Chapter 4

◎Rebirth◎

At that moment, Chen Zhiqian stood in the now spotless bathroom, his face laced with mockery.

Even after decades, how could he not know what kind of person Fan Qi was, having grown up with her?

As children, it was always the two Fan siblings and him—two boys and one girl. The Fan family cherished their children, especially their delicate, doll-like daughter. They wouldn’t even let her do the slightest bit of housework, let alone endure any hardship.

After they moved to Hong Kong together, aside from washing her own clothes, Fan Qi never lifted a finger for any chores. Sweeping, wiping tables, washing dishes—he automatically took care of it all. She had never once cleaned up the bathroom after taking a shower, let alone taken the initiative to remove his laundry from the washing machine.

And earlier, she had appeared before him without wearing a bra… How could he not overthink that?

In their past life, after they arrived in Hong Kong, Fan Qi occasionally took on acting gigs, while he, due to his profession, spent his days navigating the electronics market—helping his mainland professors stay updated on trends and shipping them samples. When he noticed Japan’s home gaming consoles were becoming popular, he realized there was a promising business opportunity. He immersed himself in the industry and soon developed his first console. Six months ago, he registered a company, mortgaged his house, and started searching for a manufacturer. But progress had been difficult.

That was why, after an argument with Fan Qi, he had rushed to the factory to sort out production issues. Returning home late at night, he discovered she was still not back. He had no idea where she had gone, and he didn’t even have her agent’s contact information. So, he waited for her downstairs the entire night.

The next morning, he saw the front page of the newspaper. There was a photo of her, held closely by a wealthy businessman—one rumored to have peculiar tastes—entering a hotel.

By noon, she finally returned, looking utterly exhausted. A gemstone necklace now adorned her neck, and faint red marks were visible around it. She locked herself in the bathroom and showered for two whole hours. When she emerged, her eyes were swollen like walnuts.

Despite their differing values, she had grown up with him. To him, she was still like a sister.

He anxiously asked her what had happened. Not only did she refuse to explain, but she also told him to mind his own business. The very next day, she moved out and into her film company’s dormitory.

He sought her out several times, only to be repeatedly turned away. That was when he finally gave up.

After that, she became a regular feature in gossip magazines and tabloid headlines. She starred in several erotic films and quickly gained fame as a renowned “sex symbol.” She flitted between Hong Kong’s wealthy businessmen, even engaging in high-profile feuds with other actresses over them—causing quite the scandal.

Looking back, he realized he had been too young, too caught up in the struggles of his startup. He was already facing countless obstacles, drowning in anxiety, and then that situation happened. He used work as an excuse to avoid dealing with it, convincing himself that he owed the Fan family too much. Since he couldn’t stop Fan Qi, he chose to run from it instead—fearing that if their grandmother and her parents found out she had become an erotic star, it would break their hearts.

But that avoidance only sowed the seeds of future disaster.

When his company was struggling financially with no means to secure a loan, he made the desperate decision to auction off their grandmother’s necklace. The buyer turned out to be Hong Kong tycoon Liu Xiangnian—his biological grandfather.

Liu Xiangnian tracked him down through the necklace and demanded that he return to the Liu family and reclaim his ancestral name. He refused on the spot.

The media got wind of the story, and soon, the news was everywhere.

Fan Qi, upon learning the truth about the decades-old family feud, tried to persuade him to let go of the past—to be more open-minded and reconcile with his grandfather. She even said she was willing to start anew with him.

But the only words he had for her were: “Fan Qi, stop making those kinds of films. Go back to Shanghai.”

Never had it crossed his mind that she would respond by suddenly pulling open her clothes and pressing herself against him.

In that moment, he felt nothing but sheer disgust.

It was then that he resolved to take her back to the mainland and finalize their divorce. But before he could, she made a shocking public announcement—claiming that they had already been married for two years.

That revelation only added fuel to the fire.

Reporters rushed to Shanghai, uncovering everything about their families. The truth about Fan Qi’s life in Hong Kong could no longer be hidden. The Fan family found out everything.

She had a huge falling-out with them. Her father suffered a stroke from the shock, and six months later, he passed away.

Not long after, she was murdered.

