In the third year of our marriage, my award-winning actress wife's long-lost love returned.

The man was terminally ill, and his only wish was to hold a grand wedding with Shen Yan.

The moment she agreed, I instructed my secretary to draft divorce papers and revoke all the resources I had provided her.

If she wanted love, then I’d let them have it.

1.

Three years into our marriage, Shen Yan’s first love showed up at our doorstep with a critical illness diagnosis.

Cheng Xiu stood at the entrance, his face as pale as death. "Mr. Zhou, I beg you—let me and Yanyan be together."

"I don’t have much time left. My only wish before I die is to become her real husband."

After listening to his faltering explanation, I finally pieced together the whole story.

Cheng Xiu was Shen Yan’s first love. They had debuted together after competing in the same talent show.

Back then, Shen Yan never revealed her identity as the heiress of the Shen family due to family conflicts.

The two of them squeezed into a cramped basement apartment while struggling to make it in the entertainment industry.

But Shen Yan’s acting career got off to a rocky start—so much so that they could barely afford food and rent.

Cheng Xiu endured two years of hardship with her before finally walking away.

Only after they separated did he discover he had leukemia.

He had been enduring his illness alone until his condition took a turn for the worse.

I carefully examined the medical report he handed me and spoke calmly, "So, what exactly are you here for today?"

Cheng Xiu's eyes were red as he looked at me. "I know this is wrong, but I'm begging you—please let me and Yanyan be together."

I fell silent.

This whole scenario felt like something straight out of a cliché soap opera.

My tone turned icy. "Oh? So you're the other man, here to force me out of the picture?"

Trembling, he pulled out a stack of chemotherapy reports, his voice choked with emotion. "Mr. Zhou, I’m begging for your mercy. You and Shen Yan are both successful in your careers—divorce wouldn’t affect you much. But marrying her… it’s my only wish before I die."

Faced with such an unreasonable demand, I couldn’t bring myself to continue the conversation.

I delivered my ultimatum. "Then have Shen Yan come talk to me herself."

No sooner had I spoken than Shen Yan rushed in through the door. "Zhou Ran, don’t make this harder for Cheng Xiu. He’s in terrible shape."

I stayed silent.

This wasn’t going to be resolved easily.

Cheng Xiu quickly grabbed Shen Yan’s hand. "Yanyan, I came to see Mr. Zhou on my own."

Shen Yan froze for a moment before turning back to me. "Zhou Ran, I wasn’t trying to hide this from you. I only found out recently how serious A-Xiu’s condition is."

I waited quietly for her to finish.

It was clear from Cheng Xiu's ability to find this place that they must have met in secret many times before.

Sure enough, biting her lip, she continued, "I was planning to tell you after your birthday tomorrow, but since you already know..." She took a deep breath. "We... should get a divorce."

Shen Yan and I grew up together as childhood sweethearts.

But after graduating from high school, I chose to study business abroad, and we lost touch, knowing little about each other's lives since then.

Still, when I decided to marry her, it was because I genuinely fell for her.

We reunited at a family gathering five years ago.

Shen Yan had always been reserved, preferring to stay alone in quiet corners. Meanwhile, as a seasoned businessman, I was outgoing and talkative.

In all our interactions, I was always the one initiating conversations, while she responded briefly.

After that gathering, we barely kept in touch.

But about a month later, she started appearing in my life more frequently.

Anyone with eyes could see she had feelings for me.

With her striking beauty and ethereal grace, she effortlessly matched my ideal type.

2.

Once, I asked her why she chose me.

She replied, "Being with you feels effortless."

Looking back now, it wasn't so much about ease—I was more like a safe harbor for her to escape the unresolved feelings she still had for Cheng Xiu. That, and our families were well-matched in status.

Now, Cheng Xiu has shown up at my doorstep with a critical illness diagnosis.

Suddenly, I’ve become the obstacle standing in the way of their reunion.

Shen Yan said, "Zhou Ran, all these years, A-Xiu gave up his chance for treatment because of me. Now, I’m all he has left—I can’t abandon him again."

"After the divorce, you’ll still be the CEO of Zhou Corporation. Nothing will change for you."

Suppressing the nausea and fury rising in my chest, I sneered, "What a touching performance. You two have really mastered the art of playing the sympathy card."

"So I’m just the cuckolded husband, while you two are the star-crossed lovers who’ve weathered life and death together, is that it?"

Shen Yan fell silent.

