In my previous life, I was cannon fodder, serving as a foil to Hugh Pei's deep love for another woman. In the end, my family was torn apart, and I met a miserable end.
After my rebirth, I figured the easiest way was to slack off—ignore everything and wait for Hugh Pei to file for divorce.
But things felt off. Why was this man, who'd barely come home once a month in my past life, now showing up every so often? And he was even worried I might cheat on him.
"Do you believe that one day soon, you'll wish I'd disappear?" I asked.
"Dream on," he replied. "We'll torture each other till the end."
I sighed. As someone who'd been reborn, I was certain Hugh Pei would soon meet his true love.
Finally, they crossed paths. I thought freedom was just within reach.
But then he glanced at me, coolly asking, "Who said I want a divorce?"
Not only did he refuse to divorce me—he grew more and more interested in me. He even cast aside his true love!
（The following text）
The streets of City A hummed with traffic.
I'd been sitting in a café called "Meet" for two hours. In the corner, facing the counter, a young girl in a sky-blue apron bustled about, making drinks.
She stood around 1.6 meters tall, weighing no more than 45 kilograms—pale, slender, and always smiling. Her thick black hair was tied in a high ponytail, and her crescent-shaped eyes lit up when she grinned, making her smile contagious.
"Ma'am, would you like a refill?" She approached, her smile bright.
I snapped out of my daze. I'd been staring at her, transfixed. Good thing I was a woman—otherwise, I might've been mistaken for a creep.
"Sure, another black coffee," I said softly, forcing a polite smile.
Soon, she set a bitter black coffee in front of me. Instead of leaving, she hesitated, then gently butted in. "Ma'am, you've had two cups already. It's energizing, but too much isn't good for you. How about… coming back another time?"
She was kind and outgoing, her voice as clear as wind chimes—ding-dong, pleasant to the ear.
I glanced at the coffee, grabbed my bag, and stood. "All right, I'll settle the bill."
She lit up at my compliance, rushing to ring me up. "Your total is 87 yuan, ma'am. Cash or mobile pay?"
I paid silently and hurried out of the café.
"Ma'am," Leo Li greeted me respectfully, opening the car door as I stepped out.
"Home," I said, smiling.
The car glided forward. I closed my eyes in the back seat, but the girl from the café kept popping into my mind—her young, radiant face.
Was she the one? The girl who'd make Hugh Pei sever ties with his family, pay a fortune to divorce me in a year?
I never thought the first thing I'd do after rebirth would be to track down her workplace and observe her like a silent observer.
I was just curious—what kind of girl had stolen the man I'd loved for ten years?
In my past life, I'd never even met her. I only knew her name and a few photos. Hugh Pei guarded her like a treasure. I'd lost everything, yet my rival had never even shown her face.
Young, beautiful, pure, kind, cheerful—all these lovely words fit her.
Her only flaw? No family background, and a status worlds away from Hugh Pei's.
Leo Li spoke up suddenly. "Ma'am, today is your wedding anniversary with Mr. Pei."
I slowly opened my eyes, momentarily dazed.
This was my fifth year married to Hugh Pei. Every anniversary, I'd spend the whole day prepping candlelit dinners and gifts.
That year, I was 27, he 29.
"I know," I said, rubbing my throbbing temples. "No need to remind me."
Maybe Leo Li had noticed I was different from past years.
But why did I have to give? Why did I have to love that man? I'd wondered that before I died in my past life. Because of Hugh Pei, my family had crumbled, and I'd met a tragic end.
Lost in thought, I barely noticed the car stopping at Hugh Pei's and my home—a wedding gift from our parents. A manor villa, over a thousand square meters, opulent beyond measure.
To my surprise, Hugh Pei's car was parked outside. He was home.
My emotions tangled. Having died once, what expression should I wear when facing the man who'd ruined me, now that I was reborn?
I'd thought I'd hate him. For another woman, he'd driven his wife—who'd shared his bed for five years—to despair. He'd even killed my parents, who'd treated him like their own son. My family had been destroyed by his hands.
But seeing him again, the hatred wasn't as sharp. Instead, there was a strange relief.
In my past life, Hugh Pei had offered a peaceful divorce, with enough Pei Group shares to let me live in luxury forever. But I'd refused. I'd loved him for ten years, yet another woman had made him fall in love in a year—enough to turn him against everyone.
So I'd fought to win him back, step by step, until we were enemies, until it came to life or death.
Now, none of that had happened yet. Instead of hating, I wanted to change the fate I'd brought on myself.
"What are you standing there for?" Hugh Pei sat in the living room, one long leg crossed over the other. The cigarette between his fingers had burned down; he crushed it into the ashtray smoothly, then looked up at me, his eyes as calm as ever.
On our wedding day, he'd told me plainly: we were just partners, long-term roommates. He felt nothing for me.
"Nothing. I just didn't expect you to be home." I bent to change into slippers—Hermès, elephant gray, simple design, muted color. Comfortable, but nothing special.
I thought of the girl in the blue apron, with a little red flower sticker on hers—no one else had one.
By comparison, all my clothes were expensive but drab—unfailingly plain, unchangingly dull.
Suddenly repulsed by the slippers, I tossed them aside and walked barefoot into the living room.
Hugh Pei frowned slightly when he saw me, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "No shoes?"
"Don't feel like wearing them, so I won't." I sat across from him, voice steady.
"Odd. What's gotten into you?" Hugh Pei actually laughed, his tone light.
Your future soulmate, I thought.
I stared at my pale feet, dry from being too thin.
Lila Wei was different. Thin, but with firm, supple skin—not like me, just skin and bones.
Five years of a lonely marriage had wrecked my health. I'd lost interest in eating, grown thinner and thinner, looking more and more like a "White Bone Demon" (as I ly called my gaunt, haggard self).
"Hugh Pei."
"Hmm?" He didn't look up from his phone.
He wore a black shirt and trousers, high-quality fabric. His lean frame, perfect proportions, smooth jawline, and sharp, deep features—he was the dream of millions of girls.
I tore my gaze from my feet, fixed on him. My voice was hoarse. "Let's get a divorce."
As soon as the words left my mouth, I heard his sneer.
He tossed his phone onto the sofa, fixing me with that familiar cold stare. "Zoe Xu, what are you playing at?"