Jiang Mian was gentle and quiet, the least noticeable child in the Jiang family.
On her twentieth birthday, her father used her as a bargaining chip in an arranged marriage, promising her to Pei Jinhan, the heir to a wealthy venture capital group.
Pei Jinhan was ruthless and arrogant, notorious for his terrible temper and the fact that he was not to be crossed.
Just hearing the rumors was enough to make Jiang Mian afraid to look up at her fiancé.
*
At twenty, a young woman is at the age when she's naive and rebellious.
Jiang Mian moved into Pei Jinhan's home, and she and Pei Jinhan fulfilled their marital obligations.
Her husband really did have a terrible temper.
Although he came home almost every night, whenever he saw Jiang Mian, he would frown and act as if he didn't want to talk to her.
Jiang Mian knew better than to bother him, and never approached him first.
She was secretly relieved that Pei Jinhan wouldn't cause her trouble, and that life with him could be more peaceful than it had been at home.
But unexpected events always ruin plans.
A month later, Jiang Mian stared at the two lines on a pregnancy test and hid in the spare bedroom, crying softly.
Her husband, who had married her for an alliance, didn't like her. She didn't dare tell anyone.
After much hesitation, Jiang Mian secretly collected the contact information of several unlicensed abortion clinics.
*
Pei Jinhan had married a woman eight years younger than himself.
His wife was timid. She kept her head down whenever they met and didn't want to be alone with him.
But on the first night she moved into his home, she gazed up at him with doll-like eyes and said timidly, "Mr. Pei, I think... you must have accepted that we're husband and wife."
Yes, they were husband and wife.
His wife was still young, and Pei Jinhan often had to be considerate and restrain himself around her.
He thought he'd gotten much better at keeping his temper in check, and tried to fit into the world of young people.
But he could never understand what was going on in Jiang Mian's head.
The housekeeper at his private villa cooked according to the employer's tastes, but after the food was ready, Jiang Mian wouldn't even look at it. She'd hide in the kitchen and eat instant noodles.
The day they left the marriage registry, Pei Jinhan transferred a large sum of money to Jiang Mian. Even so, she walked several kilometers to rent a bike just to save the taxi fare.
Jiang Mian liked walking barefoot, so Pei Jinhan had carpets laid throughout the house. Then Jiang Mian started carefully lifting the carpets to walk barefoot on the floor underneath.
Pei Jinhan wanted to say something, but stopped himself.
In the end, he only frowned, sighed, and told Jiang Mian she didn't need to be so reserved at home.
He was afraid that if he spoke too sternly or sounded unkind, she would be too scared to come home.
He thought that once they had been married for a while, Jiang Mian would gradually get used to having him around and accept him.
But before the happy days he had imagined could arrive, a message that hadn't been automatically blocked appeared on Jiang Mian's phone:
"Hello, Ms. Jiang. An abortion can be hard on your body, so we recommend that you have the procedure as soon as possible. Don't worry, it will be over quickly. The earlier you have it done, the less harm it will do to your body."
Pei Jinhan's grip on the phone tightened and tightened.
He was trembling with rage, but still didn't dare to give Jiang Mian a cold look.
He gave her expensive jewelry, luxury cars, and a mansion, and promised that she could manage all the household finances from then on.
He offered her every sign of sincerity he could think of, never imagining that Jiang Mian would react like a rabbit overwhelmed by kindness.
The moment he let his guard down, she vanished from Pei Jinhan's world completely.
Pei Jinhan really was ruthless, with an exceptionally bad temper.
But in front of the wife he had chosen himself, he sheathed his claws.
He brought Jiang Mian back to his villa.
Then, with an arm around her waist, he cornered her and gently kissed the back of her hand, softly soothing the obedient young woman in his arms:
"No man would marry a woman he didn't love, especially a man who has made it to my position."
"If you don't eat the housekeeper's cooking, take the car with a driver, or walk on the carpets at home because you don't want to trouble anyone, then I'll take care of you myself from now on."
Theme: Cherish the person in front of you
Did the copywriting mean that the child was beaten?
Has the male protagonist already had a crush on the female protagonist?