Before she could respond, Cheng Xiu hastily cut in, "Mr. Zhou, I truly apologize—"

I cut him off sharply. "Shut up. A homewrecker has no right to speak. This is between me and Shen Yan."

Shen Yan immediately stepped in front of Cheng Xiu, shielding him. "Zhou Ran, watch your tone. A-Xiu isn’t a third party—we weren’t even married when he got sick."

My chest tightened with rage.

A match made in hell, these two.

Clenching my jaw, I fixed Shen Yan with a cold glare. "You know exactly how short my temper is. Get him out of here—now. Or you’ll deal with the consequences."

Shen Yan turned and gently caressed Cheng Xiu's cheek. "A-Xiu, go back to your hospital room and rest. I'll come find you as soon as I'm done here."

Cheng Xiu coughed weakly a few times before reluctantly turning away.

I sat on the sofa, watching them coldly.

How ironic—my own home had become their stage for this melodrama.

I turned my head away, unable to stomach the sickening display.

But just as Cheng Xiu took two steps, he suddenly broke into violent coughs, staggering unsteadily before collapsing toward me.

He slammed into me with full force, knocking me clean off the sofa.

My forehead struck the sharp corner of the coffee table with a sickening thud.

Stars exploded in my vision.

I touched my forehead—my fingers came away slick with blood.

Instinct took over. I swung my fist straight at his face.

**3.**

Only then did Shen Yan snap out of it, rushing over to immediately help Cheng Xiu up, fussing over his injuries.

"Zhou Ran, have you lost your mind? How could you hit a patient?"

I lifted my gaze to see her clutching Cheng Xiu tightly, murmuring soothing words to calm him down.

"Come at me if you dare!" she snapped, her voice trembling with fury. "How could you lay a hand on him when he's this frail?"

Only after confirming Cheng Xiu was unharmed did Shen Yan finally notice my condition.

Her eyes widened in alarm when she saw the gash on my forehead. "You're bleeding," she gasped.

Hah. So she finally remembered I existed.

My vision swam as dizziness washed over me. Watching her hover protectively over Cheng Xiu, it was painfully clear I couldn't count on her to check my injuries. Without hesitation, I pulled out my phone and dialed the police.

"Don't make this a bigger deal than it is!" Shen Yan pleaded urgently upon hearing the dial tone.

I knew exactly what she meant—if the police got involved, both our families would inevitably find out.

And she'd lose control of the situation.

Her plan was obvious: handle this quietly first, then inform the elders afterward.

By "handle," of course, she meant manipulating me with guilt trips and emotional blackmail.

The sheer audacity of it was breathtaking.

What a fool I'd been to ever marry a woman like this.

The hospital examination revealed I had a minor concussion. Though the forehead wound looked gruesome, it didn't require stitches.

To her credit, Shen Yan retained enough sense to personally drive me to the hospital—while persistently urging me to withdraw the police report. To shield Cheng Xiu from our parents' wrath, she'd discreetly sent him to a different hospital.

Taking both families' reputations into account, I agreed to drop the lawsuit.

Besides, next month marks the launch of our new joint project. A scandal right now would be disastrous. Those two scumbags aren’t worth sacrificing my business interests for.

This project represents half a year of my father’s hard work. Any negative publicity could undo everything. Initially, he had wanted to collaborate with the Chu family—the Shens weren’t the best choice. But for the sake of my relationship with Shen Yan, he reluctantly agreed to work with them.

......

My mother was the first to arrive at the hospital. My father was still out of town negotiating another deal, and the Shen family hadn’t been informed yet.

Mom was still in the dark about Shen Yan’s betrayal.

Then again, even I had only just found out today.

What a way to ruin my weekend.

After checking my injuries, Mom still treated Shen Yan like her own daughter, asking with concern, "Yanyan, what on earth happened?"

4.

Shen Yan sat silently to the side, her gaze distant as she stared out the window.

My mother frowned, studying the two of us. "Something’s off here."

She had always taken Shen Yan’s side. Our families had been close for generations, and she and Shen Yan’s mother were practically inseparable, as close as sisters.

When neither of us spoke, she immediately started lecturing me. "A-Ran, you really need to work on that temper of yours. Yanyan is such a sweet girl—you should be more patient with her..."

I knew she was just trying to save face for both families. Normally, I’d play along and let her have her way.

But today, I couldn’t hold back anymore. "Mom, Shen Yan’s been sneaking around with her ex-boyfriend, Cheng Xiu—the one with leukemia. They showed up at the company today and threatened me to file for divorce."