Wenzhe’s grip tightens slightly. His dark robe is messy, and his breathing is heavy as he looks up at her from the bed.

"Every time you look at me... your eyes are full of disgust," Wenzhe mutters, his voice dropping into a low, rough whisper. "You look at me like I am the worst filth in this world. Why? If anyone should be hating anyone in this marriage, it should be me hating you. After fighting so hard to marry me, you are acting like you were forced into this marriage."

Hearing his words, Su Yueqing’s face completely changes. The annoyance in her chest instantly turns into a cold, sharp anger. Her heart thumps wildly against her ribs, not out of fear, but from pure rage.

[Fighting so hard to marry you? Me?]

She remembers the original book. She remembers how the original Su Yueqing begged, cried, and threw away all her dignity just to get this man to look at her, only to be treated like garbage until the day she died.

Using all her strength, Su Yueqing pushes against his hard chest and jerks her wrists out of his grip. This time, the surprise of her sudden movement actually forces Wenzhe to let go. She scrambles off the bed immediately, her red silk dress fluttering around her as she stands a few steps away from him.

She places her hands on her waist, her breath coming in short, angry gasps.

"Why should I be hated by you?" Su Yueqing asks, her voice trembling slightly but sounding incredibly sharp. "Did I commit any crime for wanting to marry you?"

Wenzhe slowly sits up on the edge of the bed. He rubs his face with his hand, trying to push through the alcohol in his brain, but her words push his own anger to the surface. He looks up at her, his jaw tight.

"You are a wicked and a spoilt daughter," Wenzhe says bluntly, his voice cold and serious. "Everyone is aware of your bad character. Everyone knows how you bully your servants and the people around you. You think your status protects you from everything."

Hearing that, Su Yueqing stops. For a second, the room is completely quiet.

Then, she lets out a laugh. It isn’t a happy laugh. It is a dry, sarcastic, mocking sound that echoes off the walls of the bedroom.

[Ding!]

Nine’s voice suddenly rings loudly in her head, sounding completely panicked. [Warning! Host, your heart rate is spiking. Please calm down. Do not say anything rash. Host, please remain calm!]

Su Yueqing completely ignores the system. She knows exactly what she is doing. When she laughs like this, it means she is completely done holding back. She doesn’t care about the plot, she doesn’t care about the script, and she definitely doesn’t care about the male lead’s feelings anymore.

She steps closer to the bed, glaring down at him with dark, fierce eyes.

"What makes you any different from me, huh?" Su Yueqing snaps, her voice cutting through the quiet night air. "Yes! I may be a big bully! I am a spoiled chancellor’s daughter! But at least I do not have blood all over my hands!"

Wenzhe freezes. The words hit him like a physical blow, and the drunken fog in his eyes vanishes instantly.

"You go out to the battlefield, you kill people, you command armies, and everyone praises you as a hero," Su Yueqing says, her laugh turning even more bitter as she points a finger at his chest. "But what about me? I threw away my pride, my dignity, and my entire reputation because the original... because "l" loved you! And what did I get? I got locked in this cold courtyard, treated like a disease, and judged by a man who thinks he is a saint just because he carries a sword!"

She takes a deep, ragged breath, her pearl-white skin flushing with emotion.

"You think you are so noble, Young Master Xi? You hate me because of my bad character, but you still took the marriage because of my father’s power. You are just as selfish as I am. So don’t you dare sit on my bed and lecture me about who is wicked. If you hate me so much, go back to the battlefield where you belong. At least the corpses there don’t have to look at your miserable face."

Wenzhe stands up instantly. His tall, broad warrior frame towers over her, his loose dark robe swaying as his face darkens with pure rage. Her words about blood on his hands have pierced through his pride, and his loud voice booms through the quiet room.

"You know nothing about the battlefield!" Wenzhe shouts, stepping closer, his fists clenched tight at his sides. "You sit safely in the capital spending your father’s wealth while men bleed to protect this country! How dare you call me selfish for doing my duty?!"

"A duty that leaves you completely blind at home!" Su Yueqing shouts back, matching his volume without flinching. She steps right into his space, glaring up at him with fierce, watering eyes. "Marriage isn’t ever perfect, Master Xi! If you are a real man, a real nobleman you claim to be, then you wouldn’t let the words of others guide how you treat your wife!"

Wenzhe opens his mouth to speak, but Su Yueqing doesn’t give him a single second.

"You already hated me before I even stepped into this family!" she yells, her voice cracking with raw emotion. "Yes! I may be of bad temper! I may be wicked, and spoiled, and inconsiderate! But mistreating and cheating isn’t the way to go around!"

Wenzhe’s eyes widen slightly at the word ’cheating,’ but before he can even process his confusion, Su Yueqing takes a final step forward, her chest heaving as she delivers the final, crushing blow.

"I will keep hating you just as much as you hate me!" she says, her voice dropping into a cold, venomous whisper that cuts deeper than any shout. "I’ll hate you till the very end, Young Master Xi. My eyes are opened now... and you are nothing like the man that deserves me."

The bedroom falls into a suffocating, dead silence. Wenzhe freezes, completely stunned by the sheer hatred and clarity in her ink-black eyes. For the first time since he entered the room, he has absolutely nothing to say.

"If you won’t leave, then I’ll leave!"

Su Yueqing snaps. She doesn’t even wait for him to respond.

She turns right around, her long crimson silk skirts brushing against the floor, and marches toward the heavy wooden doors. Her heart is pounding, and her hands are trembling with rage, but she keeps her head held high.

She pulls the doors open with a loud thud and steps out into the cool night air of the courtyard, leaving the grand bedroom behind.

Inside, Wenzhe is left standing completely alone in the middle of the room. The alcohol in his system feels entirely gone, replaced by a heavy, cold shock. He stares at the open doorway, the echoing sound of her final, hurtful words still ringing loudly in his ears.