Thirtieth Year of Zhengxing, Lanting Waterside Pavilion.
Warm spring sunlight bathed the earth, and a man clad in a black python robe stood in the courtyard. The gentle light fell upon his face, accentuating his peerless elegance and unparalleled handsomeness.
Xiao Yan glanced at the young girl who had fainted at the entrance, then swept his gaze over the dismembered corpses scattered around his feet—pieces so fragmented they could hardly be reassembled. His beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.
To faint from such a sight—how utterly useless.
The man took out a pure white handkerchief, wiped the blood dripping from his hands, and only then strode toward the entrance.
The usually lively and charming girl now lay on the ground, the pastries she had brought scattered all around.
Her goose-yellow gauze dress clung to her slender figure, accentuating her impossibly thin waist.
Her skin was as fair as snow, almost translucent.
Her neck was slender and pale—with just a slight exertion, he could easily crush her cervical bones.
“Whimper, whimper.”
The large black dog crouched beside her whimpered softly. Xiao Yan lowered his gaze to look at it.
A flicker of disdain flashed in the man’s icy black eyes, as if disgusted by the dog’s unrefined eating habits.
“She won’t eat this. You have it yourself.”
As soon as Xiao Yan finished speaking, Hei’er licked its nose, walked up to the man, and affectionately rubbed against his trouser leg, its ears flattened back as it awaited its master’s touch.
Xiao Yan did not pet it. Instead, he walked over and sat down on the steps beside the unconscious girl.
He picked up a pastry still inside the food box and began eating it slowly and deliberately.
It was very sweet.
The man’s narrow eyes narrowed further, and he took another piece to eat.
His movements were elegant and dignified.
“Woof, woof~”
The large black dog barked, staring intently at the pastry in his hand, clearly eager to have a taste.
The man paused his chewing and cast a faint glance at it.
Animals are most sensitive to human emotions. Meeting its master’s gaze, the black dog’s raised tail drooped slightly, and it quickly averted its eyes, pretending to be busy as it trotted over to the corpses.
After finishing two pieces of pastry, Xiao Yan finally picked up the girl from the ground.
Her body was soft and boneless, yielding to the touch wherever he held her.
A pleasant lime scent drifted into his nostrils, and the man’s phoenix eyes darkened slightly.
He did not like her, yet she could effortlessly stir his desires.
“Your Highness, where to?”
“Back to the Eastern Palace…”
…
“Zhaozhao, Zhaozhao…”
A gentle voice sounded in her ear. Lin Zhaoyue felt as though someone had shaken her several times, and then a chill swept over her body as cold wind rushed through her nightclothes. She was jolted awake by the cold.
Opening her eyes, she saw Lin Wan’s graceful and delicate face.
Seeing her awake, Lin Wan’s red lips curved into a gentle smile.
Looking at the smile on Lin Wan’s face, Lin Zhaoyue couldn’t hold back the redness in her eyes, and tears immediately began to stream down her face.
She sat up and tightly embraced the other, burying her head in her fragrant, soft bosom.
“Elder Sister, Zhaozhao missed you all so much!”
Although Lin Zhaoyue was usually a bit mischievous, when had she ever been this heartbroken?
Lin Wan was taken aback for a moment, then reached out to pat her back:
“Did Zhaozhao have a nightmare?”
Lin Zhaoyue wanted to say something, but as soon as she opened her mouth, a sob escaped her. She nodded, then shook her head.
Lin Wan comforted her for a long time, until the water had grown cold, before finally soothing her. She then called a maid to fetch a basin of hot water.
Lifting her head from Lin Wan’s embrace, Lin Zhaoyue glanced around the room and asked curiously:
“Elder Sister, is this the underworld? Why does it look exactly like the Lin Residence? Mother, Father, and Eldest Brother…”
Before Lin Zhaoyue could finish speaking, Lin Wan reached out and flicked her forehead.
This time, she used real force, and Lin Zhaoyue winced in pain:
“Elder Sister, it hurts…”
As soon as she cried out in pain, Lin Zhaoyue suddenly froze.
Hadn’t she already died? How could she still feel pain?
“Serves you right for hurting. This is your home, not some underworld. I think you’re still half-asleep. I don’t know who said yesterday that they’d be the first to go to the palace today to congratulate Princess Duanmin on her birthday. If I hadn’t come over, you probably wouldn’t have woken up even after the celebration was over.”
Princess Duanmin? Birthday congratulations?
Lin Zhaoyue was stunned for a moment, then grabbed Lin Wan’s sleeve and asked:
“Elder Sister, what year and month is it now?”
“The thirtieth year of Zhengxing, fourth month.”
An Guo, the thirtieth year of Zhengxing.
Lin Zhaoyue looked at her hands—delicate, smooth, and fair.
She touched her face—the skin was smooth, with none of the wretched, pitiful appearance she had in the Cold Palace.
So, she had been reborn?
Reborn to when she was sixteen years old.
Today was Xiao Ran’s coming-of-age ceremony, which meant that, if things followed the trajectory of her previous life, she and Xiao Yan would be married in three months?
Recalling everything that happened after marrying Xiao Yan, Lin Zhaoyue’s face paled slightly.
No matter what, the marriage with Xiao Yan had to be canceled.
She was afraid…
She never wanted to fall in love with Xiao Yan again.
“Elder Sister, where are Father and Mother? And my brothers?”
“Father has gone to court, Mother is preparing congratulatory gifts, Eldest Brother has been guarding the northern border, and Third Brother went to Jiangzhou with Second Brother. They’ll probably return by the end of the month. What’s wrong, Zhaozhao?”
As she spoke, Lin Wan’s gaze held a trace of confusion and concern.
Didn’t Zhaozhao already know all this?
Ever since Zhaozhao woke up, she had been acting strangely. Moreover, Zhaozhao’s eyes had always been clear, bright, and innocent, but now her face carried a sorrow and weariness as if she had lived through several lifetimes overnight.
“What happened to you yesterday, Zhaozhao? I heard that after you returned from the Eastern Palace, you locked yourself in your room.”
Lin Zhaoyue tried hard to recall yesterday’s events and finally remembered that she had made flower cakes to bring to Xiao Yan. However, Xiao Yan wasn’t at the Eastern Palace, and after finding out he had gone to Lanting Waterside Pavilion, she followed him there.
Unexpectedly, she witnessed that scene… and then she fainted from fright.
Xiao Yan took her to the Eastern Palace, and after she woke up, she was warned again.
Terrified, she returned to Guogong Mansion, fell asleep, and somehow was reborn…
“Zhaozhao, you don’t look well. Are you feeling unwell? I’ll go call a doctor for you…”
Just as Lin Wan was about to stand up, Lin Zhaoyue grabbed her hand and shook her head:
“I’m fine, Elder Sister. I just had a nightmare and haven’t fully recovered yet. Let’s freshen up and go to the palace first.”
Lin Zhaoyue took a deep breath and tried her best to act as she normally would, not wanting to worry her elder sister.
“Elder Sister, let’s not talk about this anymore. Let me help you with your hair first.”
“But Cuihe has already done it for me.”
“Let me do it again…”
As she spoke, Lin Zhaoyue pulled Lin Wan to the dressing table.
Just as they were finishing up, Lin Furen’s voice came from outside the door:
“I heard my Zhaozhao had a nightmare and cried out in fright?”
Lin Zhaoyue turned and saw a woman dressed in a light cyan embroidered brocade gown walk in. With willow-leaf eyebrows and an oval face, her every movement carried an air of grace. At the corners of her eyes were two fine crow’s feet—marks left by the passage of time.