Rumors spread like wildfire, speculating that he was the one who had killed her—that the person convicted for her murder had been a scapegoat.

Because of those rumors, his grandmother refused to see him even on her deathbed.

Fan Qi’s mother and brother also severed all ties with him.

For decades, he was trapped in this tangled web of misplaced obligations and guilt. Even after the real mastermind was uncovered, it was too late—his enemy had already died of illness.

There was no revenge to take.

Ultimately, the truth was painfully clear: though he had not pulled the trigger, Fan Qi had died because of him. He had never truly moved on. He had never forgiven himself. And for the rest of his life, he was haunted by nightmares.

But now, waking up and seeing Fan Qi alive again, he finally understood—

It wasn’t that he hadn’t done enough.

It was that he had done too much.

He had cared too much. Given too much.

To the point where everyone assumed she was his responsibility, conveniently forgetting that Fan Qi was always someone who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted.

Yes, he owed her. But that didn’t mean he had to be bound to her forever.

The right path was clear now: they needed to cut ties as soon as possible and go their separate ways.

He knew what that dinner invitation was about. No matter what, he had to stop her from going. If nothing else, he had to prevent history from repeating itself.

Then, he’d take her back to Shanghai and finalize their divorce.

Yet, unexpectedly, she had rejected the dinner invitation herself. Not only that, but she was suddenly acting completely different—she even made him noodles.

When she later said she was going out, he thought she had changed her mind about rejecting the dinner and was reconsidering. At that moment, he had felt a mix of emotions—frustration, exasperation. Even if good advice wouldn’t save a doomed soul, he still had to stop her.

But then, he realized he had misunderstood.

She had only gone out to buy clothes. For the first time, she didn’t ask him for money.

She even brought him roast goose rice.

And now, she had cleaned the bathroom.

There was only one explanation—she had also got rebirth.

Chen Zhiqian glanced at Fan Qi, who was staring unblinkingly at the television.

She had never been interested in financial news.

And yet, she was sitting there, watching it with him.

What was she trying to do?

Sensing his gaze, Fan Qi turned to him. “Are you done?”

Chen Zhiqian spat out the toothpaste foam. “Yeah.”

With a click, Fan Qi turned off the TV, grabbed a new toothbrush, unwrapped it, tossed the packaging in the trash, and headed toward the bathroom.

Chen Zhiqian rinsed his mouth and stepped out of the bathroom to let her in.

Fan Qi picked up her toothbrush cup, took out her old toothbrush, and handed it to Chen Zhiqian. “Could you throw this away for me?”

Chen Zhiqian took the toothbrush and walked to the living room, tossing it into the trash bin. Next to the bin, in a transparent plastic bag, were a bra and panties. He glanced back toward the bathroom, where Fan Qi was brushing her teeth. Why was she changing out so many things?

After finishing brushing her teeth, Fan Qi took the laundry out of the washing machine and went into the bedroom. Chen Zhiqian was lying on the bed reading a book.

She hung up her clothes, pulled the wardrobe curtain shut, and placed the plastic basin in the bathroom. When she returned, Chen Zhiqian got off the bed, making space for her to lie down.

Fan Qi got into bed and pulled up the blanket, hesitating. It was quite warm—should she use it or not?

“Aren’t you turning on the air conditioner?” Chen Zhiqian asked.

Fan Qi paused, searching through the original owner’s memories. The original Fan Qi was afraid of the heat. When she saw that other households had installed air conditioners, she pestered until she got one too.

She looked at the window-mounted unit—what people in the mainland called an air conditioner. But it wasn’t the kind she was familiar with; instead of an indoor and outdoor unit, it was a single-piece design, half outside and half inside. She switched it on. Cool air flowed out, but the compressor’s noise was as loud as a car engine—way too loud.

Fan Qi lay down and pulled the blanket over her, glaring at the noisy air conditioner. Leaving it on was unbearable, but turning it off would be too hot. She was caught in a dilemma.

Despite her frustration, exhaustion took over. Playing short-term stocks was like dancing on a knife’s edge, and as one of the best in the field, Fan Qi had nerves of steel. She closed her eyes—and actually fell asleep.

