Chen Ze froze as the lines spilling from Du Yue's lips matched the script he had just instructed her to memorize.
But even knowing it was scripted, Du Yue's response—her tone, her gaze—still sent a ripple through Chen Ze's chest, an unsettling mix of raw ache and fleeting vulnerability.
Though this pang might have seemed trivial to him, akin to a fleeting sting, its absurdity only deepened his scorn. It confirmed once again that Du Yue's every move was nothing more than calculated pretense.
"You stumbled before when I asked you to speak," Chen Ze said, his fingers tightening around her wrist until they dug into her skin. His lips curled into a faint smirk, but his rigid posture betrayed the storm brewing beneath.
The next moment, his smile vanished entirely. With a sharp tug, he yanked her forward. "Too late!"
"Du Yue, don't you love playing games? Two years ago, you feigned innocence; now you're pretending to be pitiful?" He quickened his pace, dragging her forcefully out of the hall and into the snowstorm outside. "Today, I'll let you play your act to the bitter end!"
The biting cold seeped into Du Yue's bones, gnawing at her insides. She struggled to keep up, her trembling voice barely audible. "Chen Ze… please…"
Her frail plea went unheard amidst the fury radiating from him. Without hesitation, he flung her into the snow. Her head struck something hard—a jagged stone perhaps—and the world blurred before her eyes. Though the physical pain failed to register, the sight that greeted her left her gasping for breath.
A doghouse. A decrepit, abandoned shelter where not even stray dogs would seek refuge. And here she lay, crumpled within its rotting frame. The symbolism hit her like a slap across the face: Chen Ze was telling her, in no uncertain terms, that she was worth less than an animal.
"Haha…" Tears welled in Du Yue's eyes, freezing instantly against the frigid air. She bowed her head, her body wracked with shivers. Yet the frost nipping at her skin paled in comparison to the suffocating weight crushing her chest.
Above her, Chen Ze loomed tall, his dark eyes glinting with disdain. "Du Yue, I gave you a chance. So continue your pathetic act. Don't disappoint me, Zhao Xue."
Zhao Xue flinched at the sound of her name, snapping to attention despite the biting chill. Rubbing her arms for warmth, she hesitated briefly. How could Du Yue possibly endure such cold, dressed so thinly? Would she even survive the night?
"Fetch the iron chain," Chen Ze ordered, his voice cutting through the howling wind. "Lock her beside the doghouse. Let's see how long she can keep up this charade."
A flicker of unease passed over Zhao Xue's face, erasing any lingering curiosity about the spectacle. Fearful of defying him, she hurried to retrieve the chain.
As she approached, however, Du Yue—who had remained eerily silent and compliant until now—suddenly erupted in resistance.
"Chen Ze!" she cried, her voice hoarse and laced with desperation. Scarlet tears streamed down her cheeks as her blazing eyes locked onto his. "You—"
Before she could finish, Chen Ze recoiled, startled by the venomous glare piercing through him.
It was the Du Yue from two years ago—the same defiant spirit that had stood tall in the courtroom, defending her late father with unwavering resolve. "The innocent will clear themselves," she had declared, her voice steady despite the sorrow etched into her features. "These accusations alone cannot condemn my father. He does not deserve to bear this injustice."
Back then, too, she had stared at him with those same accusing eyes, brimming with grief. "Chen Ze," she had whispered, her voice trembling yet resolute, "if you have any shred of conscience left, remember who your wife truly is."
He had believed her spirit shattered, buried under the weight of defeat. But that single glance transported him back to the past, stirring a strange cocktail of shock and exhilaration within him.
"Hand it over," he commanded, extending his hand for the chain. His eyes gleamed with determination. Now that fate had resurrected the Du Yue he thought long gone, he vowed to break her pride himself—to crush the very essence of who she was.