Remarried to a top-tier playboy, her reborn ex-husband is filled with regret.

Just as the morning sun shone through the window, a soft sound was heard, and Xiao Fang skillfully climbed in.

Yun Shuyao looked up, her expression a mixture of surprise and reproach.

"Xiao Fang, what about during the day...?"

Yun Shuyao wasn't worried about Xiao Fang's whereabouts being discovered; he could even freely enter and exit the palace's dome.

With the limited number of guards from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, they couldn't stop him at all.

Xiao Fang landed on the ground, patted his robes, and raised an eyebrow with a light smile.

"You said you'd come today, and you promised yesterday."

Yun Shuyao slightly straightened the corners of her mouth, put down the charcoal pencil she was using to draw her eyebrows, and looked up at him.

Xiao Fang was still wearing a bright red robe today, but the style was slightly different from Yun Wen's.

He didn't tie his hair up; his dark hair was loosely held back with a jade hairpin, making him look less roguish and more handsome.

But the mischievousness in those eyes, as always, held a meaning that was hard to decipher.

"What are you here for?"

Yun Shuyao asked, her tone devoid of genuine reproach, more like she was asking a regular customer.

"I'll take you out."

Xiao Fang sat down at the table and casually picked up a candied fruit and popped it into his mouth.

"A new batch of fine Daughter's Red wine has arrived at the pleasure boat in the south of the city. Shall we go and try it?"

"I'm not going."

She immediately shook her head.

"What kind of behavior is it to show your face in public during the day?"

"What are you afraid of?"

He chewed on the candied fruit, his voice muffled.

"I'll take you over the wall and out, and we'll leave in a carriage. Everyone we'll be traveling with is an acquaintance, so no one will dare to say a word."

Yun Shuyao was speechless at this thoughtful arrangement.

Actually, it wasn't that she didn't want to go; she just felt suffocated staying in the courtyard.

Although I had already made plans for my wedding day, I still couldn't help feeling a little uneasy.

On the contrary, when she was with Xiao Fang, doing those shocking things like climbing over walls and onto palace roofs, she felt an inexplicable sense of ease.

"If you're not going, I'm leaving..."

Seeing her hesitate, Xiao Fang deliberately stood up.

"I heard there's a newly arranged piece of music on the pleasure boat..."

"etc."

Yun Shuyao called out to him, her ears burning slightly.

"I'll change my clothes."

Xiao Fang turned around, his smile impossible to hide.

"I'll wait for you outside."

Yun Shuyao changed her clothes and gave instructions to Chuntao.

"Keep the courtyard gates tightly shut and don't let anyone in. If anyone asks, just say I'm not feeling well and am resting."

Chun Tao was almost in tears, her face full of worry.

"Miss, you're getting married soon. If any rumors get out, your reputation will be ruined."

"Maybe we shouldn't go?"

Yun Shuyao didn't say much to Chuntao; there were many things Chuntao wouldn't understand.

With Xiao Fang around, leaving the mansion is easy.

Yun Shuyao sat in the carriage, gently lifting a corner of the curtain with two fingers to look outside, feeling extremely pleased.

For a moment, I was overcome with greed; I wished I could live like this every day.

The painted boat, with its green tiles and red railings, was moored in the moat south of the city, gently swaying with the current.

Yun Shuyao stood at the bow of the boat, holding onto the carved wooden railing, watching the willow branches on both banks droop down to the water's surface, creating ripples.

The wind, carrying moisture, blew by, ruffling her hair and dispersing the aroma of the wine in the man's glass.

Xiao Fang leaned against the railing, drinking. His profile was particularly clear in the sunlight, his jawline sharply defined.

But when he looks at her, his eyes and brows soften involuntarily.

"How are you feeling?"

Xiao Fang suddenly spoke, his voice carried very softly by the wind.

"Isn't it happier than staying in the yard?"

Yun Shuyao turned to look at him. He was drinking with his head tilted back, and the curve of his Adam's apple was clearly visible.

The sunlight fell on his honey-colored skin, as if it were plated with gold, and he exuded a carefree and unrestrained energy.

"Xiao Fang."

Yun Shuyao said frankly:

I really envy you.

Xiao Fang paused in his drinking, turned to look at her, and looked at her with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"What do you envy about me? Do you envy my tarnished reputation, or do you envy how others keep their distance from me?"

"Everyone is envious."

Yun Shuyao lowered her head, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the patterns on the railing.

I envy how freely you live.

I envy those who can climb over anyone's wall and onto any roof they want, never caring what others say.

Her voice was so soft that it could be easily carried away by the wind.

"The first time I saw you, you were killing someone in the street."

Although I was a little scared when I saw you then, I couldn't help but agree that you did the right thing.

At that time, I thought, how dare this person? How can they live so...recklessly?

