Chapter Three: Hidden Motives

Fu Chen sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, glancing at the woman clinging to his arm. Her fox-like eyes clearly wanted to say something, yet she remained silent. This was never a good omen, and Fu Chen drifted into his memories.

Since their marriage a month ago, Shen Huaiqing had lived as if she were a fish in water. At first, her days were filled with shopping, playing cards, getting beauty treatments, and watching dramas. But it didn’t take long for her to find such a life boring. Her attention soon shifted to Fu Chen, but he was at the office almost all day and came home late at night, rarely appearing in the bedroom.

Unable to confront him directly, she decided to stir up some trouble to get under his skin.

One morning, Fu Chen discovered that the work documents he’d organized the night before were now in chaos. Each page had a pig’s head doodled on it in marker. One afternoon, when he returned home to retrieve some files, he found both of his cars in the garage had been spray-painted with large, green hats. On another late night, Fu Chen found his wardrobe empty, the culprit sitting on the bed, watching him with a provocative gaze.

All he could do was clean up after her. Seeing he didn’t lose his temper, Shen Huaiqing only became more determined to test his limits, coming up with new tricks to torment him each day.

Until tonight.

“What do you want now? Haven’t you had enough of this nonsense?” Fu Chen glanced at her twice before turning his attention back to the financial news.

“You’re always working! I’m so bored, you know? Especially when…” Shen Huaiqing mischievously pulled his hand to her chest, gazing at him with watery eyes, her tone brimming with grievance. “It feels so empty here… and you never…” She finished with a suggestive wink, the air between them instantly charged with a sultry tension.

“Out with it. What is it you want?” Fu Chen withdrew his hand without betraying any emotion and sat up straight.

“I want to start a magazine!” The idea had lingered in Shen Huaiqing’s mind for a long time. She’d never had the chance before, but now, finally free to pursue what she wanted, she was determined to seize the opportunity.

She knew that, no matter what she asked for, Fu Chen would most likely agree. Bringing it up too early would have seemed premeditated, so everything until now had been her groundwork. The timing was just right—let him think she was merely a mischievous heiress, nothing more, and lower his guard.

“I’ll have my secretary find a suitable one to purchase tomorrow. Once everything’s settled, she’ll inform you.” Fu Chen paused. “But… why a magazine?”

Fu Chen turned, his deep black eyes fixed on her, his fingers tapping rhythmically on his leg. He’d expected her to want a boutique, a cosmetics store, or perhaps a beauty salon—never a magazine. That alone made him wary, wondering if there was some ulterior motive.

“Obviously because there are so many handsome men and beautiful women! Just look at those models on the covers—so pleasing to the eye! And I’ll be able to keep up with all the high-society gossip openly. Isn’t that fascinating?” Shen Huaiqing’s eyes sparkled with excitement, her face alight with anticipation.

Her words dispelled most of Fu Chen’s suspicions. He nodded thoughtfully, then turned and headed upstairs.

Shen Huaiqing sat on the bedroom balcony, gazing into the pitch-black night sky. Her phone displayed the time—three in the morning. She turned to the empty bed, knowing Fu Chen would not set foot in the bedroom tonight either.

From beneath a flowerpot on the balcony, she retrieved a pack of cigarettes.

A click, a burst of flame, and the cigarette glowed red. White smoke curled from her lips as she squinted, savoring the quiet solitude of the night.

Why a magazine? Shen Huaiqing certainly had her reasons. First, she could openly gather dirt on other corporate groups. Second, it was a way to make connections. Third—and most important—it fulfilled an old dream of hers.

In the dark study, only the computer screen cast its glow, illuminating the man’s face with flickering light.

“How many surprises do you still have hidden from me?” Fu Chen murmured. “Shen Huaiqing, you’re truly intriguing.”

On the screen was surveillance footage of Shen Huaiqing smoking on the balcony. After their wedding, Fu Chen had installed hidden cameras in many corners of the house—not to guard against her, but to protect against outsiders. Yet it turned out the person he most needed to watch was the one closest to him.

He pulled out his phone and made a call.

“I thought you’d been swept away by marital bliss and forgotten all about me,” came a man’s voice from the other end, the background noisy enough to make Fu Chen’s ears ring.

“I need to talk. The phone isn’t safe. Meet me at the usual place,” Fu Chen said curtly, ending the call.

By the time Fu Chen arrived at the club, a man was already lounging on the soft leather sofa, swirling a glass of red wine. The crimson liquid swayed violently but never spilled.

His dark red hair gleamed under the lights. With just a simple shirt and jeans, he looked as though he’d stepped off a runway.

“So marriage really is the grave of love. Look at you—could you look any worse?” the man teased, raising an eyebrow.

Fu Chen sat across from him, visibly impatient. “Lin Yu, I don’t have time for your nonsense.”

“There’s something wrong with Shen Huaiqing.”

Lin Yu set his glass down, interest lighting his face. “What’s the story? Isn’t she just a foolish heiress?”

Fu Chen’s brows knitted tightly as he leaned back, the harsh glare of the lights making his head spin. “No. Our previous investigation turned up a problem. Shen Huaiqing’s domestic records end when she was twelve, and we can’t access her records abroad.”

“So, in other words, we know absolutely nothing about her.”

“Exactly. And this woman is clearly not your average heiress. She keeps testing me, and now she wants to run a magazine. Honestly, sometimes I just can’t figure her out.”

Lin Yu’s playful expression vanished. He sat up straight, arms folded, his handsome brows furrowed.

“Then play along with her. I’ll give you ‘MK’—that’s my own company, and no one knows about it. I’ll plant some eyes for you. Tomorrow, I’ll have someone send you the contract.”

“I want to see what sort of storm she can stir up.”

Lin Yu’s eyes narrowed, lips curling as he licked them—a venomous snake flicking its tongue, sultry and dangerous.

Fu Chen nodded and rose to leave, but paused, his back to Lin Yu.

“Has Lin Yiqing come back?”

Lin Yu stiffened at the name, as if jolted by electricity. He hesitated for several seconds.

“I don’t know.”

“I’m aware of your trips to Italy. If she has returned, look after her for me.” Fu Chen took an earring from his pocket and set it on the polished marble table before striding away.