The Contract Bride Of The Cold CEO

Chapter 6 Rival Appears, Deliberate Provocation

The peaceful days did not last long. The arrival of an uninvited guest shattered the rare warmth that had settled between them.

Lin Xi was the young heiress of the Lin Group. Endowed with striking beauty and an illustrious family background, she had been deeply in love with Lu Shiyan for years. She had always believed herself to be the only woman worthy of him, and had long been convinced that he would eventually marry her.

When she heard the shocking news that Lu Shiyan had suddenly wed a girl of humble birth with no social standing at all, she was consumed by resentment and fury. She refused to believe that Lu Shiyan would choose such a woman. In her eyes, Su Wan must have resorted to underhanded schemes to manipulate him and seize the position of Mrs. Lu.

One afternoon, Su Wan had just finished visiting her father at the hospital and stepped through the main gate when a woman dressed in luxurious garments and exquisite makeup blocked her path.

The woman sized Su Wan up and down, her gaze brimming with undisguised jealousy and contempt, her voice sharp and cutting.“So you are Su Wan? The ordinary girl who married Shiyan?”

Su Wan frowned. She had no idea who the woman was, and spoke in a calm tone.“I am Su Wan. May I ask who you are?”

“Who am I?” Lin Xi let out a cold sneer, her voice thick with haughty pride. “I am Lin Xi, heiress of the Lin Group. I am Shiyan’s childhood sweetheart, the only woman he has ever loved. How dare a girl from a nowhere family like you marry him? How dare you claim the title of Mrs. Lu?”

Su Wan instantly understood. This was Lin Xi, the woman who loved Lu Shiyan—her romantic rival. She remained unruffled, responding steadily.“Miss Lin, Mr. Lu and I are lawfully wedded husband and wife. I am the rightful young mistress of the Lu family. That is a fact. Whether you acknowledge it or not changes nothing.”

“A fact?” Lin Xi trembled with rage. She stepped forward, glaring fiercely at Su Wan.“Do you truly think marrying Shiyan makes you his real wife? Do you delude yourself into believing he loves you? Impossible! He has only lost his senses, deceived by your schemes!”

“I have never deceived him,” Su Wan met her gaze firmly. “The bond between Mr. Lu and me is a fair agreement. I did not manipulate him, nor force him into anything. He chose to marry me of his own free will.”

“An agreement?” Lin Xi scoffed bitterly, her words growing even more vicious.“How cheap you are, trading your marriage like some commodity! Su Wan, mark my words. Your little arrangement with Shiyan will end soon enough. He will abandon you before long. You had better know your place, leave him voluntarily, take some money, flee Nancheng, and never show your face before us again!”

“I will not leave,” Su Wan stood her ground without flinching. “Our contract has not expired yet. I will honor my promise and will not walk away of my own accord. Miss Lin, I ask that you respect me, and respect Mr. Lu’s choice. Do not harass me any further.”

“Harass you?” Lin Xi sneered. “Who do you think you are to deserve even my harassment? Su Wan, let me warn you plainly. Shiyan belongs to me. No one can take him from me, least of all you. If you remain stubborn and insolent, do not blame me for showing you no mercy!”

With that, Lin Xi raised her hand to strike Su Wan. Su Wan instinctively closed her eyes, bracing for the blow that never came.

She slowly opened her eyes to find Lu Shiyan standing before her out of nowhere. He had tightly seized Lin Xi’s wrist, a frigid aura radiating violently from his entire frame. His voice was ice-cold to the bone.“Lin Xi. Dare lay a finger on her, and you will regret it.”

All fury vanished from Lin Xi’s face the moment she saw him, replaced by feigned grievance. Her voice turned delicate and pitiful.“Shiyan, why are you here? It’s her! She bullied me! She said she would never leave you, and that I have no right to love you!”

“You are lying,” Lu Shiyan spoke coldly, no trace of sympathy in his eyes. “I saw everything. You approached her unprovoked, provoked her, and raised your hand to hit her. Lin Xi, I warn you. Su Wan is my wife, the young mistress of the Lu family. No one may mistreat her—not even you.”

“How could you treat me like this?” Tears welled up in Lin Xi’s eyes and streamed down her cheeks. “I have loved you for years. I have done so much for you. How can you side with this outsider and hurt me so deeply?”

“She is not an outsider. She is my wife,” Lu Shiyan declared unwaveringly. “You and I have only ever been childhood friends. I have never once felt romantic love for you. I urge you to face reality. Stop clinging to me, and stop harassing Su Wan. If you do not, I will not hold back against you—and neither will I show mercy to the Lin Group.”

Staring into his icy gaze, Lin Xi realized he was not bluffing. Despair and bitter resentment flooded her heart. She understood fully that Lu Shiyan meant every word. He truly protected Su Wan, and truly wanted no further ties with her.

“Very well. So be it!” Lin Xi sneered, wiping away her tears, her eyes burning with hatred.“Lu Shiyan, Su Wan. Just you wait. This is not over. I will take him back from you. I will make you pay for this.”

She wrenched her wrist free from his grasp and stormed away in a fit of rage.

Once Lin Xi had gone, Lu Shiyan turned to Su Wan. His tone softened at once, his eyes filled with obvious concern.“Are you alright? Did she hurt you?”

Su Wan shook her head, warmth swelling in her heart. She spoke softly.“I’m fine. Thank you, Mr. Lu. Thank you once again for protecting me.”

“I told you,” he looked at her intently, his voice sincere. “As long as I am here, no one can harm you. If she bothers you again in the future, do not waste words with her. Call me immediately, and I will handle it.”

“I understand. Thank you, Mr. Lu.” Su Wan nodded, her eyes growing faintly misty.

She could feel that his care for her was growing genuine and sincere, no longer merely contractual obligation, no longer only to uphold the Lu family’s dignity. She did not know where these growing acts of kindness and tenderness would lead. Yet deep in her heart, she had begun to fall for him quietly, and to quietly hope that this contractual marriage might yet hold an unexpected, different ending.