In her previous life, just how heartless and ruthless had she been, to keep sacrificing the interests of the family that treated her so well, all just to please Wen Zhqing.
After her suicide attempt in her previous life, when she was pulled out of the river, her eldest brother finally gave in.
And later on, she did marry Wen Zhqing as she wished—but that was the beginning of her nightmare.
Because she jumped into the river in the dead of winter, she was left infertile. Out of guilt for not giving Wen Zhqing a child, she kept sacrificing her family's and her own interests to help him.
For Wen Zhqing's sake, her family was nearly torn apart. Her eldest brother and sister-in-law became a couple full of resentment; her second brother went to prison; her second sister-in-law died in childbirth with her baby; her third brother lost his college admission spot and the light in his eyes died; their parents died miserably in their search for her.
Meanwhile, Wen Zhqing, after squeezing every bit of value out of her family, faked her disappearance, kept handing her off to others, used her beauty to trade for his own gains, and finally, to marry a rich and beautiful wife, schemed for her to die in a fire.
Yao Chunhua, Old Gu, and the others had never seen their daughter cry her heart out like this before. For this daughter they'd doted on since birth, every Gu Family member treated her like a treasure, never wanting her to suffer, always wanting to give her the best.
Now seeing her cry like this, their hearts twisted with pain. Their hands gently patted her back to comfort her.
"Don't cry, Ning girl, don't cry."
"Here, have some chicken soup first, then get some proper rest."
"From now on, anything that happens, we can talk it through as a family—just don't ever do anything foolish again."
After a long while, Gu Jia Ning finally calmed down. Her mother fed her a bowl of chicken soup before she lay down.
"Sleep well, if you need medicine later I'll call you."
Carefully tucking in her blanket, Yao Chunhua finally led the rest of the Gu Family out, quietly closing the door behind them.
Now Gu Jia Ning was alone in the room.
Gu Jia Ning's eyes were red from crying, but now all she felt was relief.
Gu Jia Ning never expected she'd actually been reborn, and back to the moment in her past life where she jumped into the river to force her elder brother to give Wen Zhqing his job.
Gu Jia Ning recalled, in her last life, just before being burned alive, she saw a dark green silhouette rushing recklessly into the fire, desperately shouting her name.
After her death, Gu Jia Ning's soul finally saw that the person who had rushed to her rescue was someone she'd long forgotten—Sheng Zexi.
Her soul followed Sheng Zexi, and only then did she learn that when they first met, he'd only been a battalion commander, but now he held high rank and authority.
Listening to Sheng Zexi's account, she learned that on the very day she jumped into the river, Sheng Zexi had arranged for Matchmaker Wu to visit the Gu Family to propose a marriage—unfortunately, she jumped into the river just then, causing wild rumors to spread in the village about her and Wen Zhqing.
The matchmaker assumed her heart belonged elsewhere, never even entered the house, and went back to refuse Sheng Zexi.
Sheng Zexi left. By the time he returned, she and Wen Zhqing were already married.
Sheng Zexi lost hope and was single for years.
Gu Jia Ning saw that Sheng Zexi, who carried her from the fire, ended up with multiple burns—half his face ruined—even with age, his once-handsome face was disfigured. Yet, even after saving her, she still died. Sheng Zexi arranged her funeral, and used thunderous means to get revenge on Wen Zhqing, dragging him down harshly.
It wasn't until he died in his fifties from pain and illness that he left only one will: to be buried with her...
At that time, Gu Jia Ning thought, though Sheng Zexi was arrogant and sharp-tongued, if she could live her life again, she'd try to be with him—he was way better than Wen Zhqing, that wolf in sheep's clothing.
She never imagined her wish would actually come true.
After Gu Jia Ning died in her last life, Sheng Zexi, in her name, did a lot of good deeds, accumulating merit. And with her deep regret and intense desire for a child, she attracted the Childbirth System, which bound itself to her and brought her soul back to the present moment.
Maybe it was because her body was weak from jumping into the river, or maybe it was the overwhelming sorrow and emotional release, but at this moment Gu Jia Ning was exhausted; in the warm bed, her eyelids grew heavy and she drifted off.
The last thought before she slept was wondering if the matchmaker this time would refuse Sheng Zexi again when she went back.
[Rest assured, Host, just take a good rest—Matchmaker Wu certainly won't directly refuse him.] As the mechanical voice sounded in her mind, Gu Jia Ning was already fast asleep.
The matchmaker Gu Jia Ning had been worrying about, after she dropped off Sheng Zexi's gifts at the Gu Family, saw how busy everyone was taking care of Gu Jia Ning and barely had time for her, so she said a quick goodbye and left.
Now, she was already out of Huaihua Village, and from a distance she saw a green jeep parked by the roadside, with a tall man in dark green military uniform leaning against the car, cigarette dangling in his mouth. She hurried her steps.
"Officer Sheng." The matchmaker raised her hand to greet him.
The man, who had been lazily drooping his eyelids and checking his watch, suddenly looked up. His features were sharp, eyes jet-black, face stern, sword-like brows slightly raised with a hint of unruliness; his jawline was strong and sleek. He stood nearly 1.9 meters tall, broad-shouldered and lean, with a straight back. His belt accented his slim waist, and beneath it, long legs wrapped in uniform pants, straight and well-shaped.
On closer look, his shirt collar was a bit open, giving him a casual, relaxed appearance.
Seeing that it was Matchmaker Wu whom he'd sent to the Gu Family for a proposal, he quickly straightened up, stubbed out his cigarette, wiped away the laziness, pressed his lips into a serious line, took long strides toward her, walking with an urgency he didn't seem aware of.
"Aunt Wu, how did it go?" The man's voice was low and deep, rich with magnetism.
Matchmaker Wu hadn't caught her breath yet. She sized up Sheng Zexi, thinking to herself—looks like this Officer Sheng has his heart set on that Gu Family girl, though whether it's worth it, who knows.
She didn't beat around the bush. "She agreed, but…"
Seeing the matchmaker hesitate, Sheng Zexi, the happiness just blooming inside him, frowned. "Is there something else?"
The matchmaker hesitated, but eventually told him what she'd overheard in Huaihua Village—that Gu Jia Ning was in love with Wen Zhuqing and had jumped in the river to get her brother to give up his job.
"…When I arrived, that girl had just been pulled out of the river. I don't know why she agreed to your proposal afterward, but the whole village is saying Miss Gu's in love with Wen Zhuqing. I reckon it's true. But either way, you'd best judge for yourself, comrade."
As soon as she finished, the matchmaker saw the man who had just had a hint of joy on his face suddenly suppress his brows, a coldness in his gaze, lips curving into a mocking smile. "That idiot, is she blind or brainless, falling for some educated youth—and jumping in a river for him? What, the water in her head isn't enough?"
Matchmaker Wu: …This officer is handsome, no question, but that mouth is savage. If the girl were here, he'd definitely make her cry.
"So, Officer Sheng, are you going ahead with the proposal tomorrow?" Matchmaker Wu asked tentatively.
"Go, of course go. Tomorrow I'll pick you up and we'll go together."
"Well, that's great."
With a concrete answer, Matchmaker Wu was relieved, and went off happily.
Sheng Zexi lifted a leg, slipped easily into the jeep, his jet-black eyes staring deeply toward Huaihua Village. His hand rested on the steering wheel; just as he started the engine, as if remembering something, he spun the wheel in a swift 180-degree turn toward the county town. Dust rose behind the car, he drove a bit urgently, and soon the car disappeared from sight.