Jingyuan turned again. This time, with a single step forward, she reached out and took Kim Soomin's hand.
"Soomin, such a lovely name. Let's go!"
Hand in hand, she walked with Soomin, each step radiating defiance.
Wen Yujing politely stepped aside, giving them space, even smiling faintly at Jingyuan.
But Jing Yinian, her older brother, clearly wasn't pleased with Soomin's arrival. Without another glance, he turned and walked toward his desk.
Jingyuan caught the look and thought to herself: Does brother dislike Soomin? But in my previous life… he adored her. His indulgence toward her even surpassed what he ever gave me as his sister.
Wen Yujing followed suit, also walking toward the desk. Facing Jing Yinian, his voice was low and rich:
"President Jing, the Kim family will need more time."
As soon as the words fell, Jing Yinian answered bluntly:
"I don't like her."
At that, Wen Yujing said nothing more. After all, even he didn't know whether Jingyuan had ever truly liked him.
From the beginning, Wen Yujing had calculated everything carefully. Unfortunately, he failed to account for one crucial fact—Jingyuan was no longer the same person. She had been reborn.
Time passed quickly. Jingyuan chatted with Soomin, and before long, two hours had slipped away. After a brief farewell to her brother and Soomin, she pulled Wen Yujing along and left Longcheng Group.
Underground parking garage.
Inside the car, Jingyuan once again refused to sit in the passenger seat. Enraged, Wen Yujing roughly dragged her out of the back, shoved her into the front seat, and fastened her seatbelt. Only then did he feel at ease.
He strode around the car, long legs moving in one fluid motion, slid into the driver's seat, buckled up, and started the engine—all in one seamless action.
"Wen Yujing, are you insane?" She glared at him, eyes blazing.
He stayed silent for a while, then finally spoke.
"Mm. So now… do you regret it?"
Regret? What's he talking about?
"Regret what?"
"Our contract marriage."
Their conversations always seemed to follow this rhythm—she asks, he answers.
"I don't regret it." Her gaze was firm as she looked into the distance, her voice steady with those three words.
She truly didn't regret it. Even if she were given another chance to live again, she would still make the same choice. Compared to losing her loved ones, she would rather sacrifice her own happiness to keep her family alive.
After a pause, she lifted her slender, pale fingers and switched on the car's music.
Perhaps fate itself wanted her to hear it.
An audio clip played, and in that instant, Wen Yujing's gaze on the road hardened, his eyes dark and sharp with killing intent.
"I hope everyone won't speculate too much about my relationship with Master Wen," a woman's sweet voice chimed. "Please focus on my work and give us some private space!"
It was Nan Yinyue.
Her words dripped with calculation. Wen Yujing had demanded that she publicly clarify their nonexistent relationship, but instead she had told the media to "give them space," making their connection sound all the more ambiguous.
"Wen Yujing, actually—"
Before she could finish, he pressed the accelerator, the car surging forward.
Even though they had been married three months, Jingyuan realized she didn't truly understand him at all.
Wen Yujing hated being linked to entertainment stars in baseless scandals. But if the woman in question were Jingyuan? He wouldn't mind. In fact, he might even go out of his way to create a few rumors himself.
She glanced sideways at him. His expression was terrifying—cold, grim, almost inhuman. A chill ran down her spine.
Clutching her seatbelt tightly, she thought nervously: Did I say something wrong again? No… I didn't even finish my sentence!
At last, after some fierce driving, the Rolls-Royce slowed.
It rolled into the gated estate of Yujing Garden. The iron gate clanged open, and the car slipped inside.
For a long while, silence hung heavy between them. Finally, Wen Yujing spoke.
"Tell me. Why were you fighting the other day?"
Fighting? Oh no… did the homeroom teacher call him?
"That old witch called you?" Her big round eyes widened, sparkling with disbelief.
Wen Yujing: "…"
He said nothing. That silence was answer enough.
"That damned witch, how dare she snitch on me, I— I—" She suddenly stuttered mid-curse.
Wen Yujing's deep, icy gaze fixed on her, his face dark with disapproval.
"Jingyuan, don't forget—you're Mrs. Wen now. No more foul language."
"I said a bad word? That was just venting!"
He frowned at her response, his brows knitting.
"Venting or not, those first three words—don't say them again. And don't call your teacher that, either."
But the moment he finished, Jingyuan snapped back with another curse.
"Damn you, Wen Yujing! Do you want a beating?"
By then, the luxury car had already rolled to a stop in the courtyard.
She had no interest in debating morals with him. As soon as the car halted, she flung open the door and bolted, disappearing from his line of sight in seconds.
Inside the main hall, she greeted Madam Fu before quickly heading upstairs.
Collapsing on her soft bed, she sprawled out in a starfish pose, stretching lazily.
Then, her phone rang. An unfamiliar number.
The ringtone chimed for fifteen seconds before she finally picked up.
"Hello? Who's this?" She always asked when answering unknown calls.
But no voice came through. Only faint chirps of birds—fragmented, intermittent, as if the signal were bad. Or perhaps deliberate.
Nearly a full minute later, just as she was about to hang up, a voice finally spoke.
"Long time no see, Second Miss Jing."
Those few words sent chills crawling across her skin.
Clutching the phone tightly, she opened her mouth to respond, but the caller had already hung up.
The room fell into an eerie silence.
That voice echoed in her mind. For the next three hours, she lay staring at the chandelier above her bed, replaying the words again and again:
Long time no see, Second Miss Jing.
Suddenly, she shot upright. Grabbing her phone, she redialed the number.
But the automated message chimed back with a sweet female voice:
"Sorry, the number you have dialed is no longer in service."
No longer in service? How could that be? The call had just gone through!
Unwilling to give up, she tried again. The same response.
Her heart sank. Could this be… that mysterious man?
Opening WeChat, she pulled up a contact named Data Searcher and sent a message:
[Please help me check this number. Thanks, Sister Yan.]
A reply came quickly.
[Got it. I'll have something for you in five minutes.]
She glanced at the message, then left the bed.
Pulling open the curtains, sunlight streamed in. It was past three in the afternoon, bright but a little harsh.
Her eyes drifted to the back garden below. Memories of her past life flooded in—her parents being framed, her own abduction by the mysterious man into the Qingying Society, the tangled love and hatred with Pei Shiqing.
Perhaps Wen Yujing had already been near her back then. She simply hadn't realized it.