DMBM Chapter 5

 "Are you afraid of him?" he asked, his voice low and deep.

Xia Xue was startled. Her grip on the wine glass tightened unconsciously, but she tried to maintain a calm posture—she couldn’t allow herself to appear flustered in front of this man, or anyone else.

As the night deepened, the music in the bar grew louder and more intense. The atmosphere buzzed with laughter and excitement—hardly the right place to have a serious conversation. But since Wei Rudong had insisted on coming here, she had to go along and be a good host. She took a sip of the strong Long Island Iced Tea; the spicy liquor scorched her throat, calming her turbulent thoughts just a little. She glanced under her lashes at the man sitting across from her, and even though she had mentally prepared herself beforehand, she was still astonished.

How could two people in this world look so alike? Wei Rudong and her husband, Yan Yongxuan, were practically carved from the same mold. The only differences were that Wei Rudong had a double eyelid on his right eye, his complexion was slightly darker, his nose was straighter, his build was more muscular, and he stood one or two centimeters taller.

Other than that, there were almost no differences between them. Of course, their temperaments were entirely different. Yongxuan had been born into a wealthy family and received an elite education from a young age. He carried a noble and distant demeanor. Wei Rudong, by contrast, had been raised without such refinement. His manner of speaking lacked Yongxuan’s elegant London accent. Yongxuan never touched cigarettes, while Wei Rudong seemed permanently attached to his.

A few days earlier, when she first caught a glimpse of him at the yacht fair, she had been so shocked she almost fainted. How could her husband—missing for half a year—suddenly appear in the United States? She quickly ordered an investigation into his background, only to discover that this man and Yongxuan were not the same person.

Could he be an illegitimate son of Yongxuan’s father? But there was no such clue in his life history. They clearly weren’t brothers.

After a great deal of thought, she finally accepted the fact that the two men were unrelated. And that’s when a risky plan began to form in her mind.

She decided to invite Wei Rudong to impersonate her missing husband.

"Are you afraid of that man?" Wei Rudong asked again, noticing her long silence.

"Why do you ask?" she replied with a forced smile.

"From the way you describe your husband, it sounds like you don’t like him very much. Maybe you’re even a little scared of him." Wei Rudong watched her meaningfully, unconsciously tapping his beer glass with his fingers. He was drinking Corona, imported from Mexico.

Was she afraid of Yongxuan? Did she hate him?

Xia Xue fell into a brooding silence, her heartstrings tightening as a faint pain welled up inside. "Maybe… a little. He cares more about art than people. In a way, he’s… self-centered."

"It's selfish," Wei Rudong concluded bluntly.

Xia Xue flinched. She hadn’t wanted to label Yongxuan with such a harsh word.

"So, did sleep with him again after that?" he asked suddenly, blunt as ever.

Xia Xue flushed with embarrassment and irritation. "That’s none of your business. It’s not the reason I asked for your help."

She had only briefly mentioned her and Yongxuan’s first night—she had no intention of going into detail with Wei Rudong, nor did she appreciate his intrusive curiosity.

"I’m just interested to know," Wei Rudong said, lighting a cigarette and deliberately blowing smoke in her direction. "Look at you getting flustered. You really do seem like an inexperienced virgin." He smirked.

"Of course I have experience!" she snapped, glaring at him.

He shrugged and grinned.

"Mr. Wei, I’m not here to joke with you. This is a very serious agreement. Please treat it seriously," she said sternly.

"Okay, okay—serious it is!" He coughed twice, pretended to wipe the smile off his face, and put on a solemn expression. "That serious enough for you?"

Is this man toying with her? Xia Xue was irritated.

"Seriously though, you look pretty when you're angry," he added, still grinning.

She slapped the table in exasperation.

“Okay, okay!” He raised his hands in surrender. "Let’s get to the point! How did your husband go missing? What happened?"

The topic finally returned to track. Xia Xue breathed a small sigh of relief, though a new kind of tension settled in. What followed would be the hardest part—forcing herself to recall those chaotic, painful days.

She took a deep breath. "I mentioned that he owns a yacht."

"I know—Daphne," Wei Rudong said, smiling. "Why did he name it that?"

Why? Xia Xue froze. Honestly, she had never thought about it. Did it matter?

"As far as I know, Daphne is a figure from Greek mythology. She was pursued by the sun god Apollo," she explained. "There are two legends about them, but I prefer this one: Apollo fell in love with Daphne and chased her relentlessly. But his light was too intense—every time he got close, he burned her. So she kept running. One day, unable to endure it anymore, she begged her father for help. He turned her into a laurel tree, helping her escape from that terrifying yet beautiful suitor. Apollo later understood why she ran and deeply regretted it. He vowed to always leave her shade, and that's where sunspots come from—the warmth he left behind for his first love."

"What a touching story," Wei Rudong said sarcastically.

Was it touching? Xia Xue frowned. She had never asked Yongxuan why he named the yacht Daphne. Did he know the myth? Did it mean anything to him? She really should have asked. Maybe it would’ve helped her understand him better.

