Could he be possessed?

Gu Wenze got out of the car and saw a large dent in the Audi's hood.

His brows knitted tightly, his expression grave, as Qiao Hua's thoughts involuntarily resurfaced in his mind.

Qiao Hua had actually been right.

What was going on with that woman?

Just then, Gu Wenze's phone rang. It was Jiang Nan.

Jiang Nan sounded weak, as though she were seriously ill. "Wenze, are you here yet?"

Gu Wenze composed himself and said in a low voice, "Not yet. I had a minor accident on the way, so I've been delayed."

"An accident?" Jiang Nan's heart leaped into her throat. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Just a little bump, but the car needs repairs. I probably won't be able to come over tonight."

On the other end, Jiang Nan tightened her grip on her phone and forced a stiff smile. "As long as you're all right. Don't worry about me."

"I'm sorry, Wenze. If I hadn't asked you to come over, you wouldn't have had an accident."

Gu Wenze softened his tone. "It wasn't your fault. It was just an accident."

His thoughts drifted, an almost imperceptible shadow clouding his deep, dark eyes.

But how had Qiao Hua known so much about his accident?

Had she sent someone to crash into his car?

Considering how fiercely Qiao Hua had tried to stop him from seeing Jiang Nan before, something like this wouldn't be surprising.

After reassuring Jiang Nan a little more, Gu Wenze hung up. By then, the Santana's driver had gotten out. The sight of the Porsche emblem nearly scared him out of his wits, and he apologized over and over.

Gu Wenze couldn't be bothered with any of that. He turned the car around and headed back to the villa.

Five minutes later, Gu Wenze shoved the bedroom door open, startling Qiao Hua, who was standing in the walk-in closet.

Seeing him back, Qiao Hua looked as though she had seen a ghost.

Why is he back?

Oh, he must have had that accident and couldn't get to that fake innocent's place.

He must be wondering whether I sent someone to crash into his car to stop him from seeing her.

Doesn't he realize that if I really wanted to do something, I'd have someone run Jiang Nan over instead? How could I bear to let him get hurt?

After all, I'm hopelessly obsessed with love.

The words on Gu Wenze's lips abruptly died.

On his way back, he had indeed intended to demand whether Qiao Hua had deliberately hired someone to hit his car so he couldn't go to Jiang Nan.

But after hearing Qiao Hua's thoughts, Gu Wenze was no longer so sure.

Qiao Hua didn't seem to know anything about it.

Could it have been a coincidence?

"Weren't you going to Jiang Nan's?" Qiao Hua asked calmly. "Why are you back?"

Gu Wenze suppressed his irritation and said in a low voice, "I had a car accident on the way."

Pretending she knew nothing, Qiao Hua said sympathetically, "Oh. That's unlucky."

Gu Wenze's expression darkened. "Qiao Hua, you must be pleased now."

Qiao Hua looked baffled. "Why would I be pleased?"

His voice was icy. "Stop pretending. Haven't you been dying to keep me from seeing Jiang Nan?"

Qiao Hua thought that the original owner of this body had desperately wanted to keep them apart, but she desperately wanted them together.

Once the male and female leads got their happy ending, she could leave this godforsaken place.

Out loud, Qiao Hua said perfunctorily, "Yes, yes. I'm absolutely delighted you aren't going to her place."

I've never met anyone so full of himself. Who wanted you back?

Besides, it was just a car accident. Couldn't you take a taxi over?

Looks like Gu Wenze doesn't care that much about Jiang Nan after all.

Ugh. I finally had some time to myself, and now he's interrupted it again. How annoying.

Hearing how disappointed Qiao Hua was about his return left Gu Wenze feeling strange.

Whenever he hadn't come home before, Qiao Hua had tried every trick imaginable to bring him back, from pretending to be sick to attempting suicide. She had used every method available.

Now that he was home, she found him a nuisance.

Was she playing hard to get?

Gu Wenze dropped the subject and changed tack. "You said you went to the hospital for a checkup today?"

Qiao Hua didn't know why he had suddenly brought this up, but she gave a dismissive hum of agreement.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

"No. It was just a routine checkup."

Gu Wenze fell silent for a moment. "How were the results?"

Qiao Hua drawled, "I won't be dying anytime soon. Sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Gu."

Gu Wenze wasn't particularly surprised. It would have been strange if a vicious woman like Qiao Hua actually had anything wrong with her.

If there really had been a problem, Qiao Hua would have been unable to resist telling him when he accompanied Jiang Nan for her examination.

A trace of mockery crept into his cold voice. "Of course. You still have the energy to cause trouble for Jiang Nan. How could anything be wrong with you?"

Without giving Qiao Hua another glance, he turned toward the bathroom. Just then, she called after him, "Hey, wait!"

Gu Wenze stopped and looked back, impatience written all over his face. "What do you want now?"

Qiao Hua spoke each word distinctly. "Let's get divorced."

Gu Wenze paused, his brows slowly drawing together. "What did you say?"

Qiao Hua calmly repeated herself. "I said, let's get divorced."

Assuming this was another of Qiao Hua's tricks, Gu Wenze said impatiently, "What are you making a fuss about now?"

