long as there’s a glimmer of hope, Wen Zhao would definitely seize it!

He wasn’t sure if she had recognized him, but one thing was certain—she had definitely noticed something unusual about him. That’s why she was so determined to take him away, claiming he was useful to her was just an excuse.

Indeed, as always, his beast-like intuition was right.

【You must be feeling quite smug now, right?】

The system’s voice sounded somewhat resentful.

“How could I be? I’m really quite angry,” he said slowly.

When Wen Zhao reached the first floor, she saw Gu Xianting being wheeled in by a caregiver. His hands were wrapped in bandages, indicating that his hand injuries had been properly treated.

“ZhaoZhao, are you okay?” his voice was filled with concern.

“Of course, I’m fine,” she smiled as she approached him. “I specifically told them not to tell you, so you wouldn’t worry.”

Gu Xianting’s smile didn’t waver, as if he hadn’t heard the underlying meaning in her words. “You’re my ZhaoZhao. Isn’t it only natural for me to worry about you?”

He had returned to Li City. Despite his uselessness, his wealth allowed him to achieve many things. On his way to the hospital, he realized that Wen Zhao was deliberately keeping him away.

He had hired a private detective to keep an eye on her.

“Just ZhaoZhao,”he said, revealing a hint of hurt on his face. “Are you so concerned about him? He’s just a butler. With my effort, I can find many replacements.”

He took her hand. “You don’t know how worried I am about you. He’s not worth the risk.”

She sneered inwardly but showed a touched expression on her face. “You really do care about me.”

“Previously, I encountered Su Mengyao outside Gu’s Corporation,” she said, pausing deliberately. “I’m unhappy, Xianting.”

Gu Xianting almost lost his smile. Did this woman not know what she was saying?

They were supposed to be discussing the damned butler! He had leverage over her, not for her to change the topic!

“ZhaoZhao… weren’t we discussing the butler?” he tried to steer the conversation back.

“Yes, but it’s all because of Su Mengyao,” she said assertively. “Think about how you acted when she appeared.”

Her gaze fell on Gu Xianting’s hand. “Xianting, you’ve really disappointed me!”

Gu Xianting: What???

“I can understand that, even though you were just a bystander, seeing that person with Su Mengyao all the time, even someone with a heart of stone would be affected,” she sneered. “Yes, you say you love me, and I do believe you, but sometimes people deceive themselves!”

“ZhaoZhao, I thought we had discussed this issue…” How is this never-ending?

“Yes, and I thought Su Mengyao was a thing of the past. I’ve tried not to think about those five years,” Wen Zhao took a deep breath, seeming very agitated. “But it’s not over, Xianting. Those five years just can’t be forgotten! It’s like a needle stuck in my flesh, impossible to remove!”

“Why do you think it’s all in the past?” she stared at him, her questions cutting to the core. “Are you really Xianting?”

“Of course I am!” he felt his scalp tingle, cold sweat forming on his back. “ZhaoZhao, I’m your Xianting. I’m the Gu Xianting who grew up with you. You can’t doubt that.”

“Then can you explain why?” her tone became calm. “Why did you react so nervously, angrily, and even injure your hand when you saw Su Mengyao being criticized and scorned by so many people?”

Gu Xianting instinctively clenched his hand and softened his tone. “My hand was accidentally scratched by the wheelchair…”

“Enough!” Wen Zhao suddenly slammed her phone down in front of him with anger. “You’re still trying to brush me off and lie to me!”

She stepped forward and roughly tore the bandages from his hand, exposing the wound with nail marks on his palm.

“Gu Xianting, you really know how to hurt me,” her eyes were red with anger and disappointment. “Why won’t you admit that you were unfaithful during those five years? Why are you lying to yourself and to me?”

Gu Xianting was now utterly confused. He didn’t understand why she suddenly erupted in anger. He had come to question her, wasn’t this just how relationships worked? It was either he dominated or she did; as long as he could turn the tables, he would gain the upper hand in their relationship!

But he couldn’t handle it. Whether he was on top or not, she would go crazy!

“You clearly fell for someone else but still pretended to love me! I’ve had enough!” she shouted at him. “These days, I’ve tried not to care and wanted to believe in you, but you’ve truly disappointed me!”

“Why did you give me hope and then push me into despair? Why do you treat me like this?” she kicked the wheelchair, flipping it over!

Gu Xianting tumbled to the ground, the wheelchair crushing his legs, and the excruciating pain left him speechless.

“You can have Su Mengyao, so why can’t I have someone who pleases me a little?” she stared at him, who lay on the ground, her eyes devoid of light. “I’ve decided. If you’ve tormented me for five years and still torment me now, then I’ll make you experience my feelings!”

“There’s a saying that’s true: until the knife is in your own flesh, you’ll never know how much it hurts.”

“You thought the past was just the past, didn’t you? You thought it could be easily forgotten?”

“Then watch me. Leave another man for five years, and then come tell me that the past is just the past and we can start over!”

After venting all her frustrations, she turned and walked away.

At this point, Gu Xianting finally recovered. He knew he couldn’t let her leave now. “ZhaoZhao, don’t go! I was wrong. I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have questioned you or lost my temper. It’s my fault…”

“Don’t go! I’m beginning to understand how you must have felt during those five years!”

“It’s only been one day, and I’m already in so much pain and so concerned. But you endured it for so long. It’s my fault. I’m a beast. ZhaoZhao, don’t be angry. You can continue to torment me, continue to hit me and scold me. Just don’t be unhappy alone!”

Wen Zhao’s footsteps paused for a moment. She slowly turned around, her dark eyes fixed on him.

“ZhaoZhao, you can do whatever you want with me, just don’t leave me.” his eyes were filled with pleading and panic. “From now on, I won’t interfere with your whereabouts. You can do whatever you want. If you like that butler, then keep him here.”

