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

Wen Zhao looked down at Gu Xianting, who was in a pitiful state, like a dog. 

Slowly, she took out her phone and snapped a photo of him. “This scene is truly marvelous.”

She squatted down, brought up the photo she just took, and shoved it in front of his face. 

He turned his face away, not wanting to look, but she grabbed his hair and forced his head down. “Look at this, such wonderful eyes. That expression of wanting to kill me, hating me to the bone, it’s completely unhidden.”

She put away her phone, patted his face, “Yes, that’s the look. Now that Su Mengyao isn’t here, you’re not worried about what I might do to her, so you don’t even bother to hide your feelings?”

His breathing was heavy. If looks could kill, she have been shredded to pieces by now.

“Wen Zhao!” He spat out her name through gritted teeth.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t have ended up like this, with such defiance.” Wen Zhao said coldly. “Do you think your mother didn’t notice anything? Did you hear what she said before she left?”

“She hoped that when we return to Licheng, we could reconcile as before.”

“This means that during this time before we go back, I can do anything to you to vent my anger!”

She stood up slowly, and the butler handed her a wet wipe to clean her hands.

“You should reflect on yourself, why you have failed so miserably.”

She threw the used wipe on his face and walked back to the villa without looking back.

He lay miserably on the ground, staring at the discarded tissue. His chest filled with boundless anger and frustration. He struggled to get up, but none of the bodyguards or maids nearby came to help him.

His gaze swept over their faces; each wore a different expression, but all showed disdain, indifference, schadenfreude, and even a hint of weak sympathy.

“What are you looking at? Get lost! All of you, get out!” He shouted, “What do you think you are!”

He was the head of the Gu family, the president of the Gu Corporation, a man who had the final say in Licheng. How had he fallen to being despised by a mere maid?

He tried to stand, but his broken legs hadn’t recovered. He crawled like a dog, trying to reach his wheelchair.

A pair of impeccably polished black leather shoes appeared in his view. He looked up, panting, to see the ever-courteous butler.

“Get out of my way!” He felt utterly humiliated being looked down upon by the butler.

The butler, however, bent down slowly, grabbed his arm, and lifted him into the wheelchair.

“Do you think I’ll be grateful for this? You’re no better than your master; you’re just Wen Zhao’s dog!” Gu Xianting spat venomously.

“I just think that as the BOSS’s husband, crawling on the ground in front of so many people is too humiliating for her.” The butler’s voice was gentle and calm, showing no anger at Gu Xianting’s words.

Gu Xianting’s chest heaved violently, and his vision darkened. In that moment, he resented Chen Shan for abandoning him, leaving him to Wen Zhao’s humiliation. He hated Wen Zhao for being so relentless. He even resented Su Mengyao for trying to save him but ultimately leaving him to face this indignity. And he hated the cold, indifferent onlookers.

“Ah!” He screamed, trying to release his pent-up rage, but it was useless. He was still angry, humiliated, and in agony.

“Everyone, go about your business. The gentleman probably wants to be alone,” the butler said to the bodyguards and maids. “And remember, no matter how the BOSS treats him, he is still her legal husband.”

The onlookers dispersed after hearing the butler’s words.

The butler glanced at Gu Xianting, a trace of cold mockery in his eyes, then turned and left.

Outside the villa, it became deserted.

Gu Xianting sat in his wheelchair, shoulders slumped, head down, his eyes empty and confused.

These maids and bodyguards seemed to each have their own purpose. Perhaps humble, perhaps ordinary, but they all had a place they belonged.

But what about him?

What was the meaning of his existence?

In his mind, Su Mengyao’s face surfaced like a conditioned reflex.

It was as if someone was telling him that his purpose was to meet Su Mengyao, to go mad for her, to fight the world for her, to give her everything he had.

But beyond that? Did he have any other purpose?

No matter how hard he thought, it was all a blur.

He suddenly felt like laughing.

Isn’t it ridiculous?

What could be more absurd than being knocked down from the heights, being scorned and questioned about his worth, realizing his life had completely fallen apart?

Sometimes, to break a person, you only need to hit a crucial point.

He slowly moved his wheelchair.

Wen Zhao wants to keep him here and torture him for life, but he won’t let her get her way!

Upstairs in the villa, Wen Zhao stood by the window, coldly watching Gu Xianting wheel himself toward the beach.

“BOSS, should someone follow him?” The butler asked at the right moment, seeing Gu Xianting getting farther from the villa.

“No need. Both his legs are broken. Even if you give him a boat, he can’t escape.” She said indifferently.

“But BOSS, aren’t you worried he might have an accident?”

