“Touch me… wife…”  

The man leaned in slightly, his warm breath brushing against her ear, sending a tingling shiver down her spine.  

The woman, struggling to breathe, seemed overwhelmed. The corners of her eyes flushed red as her head tilted back uncontrollably. Her vision grew hazy from the lack of oxygen, and a faint blush spread across her cheeks. Her porcelain skin glowed softly under the warm light, like the finest mutton-fat jade.  

Hearing his words, she sighed helplessly and gently stroked his head, as if comforting an insecure puppy.  

Her slightly calloused fingertips slid down to his earlobe, giving it a teasing pinch. The next second, her red lips pressed against it, leaving behind a damp trace.  

Sure enough, the man stiffened, then glanced down in frustration before shamelessly pressing closer.  

“Always bullying me…” he mumbled in a clingy, aggrieved tone.  

Just as she was about to tease him, her entire body suddenly jolted violently.  

“Xiaoyue, are you okay?”  

Still drowsy and reluctant to wake up, Shen Xiaoyue blinked in confusion and lifted her head, meeting a pair of concerned dark eyes.  

Unlike the greasy, bloated man he would become years later, Xie Ning now was handsome and upright, his crisp white shirt making him look like a young master untouched by the world.  

Seeing her gaze, Xie Ning smiled gently and reached out to pull her closer.  

“Xiaoyue, it’s still early. You can lean on me and sleep a little longer.”  

The two were young, and with both families pushing them together, a shallow affection had begun to blossom between them.  

If not for her rebirth, Shen Xiaoyue would never have imagined that this man, who now seemed to prioritize her in every way, would one day treat her so cruelly.  

Instinctively, she recoiled, straightening up and turning her head away. “No need. It’s a bit hot—I can’t sleep anymore.”  

Knowing her temperament, Xie Ning didn’t insist and quietly closed his eyes.  

Shen Xiaoyue exhaled softly, nervous about the person she was about to meet.  

Three days ago, she had been reborn.  

Perhaps it was rebirth, or perhaps just a nightmare—Shen Xiaoyue wasn’t entirely sure. But every detail was too vivid to dismiss.  

She and Xie Ning could be considered childhood sweethearts. In her past life, in order to return to the city and marry Xie Ning, she seduced Lu Ping’an, the village party secretary’s son.

Lu Ping’an had been foolishly earnest—just one kiss from her, and he had wanted to propose. Afraid he would ruin her plans, Shen Xiaoyue had coaxed him until she got the transfer spot, then abandoned him without hesitation.  

But the harmonious marriage she had imagined never came to pass. Shortly after returning to the city, she became pregnant. Coincidentally, the college entrance exams had just resumed. Shen Xiaoyue had been a good student in the past and wanted to seize the opportunity, but morning sickness tormented her relentlessly.  

Meanwhile, her husband strode off to university, full of ambition.  

Bitter and without anyone to care for her, she eventually miscarried.  

By the time she mustered the strength to try again the following year, she had barely cracked open a textbook before Xie Ning claimed he was too busy with his studies to come home. Shen Xiaoyue was left to handle everything at home alone, even delivering meals to him.  

The Shen family, though favoring sons over daughters and sending her to the countryside, was well-off and had never required her to do much.  

Yet, year after year of this grind left her once-delicate hands rough with calluses. Staring into the mirror, Shen Xiaoyue began to barely recognize herself.  

Then, one day, returning to her parents’ home, she found her own cousin and Xie Ning tangled together on the bed, clothes strewn everywhere, the air thick with a suffocating stench.  

She had nearly vomited her lunch on the spot.  

Furious, she had wanted to slap them both, but her parents held her back.  

The Shen and Xie families had business ties. Their marriage had only been to stabilize the partnership. As for who served as the bridge between the two families—whether it was Xie Ning and her, or Xie Ning and someone else—it didn’t matter.

Originally, for the sake of superficial harmony, everyone could have just pretended not to know. But now, seeing Shen Xiaoyue about to disrupt this cooperation—damaging the Shen family’s interests—was unacceptable.  

Xie Ning might have had some genuine feelings for her in the beginning. After all, Shen Xiaoyue had been the most beautiful girl in their neighborhood—smart, gentle, and the kind of woman who brought him pride when seen with him.  

But years of exhausting labor had left her looking haggard, to the point where she no longer compared to Shen Xing, whom he had once dismissed as unremarkable.  

Shen Xing had always liked Xie Ning. Back when they were sent to the countryside, she had thrown tantrums to go with them, yet failed to drive them apart.  

Who could have guessed that after returning, her cousin would fail the college entrance exams?  

Proximity breeds intimacy. Under the pretense of studying together, the two grew closer… and eventually ended up in bed.  

Unable to endure the betrayal from both her husband and her parents, Shen Xiaoyue divorced Xie Ning and left the Shen family for Guangzhou.  

Before her departure, Shen Xing arranged to meet her, as if to flaunt her victory, and revealed the truth about that year’s college entrance exams.  

Back then, Xie Ning had heard some rumor that the number of university spots was limited—meaning every candidate was a potential competitor.  

The reinstatement of the college entrance exams was still an experimental policy, and few knew how things would actually unfold.  

Xie Ning didn’t want to lose his chance due to carelessness.  

He wasn’t worried about Shen Xing, but his wife—who had always been smarter than him since childhood—made him deeply uneasy. Regardless of the truth, he couldn’t let Shen Xiaoyue compete against him.  

He just needed to ensure she didn’t perform as well, Xie Ning thought. It wasn’t like he was stopping her from taking the exam.  

Shen Xiaoyue was, after all, just a naive young girl. In those days, who would have taught her to be wary of such things?  

She had gotten pregnant without understanding, lost the child without understanding, and then been dragged into endless household chores without understanding—wasting years of her life.  

Those years had worn down Shen Xiaoyue’s spirit. Leaving her hometown alone for Guangzhou had already taken all her courage. She no longer had the will to seek revenge.  

Fine. Let it go.  

Guangzhou was at the forefront of reform and opening up. Arriving in the big city, Shen Xiaoyue was lost. Unsure of what to do, she started by washing dishes.  

Zuixianlou was a high-end restaurant, favored by dignitaries and social elites for banquets and networking.  

Shen Xiaoyue never expected to see Lu Ping’an again.  

The man, dressed in a sleek suit, stood at the center of a crowd, his hair slicked back in a polished style that—despite being notoriously unflattering—only accentuated his noble, arrogant demeanor.  

It was hard for Shen Xiaoyue to say whether she had ever truly been moved by him. After all, few could look at that face and refuse him outright.  

But she hadn’t wanted to stay in the countryside forever.  

She was meant to return to the city. There was no future with Lu Ping’an.  

So she had dumped him without hesitation.  

Even as she left, she had lied to him.  

“My family is strict. Let me go back and tell my parents about us first. Once everything’s settled, I’ll come back to marry you.”  

Lu Ping’an, the youngest of three brothers, had been raised in such sheltered innocence.  

Hearing this, the young man’s peach-blossom eyes crinkled into crescents. A blush spread across his cheeks like a rising tide, staining even the tips of his ears, nearly merging with the dazzling sunset behind him.  

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll wait for you.”