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

Su Mengyao felt as if her heart stopped beating for a moment!

Her eyes widened with rage as she looked at the screen, and she lunged at Wen Zhao like a madwoman. “How can you go back on your word? How can you do this? You promised!”

“Bang!” Before she could reach her, the butler had already kicked her away.

Wen Zhao stood still, her gaze cold as she looked at her. “You want me to be vicious, call me ruthless, yet you demand saintly standards from me? Ultimately, in your eyes, I’m just a villain, right?”

“Are you negotiating with a villain? Su Mengyao, are you a three-year-old child?” They arbitrarily labeled her as a villainous woman but expected her to lay down her arms and become a saint. Where in the world is there such logic?

“Isn’t it only natural for villains to do what villains do?”

Su Mengyao was flung to the ground in front of Gu Xianting, who instinctively shrank back. Her face hit the ground, and soon blood flowed from her nose, but she didn’t care.

She raised her head and stared at Wen Zhao with intense hatred. “Wen Zhao, you’ll get your retribution! You will!”

“Retribution? Only the powerless believe in retribution.” She sneered. “I don’t believe in retribution. I only believe that if I’m wronged, I must seek justice. If someone betrays me, I will definitely retaliate. I can’t wait for future retribution.”

Tears of anger filled Su Mengyao’s eyes, something inside her shattered while something else began to grow. “Why don’t you just kill me? It would be so easy for you. Why go through all this trouble?”

“Because that would be too boring.” Wen Zhao said calmly. “It wouldn’t feel like true revenge if I didn’t make you pay back the betrayal and pain little by little.”

“You’re a lunatic…” Su Mengyao felt the person in front of her was a mad dog. “No wonder Xianting doesn’t like you! People like you don’t deserve it!”

“What kind of person I am and whether I deserve it is not for you to decide.” She replied. “I don’t exist to be liked by anyone. Whether he likes me or not, and why, has nothing to do with me.”

“Easy for you to say! Everything you do is to get Xianting back to your side, isn’t it?” Su Mengyao had completely given up on pretending. Everything was over; the whole world was about to know she was a shameless homewrecker. Sometimes it’s one thing to be unintentionally involved, and another to deliberately intrude!

“You say you don’t care, but you do care deeply! Wen Zhao, you’re ridiculous. Look at you: beautiful, rich, and powerful, yet still defeated by me? You can’t stand losing, so you cling to everything!”

“What does it mean to be able to afford to lose?” Wen Zhao’s eyes were full of mockery. “To let go gracefully and find the next so-called true love? Is that what it means?”

Maybe for others, letting go and discarding something rotten is timely damage control, but not for her.

Who would she turn to for compensation for five years of harm? Money? She didn’t lack money.

“You’re just making excuses!” Su Mengyao didn’t believe her at all. To her, Wen Zhao was just sophistry. “No matter how good you sound, you’re still holding on to Xianting. You even married him; you still have feelings for him!”

Wen Zhao laughed out loud because Su Mengyao’s words were so ridiculous.

She stepped up to her, bent down, and grabbed her hair, pulling her back. Su Mengyao screamed and struggled. “What are you doing! Are you going to hit me? Xianting, help me!”

Su Mengyao, now disheveled, her face covered in blood, looked like a madwoman. She instinctively called out to Gu Xianting for help.

She had become used to waiting for him to save her. Even when she mustered the courage to save him, it was only to find the person who unconditionally supported and protected her.

He wanted to step forward to protect her, but with his broken legs, he couldn’t move. “Wen Zhao, take it out on me. What’s the point of hitting a woman!”

Wen Zhao treated his voice as if it were the barking of a dog. She dragged Su Mengyao to the living room mirror.

“Look at yourself, really look in the mirror.” She pressed her head against the mirror. “Don’t you get it yet?”

“You ended up like this because, in your eyes, men are more important than anything. Look at yourself now!”

“You became like this because of the man you depend on!”

Su Mengyao gasped, forced to look at herself in the mirror.

