The darkness in his own home felt like a shroud tonight, heavier than usual. Sha Hao, a man accustomed to control and order, stumbled in the unexpected gloom. He had just stepped inside, exhausted from his day, when a shadow detached itself from the deeper black. A sudden, jarring impact slammed into his forehead. Pain exploded. He staggered back, disoriented, the metallic Yue of blood filling his mouth. Who dared to attack him, in his private sanctuary?

A small, trembling voice cut through the ringing in his ears. "So this is your reason for smashing me?" Sha Hao, his vision blurring, could barely make out the figure. His anger flared, but it was quickly overshadowed by a chilling confusion. The family doctor, summoned quickly, worked with practiced ease, bandaging the gash on his forehead. Sha Hao sat stiffly on the sofa, feeling like a common intruder in his own domain.

He took a slow, deliberate breath, his voice tight with barely contained fury. "Xia Yue," he began, the name a whisper of disbelief, "what makes you think people can just come and go here as they please? What were you doing in the dark?"

Xia Yue, a flicker of guilt in her eyes, seemed to shrink. Her reply was timid, almost a whimper. "I’m sorry. . ." But a strange, almost calculating light seemed to cross her face for a fleeting moment. Sha Hao’s gaze narrowed, a tiny seed of doubt taking root. He watched her as she seemed to scold herself silently, her lips not moving, yet he felt a strange pressure, a whisper in his mind. *How could thieves possibly get in so easily? I must have lost my mind!* He dismissed it as a symptom of his concussion, a trick of the mind. How could he hear her thoughts?

The veins on Sha Hao's temple throbbed, the fresh wound stinging anew. What twisted fate had led him to this woman, who now seemed like a phantom in his opulent home? He watched her, a prickle of unease growing on his skin. "Alright, you should go rest now," he said, needing her out of his sight. He wanted to be alone with his unsettling thoughts.

Xia Yue, relief washing over her face, scrambled to her feet. She seemed eager to escape. As she left, she glanced back, a peculiar, lingering gaze. "I'll be going then~" Sha Hao didn't even spare a glance for her, but the sense of being watched persisted, even after she disappeared.

Alone in her bed, Xia Yue tossed and turned. The thought of being fired was a cold dread. "No!" she gasped, sitting bolt upright. To avoid such a fate, she had to act. She began to recall details, whispers of a book, descriptions of Sha Hao’s poor health. A plan, subtle and calculated, began to form in her mind. She tutted softly. *Ten tycoons, nine with stomach problems.* She thought, a strange smile playing on her lips in the darkness.

The next morning, an envelope of breakfast appeared. Qiu Sister, the long-time housekeeper, handed a bag to Sha Hao, a faint, knowing smile on her face. "The mistress specifically had me make sandwiches for you. Take them to the company to eat."

Sha Hao took the bag. He didn't say if he would eat them. He felt a deep, gnawing suspicion. Was this an apology? A subtle attempt to poison? He was unsure, but the unease intensified. At the company, he drank his usual bitter black coffee, and the familiar ache in his stomach began. Secretary Wei, his loyal assistant, frowned. "Your stomach hurts again? Let me get your medicine."

As Sha Hao took the medicine, Secretary Wei took the sandwich out of the paper bag. "You brought breakfast but aren't eating it?" Sha Hao didn't want to touch it. Just the thought of Xia Yue’s involvement made his skin crawl. *Was she trying to curry favor with him?* he heard a thought, clear as a bell, inside his own head. He froze. This was not his thought. He looked around wildly, but only Secretary Wei was there, innocently unwrapping the sandwich.

He scoffed, forcing a casual tone. "I'm not hungry, you can eat it." Secretary Wei, unaware of the silent battle raging within his boss, didn't stand on ceremony. He hadn't eaten breakfast either. That night, Sha Hao didn't return to the villa. He felt an urgent need to escape, to put distance between himself and the unsettling woman. He wasn't just avoiding her; he was running from something he couldn't name.

Unknown to him, when Xia Yue found out he was staying away, she ate three bowls of rice, a secretive smile playing on her lips. Qiu Sister, however, looked hesitant. "Mistress, shouldn't you call your husband?" She felt a strange tension in the air, a disconnect between the newlyweds that felt unnatural. Xia Yue waved her hand unconcernedly, her eyes sparkling with an almost mischievous light. "Living at home wastes too much commute time. Plus, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Don't worry."

Qiu Sister still felt something wasn't quite right. "Should I keep making the sandwiches then?" she asked, her voice low. Xia Yue paused, a calculating expression on her face. "Make them. Have the driver deliver them." *After all, he was the daddy with the gold. And I just made a mistake, so I still have to make a good impression,* a thought echoed, not in Xia Yue's voice, but in Sha Hao's mind, miles away in his silent office. He slammed his hand on his desk, his blood running cold. It was her voice. He was hearing her thoughts.

