After My Divorce Failed, I Became the Tycoon’s Unforgettable Love - Chapter 1

The sensation of weightlessness violently seized Lin Yang’s heart as icy wind whipped past his ears.

He snapped his eyes open, his chest heaving as he gasped for air, fine beads of cold sweat breaking out across his forehead. Instinctively, his fingertips brushed over his chest and cheeks; they were intact. There was none of the mangled destruction he had expected. Only his heart hammered wildly against his ribs, the thudding rhythm echoing in his eardrums.

It had not been a dream.

The bone-chilling wind, the nausea of the rapid descent, and the soul-crushing agony of his body hitting the ground; every detail was terrifyingly vivid.

He had died. He had fallen from the terrace of that magnificent yet filthy hotel. It happened on the very night his titular husband, Li Chenzhou, had personally sent him there to “accompany” wealthy clients for drinks.

Memories flooded back with a desperate chill. He remembered Li Chenzhou’s eyes, cold, indifferent, and devoid of emotion, watching him as he was pawed at by those two bloated, grease-slicked capital tycoons. To Li Chenzhou, he was nothing more than an insignificant object. He even remembered the last pleading look he had cast toward his husband, only to see the man’s profile tighten slightly before he turned his head away.

Then came the struggle to preserve his dignity, the chaotic pushing and shoving, and the sudden step into empty air.

How could I still be alive?

Lin Yang bolted upright.

He was in a familiar, luxurious bedroom. Expensive black walnut furniture, a soft custom-made Italian bed, and the air lingering with a faint, cold, woody fragrance that belonged to someone else.

This was his and Li Chenzhou’s wedding suite. More accurately, it was Li Chenzhou’s house, and Lin Yang was merely a decorative piece “arranged” to live inside it.

Disbelieving, he looked to his side.

On the other half of the massive double bed lay a man. Even in sleep, the contours of his face remained aggressively handsome, with a high bridge of the nose and thin lips pressed firmly together. The coldness and detachment habitually etched between his brows had not diminished even in slumber.

Li Chenzhou.

His “husband.”

A business marriage through and through. Lin Yang was the pathetic wretch packaged like a gift by his family and sent over in exchange for profit. In his past life, right up until the moment he died, he was convinced that Li Chenzhou felt nothing for him but loathing and disregard.

His heart twinged with a cramp-like pain, a mix of immense terror and the dazed confusion of a survivor. Trembling, he reached for the nightstand and tapped his phone screen.

Year X, Month X, Day X.

Lin Yang’s pupils contracted sharply. This was exactly one month into their marriage! It was nearly a year before the night of his tragic death!

Shock swept over him like a tsunami.

Rebirth?

The kind of plot that only existed in novels was actually happening?

He pinched his thigh hard. “Sss,” the sharp sting of pain followed.

It was not a dream! He was really back! The tragedy had not happened yet; there was still time for everything!

His euphoria lasted only a second before it was swallowed by a massive wave of urgency. He had to leave! He had to get a divorce! Even if he left with nothing, even if he was disowned by his family, he had to escape this cold cage. He had to flee from the man who would eventually push him toward his death.

To live, and to live freely, was more important than anything else.

Beside him, the man moved.

Lin Yang froze instantly, his blood turning to ice and his breath catching in his throat. Overwhelming fear gripped him. Instinctively, he slowly lay back down and shut his eyes, leaving only a tiny crack to watch through as his heart thudded against his ribs.

Li Chenzhou frowned and rolled over to face him. His warm breath brushed against Lin Yang’s hairline. Lin Yang remained as rigid as a stone. The memory of that cold profile from his past life overlapped with the heartless sleeping face before him, making his stomach churn. He fought to suppress his trembling.

On the nightstand, Li Chenzhou’s private phone vibrated, its ghostly blue light appearing abruptly in the dim room. Li Chenzhou’s eyelashes fluttered as he opened his eyes. His deep, dark pupils held a momentary haze of sleep before instantly regaining their usual sharp, piercing clarity, cold as shards of ice.

He did not look at Lin Yang. He reached out, took the phone, and answered.

“Speak,” he said. His voice was low, raspy with morning slumber, yet devoid of any emotional rise or fall.

As the person on the other end reported, Li Chenzhou listened, occasionally responding with a grunt. His gaze swept across the pale light of dawn outside the window, his profile hard and unyielding.

Lin Yang kept his eyes shut tight, struggling to maintain a steady breathing rhythm. His hearing became unnaturally acute. He could vaguely hear a respectful, hurried male voice reporting a sudden crisis in an overseas project.

“Understood,” Li Chenzhou said coolly after a few minutes. “Prepare the jet. We leave in an hour.”

He hung up and tossed the covers aside to get up without the slightest hesitation.

Lin Yang peeked through the slit of his eyelids, watching the tall, cold silhouette walk toward the walk-in closet. The man had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, a perfect physique, yet he radiated an icy aura that kept everyone at a distance.

Soon, Li Chenzhou emerged in a perfectly tailored black suit, his appearance meticulous down to his cufflinks. He adjusted his tie as he walked toward the bedroom door. From start to finish, he never spared a single glance at Lin Yang on the bed, as if he did not even exist.

The bedroom door clicked shut. The suffocating pressure vanished.

Lin Yang let out a massive breath and collapsed onto the bed, limp and exhausted, gasping for air. Cold sweat soaked his hair again.

As expected, it is exactly like the last time.

Indifference, neglect, and total disregard. Despite being married for a month, sharing a roof, and sharing a bed, they were worse than strangers. Li Chenzhou never cared about anything regarding him. His joys and sorrows, the ups and downs of his career, though he barely had a career to speak of, were likely less important to this man than a single financial report.