She was stunned. The woman in the mirror looked like a real madwoman, reflecting her most miserable state. She wanted to look away but Wen Zhao held her down.

“You think you’ve won? Your so-called victory is stealing a man?” Wen Zhao’s voice was sharp, like it was piercing Su Mengyao’s last defense. “Haven’t you realized over the past half month?”

“You think winning is getting a man, but what can this man give you? He can’t even protect himself!” She yanked her head to force her to look at Gu Xianting, who was struggling on the sofa. “Look at him. Look at this person. If I want, I can take everything from him. Even if he hates me, he has to stay by my side and play the role of a perfect husband! What about this person is worth holding on to?”

“Ahh!” Su Mengyao screamed in despair, struggling to push her away. “Shut up, shut up, don’t say anymore!”

“When he can give you everything you want, protect you, you can be invincible. You can use his favor to deal with everyone you want, get everything you want.”

“But once he’s defeated, once he loses everything, you have nothing too!”

“Why don’t you understand that what you should rely on is not a so-called overbearing CEO, but yourself!”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up!” Su Mengyao tightly covered her ears, tears and blood streaming down her face, as if she were utterly broken. “It’s easy for you to say. You have everything, and I have nothing. You don’t understand my situation back then. How dare you mock my choices?”

Did she want to rely on a man? Was she naturally cheap?

Back then, even if she had some schemes, it was out of desperation!

“If you were me, you wouldn’t have done better!” She knew many looked down on her, and perhaps she too had moments of self-loathing.

But so what?

The things she later obtained were enough to discard all so-called propriety and morals. If she could get everything by throwing those away, why wouldn’t she?

Of course, she loved Gu Xianting. How could she not? A man who brought her wealth, status, and glory, making her life spectacular, how could she not love him?

“I wouldn’t be you because I’d never allow myself to fall into your situation.” Wen Zhao looked down at her, her voice cold and cruel. “Once you take a shortcut, you become addicted to the pleasure of getting something for nothing, Su Mengyao.”

Your life could have been different.

She didn’t say this aloud because not everyone could understand it or wanted to.

She turned and left without giving Gu Xianting another glance. The butler silently followed her.

She walked quickly, her heart filled with unspoken anger and frustration that had been there since the system bound her.

Knowing the truth of this world, her first feeling was absurdity.

She was the villainess in the book; the heroine was a grassroots inspirational character. The book had many other villainesses, all existing to compete for Gu Xianting, the so-called male protagonist. It seemed that winning him was the ultimate victory.

But what were they really competing for?

Was it truly Gu Xianting?

No, it was power and status, embodied in a person.

Change the person to someone with more status and power, and they’d still become the male protagonist. These women, whether excellent or mediocre, existed to compete for the male lead.

It was a Mary Sue romance story, yet the world revolved around the male lead.

Be it a villainess redemption system or a male lead rescue system.

Ultimately, it was all for the male lead.

How absurd!

At the wedding, she could have turned away and discarded Gu Xianting, but she was unwilling.

Her life shouldn’t be manipulated like this. She wanted to bring down the highest, irreplaceable male lead from his pedestal and show those women what they were really fighting for!

She stood by the window, gazing at the endless sea, lost in thought until a glass of wine was handed to her.

She turned to see her butler, standing slightly behind her, smiling. When he saw her turn, his smile deepened. “I thought you might need this. Please forgive me for presuming your mood.”

She took the glass, sipped the wine, and downed it in one gulp. The red wine was slightly bitter but had a sweet aftertaste. She suddenly said to him, “Red wine is boring. Have some white wine with me.”

Raindrops began to patter against the window. The butler bowed slightly. “It would be an honor.”

On the island, there was a building called the Rain Listening Pavilion, designed to appreciate the rain. In the half month since she arrived, Wen Zhao had never been there.

The pavilion had transparent glass walls and ceiling.

The maids prepared snacks and two bottles of white wine.

