Chapter 1

My mom kept hounding me to get married.

With no other choice, I put on a meek and docile facade. I never expected that a remote blind date would get me noticed by a refined-looking, mixed-race guy studying abroad.

He’d been living overseas for years and rarely came home.

“I’ll give you a six hundred sixty thousand dollar bride price. No dowry needed. The condition is, you take care of my daughter back home.”

He looked composed, yet he spoke so casually about having an illegitimate daughter.

I feigned composure, but inside, my heart soared.

Rich, a house, and instant motherhood with none of the pain.

The marriage was settled immediately.

From then on, I was back to my favorite games – Call of Duty, Apex Legends – and racing, with my little shadow in tow, living my best life.

Until one day, my expat husband called, asking what talent our daughter could perform at her preschool parent-teacher conference. I looked at the keyboard in front of me: “Maybe... play the... keyboard?”

He laughed heartily on the other end, then sent me a media video—

A neon race car sped across the finish line. I opened the door, pulled off my helmet, tossed my hair, and flashed a wild grin.

“Wife, are you a gentle, docile painter, or a rebellious, flamboyant race car driver?”