Chapter 1

The first thing Jade Yu did after her rebirth was walk straight into her agency to terminate her contract.

"Miss Yu, the Golden Dragon Film Awards ceremony is just around the corner. Are you absolutely certain you want to force an early termination of your contract right now?"

"Once the termination is finalized, your stage name, 'Jade Yu,' will be officially deregistered. You will completely vanish from the public eye, and no one will be able to track you down."

Without a single moment of hesitation, Jade pulled a gold card from her designer purse and swiped it to pay the astronomical termination fee.

"I am certain."

The clerk processed the transaction and quickly replied, "The termination has been successfully initiated. The entire procedure will take exactly ten days to complete."

Ten days from now. It was the exact date of the Golden Dragon Awards.

In her previous life, she had loved her husband, Julian Grant, with every fiber of her being. Yet, when she was critically injured in a car crash a year later, she had to watch him personally take away her primary surgeon just to save his childhood sweetheart.

Having a second chance at life, she refused to have anything to do with him ever again.

Walking out of the office lobby, Jade booked a one-way ticket to the United States departing in ten days. She wrapped her luxury fur coat tightly around herself and stepped out into the cold.

The bitter wind whipped heavy snowflakes against her car window, and the chill seemed to seep through the tiny crevices of the glass.

Rubbing her freezing fingertips together, her gaze drifted toward a massive commercial screen towering over the plaza.

The woman on the screen was smiling radiantly, deliberately flaunting a high-end luxury diamond ring on her ring finger.

Just a week ago, that screen had belonged to her—the youngest Best Actress in the history of the industry.

But it was her boss, her husband, the CEO of Ruifeng Entertainment, Julian Grant, who had personally ordered the billboard to be changed to showcase his darling muse, Selina Song.

She was also the internet celebrity who had recently taken the media world by storm.

With a faint hint of redness at the corners of her eyes, Jade withdrew her gaze and opened her phone.

The last post on her social media page was a photo of her hands tightly intertwined with Julian's.

The caption read: "To win one heart, to grow old together and never part."

Julian had been the very first person to like the post.

The comment section beneath was flooded with blessings, everyone envying their fairytale-like romance.

"I knew waiting here was the right choice! Mr. Grant never posts anything on his own account, so this is the only place we can ever catch a glimpse of him."

"Our goddess is stunning, and Mr. Grant is so handsome! But why is he wearing a full formal suit in the tropical climate of the South Seas? Isn't he hot?"

"The person above must be a new fan. Eight years ago, when the Grant family estate caught fire, Mr. Grant had already escaped safely. But when he realized Jade was still trapped inside, he rushed back into the flames to save her. Jade didn't get a single scratch, but Mr. Grant suffered severe burns over a large part of his body. Since then, he has never worn short sleeves, and his shirt buttons are always fastened all the way to the top collar."

"Who doesn't know that Mr. Grant is the ultimate husband? Just because Jade is sensitive to the cold, he spent two hundred million dollars to buy a private island in the South Seas as a gift for her. If my husband were even half as good as Mr. Grant, I would thank the heavens every single day..."

"Any celebrity couple in showbiz might break up, but Mr. Grant, the ultimate devoted husband, will never let us down."

Staring at these glowing comments, Jade's lips curled into a self-deprecating smirk.

Never let them down? Julian had already betrayed her half a year ago.

During those countless nights when he claimed to be working late at the office, he had actually been staying at Selina’s apartment.

And she had been foolish enough to believe that Julian was working tirelessly for their home, and for their shared future.

Jade’s finger paused. She exited the comment section and stared once more at that last post Julian had liked.

He probably had no idea that the famous line she posted was preceded by another verse: "I hear you have divided loyalties, and so I have come to say a final, clean goodbye."

Lost in her thoughts, the car came to a stop in front of their suburban villa.

The snow was falling heavily. Even though the butler held a large umbrella over Julian, stray snowflakes drifted underneath, landing softly on his eyelashes.

The snowy backdrop cast a soft glow over his features, unable to hide the warmth and affection in his eyes. "Jade, you're home."

As he spoke, he reached out to grasp her hand, intending to warm her cold fingers.

Catching sight of a hair tie wrapped around Julian's wrist—one that did not belong to her—a wave of icy numbness washed over Jade's heart.

Just as she was about to pull away, Julian’s hand covered hers, his thumb gently caressing the back of her hand with familiar tenderness.

"Today is Valentine's Day. I've had the house decorated. Come inside and see if you like it."

The living room doors opened to reveal low, warm lighting and a romantic, scented atmosphere.

Jade walked slowly to the dining table. Instead of reaching for the red wine as she usually did, she asked the housekeeper to pour her a glass of sparkling water.

Julian looked slightly puzzled. "Why the sudden change of taste?"

Jade lowered her eyelashes, her gaze briefly flickering down to her lower abdomen before she quickly looked away. "It's nothing. I just felt like trying something new."

Suddenly, Julian's phone began to ring.

He glanced at Jade and quickly pressed the decline button.

Yet, the phone vibrated relentlessly in his hand.

Julian looked at her apologetically as he finally picked it up, his expression shifting slightly. "I'm so sorry, Jade. There's an urgent emergency at the office."

Jade took a small sip of her sparkling water. She couldn't taste any sweetness at all—only a lingering, bitter aftertaste.

"It's fine. Go take care of your work."

Julian leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss against her forehead. "I'll handle this as quickly as I can."

Jade’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as she watched him walk toward the study.

What urgent business? In her previous life, she had clearly caught a glimpse of his screen, which displayed a photo sent by Selina dressed in a provocative nurse costume.

Chapter 2

Jade sat in silence, opening the app to access Selina's live broadcast.

"It's been so long and he still hasn't picked up. Hey stream host, is your boyfriend busy spending time with someone else?" a viewer commented.

Selina retouched her red lipstick, standing up to show off her curves accentuated by the fitted nurse outfit. She smiled playfully at the camera. "Maybe he got held up by a stray dog on his way. What can I say? He has such a soft heart for helpless things."

Sure enough, a second later, an account named "Thinking of Selina" entered the live room and immediately showered her with a hundred virtual "Castles."

"Sweetheart, don't wear that outfit on stream."

The word "sweetheart" felt like a massive boulder crashing down onto Jade's chest, making it difficult to breathe.

Delight flushed through Selina's expression as she coyly teased, "I only did it because I wanted to see you get jealous."

"Besides, you didn't even spend Valentine's Day with me. Am I not allowed to get a little bit of revenge?"

Julian said nothing more. Instead, he gifted her stream ninety-nine hundred and ninety-nine "Cosmic Hearts," the most expensive virtual gift on the platform.

"Another gift is waiting. Look out the window."

Deafening thuds echoed outside as brilliant fireworks began to illuminate the night sky one after another.

The broadcast ended with Selina’s ecstatic smile—the triumphant look of a woman who knew she was deeply favored.

"Well, my viewers, my boyfriend's possessiveness is just too much. I have to sign off now."

Back in the quiet dining room, the steak on the table had gone completely cold, and the scented candles were on the verge of burning out.

Draining the last drop of sparkling water from her glass, Jade watched as Julian finally emerged from the study.

"That was Director Silas on the phone," Julian said smoothly. "I've secured the lead role in his new film for you."

Director Silas was a legendary name in the industry. Despite his young age, he had already won several prestigious international awards. Anyone starring in his films was almost guaranteed a shot at a major trophy.