Chapter 1

“Wu wu… my life is so bitter. I missed you when I was young, lost my husband in middle age, and now vultures circle us from all sides, coveting our property. They’d swallow me and my two children whole if they could. An-ge, I’m scared…”

“Don’t cry. Zhao Baoshun is gone. From now on, I’ll take care of you and the kids. I’ll love little Tuan and little Yuan as if they were my own sons.”

Even the silver at his temples couldn’t hide the sharp, handsome lines of the man’s face. His military uniform made his tall, upright figure even more imposing. In his arms, the delicate woman wept pitifully, enough to stir any onlooker’s sympathy.

Of course, that was assuming the scene had nothing to do with Xu Zhihuan. Then she could stand here and watch for entertainment.

Unfortunately, the man was her legal husband. The woman was her cousin.

Today was her cousin’s husband’s cremation and farewell ceremony.

While family and friends mourned in the main hall, the two of them were here, whispering sweet nothings.

When had it even started? Xu Zhihuan had never noticed.

Her mind went blank, but the conversation continued.

“An-ge, Zhihuan won’t agree,” Li Rou choked, shaking her head. “I can’t be the reason you destroy your happy marriage.”

“Rou’er, don’t ever say that. I’ve never liked Xu Zhihuan. You don’t know how I’ve lived these years!” Yuan Qing’an’s expression twisted in distaste just from mentioning her name. Yet he held Li Rou tighter. “The one I love is you. It’s only ever been you.”

As if afraid she still didn’t believe him, Yuan Qing’an added, “In these twenty years of marriage, I’ve never touched her. If it weren’t for her face resembling yours, I wouldn’t have married her at all!”

Every word meant to comfort Li Rou was like a blade stabbing straight into Xu Zhihuan’s heart.

So it wasn’t that he couldn’t—he simply wouldn’t.

She had thought he’d suffered an injury on a mission, and so she never mentioned it, fearing to hurt his pride as a man.

For years, she’d borne the pressure from in-laws demanding children and the gossip of outsiders—alone.

Two decades of marriage… all a joke.

From the corner of her eye, Li Rou spotted a swish of black silk behind a wall and her gaze flickered. “An-ge, my aunt won’t be able to accept this.”

Yuan Qing’an’s face lit with joy at the implication of her words. “She’s just a useless cripple in bed. What does it matter what she thinks? If it weren’t for the Xu family meddling, we wouldn’t have been apart for twenty years!”

“Rou’er, I know your concerns. Don’t worry—no one can stop us now. The Xu family has fallen. Zhihuan has no backing. She’ll obediently agree to divorce me.”

Li Rou murmured a soft “Mm.”

Relieved, Yuan Qing’an felt his whole body loosen. His lifelong wish was finally within reach.

“Rou’er, do you know? I’ve dreamed of this day. And now—it’s finally here!”

“An-ge, it’s Heaven’s blessing we can be together again.”

“Wrong,” he corrected her, “It’s man triumphing over fate!”

Seeing her confusion, he explained, “Ten years ago, when Zhihuan’s brother was kidnapped during a business deal, he could have been saved. But I didn’t want him to live. I didn’t want the Xu family to prosper.”

Li Rou’s eyes widened slightly as he went on.

“If the Xu family hadn’t collapsed, we still wouldn’t be together!”

That was the last straw. Xu Zhihuan could no longer contain herself.

Ten years ago, her brother’s kidnapping… she had begged Yuan Qing’an to save him. But the only thing brought back was an urn.

Her mother was paralyzed by the grief. Soon after, her father—distraught while signing a contract—was swindled by enemies. The clothing factory went bankrupt, and the next day he jumped to his death, leaving her with his last words: Live well.

She had thought it was all an accident. She had never suspected the man lying beside her for twenty years.

“Yuan Qing’an!”

“Li Rou! Go to hell!”

Her roar was met by another voice from behind. She clenched her fists, but before she could act—

Bang! Bang! Two gunshots rang out.

She froze. Her knees buckled. She collapsed to the ground—just in time to see Yuan Qing’an shielding Li Rou, not sparing her a single glance.

As blood drained from her body and her vision dimmed, she heard his final words to her:

“Good riddance.”

Unwillingness burned in her heart. Why did the wicked live long while the good died young?

—

“Good riddance! If you’ve got the guts, die right now!”

The impatient voice rang in her ears. Xu Zhihuan’s vision cleared—and she found herself staring at the very face she wanted to tear to pieces.

Without thinking, she raised her hand and smack!—landed a solid slap.

The anger on Yuan Qing’an’s handsome face froze. He looked stunned, as if she’d knocked his wits loose.

“You dare hit me?!”

“What if I did? I’d like to—” kill you, she almost said, but the words stuck in her throat.

Something was wrong. Yuan Qing’an’s face looked… younger.

She glanced down at the hand that had struck him—slender fingers tipped with pink nail polish. Not her calloused, wrinkled hands.

Memories she’d buried long ago surged back.

She had been reborn—twenty years into the past.

It was right after she and Yuan Qing’an had gotten engaged, when she’d discovered the Yuan family heirloom jade Buddha pendant hanging around Li Rou’s neck. She’d confronted him out of jealousy—because he had refused to give it to her.

It wasn’t worth much, and she could have bought dozens of them. But because it was his, she had wanted it.

In her previous life, she’d married Yuan Qing’an, kept his household, cared for his siblings, and honored his parents. Her only regret: no children.

Only at her cousin’s husband’s funeral did she learn he had refused to consummate their marriage for twenty years because his heart belonged to his “white moonlight”—her cousin Li Rou.

And she had overheard how he’d destroyed her family.

She had died before she could take revenge—shot in a squabble over inheritance by her cousin’s husband’s illegitimate son.

The fear of the gunshot still lingered. Inwardly, she cursed that illegitimate brat for not checking his target before firing.

“Xu Zhihuan, if you keep making a scene, we’ll call off the engagement!”