After Becoming a Substitute Bride, I Made the Coldhearted Powerful Official Beg for a Divorce

Synopsis The day I transmigrated into the body of a concubine-born daughter, my stepmother ordered me to marry in my younger sister’s place. My groom was Huo Hanting. Rumor had it he’d killed three wives, was vicious and bloodthirsty, and no one survived longer than three months with him. On our wedding night, he threw me into the woodshed to die. Great. In my previous life, I was an animal trainer. I knew exactly how to handle vicious dogs. Step one: establish a safe distance. He roared, and I offered him tea. He smashed things, and I kept a tally. He gave me the silent treatment, and I had hot pot. Step two: identify his emotional triggers. Rainy days made him frantic, so I went to his study and read aloud. He went from smashing things to quietly listening to an entire travelogue. Step three: positive reinforcement. When he spoke nicely, I rewarded him with osmanthus cakes. When he stood up for me, I gazed at him in adoration. Every day, he began waiting by the entrance to my courtyard, like a big dog hoping to get petted. Eventually, he learned to smile. He learned to take my side. He learned to cling to my hand and sleep with me on rainy nights. I thought my job was done. But on the day I planned to leave after completing my task, he secretly read my training journal. “Initial behavioral correction: estimated completion in six months.” His eyes were rimmed with red, and his voice shook. “Lin Wantang, were you training me?” “I’m done training you.” “Then what am I to you, really?” I opened my mouth. He turned and walked away. Three months later, I opened a shop helping people settle their disputes. He knelt at the door, gaunt and haggard. Gripping the hem of my skirt, he was so hoarse I could barely make out his words: “You finished training me and just ran off?” “My task was complete.” He put a knife in my hand. “Then stab me. If you do, will you stay?” “Or hire me.” “Hire me for the rest of my life.” “Will you?”