Volume One, Chapter One: The Dutiful False Heiress

Bai Ruoxi lay on the double bed in the villa’s master bedroom, listening to the sound of water running in the bathroom, staring blankly at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling.

In the three years since she married Jiang Jinglan, apart from the time spent in bed, she and he had been like strangers living under the same roof. Sometimes, she couldn't help but ask herself whether she even counted as a person to Jiang Jinglan, or if she was merely a tool to relieve his desires. She did not know.

The water in the bathroom stopped. The door opened, and Jiang Jinglan stepped out. The man was wrapped only in a white bath towel around his waist; his muscular, bare upper body was still dotted with a few water droplets. His messy black hair hung over his forehead, softening his sharp features. Jiang Jinglan was handsome, especially those eyes, as deep and dark as obsidian. Whenever he looked at her with focus, Bai Ruoxi would have an eerie, strange illusion that he wanted to possess her entirely. But it was just an illusion; Jiang Jinglan did not love her at all.

"I have an appointment."

His low, magnetic voice reached her, carrying a faint sense of detachment, as if he were speaking to a stranger. It was hard to imagine that these concise words were directed at the wife with whom he had just been intimate. A mild bitterness welled up in Bai Ruoxi’s heart. She sniffled, lifted her slightly flushed cheeks, and looked up. "Is it Qin Yu?"

Her voice was soft, her tone tinged with cautious probing. Qin Yu was Jiang Jinglan’s first love; this was no secret in Jiang City, or even across the country. Had it not been for Old Master Jiang’s insistence on a marriage alliance with the Bai family, Jiang Jinglan would have married Qin Yu. Qin Yu had returned from abroad just yesterday, and today, she had already made an appointment with him.

A dense, prickling pain washed over Bai Ruoxi, as if her heart were being stitched with needles. The best moments between her and Jiang Jinglan were likely those spent in bed. Usually, Jiang Jinglan would demand more than she could give, and almost nothing could interrupt him. Yet just now, before they had finished, Jiang Jinglan had received a call from Qin Yu and had left without satisfaction to take a shower, eager to keep his appointment.

A full-length mirror happened to be angled toward the bed. As his gaze swept over the slender silhouette in the mirror, Jiang Jinglan paused. Bai Ruoxi’s face still bore a faint flush, and her tear-filled eyes shimmered with a beauty that invited pity. But… what right did this vain woman have to play the victim here?

Jiang Jinglan quickly looked away, fastened his silver watch, tugged at his shirt collar, and said flatly, "Go pick out a bag or some jewelry you like tomorrow..."

A bag? Jewelry? Shoes?

Bai Ruoxi’s lips curled into a bitter smile against her will. Every time they finished, Jiang Jinglan would give her an expensive "gift" as payment for her services. Her relationship with him was no different from that of a client and a prostitute. The only difference was that she was more expensive, she served only him, and their relationship was legal.

The bitterness in her heart surged like a rising tide. Bai Ruoxi forced back her tears, whispering to herself: *Don't cry. Don't let him loathe you. Remember what you have to do.*

She took a slight breath, wrapped her marked body in the quilt, and knelt toward the edge of the bed, moving closer to Jiang Jinglan. She knelt humbly, in a posture so subservient it lacked all self-respect, and carefully probed, "I have enough bags and jewelry... May I have something else?"

Jiang Jinglan paused, a flicker of irritation rising in his eyes. He squinted, his voice cold as frost, edged with a touch of anger. "What do you want? A house? A car? Bai Ruoxi... don't tell me you think you’re actually worth that much."

Only items on a shelf or slaves without dignity were described in terms of "worth." He had never once thought of her as a wife. The man's words were like a sharp blade, carving bloody wounds into Bai Ruoxi’s heart—not fatal, but lingeringly painful.

Bai Ruoxi lowered her head, staring at her slightly reddened fingertips, her eyes dim. "I know I’m not worthy... I—I want a child..."

It was to make it easier for her to give up her place to Qin Yu at any time. Although Jiang Jinglan had desire for her, he was very cautious. Aside from the first few days of their marriage, he had always taken precautions, terrified that she might conceive his child and use it to cling to the Jiang family. In his eyes, she was nothing but a vain woman. No matter how many times she explained that she didn't care about the Jiang family's money or status, that she only cared for Jiang Jinglan himself, he never believed her. It only seemed to make him inexplicably angrier, for reasons even she could not fathom.

Suddenly, her chin felt cold as it was gripped tightly by a chilly hand. Jiang Jinglan lifted her face, his tone icy. "Bai Ruoxi, have you forgotten your place? You are merely a daughter adopted by the Bai family, brought in to replace their real daughter, Bai Ruoyun, to marry me. You are nothing but a fake heiress; what right do you have to carry on the Jiang family line?"

The cold temperature of his fingertips stung her skin. She didn't understand what she had done to make him hate her so much. For three years, she had tried her best to please him, yet she could not thaw the man before her. Seeing her own lost expression reflected in his dark eyes, Bai Ruoxi’s eyes grew red, and she choked out a sob.

"It was Mother’s request. She said that if there was still no movement in my stomach, I would have to kneel for two hours every day before the statue of the Goddess of Childbearing..."

Bai Ruoxi had once fallen into the water during the winter. Though she had narrowly survived, her knees had been nearly ruined, and she could not bear to kneel for two hours a day. She rarely spoke of this, and Jiang Jinglan did not know. Moreover, based on her understanding of her mother-in-law, Chen Chunrong, even if she said two hours, she would likely find various faults—claiming her posture was wrong or that she wasn't pious enough—to extend the punishment and torment her.

"You went to such lengths to become Mrs. Jiang, and you can't even endure this little bit of hardship?"

Jiang Jinglan’s brows furrowed. Finally, he released her chin, averted his eyes, and straightened his ruffled cuffs. "Don't worry about Mother. Just know your place."

With that, Jiang Jinglan turned and left the room without looking back. Bai Ruoxi stared blankly at his retreating figure as tears fell, *plop, plop*.

*My place? A prostitute's place?* Now that Qin Yu was back, she likely wouldn't be Mrs. Jiang for much longer. A sharp pain pulsed in her heart. She had foreseen this ending, so why did it still hurt so much?

Bai Ruoxi sniffled and waited a long time before picking up her phone. There were two unread messages on the screen.

"Tomorrow at two in the afternoon, come to Jinzhi to see me. — Chen Chunrong."

It was the same commanding tone. In the three years she had been married to Jiang Jinglan, she had suffered plenty at Chen Chunrong’s hands. Despite having servants and a washing machine at home, Chen Chunrong would come to Nanyue Garden every month to order Bai Ruoxi to wash the curtains and carpets by hand. While pointing out faults, she would lecture Bai Ruoxi on how she couldn't compare to Qin Yu and how she lacked class. Bai Ruoxi had always endured it. Now that Qin Yu was back, Chen Chunrong would certainly not miss the chance to humiliate her.

Bai Ruoxi sighed softly, wiped her tears with the back of her hand, and replied with a "Okay." Then, she opened the other unread message.

"I’m back in the country. Let’s meet tomorrow. — The Real Heiress"