Her gaze slowly moved to his hand.

He closed his eyes and made a desperate plea. “Yes, I admit my mistake. I was influenced by that person, but I promise it’s not love, just physical instinct and habit! Just give me a little more time, and I won’t be influenced by Su Mengyao again. Trust me.”

“Really?” Wen Zhao’s eyes wavered a bit, seeming to be swayed by his words.

“Yes! I will have someone contact her now. I will take back all the gifts and houses she received from that person. I won’t have any soft spot for her!” he said, slowly crawling toward her from the floor.

He crawled to her feet, looked up at her, and hugged her legs. “ZhaoZhao, the person I love is you, only you. This afternoon was really just an illusion.”

Wen Zhao slowly crouched down and gently placed her hand on his head, as if rewarding a dog that made a mistake. She softly ruffled his hair. “I’ll trust you one more time, Xianting.”

He suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with surprise and disbelief, as if he hadn’t expected her to forgive him. He also felt a strange emotion rising within him.

Wen Zhao truly loved him. Despite knowing his abnormalities, she still chose to believe in him.

This kind of love was intense, fiery, and carried an obsessive, extreme possessiveness—a persistent attachment that would never let go until death.

When a person is surrounded by such love, it’s impossible to remain indifferent.

He looked up at her face, which was close enough to touch. 

She was indeed beautiful, and the obsessive love in her eyes was touching, making him… very desirous.

“Xianting.” Wen Zhao reached out, wrapping her arms around his neck, her tone affectionate and gentle. “This time, don’t let me down, okay?”

“Okay,” he murmured.

He watched as she gave him a bright and warm smile, then helped him up from the floor and settled him back in his wheelchair. His gaze followed her, unaware of his own fixation.

A few minutes later, when he came back to his senses, realizing what he had been thinking, he was paralyzed with shock.

How could he long for such love? He loved Su Mengyao, who was resilient like a reed, fragile yet protective of others, always struggling beyond her means, always making things worse…

No, no, he quickly stopped himself from these thoughts. He loved Su Mengyao, not for any reason but simply because she was Su Mengyao. How could he doubt himself?

He forced himself to stop thinking and not to dwell on it.

He had once been so certain before returning that he had Gu Xianting’s handle on Wen Zhao. She had risked everything to bring another man back, which was clearly a betrayal of their love!

However, who would have thought that in the end, he was the one forced to make concessions and ended up in a pitiful state?

Wen Zhao not only openly placed the butler’s presence between them but also severed any possible contact between hin and Su Mengyao once again!

This woman was incredibly smart, dazzlingly so.

In the evening, after dealing with work matters, Wen Zhao remembered the butler locked on the third floor. She shut down her computer and leisurely went up to the third floor.

She opened the door and walked in. The room was dark, and the butler had not turned on the lights.

The chain that restrained the butler was not short; it allowed him to move freely within the small suite, including to the bathroom.

She raised her hand and turned on the light.

He was no longer sitting on the floor. He had his back to her and was lying sideways on the bed.

She slowly approached. “Butler, I’m giving you one more chance…”

As she reached the bedside and was about to push him, the sound of chains rattling suddenly came from her ear. In the next moment, her arm was violently yanked, and she felt a powerful force hit her, making the world spin. Her head slammed against the pillow, and she felt a coldness around her neck. As she tried to resist, the butler had already pressed her down.

She was pulled onto the bed, her neck wrapped in a chain. His current position seemed to fully embrace her. To an outsider, it would look ambiguous and make one’s heart race.

But only Wen Zhao knew that if he exerted a bit of force, she would be strangled.

“Butler, are you trying to defy me?” she gasped, slightly out of breath from the sudden movement.

His breath brushed against her neck as he sneered. “Isn’t this what you wanted? You said you were very satisfied with my work and wanted me to keep serving you. You’ve been sexually harassing me with your words. Clearly, you have other intentions for me!”

A glimmer of surprise flashed in Wen Zhao’s eyes, and then a hint of interest appeared on her face. “Oh? If that’s really the case, are you planning to kill me or to fulfill me?”

The butler seemed provoked by her nonchalant attitude. He tugged at the chain, making her grunt and her breathing quicken.

He was pleased by her reaction. He looked at her coldly and asked, “You really have intentions towards me! I was wondering why you were so persistent. Haha, it’s laughable. You and your husband both have your own interests.”

“Isn’t that good?” she suddenly hooked her arm around his neck and pulled him down.

He was caught off guard and kissed her lips.

He tried to struggle, but Wen Zhao’s grip around his neck was firm, leaving no chance for escape. His eyes hardened as he became the aggressor, invading her lips and teeth.

Wen Zhao felt his intensity, his anger, and the fierce way he was expressing himself. She felt as if the air in her chest was being stolen.

Her hand, which had been gripping his neck, had unknowingly loosened.

The butler slowly lifted his head, panting and with a predatory gaze fixed on her.

After the kiss, his lips were flushed and moist, making him look incredibly appetizing.

“I could easily kill you right now,” he said, breathing heavily.

Wen Zhao seemed to find this amusing. She pressed her hand against his lips. “You still have my lipstick on your lips. You took advantage of me, and now you’re turning your back? Butler, that’s not a good habit.”

The butler sneered and was about to say something when he felt his body flipped over. In the next second, Wen Zhao, who had been at a disadvantage, reversed the situation and became the one in control.

Her hand was firmly pressing on the butler’s neck, her eyes fierce. “The previous encounter doesn’t count as taking advantage.”

She said this and lowered her head, biting his lips fiercely. It was like two beasts tearing at each other. After a while, she finally raised her head, her lips stained with his blood. She extended her tongue and licked it clean. “This counts.”