In their past life, Lin Wan had died in complete silence, without even a proper grave. Now, even though she wasn’t dead yet, her tomb and epitaph were crafted perfectly. One couldn’t help but acknowledge the bitter irony of it all. Ding Mujie stood before the gravestone, lost in thought, his expression deeply complicated.

Ding Xiang quietly tugged at his sleeve and whispered, “Brother, I need to tell you something. Sister Lin Wan isn’t really dead. Her reputation was ruined and Old Madam Lin couldn’t tolerate her, so she spread the news of Sister Lin Wan’s death. Yesterday, Sister Lin Wan’s maid came to find me and asked me to deliver a message to you. Brother, Sister Lin Wan is really pitiful. She’s been stuck with such a harsh grandmother. Please help her. She’s now living in a small village on the outskirts of the capital and there’s not a single person by her side to serve her.”

Failing to secure a relationship with Prince Kang, Lin Wan had once again turned her sights toward Ding Mujie. It was also due to the fact that Ding Mujie had been so infatuated with her in the past, obeying her every word without question. Even now, she still believed that as long as she turned back to him, she could soften his heart. But Ding Mujie, after being used by her for a lifetime, had already been left heartbroken, shattered beyond repair. There was no going back.

“Xiang’er, you should be more cautious from now on.” Ding Mujie took one last look at the gravestone and said slowly, “That golden hairpin you broke last time, it wasn’t an accident. Lin Wan broke it herself but couldn’t explain it to the Old Madam Lin. And so, she tricked you into shaking the hairpin, hoping to pin the blame on you. Also, she and Prince Kang were together willingly, not forced by circumstances. The day I visited her, she begged me to cancel our engagement so she could be with him. I refused because I didn’t want to bear the burden of being called heartless. Some people seem cold but are actually warm-hearted, while others seem gentle and kind but are full of deceit— just like Lin Wan. If you don’t want to be hurt by her again, stay away from her.”

Ding Xiang was utterly stunned. After a long pause, she stammered, “B-brother, is everything you said true?”

“Between me and Lin Wan, who do you believe?” Ding Mujie asked in return instead of answering.

“Of course, I believe you!” Ding Xiang quickly replied, then sighed, “Goodness, so Sister Lin Wan framed me? How could she be so cruel? And she even wanted you to take the blame for breaking off the engagement, forcing you to bear the reputation of being heartless and dishonorable?! You grew up together and your bond is so deep, yet she had no regard for you. She’s terrifying!”

“People can be deceptive. Be careful from now on.” Ding Mujie helped Ding Xiang onto the carriage, then mounted his horse and rode down the mountain. As they passed a high ridge, Ding Mujie saw a cloud of dust rising ahead. It was the army, setting off for the western front to defend against the Xiongnu.

Old General Lin and General Lin led the army at the front, their expressions solemn, followed by Prince Zhuang and several high-ranking military officials. The women of the Lin family stood at a pavilion not far away, watching them depart. The men of the Lin family had spent nearly their entire lives on the border, and even when they returned to the capital, they never stayed for more than a few months. The women of the Lin family quietly remained in the capital, enduring the constant fear of losing their loved ones without ever voicing a single complaint.

Lin Dan, as the eldest daughter of the Lin family, was naturally strong-willed. When she married into the Ding family, she never cried injustice but silently took care of the household. Whenever his mother or sister faced difficulties, she would help them with all her heart. She was so good, yet he had never seen it…… As Ding Mujie recalled the past, his heart ached. Just then, Lin Dan sensed someone watching her. She turned her head and cast a cold, indifferent glance in his direction before looking away.

Ding Mujie felt as if he had been frozen in place. He stood there motionless for a long time until Lin Dan had completely disappeared from sight, and only then did he slowly exhale.

He was ashamed to face Lin Dan, yet he wanted desperately to know how she was doing. If Lin Dan couldn’t find happiness, then his rebirth would truly be meaningless. So, he did everything in his power to change the tragic fate of the Lin family.

But fate is fate, and no matter how much foresight he had, no matter how prepared he was, the tragic news still came as expected. The Western Army was defeated by the Xiongnu at Hetao, causing the Xiongnu to push southward into the Jinbei and Shanbei regions. Old General Lin was killed on the spot and all the other sons of the Lin family who tried to save him also died in battle. General Lin was captured, but his fate remained unknown. Only the youngest son of the Lin family, stationed at the rear, narrowly escaped death. The Lin family, once glorious, now stood on the brink of collapse.

The emperor did not place the blame for the defeat on the Lin family. In fact, he sent many gifts to comfort the old, weak, and women of the Lin family. Yet, the Lin family’s illustrious reputation had suffered a devastating blow, and doubt and suspicion filled the court. The Lin family itself also fell into chaos. The old madam and Madam Lin both fell ill, and the remaining women were incapable of holding things together. All they could do was cry, while several concubines secretly gathered their belongings and fled under cover of night.

Lin Dan remained the calmest person in the household. She hadn’t been part of the Lin family for long and didn’t have deep feelings for them, but now that she had become the other Lin Dan, she knew it was her responsibility to bear. She was certain that Lin Tie wasn’t dead. As the deputy commander-in-chief of the Western Army and the soul of the Lin family’s forces, he was too valuable for the Xiongnu to kill easily. If she set off immediately and traveled day and night to the border, there might still be a chance to rescue him.

