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

Hot Spring Village.

When Xiao Fang and Yun Shuyao arrived, Madam Qin had already taken her medicine and gone to bed early.

The two of them naturally didn't want to disturb them, so they went directly to the attic where they had stayed last time to settle down.

The scenery here is stunning. The entire estate is nestled halfway up the mountain, surrounded by bamboo groves, with white-walled and gray-tiled courtyards built along the contours of the mountain.

The pool is filled with natural hot spring water drawn from the mountain, creating a misty atmosphere like a thin veil.

The steward had already received instructions from the young master and had taken care of everything.

Xiao Fang didn't let anyone serve him. He simply ordered that dinner be set out in the warm pavilion by the pond, and then waved for everyone to leave.

What happened to Yun Shuyao in the carriage during the day still made her somewhat afraid to look people in the eye.

The meal was eaten quietly, with everyone just focusing on eating.

Xiao Fang didn't tease her. He leaned back lazily in his chair and sipped his tea casually.

His gaze remained fixed on Yun Shuyao, as if he were watching a rabbit slowly munching on a vegetable leaf.

After she finished her dinner, Xiao Fang immediately stood up and reached out to pull her up from the chair.

"Yaoyao, come here."

"what?"

Yun Shuyao asked the question knowing the answer already.

"From Wen Jiumeng."

Xiao Fang raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smile in his eyes.

"The only good thing about this estate is its hot springs. If you don't come and soak in them, you've wasted your trip."

He paused, then leaned down and whispered something in her ear.

"You seemed to like it here last time, didn't you?"

Yun Shuyao's cheeks flushed instantly, and she raised her hand to hit him, but he dodged it with a smile.

With a flick of his wrist, he pulled her into his arms, half-hugging and half-carrying her towards the pool.

The hot spring pool is located in a corner of the courtyard. It is built with bluestone, and several clumps of bamboo are planted around the pool. Moonlight leaks through the gaps in the bamboo leaves, shattering the pool into a pool of silver light.

A few petals, seemingly drifted from nowhere, floated on the water's surface, steam rising and enveloping the entire corner in a hazy mist.

Xiao Fang went into the water first, then turned around and reached out his hand to her.

Yun Shuyao bit her lip, wearing only a thin lotus-colored undergarment, and carefully stepped into the pool while holding Xiao Fang's hand.

Hot water flowed over her ankles, calves, and waist, and the warm touch made her breathe a sigh of relief.

Xiao Fang put his arm around her waist and led her to a slightly recessed stone wall by the pool, where he had her sit with her back against the wall.

The water temperature was just right, warm but not scalding, making one's bones feel soft and supple while soaking.

Xiao Fang was very close, so close that Yun Shuyao could see the mist on his eyelashes.

"Shu Yao".

Xiao Fang spoke, his voice sounding somewhat low in the steam.

"You were in the carriage today..."

"Don't tell."

Yun Shuyao immediately interrupted him and reached out to cover his mouth.

Xiao Fang didn't struggle when she covered his mouth; he just looked at her with smiling eyes.

The smugness and satisfaction in his eyes were so obvious that Yun Shuyao felt both ashamed and annoyed.

She glared at Xiao Fang, and just as she was about to pull her hand back, her wrist was grabbed.

The man lowered his head and kissed the slightly cool fingertips.

"Weren't you quite bold today?"

Xiao Fang slowly rubbed the inside of her wrist with his thumb, where the skin was so thin that you could see the pale blue veins.

"Why did it shrink back again?"

Yun Shuyao tried to pull her hand back, but he held it even tighter.

He could only turn his face away, and his voice sounded a little muffled.

"We're in the yard now... what if someone walks by..."

"There won't be anyone."

Xiao Fang said.

"I've given the order: no one is allowed to come near here tonight."

He turned her hand over, palm up, and lowered his head to kiss her palm again, his voice muffled.

"If you're still worried, then do as I said—keep your voice down."

That same phrase again.

Before Yun Shuyao could glare at him, Xiao Fang's kiss had already moved from her palm to her wrist, and then upwards.

Her inner garment sleeves were soaked with water, clinging wetly to her arms, and he gently tugged them down to her elbows.

His skin, which was perpetually dark, was almost translucent white, and trembled slightly beneath his lips.

Why are you shaking?

He chuckled softly, his breath brushing against her soaked skin.

"I'm not going to eat you."

Yun Shuyao took a deep breath, then suddenly raised her other hand and hooked it around his neck.