She and the butler sat by the window, with a view of the vast sea, rain pouring down, merging the sky and sea into one.

She took a sip of the white wine, the spicy alcohol clearing her mind and dissipating her frustration.

“Have some food first. White wine is strong and harsh on an empty stomach.” The butler advised.

She listened, putting down her glass and slowly eating. “The butler is very thoughtful. I don’t think I’ve ever asked your name.”

His hand, holding the wine bottle, paused slightly, but his face still bore that gentle smile. “I’m just an ordinary butler.”

“If you don’t want to say, you don’t have to. It’s not that important.” She downed another small glass of white wine. “Why did you come to work on the island? With your abilities, you could find a much better job.”

“Probably because I love the sea. And, Bosd, you pay too well.” He made a rare joke.

She smiled knowingly. She stared at his face for a long time and suddenly realized that he had surprisingly good features. His gentle and reserved temperament often made people overlook his looks. Or perhaps he intentionally downplayed his presence.

He was quite interesting.

After a few more drinks, her head started to feel light. She didn’t have a good alcohol tolerance, and drinking white wine, especially in a bad mood, made it easy for her to get drunk.

“Boss, you’re actually very good. You don’t need to care what others say.” He couldn’t help but cross the line, seeing her like this.

She smiled, resting her chin on her hand as she looked out the window.

The rain outside grew heavier. “Are you comforting me, butler?”

“Just stating the facts,” he said.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine.” She was only momentarily depressed. In truth, other people’s lives or deaths had nothing to do with her.

“I hope Miss Su can understand you,” he said, as an outsider who saw things more clearly than those involved.

“It’s not necessary. I just can’t stand her. I’m not a good person.” Wen Zhao never thought of herself as a good person. Perhaps the story’s character design wasn’t wrong; she was just a villainess.

At this moment, Su Mengyao couldn’t understand what Wen Zhao had said to her. She huddled miserably in a corner, seemingly oblivious to the outside world.

Gu Xianting struggled to move to her side. “Mengyao, Mengyao, are you okay? Don’t listen to Wen Zhao…”

“But she’s not wrong,” She murmured.

When Gu Xianting and Wen Zhao’s marriage certificate was seen by the entire internet, and everyone was sweetened by the photos and daily life Wen Zhao posted, Su Mengyao had felt the plunge from heaven to earth.

At the Qianyuan Manor charity gala, she had been dragged out like a dead dog. Many people present knew her, had seen her, but no one stepped in to help. They took it for granted that she was a loser, of no value anymore.

Wen Zhao wasn’t wrong.

She could rise to the top because of Gu Xianting, and she could fall back to the bottom because of him, even ending up in a worse state.

“Mengyao, my mother will be here soon. Trust me, I’ll find a way to change this situation.” Gu Xianting, sensing her inner turmoil, panicked.

“I want to be alone for a while.” She pushed his hand away and turned to her servant’s room.

In the living room, Gu Xianting’s face twisted momentarily. What did she mean? He had fallen to this state because of her, even lied to Chen Shan for her. Was she blaming him now?

He recalled the video he had seen earlier, where Su Mengyao knelt before Wen Zhao, admitting that everything had been her scheme.

He had always avoided facing this, as it made him feel like a fool, easily manipulated.

He felt frustrated and anxious, especially knowing his mother was coming. Given his understanding of her, she would likely think Wen Zhao was right, even if she knew everything.

He struggled to reach his wheelchair but was too far away. After moving a bit, he still hadn’t made much progress. He couldn’t bring himself to ask the maids for help, and in a moment of impatience, he fell off the sofa.

He angrily pounded the floor, but the cold, hard marble tiles only bruised his hand. Frustrated, he stared out the window. The rain poured harder, the sky darkened, thunder rumbled, and lightning flickered through the low-hanging clouds.

It felt like the end of the world.

His mind went blank. The vast world seemed desolate, and he suddenly couldn’t understand his purpose for existing.

For a moment, his mind turned dark. Why not have a tsunami and let everyone die together?

