Chapter 10 – Double Rebirth Extra: When Lu Zheng Lost His Memory and Tried to Replace Himself

When Lu Zheng opened his eyes again, it felt like the pain of an arrow piercing his heart still lingered in his chest, cold and sharp.

But something was wrong.

He seemed to be in a warm environment.

…And he was holding onto something.

A completely unfamiliar sensation.

Lu Zheng instinctively looked down—right into the drowsy eyes of a woman.

Lu Zheng: “……?”

He didn’t understand what was going on, but his survival instincts kicked in. He instinctively raised his hand and placed it on the woman’s neck—an act of complete control. If she made even the slightest move, he could react immediately.

Fresh from the depths of death, the man exuded cold hostility, his eyes filled with danger.

Jiang Jiang, half asleep, felt a chill over her body. Forcing her eyes open, she found Lu Zheng sitting up with his cold hand on her neck—was he using her for warmth?!

Jiang Jiang: “……… How rude!”

She grumbled, grabbed his hand, and stuffed it into her chest to warm it. “Why are you so cold again…” she muttered, pulling him under the blanket and hugging him close. Then, tilting her head, she drifted back to sleep.

Lu Zheng’s breath froze. His hand in her embrace turned stiff.

Jiang Jiang didn’t know what nonsense he was thinking again. Lu Zheng always treated her like a precious, fragile gem—cautiously and gently—sometimes making her confused.

She propped herself up and gave his cold lips a little kiss, then yawned and slipped back into the blanket.

Still, Lu Zheng didn’t respond.

Well… maybe a little. His hand trembled slightly.

Jiang Jiang: “……?? What now?! It’s too early for this nonsense.”

She slapped him with a soft hand. “Hug me properly and lie down. Stop overthinking, you have morning court later.”

Lu Zheng followed her command but found his body even more tense.

Jiang Jiang briefly pondered whether sleep or husband mattered more, but before she could decide, she was asleep again.

Lu Zheng stared at the peacefully sleeping woman in his arms—completely at a loss.

No one had ever hugged him before.

Not even his mother.

This warm, soft feeling was so unfamiliar it made him afraid to move.

She looked so gentle and beautiful, treating him like he was truly her husband… But Lu Zheng knew this scene shouldn’t belong to him.

He’d never had anything bright or happy. Nothing like this should belong to him.

But when he looked at the copper mirror beside the bed, it was clearly his face staring back.

“…Maybe this is a dream,” Lu Zheng thought. A final illusion before death.

He glanced at the woman in his arms—her features were carefree, her cheeks rosy. She leaned against his chest, breathing softly, and he could almost hear his own heartbeat.

…So this was what his dream-wife looked like?

Could it be that deep down, he truly longed for a home?

Cautiously, he brushed his fingers across her face, her lips—so soft it felt unreal.

He didn’t dare press too hard, for fear the dream would shatter.

But it felt so real.

So real he closed his eyes and let himself drown in the illusion.

—

Then, the palace servants woke him up and dressed him in imperial robes for morning court.

Lu Zheng: “…? This dream’s got a whole storyline?”

After court, things started to make more sense.

This wasn’t a dream.

The ministers had discussions in fields he wasn’t even proficient in—things he couldn’t possibly have dreamed up.

This was real.

He spotted Ji Jin—his most loyal subordinate from his past life, who had died taking a blade for him—now sneaking peeks at a romance novel hidden in his sleeve.

…How disgraceful.

Lu Zheng began probing, trying to figure out the identity of the body he now inhabited.

And came to an impossible conclusion:

This was himself.

Or rather—another version of himself?

In this world, he had married Jiang Su’s second daughter—the one who died young in his world—ascended the throne, and lived lovingly with her, even having a child.

Lu Zheng found it hard to believe.

He even saw traces of her presence in his study, meaning this world’s him trusted his empress deeply.

…And she’d been a noble, beautiful woman. Yet the fact that his counterpart allowed her to break palace rules… Unthinkable.

But then why was he here?

Wandering without purpose, he eventually arrived at the empress’s palace.

He glanced at the eunuch beside him, who looked completely unfazed—as if he’d done this countless times before.

Even Lu Zheng’s muscle memory seemed to remember this place.

How ridiculous, he thought.

Had the him in this world really degraded himself into a lovesick fool?

Obediently trotting back home like a well-trained pet?

Lu Zheng found it pathetic.

Love shouldn’t erase your sense of self. That would make him no different from his weak, tragic mother.

Still… he stepped inside.

He needed to get more information from the empress.

—

Jiang Jiang found Lu Zheng acting oddly that day.

He was the same… and yet not.

There was a strange distance, and his reactions to her were unfamiliar—like he wasn’t used to them.

Oh well. Might as well eat first.

Lu Zheng watched her.

She casually picked out some of his favorite dishes and placed them on his plate—clearly something she did often.

An everyday, loving gesture rarely seen between emperors and their empresses.

From the palace servants’ gossip, he gathered that the two were practically a normal couple.

But why?

Lu Zheng had never been truly loved. Even in his last marriage, when Jiang Yun had cheated on him with Lu Mingxuan, he’d barely cared.

He’d even assumed she would—he expected betrayal.

He’d tried to think the worst of Jiang Jiang—maybe she fell for him after he became emperor. But Ji Jin told him she liked him even back when he was pretending to be crippled.

Lu Zheng tried to find reasons—maybe she was scheming, or lying—but each theory collapsed under its own weight.

In the end, he had to admit—this world’s version of himself was just that lucky.

He had a home.

Even knowing all this, Lu Zheng said nothing about his true identity. Instead, he mimicked his counterpart perfectly, adjusting his expressions and behaviors based on the palace’s descriptions.

