Black, pure black.

In this pitch-dark space where one can hardly see their fingers right before their eyes, even the oxygen seemed to weigh heavily. Bai Xiaochi curled up in the wardrobe, her knees drawn up to her chest. Cold sweat trickled down her forehead, coursing down her cheeks. The oppressive atmosphere bore down on Bai Xiaochi's chest, making her increasingly feel oxygen-deprived.

Just a wooden panel away in the bedroom, her husband, Mu Xicheng, was making love to a strange woman.

The woman's intermittent moaning, the suggestive noises of the bed gently being rocked by their actions; all of it permeated the sultry air, passing through Bai Xiaochi's eardrums and stimulating her nerves.

Bai Xiaochi's hair was still dripping wet. Mu Xicheng had come back so abruptly that she hadn't even time to flee to her own room. Especially after hearing the strange woman's voice, she had no choice but to hastily hide in the wardrobe.

And now, the droplets of water on Bai Xiaochi's hair fell onto the bottom of the wardrobe, one droplet after another, much like her heart pounding chaotically in her chest.

"Ah… Boss Mu… Boss Mu..."

Bai Xiaochi was hearing such coquettish tone for the first time in her life. Her eyes widened in fear as a sharp pain ran through her entire body, causing her to bite down on her lower lip.

Mu Xicheng didn't utter a single word throughout this ordeal. Bai Xiaochi hadn't even heard a slightest sound from him.

The bare toes of Bai Xiaochi curled up. Everything happening outside was something she had never experienced before. When her body grow heated in spurts, it wasn't confusion she felt, but rather apprehension.

Perhaps, the biggest mistake she made today was to impulsively use the shower in Mu Xicheng's room, hoping he wouldn't come home, since the one in her room was out of order.

Mu Xicheng hadn't been home for a week, why did he have to come home today…

Bai Xiaochi dreaded the thought of what would happen if Mu Xicheng found her hiding in the wardrobe. Over these years, she had no idea how many women he slept with, neither did she really care. But what's happening at this very moment was beyond her wildest imagination.

Bai Xiaochi could never see through Mu Xicheng. The emotions hidden behind his indifferent eyes remained elusive to everyone.

A small crack in the wardrobe's door allowed a sliver of shabby moonlight to fuse with the indoor lights, casting a slender beam of light on Bai Xiaochi's face. She swallowed heavily, listening as the moaning of the woman outside grew more and more fervent.

Would this be considered infidelity within marriage? But Bai Xiaochi felt no anger or even sadness, for she knew from the moment she married Mu Xicheng, she would forever be without the privilege to be annoyed at him.

For this marriage was a transaction from the start. Had it not been for that coincidental encounter at an opportune time, there would never have been any intersection between Bai Xiaochi and Mu Xicheng.

They were like a "couple" that had agreed on a time, behind the contract, the two could not even be considered friends.

Mu Xicheng preferred to label his relationship with Bai Xiaochi as a "collaboration."

He needed a woman to keep up appearances with his family elders while she needed a sum of money to clear her father's debt.

Both got what they needed, hence they did not interfere with each other.

But why did a fleeting sense of sadness well up in Bai Xiaochi's heart when she heard the voice of another woman outside?

Bai Xiaochi had long known that there were many women outside for Mu Xicheng, so many that she couldn’t count them all with her hands.

Mu Xicheng had never touched Bai Xiaochi, which was what Bai Xiaochi hoped for. But he never brought any women home. Could this be some sort of omen?

Counting the days, it was only three more days until the day that she and Mu Xicheng had previously agreed upon as the end. Perhaps Mu Xicheng was trying to remind herself of this point by bringing a woman back home now?

Bai Xiaochi clenched her fingers, staring into the darkness in front of her, as if trying to find some sliver of light there—

In a daze, Bai Xiaochi had no idea when she fell asleep. She thought she had hidden well in the closet, but when the closet door was suddenly opened from outside, her eyes sprang open in an instant.

Mu Xicheng stood right in front of Bai Xiaochi, his upper body bare, his muscular figure like a statue, and that "statue" was looking down at her from above.

Caught, Bai Xiaochi's throat dried up. She could hardly believe she wasn't dreaming. She thought she had hidden well, never expecting to still be found by Mu Xicheng.

She didn't know when it got light out, Mu Xicheng's back against the light, leaving only a shadow on Bai Xiaochi's face.

A few rays of sunlight escaped from Mu Xicheng's side, so bright that Bai Xiaochi found it dazzling. She squinted a little, and his silhouette gradually blurred in her vision.

The atmosphere froze in an instant. As she stared into Mu Xicheng's emotionless eyes, she found herself too nervous to utter a word.

A powerful arm reached into the wardrobe, and Bai Xiaochi was effortlessly pulled out by Mu Xicheng. She instinctively tried to stand still, but her legs were trembling uncontrollably. In her panic, she held tightly onto the wardrobe door.

All the while, Mu Xicheng kept his eyes on Bai Xiaochi, seemingly waiting for her to explain.

With a swallow, Bai Xiaochi finally regained her voice after what seemed like forever. She said:

"Next time, can you refrain from bringing women back home?"