He tricked the female lead into becoming his boyfriend, but then went on to criticize the male lead.

Then his tone became heavy with melancholy and regret, so somber that it was deeply moving.

"In your past life, you insisted on following Wen Zhaoci, ignoring everyone's advice, and were eventually imprisoned by him, trapped in a dark and sunless place, suffering endless grievances and torment."

"And my fate was exceptionally tragic. I tried my best, but in the end, I couldn't save you. And my aunt, she never woke up again."

His voice was filled with deep weariness and regret, as if he were truly carrying a lifetime of regrets, each word heavy with emotion.

Sang Jiuning listened quietly, appearing calm and obedient on the surface, but inwardly she was rapidly analyzing and repeatedly considering the matter.

She became increasingly certain that something was wrong.

The so-called "rebirth memories" in her mind had no concrete images, no details, no personal experience of pain, only a cold cognition—I was imprisoned by Wen Zhaoci in my previous life and my end was terrible.

But Fu Yanchen's words perfectly matched this sudden realization.

Is it a coincidence?

Absolutely not.

Everything was too deliberate.

From the very beginning, when Fu Yanchen took the initiative to approach her and acknowledge her as his younger sister, constantly reminding her to stay away from Wen Zhaoci, to now that Fu Xulan is living a peaceful and smooth life in her hometown, with no trace of the serious injuries and coma she suffered in her previous life...

All the clues pointed to one answer: Fu Yanchen was lying to her.

He was guiding her perception little by little, instilling a predetermined memory in her, making her firmly believe that she was harmed by Wen Zhaoci in her previous life.

But Sang Jiuning couldn't understand it.

If all of this is a trap set by Fu Yanchen, what is his purpose in doing this?

What benefit does he gain from going to such lengths to distort her perceptions and guide her thoughts?

Countless questions swirled in my mind, a jumbled mess, yet I had no clue what to do.

But she knew very well that she absolutely could not reveal her suspicions now, and could not let Fu Yanchen realize that she had become wary.

The best approach right now is to go along with his words, keep him calm, and gradually figure out his true intentions and goals.

With this thought in mind, Sang Jiuning lowered her eyes, deliberately pretending to suddenly realize something and feel lingering fear, her voice trembling and fragile.

"Brother... so that's really how it is."

She looked up at him, her eyes glistening with a perfect mist, her voice filled with a mixture of grievance and lingering fear, echoing the cold realization that had crossed her mind: "After I woke up, my head was filled with so many unfamiliar things. I kept thinking I was just confused from sleeping. Turns out I was also reborn. In my past life... I really was imprisoned by Wen Zhaoci, and my fate was so tragic."

Looking at her vulnerable and frightened appearance, Fu Yanchen's lips curled up in a very subtle way, so quickly that it was almost imperceptible.

In an instant, that smile vanished, replaced by heartache and anger. He reached out and gently stroked the top of her head, his tone filled with helplessness and tenderness.

"That's why I've been advising you to break up with him. It's not that I'm interfering in your private affairs for no reason; it's because I know better than anyone that Wen Zhaoci is an extremely obsessive madman. My only wish after being reborn is for my aunt to be safe and for you to stay away from him and live a peaceful and good life."

His words were sincere and earnest, and anyone who heard them would believe them without a doubt.

Sang Jiuning suppressed all her calmness and probing, and followed his words, speaking firmly: "Brother, I understand now. I was ignorant before and couldn't see people's true nature. Now that we've talked things out, I'll make my decision now. I must break up with Wen Zhaoci."

A hint of satisfaction flashed in Fu Yanchen's eyes. His tone softened, and he nodded slightly: "Yes, it's good that you know what you're doing. I've always believed you're a smart girl."

After saying that, he stood up, shedding all his heavy emotions and regaining his usual gentle demeanor, and softly instructed, "You've slept for too long. You can't stand an empty stomach. Get up, wash up, and come down for lunch."

Sang Jiuning nodded, watching his retreating figure as he turned and left, all the confusion and vulnerability in her eyes instantly vanished.

She slowly descended the stairs, her loose loungewear accentuating her slender figure.

Simple home-cooked dishes were laid out on the dining table. Sang Jiuning pulled up a chair and sat down. She didn't have much of an appetite. Her fingertips subconsciously reached into her pocket for her phone. The moment the screen lit up, her fingertips almost instinctively opened the chat box with Wen Zhaoci.

Each message read, "Baby, I miss you."

[Baby, what are you doing?]

Baby, why aren't you talking to me?

……

Her fingertip hovered over the input box, wanting to secretly send him a message saying, "I'm fine. It's not that I didn't reply on purpose. It's just that Fu Yanchen has been watching me the whole time."

But as soon as she caught a glimpse of the man sitting quietly beside her, all her thoughts were instantly suppressed.

Fu Yanchen sat opposite her, his posture upright and his expression calm. He seemed to be eating slowly and methodically with his head down, but Sang Jiuning knew that his attention was on her from beginning to end, and he could see through every little movement.

Forget it.

Sang Jiuning sighed inwardly and silently closed the chat window.

Contacting Wen Zhaoci under Fu Yanchen's nose was simply asking for trouble.

Lost in thought, her fingers continued to habitually swipe across her phone screen, barely touching her food.

Fu Yanchen glanced at her, his dark eyes deep and his tone, though not stern, carried just the right amount of gentle restraint: "Eat your food properly, then you can look at your phone."

His voice was deep and pleasant, a very gentle tone, but Sang Jiuning detected a hint of warning in it.

Sang Jiuning looked up at him, her gaze frank, and deliberately spoke slowly, "I'm not looking at anything else, just searching for something. I'm looking up how to break up with a crazy boyfriend."

There was a moment of silence at the dinner table after he said that.

Fu Yanchen's fingertips, which were picking up food, paused almost imperceptibly, and a very faint glint flashed in his eyes, so quick as to be almost imperceptible.

A moment later, he looked up at her, a faint smile playing on his lips, but his tone was ridiculously calm: "Well, after we finish searching, I can discuss it with you."

Sang Jiuning: "..."

If you're going to put on an act, then she'll actually search for it and show it to him.

Without further hesitation, Sang Jiuning opened the Baidu search box in front of him and carefully typed out a line: 【How to break up with a crazy boyfriend】.

The page refreshed rapidly, and the first entry popped up clearly in bold font: If there is physical violence, threats, stalking, self-harm coercion, or armed behavior: This is not a "relationship problem," but a personal safety crisis.

Sang Jiuning stared at the line of words, subconsciously comparing it to Wen Zhaoci in her mind.

No.

None at all.

Sang Jiuning breathed a sigh of relief, feeling inexplicably fortunate, yet also a touch of indescribable tenderness.

She continued scrolling down the entries, which were all about dealing with extremely entangled and dangerous partners, but none of them applied to Wen Zhaoci.

Why break up?

She had no intention of breaking up with Wen Zhaoci.