"What are you spacing out for?" Wei Rudong tapped the table near her to bring her back. "Keep going."

She composed herself. "Anyway, that night, he went out on the yacht and didn’t return for two days. His assistant and I couldn’t reach him. We were worried something had happened, so we called the Coast Guard. They found Daphne adrift in open water—but he wasn’t on board."

"Is he dead?" Wei Rudong asked bluntly.

Xia Xue bit her lip. Her heart twisted. She took several sips of the Long Island Iced Tea. "After a police investigation, they determined that the yacht’s engine had lost power. There had been a fire in the cabin bedroom—some furniture was burned. The search team combed the area for almost a week but couldn’t find his body. In the end, the police declared him missing."

"Missing—or dead? Are you sure it was just an accident? Maybe someone pushed him overboard."

Xia Xue was shocked. Her eyes snapped to Wei Rudong’s, sharp and clear. "What are you implying… that someone murdered him?"

"Can’t rule it out, right?" He drank and puffed on his cigarette.

In fact, the police had investigated the possibility of suicide or homicide, but without strong evidence, the case had stalled.

Is her husband dead—or alive? That question had haunted her for more than six months. In the early days of his disappearance, she’d had nightmares every night and would wake drenched in sweat.

"But whether he’s missing or dead, why ask me to pretend to be him?"

"Because I… need money."

Wei Rudong raised an eyebrow. "You need money?"

"Yes, I do." Xia Xue closed her eyes and hid her hands under the table, clutching the hem of her suit. Her husband's fate was still uncertain, yet here she was—negotiating with another man for money. Even she despised herself. "As I said, Yongxuan and I signed a prenuptial agreement. Our finances are separate. I have no legal access to his assets. Since the police have only declared him missing—not dead—I can’t claim any inheritance. I’d have to wait seven years to apply for a death certificate."

"So until the law declares him dead, you can’t touch a single cent."

"Exactly."

"Doesn’t he have an accountant or lawyer? Someone managing his estate? Wouldn’t they help you access his property?"

"No. As I said, the prenup is clear. I can’t access his assets in any form."

"Tsk. What a cautious man," Wei Rudong mocked.

"He’s just… cautious," she replied instinctively, defending him.

Wei Rudong stared at her, exhaling smoke that clouded her vision. "No children? If you had a child, you could use his father’s assets."

Children…

Xia Xue’s heart clenched, her hands trembled, and her chest ached. "We… didn’t have children. I was pregnant, but I… lost it."

His dark eyes gleamed strangely. "Lost it?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"You didn’t do it on purpose, did you?" His question was like a knife.

She glared at him. "Why would I kill my own child?!"

"Who knows? Maybe you hated the child’s father."

"You—"

"Don’t get worked up. I was just joking." He stubbed out his cigarette and lowered his eyes, hiding whatever emotions flickered within. "Still, if you had the baby, you’d at least have a legal claim to his inheritance."

He was mocking her. Xia Xue clenched her teeth and swallowed the bitterness in her chest. "In any case, it’s none of your business. I admit I need money badly. Yongxuan had promised to invest in my company in installments. But now that he’s missing, the funds are cut off. We’re in the middle of a factory expansion, and our financial situation is extremely tight."

"So, to get the company the funds it needs, you want someone to pretend to be your husband and access his money?"

"That’s right."

"I see." Wei Rudong’s mouth curved into a smirk. "You're clever. If I play your husband, not only will I help the company, but once I’m no longer useful, you can make me sign a will, leaving everything to you. Kill two birds with one stone—very cost-effective."

He made her sound like a calculating, gold-digging woman.

Xia Xue stared at him, her expression bleak. She could argue, but what was the point? Even she sometimes doubted her own motives.

Maybe she really did lack morality—why else would she come up with such a reckless plan?

"But aside from the terms of our deal," Wei Rudong continued, "how are you going to convince everyone I’m your husband? We look alike, sure, but not identical. I don’t even know who his friends are."

"That’s easy," Xia Xue interrupted coolly. "Just tell them you have amnesia."

And so, Xia Xue and Wei Rudong reached an agreement.

He agreed to pose as Yan Yongxuan. In return, she bought him a property in Miami as a down payment. Once the deed was transferred, she would pay him a sum large enough for him to live comfortably for half a lifetime.

But getting the payment didn’t mean he was ready to play her husband. Even if someone could lose their memory, they couldn’t fake personality and upbringing. Before returning to Taiwan, Xia Xue arranged rigorous training for him.

Speech habits, vocabulary, dress style, artistic preferences—she hired professionals from every field to coach him. He took classes eight hours a day and watched British dramas at night to correct his accent.

"Does it matter what kind of English I speak?" he once grumbled. "Aren’t we going back to Taiwan? Everyone speaks Chinese."

"Yongxuan is constantly dealing with art collectors and dealers around the world. They all communicate in English," she explained. "He sometimes even speaks to his assistant in English. He was educated in the UK—English is like his second native language."

"What a pain," he muttered.

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