"Gag…cough…gag…"

In the elegant and aristocratic European-style villa within the Hillside Villa District, a woman in a conservative nightgown was leaning over the toilet on the second-floor guest room at the crack of dawn. Her gagging sounds echoed incessantly, raising wave upon wave of dry retching. Her sleek dark hair covered her small face, hiding her expression. Despite, the way she lethargically lay over the toilet, as if she wished to vomit her stomach out, it was clear she was incredibly unwell.

After vomiting, Helan Xue collapsed weakly onto the floor, her lips pale and her complexion jaundiced. A trace of unease flickered past her glazed autumn eyes…

This situation had persisted for over a week. Each morning, as soon as she opened her eyes, her stomach would churn like tidal waves. Despite the constant urge to vomit, nothing would come out, inducing a persistent sensation of nausea. Even eating was a struggle, as she couldn't taste anything and felt perpetually nauseous.

She wasn't some naïve young girl; at twenty-two years old, despite having only experienced intimacy once, she could roughly guess the cause of her symptoms. She might be pregnant, possibly from that night of intoxication a month and a half ago.

Thinking about her first meeting with him to their present two-year marriage, Helan Xue always felt like she was in an unreal dream. And this dream wasn't particularly pleasant because he harbored an extreme distaste for her. To put it simply, even if she was lying in his path, panting and barely clinging to life, he could just ignore her and walk right over her.

Yes, he was that heartless. He viewed their marriage as a crude sham that she compelled him into, and hence, he loathed her! For two years, their marriage remained hidden in darkness, unable to withstand the light of day. Apart from his family, nobody outside knew that Helan Xue was the rightful wife of He Lian Jue, the famous CEO of DK Group and a handsome multi-billionaire from the influential third generation in City C. Even the insiders treated her like a housemaid, constantly bossing her around in a harsh manner.

The alarm clock on the bedside table rang, interrupting Helan Xue's drifting thoughts. She stood up to brush her teeth, wash her face, and change her clothes with efficient movements, taking less than five minutes. Afterwards, she casually tied her hair into a ponytail with a black rubber band and hurriedly descended to the kitchen.

After bustling around the kitchen for nearly two hours, she had finally prepared breakfast for the family: toast, ham sandwiches, buns, fried dough sticks, egg-drop soup… There were only a few for breakfast, but their tastes were dramatically different. Hence, she had to continually change the style of cooking; not only serving Chinese cuisine but Western as well. Still, her food was constantly lambasted.

Just as breakfast was laid out, an outcry could be heard from upstairs, "Ah… this is terrible, I'm late! Helan Xue, didn't I tell you to wake me up early? I have an important date this morning. It's almost eight! Are you doing this on purpose?"

The one speaking was her younger sister-in-law, He Lian Qiu Xi. Helan Xue chose to remain silent to her outburst, knowing that arguing would leave her in a more hopeless situation. Whether or not the situation was her fault, silence became her only solace in this house where she could never do right.

Her scream effectively woke everyone else, saving Helan Xue a lot of trouble.

Her mother-in-law and her distant aunt, who had just returned home four months ago, along with her sister-in-law, started sitting at the table. Helan Xue served them their favorite breakfast items, only to earn a look of disdain from her mother-in-law, "Is this all you can make? Apart from these few items, can't you cook anything else? I said that I wanted to have Chinese cuisine, but besides buns, fried dough sticks, soy milk, and millet porridge … don't you know to make anything else? Are you annoyed because I asked you to cook breakfast?"

"No," Helan Xue responded with a lowered head, her tone as placid as still water, suppressing the displeasure in her eyes.

He Lian Qiu Xi, seeming to have found an opportunity to ridicule her for not waking her up, couldn't resist adding, "Helan Xue, you think marrying my brother makes you a phoenix atop a tree, right? That requires some competence. You've been married to my brother for two years and he's never once looked at you with respect. The number of women he's been with could probably form an entire company. Let me tell you something interesting, but I hope you can hold your calm as you are now. My brother seems to have fallen for a woman recently."

"Xixi, are you telling the truth?" Hearing this, Elder Wang Linruo with a face of schadenfreude said, "Now there will be another good show to watch."

"Cousin, Qiu Xixi..." Qin Yuning, who had been hanging her head with a not-so-good complexion, suddenly raised her head and looked gloomily at the two, "Is it fun to behave like this every day?"

"Yu Ning, you don't understand. This woman is really resourceful..." Wang Linruo spoke with a scornful sneer but was cut off by Qin Yuning.

"I don't understand why you bully such a kind-hearted person erriday. I also don't understand why you torment her when there are maids at home. Cousin, you have always been a symbol of elegance and nobility in my mind. I hope you don't let me down." Qin Yuning's words were sharp enough.

Wang Ruolin, stung by her words, hastily changed the subject. "Why did you come back so late last night?"

Qin Yun Ning's eyes flickered slightly and she responded coldly, "I was working overtime on a project."

"You know, there's no need to push yourself so hard. It's our company, just go with the flow. Women shouldn’t stay up late, look how pale you are."

Qin Yuning elegantly wiped her mouth and glanced unintentionally at Helan Xue, who was standing aside silently with a slightly pale face. "I don't want to be called a parachute-hired vase behind my back, nor do I want to embarrass my family esteem."

"But you have to take care of your body and don't overdo it. Shall we go for a spa together after work?" Wang Linruo proposed, her tone somewhat ingratiating.

"Sorry cousin, but I already have a thing going on today." Qin Yun Ning pushed her chair to stand up, pause a smile apologetically at Wang Linruo.

"You have plans?" Wang Linruo perked up, "With a guy or a girl?"

"Mom, why are you so nosy? Aunt, can you give me a ride? I don't feel like driving today." He Lian Qiuxi interrupted the conversation between the two, pulling Qin Yun Ning and headed out before she could open her mouth.

"What? Leaving me alone again?" Wang Linruo grumbled to herself. As if struck by a thought, she lifted her gaze to meet He Lan Xue's and commanded mysteriously, "Come here!"

"Mother..." He Lan Xue walked up to her without any expression. Regarding what her mother-in-law was up to next, she didn't even need to guess. Apart from insulting and mocking her every day, she hardly saw her doing anything constructive.

"Just now Xixi said that Jue has fallen in love with another woman. As Jue's wife, can you analyze for me whether it's true or false?" Wang Linruo sneered wickedly, staring at her unwaveringly, hoping to see signs of heartbreak and despair on her face.

He Lan Xue's mind was clear as a mirror about her intention. She couldn't help but sneer inwardly, from the moment she set foot in this house, Wang Linruo had disliked her. Taking advantage of the absence of her grandfather and father-in-law, she had been humiliating her in every possible way. And all this was ignored by her husband, He Lian Jue.

Having realized that she dared not inform her grandfather about her misdeeds, they had the nerve to continue. Her grandfather, in poor health, lived in a holiday resort rich in fresh air all year round and only came down during holidays. So no matter how she was treated, she would never complain to her grandfather. He was the one who treated her the best in this world, absolutely unmatched.