The night he was reborn, Ning Yichu bit He Shixia’s neck twice, leaving him with injuries that wouldn’t heal in just two or three days. The early September weather made it inconvenient to cover his neck with a high collar or scarf, so naturally, the injuries were seen by other members of the He family.
On He Shixia’s face, there was still a small bruise, half blue and half purple, on his brow bone, caused by Ning Yichu hitting him with a water cup that night. Ning Yichu had noticed it earlier but couldn’t be bothered to ask about it.
He was slightly taken aback, recalling his bold words before sleep, not expecting He Shixia’s casual agreement to seem so serious. But since he hadn’t received anything yet, Ning Yichu cautiously didn’t express any opinion: “It’s none of my business.”
He Shixia still said “okay” and then went to get Ning Yichu some clothes. Having just moved in, Ning Yichu hadn’t had time to unpack before falling ill, only placing his suitcase in the dressing room connected to the bedroom. He Shixia hadn’t helped him unpack in the past two days, so he just took clothes directly from the suitcase.
“A Ning, how about we move out and live somewhere else?” He Shixia suddenly suggested as he returned with the clothes.
Ning Yichu frowned, “Can you stop being so restless? We’re about to get divorced, moving around like this is just crazy.”
Looking at Ning Yichu’s impatient expression, He Shixia remembered how in their past life, after finishing a show, Ning Yichu had fallen asleep on the way back. When he woke him up, Ning Yichu, half-asleep, suddenly said, “I don’t want to live in the He family.”
At that time, He Shixia didn’t ask much, just paused and then replied, “Alright, I’ll arrange another place. You can choose a place you like.”
What He Shixia meant was that he would move with him. But He Shixia didn’t make it clear, and Ning Yichu, having had enough of being self-deluded and disappointed in his past life, instinctively thought He Shixia meant to arrange a place for him alone.
So in the past life, Ning Yichu eventually said forget it. Moving out of the He family at that point would definitely be seen as him being kicked out, and he didn’t want people to think he was being abandoned again…
When He Shixia heard him say forget it, he thought Ning Yichu still felt living in the He family old residence was more prestigious and offered more opportunities to connect with the He Corporation, so he didn’t bring up moving out again.
Their relationship at that time was strange, not close at all, but not exactly hostile either. In fact, except for the beginning of their marriage, when He Shixia was angry at Ning Yichu for using wrist-cutting as a threat to force the marriage, saying some harsh words, most of the time they were very polite to each other, so polite it was distant.
Looking back in this life, He Shixia thought, Ning Yichu’s wrist-cutting back then probably wasn’t a tactic. He was genuinely disheartened and desperate, but in the face of death, his will to survive prevailed, so he instinctively sought help.
But his plea for help was also wrongfully accused of being unscrupulous… He was wronged for a lifetime, and now he no longer wants to show any kindness to others, and it’s deserved.
He Shixia deserved it too. Why should Ning Yichu accept his attempts to make amends and continue this marriage with him?
“Sorry,” He Shixia said softly, then placed the clothes beside Ning Yichu. “You just woke up, your strength hasn’t recovered. Can I help you change clothes?”
Ning Yichu looked at the bandage on He Shixia’s neck, tilted his head slightly, and suddenly said, “If you were like this in the past life, even if you only showed one-tenth of it, I would have definitely fallen hopelessly in love with you. But I’m suspicious by nature, so I’d probably be doubting while falling for you.”
He Shixia’s fingertips trembled.
“But in the past life, you were too stingy at this time. In this life, I don’t need it anymore,” Ning Yichu smiled. “Once you’ve died, you don’t want to think about all those things anymore. Family, love, friendship, none of it is more important than me being alive.”
He Shixia swallowed the lump in his throat, nodded, and said softly, “That’s how it should be.”
Ning Yichu: “So I also don’t believe that someone who has also died once would think I’m more important than their own life… Stop pretending to be a romantic hero, He Film Emperor, it’s exhausting to watch.”
He Shixia didn’t answer.
Ning Yichu had just woken up, indeed feeling weak all over, and didn’t bother to be pretentious, letting He Shixia help him change out of his pajamas and into clothes. After all, they had seen each other naked before, and the pajamas he was wearing weren’t the same as before he slept, so He Shixia must have helped him change while he was sick.
