I froze, panicking instantly.
Meanwhile, the shameless idiot beside me, clutching his foot, still had the audacity to quietly whisper through clenched teeth: "Wife… domestic violence is illegal… but somehow… I've never felt more loved…"
I nearly throttled him on the spot.
"Everything's fine!" I called out, trying not to sound like I had a mini heart attack seconds ago.
"Really?" Yun Si's voice came from outside. "I thought I heard a groan?"
I froze. Oh no.
"I—I bumped into something!" I blurted out.
"You're not hurt, are you? Open the door, let me check—"
"NO!" The word flew out of my mouth before I could stop it.
The silence that followed was deafening. Realizing how suspicious I sounded, I cleared my throat and forced a weak laugh. "I mean... I'm fine, Sisi. Totally fine. Nothing to worry about."
"Okay," she said finally, though she didn't sound entirely convinced.
Only when I heard her footsteps walking away did I let out a shaky breath of relief. Then I turned to glare at the culprit, still leaning against the counter with that irritatingly smug grin. "You almost got us caught!"
He grinned wider, utterly unbothered. "Wife, you're such an awesome liar. I'm so proud."
"It's your fault!" I hissed, yanking his arm off my waist. My face probably looked darker than burnt toast. I turned toward my clothes hanging on the rack, trying to figure out how on earth I was supposed to change in this tiny space with him still in it.
Finally, I made up my mind and looked back at him. "Turn around."
He raised a brow. "Why?"
"I want to change."
He smirked. "But, wife, I've already seen you na—"
Before he could finish that sentence, I slapped my hand over his mouth and glared daggers into his eyes. "Finish that sentence, and I'll rip your tongue out."
He blinked at me with a betrayed look, eyes all big and wounded, but eventually nodded.
"Good." I removed my hand.
He sighed dramatically and turned around.
"Just so you know," I warned, "if you dare to peek, I'll make sure you lose the ability to have kids. Ever!"
His shoulders slumped slightly, probably unhappy about my words, but I didn't care. "Wife, if you do that, you will only be harming your future sexual happiness. But since you don't want me to see you naked, I'll be a good boy and won't turn."
I rolled my eyes at his words. Once I was sure he wasn't looking, I grabbed my clothes and started changing as quickly as humanly possible.
But of course, the bathroom suddenly decided to turn into an echo chamber. The rustling of fabric sounded ten times louder, and every brush of cloth made my face burn hotter.
Just the mere thought of changing clothes infront of a man, who was my unwanted husband, and had his back toward me, still gave me this weird jittery feeling.
This was ridiculous.
Finally, I slipped into my outfit and exhaled in relief. "Okay, you can turn around now."
He turned, and his gaze swept over me in one slow, unhurried motion before settling on my face. A smile curved his lips. "You look beautiful," he said simply.
I blinked, caught completely off guard. My face went up in flames. "Rogue!" I snapped, trying to cover my embarrassment.
He looked genuinely puzzled. "Wife, I was complimenting you."
"Did I ask you to?" I rolled my eyes, pretending to be annoyed, though my stupid heart was pounding like crazy.
What was wrong with me? I'd been complimented countless times before. But when he said it, it felt different. It felt warm and good, like really good. And I hated that I liked it.
Shaking my head to get rid of the thought, I grabbed my old clothes. "You stay here until we leave. Don't make a sound, and don't you dare come out."
He nodded obediently.
"I am leaving," I informed.
He smiled, "All the best, wife."
"Thanks," I muttered and turned to leave.
"Wife?"
The way he said it made me stop automatically. I turned without thinking. "What?"
That wicked glint appeared in his eyes. Before I could even process it, he leaned in and pressed a quick, firm kiss to my lips. "Remember to think of me while you work," he said, grinning.
My eyes went wide, my brain short-circuited, and before I could even yell, he opened the door and gently pushed me out. The door clicked shut behind me.
I stood there, glaring at it, fuming in silence. Rogue! Bastard! Pervert! Hooligan! I screamed inside my head. If I ever woke up one day and found out all this was just a nightmare, I'd thank every god out there.
I took a deep breath, plastered on my calmest face, and turned around. Yun Si was sitting at the dining table, scrolling through her phone, completely unaware that I had just survived a full-scale bathroom battle.
I quickly threw my old clothes into the laundry bag. I walked over to the dresser, fixed my hair, applied my lipstick, and grabbed my bag. "Sisi, I'm ready. Let's go."
She nodded and stood up. Together, we stepped out of the house.
Forty minutes later, we finally arrived at the studio where the shoot was going to take place. The parking lot was already packed, and by the time we walked in, the rest of the cast and crew were bustling around like bees in a hive.
The moment we entered, Yun Si immediately took me over to greet the director, who looked extremely serious but excited. He looked me up and down briefly before giving a short nod. "You're here. Good. Go get ready."
"Of course, Director Ye," I said politely, trying to sound professional even though my stomach was already flipping. I was so damn nervous.
An assistant led me down the hallway to the makeup room. It wasn't huge, but it buzzed with chatter and the faint smell of hairspray. Since I wasn't exactly a big-name actress, I had to share the space with other supporting actors—not that I minded.
In fact, it made things feel less intimidating. Inside, I spotted Li Yufei already sitting in front of a mirror, surrounded by makeup artists. She looked gorgeous in a fitted black dress, her hair in soft curls that framed her face perfectly.
When she noticed me, she smiled through the mirror's reflection and waved. "Hey, Xiyu!" she called cheerfully.
I smiled back. "Hello, Li Yufei."
Before I could say anything more, an assistant approached me, holding up a hanger draped with a bright red gown. "Miss Tang, this is your costume. Please change quickly," she said in a hurry.