The Battlefield Between Ji Ningxue and Gu Lingfei

The next morning.

Ji Ningxue woke up early. Having held the position of CEO at the Ji Group for so long, her biological clock was practically set in stone.

Even though she had been up until the early hours last night, she still rose right on schedule.

"Ha... Haaah—"

Half-leaning against the headboard, Ji Ningxue stretched lazily, the blanket slipping off her shoulders to reveal delicate collarbones and a figure that was half-hidden, half-exposed. Her eyes were still drowsy, her hair slightly tousled, and her soft pink lips looked irresistibly plump.

She lowered her gaze, glancing at Jiang Che, who was still sound asleep beside her, her eyes filled with tenderness.

Unlike Ye Mengyao and Qin Qiaoqiao—girls who would wake up startled, covering their mouths in shock—Ji Ningxue was already a mature woman, fully capable of controlling her emotions.

"Mmm~ Feels pretty good!"

She rolled her shoulders, her entire demeanor exuding languid satisfaction.

Then, abruptly, she thought of Xiao Chen.

To be honest, she felt a twinge of pity for him.

Though Xiao Chen was utterly useless, at least he had never wronged her. Aside from shamelessly fawning over her, he hadn’t committed any particularly egregious sins—yet she had gone and planted a bright green hat right on his head!

And last night, when Xiao Chen called, she had even cruelly humiliated him in a fit of anger.

But she couldn’t take all the blame for that! If anyone was at fault… it was Jiang Che. She hadn’t even planned to answer the call—it was all because of his twisted sense of humor!

Ugh, she had finally seen Jiang Che for who he really was!

At first, she had mistaken him for some adorable little brother, but it turned out he was just a wolf in sheep’s clothing!

At the same time, she recalled the joke Jiang Che had made last night.

"Five kids, all pure and innocent?"

Could she really have five children? After all… they hadn’t taken any precautions last night!

Ji Ningxue was in high spirits. Her biggest flaw—her age—had been remedied by the Youth Preservation Pill, leaving Xiao Chen as the only stain on her life.

Right now, what she wanted most was to divorce him.

"Hey, Ningning-jie, what’s on your mind?"

At some point, Jiang Che had woken up too, waving a hand in front of her face.

"Nothing much. I was just thinking about when to divorce Xiao Chen."

Her big-sister instincts kicked in as she pulled Jiang Che into her arms. This was the difference between a mature woman and a young girl—while the latter would cling and pout, the former would cradle you and spoil you.

"Divorce? Didn’t you already do that?" Jiang Che asked, puzzled.

"Not yet. I had the divorce papers ready and shoved them in Xiao Chen’s face, but he faked a bloody fit and dodged the bullet. That leech just won’t let go of me—it’s so annoying. Getting him to sign won’t be easy. I might have to petition the court for a forced divorce."

Jiang Che’s eyes darkened slightly. If Xiao Chen found out he had already claimed Ji Ningxue, would he literally cough up blood and die?

Hah… now that he thought about it, that might actually happen!

For a protagonist like Xiao Chen—the kind who thrived on being a live-in son-in-law—his wife was the central pillar of his story. Every boast, every plot twist, revolved around her.

But now that Jiang Che had snatched her away, the guy might just drop dead from sheer rage!

"Heh, Ningning-jie, I’ll go make you some congee to replenish your energy. From now on, just say the word, and this master chef will be at your service."

"Tch, such a smooth talker." Ji Ningxue rolled her eyes at him.

Right now, she was like a flower in full bloom, breathtakingly beautiful—especially with that alluring charm… something Jiang Che had never seen in any of the other girls.

After all, as some philosopher once said, a woman was like fine wine, growing richer and more intoxicating with age, reaching her peak at thirty.

......

For the next several days, Jiang Che and Ji Ningxue remained inseparable.

Mostly because Ji Ningxue had truly tasted the forbidden fruit and couldn’t get enough. If Jiang Che weren’t a man of exceptional stamina, he would’ve collapsed long ago.

Of course, once he returned from Ji Ningxue’s side, he was inevitably met with Yu Wan’er’s disgusted scowl.

That little gremlin had a nose like a bloodhound—she could sniff out even the faintest trace of infidelity.

"Ugh, you pervert! Stay away from me! You’re not touching me for the next seven days—you’re filthy!" Yu Wan’er kicked Jiang Che away with her bare feet.

The revulsion in her eyes was unmistakable.

"Wan’er, quit complaining. School starts in three days—do you really want to miss your opening ceremony?" Qin Qiaoqiao quickly pulled Yu Wan’er back.

Beside her, Ye Mengyao wisely covered Yu Wan’er’s mouth.

After all, they were sisters in suffering. If Yu Wan’er provoked Jiang Che, they’d inevitably get dragged into the mess too—and misery loved company!

Jiang Che glanced at the calendar and smirked.

This Yu Wan’er… she was born to be a brat. College might not have started yet, but elementary school was about to be in session!

...

"Xiao Che, you really got together with Ningning?" Gu Lingfei’s mouth fell open in shock.

"Yep. Fast, right? Two weeks, and Ji Ningxue was mine."

"Wait, let me process this. What about her husband? Does he know about you two?" Gu Lingfei’s eyes sparkled with gossipy delight.

After all, nothing was more entertaining than juicy drama—especially when it didn’t involve you!

"Ji Ningxue’s divorcing Xiao Chen. It’ll all come out sooner or later."

Gu Lingfei blinked, then immediately called Ji Ningxue right in front of Jiang Che.

"Ningning, I heard you’re divorcing Xiao Chen?"

Ji Ningxue froze on the other end. How had the news reached Gu Lingfei already?

"Uh… yeah, I am."

Her mind flashed back to the first time she met Jiang Che—back then, he had been Gu Lingfei’s fake boyfriend.

Wait… fake boyfriend?

Ji Ningxue’s heart skipped a beat. How had she forgotten about that?

She hadn’t known Jiang Che for long before he sweet-talked his way into her bed. Now that she thought about it, there were way too many red flags.

"Lingfei, I just remembered something. That little brother you brought to the reunion… he was just a stand-in, right?"

Ji Ningxue’s voice wavered slightly.

She had assumed Jiang Che was just a temporary prop for Gu Lingfei, but now that she knew him better—knew he was a top-tier playboy hiding behind an innocent facade—what if there was more between him and Gu Lingfei?

Would that make her… the other woman?

Gu Lingfei was one of her few close friends. She couldn’t bear the thought of betraying her like that!