Ex-Wife

A cool, well-mannered young lady

"Don't you dare!"

"I'll kill you, Xing Yue!"

"From now on, I'm a widow, not a divorcée! I want you dead!"

That was the last exchange between the two wives. Ten years ago, Xing Yue had asked for a divorce. She was calm and distant, her mind made up. No matter how the Bu Family, foremost among four generations of high society, threatened her, Xing Yue signed the divorce papers.

There was only one reason: she couldn't stand Bu Yao anymore.

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The palace, with its carved balustrades and jade steps, reeked of money. Every Roman column was studded with emeralds, while lavish black-and-gold floor tiles were trampled underfoot without a second thought.

It suited the Bo Family perfectly: wealth, extravagance, and indulgence.

"It's my engagement party tonight. Don't tell me you came empty-handed." A blue-green snake tail coiled around a vine, its tip idly catching at the leaves. Its owner asked for a gift without the slightest embarrassment.

Snakes generally kept their tails hidden in front of others except during mating, unless they were with someone close.

Bo Wuxue hung upside down from the tree and poked the woman on the swing with her tail.

Even viewed from such an awkward angle, Xing Yue's beauty was flawless—

Tonight, Xing Yue wore a pure-black, figure-hugging dress. A delicate belt with a vintage metal buckle cinched her waist, and rimless glasses rested on her nose. An air of gentle elegance surrounded her.

Her thick waves were loosely tied into a low ponytail. Beneath the dress were sheer black stockings and mid-calf boots. At a glance, she seemed to be all legs—and she truly had the legs to deserve it.

Xing Yue was beautiful. Mature, wife-like beauty.

Compared with the guests attending tonight's party, she was dressed with remarkable restraint.

"Until I'm sure you're happy with this marriage, you won't get so much as a leaf from me." Xing Yue refused outright. The wedding gift she had prepared for her dear friend carried a wish that the couple would grow old together.

For a loveless marriage arranged between families, that blessing would sound more like a curse. Better not to give it at all.

Xing Yue pushed off with her toes, setting the swing in motion.

Bo Wuxue had little notion of marriage. For generations, her family's elders had arranged such matters for them. "Oh. Is marrying for love fun?"

She sounded curious.

As she recalled, Xing Yue was the only one among her close friends whose marriage hadn't been arranged by her parents.

Asked so suddenly, Xing Yue fell silent. She couldn't come up with an answer.

Ten years ago, she had accidentally picked up Miss Bu's shed snakeskin, and the Bu Family had promptly proposed marriage.

Xing Yue had just reached marriageable age, and her family had been pressing her to marry. The Bu Family's reputation was renowned in business and politics, and their daughter was delicate and lovely.

In that moment, Xing Yue had been captivated by Miss Bu's beauty. The two families arranged a whirlwind marriage.

Less than a year later, their arguments had grown fiercer and fiercer. Bu Yao gave full rein to her spoiled temper. She forbade Xing Yue from going out after eight at night, demanded that she come whenever called, reply to messages instantly, and pick up the phone at once. She even had to control what color socks Xing Yue wore.

If anything displeased her, she argued until Xing Yue lowered her head and apologized.

The marriage had become too unhealthy. During their final argument, Bu Yao had blindsided Xing Yue by saying, "Two little female snakes can't be together."

Xing Yue hadn't wanted to stay married. She had never been happy. Apart from that first flutter of attraction when they met, she didn't like Bu Yao one bit.

Even on the day Xing Yue left, Bu Yao had been overbearing and spoiled, shouting that she wanted Xing Yue dead, that she would kill her...

Xing Yue had married for love, yet she seemed to have fared worse than those in arranged marriages. Most of those couples at least treated each other with respect. Her ex-wife had trampled on her dignity every day.

Bo Wuxue suddenly remembered that her father and Bu Yao's father were close friends. With such a grand celebration tonight, Bu Yao had probably come too.

"Want to go see your wife?" She descended from the tree, her tail turning into legs when she landed. Her full princess-style skirt crowded Xing Yue. "Dad says Miss Bu qualified as a lawyer. She's impressive. Apparently she doesn't have quite the temper she used to, though she doesn't talk much anymore."

Xing Yue didn't need to hear it from Uncle Bo. She had never deliberately asked about Bu Yao, but other people talked about her so often that it was impossible not to know.

In recent years, Bu Yao had become a prominent figure in legal and social circles. When Xing Yue learned that Bu Yao had a particular interest in same-sex divorce cases, she had grown even more uneasy...

"No." Xing Yue refused flatly. "We haven't seen each other in ten years since the divorce. What would be the point now? To admire how pretty she is? Feast my eyes?"

It didn't take long for Xing Yue to make a liar of herself.

She had dismissed the idea three minutes earlier, but as soon as she entered the ballroom, her gaze locked onto a figure in red.

Bu Yao had changed a great deal in recent years. In the early days, magazines had often called her spoiled, hot-tempered, and arrogant.

Now their descriptions had changed completely: gifted law graduate, champion of same-sex marriage law, cool beauty. Some even called her a flash of red against snow on a high mountain, a red camellia blooming on an icy peak.

Xing Yue had thought outsiders were exaggerating. She hadn't expected Bu Yao to have changed so much...

Her makeup was as understated as plain water, yet she outshone everyone around her. At twenty-eight, she still looked as fresh and tender as the innermost petal of a flower.

She wore a conventional crescent-white qipao, as unadorned as could be. She had even pinned up and tucked away her sunset-red hair, but she still drew every eye.

Bu Yao listened as her father chatted amiably with others, occasionally giving a polite nod to someone who approached her. Not a trace remained of the headstrong, fiery woman she had once been...

Xing Yue watched quietly from the shadows, having chosen a dim corner on purpose. The wine in her mouth seemed to have lost its flavor, while Bu Yao grew more captivating the longer she looked.

A cool, well-mannered young lady.

She couldn't help remembering what Bu Yao was like in bed... They really were two extremes.

As Xing Yue lingered on that memory, a searing gaze swept toward her.

She met Bu Yao's eyes without warning. There was none of the fury Xing Yue had expected, no loss of composure, no rush toward her. Bu Yao stayed seated, slender fingers resting on her knees, and gave her the faintest smile...

That greeting, so accepting and yet so unfamiliar, made Xing Yue feel as though a lifetime had passed. For some reason, she even found herself missing the possessive Miss Bu of the past.

I must be out of my mind.

Amused by herself, Xing Yue turned and disappeared into the crowd.

The palace belonged to the Bo Family. Xing Yue and Bo Wuxue had grown up together, and Xing Yue could come and go freely. She knew the building's layout well enough to find her way with her eyes closed.

She didn't see Bo Wuxue on the first floor, so she went upstairs, intending to drag her friend over to greet the other guest of honor at tonight's engagement party.

Something soft and yielding suddenly wrapped around her ankle. Thinking it was Bo Wuxue, Xing Yue nudged it with her boot. "If your fiancée catches you doing this, little sister, won't she be jealous?"

Only after she spoke did the heat reach her, spreading over her skin in waves. It was scorching...

Xing Yue froze. This wasn't Bo Wuxue. The Bo Family were Bluestone Snakes, and their body temperature was cool. Only a Fire Snake could be this hot!!!