She sneered, “What, afraid he might kill himself? He won’t.”

Not to mention that Gu Xianting didn’t have the courage to seek death, as the protagonist of this world, he couldn’t die so easily.

Just as she finished speaking, her phone in her pocket began to vibrate frantically.

The butler considerately left the room.

She sat on the sofa by the window, took out her phone, and saw a line of bold, flashing text on the screen.

【Go save him! The protagonist has lost the will to live!】

“Huh?” Wen Zhao found it ridiculous, “Is Gu Xianting that fragile?”

【Trust me! Hurry and save him!】

“Impossible. I know him. Though he’s changed a lot, he’s not that weak.”

【Just go save him! The protagonist can’t die. If he dies, the consequences will be unimaginable!】

Wen Zhao looked at the screen, line after line, each more urgent than the last, and suddenly asked, “Why can’t he die? I’ve already tormented him so much before, and you weren’t this anxious.”

【No more talking, just go save him! Save him! Save him!!!】

Outside, a loud thunderclap sounded, and the once bright sunny sky was quickly covered by rolling dark clouds.

【Wen Zhao, save him! Save him!!!!】

The text on the screen turned bold and red, indicating the system’s extreme urgency.

She stood up and looked out the window.

Outside, the wild wind raged, creating a scene that seemed like a special effects spectacle costing billions to produce, depicting a terrifying apocalyptic scene right before her eyes.

At the end of her line of sight, she saw the boundless sea seemingly merging with the chaotic sky. Between the sky and the sea, the person sitting in the wheelchair stood out starkly against the pale white sand.

【Zzzz… Wen Zhao…】

Perhaps because the situation was too urgent, the system’s voice directly echoed in her mind.

“Who allowed you to intrude into my mind without permission?” Her face was icy.

【The situation is special. In any case, saving him is paramount now. Go save the protagonist. He must not die!】

“Is it the protagonist who mustn’t die, or Gu Xianting?” She suddenly asked.

The system was silent for a moment, truly lamenting why the supporting female character had to have such high intelligence.

【That’s not important…】

“No, it’s very important,” Wen Zhao said with a malicious smile. “I’ve always been puzzled. You said this is a Mary Sue romance novel world, right?”

【Yes, it is. What’s the problem?】

“The problem is quite significant,” she said. “In a typical romance story, the one chosen by the female lead is the male lead, which means the female lead’s status is much higher than the male lead’s.”

“But what I see is different. The male lead is more important than the female lead. If one male lead dies, another can replace him.”

“But, at the wedding, when I took Gu Xianting away, I used his death to threaten you to unbind, and you agreed.”

The system felt like if it were a person, all its hair would be standing on end right now!

【Didn’t we discuss this before? For now, let’s focus on saving him, okay?】

“No, I think it’s more important to clarify this issue first.” Wen Zhao was not in a hurry at all. After all, if the world ends, everyone dies together. She had been reborn and tormented the protagonists for so long, it wouldn’t be in vain!

The system was on the verge of tears!

【What exactly do you want to know?】

“I want to know, is the protagonist and Gu Xianting the same person? You better not lie to me. If I’m not happy…”

【Wen Zhao, does it really matter if they’re the same person? Why do you have to fixate on this point?!】

Her heart sank slightly, her eyes turning colder. “Why? Because I’m stalling for time. I want to watch him die. Is that not allowed?”

The system was about to break down!

【Even if he dies and the whole world collapses, with everyone dying together, does it not matter to you?】

She remained unbothered, “It doesn’t matter. If everyone dies, so be it.”

【No! No, it’s not! The protagonist and Gu Xianting are not the same person!】

The system had no choice. This villainous supporting female character was completely unyielding!

Only then did Wen Zhao slowly pick up her phone and dial the head bodyguard. “Go to the beach and bring him back.”

Before long, she saw the bodyguards heading towards the beach.

She thought for a moment and then stood up and went downstairs.

“So, the protagonist has always thought of me as nothing more than a childhood friend, only feeling brotherly affection for me.” She said as she walked. “So he could look at me with love one day and tell me we’d get married when we were older, and the next day, after meeting Su Mengyao, instantly feel pity for her.”

The system shivered, not daring to speak.

“So, where did my childhood sweetheart go?” She murmured.

The system played dead.

But even if it played dead, Wen Zhao still guessed some things.

“My childhood sweetheart, did he die just before the plot began?” Her tone was calm, with no emotional fluctuations.

But the system was even more terrified because the calmer she was, the more insane it was. Wasn’t it evident that those who shout about killing people are often just talking, while the real killers, like Wen Zhao, always stay composed?