So, the sandwiches continued, a daily, unsettling ritual. Every morning, Sha Hao would receive one, and without fail, they all ended up in Secretary Wei's stomach. Sha Hao observed, a chilling dread growing inside him. He felt like he was caught in a trap, the daily delivery a subtle reminder of Xia Yue's persistent presence, even in his absence. Secretary Wei, however, couldn't take it anymore. Looking at the familiar sandwich, his face was bitter. "President Sha. . . Can you tell your family's cook to make something else for breakfast?" He was genuinely going to vomit from eating them.

Sha Hao's resolve hardened. "Next time she sends them, tell her not to send anymore." He spoke with a cold edge, a touch of impatience flashing through his eyes. He wouldn’t be part of this game any longer. He wouldn't be terrorized by a mind he couldn't control. Secretary Wei noticed it, a subtle shiver of unease. He regretted his words slightly; free breakfast, even if repetitive, was still free breakfast.

After receiving the driver's message, Qiu Sister asked quietly, "Still send them?" Xia Yue's eyes gleamed. "Send them! Of course send them! Whether he eats them or not is his business. Whether I send them or not is my business." *It was just moving her lips, no big deal,* the familiar, unsettling voice echoed in Sha Hao's head. He clenched his fists, a tremor running through him. The phantom voice was relentless.

Qiu Sister sighed, oblivious to the deeper currents. "What would the mistress like for breakfast tomorrow morning?" "Let's do Chinese breakfast tomorrow. I'm kind of craving baozi." "Got it." The next morning, Xia Yue indulged in crab roe baozi, tears of excitement (or something else?) flowing from the corners of her mouth. Qiu Sister's cooking really was incredible. But even then, Sha Hao, in his office, heard a fleeting thought: *He’s probably eating another tasteless meal. Serves him right for avoiding me.*

Right after finishing breakfast, she received a text from an unknown number: *Xia Yue, come to Heishan tonight.* Scammers were this high level now? They even knew her name and were asking her to climb a mountain? At night? Xia Yue gave a cold laugh and immediately blocked and deleted the number. But a flicker of something in her eyes, a recognition, was unsettling.

And so that night, pajama-clad Xia Yue came face to face with her contract husband. Sha Hao stood before her, not in pajamas, but in a tailored designer suit, his expression stark and unreadable. The air crackled with a silent tension. "So that text was from you?" she asked, a forced lightness in her tone.

Sha Hao didn't speak. He simply stared, his gaze piercing, as if trying to see into her very soul. "You have thirty minutes to get ready. We're going to the old residence later." His voice was low, devoid of emotion, but held an undeniable command. "Don't worry, I'll be ready in no time!" she chirped, but then, a frantic, almost panicked thought assaulted Sha Hao’s mind. *Old residence, fine, but why say Heishan? How was I supposed to know the old residence was in Heishan? He’s trying to trick me!*

Sha Hao suddenly looked up, his eyes widening. He had heard her! Again. He watched her as she clip-clopped upstairs, a cold dread seeping into his bones. He knit his brows, a profound sense of horror washing over him. This was not a hallucination. This was real. He could hear her thoughts. He sat down heavily, the weight of this horrifying realization pressing down on him.

Xia Yue was quick with her makeup, but took some time choosing an outfit. She had really gained quite a bit of weight recently, with a layer of flab on her stomach. *He must not see this, he must not see this,* a thought echoed in Sha Hao’s mind as he sat downstairs, listening to the frantic mental chatter above. She finally found a dress that concealed it, and hurried downstairs just as thirty minutes were up. She looked at him uneasily, trying to gauge his mood. "I'm ready."

"Mm." He grunted, his gaze fixed on her. The silence in the car was thick, oppressive. Sha Hao, feigning to handle work, kept his side profile elegant, but his mind raced, trying to process the impossible. Xia Yue sneaked a few glances at him, her internal monologue, a stream of consciousness, assaulting his every sense. *His skin is so nice. He stays up late every day, how is there not even a dark circle? Is the tycoon boss that busy? He's still working in the car? Hehehe~ I wonder if my discounted husband has an eight-pack. . .*

The barrage of her thoughts, so casual, so inappropriate, so *loud*, finally broke his composure. "Quiet!" he snapped, his voice sharp, almost a gasp. Xia Yue flinched, genuinely startled. "I didn't say anything. . ." The driver looked back in surprise through the rearview mirror, then quickly averted his gaze. Sha Hao pinched his brow, his head reeling. He looked at Xia Yue, his eyes wide with undisguised shock. He had definitely heard her! Again, he tested her, his voice carefully neutral. "Do you still remember the contents of our agreement?"

A flood of her thoughts rushed into his mind. *I remember, I remember! Don't worry, I'll be on my best behavior tonight!* And then, a torrent of mental whispers, reviewing romance novels, plotting her performance as a "loving married couple." *No problem!* Her innocent face, her steady voice, contrasted with the cacophony in his mind. Sha Hao felt a cold sweat prickle his skin. He was trapped with a woman who could hide nothing from him, and from whom he could hide nothing. The mystery had deepened into a horrifying reality.