In the two years since their wedding, Shen Wei and Gu Jingxing had eaten at the same table exactly zero times.
She was the legitimate wife granted to him in marriage by the late emperor, yet in the Gu household she was little more than an invisible ornament. Confined to a small courtyard, left with cold meals and a cold stove, she was nearly frozen to death. Then a marriage ledger appeared, visible only to her...
[Remaining lifespan: 30 days]
[Today's task: Have dinner at the same table as your husband, Gu Jingxing. Success: +3 days. Failure: -5 days.]
Shen Wei steeled herself. Not for love, but to stay alive. She was going to have this meal.
So she left the small courtyard where she'd been confined for half a year and took a seat in the dining hall, where no meal had ever been served. The whole household stared, the second branch sneered, and even Gu Jingxing frowned and asked, "What are you doing here?"
She kept a straight face. "Having a meal."
One meal added three days to her life. One bowl of medicine earned her a glance from him. One fall into the water left him standing before her, soaked to the skin, a crack appearing in his eyes for the first time.
Shen Wei thought she was just working a high-risk job. Who knew her favorability would skyrocket, unlocking the wish pouch shop and fragments of foresight, while even Gu Jingxing, who had always been as cold as ice, began coming home for dinner on time every day?
Until one day, he pinned her against the bookshelves. His eyes were frighteningly dark, his voice hoarse.
"Shen Wei, are you getting close to me because of the marriage ledger, or because of me?"
She opened her mouth, then suddenly realized she couldn't answer the question herself.