Since her rebirth, the system had never seen her lose control. She was always so calm, as if everything was under her control. Foolish madness was like a shrew’s scolding, but this kind of calm madness was far more dangerous!

【Wen Zhao, I can’t answer these questions. I can only tell you that the protagonist and the female lead cannot die.】

Wen Zhao wasn’t particularly concerned, “Can’t say? Is there something restricting you? Tsk, you’re really useless.”

System: …self-isolating!

The moment she stepped out of the villa, large raindrops began to fall.

She looked up, and a black umbrella obscured her view. She turned to see it was the butler.

He seemed to have rushed a bit, slightly out of breath, “It’s raining.”

“Thank you.” She turned back and continued walking.

The butler held the umbrella, following her through the wind and rain.

As she walked, she slowed her pace, noticing that the butler kept in sync with her.

“What’s wrong?” He asked with concern.

She lowered her lashes, feeling a bit sour inside. She shook her head and kept walking.

Back when Gu Xianting hadn’t met Su Mengyao…oh, now it should be said, before the plot of the so-called “Gu Shao’s Secret Lover” started, whenever Gu Xianting held an umbrella for her, he would always match her pace.

She hadn’t thought about the past for a long time.

Recently, for some reason, memories of him kept popping up unexpectedly.

At this moment, she couldn’t explain how she felt. Receiving a definite answer from the system brought a brief sense of relief, followed by anger, an anger so intense it felt like it would burn her insides.

It seemed Gu Xianting suddenly became innocent. After all, the childhood sweetheart who loved her and promised her a future had already disappeared without her knowing.

So on that day, she didn’t wait for her childhood friend to pick her up for school because on that day, her childhood friend had become someone else’s protagonist. He would have another woman to love deeply, someone he would sacrifice everything for.

Why didn’t anyone tell her? Why did no one say anything to her? Why did no one come to tell her?

Why didn’t anyone tell her that the boy she was waiting for would never come back, and that this male lead who appeared out of nowhere should have just straightforwardly told her that her boy had died?

All it would have taken was one word. Was it because the world needed a crazy villainous supporting character to sharpen the love between the protagonists?

Just because she was a villainous supporting character, and because someone had to be the male lead, their fates could be toyed with so unreasonably?!

The so-called male lead became Gu Xianting. He took over everything, his name, his family, their childhood friendship.

In order for the male protagonist to fall in love with the female protagonist without bearing the burden of moral and ethical dilemmas, their emotions were erased. Gu Xianting’s feelings were erased, but Wen Zhao’s were left intact, because only in this way, Wen Zhao, who deeply loved Gu Xianting, would stop at nothing to reclaim her childhood sweetheart.

Everything seemed so justified, so reasonable. But why! Why!

This absurd world, why does it exist? Everyone should just die together. Why should she care about the rest of the world and save that thing from who knows where?

The rain poured down harder, soaking her clothes almost completely. In such heavy rain, no umbrella could completely shield against the wind and rain.

Her vision blurred, her throat tightened, and her eyes burned. Why did this damned storm have to get into her eyes?

On the beach, Gu Xianting slowly wheeled himself into the sea. The water gradually covered his calves, knees, and a big wave splashed over him, drenching him while pushing the wheelchair back to the shore.

This was the third time.

“Why! Why won’t you let me die?” his eyes were bloodshot, tears or rain streaming down his face.

He fell out of the wheelchair, crawling bit by bit into the sea.

But just as he finally crawled into the water, the bodyguards arrived!

They dragged him out of the water like a dead dog. He didn’t cooperate at all, “Let me go! Get off me, why are you stopping me, I just want to die, let me go!”

He struggled desperately, trying to break free from the bodyguards’ grip.

When a person’s sense of existence is completely denied, when their beliefs are shattered, living indeed becomes an ordeal.

“Sir, can you stop making a fuss?” The head bodyguard wiped his nose, which had been hit by Gu Xianting’s elbow. “Look, you have everything. You even have a mistress with the boss’s blessing. What more do you want?”

“Yeah, sir, lots of people can’t even afford to eat and are still struggling to live.” The other bodyguards chimed in, “Don’t be so melodramatic.”

He let out a low laugh, a sound of utter despair.

Melodramatic. When had such a word ever been used to describe him?

“Let him go.” Wen Zhao’s cold voice came through.

The bodyguards released Gu Xianting, causing him to fall to the ground once again.

Perhaps not wanting to appear too pitiful in front of Wen Zhao, he struggled to sit up, “Why are you here? Don’t you hate me and wish I were dead?”

“You want to die?” she walked straight to him, squatting down, “It’s not that easy. You owe me, and you haven’t paid me back. How dare you die!”