Chen Zhiqian closed his book and turned his head to look at the sleeping Fan Qi. He was now sure—she had also got rebirth. Yet, some things still didn’t make sense. He decided to stop thinking about it and get some sleep.

Sooner or later, her true intentions would be revealed. When that happened, he’d confront her, drag her back to Shanghai, and finalize their divorce.

Just as he lay down, Fan Qi turned in her sleep and moved closer, resting a foot on his leg.

Chen Zhiqian frowned in disgust, turning toward her. What kind of game was she playing?

Before he could figure it out, she snuggled up against him, wrapping an arm around him.

Chen Zhiqian pulled her away, veins bulging on his forehead. He was about to wake her up, expose her act, and make her pack her things to go back to Shanghai when—

She kicked him.

Once wasn’t enough; she kept kicking as if determined to kick him off the bed.

Chen Zhiqian sat up and turned on the light.

Fan Qi’s head was no longer on the pillow. She was sprawled diagonally, her fair little foot still kicking the air.

Chen Zhiqian got out of bed, and she immediately rolled over, occupying his spot and sleeping spread-eagle. Looking at her disheveled sleeping posture, he had to admit—this didn’t seem like a deliberate seduction.

He frowned. Should he wake her up? Something felt off.

There was now plenty of space on the inner side of the bed. He got back in and lay down there, recalling his past memories. Fan Qi had never slept like this before. Then, he remembered—earlier, she ate a bowl of noodles, an egg, and then a whole serving of roast goose rice. She used to only eat cucumbers and boiled vegetables at night. Her mother always nagged her over the phone to eat properly.

Suspicious, yet too tired to think further, Chen Zhiqian closed his eyes to sleep. But then—

A loud bang echoed, followed by a pitiful yelp. “Ow…”

Chen Zhiqian turned on the light. Fan Qi was clinging to the edge of the bed, her hair a mess, her big, watery eyes filled with grievance as she looked at him. “Why am I on the floor?”

Seeing her like this, Chen Zhiqian found it hard to believe she was the same Fan Qi who was always obsessed with her appearance. But she was.

Suppressing his irritation, he said, “You kept kicking me in your sleep, so I got out of bed. You took my spot, so I just switched places with you.”

Fan Qi felt the secondhand embarrassment of a lifetime. Her parents were the infamous scumbag couple of the finance world, each playing their own games after marriage. Growing up, stuffed animals were her only reliable companions. This habit never changed, no matter how old she got.

Even before she transmigrated, her bed had been covered with plushies. She slept hugging a giant Poof-Poof bear. But she was a restless sleeper—if something felt uncomfortable, she’d grab it and toss it away, or kick it off the bed. Every morning, half the plushies would be on the floor.

Frustrated, she ran a hand through her curly hair, making it even more unruly. “Fine, I’ll sleep on the inside. If I kick you, just kick me back. Worst case, I wake up, and I’ll behave.”

Her expression was so straightforward and sincere—it was impressive she could act this well.

Chen Zhiqian got off the bed to let her back on. As she climbed in, he muttered behind her, “You used to sleep very peacefully.”

Fan Qi stiffened. Was he implying something? She pulled the blanket over herself and replied, “Did I? Who knows what they do when they’re asleep?”

Besides, in reality, who would ever suspect someone had transmigrated?

That air conditioner was unbearable. The quieter the night, the louder the noise. By now, the temperature had likely dropped. Fan Qi sat up and turned it off before lying back down. Seeing that Chen Zhiqian was still standing, she asked, “Aren’t you sleeping?”

Chen Zhiqian turned off the light and lay down. But soon, an arm flopped onto his chest, grabbing the fabric of his pajama top and tugging as if trying to throw something away. What now?

The hand kept fumbling before finally resting on him. Annoyed, he pulled her arm off and turned the light back on.

Her hair was a tangled mess, the blanket nowhere in sight. Her T-shirt had ridden up, exposing her slim waist and stomach. One leg was stretched out, the other bent slightly—she looked like she was sprawled over the entire narrow bed.

Chen Zhiqian shoved her further inside. He considered ignoring her but couldn’t stand the sight. He pulled the blanket over her. But the moment he did, she turned over, and the blanket slipped off again…