A Substitute Bride With Multiple Identities
Chapter 426: Protecting the Wife

Chapter 426: Chapter 426: Protecting the Wife

Melanie held her chin high, her eyes filled with contempt as she stubbornly said to Shen Yanhe, "If it weren’t for Fu returning to the country, we would have been married a long time ago."

She curled her lip, with a touch of disdain, "I really don’t know what Fu sees in you. Is it because you’re pretty? But you are not as wealthy as me, your family background doesn’t compare to mine, your knowledge is inferior to mine, you can’t offer any help to Fu, yet he still chose you."

Melanie felt a pang of unwillingness in her heart.

She thought of herself as a princess of a nation, with a status far more noble than that of the commoner Shen Yanhe, yet Fu Yanhe had still chosen to marry Shen Yanhe.

Shen Yanhe’s expression grew even more indifferent, a hint of irritation surfacing in her heart.

She lifted her eyes slightly, her voice sharpening a bit, "In that case, Miss Farrell, let me ask you a few questions."

"Did you date Fu before? Were you and Fu in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship? Have you met each other’s parents or got engaged?"

Melanie was stumped by Shen Yanhe’s barrage of pointed questions, her facial expression turning somewhat awkward.

She opened her mouth, starting to say, "Even if I haven’t dated Fu..."

Shen Yanhe’s eyes were full of irony as she glanced at Melanie lightly, asking in a cool voice, "Since you haven’t dated him, aren’t his girlfriend, and haven’t got engaged."

"My marriage to him is legitimate, how could it be considered as a third party stepping in?"

"On the other hand, Miss Melanie," Shen Yanhe smiled, "knowing that he already has a wife, yet you persist in clinging to him, trying to intrude as the third party, is truly an eye-opener."

Ni Na couldn’t bear to see Melanie treated like this by Shen Yanhe. Her brows shot up, and she scolded, "Hey! Don’t you go too far!"

Before Ni Na could finish speaking, a cold male voice suddenly came from behind Shen Yanhe, "Is this the hospitality of Princess Harman?"

Shen Yanhe’s eyebrows lifted slightly as she turned around.

Fu Yanhe had somehow arrived behind her without her noticing.

He stood tall and straight, casting a shadow over her petite frame, exuding a protective stance.

Fu Yanhe’s jade-like fingers rested on her shoulder, patting it reassuringly as his cool gaze fell on Melanie, "Princess Harman, what is the meaning of this?"

Fu Yanhe’s features were exquisitely refined, his appearance handsome. Dressed in a black suit, his demeanor was wrapped in mystery with an air of elegance and pride.

His stance as a protective husband carried a fatally attractive force.

The moment he appeared, a flash of admiration crossed the eyes of the women around Melanie.

Ni Na’s cheeks flushed slightly, her heart stirring.

She had only heard from Melanie how wonderful this man named Fu was, never having seen him in person before.

Now that she had laid eyes on the man, she understood why Melanie was so fixated on him.

Melanie’s face struggled to maintain its composure as she forced a smile, "Fu, you’ve misunderstood. I just saw Miss Shen all alone here, worried she might be bored, so I brought people over to keep her company, that’s all."

"Is that so? Miss Shen."

Shen Yanhe’s eyes curved slightly, "It’s been quite entertaining."

She reached out her hand, lightly grasping Fu Yanhe’s slender fingers, and looked towards Melanie, "Now that you’re here, you might as well explain to Miss Farrell here about your previous engagement with him."

"She still seems to think I’m the third party who intervened between you two, and this upsets me."

Melanie’s facial expression stiffened.

Shen Yanhe’s eyes were smiling, but the hand holding Fu Yanhe’s fingers squeezed tightly in secret.

She was not one to keep silent and suffer in silence.

Fu Yanhe felt the pinch on his fingers, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes, though his expression remained indifferent, "There has never been an engagement between Miss Farrell and me, and my wife is not a third party."

"She’s the woman I am to spend my life with, whom I sought with all the luck I had in this lifetime."

Ni Na and the others showed a trace of surprise on their faces. She looked at Melanie, whose complexion had turned rather unsightly, and asked, "No engagement? But Melanie, hadn’t you said before that His Majesty the King had arranged an engagement between you and Fu?"

Before Melanie could open her mouth to speak, Fu Yanhe indifferently said, "Indeed, King Harman had mentioned it, but I refused at the time. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him."

He paused, then added, "I had already made it clear to Miss Farrell previously that there was nothing tying me to her."

"Melanie, is what he said true?" Ni Na asked, somewhat flabbergasted.

Under their gazes, Melanie’s face felt as if it had been harshly slapped, stinging hotly.

Her hands, hanging by her sides, clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms, the pain helping her barely maintain her composure.

Her lips parted slightly, and in the end, she could only say in an unwilling, faint voice, "Yes."

After uttering that word, Melanie’s face showed a trace of discomfiture, and unable to stay any longer, she excused herself and hastily left.

The women following her quickly caught up, while Ni Na looked at Fu Yanhe with some reluctance before turning to follow.

"Melanie, wait for me."

"Everything has been explained." Fu Yanhe lowered his gaze towards Shen Yanhe, his eyes wearing a helplessly amused smile, "Can you stop being angry now?"

Shen Yanhe huffed twice and released his hand, "Your performance was passable, I’ll let you off this time."

She glanced at Fu Yanhe, still feeling a bit irked, and couldn’t resist pinching his cheek, murmuring under her breath, "Why do you have to be so good-looking, attracting all this unwanted attention?"

Her voice was too soft, and Fu Yanhe didn’t catch it; he leaned in slightly, asking with curiosity, "What did you say?"

"Nothing." Shen Yanhe stood up, "I’m going to the restroom."

"Shall I accompany you?" Fu Yanhe asked, standing straight.

Shen Yanhe waved her hand, "No need, I’m not a child."

Shen Yanhe pulled a waiter over, inquired about the location of the restroom, and then headed toward the direction of the restroom.

Meanwhile.

Outside a lavishly decorated room on the third floor, several soldiers armed with wooden rifles were stationed. Besides them, there were several burly men with the word "immortal" tattooed on their arms.

One among them was the blond man familiar to Shen Yanhe.

Gold suddenly shivered and tapped his companion beside him, "I’m gonna take a leak; you keep watch."

"Go ahead, Mr. Gold."

Gold first went to the restroom at the end of the third-floor corridor, coincidentally under maintenance.

He continued to the second floor, where the public restroom was not available that day, so Gold had no choice but to go down to the first floor.

As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he saw a woman walking past him.

The woman wore a golden silk cheongsam, her figure tender and well-shaped, her gracefully swaying posture catching even the attention of a man who wasn’t typically moved by feminine charms.

Gold’s eyes lit up, and he whistled at her, "Hey, beautiful."

The cheongsam-clad beauty’s swaying steps slowly came to a halt, and she turned her head slightly to look at Gold.

Her gaze slowly settled on the tattoo on his arm.

Immortal.

They really had come.