The weight of rejection clung to Jiang Yuxi like a second skin as she stepped into the Gu estate. Her body was exhausted, her mind overwhelmed, but worst of all, her spirit felt like it was teetering on the edge of breaking.
She had spent the entire day moving between interviews, clutching her resume like a lifeline, only to be met with the same responses—some polite, some dismissive, and some outright amused.
"We're sorry, Miss Jiang, but the position has already been filled."
"I'm afraid you're not the right fit for this company."
"Ah… Mrs. Gu. Surely, you don't need to work?"
Yuxi had clenched her teeth through every single conversation, through the barely concealed whispers and the patronizing smiles. It wasn't just rejection—it was a silent message.
She wasn't Jiang Yuxi to them.
She was Gu Zeyan's wife.
No one wanted to be caught between her and her husband. No one wanted to risk offending the Gu family by giving her a position that could be seen as pity or rebellion.
And so, one by one, every door had slammed in her face.
By the time she arrived home, she was drained.
She had barely taken a step inside when a deep, familiar voice sliced through the heavy silence.
"You've been busy."
Her heart stopped.
Yuxi looked up sharply to find Gu Zeyan seated in the dimly lit living room, his figure draped in effortless power.
The golden glow of the chandelier above cast long shadows across his sharp features, highlighting the cold amusement in his dark eyes. A glass of wine rested in his hand, the deep red liquid swirling lazily as he watched her like a predator studying its prey.
She tensed immediately, her guard snapping into place.
"That's none of your concern," she said coolly.
Gu Zeyan hummed, tilting his head slightly. "Isn't it?" He took a slow sip of his wine before setting the glass down with a quiet clink. "You've been running around all day, trying to find a job."
The muscles in her shoulders stiffened. How does he know?
Her stomach twisted with unease.
She hadn't told him. She hadn't told anyone.
And yet—
His smirk widened as though reading her thoughts. "Do you really think anyone will hire you without considering what it means for their relationship with me?"
Her breath caught in her throat.
No.
No, this couldn't be happening.
She had suspected it before, but hearing it from his mouth made her blood turn cold.
"You—" she started, her voice tight with fury.
"I didn't do anything," Gu Zeyan interrupted smoothly. "They simply made the logical choice."
The words sent a sharp wave of anger through her.
"Logical choice?" she repeated bitterly.
So that was it. He hadn't needed to issue direct threats or pull any strings. He had simply existed, and the rest of the world had fallen in line.
The powerful didn't need to act—their presence alone dictated the rules.
And in Gu Zeyan's world, she was untouchable. Not as a woman with her own ambitions, but as his possession.
The realization made her stomach churn.
"You don't get to decide my future," she bit out.
Gu Zeyan stood up slowly.
His movements were fluid, deliberate, exuding a quiet dominance that sent shivers down her spine.
"Who said anything about deciding for you?" he murmured, stepping closer.
Yuxi refused to back away, even as his presence closed in around her like an invisible cage.
Gu Zeyan's lips curled into a slow, knowing smirk. "Then consider this an opportunity, not help."
She narrowed her eyes. "What opportunity?"
"Work at Gu Corporation."
The words hit her harder than she expected.
She blinked. "What?"
"You want a job, don't you?" He leaned in slightly, his voice smooth, coaxing. "Earn your own living. Prove you can stand on your own."
Yuxi's heart pounded in her chest.
She wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it.
Work for him?
After everything?
Her first instinct was to reject him outright. To tell him that she would rather starve than walk into his domain on his terms.
But a single thought stopped her.
What other choice did she have?
Every door had been slammed in her face. The corporate world had already branded her as his, whether she liked it or not.
If she kept fighting against it, she would be left with nothing.
And that was exactly what Gu Zeyan wanted, wasn't it?
To watch her struggle. To watch her fail.
Yuxi lifted her chin, forcing herself to meet his gaze. "Why would you even offer that?"
Something flickered in his expression. It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but it made her chest tighten.
"Because I know you, Yuxi," he said quietly. "You're stubborn. You won't stop fighting for independence, no matter how impossible it is. So why not fight from within?"
She let out a cold laugh. "From within? At your company? Where you control everything?"
Gu Zeyan's expression darkened. "You want to prove you don't need me? Then take the job and prove it."
Yuxi clenched her fists.
The offer was a trap. She knew it was a trap.
But at the same time… it was an opening.
A dangerous one. A calculated one.
But the only one she had left.