Wen Zhao was also looking out the window. The Rain Listening Pavilion’s roof and walls were all made of transparent materials. It was like sitting in a front-row seat, watching the terrifying thunderstorm.

The pavilion was the highest point, offering an unobstructed view of the endless sea.

“If the world were to end today, do you have any regrets, butler?” She turned her head, her cat-like eyes quietly looking at him.

His eyes darkened briefly before he returned to his usual expression and smiled slightly. He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“Don’t you have anyone you want to see?” She asked.

“No,” he replied.

She showed a look of envy. She turned her gaze back to the outside world.

Perhaps the alcohol dulled her senses because she didn’t notice his gaze quietly resting on her.

Not having anyone you want to see can mean two things: either you really have no one, or the person you want to see is already by your side.

“Boss, do you have someone you want to see?” He asked, as if just making conversation.

She didn’t know why, but a scene flashed in her mind when she heard his question.

It was the night before her eighteenth birthday.

She was so excited she couldn’t sleep. She looked for Gu Xianting, but he didn’t reply to her messages, which made her unhappy. She decided to ignore him for a month.

Then, in her half-asleep state, she heard a knock on the window.

She went to the window, opened it angrily, and a bouquet of sunflowers hit her face.

When the sunflowers were moved away, Gu Xianting’s smiling face appeared. He said, “Move back a bit.”

He threw the sunflowers into her arms. The large bouquet made the girl’s features even more vibrant.

She was stunned and hadn’t reacted yet.

He had already climbed through the window and said, “Sorry, my mom has rules. We can’t meet before the engagement. It took me a while to sneak out. Don’t be mad.”

The boy had always been a restrained and polite good student. Wen Zhao loved teasing him, enjoying seeing him frustrated but helpless.

But this usually polite good student sneaked out and climbed through the window to see her.

She always looked into his eyes, seeing the seriousness and love in his gaze, as warm as summer fireworks.

“If possible… I want to see him.” To see Gu Xianting before her eighteenth birthday.

Everyone didn’t understand why she refused to let go for those five years. They didn’t know how good he used to be, so good that she didn’t know how to let go.

The butler’s hand clenched slightly, his lips tightly pressed, and his downcast eyelashes hid the real emotions in his eyes.

Wen Zhao’s mind was becoming unclear. She groggily lay on the table, knocking over the wine glass, and the wine flowed down the table.

The butler squatted down, using his sleeve to block the spill, the cold wine soaking through his sleeve, but he didn’t care.

Wen Zhao seemed uncomfortable, adjusting her position to face him.

Her face was flushed from the alcohol, and her lips still had traces of wine.

Perhaps because of the alcohol, the butler, in a moment of impulse, reached out and lightly wiped the wine from her lips with his thumb. His grey eyes held a dark desire, revealing an aggressive side that contrasted with his usually gentle demeanor.

Maybe sensing someone touching her, Wen Zhao groggily opened her eyes.

The person in front of her was very close, and those grey eyes seemed familiar.

She reached out, wanting to touch those eyes. He didn’t dodge, not afraid of the drunk woman hurting him.

“Butler,” she murmured.

“Yes?”

“Has anyone ever told you that your eyes are beautiful?” Her hand stopped half a centimeter from his eyes.

He grasped her wrist. “Ma’am, you’re drunk. It’s raining outside. Why not rest here for a while?”

“No, I want to go back to sleep.” She didn’t want to stay here. The vast sea and the alcohol made her feel scared.

“Okay.” He didn’t find her troublesome.

He put on a large raincoat, opened a black umbrella, and Wen Zhao stumbled. When she nearly fell, he put away the umbrella and walked to her side. “Excuse me.”

He said this and directly picked her up, tucking her inside the raincoat, and then strode towards the main building.

Outside, the wind and rain raged, but Wen Zhao felt protected inside the raincoat, as if it shielded her from the world’s storm.

“Butler, where is your hometown?”  She asked, tugging at his collar.