In his past life, he would have felt wronged and hurt by this coldness, even stupidly trying to catch the man’s attention. But now, Lin Yang was only relieved.

It was better if the man did not love him. It was better if the man loathed him. That way, bringing up a divorce should be easy. To a man as arrogant as Li Chenzhou, having an insignificant, annoying object volunteer to leave would likely feel like a relief. He would probably sign the papers gladly.

Lin Yang sat up and hugged his knees, burying his face in them. He could not stay here any longer. Every second spent in this room, on this bed, felt like suffocating terror.

He took a deep breath, forced himself to be calm, and began to think. A divorce was inevitable. But he could not be impulsive.

Li Chenzhou was no ordinary man. He was the helmsman of the Li Group, a man who held absolute, overwhelming power.

Although his family back home, the Lin family, possessed a modest amount of wealth, they were insignificant compared to the Li family. Back then, they had been so desperate to cling to the prestige of the Li family that they could not wait to pack him off and send him away.

If he were to rush in and demand a divorce now, he might risk enlisting Li Chenzhou’s wrath. Alternatively, if the Li family refused to agree simply to save face, Lin Yang feared he would have no power to resist.

He had to plan this carefully.

First, he needed a divorce agreement. He could not rely on the Li family’s lawyers; he had to find an opportunity to secretly consult an outside attorney and prepare an agreement that favored his own interests.

Second, he needed money. Li Chenzhou had never mistreated him materially. Lin Yang possessed a secondary black card, but he had almost never used it. Now he needed liquid cash to ensure he would not end up on the streets immediately after the divorce. In his past life, he had been foolish enough not to fight for anything, but in this life, he had to look out for himself. At the very least, he needed to save enough to cover his initial costs for an independent life.

Third, he had to reclaim his career. Although he was only an obscure, low-tier actor, acting was the only thing he was good at and truly loved. In his previous life, the coldness of this marriage and Li Chenzhou’s indifference had left him disheartened, leading him to virtually retire from the industry. This time, he needed work, he needed income, and he needed the capital to support himself.

As his mind raced through these calculations, his plans gradually became clear. Fear was slowly replaced by a firm determination. This time, his fate would be in his own hands.

He pulled back the covers and stepped out of bed, his bare feet sinking into the soft, expensive carpet as he walked toward the massive floor-to-ceiling window. Outside, the sky was bright, and the morning light pierced through the clouds. The garden greenery was vibrant and full of life, a stark contrast to the pitch-black, freezing night of his fall.

New life.

The words struck his mind unexpectedly. Yes, he had obtained a new life. He had paid with his very existence to earn this precious chance to start over. He took a deep breath of the fresh morning air, feeling the powerful, real beat of his heart within his chest.

He turned away from the window, his gaze sweeping over the luxurious bed that filled him with dread, then across the spacious, cold house that lacked even a hint of warmth, finally landing on the bedroom door.

The first step was to leave this room, eat breakfast calmly, and then begin executing his plan.

He walked toward the walk-in closet to change out of his sweat-soaked pajamas. As he passed Li Chenzhou’s side of the room, his eyes inadvertently brushed over the man’s nightstand. Beside a high-priced wristwatch lay a thick financial magazine and a minimalist metal ashtray. The tray was spotless; Li Chenzhou almost never smoked. Everything looked exactly as it did in his memories, fitting Li Chenzhou’s image of extreme self-discipline and ruthless indifference.

Lin Yang looked away, devoid of any desire to investigate further. He was no longer interested in anything regarding Li Chenzhou; he only wanted to escape.

He quickly changed into a simple white sweater and casual trousers, which made him feel slightly more at ease. He took a deep breath, turned the bedroom doorknob, and stepped out. The hallway was silent, though the faint sounds of servants preparing breakfast drifted up from downstairs. This “home” was as cold, empty, and strictly regulated as ever.

Lin Yang walked down the spiral staircase one step at a time, his gait transitioning from shaky to steady. In the dining room, an exquisite breakfast of both Chinese and Western dishes was already laid out on the long table, yet only one set of cutlery had been placed.

“Good morning, Mr. Lin,” the butler, Uncle Chen, said as he stood meticulously to the side. His tone was respectful but detached. “Mr. Li left for an urgent business trip abroad early this morning. Please enjoy your breakfast.”

It was just like his past life. Li Chenzhou was always busy, a frequent flyer who treated this house more like an occasional hotel stay. Lin Yang nodded and silently took his seat. He looked at the translucent shrimp dumplings, the steaming milk, and the perfectly toasted bread; every dish was as delicate as a work of art.

In his previous life, he had often faced this vast table of food alone, finding it tasteless as he felt a suffocating loneliness. But now, his mood was entirely different. He picked up his chopsticks, took a shrimp dumpling, and chewed carefully.

He had to eat; he had to preserve his strength. Escaping required energy, and starting a new life required even more. He ate quickly, though not sloppily. His mind was still spinning: within the day, he had to find a way to contact Sister So, his agent from his previous life who, while not particularly influential, had genuinely cared for him. Then, he had to find an excuse to go out and consult a law firm.

“Mr. Lin,” Uncle Chen’s voice interrupted his thoughts, “the driver has the car ready. Will you be needing it today?”

Lin Yang’s hand holding the chopsticks paused slightly. It was true; although Li Chenzhou ignored him, he maintained appearances. Lin Yang was provided with a dedicated driver and vehicle for the “Mrs. Li” social obligations and outings. Previously, he had viewed this as a form of surveillance and restraint; now, it could serve as the first step of his plan.

He put down his chopsticks, wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin, and looked up at Uncle Chen. He offered the first slight smile since his rebirth, one fueled by a fresh resolve.

“I will. Thank you, Uncle Chen.”

His voice was calm, even somewhat gentle, but something about him had changed completely.

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