Sheng Zexi pressed his lips together.
Meanwhile, Gu Jianing clenched her hands tightly, waiting.
A few seconds later, Sheng Zexi spoke, “I heard most of it.”
Gu Jianing’s heart sank.
“Most… of it?”
“Yes.”
“Then, did you hear Wen Zhuqing talk about the dream he had about his past life?”
“Yes.”
“And did you hear him say that in his dream, in our past lives, he and I were married?”
“…Yes.”
A bitter smile tugged at Gu Jianing’s lips.
As someone who had been reborn, Gu Jianing had always remembered the events of her previous life.
It wasn’t like a dream.
She was a reborn person, and everything from her past life was a reality she had lived through.
She couldn’t forget, no matter how much she tried, nor could she completely let go.
Especially because, in her past life, she had been so foolish.
The things she had done in that life had always been buried deep in her heart.
Even after being reborn and making countless changes,
even though everyone was living happily now,
she would still dream of her past life from time to time.
It was like a heavy stone pressing down on her heart—unmovable, inescapable.
She knew Sheng Zexi loved her.
But what about her?
She admitted that when she first chose to marry Sheng Zexi after her rebirth, her motives hadn’t been pure.
Unlike Sheng Zexi’s wholehearted and passionate love, her decision to marry him back then had been solely to escape the fate of her past life.
It was only because she knew Sheng Zexi was a good man and that he loved her.
After their marriage, Sheng Zexi truly lived up to his role as a good husband.
He was a good husband and a good father.
He treated her incredibly well.
But precisely because Sheng Zexi was so good, Gu Jianing sometimes felt she didn’t deserve it.
She felt that the love she gave Sheng Zexi wasn’t enough.
She felt she wasn’t worthy of all this love and kindness from him.
These worries weighed on her, but she couldn’t share them with anyone—she could only bury them deep inside.
And today, Wen Zhuqing’s arrival had ruthlessly exposed everything.
Sheng Zexi placed his hands on Gu Jianing’s shoulders, comforting her, “Ningning, Wen Zhuqing was just spouting nonsense. Don’t take his words to heart.”
“No, that’s not it.”
Gu Jianing’s eyes reddened as she slowly stood up and turned to face Sheng Zexi. Her hands trembled slightly, but she had made a decision. “What if… what he said was true?”
Sheng Zexi pressed his lips together and looked at her.
“What if I told you that the dreams Wen Zhuqing had, I’ve also had—no, not just dreamed, but actually lived through?”
Sheng Zexi’s pupils dilated slightly.
He reached out and took Gu Jianing’s trembling, ice-cold hands in his. “Ningning, if you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to.”
Gu Jianing shook her head. “No, I want to tell you.”
“And I don’t want to keep hiding it from you anymore.”
“Living like this is too exhausting.”
With that, Gu Jianing fixed her gaze firmly on Sheng Zexi and said, “Have you ever heard of the term ‘rebirth’?”
“Sheng Zexi, I am a reborn person.”
“To put it simply, I’ve lived through my past life, died, and then was given another chance at life.”
Once these words were spoken, Gu Jianing felt as if a weight had been lifted from her heart.
Some words, once spoken, no longer seem so difficult to say.
She continued, “I was reborn, on the day you sent a matchmaker to propose, and I jumped into the river!”
“In my past life, I…”
Gu Jianing held nothing back, recounting everything she had experienced in her previous life.
When Sheng Zexi heard how Gu Jianing had been tricked by Wen Zhuqing and perished in the fire, his hands clenched tightly.
“…And so, after dying, I was reborn—on the very day I was supposed to hand over my eldest brother’s job to Wen Zhuqing.”
“To change my fate, I chose to marry you.”
“So, back then, when I married you, my motives weren’t pure. I…”
“I know.”
Before Gu Jianing could finish, Sheng Zexi spoke.
“Ningning, I knew. I knew you didn’t love me back then, but I didn’t care.”
“At the time, I just wanted to keep you by my side. I was confident that, given enough time, you would eventually fall in love with me.”
“And now, haven’t you?”
Gu Jianing nodded. Yes, she had—long ago.
“I’m grateful that you chose me back then, and not someone else. You gave me a chance.”
“As for what you said about your past life…”
“What I want to ask is—did the past-life version of me ever cross paths with you?”
Gu Jianing froze, not expecting Sheng Zexi to focus on this.
She nodded and told him how, in her past life, Sheng Zexi had jumped into the fire to save her. Later, as her spirit lingered by his side, she saw him drag Wen Zhuqing down for her sake, watched him remain single for the rest of his life, and witnessed how he requested to be buried beside her after death.
“So, in that past life, I also loved you, didn’t I?” Sheng Zexi asked.
Gu Jianing nodded.
Sheng Zexi’s expression turned solemn and resolute. “Then let me tell you this—Sheng Zexi, in two lifetimes, no, even if there were several more, would still love Gu Jianing. This is undeniable. Nothing and no one could ever change that.”
Gu Jianing’s eyes reddened instantly.
“The only thing I regret is that the Sheng Zexi of your past life was too cowardly. He loved you but didn’t fight for you.”
“If it were me in this life, I would have appeared by your side much earlier.”
Tears streamed down Gu Jianing’s face.
“But… but aren’t you bothered that I was married to Wen Zhuqing in my past life?”
Sheng Zexi smiled, wiping away her tears. “If anything, I’d say I’m jealous.”
“I’m jealous that he got to have your in the past life!”
“But, Ningning…”
“Whether your past life was real or just a dream—what matters is this life.”
“What matters is our present!”
“In this lifetime, we are the ones who are married.”
“And we have three adorable children—Xingxing, Yueyue, and Tuantuan.”
“Our past, present, and future can all be filled with happiness.”
“So don’t let irrelevant people disturb you.”
“If Wen Zhuqing bothers you, I can make him disappear—ensure he never disrupts our lives again.”
Sheng Zexi rarely hated anyone.
But now, he truly loathed Wen Zhuqing.
Their family had been living so well, yet Wen Zhuqing had to come and stir up trouble.
He even made Ningning cry.
For that alone, Sheng Zexi would make sure Wen Zhuqing paid.
Gu Jianing looked at Sheng Zexi, and in that moment, the weight in her heart finally lifted. The heavy stone was gone.
“Sheng Zexi, why are you so good to me?” Why do you treat me so well?
Sheng Zexi pulled her into his arms and whispered tenderly, “Because my Ningning is wonderful.”
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