Xiao Fang paused for a moment.

"I wasn't shaking."

Yun Shuyao looked into his eyes, her voice still trembling slightly, but it was more steady than ever before.

"I wasn't afraid."

As she spoke, her chin was slightly raised, and her eyes were bright and stubborn.

That forced, defiant look was more scalding than hot spring water in Xiao Fang's eyes.

Xiao Fang looked at her for two seconds, and the smile in his eyes deepened.

He braced himself against the stone wall behind her with one hand, encircling her in his arms, and leaned closer, but did not kiss her.

Standing less than an inch apart, he asked in a hoarse voice:

"So...do you like it?"

Yun Shuyao's eyelashes trembled, and her lips moved, but she didn't make a sound.

Xiao Fang wasn't in a hurry; with his other hand, he wrapped his arm around her waist underwater.

The hot spring water was slightly warmer than her skin, and her waist felt soft and warm from the hot water.

Through the soaked undergarment, one could faintly feel the delicate skin beneath.

"Hmm? Yao Yao..."

Xiao Fang's voice was low and deep, as if he were coaxing a child who refused to speak.

"Do you like it... or not?"

Yun Shuyao was cornered by him, her face turning as red as if it were about to bleed.

She tried to turn her face away, but he raised his hand and pinched her chin. The force wasn't strong, but it left her nowhere to escape.

"Xiao Fang..."

She gritted her teeth and finally said it.

"I like it... I like it too."

When the answer came down, she was stunned.

This was the first time she had brought it up on her own initiative.

It wasn't a vague answer given when he had forced me into a corner.

It wasn't the ramblings of someone who had been driven to a delirium by him.

Instead, it was said voluntarily when one was sober, rational, and clear-headed.

A surge of intense emotion welled up in Xiao Fang's eyes.

He lowered his head, his forehead touching hers, his nose almost touching hers, his voice hoarse.

Say it again.

"My husband... Shu Yao likes him."

This time she spoke even faster than before, as if once that opening was made, the rest wouldn't be so difficult.

Xiao Fang closed his eyes, took a deep breath, as if trying to restrain something.

After a long while, he opened his eyes again, his eyes shining with an astonishing brightness.

"it is good."

His voice carried an almost devout seriousness.

"What I want... is to make you happy."

His thumb gently caressed her jawline, and the corners of his mouth curved into a carefree smile.

"I have only one rule when it comes to doing things—"

If I do something and only I am unhappy while the whole world is happy, then I will never do it.

If doing this makes me happy, but the whole world is unhappy, then I will still do it.

"Because...why should other people's opinions dictate my life?"

Yun Shuyao stared at him blankly.

She had never heard anyone say such a thing in her two previous lives.

In this world where everyone cares a lot about their reputation, every step we take requires us to consider the opinions of others.

Before doing anything, you should consider whether it is in accordance with the rules.

Whether I am happy or not is never a consideration.

But when Xiao Fang said this, his tone was casual, as if he were talking about something that was perfectly natural.

It was a kind of unrestrained flamboyance ingrained in one's very being.

It's not something he deliberately flaunts, nor is it an act; it's simply something he was born with and that's perfectly natural.

Yun Shuyao suddenly felt that she seemed to truly understand what it meant to do whatever she wanted.

"Yao Yao".

Xiao Fang lowered his head, his lips pressed against her earlobe, his breath hot.

"Don't think too much about it from now on. As long as you're happy, who cares if there are other people around..."

Yun Shuyao's ears turned bright red from his hot breath, and she bit her lower lip again and again, but still couldn't let go.

Xiao Fang wasn't in a hurry.

His kisses slid down her earlobe, landing on her neck and collarbone.

His movements were unhurried and patient, as if he were unwrapping an extremely valuable gift.

Peel away her shackles layer by layer, carefully helping her adapt to each one.

Yun Shuyao's breathing became increasingly erratic, her fingers gripping his clothes so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"Shu Yao".

Xiao Fang's voice came up muffledly from the crook of her neck.

"obedient."

He placed his hand on the back of her hand, pried her fingers apart one by one, then interlocked his fingers and pressed them against the stone wall behind her.

"I've seen everything about you, so... you don't need to hold back in front of me."

"it is good."

Yun Shuyao finally spoke.

"I also want to live freely... I also want to live happily..."

Xiao Fang's lips curled into a wide smile.

The hot spring water gurgled softly, and the petals on the surface of the water were rippled in concentric circles.