If you were cold and aloof in your past life, why are you crying in this one?

The night was peaceful.

Xi Lingxian awoke from a deep silence, a faint tingling sensation spreading through her limbs and bones, gentle and painless, as if something within her was reviving and awakening.

She subconsciously moved her fingers, just as she was about to sit up, when she suddenly felt a tightness around her waist.

A warm, steady arm was wrapped around her waist, holding him firmly in its embrace. Through the thin fabric, she could feel a familiar yet unfamiliar warmth.

Last night's chaotic fragments of memory suddenly flooded my mind, along with burning pain all over my body, desperate sobs, and...

Fragments of thoughts exploded in her mind. She held her breath and slowly turned her head; Wang Jue lay on his side beside her, his brows slightly furrowed, and a faint dark circle under his eyes.

Xi Lingxian's pupils suddenly contracted, and her mind went blank.

What is he doing here?

She subconsciously looked down, her clothes disheveled from last night's struggle, the collar slightly open, her hair messy, giving her a disheveled yet strangely ambiguous appearance.

An absurd and unbelievable thought exploded in her mind like a thunderclap.

Wang Jue was awakened by the noise beside him. He lifted his long eyelashes slightly, rubbed his throbbing temples, and slowly sat up, his voice hoarse, "You're awake."

Xi Lingxian snapped back to reality, stammering, "I... how did we end up sleeping together? What happened yesterday?"

Wang Jue said casually, "Before I answer your question, tell me first, do you know who I am?"

It's impossible for a Gu worm not to recognize its mother Gu. Logically, after the mother Gu was implanted in her body, the Devotion Gu that Xiao Yun used on her should suddenly become ineffective; since the Devotion Gu made her forget him, its effect should also fade away.

Just in case, he wouldn't feel at ease without asking clearly.

"What's wrong with your brain? Of course I know who you are."

"Then tell me, who am I?"

Xi Lingxian straightened her clothes, not understanding what was wrong with him.

"It's the ghost, isn't it?"

Wang Jue raised an eyebrow slightly and glanced at her indifferently.

"It seems things have returned to normal."

"What recovery? What happened to me?"

"You've been drugged, and you inexplicably don't remember who I am."

Xi Lingxian sat on the other side of the bed with her arms crossed, keeping her distance from him. "Is that so? Who is acting on behalf of heaven? I should thank him properly."

"But you were given a love potion, which will make you forget people other than ordinary people."

Xi Lingxian seemed to have been burned. She ignored him and was about to get up from the bed when her wrist was suddenly gripped tightly by a strong force.

With a gasp, her nose bumped into something hard; before she could react, the arm around her waist suddenly tightened.

What should have been a moment of embarrassment and shame, instead, Xi Lingxian felt a strange, long-lost sense of peace.

It was as if dormant meridians had encountered flowing water; every inch of my bones was screaming for comfort, and even my soul felt like it was soaking in a warm, soft hot spring.

It was an indescribable comfort, a feeling stolen from the very marrow of one's bones.

Her body unconsciously longed to be close to him, and this strange feeling made Xi Lingxian's heart sink, and a chill ran down her spine to the top of her head.

She shoved him away, gasping for breath, her hands gripping his collar, her clear eyes now filled with disbelief, fear, and anger.

"What did you do to me?"

Whenever she touched him, a strange, pleasurable sensation would wash over her like a tidal wave, making her want to lose control and succumb.

This is not her, absolutely not.

Wang Jue looked down at her hand, which was gripping his collar tightly, and his expression gradually darkened.

"What can I do for you?"

He was somewhat annoyed, gritting his teeth as he spoke each word, "Get this straight, it was Xiao Yun who used poison to harm you."

Xi Lingxian was taken aback by his words, then her anger flared up. "He used a curse on me? You've caught him? Where is he?"

"I didn't arrest anyone." Wang Jue leaned back heavily against the bedpost, his deep eyes fixed on her. "But who do you think would have the means to obtain the Gu worms and be willing to go to any lengths to harm you?"

Xi Lingxian looked at him, a cold smile playing on her lips, her words piercingly scathing, "It could be you."

"Oh?" Wang Jue frowned, a hint of mockery in his voice. "If I wanted to get you, would I need to resort to such underhanded tactics?"

"You cast a spell on me, and then you cast it on yourself twice. Do you think I'm that kind of brainless person?"

Xi Lingxian opened her mouth, but couldn't refute it for a moment.

Wang Jue suddenly leaned in and pressed his hand against her cheek, the force so strong that it hurt her slightly.

"Tell me first, how much of what happened these past few days do you remember?"

Xi Lingxian felt a sharp pain from his grip, so she snapped her head back and bit down hard on the back of his hand that was pressing against her face.

"Ugh—"

Wang Jue winced in pain, but still didn't let go, staring intently at her.

When Xi Lingxian opened her mouth, a row of clear teeth marks oozed blood. She looked at him, her eyes slightly red, "I remember everything."

"From the time the maid forced medicine into my body, to what has happened these past few days; there was a period when I felt like there was something inside me preventing me from remembering you, but now I remember you again."

She looked at him, her eyes filled with confusion and urgency. "How did you do that?"

Just how powerful is he?

Looking at the clarity and lingering fear in her eyes, Wang Jue's tense nerves relaxed slightly. He calmly straightened his clothes and stood up. "It's the mother Gu I mentioned to you before. It can suppress all Gu worms."

"If nothing unexpected happens, Xiao Yun should be jumping up and down in a panic right now, because all his scheming has been in vain."

Xi Lingxian snorted coldly, her eyes suddenly sharpening like a poisoned knife. "Are you sure it's him?"

"It's pretty much a done deal," Wang Jue nodded, his tone certain.

A sudden, intense murderous glint flashed in Xi Lingxian's eyes. She clenched her fists. "You won't let him go like this, will you?"

Wang Jue looked at the murderous intent surging in her eyes, chuckled softly, reached out, and gently wiped the hair stuck to her lips with his fingertips. His indifferent tone was chilling, "I never knew that in your eyes I was such a kind and generous person?"

"Not the best."

"Then let's just kill him."

Wang Jue raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement flashing in his deep eyes, his tone somewhat nasty, "You're willing to?"

"If this person isn't eliminated, the consequences will be endless." Xi Lingxian ignored his sarcastic remarks. "Young Master Wang, you even had the ability to depose the Crown Prince. Now, eliminating a powerless prince should be a piece of cake, shouldn't it?"

Wang Jue chuckled, feigning a troubled expression, "When I deposed the crown prince, my original intention was to avenge my future wife."

Xi Lingxian's expression suddenly changed.

The man seemed not to see it and continued, "But you absolutely refuse to marry me, and now you're making it clear you don't want anything to do with me. What reason do I have to get rid of the current prince for you?"

This fallacy left Xi Lingxian speechless, completely at a loss for what to do.

She strode up to him, her face contorted with anger. "Did you think that just because we're both controlled by the Gu worms, I would submit to you and obediently marry you?"

Wang Jue looked down at her, shook his head, and said with a hint of helplessness, "Who would dare to think of you like that?"

"That's right."

Xi Lingxian spoke each word with resounding force, "If you dare to use Gu worms to manipulate me, I will perish together with you."

Wang Jue stared at her for a long time, then suddenly rubbed his forehead.