“In a faraway place,” he replied.

Being so close, Wen Zhao felt the vibrations in his chest when he spoke.

“Butler, what’s your name?” She mumbled again.

His eyes, filled with a storm, momentarily tightened his gray pupils, “Just a butler.”

He walked through the rain, his short black hair soaked, water dripping from his forehead, rolling past the corners of his eyes, and finally falling.

As he approached the main building, a guard at the door saw him and hurriedly offered an umbrella.

Seeing the butler in this state, the guard kindly stepped forward, intending to take Wen Zhao from him, but he sidestepped, “No need.”

The guard didn’t insist, only offering to help him remove his raincoat.

“Not necessary,” he still refused, carrying Wen Zhao, drenched in rain, into the main building.

The living room was empty at this time.

He carried her upstairs, laying her on the sofa before finally removing his raincoat.

She was already in a deep sleep, her defenses and armor completely shed, resembling the proud Wen family heiress from before she turned eighteen.

This side of her was not for others to see.

A gentle knock came at the door, drawing the butler’s attention. He walked over to the door.

It was Wen Zhao’s secretary, her face serious, “Where’s Ms. Wen? Someone just posted more video clips online.”

“The boss is asleep. Don’t worry, she was prepared,” he assured her.

Hearing this, the secretary said no more. Her boss, Wen Zhao, had become increasingly formidable.

The butler returned, covering her with a blanket. As he was leaving, he encountered Gu Xianting approaching in his wheelchair.

Seeing him, Gu Xianting instinctively frowned, displeased. This man had often witnessed his most humiliating moments and had even hit him once.

“Move!” He demanded irritably upon seeing the butler blocking the doorway.

“Sir, the boss is resting,” the butler said, not budging.

“And what does that have to do with you? I’m her legal husband!” He snapped, his eyes filled with an unshakeable rage. “I am the master here, move!”

Dripping wet, the butler stood firm, “The boss is resting.”

“Can’t you understand human language?!” Gu Xianting was furious. First, Su Mengyao gave him attitude, and now even a mere butler showed him no respect!

Wen Zhao’s words to Su Mengyao had stung deeply. How could he not be enraged or humiliated? When had he ever been so trampled upon?

“You really are Wen Zhao’s loyal dog!” He maliciously mocked.

The butler remained unruffled, even showing a slight smile, “Thank you for the compliment. It’s my honor to serve the boss.”

“Click—”

The door opened from the inside. Wen Zhao, evidently awakened by the noise, stood in the doorway, her face dark, glaring at Gu Xianting. His bravado instantly weakened.

For some reason, he always felt guilty and short of breath when facing her.

“Get lost, and don’t make me repeat myself,” she commanded coldly.

Gu Xianting, however, was infuriated by her attitude, “This is my room too! You forced me to sleep with you before, didn’t you!”

“Butler, deal with him. He seems a bit confused,” she instructed calmly.

The butler walked up to him, looking down at him. Despite his anger, Gu Xianting was hoisted from his wheelchair and had his mouth covered by the butler.

Wen Zhao rubbed her temple and turned back into the room.

Her phone rang; it was Xu Nian.

“Ms. Wen, Mr. Gu has made a move. I received the evidence you sent. Shall we begin our counterattack?” He asked.

Wen Zhao sat at her desk and opened her laptop. The video and related hashtags were resurging online, with another clip posted by the same account.

She scrolled through the comments, her expression unchanged.

This mirrored the online vilification she faced in her previous life, bringing a cold smile to her lips, “Of course, let’s thank Mr. Gu for the publicity. Saved us a lot on PR expenses.”

Ending the call, she waited a few minutes. Soon, Xu Nian began his counteroffensive.

Wen Zhao had sent the complete video to him earlier. Xu Nian had been waiting for Gu Ruoxian’s next move. Now that she had acted, they could too.

Initially, Wen Zhao hadn’t intended to engage in a publicity war, but since Gu Ruoxian started it, she had to see it through, aiming to crush her completely.

