Chapter 2

Lin Qian finally realized the reason for her sudden illness—it turned out that Lu Zhanting had wanted her dead.

How hateful! And how pitiful that she now knew everything, yet could do nothing about it.

At that moment, a dozen or so people suddenly rushed in from outside and approached Huo Xiujin.

The leader among them said, “Mr. Huo, Miss Lin Qian is already dead.”

Huo Xiujin’s expression immediately darkened.

“Pass the word—everything goes ahead as planned tonight!”

There were too many people, so Lin Qian quickly scanned the floating text above their heads.

Only then did she understand: Huo Xiujin had been framed by Lu Zhanting with despicable tactics to lose the competition for the regiment commander position. Afterward, Lu Zhanting had kept suppressing him, making it impossible for him to find work after leaving the army. Within half a year, both of Huo’s parents passed away, and he ended up sneaking away to the port city to start over. Now, he had become a billionaire and the boss of a major criminal organization. His return to Ning City this time was all about revenge against Lu Zhanting.

Lin Qian was nearly laughing in anger. All her life, she’d felt guilty over betraying Lu Zhanting with Huo Xiujin three years ago, only to now realize it had all been part of Lu Zhanting’s scheme to eliminate a rival.

After that, Lin Qian’s wandering soul no longer drifted aimlessly. She found herself following Huo Xiujin everywhere.

She saw him deliver a stack of documents to the Ning City military base. These included evidence that Bai Aiyun’s family had capitalist roots, along with proof of Lu Zhanting’s dirty dealings over the years—cheating after marriage and even fathering an illegitimate child.

It turned out that Lu Zhanting had framed Huo Xiujin not just to win the military post, but also because Bai Aiyun had incited him to take revenge on the Huo family. Years ago, Huo’s father had been one of the officials who participated in the political persecution of Bai’s family.

Soon, nightfall came.

Lin Qian followed Huo Xiujin to an abandoned house on a mountain.

Rain began pouring outside.

She saw Bai Aiyun, Bai Zhiqiang, and Bai Zhimin all being dragged in with their hands and feet bound.

But Huo Xiujin wasn’t satisfied. “Where’s the old man?” he asked.

With that, two of his men brought in an old man.

Lin Qian recognized him immediately—he was Li Qun, the hospital director who had been Bai Aiyun’s long-time secret lover.

Li Qun didn’t recognize Huo Xiujin, but he did know Bai Aiyun and the pair of children she had secretly given him.

“Aiyun, Zhiqiang, Zhimin—what’s going on here?” Li Qun asked nervously.

Bai Aiyun said guiltily, “Director Li, that man in front of you is Huo Xiujin.”

Huo Xiujin raised a gun and pointed it at Bai Aiyun’s head. “You personally ended Lin Qian’s life. Tell me—how should I take my revenge?”

Li Qun was old. At the sight of the gun, he instantly wet himself in terror.

Bai Aiyun glared up at Huo Xiujin. “Don’t act like you were so innocent back then. If you hadn’t been coveting Lu Zhanting’s wife, we wouldn’t have used that to help you fulfill your wish.”

“We helped you get what you wanted. Shouldn’t you be thanking us?”

“You all deserve to die!”

Bang!

Huo Xiujin casually shot Bai Zhiqiang dead.

“Ahhh!!!”

Bai Zhimin screamed in horror and was immediately killed by one of Huo Xiujin’s men with a knife.

Seeing both her children die in front of her, Bai Aiyun fainted from shock.

Huo Xiujin then ordered his men to force-feed Li Qun and Bai Aiyun a potent aphrodisiac normally used for pigs.

Two hours later, photos of the two of them, entangled on the grass in a grotesque scene, were delivered to Lu Zhanting.

Lu Zhanting went mad with rage. Bai Aiyun had always been his beloved “white moonlight.”

But now he realized—this woman had been lying to him from the very beginning!

Unfortunately for him, he had already been placed under house arrest by the military and was now awaiting trial by a military tribunal.

As for Bai Aiyun and Li Qun, the effects of the drug were so strong that both of them died from the ordeal—right in front of the corpses of their children.

Huo Xiujin, meanwhile, took Lin Qian’s body and returned to the port city overnight.

Lin Qian found her soul still trailing behind him.

Huo Xiujin seemed to be racing against time. After landing, he immediately rushed to a large Taoist temple, still holding Lin Qian in his arms.

Inside the temple, he knelt before an elderly Taoist priest and pleaded, “Master Huang, her life was filled with too much suffering. Please, I beg you to help her.”

The priest looked up and—amazingly—his eyes met Lin Qian’s drifting soul. “Do you agree?” he asked gently.

Lin Qian was stunned. This old priest could really see her.

She nodded. She believed that if Huo Xiujin had gone through all this trouble to bring her here, he would never harm her.

And she believed what Bai Aiyun had said—Huo Xiujin had been secretly in love with her all along.

With Lin Qian’s consent, the priest gently flicked his white whisk.

Lin Qian closed her eyes and felt her soul begin to fade.

At the same time, a flood of memories surged into her mind—after holding a grand funeral for her, Huo Xiujin had followed her into death.

Her heart ached.

The love she had never received in life—she now felt it in death, through a man who had once shared a fleeting night with her.

She had once daydreamed about Huo Xiujin after that night. But she had already married Lu Zhanting, and thought she didn’t deserve him.

Only now did she realize… he had loved her too.

But it was too late.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself already crying.

She was momentarily confused—was she alive or dead?

Just then, Bang! The door was kicked open.

“My future sister-in-law! You still haven’t gotten up to make breakfast? Do you want us all to starve? Don’t forget—you haven’t even officially married my brother yet!”

Lin Qian looked up and saw Lu Xiaoqin—her mean-spirited, sharp-tongued sister-in-law.

But hadn’t she been sent abroad with her boyfriend years ago after getting into trouble?

Lin Qian suddenly realized what was happening. She turned and looked at the calendar on the wall.

September 15, 1980.

She had actually been reborn.

At this point in time, she hadn’t yet officially married Lu Zhanting. Their marriage application hadn’t even been approved yet because the military supervisor was out of town.

This was perfect.

Lin Qian wiped the tears from her face—only to realize that she was holding a button in her hand.

This button… it looked like it belonged to Huo Xiujin.

After their one wild night in her past life, she had picked up this button and quietly kept it ever since.

Lin Qian stared blankly. Why had she returned holding this button? Was it because of that Taoist priest?

Lu Xiaoqin snapped impatiently, “Lin Qian, you came to the Lu family to be a daughter-in-law, not a spoiled princess. My stomach’s growling—hurry up and cook!”