Standing at the doorway, Shen Nanzhi felt a complicated wave of emotions rising in her chest.
Memories from her past life surged up, those details she had once overlooked now becoming painfully clear.
Before marriage, every birthday was arranged by Old Master Jiang. There was no cake, but at least it was properly celebrated.
But after marriage in her previous life…
She never had another birthday again.
At that moment, a tired voice came from behind her.
“Zhizhi, you’re back.”
Shen Nanzhi’s body trembled violently.
She knew that voice too well.
Jiang Feng—her husband from her previous life.
The same man who, together with his mistress, had driven her to death and left her body abandoned in the wilderness.
She slowly turned around, her eyes as deep as a dark abyss, locking onto that familiar yet unfamiliar face.
A surging hatred rose from the depths of her heart like a raging fire.
Her fists clenched tightly, nails digging deep into her palms, as if she wanted to carve that hatred into her very blood.
On her way back, she had imagined countless scenarios of meeting Jiang Feng again.
She would rush at him like a madwoman and strangle him.
Or smash something over his head.
Or stab a knife straight into his heart.
Or expose his hypocrisy and his relationship with Su Mian, and reclaim her nursing school admission letter.
But she had never imagined she would be this calm standing in front of him.
Jiang Feng felt a wave of fear under her gaze.
He had never seen Shen Nanzhi like this before.
Cold. Full of hatred. Like she wanted to tear him apart limb by limb.
He didn’t understand.
He had merely missed the wedding because he was late—why did she hate him so much?
Besides, yesterday she had publicly switched groom and married a disabled man in a wheelchair, humiliating him in front of everyone.
They were even now.
Thinking this, the last bit of guilt he had disappeared completely.
He stepped closer, trying to explain, but Shen Nanzhi immediately dodged him as if he were something filthy, and walked straight into the courtyard.
Watching her decisive back, Jiang Feng’s unease grew stronger.
Before she could go inside, he blurted out:
“Zhizhi, do you really think Lu Xiangyang wants to marry you?”
“He’s just playing with you!”
“He’s disabled, impotent, psychologically twisted—he’s using you to vent! Yesterday he said he’d marry you just to make you a joke!”
He knew Shen Nanzhi well. Only by saying this could he stop her and get a chance to speak.
And indeed—she stopped.
She turned around, eyes filled with fury.
But Jiang Feng didn’t care about her anger. He even showed a faint smile of success.
But that smile froze instantly.
“Slap!”
A sharp slap landed on Jiang Feng’s face.
Half his face immediately swelled.
“Jiang Feng, you disgust me!”
Shen Nanzhi’s voice trembled with rage.
“You think you are something? Even if Lu Xiangyang is disabled, he is a thousand, ten thousand times better than you!”
“You are trash! Marrying you was the greatest stain of my life!”
She unleashed every insult she could think of.
The Jiang family maid rushed out, shocked, glaring at Shen Nanzhi.
Just as she was about to drag her away, Shen Nanzhi suddenly spoke again:
“I made a cake. I’ll go get it.”
Moments later, she returned with a beautifully made fruit cake.
The courtyard instantly filled with the aroma of cream and fruit.
“Happy birthday, Zhizhi!” voices echoed around her.
Shen Nanzhi’s eyes reddened.
It had been so long since she heard those words.
Too long.
She took a breath and smiled faintly.
“Thank you… thank you all.”
But before she could finish, the cake was already being eaten.
She didn’t mind.
She even smiled and handed out pieces herself.
Meanwhile, Jiang Feng stood upstairs watching everything, his expression darkening with every passing second.
She never came to see him.
Never apologized.
Never brought him a piece of cake.
Until a maid finally said:
“That cake… she said even if it’s fed to dogs, she won’t give it to Jiang Feng.”
Crack.
The teacup in his hand shattered.
Blood dripped from his palm, but he felt nothing.
In his mind, only one thought remained:
Shen Nanzhi… you will come and apologize to me tonight.
But she didn’t.
Instead, she carefully kept a small piece of cake, bought ice, and placed it in her room.
Then she opened her bag and counted the money she earned today—1,894.6 yuan.
Her eyes lit up with excitement.
Electric appliances really did make money.
She transferred 1,600 yuan into Lu Xiangyang’s bank account through the system.
Then she turned her attention back to the mysterious system store, tapping around curiously.
Suddenly—
A prompt appeared:
“Please enter delivery address:”
Her fingers froze in mid-air.
Slightly trembling.
As if something unimaginable was about to begin.