Xu Wei always assumed that if he ever died, it would be something dramatic.
Maybe he'd get caught in an explosive bar fight that would go down in history. Or perhaps he'd meet his end in an action-packed high-speed chase where the cops just couldn't keep up. Hell, even dying in a lover's arms after a night of passionate romance wouldn't have been too bad.
Instead, he was currently flying backward through the air—because of a banana peel.
The moment his foot slipped, he knew it was over. His arms flailed wildly, his body twisted, and the neon sign of his bar flickered ominously above him like it was mocking him.
The last thing he heard was the loud, terrified "MEEOOW!" of the stray cat he had been trying to rescue.
And then—
CRACK.
His head hit the pavement.
A sharp pain shot through his skull. His vision blurred. The cold rain splattered against his face.
Then, everything faded into silence.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
It was hard to tell how long he drifted in that void. Seconds? Minutes? Hours?
It was cold. Weightless. There was no sound, no body, no sense of direction.
He was floating. Or maybe… sinking?
Xu Wei frowned—or at least, he thought he did. Could you even frown without a body?
Was this what being dead felt like?
"...No way," he muttered. "This is bullsh*t."
His voice echoed, stretching into the endless nothingness.
This had to be some kind of joke. He was only twenty-nine. He wasn't supposed to go out like this—a tragic victim of poor fruit disposal.
"I refuse," he said firmly. "I want a redo."
Silence.
Then, suddenly—
Pain.
A burning, crushing sensation shot through his chest like something was squeezing the air out of him. His lungs locked up. His head pounded. His body twisted, stretched, and—
BAM.
His eyes snapped open.
And the first thing he heard was a woman screaming.
A sharp, piercing shriek ripped through the air. Xu Wei winced, head pounding, as his vision struggled to adjust.
Everything felt off. His limbs were weak. His skin tingled. His head felt heavier.
"Madam!"
Xu Wei blinked. A maid stood at the foot of his bed, eyes wide in horror.
"Madam Jiang—!" Her voice cracked. "Madam is awake!"
Madam?
Xu Wei groaned, pressing a hand to his forehead. Something about it felt... strange.
His fingers were thinner.
His nails were longer, manicured to perfection.
His chest felt… heavy.
Slowly, stiffly, he sat up.
His eyes landed on the massive, gold-trimmed mirror across the room.
A woman stared back at him.
She was tall, elegant, and strikingly beautiful—with long, jet-black hair cascading down her shoulders, pale flawless skin, and eyes that carried an air of cold authority.
Xu Wei's breath hitched.
She lifted a hand.
So did he.
She touched her cheek.
So did he.
A terrible, gut-wrenching realization crashed over him like a tidal wave.
He wasn't just dead.
He had woken up in someone else's body.
A woman's body.
Xu Wei's soul nearly left him for the second time.
"What. The. Hell."
He scrambled out of bed, legs tangling in the silk sheets. The world spun, and his new, unfamiliar body struggled to balance.
The maid gasped. "Madam! Please be careful!"
Xu Wei barely heard her. His focus was on his reflection.
His brain screamed for an explanation.
Who was this woman?!
He spun around, grabbing the maid's shoulders. "Who—who am I?!"
The poor woman paled. "Madam, are you feeling unwell?"
"Unwell?" Xu Wei's voice was wrong. Softer. Smoother. Feminine.
His stomach twisted. "Tell me my name. Right now."
The maid looked like she wanted to run for her life, but she hesitantly answered, "You are Jiang Yurong, Madam. The wife of Master Liang."
Jiang Yurong.
The name slammed into him like a truck.
He had heard of her before—a wealthy socialite. Ice cold. Notorious for being impossible to deal with.
And married.
To none other than Liang Zhihao.
Xu Wei's brain shut down.
Not only was he in a woman's body, but he was also married to a man?!
Before he could process the horror, the door swung open.
And there, standing in the doorway, was Liang Zhihao himself.
The moment he entered, the entire room froze.
Xu Wei could feel the shift in energy.
Liang Zhihao was the type of man who didn't need to raise his voice to command attention. His presence alone was enough.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, his expression calm, unreadable.
Even from a distance, Xu Wei could tell—this man was dangerous. Not in the "punch you in the face" way, but in the "too powerful to mess with" kind of way.
Xu Wei gulped.
This was his husband?
Zhihao's gaze flickered over him briefly before settling on the maid. "What happened?"
"Madam Jiang woke up suddenly," the maid stammered. "She seems… disoriented."
Zhihao's sharp gaze turned to Xu Wei.
Xu Wei froze.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then, Zhihao exhaled. "Since you're awake, get dressed. We have a dinner to attend."
Xu Wei's brain crashed.
What?
Zhihao didn't wait for a response. He simply turned and walked out, his long strides carrying him effortlessly through the doorway.
Xu Wei's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.
He turned back to the mirror.
The elegant woman stared back at him, looking just as horrified.
His new husband had just walked in, told him to get dressed, and left without even questioning why his wife was acting weird.
What kind of cold marriage was this?!
Xu Wei grabbed his hair, his panic setting in.
"Oh. My. God. I'm married. To a man. Who doesn't even like me."
He sank to the floor, gripping his head.
This wasn't just bad.
This was catastrophic.