Chapter 2: You Pushed Someone Into the Water and You’re Asking Me What Good Thing I Did?

So… nothing had happened yet. Everything could still be changed. Everything she had experienced before—could it all be overturned?

Suddenly, a thought struck her. Ignoring the pain in her knees, she sat up straight and bolted out of the room, her voice full of hope.

“Dad? Mom?”

In her previous life, her parents had both been laid off due to poor work conditions at their unit. They were forced to go into business for a living.

Just two months before her wedding, they had rushed home to help prepare her dowry, only to be caught in a traffic accident while taking a long-distance, unlicensed bus. Both passed away.

The pain of that tragedy stabbed at her heart like a blade every time she thought about it. It was suffocating.

She could never forgive herself!

But now… she was back. She had been reborn. Did that mean her parents were still alive?

The living room looked exactly the same as before.

On the wooden sofa lay her father’s blue Mao suit jacket, the one he had changed out of before leaving. Nearby was her mother’s half-finished knitting project for a sweater.

The fruit bowl on the coffee table still had four or five apples, now a bit shriveled.

Her father had bought them for her before heading out. But in her past life, she had spent all her time at Qin Kaishen’s house, trying to earn favor with his parents, barely setting foot in her own home.

How foolish she had been.

Her eyes moved to the wall calendar—it was still on August.

She walked up and, with trembling hands, flipped to the next month.

Sure enough, September 23rd was marked in blue fountain pen ink.

That day was Mid-Autumn Festival. She had agreed to spend it with her parents.

Bai Yalan stared at the calendar for a long moment, then opened the front door uneasily. Right then, Aunt Li from next door came out with some garbage. Upon seeing her, she greeted her warmly.

“Well, if it isn’t little Lan from the Bai family! I haven’t seen you in ages.”

Bai Yalan didn’t have time for small talk. She asked urgently, “Aunt Li, can you tell me what day it is today?”

Aunt Li looked at her, puzzled. “Today? It’s the beginning of autumn—Liqiu. What’s wrong?”

“Liqiu? The 26th of the seventh lunar month? Today’s Thursday?”

Aunt Li’s expression grew even more confused. “Yes, that’s right. What’s the matter with you today?”

Bai Yalan smiled and wiped her eyes, relieved.

So today was July 26th on the lunar calendar—August 7th in the Gregorian calendar.

Her parents had been gone for less than a week.

She had been reborn, and they were still alive. Everything around her was still unfolding along the same familiar timeline.

Heaven had taken pity on her and given her another life. This time, she would not let the same tragedy repeat.

“Sorry, Aunt Li. Thank you. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately and didn’t want to forget anything important, so I just wanted to double-check.”

“Oh, I thought something serious happened. No worries.” Aunt Li waved her hand, then leaned in with a gossipy tone. “Lan, I heard you’ve found someone lately? What does the guy do? Is he treating you well?”

Bai Yalan’s expression darkened, and without even thinking, she denied it firmly, “You must have heard wrong, Aunt Li. I’m not seeing anyone right now, and I don’t plan to either!”

“Ah? I must’ve been mistaken then,” Aunt Li said, still a little doubtful.

It was still early in the morning. Adults were rushing to work, kids to school—the street was bustling.

Not wanting to talk more in front of others, Bai Yalan quickly exchanged a few more words and returned to her room. She finally noticed the quartz wall clock—it wasn’t even 8 a.m. yet.

If she remembered correctly, in her past life, around this time, she had already quit her job at the township health clinic’s pharmacy to help Qin Kaishen take care of his family.

Thinking about those foolish decisions made her stomach churn with disgust.

She had studied Chinese medicine, and for that job, her parents had pulled countless strings and given away who-knows-how-many gifts. And yet she gave it up—for a man, and one with such poor character.

So stupid. But even if she regretted it now, the job was already gone.

Still, someone who had died once would never be foolish a second time.

Take this pink nightgown she was wearing—it had been sewn by her mother. In her previous life, she thought the color was childish and complained that her mother still treated her like a kid. Only when it was gone did she realize what she had lost. Now, she carefully folded the nightgown and placed it in her wardrobe like a treasure.

She rummaged through the wardrobe and picked a white cotton dress trimmed with lace. The hem was embroidered with green leaves and bright yellow sunflowers—delicate, vibrant, simple yet elegant.

She tied her hair with a sky-blue ribbon and wore a pair of fashionable leather shoes from the local supply store.

She looked young, stylish, and confident.

And yet, out of nowhere, a voice echoed in her mind:
“A woman who dresses like that clearly doesn’t plan to live a quiet, obedient life. Our Qin family doesn’t want someone like that.”

Bai Yalan sneered. It was because of that very comment from Qin Kaishen’s mother that she changed everything about herself—started dressing plainly, eating simply, tiptoeing around in obedience—only to be abandoned in illness.

How ridiculous. How tragic.

Just then, loud, urgent knocking broke her train of thought.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The knocking was so aggressive that she frowned.

But she didn’t think much of it. In a family housing compound like this, with neighbors close by, some people just knocked louder than others.

Still, as the knocking grew more frantic, she moved to open the door without much thought.

And there he was—the young man whose face was filled with rage.

Her breath caught in her throat. It felt like her blood rushed to her head all at once.

She reacted before she could think.

Bang!

She slammed the door shut.

Qin Kaishen. That scumbag!

Bai Yalan’s whole body began to tremble. She forced herself to stand tall, breathing heavily, struggling to regain her composure.

Outside the door, Qin Kaishen was stunned for a moment—then furious.

“Open the door! Bai Yalan! What, feeling guilty now? You know exactly what you did! Open up!”

He wasn’t shouting—he couldn’t, given his position. Even his uniform would draw enough attention. But a single door couldn’t stop someone like him if he really wanted to come in.

Inside, Bai Yalan clenched and unclenched her fists repeatedly before letting out a cold laugh, forcing herself to stay calm.

This was the man who had left her alone in a hospital to die. The despair of waiting for death was still seared into her bones. Just thinking about it chilled her.

And now that she was face-to-face with the one who had caused it all—how could she cower?

Creak—
The wooden door opened with a determined force.

Her face was cold as wind swept past, lifting strands of hair and the hem of her dress.

There was a softness to her elegance, even in anger, and Qin Kaishen was briefly taken aback.

He hadn’t seen her dress like this in a long time.

Tall and straight in his military uniform, a bar and two stars on his shoulders—he hadn’t even changed out of his official dress before rushing here.

“Heh, quite the imposing aura you have, Captain Qin,” Bai Yalan said coolly, sneering. “So this is what passes for military conduct?”

Her sarcasm stunned him. Was this still the same Bai Yalan who used to look at him with admiration and affection?

Where was the regret, the tears, the begging for forgiveness he’d expected?

But even though something felt off, Qin Kaishen, still fuming, didn’t think too deeply.

“Bai Yalan! You dare turn it back on me? After what you did?!”

Bai Yalan raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise. “What are you talking about? What exactly did I do?”

Her tone was light, her gaze filled with nothing but contempt.

To Qin Kaishen, it only confirmed that she was jealous—angry that he had another woman—and too proud to admit her guilt.

He was angry, but secretly pleased by her reaction. It fed his ego.

So he scolded her with a tone of affected helplessness:

“You pushed her into the water, and now you’re asking what you did wrong?”