Chapter 26

Nianxi didn’t believe Pei Jian would say something like that outright. In any case, she was determined to deny it completely.

As expected, Pei Jian remained silent, his outstretched hand still frozen in the motion of offering the gift.

The atmosphere grew awkwardly tense.

Despite being a military man, Gu Ci was far more sensitive and intuitive than most. Seeing his beloved treat his friend indifferently, he felt a secret, shameful sense of satisfaction deep within.

Nianxi’s open and unmistakable favoritism caused Gu Ci to forget his earlier irritation completely. He took the box from Pei Jian’s hand, glanced at it, and smiled. “Shizhang, is this the abalone pastry from Su Ji in the city’s eastern part? She loves this flavor. If I ever upset her, this will surely win her over.”

Perhaps out of an instinctive response to a perceived threat, even Gu Ci himself didn’t realize how much more affectionate he was acting than usual—eager to demonstrate the depth of their bond to others.

“By the way, Shizhang, what are you thanking Nian’er for?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Pei Jian replied, his expression unreadable. Inside, however, he was a storm of emotions. The hand he had clenched behind his back repeatedly tightened and loosened. It took him a long time to suppress the frustration and reply calmly. He could see clearly that Gu Ci was showing off. This childish and petty behavior nevertheless unsettled Pei Jian deeply.

“Let’s go,” Nianxi said to Gu Ci, unwilling to linger in the suffocating atmosphere any longer.

Before she could board the carriage and leave, two more carriages entered from the end of the alley. Judging by their design, they were royal carriages from the palace.

The carriages stopped in front of the Wen residence. The curtain was lifted, and someone familiar stepped out—a court maid named Fuling, serving Princess Wen Shu. Upon seeing Nianxi, she bowed and greeted her, saying, “Yesterday at the Ningbi Lake, the Princess’s pavilion boat suddenly caught fire and was completely burned. Thanks to Miss Wen’s extraordinary foresight, the Princess narrowly escaped. After the festival, the Princess invites you to the palace for another fortune-telling session.”

The second carriage was filled with numerous gifts sent by Princess Wenshu.

Unexpectedly, she had saved the Princess’s life by sheer coincidence. However, one lie often requires many more to cover it up. Thinking about having to enter the palace again, Nianxi felt a sudden headache.

After the court maid and the Princess’s guards left, Wen Qingheng asked, “Nian’er, what’s going on? When did you learn to tell fortunes?”

And saving the Princess’s life in the process—it was simply unbelievable.

Nianxi noticed Pei Jian’s gaze falling on her once more. Remaining calm and composed, with her eyes pure and innocent, she replied, “Yesterday, when accompanying Mother to celebrate a birthday at the Cheng’en Estate, Princess Wen Shu took an immediate liking to me and invited me to join her on a lake outing. I didn’t want to go and feared I couldn’t refuse, so I casually made up a story about being incompatible with water due to the five elements. Who could have imagined it would actually come true?”

Gu Ci, without a shred of doubt, leaned close to Nianxi’s ear and said, “You did the right thing by not going. That Princess is… a little different from ordinary people.”

Nianxi used this opportunity to change the subject, “It’s rare to hear you talk about people. Be honest now—have you known the Princess for a long time?”

She put on a serious face to ask, but her eyes twinkled with a hidden smile, her voice as gentle as ever.

“Mischievous.” Knowing she was teasing him again, Gu Ci lightly tapped her forehead with his fingers. “With you here, how would I dare?”

The two laughed and joked as if no one else were around, their closeness unmistakable.

Wen Qingheng couldn’t bear the sight, finding it both disheartening and an eyesore. Waving his hand, he said, “Go on, hurry up and leave!”

Nianxi chuckled, got on the carriage, and truly left.

Once the carriage turned out of the alley and could no longer be seen, Wen Qingheng prepared to head back, but he noticed Pei Jian still standing motionless as if he’d lost his soul. Alarmed, he asked, “Shizhang, what’s wrong?”

Pei Jian slowly turned to look at him, his dark eyes filled with emotions that Wen Qingheng couldn’t decipher. “Earlier, you mentioned your sister’s fermented drinks stall. Where is it?”