He couldn’t let anyone know the truth.

Especially not Jiang Jiang.

Just the thought that all her affections were meant for another man—not him—made something dark stir within him.

But she was too beautiful, too gentle. If she learned her husband had been swapped with a madman, could she bear it?

Jiang Jiang didn’t say anything.

Or rather, she did notice the difference, but nothing too suspicious.

Lu Zheng was naturally careful. Even holding the baby, his actions were flawless.

Strangely, he noticed his arms had muscle memory for cradling the child. Jiang Jiang, on the other hand, seemed clumsy—often needing guidance from the nanny.

He frowned—she was too pampered.

But the moment the thought arose, guilt surged through his body.

Lu Zheng: “…I must be sick.”

—

Jiang Jiang had a bold theory.

Especially when she brought up him sparing Jiang Yun, and he looked faintly disapproving.

…Did he lose his memory?

He thought he was acting perfectly, but to someone who’d shared a bed with him daily, his differences were glaring.

The most obvious?

Old Lu Zheng would never keep a respectful distance. Whenever they were alone, she could hardly get off his lap.

Now he sat like a proper gentleman.

Plus, he’d hit his head on the bedpost yesterday morning…

She’d considered the idea that someone had possessed him, but a few tiny quirks told her this was still him.

She was about to summon the imperial physician when Lu Zheng dropped a bombshell—

He wanted to replace himself.

Yes.

He wanted to take over this world’s Lu Zheng’s life.

No matter how many times he told himself it was wrong to break his principles for a woman—every time Jiang Jiang looked at him sweetly, all his logic collapsed.

That heartbeat?

It was love at first sight.

Eventually, he stopped pretending.

He was Lu Zheng.

Always had been.

Of course it made sense that he was the one who married Jiang Jiang.

But Jiang Jiang soon called him out. “I had the doctor summoned. He’ll help you with your memory.”

Lu Zheng narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t lose my memory.”

Jiang Jiang: “…You think I’m an idiot? You think I wouldn’t recognize my own husband? If you hadn’t lost your memory, you’d have pounced on me like a rabid dog by now.”

Lu Zheng promptly hooked her chin and kissed her.

Jiang Jiang chuckled.

That clueless technique? Please. Definitely memory loss.

But Lu Zheng wasn’t like normal people. Even when caught, he remained righteous.

“He hid things from you. He didn’t truly love you. But I do. I’ll tell you all my secrets.”

So, please… don’t think of him anymore, okay?

Jiang Jiang: “…Like what secrets?”

Lu Zheng confessed everything—his past life, the manipulative things he’d done, all the dirty secrets the original Lu Zheng never told her.

His eyes were crazed, his voice possessive: “I won’t hide anything. We’re the same person, Jiang Jiang. No one will ever know.”

Jiang Jiang: “……………”

This was a first. A man trying to be his own substitute.

Classic you.

She couldn’t help but wonder—what would his reaction be when he regained his memory and realized he tried to steal his own wife?

So she decided to play along. “What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

Lu Zheng lit up.

When she first recognized him, he had been jealous and furious. Why did the other Lu Zheng deserve her love and not him?

But it didn’t matter.

He would destroy that man’s perfect facade.

—

Jiang Jiang listened to his unending list of dirty secrets with a strange expression.

Should she be taking notes?

When he finally finished, she remained quiet.

Lu Zheng, dissatisfied, asked, “You really love him that much?”

Jiang Jiang laughed. “I knew all of this already.”

Lu Zheng’s face twisted with frustration.

He was undeniably handsome—even his fury made him dangerously captivating.

His phoenix eyes reddened, and the vermilion mole beneath his eye seemed to burn like blood. His lips pressed into a razor-sharp line.

He didn’t look like a ruler.

He looked like a monster from a mountain forest.

Jiang Jiang leaned forward and gently touched the mole beneath his eye. He flinched, but didn’t pull away.

“I know everything and still love him,” she said. “So what are you going to do about it?”

Lu Zheng had no answer.

The jealousy only deepened his pain.

Why couldn’t someone like her belong to him?

Why did he have to suffer while another Lu Zheng got to live this happy life?

He felt like he was back on that snowy battlefield, dying alone in a sea of white.

Until he was pulled into a warm hug.

Jiang Jiang looked at him with pity and compassion.

He wanted to smile… but he wasn’t her husband.

She was completely exasperated. He would rather convince himself he traveled worlds than admit he had memory loss?

But Jiang Jiang knew… the truth was, Lu Zheng—with only his past life’s memories—just didn’t believe he deserved happiness.

How could she not feel compassion?

She hugged him tighter, gently patting his back. “You silly man. You just lost your memory. You’ve told me everything before. I even know you were reborn.”

Lu Zheng clearly didn’t believe her, but he was like a caged beast—dangerous, but willingly subdued.

“Be good. Let the doctor take a look. Then everything will be clear.”

“…Okay,” he whispered.

The physicians finally entered the room.

Diagnosis: mild amnesia. He’d be fine after some rest.

Lu Zheng: “……………”

Jiang Jiang: “Pffft—HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!”

Jiang Jiang: “I’m going to write all this down and read it to you when your memory comes back.”

Lu Zheng, red-eared, covered her mouth. “Enough.”

She soothed him, patting his back gently.

“It’s all over now, Ah Zheng. Don’t think about it anymore. I’ll never leave you.”

“…There will always be someone who knows everything about you—and still loves you.”

Lu Zheng held her tightly, like waking from a long nightmare.

So… someone like him could have this kind of happiness too?

End of the Extra

This chapter made me happy writing it. I love this feeling =w= I hope you all enjoyed it too!