Xu Nian released the complete video, using many online resources to push the topic.

#Reversal, Ms. Wen’s bad luck!#

The topic quickly climbed the trending list.

Thus, hashtags like #Ms. Wen, mistress, Wen’s early bankruptcy# were replaced with new ones.

“I knew there’d be a reversal, just had to wait.”

“Shocked! This era’s mistresses and scumbags are so blatant?”

“Mr. Gu must be blind!”

“If it were me, I’d have dealt with the mistress and scumbag already!”

“Ms. Wen, don’t cry. Ms. Wen, kick the scumbag out. Look at me!”

“Ms. Wen, you’re amazing. This is so satisfying!”

She scanned the real-time comments, her expression remaining neutral.

Perhaps because she had anticipated this.

Meanwhile, in Licheng, Gu Ruoxian, who had been complacent, now saw Wen Zhao’s full video soon after releasing new material.

Her face darkened. How could Wen Zhao dare!

Wasn’t she afraid of a complete fallout between Wen and Gu? Didn’t she still want Gu Xianting?

To her, Wen Zhao, despite her ruthlessness, was a hopeless romantic. Why else would she marry him and keep him around?

Maybe not just her, but others in Licheng thought the same, knowing how much Wen Zhao once loved Gu Xianting.

But now, with this video out, what was she aiming for?

Was she planning to burn everything down? What had Su Mengyao done to provoke her into such desperation?

Gu Ruoxian hadn’t yet realized that Wen Zhao’s ultimate target was her.

On the island, Wen Zhao, in good spirits, watched people switch sides, many apologizing on her Weibo.

A message lit up on her phone—

【Are you satisfied now?】

She had previously threatened the system to get evidence of Gu Ruoxian hiring online trolls and conspiring with Su Mengyao.

“Are you wondering if I feel guilty or regretful?”

【Wen Zhao, the online harassment you suffered in your previous life has been repaid. Soon, Gu Ruoxian will be ousted from the Gu family, and you can take control of their assets.】

“So?”

【So, once this is over, can you let the main characters go and leave them alone?】

“Indeed, after this is over, the scumbag and the bitch will be ruined, and I will gain fame and control over the Gu family.”

The system started to relax.

But then her face showed a mischievous smile, “But how do you repay for the Wen family’s ruin in my past life? How do you repay for the life I lost when Gu Xianting threw me into the sea?”

System: 【Didn’t you already throw him into the sea once?】

“But he didn’t die, did he?”

The system was about to lose it, but before it could say more, she turned her phone over on the desk, not planning to continue the conversation.

She had just closed her laptop when she saw the butler walk in. He had cleaned himself up, his once wet hair now dried and obedient.

She stared for a while, recalling his previous soaked state, “Do you have a bit of a natural curl?”

He smiled, “Boss, you observe very keenly. You noticed.”

Wen Zhao didn’t ask how he dealt with Gu Xianting. She trusted him to handle matters.

“Tomorrow, my mother-in-law and my mom will come to the island. Be prepared,” she instructed.

The online battle had begun, but she still had a tough fight ahead in real life. “These days, you’ve worked hard.”

She opened a drawer and took out a bank card, pushing it towards him, “A bonus.”

He didn’t hesitate, accepting the card with both hands, “Thank you, boss. Rest assured, I’ll make the preparations.”

She looked outside. The sky was slowly darkening, and the storm hadn’t stopped. But she knew tomorrow’s storm would be even stronger.

The butler, holding the card, returned to his adjacent room.

Because he needed to be on call, his room was next to the main bedroom.

The small room was neat and tidy. He placed the bank card on the nightstand.

He didn’t turn on the light, preferring dim environments that didn’t expose him completely.

His phone buzzed in his pocket.

A flash of disgust crossed his eyes, but he still picked up the phone.

The screen showed a message.

**Hope you keep your promise.**

He tossed the phone aside, sitting in the shadows for a long time before finally responding to the air.

“Okay.”