He Shixia gently helped Ning Yichu dress, suddenly continuing the previous topic: “Some obsessions, after dying once, you see through them and let them go. Like in the past life, you were competitive and sharp, but you actually cared a lot about what others thought of you and valued relationships.”
Ning Yichu didn’t deny it, just snorted, “Yeah, lack of love.”
He Shixia lowered his eyes, “But some obsessions, after dying once, become clearer. Given a chance to do it over, they only become more entangled and hard to let go. Like my feelings for you… In the past life, I was too self-righteous, too aloof, and only realized my regret after missing out. In this life, I don’t have the face to expect you to forgive me or accept me, but… A Ning, I know you don’t believe it, but in this life, I only want to live for you.”
Ning Yichu, hearing such words for the first time, found it quite novel, so he put away his cold face and looked at He Shixia with interest.
He Shixia looked into his eyes and said softly, “You can ask me to do anything, as long as it makes you happy.”
Ning Yichu had a sudden idea, “Then cheat on me. I’ll bring reporters to catch you in the act, so when we divorce, everyone will know it’s because of your misconduct.”
“That won’t do,” He Shixia immediately replied.
Ning Yichu: “Boring.”
He Shixia chuckled, “Having a partner cheat isn’t exactly a proud thing for you either. Why would you think of such an idea?”
“If you lose face, I’ll be happy. Didn’t you say you wanted me to be happy?” Ning Yichu retorted.
Now, in early September, the weather still carried some heat, but Ning Yichu was weak and sensitive to cold. The He family old residence had air conditioning everywhere, so He Shixia also brought him a light jacket.
As he helped Ning Yichu put on the jacket, he leaned in a bit closer, his voice even gentler, “Do you want my reputation to be tarnished? There are many ways, as long as it’s not cheating or committing crimes, I can cooperate.”
Ning Yichu grabbed He Shixia’s collar, tilting his head slightly, “How do you explain the injury on your neck?”
He Shixia asked, “How do you want to explain it?”
“Say you tried to rape me, and I injured you in self-defense to make you stop. As a result, I was so scared I got sick. How about that?” Ning Yichu said leisurely.
He Shixia chuckled again, “Alright. But you have to cover for me, no calling the police.”
Ning Yichu let go of his collar, “Boring.”
He Shixia couldn’t help but pat Ning Yichu’s head, “Shall I carry you downstairs?”
Ning Yichu pushed him away, “No need to rush me into being disabled.”
He Shixia stood by the bed, watching as Ning Yichu turned to get out of bed and put on his slippers.
“With such a sharp tongue, you must have been holding back in the past life, huh?” He Shixia said with a hint of heartache.
Ning Yichu got goosebumps from his tone, “Can you stop being so sentimental?”
After saying this, Ning Yichu tried to get up, but as soon as he stood, his legs gave out, and he fell back onto the bed.
Even more annoyed, Ning Yichu couldn’t help but curse, “Go to hell…”
He Shixia’s hand, which had reached out to support him, silently retracted, “Cursing others to die is fine, but using it as a catchphrase is a bit inappropriate. How about avoiding bad omens?”
Ning Yichu: “…Carry me out.”
He Shixia said warmly, “My pleasure.”
He Shixia was “going crazy,” wanting to give Ning Yichu the shares of the He Corporation he held, and reportedly, other assets as well. Because of this, the He family was quite anxious.
Yet, in the past few days, besides having people organize his assets, He Shixia stayed in the room taking care of the sick Ning Yichu, not communicating with others. Even his parents couldn’t get him to spare some time to talk, leaving the He family with no choice but to stay in the old residence and wait to see what would happen.
This was the first time the He family was all “concerned” about Ning Yichu’s illness, hoping he would wake up soon so He Shixia could focus on clarifying the matter of the shares.
“What’s going on with Shixia?”
Downstairs at this moment, except for He Shixia’s parents, who went to the He Corporation to handle work, the rest of the He family was at home, gathered for afternoon tea.
