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

Wang Jue carried Xi Lingxian through the corridor.

The servants stared in disbelief at the sight, watching their young lady draped over the shoulder of the eldest son of the Wang family like a sack of rice, her hair disheveled, her skirt fluttering, and muttering curses under her breath.

Wang Jue's face was as cold as a frozen pool in the twelfth lunar month, and his whole body exuded a menacing aura that kept strangers at bay.

The servants all lowered their heads, not daring to utter a sound.

Upon arriving at Xi Lingxian's courtyard, Wang Jue kicked open the door.

The maids inside the room jumped up in surprise, and when they saw who it was, they instinctively rushed to pounce on them.

"go out."

The maids looked at each other, then filed out.

Wang Jue bent down and put the person down from his shoulder.

As soon as Xi Lingxian's feet touched the ground, without thinking, she raised her hand and swung it hard.

"Smack."

A sharp crack rang out in the quiet room.

Wang Jue's face was turned to the side by the slap, and a few strands of hair fell down, obscuring his profile.

He didn't move, just tilted his head to the side, like a stone statue that had suddenly lost its voice.

Xi Lingxian's hand was still suspended in mid-air, her palm burning with pain. As her remaining rationality returned, her mind suddenly exploded with a buzz.

She hit Wang Jue.

In their past lives, they had argued, been cold to each other, and resented each other. At the worst point, she slammed the study door shut with a deafening roar, but she never laid a hand on anyone.

She knew this man too well.

She appears aloof and dignified, but deep down she is vengeful and vindictive.

Omg.

Xi Lingxian's mind was in complete chaos, with all sorts of thoughts bubbling up like boiling water.

With his temper, what if he holds a grudge and gets his revenge later?

She didn't want to get entangled with him anymore, but this slap stirred up both old and new grudges.

Thinking of this, she unconsciously took half a step back, her back hitting the edge of the table with a soft thud.

Wang Jue slowly turned her head, and the red mark on her face was clearly visible.

He didn't speak, and she didn't know what to say either.

The two remained locked in a stalemate, separated by a table.

The sunlight streamed through the window paper, casting long shadows of the two people, neither touching the other.

A few breaths passed.

"Are you satisfied now?" he asked in a low voice.

Xi Lingxian opened her mouth, then silently withdrew her hand, walked to the long table, and poured herself a cup of tea with her back to him.

Wang Jue stood still, his gaze unfathomable.

My face was still burning.

This was the first time he had ever been slapped.

From childhood to adulthood, he was always the pride of his parents, a favored son of heaven. Not to mention being beaten, no one dared to say a harsh word to him.

This time, however, the young woman didn't hold back at all.

Strangely enough, when the slap landed, his first reaction was not anger, nor even pain.

He caught a whiff of plum blossom fragrance, which lingered faintly on her sleeves and dissipated the moment she waved her hand.

He felt like he was probably going crazy.

When someone slapped me, I didn't feel the pain; instead, I was savoring the fragrance from her sleeve.

What is this if not madness?

He raised his hand, his fingertips touching the slightly raised red mark, and belatedly felt a stinging pain.

Then he looked at her in front of the long table.

He sipped his herbal tea slowly, clearly stalling for time until he left on his own.

Wang Jue found it funny.

After finishing, they retreated and pretended to be quails.

Hearing footsteps, Xi Lingxian held her breath, waiting for him to lash out.

Wang Jue took the teacup from her hand and gently placed it on the table.

Xi Lingxian was forced to meet his gaze and saw a complex emotion that she couldn't understand, an emotion that was unfathomable.

"I need an explanation."

He paused, then asked, "Why are you pushing me onto someone else?"

what?

Isn't this about holding someone accountable for assault?

Xi Lingxian blinked, her face full of innocence. "Didn't the Xie family say it themselves? They said you and Miss Xie grew up together, had a deep and abiding affection, and that she had been waiting for you for so many years."

"That girl's youth is so precious. She's waited for you for so many years, you should at least give her an explanation. Isn't that a matter of course? I just spoke the truth, I rarely acted as a fair person, why are you blaming me?"

Wang Jue's temple throbbed.

He took a deep breath, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fists, and forced out a few words through gritted teeth: "Xi Lingxian, do you really not understand, or are you just pretending?"

Wang Jue's voice was extremely low, but the anger surging within it was more terrifying than any roar: "What kind of wife pushes other women towards her husband?"

Xi Lingxian raised her head, gave a cold laugh, and said with a hint of reckless determination: "Make one thing clear, I am not your wife now, nor do I intend to be your wife."

Wang Jue's pupils contracted slightly.

Xi Lingxian continued, "In my past life, I was punished by Heaven for separating two lovers; so now I'm very happy to grant you two a happy ending, since you should have been together long ago. Miss Xie has waited for you for so many years; in my previous life, you married me, which delayed her. In this life, I won't take that place anymore, so you two are perfect—"

"Do you even know what you're saying?" Wang Jue interrupted her.

"I know." Xi Lingxian looked up, her gaze frank. "Since I've made up my mind not to marry you in this lifetime, I can't very well cut off your other great opportunities for marriage. Wouldn't that be a sin of mine?"

After she finished speaking, she even tilted her head slightly, looking so innocent that Wang Jue wanted to shake her awake.

Wang Jue's face was expressionless, but the veins on his hands, hanging at his sides, were faintly visible.

After a long silence, he spoke, his voice so low it seemed to be squeezed from his chest:

"Xi Lingxian".

"You're granting my wish?" he murmured, as if to himself. "Do I need your permission?"

Xi Lingxian's fingers curled slightly, her expression sharp: "Wang Jue, it's because I'm not going to revolve around you in this life, it's your possessiveness that's acting up. Ask yourself honestly, how much do you really care about me?"

"You're just acting out of spite; if you really can't swallow this, I can tell everyone that you rejected me, that I have the self-awareness to not want to be associated with your Wang family, and that I want to make you and Xie Wanyi a perfect couple, okay?"

"You want a respectable life? Xie Wanyi has that. You want a virtuous wife and loving mother who doesn't argue, makes a fuss, or get jealous? Xie Wanyi can definitely do that a million times better than me. I've arranged everything for you, what are you still dissatisfied with?"

Wang Jue felt that her mind was a complete mess, with countless thoughts surging, colliding, and shattering.

We couldn't catch a single one.

A strange, inexplicable unease welled up in my chest.

"How did you change so quickly?"

"Were those days after the Shangsi Festival a lie?"

Xi Lingxian recalled that after she caught a glimpse of him at the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, she was obsessed with him. She spent her days inquiring about his whereabouts and went to great lengths to create chance encounters just to have a few more words with him.

Looking back now, where did she get the courage?

As time has passed, she seems to have forgotten how she felt back then.