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

Gu Jinghuai's back tensed instantly, and he subconsciously took a step back.

The pain from that kick in the chest hadn't subsided yet, and the bruises on my chest were so dark they were almost black; even the slightest breath would cause a sharp pain.

Gu Jinghuai opened his mouth to defend himself, but was so frightened by the fierce look in Xiao Fang's eyes that he didn't dare to utter a sound.

"Young Master Xiao... I just... want to say a few words to Yao Yao."

"What did you say?"

Xiao Fang took two steps forward, his pace slow and leisurely, yet carrying an oppressive feeling of impending storm.

"How dare you harass my wife! And you even called my Crown Princess 'Yao Yao'! You really have a death wish!"

The dozen or so纨绔 (playboys) following behind Xiao Fang had long been unable to contain themselves.

They were both notorious troublemakers in Kyoto, and because of their principle of siding with family regardless of right or wrong, they had long disliked Gu Jinghuai.

Seeing that Xiao Fang was angry, they immediately surrounded him, eager to fight.

"Brother Xiao, this kid is a toad. If we don't teach him a lesson, he'll probably keep bothering us."

"Ha, he's already been stripped of his title as heir apparent, and he still dares to provoke the heir apparent's wife?"

Gu Jinghuai felt uneasy under their gazes and turned to run away.

The moment he lifted his foot, the back of his collar was grabbed tightly.

Two tall, burly playboys grabbed Gu Jinghuai's arms from both sides, pinning him down so he couldn't move.

"Let me go! Do you know who I am? I'm from the Yong'an Marquis's mansion..."

"Previous son?"

Xiao Fang chuckled, walked up to him, and looked down at him.

"A stray dog ​​who can't even get through the gates of a mansion dares to presume to act like a member of a clan before me?"

Xiao Fang's eyes turned cold, and he gave the two纨绔 (playboys) a wink.

"Tie him up tightly."

Before Gu Jinghuai could react, his wrist was tightly bound by a thick hemp rope.

The other end of the rope was quickly tied to the saddle of Xiao Fang's black horse.

The horse, being intelligent, seemed to sense its master's anger.

It snorted loudly, pawed at the ground with its hooves, and kicked up a cloud of dust.

"Xiao Fang! How dare you!"

Gu Jinghuai was so frightened that his soul almost left his body.

"I am the eldest son of the Marquis of Yong'an. Aren't you afraid of being punished by the imperial court for treating me like this?"

"Condemned?"

Xiao Fang mounted his horse with a swift movement, as quick as the wind.

He looked down at Gu Jinghuai, whose face was deathly pale, and a cruel smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"If I teach a scoundrel who harasses my wife a lesson, the Emperor will only praise me for protecting my wife."

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly spurred the horse's belly.

"drive!"

The black horse neighed and charged forward with all four hooves.

Caught off guard, Gu Jinghuai was pulled by the rope and stumbled.

He staggered forward two steps before his knees buckled and he fell heavily to the ground.

The rough road at the horse farm quickly wore down his knees, causing him to grimace in pain.

But Xiao Fang didn't stop at all, wielding his whip and dragging him forward with all his might.

Gu Jinghuai was pulled down to the ground like a tattered sack.

The horse's hooves pounded faster and faster, and Gu Jinghuai had no chance to stand up anymore, so he could only let Xiao Fang drag him along.

His clothes were quickly worn out, and his skin stung as it rubbed against the gravel.

"Ah—! Xiao Fang! Let me go!"

He screamed in pain, but he didn't even have the strength to struggle.

At first, he tried to brace himself with his hands, but the horse was going too fast.

His palms were also rubbed raw and bloody, with pebbles embedded in his flesh, causing him so much pain that his vision blurred.

The young dandies behind them joined in the commotion, their laughter mingling with the sound of horses' hooves, like a death knell.

"Brother Xiao, this kid is dying!"

"If that doesn't work, drag them to the mass grave outside the city!"

Xiao Fang glanced back and saw a long trail of blood on the ground.

Gu Jinghuai's screams grew weaker and weaker, his breath coming in short gasps, and he was about to lose his voice.

A chunk of flesh had been rubbed away from his face, revealing stark white bone, a horrifying sight.

Yun Shuyao had appeared by the roadside at some point, her face pale, but she didn't say anything, just watched quietly.

Xiao Fang's gaze softened for a moment, then turned cold again.

He reined in his horse, and the black horse slowly came to a stop. Gu Jinghuai lay sprawled on the ground like a dead dog, only able to breathe weakly.

