It has been two days already.
Gu Xixi hasn't been able to sleep well.
Even in Jia Hao's apartment, the shadows of her past followed her.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Fang Li's glare, heard his threats.
She knew him too well he was not going to let her go easily.
Jia Hao made her breakfast. "You need to eat, Xixi.
You're already too thin. If you let yourself break down, he wins."
Xixi gave a weak smile and forced herself to eat a few bites.
"He's watching me, Hao. I felt it after meeting Li Feng that morning. Someone was following me."
Jia Hao frowned. "Then we need to stay ahead of him. You can't face this alone. Call your lawyer again."
Xixi did.
A few hours later, she met Li Feng at his law firm. The office was calm, his desk neatly stacked with files, his sharp gaze landing on her as soon as she entered.
"You don't look well," he said quietly, motioning for her to sit.
"I don't feel well either," she admitted. "Everywhere I go, I feel him.
And now the cheating scandal it's spreading everywhere. I didn't do anything, but the world thinks I did."
Li Feng leaned back, folding his arms. "I told you before, Xixi.
To fight Fang Li, you need solid evidence. Right now, he holds the cards money, influence, your contract.
If we go to court without proof, he'll bury you."
"It won't be easy to issue an arrest warrant against him".
Xixi's voice trembled.
"Then what do I do? Just let him ruin me? He already destroyed my marriage, my name, my peace. He'll stop at nothing until I'm gone."
Li Feng's eyes softened for the first time.
He wasn't the type to comfort with words, but there was something in his gaze that steadied her.
"I have an idea," he said slowly.
She looked up at him. "What idea?"
His tone was firm. "A contract marriage. Between you and me."
Xixi froze. "What?"
Li Feng leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. "Listen carefully. Fang Li is using the scandal to paint you as an unfaithful wife.
If you stand alone, the world believes him. But if you marry me even on paper you change the story.
You're no longer the desperate woman running from her husband.
You're the woman who found someone who believes in her enough to stand by her."
Her lips parted, stunned. "You'd do that… for me?"
He gave a faint smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Don't misunderstand. It's not charity. I don't believe in love, but I believe in justice. Fang Li is crossing the line.
Someone needs to stop him. And I have my reasons too my mother won't stop pushing me to settle down. This will shut her up for a while."
Xixi blinked at him. "So… it benefits both of us?"
"Exactly. A business deal. We sign a contract, stay married on paper until the case is over.
Once Fang Li is exposed and the scandal dies, we part ways. Clean and simple."
Xixi's heart was racing. The idea was wild, dangerous even. But at the same time… it was the only option she had been offered since her marriage fell apart.
"What if people think it's fake?" she asked softly.
Li Feng's eyes darkened with determination. "Then we'll make it look real. Fang Li plays dirty. I'll play smarter."
For the first time in weeks, Xixi felt a spark of hope. "You'd really stand with me against him?"
"Yes," Li Feng said firmly. "But you have to trust me. No running, no second-guessing. If we do this, we go all the way."
Her throat tightened. "Okay… I'll do it.
****
The next evening, Jia Hao listened in shock when Xixi explained the plan.
"A contract marriage? With your lawyer?" Jia Hao asked, her brows shooting up.
Xixi nodded. "It's the only way. Fang Li is too powerful. If I stay alone, I lose everything. But with Li Feng by my side… maybe I can fight back."
Jia Hao crossed her arms. "And what if you fall for him? You've already been hurt once."
Xixi's chest tightened at the thought. Li Feng was distant, hard to read, but there was something about him that made her feel safe in a way she hadn't in years.
Still, she shook her head. "It's just a deal. Nothing more."
"Deals get messy when hearts get involved," Jia Hao warned.
Xixi forced a smile. "I won't let it happen."
But deep inside, she wasn't so sure.
****
A week later, the news hit the media like wildfire.
"Actress Gu Xixi Remarries—Top Attorney Li Feng Her New Husband!"
Paparazzi swarmed the streets, snapping photos of them walking side by side.
Li Feng never flinched, holding her hand with calm assurance, his expression unreadable.
To the world, they looked like a perfect pair.
For Xixi, every step felt strange . Fang Li must have seen it already. The thought made her stomach turn.
Sure enough, that night, her phone buzzed with his message:
"So this is your game? A fake marriage? You think Li Feng can protect you? Watch yourself, Xixi. I'll ruin you both."
Her fingers trembled as she showed Li Feng the message.
He read it, then looked at her steadily. "Let him try. This time, he won't win."
And for the first time, Xixi almost believed it.
****
But Fang Li was not idle.
From his office window, he watched the headline scroll across the TV screen, his jaw clenched tight.
The woman he thought he owned now stood next to another man, smiling faintly for the cameras.
"Gu Xixi," he muttered under his breath, smashing his glass against the floor.
"You dare play me? Fine. Let's see how long your little marriage lasts."
His eyes narro
wed with a dangerous hint.
He had spies already tailing her, and soon, he promised himself, she would regret ever thinking she could escape him.