Chapter 1: Her Name Is Chi Mo, Guan Yizhou's Girlfriend

Sui Mi wanted a divorce.

Even though she’d just finished doing the most intimate thing possible with Xi Jianbai.

She lay on the silk sheets, her breathing still a little rushed, her body lingering in that lazy afterglow—she couldn’t even be bothered to lift a fingertip.

A rustling sound came from beside the bed.

Sui Mi’s lashes trembled. She turned her eyes over and saw Xi Jianbai casually pick up the white shirt draped over the edge of the bed and slip it onto his shoulders.

Moonlight spilled through the sheer curtains, sketching out his deep-set brows and eyes in half-light, half-shadow.

He rarely looked this disheveled. Completely different from his usual daytime composure.

His bangs hung loose, his shirt unbuttoned, barely covering the lean, defined lines of his chest and abs.

But maybe the moonlight was too faint, or his features too heavy.

The moment he left the bed—which had been baked into a hazy, feverish heat by their body warmth and movements—he lifted those long lashes slightly, and he was back to being distant and indifferent. Not a trace of warmth could cling to him.

Xi Jianbai met Sui Mi’s gaze, his eyes pale and shallow. “Rest a bit longer?”

A proper, upright man who bordered on rigid. Three years of marriage, steadily maintaining a routine of once per night, two nights every weekend.

Even the post-coital questions and cleanup were so regular that Sui Mi could recite them with her eyes closed.

Sui Mi shook her head listlessly, meaning she didn’t need to rest.

So Xi Jianbai walked around to her side of the bed, bent down, and scooped her up into his arms.

His arms were solid and warm. He lifted her at an unhurried pace, providing steady support.

Still, that slight feeling of weightlessness was unavoidable.

Sui Mi instinctively reached out, looping her arms around Xi Jianbai’s neck.

Xi Jianbai paused for a fraction of a second.

Sui Mi quickly pulled her hands back, tucking them properly against her chest. Her moist, reddened lips moved, and she murmured softly.

“Sorry.”

Aside from their nighttime marital duties, Xi Jianbai didn’t seem to like overly intimate contact.

Every time Sui Mi accidentally touched him, the man would go imperceptibly stiff for an instant.

Very brief. He’d collect himself right away.

He hid it well.

It was only after they got their marriage certificate and moved in together—when Xi Jianbai wore loose loungewear at home instead of formal clothes that could hide everything—that Sui Mi discovered it by accident.

If the contact lasted a little longer, Sui Mi could even see the veins standing out on the side of his neck from how hard he was holding back.

Even in bed, Xi Jianbai only used the most traditional position.

His palms braced beside Sui Mi’s ears, avoiding full skin-to-skin contact.

It made sense.

After all, Xi Jianbai was born with a cold face. His shirts were always buttoned meticulously to the very top, and his light-colored irises only amplified that detached, desireless indifference.

From any angle, he looked like the picture of asceticism and frigidity.

Of course, Xi Jianbai always said, “No need to apologize.”

His lowered gaze fell on Sui Mi’s flushed, beautiful cheeks. It lingered for one second before he quickly dropped his eyes and looked away.

Sui Mi didn’t notice.

She was actually a little intimidated by Xi Jianbai.

Not because of his personality, temper, or the way he handled things.

Though he often seemed excessively sharp and stern at work, he never brought that working style home.

In front of Sui Mi, he was quiet and reserved but considerate and respectful. They treated each other like honored guests. He was the most qualified model husband imaginable.

That intimidation came more from the fact that she, a pampered young miss used to being lazy and carefree, naturally felt a mix of awe and avoidance toward a genius workaholic overflowing with energy.

Plus, there was a certain reason she couldn’t say out loud…

Sui Mi spaced out for a while, and then Xi Jianbai set her down into the bathtub he’d already filled with hot water.

The lighting was dim, the temperature perfect, and a faint scent of essential oil drifted through the air.

Water rippled and splashed.

Sui Mi leaned over the edge of the tub, propping up her chin as she watched Xi Jianbai’s figure disappear through the bathroom door—

Obviously going to wash up in the guest bedroom’s bathroom again.

Not a single ounce of interest in taking a bath together.

Her thick, long lashes held tiny, wet droplets as she blinked slowly.

She suddenly sighed.

That thought which had been tossing and turning in her heart gradually sharpened into focus against the backdrop of Xi Jianbai’s overly upright, rigid silhouette.

-

Sui Mi didn’t soak for long. By the time her cheeks and even the tips of her ears were coated in a damp pink, she lazily stepped out of the tub.