Lin Dan was a person of action. Once the idea came to her, she wasted no time. That night, she packed a few valuables and selected the strongest horse from the stable. Leaving behind a letter, she quietly left. She took the token from the Lin family’s residence, and the guards at the city gates, not daring to stop her, opened the gates at once. Not far down the road, she saw a man leading a horse, standing on the path to the border, as if waiting for someone.

“Lin Dan, so you’ve run away from home after all!” Hearing the sound of hooves, the man looked up, revealing a handsome face. It was none other than Ding Mujie.

“You were waiting for me?” Lin Dan tightened the reins and slowly stopped.

“Shall I accompany you to the border?” Ding Mujie asked instead of answering her question.

“I’m going to the border to save my father. What will you be doing there?” Lin Dan frowned deeply, clearly displeased.

Ding Mujie chuckled. “You’re traveling alone and you’re a woman, so I’m worried for your safety. The Lin family has done me many favors. I can’t just stand by and watch you risk your life. I’ll go with you.” In his previous life, when the tragic news came, Lin Dan had also tried to sneak away. He had found her in time and brought her back, locking her up in the back courtyard for five years. His intention had been to protect her and prevent her from doing something foolish, but in the end, he became the cause of her death. With her entire family gone and no husband or children to depend on, she slowly succumbed to despair and eventually gave up on life.

Now, having been given a second chance, he wouldn’t stop her again. Whatever she wanted to do, he would secretly support her. Wherever she wanted to go, he would follow and protect her. He wouldn’t let her face everything alone again.

Lin Dan snapped her whip and said, “If you want to follow, then follow. But I’m in a hurry and don’t have time to waste with you.” With that, she spurred her horse forward.

Ding Mujie quickly followed after her.

———pr


The two of them traveled through the night without stopping, and by the third day, they had already covered half the journey. Ding Mujie had thought that, as a man, he could take care of Lin Dan, but to his surprise, he had only slowed her down. The insides of his thighs were rubbed raw by the saddle and his hips were nearly shattered. The moment he dismounted, he collapsed and couldn’t get up.

Lin Dan fetched some water for him to wash up, then went to the nearest town and bought two soft hides for him to tie around his thighs.

“With that, you won’t get your skin chafed anymore. If we push through for two more days, we’ll reach the border.” Lin Dan explained.

“Thank you.” Ding Mujie ran behind a tree to adjust his clothing and asked with concern, “Are you alright?”

“I’ve been practicing riding and archery since I was young so I’m used to it.” Lin Dan replied while cleaning the game she had hunted.

Watching her calm profile and swift, efficient movements, Ding Mujie was filled with frustration and shame.

However, Lin Dan gave him no time to wallow in self-pity, urging him to eat quickly. Once they finished, she extinguished the campfire, mounted her horse, and waited. Ding Mujie tried several times to climb onto his horse before finally succeeding. However, the pain in his hips was so sharp that he nearly collapsed. Determined not to appear weak in front of Lin Dan, he forced himself to endure it, raising his whip and acting as if he were in top form. Yet, after riding for only a short distance, his head began to spin. Despite gripping the reins tightly, he swayed and fell from his horse.

Lin Dan, who had noticed his condition long before, rode swiftly to his side, catching him before he could hit the ground. She laid him across her horse’s saddle. Ding Mujie, drenched in cold sweat from the shock, awkwardly lifted his head, blushing as he thanked her. Lin Dan, without even glancing at him, placed two fingers in her mouth and let out a sharp whistle, calling back the runaway horse.

Then two horses galloped side by side, kicking up a long trail of dust.

As he lay flat on the saddle with the wind whistling past his ears and Lin Dan’s body heat beside him, Ding Mujie’s mind was in turmoil. In his past life, he had never taken the time to truly understand Lin Dan. All he knew was that she was uncultured, unrefined, and shallow. Only now did he realize who Lin Dan truly was. She wasn’t unrefined, but rather free-spirited and untamed. She wasn’t shallow, but rather brave and fearless. She wasn’t bad, but rather her goodness had simply gone unappreciated……

If only in his past life he had paused to seriously get to know her, they wouldn’t have ended up with such a tragic and laughable outcome.

As those thoughts filled his mind, tears streamed down Ding Mujie’s face. Just then, Lin Dan’s cool voice broke the silence, “When we reach the next town, I’ll find a place to settle you. Either stay there and I’ll fetch you when I return, or hire some guards to escort you back to the capital. You’re a pampered scholar, why put yourself through this hardship following me?”

Hearing her words, Ding Mujie’s sadness instantly evaporated, replaced by an odd sense of role reversal. He suddenly felt like the delicate woman, while Lin Dan seemed like the towering, fearless man.

“I want to go with you to the border. Maybe I can be of some help. I may not be physically strong, but I have a sharp mind. Trust me.” Ding Mujie tried hard to prove his worth.

Lin Dan carelessly replied, “A sharp mind? And yet you chose to fall for Lin Wan? Forgive my poor judgment, but I fail to see it.”

Ding Mujie: “……”