Gu Wenze's first thought was that Qiao Hua was throwing another tantrum.

Whenever Qiao Hua wanted to stop him from seeing Jiang Nan, she would threaten him with all sorts of tricks.

Qiao Hua shrugged. "Your one true love is back, isn't she? I'm making room for her."

In the original novel, Qiao Hua had refused to let go of Gu Wenze, keeping the male and female leads from getting together. Otherwise, at the rate things were going, they might already have been married with several children.

So Qiao Hua planned to do them a favor and help them settle down and start a family sooner.

Gu Wenze didn't believe Qiao Hua could be so kind. "You're deliberately saying this to get my attention just because I went to see Jiang Nan earlier?"

Qiao Hua looked completely sincere. "You're overthinking it. I really want to help you two be together."

Gu Wenze didn't take her words seriously at all. How could Qiao Hua possibly divorce him?

It wasn't as though he had never brought it up before. That woman had gone so far as to slit her wrists to save their marriage. How could she walk away so easily?

At that thought, the disgust on Gu Wenze's face deepened. "I've already told you that Jiang Nan and I are just friends. What's the point of this little performance?"

Qiao Hua felt rather wronged. She genuinely wanted to matchmake the male and female leads.

Why wouldn't Gu Wenze believe her?

When Qiao Hua said nothing, Gu Wenze assumed he had seen through her. His tone grew colder. "Qiao Hua, using a trick like this once is enough. Any more than that is going too far."

With that, he turned and went into the bathroom without another glance at her.

By the time Gu Wenze came out, half an hour had passed. Qiao Hua wasn't in bed, but the walk-in closet was lit, and rustling sounds came from inside.

He walked in and found Qiao Hua crouching on the floor, packing her things, with a suitcase beside her feet.

A vein throbbed on Gu Wenze's forehead. "What are you doing now?"

Qiao Hua didn't even look up. "If you won't divorce me, surely I can pack my things and move into the room next door?"

Gu Wenze strode over and seized Qiao Hua's wrist, his expression downright grim. "How much longer are you going to keep this up tonight?"

Qiao Hua tried to pull her hand free and said helplessly, "I'm really not making a fuss. I'm making room for Jiang Nan. If she wants to move in, she can come whenever she likes."

"Honestly, why can't you appreciate a good turn?"

The more Qiao Hua spoke like this, the more certain Gu Wenze became that she was deliberately fighting him over what had happened that evening.

"I've told you countless times that Jiang Nan and I are just friends. How many times do I have to repeat myself?" By the last sentence, Gu Wenze was speaking through gritted teeth.

His grip hurt so much that Qiao Hua seriously suspected her wrist might break. She gave in. "Fine, fine. I'll stop packing. Just let go of me first."

Gu Wenze stared at her for a while before finally releasing her.

His voice remained stern. "Stop being unreasonable. Come out and go to bed."

Gu Wenze left the walk-in closet, failing to notice Qiao Hua grimacing behind him or the ring of red marks around her wrist.

Just what she would expect from a character in a melodramatic novel: one squeeze, and her skin turned red.

Wouldn't the female lead, Jiang Nan, bruise at the slightest touch, then?

Unbothered, Qiao Hua thought that she would love a chance to see their sex scenes in person.

When Qiao Hua left the walk-in closet, Gu Wenze was already lying in bed. She tiptoed to the other side, and the mattress dipped slightly as she climbed in.

Naturally, Gu Wenze noticed. Keeping his eyes closed, he assumed Qiao Hua would cling to him as usual, but after waiting for ages, all remained quiet beside him.

Gu Wenze opened his eyes and found Qiao Hua lying on the far side of the bed, leaving enough space between them to draw a battle line.

His tone was a little cold. "Why are you sleeping so far away?"

His voice suddenly sounded beside her, giving Qiao Hua a fright.

She turned and met Gu Wenze's dark eyes, which glinted in the darkness. Feeling guilty, as though she had been caught red-handed, she said, "Far away? I don't think so at all."

Gu Wenze's gaze fell on the pillow between them. "Are you afraid I'll do something to you?"

Qiao Hua waved a hand. "Of course not. I'm afraid I won't be able to stop myself from doing something to you."

Undisguised mockery appeared on Gu Wenze's face. "It wouldn't be your first time."

His words carried an implication that Qiao Hua, as an adult, naturally understood.

Of course, she wasn't stupid enough to provoke Gu Wenze, the male lead, but she was afraid he might make a move on her.

After all, in the original story, Qiao Hua had merely been an outlet for Gu Wenze's desires.

Even setting aside the fact that she was pregnant and couldn't have sex now, she didn't want anything to happen between her and Gu Wenze.

Qiao Hua answered perfunctorily, "Yes, yes, it wouldn't be my first time. So you'd better be careful, or I might do something to you."

Seeing her like this reminded Gu Wenze of how Qiao Hua had drugged him back then. He turned away in disgust, unwilling to say another word to her.

An eerie silence settled over the room.

Qiao Hua slept straight through until morning.

When she woke, the space beside her was already empty. She had no idea when Gu Wenze had left.

Qiao Hua freshened up briefly, then took a taxi to the hospital.