She used a large, soft towel to soak up every drop of water from her snow-white skin, opened the cabinet, and took out her body lotion in the pale pink bottle.

Sui Mi carefully rubbed the lotion over every inch of her skin. Only after confirming she smelled warmly sweet from head to toe did she contentedly put on her nightgown and shuffle out in her slippers.

Xi Jianbai washed up fast. By now, he’d already changed the bedding and was sitting on one side of the big bed, looking down at his phone.

Sui Mi ignored him. She yawned sleepily and flopped herself onto the mattress with a thud.

Right, Xi Jianbai didn’t seem to like the smell of her body lotion much either.

Sui Mi had noticed. Every time she applied it, Xi Jianbai would take a very light sniff, then turn his head away, lowering his long lashes, his Adam’s apple bobbing slowly as if deliberately slowing down his breathing.

But he never said anything, so Sui Mi pretended not to know.

Tasteless, rigid man.

Sui Mi puffed out her cheeks and muttered under her breath.

This was a scent she’d painstakingly picked out. Not too strong, not too cloying, just the right amount of fresh sweetness.

And it lasted. After a night’s sleep, the faint fragrance melted into her skin and hair, lingering softly, almost teasingly.

To not like this? Truly no taste!

She’d been waking up early every day this week to finish the last few watercolor pages of her picture book, so Sui Mi was actually exhausted.

She usually slept like a log. Normally she’d be out the second her head hit the pillow, but today, the moment she closed her eyes, that thought circled round and round in her mind.

Yesterday afternoon, Sui Mi had squeezed in a meetup with a friend for afternoon tea.

That was when she heard her friend chattering nonstop about the gossip of a couple in their circle—famous for being lovey-dovey—suddenly announcing their divorce.

She pressed her finger against her silver fork, poking at the white chocolate decoration on her little cake, and blurted out, “I want a divorce too.”

Her friend had talked herself dry and was taking a sip of black tea.

Hearing that, the tea caught in her throat. She covered her mouth and coughed violently, barely managing to calm down.

With tears still shining in her eyes, she put on a fierce, menacing expression.

“What do you mean? What did Xi Jianbai do to wrong you?”

Sui Mi couldn’t help laughing. “Why do you assume it’s his fault?”

Her friend said matter-of-factly, “You’re so soft-tempered you can’t even argue with people. How could it possibly be your fault?”

…Fair point.

Sui Mi nodded honestly. “It’s my problem.”

“Xi Jianbai is great. It’s just… we aren’t really a good fit.”

Where exactly they didn’t fit, Sui Mi didn’t elaborate.

Because she was too embarrassed to say it out loud.

How could she explain it?

Was she supposed to say she felt their sex life was incompatible? That Xi Jianbai’s equipment passed inspection, but the frequency and style didn’t?

Sui Mi was thin-skinned. She couldn’t bring herself to say it even to her closest friend, let alone to Xi Jianbai.

Every time she worked up the courage, she’d meet those pale, cold, impossibly solemn eyes of his, her scalp would go numb, and *gulp*—she’d swallow the words right back down.

But keeping this up wasn’t a solution.

Everyone knew that an incompatible sex life would sooner or later affect the stability of a marriage.

Sui Mi lay on her side, pressing her soft cheek against the smooth, cool silk pillowcase. She tossed and turned in her thoughts, her breathing less calm and even than usual.

Then she heard the faint rustle of fabric behind her.

Xi Jianbai shifted closer. His voice was low and slow. “Can’t sleep?”

“…”

Normally, Sui Mi had a mild, easygoing temper. She’d often hesitate for ages over what to eat for lunch or dinner.

But when it came to big decisions, once she made up her mind, she became exceptionally decisive.

She rolled over. In the dim light, she looked at Xi Jianbai beside her.

“Xi Jianbai.”

Sui Mi’s voice was soft and gentle. When she called someone’s name quietly, she unconsciously dragged out the end of the word a little, like she was acting spoiled.

Xi Jianbai’s gaze shifted slightly. “Mm?”

Sui Mi blinked, her tone as natural as if she were telling him what she wanted for breakfast tomorrow.

“What do you think about us getting a divorce?”

-

Morally bankrupt cold-faced man X soft, sweet, obedient cream puff

A story about a pair of dummy spouses—one pretending to be proper, the other pretending to be obedient—until neither of them pretends anymore.

Should be a super mega sweet sweet sweet pastry, full of clingy, ambiguous push-and-pull daily life.

Hope the wifey likes it ˙ᵕ˙ᰔ