I
n her past life, Hailey Tang had done everything she could to force Ethan Yu to love her.
Self-harm, suicide attempts, hysterics, threats—
There was no limit to the extremes she'd gone through.
Yet his heart remained cold and impenetrable, and in the process, she became more and more repulsive to herself.
This time around, she vowed she would never do any foolish thing like that again.
She would never lose her bottom line or degrade herself to that degree.
And most of all, she would never, ever do anything outrageous just for him.
But Ethan Yu was powerful, surrounded by allies and influence.
What could she possibly use to force him to sign the divorce papers?
Damn it—why hadn't he fallen in love with Lin Xin'er?
If only he had, maybe he would take the initiative to divorce her.
Hailey secretly hoped they would be together soon, but she wouldn't be the one to push them.
Because their union was the trigger that drove her to desperation in the last life.
She wouldn't be the one to create such pain.
Ethan seemed to see through her helplessness.
He released her gently, voice calm but firm.
"I told you, this is your only way to divorce me. You have to hold on."
"Why does it have to be like this?" Hailey's voice trembled with pain. "Even if you want me to learn something, it doesn't have to be like this. Why can't I just go back to school?"
Ethan's lips pressed into a thin line.
"Do you even realize how terrible you are right now?"
Hailey looked down, speechless.
"Since this is your talent, you should seize it."
He meant that even if she went back to university, it would just be a few wasted years.
Once she graduated, she'd still be useless.
Only here, under pressure and his guidance, could she grow fast.
No matter how painful or difficult.
Hailey stared at him, then suddenly smiled bitterly.
"It's strange. Sometimes, I almost feel like you're doing all this for my own good."
Ethan's eyes flickered.
"I guess you could say it's for your own good. After all, we're married."
"But all I want is to get away from you. Sometimes what you think is good for me isn't what I want."
"But you don't have a choice."
Ethan turned and tossed a thick stack of documents onto the table.
"Read these carefully. After that, you'll know what to do. Remember, if you don't understand, ask."
Hailey lowered her eyes, unsure how to respond.
Then Ethan stepped closer, his breath warm and low against her ear.
"Honestly, you don't have to struggle so hard… as my wife, you wouldn't have to endure any of this."
Her lashes fluttered involuntarily.
"As your wife, I've already…" she stopped herself, not wanting to say it out loud.
She had endured every kind of pain already.
But this time, she would rather suffer a little more than remain his wife.
Taking a deep breath, she nodded slowly.
"Fine. I'll keep going. But I don't want to work with Lin Xin'er."
Just seeing her put Hailey in a bad mood.
And Lin Xin'er always made things difficult but left no room to complain.
Like this time—she said she'd guide her through design, but never actually helped, only told her to draw blueprints.
Then scolded her mercilessly.
Saying it wasn't on purpose… no fool would believe that.
Ethan saw the unspoken frustration in her eyes and stood tall.
"Lin Xin'er is only 22, but she's already a silver-level designer for the Dongfang Group. She has both talent and diligence. Learning from her will help you improve."
"She tells me nothing and just orders me to draw blueprints," Hailey sneered. "What do you think she's going to teach me?"
Ethan's expression darkened slightly.
"You have to be patient. She's tough but fair. If you listen carefully, you'll gain a lot."
Hailey's eyes burned with resentment.
"Maybe I'm just not cut out for this. No matter how much I try, it's never enough."
Ethan crossed his arms, unyielding.
"You underestimate yourself. You've just never pushed hard enough."
Hailey's heart twisted.
Was it really that simple?
Could she really force herself to become someone she hated, just to get a piece of paper?
She looked at the designs she had painstakingly sketched, then back at the mountain of technical documents he had thrown at her.
Was this hell really her only escape?
She clenched her fists.
"No," she whispered to herself. "I'll find another way. I have to."
Because if she kept going down this road—becoming a shadow of herself—what hope was there left?
Ethan stepped back, giving her space, his voice softer but still firm.
"This is the only way to save yourself."
Hailey's eyes glistened, but she looked away.
She wasn't ready to accept that yet.
The room was silent except for the soft rustling of papers.
Outside, the city lights flickered, indifferent to their struggle.
Two souls trapped in a game neither fully understood.
And somewhere beneath all the bitterness, a fragile thread of hope quietly trembled.