Xiao Fang remained silent, gently swirling the wine glass in his hand, leaving faint traces of wine on the glass's surface.

He had heard too many people call him "unruly," "arrogant," and "unlearned," and even his father always said he was "useless."

This is the first time someone has ever said they envy him.

You can do it too.

Xiao Fang spoke, his voice a little hoarse.

"Do whatever you want, and ignore the rules."

"I can't."

She smiled, but there was no real smile in her eyes.

"Or rather, it's almost impossible for any woman to pass. Besides..."

She paused, her fingertips clenched so tightly they turned white.

"I haven't been able to cancel the engagement with the Gu family yet."

Gu Jinghuai is incredibly selfish. If I marry him, I'll be stuck in the backyard for the rest of my life.

He dealt with account books and government affairs every day until he was used to the point of exhaustion.

"Then I won't marry him."

Xiao Fang spoke bluntly, as if saying, "The weather is nice today."

Yun Shuyao was stunned.

The wind at the bow of the boat suddenly stopped, and the willow branches hung motionless on the water.

After a long while, she finally found her voice, which was trembling with a resolute tone.

"Of course I won't marry him."

She looked up at the man beside her, who was a head taller than her, her eyes filled with icy coldness.

"I'd rather die than marry him."

Looking at the hatred in her eyes, Xiao Fang's Adam's apple bobbed, and he tentatively asked.

"So...who do you want to marry?"

Yun Shuyao was stumped by the question; she hadn't thought about it before.

The man she married in her past life deceived her for her entire life with the lie that he was "infertile".

In this life, she only thought about how to survive and how to protect her mother and the Qin family; she never thought about marrying anyone.

"I will not get married."

Her voice was soft, yet firm.

Xiao Fang stared at her intently, without saying anything more.

The sunlight cast long shadows of the two people, which fell in one place, like unintentionally intertwined paths.

The painted boat drifted slowly with the current, the water gurgling softly, yet it could not penetrate the silence between the two.

After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Fang finally spoke slowly, his voice lower than before.

"Not all men are the same."

Yun Shuyao looked down at her reflection in the water, which was shattered by the ripples.

"I dare not gamble."

In my past life, I gambled once and lost everything, not even my bones remained.

In this life, she dared not easily place her bets on anyone again; otherwise, even if she repeated the same mistake, it would be her own fault.

Xiao Fang didn't try to persuade him any further, but simply picked up his cup and took a sip.

The liquor was spicy and had a lingering aftertaste. It slid down my throat, burning my chest and making it feel numb.

"Hey you two, why aren't you coming in? Come on over, it's more fun when everyone's together!"

The Crown Prince of Qing'an greeted him familiarly.

"Come in and have a seat."

Xiao Fang also spoke, his expression returning to its usual nonchalant and carefree demeanor.

"it is good."

Yun Shuyao was thinking about how to escape the tense atmosphere from just now, so she naturally agreed.

Inside the cabin of the pleasure boat, there was a long table, with more than twenty playboys who often hung out with Xiao Fang divided into groups on either side.

Besides Yun Shuyao, there were four or five other women at the table.

According to the rules, men and women should not sit together, and should avoid suspicion. But in Xiao Fang's case, it seems that breaking the rules is the normal thing to do.

After a few rounds of drinks, someone suggested that Yun Shuyao try the newly brewed plum wine.

The wine looked sweet, but it actually had a strong aftereffect. Just as Yun Shuyao was about to pick up the glass, Xiao Fang pressed her wrist down.

She can't hold her liquor.

Without looking at anyone, he picked up the wine glass in front of Yun Shuyao and drank it all in one gulp.

As his Adam's apple bobbed, a few drops of wine trickled down his lips, which he casually wiped away with the back of his hand.

"If you want a drink, come to me. Don't bully a young lady."

Everyone in the room laughed, their eyes revealing understanding.

The young lady from the Ministry of Personnel sitting opposite her clenched her handkerchief tightly.

She sent an invitation through someone the day before yesterday, hoping to invite Xiao Fang to appreciate her painting, but he rejected her with a curt "I'm too busy."

Seeing that Prince Xiao was shielding Yun Shuyao from the wine, she couldn't hide the jealousy in her eyes.

"Young Master Xiao really cares about Miss Yun."

The heir of the Duke of Dingguo made a joke.

"You wouldn't care if we brothers drank ourselves to death."

Xiao Fang raised an eyebrow, picked up the wine pot, and poured Yun Shuyao a cup of hot tea, his tone indifferent.

"She's different."

Those three words were spoken frankly and openly, without the slightest attempt to conceal anything.

Yun Shuyao paused, her fingertips slightly burning as she held the teacup.

She looked up at Xiao Fang and met his gaze.

The man didn't flinch at all; he just stared at her, his eyes conveying a clear meaning.