"You just wait and see."

Xiao Fang looked down at him, his voice as cold as ice in the dead of winter.

"Shu Yao is my wife, Xiao Fang's wife. Don't even mention a deposed prince like you; even if the Marquis of Yong'an came, he would have to think twice."

He gestured with his chin toward the person behind him.

"Throw him at the entrance of the Marquis's mansion, so that Gu Yan can see how his good son has brought shame to the Marquis's mansion."

After saying that, Xiao Fang dismounted and walked to Yun Shuyao's side.

He took off his outer robe and draped it over her shoulders, all the harshness in his tone vanished, leaving only gentleness.

"Were you scared?"

Yun Shuyao shook her head, looking at the glaring bloodstain on the ground, her eyes filled with no sympathy, only calm.

"no."

She took Xiao Fang's arm.

"Let's go home."

The two walked away side by side, behind them Gu Jinghuai's faint groans and the jeers of the playboys.

The sunlight cast long shadows of them, and Yun Shuyao never looked back.

Some debts must always be repaid.

It's not that it is not reported, the time has not come.

Zhenbei Palace.

The candlelight in the bedroom flickered dimly in the wind, casting the shadows of the two people onto the curtains, where they intertwined.

Xiao Fang's kiss was swift and deep, carrying an unmistakable possessiveness.

He gripped Yun Shuyao's nape with such force that he felt as if he were kneading her into his very bones.

When his tongue pried open her lips and teeth, it carried a strong smell of alcohol, and there should have been a slight, almost imperceptible tremor.

"Call me."

The man's voice was hoarse, his breath hot against her ear.

Yun Shuyao was breathless from the kiss, her fingertips pressed against his chest, but she couldn't break through that solid barrier.

Xiao Fang's embrace was too tight, as if he wanted to wrap all the grievances she had suffered in the past eighteen years and the twists and turns of her life into this burning embrace.

"Husband... my lord..."

Yun Shuyao's voice trailed off between her lips, carrying a hint of weakness after being bullied.

Xiao Fang's movements suddenly paused, and the emotions surging in his eyes intensified.

Just now, by the polo field, although he was some distance away, he could hear it clearly because of his excellent hearing.

He heard "past life," "Zhuangzi," and "living as a widow," and all their conversations.

Yun Shuyao never told him that those were things that actually happened in her past life.

She only said it was "a very dreamlike experience".

The thought of Yun Shuyao's suffering in her previous life was like a knife to his heart.

The thought that she had been Gu Jinghuai's wife for eighteen years drove him to the brink of madness with jealousy.

Why did they know each other in their past lives? Why were they the ones who were husband and wife first?

This realization is like a thorn, sticking in my heart, causing both bitterness and pain.

He was angry that he hadn't been born sooner!

She was furious that Gu Jinghuai, that scoundrel, had taken up eighteen years of her life!

What's even more infuriating is that she can't even find a suitable ground to be jealous right now.

Who can he blame? Should he blame Yun Shuyao for suffering too much in her past life, or blame himself for coming too late in this life?

What terrified him most was Yun Shuyao's hatred for Gu Jinghuai.

People say that the deeper the love, the more intense the hate.

Does this mean that Shu Yao hated Gu Jinghuai so much, but she also loved him so much in the past?

"Say you love me."

Xiao Fang bit her earlobe, his voice filled with a touch of obsessive longing.

He tightened his arms around her, almost pulling her into his embrace.

Yun Shuyao could feel his trembling; it wasn't lust, but rather an intense, suppressed concern.

If she still doesn't understand why, then she's too slow-witted.

Yun Shuyao felt ashamed for having lied to him all along, and even more afraid that he would despise her for having been married before.

Xiao Fang's love was passionate and pure, and she was already deeply infatuated with it, unable to extricate herself.

Yun Shuyao raised her hand and stroked his back, where the muscles were taut like iron. She patted him gently, her voice as soft as water.

Xiao Fang, I love you, I love you so much...

Regardless of past or present lives, I belong entirely to you.

Xiao Fang seemed to be burned by those words, and his kiss suddenly became gentle.

The man gently kissed her brow bone, her trembling eyelashes, and the delicate skin of her neck.

It deliberately leaves a string of light red marks, like a medal to declare sovereignty, yet it is also cherished with utmost care.

Yun Shuyao felt like she was rolling around in the waves, one wave higher than the next, seemingly without end.

The only thing she could cling to was this piece of driftwood in front of her.

At this moment, Yun Shuyao realized how restrained Xiao Fang had been in the past.