“What do I owe you?” he felt it was absurd, “Haven’t I suffered enough? You want the Gu family’s company, it’s about to be yours. What else do I owe you?”

She grabbed his collar, her voice cold and controlled, “You owe me a Gu Xianting! You can die, but you have to give him back to me first!”

Gu Xianting felt incredulous, thinking she had gone mad, “I am Gu Xianting, are you crazy?”

“I wish I were crazy!” she punched him in the stomach.

Having been kicked in the stomach by her before, he felt a pain that seemed to crush his internal organs, “I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“How can you not know!” her voice was sharp, “You are not Gu Xianting, what the hell are you? Get out of his body and give him back to me!”

He looked at her in disbelief, thinking she must be insane to say such things, “I am Gu Xianting, have you lost your mind?”

“I wish I were!” she punched him hard in the face, “How dare you use his face to show me such an expression! How dare you!”

Gu Xianting was knocked into a daze, reaching out to grab her hand, “I don’t know what you’re talking about… I really don’t…”

“You can’t not know!” she shoved him into the sea, pressing down on his chest with all her might, her eyes filled with pain and despair, “Gu Xianting, why are you doing this to me?”

Why did he let her know, after she had given up everything, that she had been hating the wrong person all these years?

“Boss.” Wen Zhao’s hand was grabbed.

The butler had dropped his umbrella, standing there drenched, his eyes on her bleeding knuckles.

“You’re hurt, let me handle this,” he said gently.

“Get away!” shepushed his hand away and punched Gu Xianting again.

Gu Xianting’s vision darkened, feeling like he was falling into a terrible abyss.

Fragments of memories floated up, pieces he hadn’t seen before, showing him and Wen Zhao as a pair of lovers.

The turning point was the day twenty-year-old Gu Xianting got engaged to eighteen-year-old Wen Zhao.

That day, in the rain, he rushed to pick up Wen Zhao but hit someone on the way. Getting out of the car, he saw a disheveled Su Mengyao.

Even now, he could feel his chest tremble, like a mark on his soul, waiting for someone like her, existing for her.

Yes.

In the sea, he opened his eyes, the look in them different from before.

Through the shifting water, he saw the woman pressing down on him, shouting hysterically.

Like the most radiant flower battered by wind and rain, beautiful even in misery.

He grabbed Wen Zhao’s shoulder, pulling her down.

Wen Zhao stopped shouting, looking at him in shock.

The butler reached out to pull her, but he was a step too late, his hand brushing her wet sleeve.

The tide receded, and she was pulled into Gu Xianting’s embrace.

“Zhao Zhao,” he said hoarsely, with deep emotion, “I’m back. I’m sorry.”

The butler’s grey eyes narrowed, his always smiling face showing a moment of sharpness.

The storm clouds slowly dispersed, sunlight breaking through the gaps, illuminating the world that had just been washed by the storm.

Wen Zhao lay still in his arms for a long time, as if time had stopped.

The butler lowered his head, his neatly combed hair now messy from the rain, covering his eyelashes.

He closed his eyes, then bent down, pulling Wen Zhao out of Gu Xianting’s arms.

“Boss, you’re soaked. You’ll catch a cold.” his voice was gentle.

His words broke the strange tension.

Wen Zhao seemed to snap back to reality, thanking the butler and then looking back at Gu Xianting on the sand.

Gu Xianting’s gaze swept past the butler’s face before returning to her.

She looked into his eyes, as if confirming something.

Gu Xianting’s expression remained calm and indulgent, as if he wouldn’t get angry no matter what she did.

“Gu Xianting?” she called softly.

Gu Xianting’s gaze seemed to travel through five years, from the distant past to the present.

“It’s me. I’m back.” His voice no longer impatient, filled with hate and restlessness.

She grabbed his arm, pulling him up from the sand.

“When did you first confess to me?” she suddenly asked.

He smiled faintly, “The summer after our first year of high school.”

“When did you disappear?” she asked.

“The day I met Su Mengyao.” His voice filled with sadness and guilt, “I’m sorry, Zhao Zhao. I made you suffer.”

She hugged him tightly, as if holding her entire world.

“Don’t disappear again, okay?” Her voice choked with sobs.

Facing the vast sea, her eyes reflected the deep blue, cold and distant.

Hot water cascaded down.

In the steamy bathroom, the butler’s tall figure was faintly visible.

He stood under the water, letting it pour over him.

After a while, he turned off the shower, wrapped a large towel around his waist, and stepped out.

His phone buzzed on the sink.

He glanced at it, reading a line of text:

Don’t do anything unnecessary.