Wen Qingheng was baffled. “No. 34 Yunshan Street. Why are you asking about that?”

The only response he received was the sight of Pei Jian’s departing figure.

“What’s with all this weirdness?” Wen Qingheng muttered to himself as he returned to the residence, still puzzled.

Pei Jian hurried to Yunshan Street, where he found the so-called fermented drinks stall Wen Qingheng had mentioned—a small setup tucked into a corner allocated by a cloth shop, bustling with people. Many young women, accompanied by their children or husbands, bought drinks and left with satisfied smiles.

Pei Jian had no idea what he was looking for, but he was desperate to find an answer— an answer of utmost importance to him.

However, when it was finally his turn, Pei Jian was struck with confusion. The extensive menu of drinks left him unsure which one belonged to his past. The shop assistant enthusiastically recommended a rose-lychee drink, claiming it was the best-seller.

Pei Jian bought a cup to try, but his doubts only grew deeper. Were these fragrant drink recipes ones that the 15-year-old Nianxi already knew, or did she create them during the long years of their marriage?

Pei Jian remembered how Nianxi once wanted to open a shop selling fragrant drinks, but he had firmly rejected the idea. He admitted he hadn’t paid enough attention to his wife.

But there was one thing Pei Jian was absolutely certain about: the death of Princess Wen Shu in his previous life. He knew Nianxi too well to be easily fooled like Gu Ci.

Nianxi wasn’t someone to speak carelessly unless she had known the outcome all along and had deliberately warned the Princess to avoid it!

Pei Jian’s heart trembled violently.

In truth, they had shared some genuinely good times. Back when they had first married, after finishing work each day, she would eagerly recount the events of her day to him. Her brightness and energy had made him feel relaxed and joyful. Nianxi had said, “This is what a home feels like.”

Later, as his official position grew more prominent, he began to grow impatient listening to Nianxi talk about household matters. He thought he had hidden his impatience well, but at some point—he couldn’t even recall when—Nianxi stopped sharing her thoughts with him. Eventually, they barely spoke at all.

When had it all begun? He couldn’t remember. All he knew was that he had destroyed the only home he ever had.

The sweet drink, when consumed at this moment, tasted overwhelmingly bitter. Since his rebirth, he had been like a tightly drawn bow. Although he no longer had pressing national affairs to handle, he was unaccustomed to idleness, unable to let a single moment slip by, resenting how he had not yet reached his former heights. But on this day, he wandered aimlessly near the Wen residence, until he saw Gu Ci personally escort Nianxi back home. After waiting for the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he once again approached the side gate.

The last time he left, he told himself he would never return here again. Yet, only a month later, here he was.

It was still Aunt Wang guarding the gate. This time, she was resolute in not letting him in.

“Young Miss has instructed that if you come again, I shall inform Master and Madam. Young Miss will not see you. Please, sir, leave.”

Pei Jian had not expected Nianxi to refuse to see him. “I have something important to say to her.”

Aunt Wang looked at the young man before her. His appearance and bearing were in no way inferior to Gu Ci’s, but his persistence at the gate rendered him desolate and lonely, softening her heart. She sighed and advised, “Young master, our young miss already has someone in her heart. There are many young ladies in the capital—you will surely meet someone else you like even more…”

Pei Jian, weary yet amused, lowered his gaze and murmured almost inaudibly, “I never will.”

Leaning against the outer wall, he gazed at the crescent moon in the sky and let out a light chuckle.

As long as he calmed down and thought everything through carefully, it was easy to connect the dots. The details he had overlooked began to surface one by one. His memory was excellent, and every expression and state she had shown during their encounters was vivid in his mind.

Shouldn’t he have realized it earlier?

He had been too naive, too arrogant, thinking that the miracle of rebirth could only happen to himself.

The missed encounter at Chongming Tower and her meeting Gu Ci at Qu Shui—it had never deviated from the course. It had all been deliberate on her part.

All his hesitations, longing, and regrets were nothing more than a joke.

Nianxi was still his Nianxi.

She hadn’t changed at all.