Striving for the Lead in the Chase Only to End Up with Nothing

The sun had already set, its afterglow staining half the sky crimson.

Su Cheng held a peony wrapped in newspaper in one hand, medicine in the other, and a stack of seven or eight workbooks tucked under his arm. Since someone was home, he knocked on the door.

"Knock, knock, knock—"

In less than ten seconds, light, melodious footsteps sounded from inside, and the door swung open to reveal a porcelain-doll-like face of exquisite beauty—though her sapphire-blue eyes seemed dull and lifeless.

"You're back."

Her golden hair, bathed in the evening light, seemed to radiate the intense dissatisfaction brewing in her heart.

Seeing her despondent expression, Su Cheng sighed inwardly. He knew this was likely because of his earlier inquiries about the Ji Family.

She had repeatedly warned him not to join any clubs—probably because she knew about his engagement to Ji Qingyi.

As his self-proclaimed future wife, she must have taken it to heart.

Cornelia glanced down and noticed the items in his hands. A trace of warmth flickered across her stiff expression as she hurriedly took them from him.

Her unfocused eyes studied him carefully before she asked, "Did you buy this medicine?"

"No, it was provided by the Ji Family." Su Cheng lifted the medicine slightly as he explained. "And after taking it, I’ve felt noticeably better."

A heavy silence followed his words.

Cornelia simply stared at the medicine, saying nothing.

Su Cheng understood—in that silence, her heart was filled with resentment and anger.

"As long as you're feeling better, that's all that matters," she finally said, picking up the workbooks and turning toward the living room, placing them on the coffee table as if nothing had happened.

After changing his shoes, Su Cheng followed her into the living room and was immediately drawn to the table, where a light, health-conscious meal had been prepared—clearly for his sake.

The thought made him uneasy. He had broken his promise, and now she was upset.

"Go wash up, then we'll eat," Cornelia instructed casually as she walked to the rice cooker.

"Mm." Su Cheng nodded. After freshening up, he returned to help, though there wasn’t much for him to do. He stood quietly, watching as Cornelia deftly served him rice and dishes.

The meal passed in near silence.

It was worth noting—the food tasted good.

When it came time to wash the dishes, he offered to help, but Cornelia refused. So he retreated to the couch in the living room to rest.

Clearly, she was still displeased.

About ten minutes later, Cornelia joined him on the couch, her golden hair dulled by her mood. She poured herself a glass of cold water and took a large gulp.

"The Ji Family reached out to me first," Su Cheng said, watching her drink. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to lay everything out. "They’re not just funding the orphanage—they’re also covering my medical treatment. I’ve already agreed."

At this, Cornelia’s body stiffened slightly before she turned to him with a complicated gaze.

She hadn’t expected things to spiral so far from what she’d anticipated—leaving her unprepared.

Originally, the Ji Family’s support for the orphanage was part of the plan after Su Cheng became an archery champion. Who knew it would happen so much sooner?

But she quickly composed herself and said softly, "I see. I just regret that, as your wife, I don’t have the means to help you or contribute to the orphanage."

Su Cheng immediately shook his head. "No, you’ve done more than enough."

Cornelia bit her lip, studying him with a puzzled expression. "Why would the Ji Family offer to support you? Did they recognize your potential in archery?"

"Archery potential?!" Su Cheng blinked, then pointed at himself. "You mean I have talent in archery?"

"Yes. In the future, you’ll become a champion." Though slightly confused by his reaction, Cornelia saw no reason to hide it now and nodded firmly.

Su Cheng was stunned. He had never even tried the sport—how could he have potential?

Yet Cornelia sounded so certain. Was it really possible?

A future champion?

Seriously?!

Wait—no.

Su Cheng suddenly realized a critical oversight—

She didn’t seem to know about their marriage arrangement.

"Uh… you don’t know about my connection to the Ji Family?" he ventured cautiously.

Cornelia blinked in confusion. "Should I know something?"