He turned off the screen, grabbed his phone, and walked out.

When he didn’t respond, the phone buzzed continuously.

He didn’t want to look.

After getting dressed and grooming himself, he stepped out of the room.

The phone on the table lit up and dimmed, like a futile struggle.

Walking through the large villa, he found Wen Zhao and Gu Xianting in the courtyard.

Both had cleaned up, no longer looking disheveled and crazy.

Wen Zhao was smiling brightly, while Gu Xianting seemed no longer resistant or hostile.

She was treating his facial wounds, her eyes filled with concern, “I’m sorry, I hit you too hard…”

He gently held her hand, indulgent, “You never need to apologize to me.”

They looked like the perfect couple.

The butler watched them for a long time, until Wen Zhao noticed.

She looked back towards him, but all she saw was a large bird of paradise plant by the window and the fluttering white curtain.

“What’s wrong?” Gu Xianting asked, seeing her distracted.

“Nothing.” she smiled, “I just thought I saw the butler.”

“He’s a competent and dedicated man.” Gu Xianting smiled warmly, “We should treat him well.”

She nodded in agreement.

She continued to treat the wounds on Gu Xianting’s face.

Earlier, in her rage, she had vented all her anger on his face, because the thought of the so-called male protagonist using Gu Xianting’s body made her want to destroy that face and body.

“Xianting, what exactly is going on?” She asked as she applied a bandage to his temple. “What has been your state all these years?”

“That day, I suddenly lost consciousness. When I woke up again, I found myself trapped in my body. All these years, I could only watch as the person occupying my body deceived you. I struggled desperately to reclaim my body, but it was useless.” His voice was filled with pain, his eyes red. “I couldn’t resist at all. I couldn’t do anything. If it weren’t for you destroying his will and making him lose the desire to live, I might never have come back.”

“Zhao Zhao, thank you so much.” Because if it weren’t for you, I might never have awakened until my death.

“Is that person still there?” She asked.

He shook his head. “He’s gone. From now on, I’ll always be here. Zhao Zhao, I won’t leave you again.”

“So, during these five years, you saw everything that person did, didn’t you?” She didn’t respond directly but instead asked another question.

His hand clenched into a light fist. “Yes, I saw it all.”

“Xianting, do you love me?” She suddenly asked.

He was taken aback but quickly responded, “Why would you ask that, Zhao Zhao? Of course, I love you.”

“Slap!”

She unexpectedly slapped him, but the next second, her eyes reddened.

“You love me, yet you watched me being deceived and hurt. Is this the extent of your love?” She questioned. “Shouldn’t you have taken back your body the moment you saw me being hurt? You don’t love me as much as you say!”

He was stunned. At this moment, wasn’t she supposed to throw herself into his arms and share their feelings?

Why did she hit him, and why did she look so aggrieved after hitting him?

“Zhao Zhao? Didn’t I just say…” He tried to explain, trying to regain control of the situation.

“I don’t want to hear it, I don’t want to hear it, I don’t want to hear it!” She clenched her fists and pounded on his chest. She looked very agitated. “You’re lying to me. You watched me being hurt. You watched that person use your body to hold another woman. You even kissed her. You’re not clean anymore!”

“I thought you were gone for five years, but it turns out you were watching everything happen. In the end, you were indulging in it, which is why you didn’t want to take back your body. Or maybe you’re just lying to me, and there was no other person. You just changed your heart!” She finished and pushed him away, turning to run.

He watched her retreating figure, his expression shifting. He urgently called out, “Zhao Zhao, listen to me. I didn’t change my heart. I only love you!”

But she had already run out of the courtyard.

After leaving Gu Xianting’s sight, Wen Zhao slowed down.

At the courtyard exit, the butler stood quietly. Seeing her running over, a flash of worry crossed his eyes. He stepped forward, intending to speak, but Wen Zhao extended her hand towards him.

He hesitated for a moment before taking out a wet wipe from his pocket and placing it in her hand.

She nodded in satisfaction, then wiped her hands vigorously while walking away with a cold expression.

“Boss, are you okay?” He asked with concern.

She paused slightly, then suddenly asked, “Aren’t you curious, butler?”

“I’m just an ordinary butler.” With such a status, I have no right to be curious.

“True.” She continued walking.

She returned to her bedroom and filled the bathtub with water, submerging herself completely.

When she heard Gu Xianting say he was back, she had a moment of anticipation.

But unfortunately…

The two questions she asked were both answered incorrectly.

“What exactly are you?”

“But no matter what you are.”

“I will kill you.”

“If you want to play Gu Xianting, then keep playing until I say stop!”

“If you make a mistake, you will be punished.”