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

Yun Shuyao stood by the window for half a cup of tea, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the outline of the window.

Last night, Xiao Fang stood outside the window for a long time without coming in.

Because she bolted the window.

He left in the middle of the night.

Because Yun Shuyao wasn't asleep either, she knew.

"Miss, the master wants you to go to the front yard to greet the female guests."

Chuntao's voice came from outside the door.

Yun Shuyao withdrew her hand, pulled her clothes closer, and that empty feeling in her heart welled up again.

After rejecting Xiao Fang, she should have breathed a sigh of relief, but she always subconsciously glanced out the window when she turned around.

Don't overthink it.

She whispered to herself and hurried toward the front yard.

The engagement with the Gu family hasn't been called off yet. As a woman with a tarnished reputation, she shouldn't provoke others.

The music at the banquet was too loud. Yun Shuyao held her teacup, her gaze fixed on the paulownia tree, unfocused.

Suddenly someone nudged Yun Shuyao's elbow; it was a close friend.

"Look over there, Prince Xiao has arrived too."

Yun Shuyao suddenly looked up and saw Xiao Fang standing by the moon gate, wearing his usual bright brocade robe, looking in her direction.

The moment their eyes met, she turned her head away as if burned, her heart pounding wildly.

Yun Shuyao immediately found an excuse to leave the table. She told her close friend that she wanted to go to the garden for some fresh air.

As she walked behind the artificial hill, her wrist was suddenly grabbed and pulled towards her.

Just as my back was about to hit the cold stone wall, it was caught by a warm hand.

Xiao Fang's face was inches away, his eyes dark and deep, like a burning fire.

"Have you hidden enough?"

His voice was hoarse, tinged with gritted teeth.

"You really don't want to see me?"

Yun Shuyao's wrist was gripped tightly by him, but she stubbornly retorted.

"Who's avoiding you? I just..."

"Just what?"

Xiao Fang took a step closer, his breath brushing against her face, carrying a hint of alcohol.

"You only bolted the windows at night, you only turned and ran when you saw me? You only see me now as if I'm a monster?"

His voice was deep, and his words trembled at the end.

Yun Shuyao suddenly realized that she couldn't handle his direct approach.

"I don't."

She turned her head away, not daring to look at the burning passion in Xiao Fang's eyes.

"You're overthinking it."

Am I overthinking it?

Xiao Fang suddenly reached out and lifted her chin with his fingertips, forcing her to look up.

The man's calloused fingertips rubbed against her chin, making it turn red.

"Then tell me, why did you turn away when you saw me just now? And why have you kept the windows closed these past few days?"

Xiao Fang's eyes were overflowing with emotion, so much so that it seeped into her heart.

It washed away all her unspoken and unthinkable thoughts, making them crystal clear.

Yun Shuyao's heart pounded wildly, and in her panic, she couldn't utter a complete sentence:

"Xiao Fang...no...there are too many people here..."

"So what if there are a lot of people?"

The man's thumb gently caressed her lips, the movement almost out of control, but he suddenly loosened his grip when she frowned.

"Yun Shuyao, what did I do to upset you?"

Tell me, and I'll change it...

His eyes darkened further, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his tone carried a barely perceptible hint of grievance.

"I can't change it, I'll just keep it to myself, okay?"

Yun Shuyao felt as if something had pierced her heart, leaving her feeling both sore and tender.

She looked at the bloodshot eyes in Xiao Fang's eyes and his tightly pursed lips.

Suddenly, I remembered the ruthlessness with which he slit people's throats, the way he snatched the official robe of the Prefect of Shuntian and put it on himself, and the unbridled arrogance with which he sat atop the Golden Palace.

This fearless person is now telling her that he "will change".

"You don't need to..."

Yun Shuyao's voice was as soft as a sigh.

"I need to!"

Xiao Fang interrupted her, tightening his grip on her shoulder, then loosening it as if afraid of hurting her.

I don't want you to avoid me.

If you're angry with me for anything, just hit me a couple of times to vent your anger, anything is fine, just don't... ignore me.

Footsteps could be heard outside the artificial hill, and people were talking and laughing.

Yun Shuyao instinctively snuggled closer to him.

This action was like a spark, igniting a light in the man's eyes.

"Look."

He suddenly chuckled softly, his laughter filled with an unprecedented tenderness.

"You still believe I will protect you."

Yun Shuyao's heart skipped a beat.

Yes, she was clearly afraid of him getting close, but in her panic, she instinctively wanted to hide in his arms.

"I told you."

His voice was extremely slow, with a hint of cautious seriousness.

"Not all men are the same."

Yun Shuyao looked up at him. Sunlight filtered through the cracks in the artificial hill, falling on his face and highlighting his tightly pursed lips.

She believed it; she always had.

She believed that Xiao Fang was different from Gu Jinghuai, and that the light in his eyes was genuine.

But the knife stuck in my heart from my past life still aches faintly.

She was afraid, afraid that there was no one in this world who would remain unchanged forever.

What I fear most is that the sweetness of the present will be matched by the bitterness of the future.

"There are people coming and going here, it wouldn't be good if someone saw us."

She avoided his gaze, her voice as soft as if it were floating in the wind.

"I'm going back to the backyard now."

Xiao Fang's hand froze in mid-air, and the light in his eyes gradually dimmed.

He stared at the woman, who only reached his chest, for a long time, as if making a difficult decision, before finally letting go.

"it is good."

Xiao Fang's voice was terribly hoarse.

Yun Shuyao turned and left, her steps quickening and losing their usual composure, appearing somewhat disheveled.

She could clearly feel the burning gaze behind her, following her back, making her heart burn.

She didn't turn around, so naturally she didn't see it.

Xiao Fang stood behind the artificial hill, raising his hand several times to try and grab the hem of her clothes, but each time he stopped in mid-air, finally clenching his fist tightly.

He was usually very casual, but the moment she turned around, he suddenly didn't dare to reach out.

For the first time, Xiao Fang realized what restraint felt like.

It felt like a cat was scratching at my heart. I could catch up with her in just one step, but I was afraid of scaring her, so I could only stand there and watch her figure grow further and further away.

The moonlight was like frost spilled on the ground, so cold it made one's bones ache.

Yun Shuyao sat in front of the dressing table, looking at her reflection in the bronze mirror.

A bright red wedding dress hung on the screen. She had worn it twice, but now it looked like a shackle.

When she heard a slight noise outside the window, she knew who it was without turning around.

Xiao Fang staggered as he climbed in through the window, his bright red robes stained with night dew and smelling stronger of alcohol than usual.

"They're keeping a close eye on you."

Xiao Fang's voice was terribly hoarse, his gaze sweeping over the brass lock on the door, his knuckles clenching until they turned white.

"Aren't you afraid the house will flood and you won't have time to escape?"

Yun Shuyao turned her head and looked into his direct and ardent gaze. Suddenly, she remembered saying on the painted boat, "If you don't want to get married, then don't get married."

"Why are you here?"

She asked, her voice as soft as a sigh.

"Let me ask you one more time."

Xiao Fang took two steps forward and stood in front of her, his shadow completely enveloping her.

"As long as you nod..."

His voice trembled slightly, like a gambler betting his entire fortune.