She didn’t understand why he’d ask such a thing.

As far as she was concerned, the only link between him and the Ji Family was archery.

"Well…" Su Cheng hesitated. How could she not know something so important?

It was a marriage contract.

She called herself his wife, yet she was completely unaware?

Baffled, he pressed, "You really don’t know?"

"Isn’t it because of your talent?" Cornelia countered, her beautiful blue eyes filled with bewilderment.

Su Cheng rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

He was now certain—Cornelia truly had no idea about the marriage contract.

Most likely, the "him" from this parallel world had deliberately kept it from her.

No wonder she hadn’t even known about his heart condition before. It seemed "he" had hidden many things from her.

"What exactly is going on between you and the Ji Family?" Cornelia asked, her expression growing uneasy.

Su Cheng faced a choice: to tell or not to tell?

He cleared his throat and finally spoke. "It’s a long story, so I’ll keep it short. Basically, my grandfather and the head of the Ji Family arranged a marriage—with Ji Qingyi."

He chose honesty. He preferred telling the truth, and besides, he needed information from Cornelia. Transparency was the best approach.

"Marriage contract?!" Cornelia shot to her feet, her eyes wide with shock. "You and Ji Qingyi?"

"Yeah," Su Cheng confirmed.

"This…" She sank back onto the couch, her face still etched with disbelief as she muttered, "What in the world is happening?"

Su Cheng and Ji Qingyi—married? How was that possible? The world had gone mad!

"Wait!" Cornelia stood again, urgency in her voice. "Did you sign the contract?"

Su Cheng nodded.

The agreement was as good as a marriage contract—he had consented.

"What does she want from you?" Cornelia pressed, her tone sharper now.

Su Cheng gave a wry smile. "She had me sign a contract. The terms were simple—I join the Archery Club so she can evaluate whether I’m fit to be the Ji Family’s son-in-law."

"What?!" Cornelia’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. "Why would you agree to that?"

Su Cheng hesitated for a moment before explaining, "Don’t worry, she wouldn’t be interested in me. This is just a formality—I only need to play along, and in the end, we’ll go our separate ways."

"Who said that?!"

Cornelia’s heart was in turmoil. In the past, there had been rumors on campus about Ji Qingyi and Su Cheng’s ambiguous relationship—no matter what, their connection was anything but ordinary.

However, everyone believed the two of them were impossible, and she naturally thought so too, given the difference in their statuses.

But now, there was an engagement agreement?

And it was approved by the head of the Ji Family.

She knew exactly how remarkable Su Cheng would become in the future.

"We… we…" Cornelia gasped for breath, tears welling up in her eyes. She looked utterly lost and distraught as she collapsed onto the sofa, murmuring dazedly, "Why didn’t you tell me first… I…"

Seeing Cornelia react like this, Su Cheng’s heart clenched. Recalling her earlier mention of her archery talent, a bold suspicion began forming in his mind.

Could it be that, in the future, Ji Qingyi actually had feelings for him?

Otherwise, how could he explain Cornelia’s reaction?

The thought left Su Cheng’s mind in chaos. For a moment, he didn’t know how to respond. Though filled with doubt, he didn’t dare say anything reckless that might upset Cornelia further. He could only remain silent, waiting quietly for her to calm down.

But what he didn’t realize was that Cornelia couldn’t possibly calm down now—her emotions were too turbulent, because she felt utterly abandoned.

Su Cheng had cast aside his devoted wife!

Now, her grief and resentment transformed into a seething fury, making her almost hysterical, even somewhat frightening.

She had been given a second chance at life, a dreamlike opportunity for happiness.

So why… had it come to this?!

How had she gone from being the rightful wife to the other woman?

The pain was unbearable.

"Something this important—why didn’t you discuss it with me?!" Cornelia lifted her head, her eyes burning with rage as she glared at Su Cheng, her reddened eyes on the verge of tears. "It was me… I was the one who came first…"