The He family, in terms of composition, was much simpler than the Ning family—He Shixia’s grandparents were still alive, with He Grandmother and the married-in He Grandfather having only one son and one daughter. The eldest son was He Shixia’s uncle, and the youngest daughter was He Shixia’s mother.
He Shixia’s uncle was still unmarried but had six illegitimate children with different mothers, conveniently three sons and three daughters.
He Shixia’s father married into the family and, with He Shixia’s mother, had only He Shixia as their only son.
The one who started the conversation was He Rulin, the third son of He Shixia’s uncle, He Dingbang.
Although it was afternoon tea, He Rulin was holding a wine glass.
He swirled the wine, speaking slowly, “I didn’t see him being so fond of Ning Yichu before.”
He Rulin’s eldest sister, He Ruxue, laughed, “Isn’t that right? I thought he was really forced into marriage, but it seems that’s not the case, quite strange.”
“Whether he likes Ning Yichu or not doesn’t matter. After all, they’re already married, they can make a fuss however they want, but using the family’s shares to make a fuss is inappropriate,” said the fourth sibling, He Ruyue, glancing at He Grandmother sitting at the head of the table.
He Grandmother and He Grandfather remained silent.
He Dingbang also chuckled, “Although the shares are in Shixia’s hands and it’s up to him to decide, it’s indeed not very appropriate. Weian and Qingshan feel the same way. Mom, Dad, as his grandparents, you can’t keep not expressing your stance to Shixia.”
He Weian, He Shixia’s mother. Tang Qingshan, He Shixia’s father.
“Who knows what Sixth Brother is thinking? Aunt and Uncle are his biological parents, and they can’t even figure it out… Is Sixth Brother that old-fashioned? Once married, regardless of whether he likes it or not, he has to hand over all his money to his ‘wife’?” muttered He Ruzhu, the youngest of the He siblings and He Dingbang’s sixth son.
Although he was He Dingbang’s sixth son, in the He family’s generational ranking, He Ruzhu was seventh, with He Shixia being sixth.
The fifth sibling, He Rufeng, laughed, “That’s not old-fashioned, that’s clearly crazy!”
“Rufeng,” He Grandmother called out to her.
He Grandmother was still the head of the family, and the married-in He Grandfather couldn’t overrule her. Among the current generation of grandchildren, He Grandmother favored her eldest granddaughter, He Ruxue, and her daughter and son-in-law’s only son, He Shixia.
He Dingbang knew his mother doted on He Shixia, so he interjected, “Rufeng didn’t mean to insult Shixia, it’s just… Shixia’s actions are indeed a bit hard to understand.”
He Dingbang wore a concerned expression for the younger generation, saying, “Everyone knows how Ning Yichu got into our He family. Originally, I thought it was inappropriate for Shixia not to sign a prenuptial agreement with him. Now, just a few days after their marriage, Shixia not only wants to give him his other assets but also transfer the shares. It’s really unsettling… Could Shixia have been soft-hearted and deceived by something Ning Yichu said?”
“Dad, do you think Shixia is like you, losing his mind once he gets into bed and agreeing to anything? Even you wouldn’t be foolish enough to agree to give away your entire fortune,” He Rulin chimed in.
Successfully making his father turn red with anger, “You brat! Is that how you talk to your father?”
He Rulin: “Isn’t that exactly what I’m doing… I wonder how Ning Yichu’s illness is. I’m really worried about whether the child in his belly will be affected.”
The fourth sibling, He Ruyue, said quietly, “Why are you so concerned? Is the child in his belly yours?”
He Rulin chuckled, “Don’t say that. If Ning Yichu had agreed to get into my bed earlier, it wouldn’t be certain whose child he would have first. But unfortunately, he has higher standards, didn’t fancy the olive branch I extended, and preferred to climb higher. And look, he’s about to get the shares, isn’t he?”
“Alright, enough of this nonsense!” He Grandmother said displeased, “No matter what, that’s Shixia’s other half now. Rulin, what kind of talk is that?”
“Don’t be angry, Grandmother,” He Rulin took a sip of wine, “I’m just drunk and talking nonsense.”
He Ruyue took a bite of dessert and suddenly said, “Is Shixia using the shares to bait his wife? Surely he wouldn’t be foolish enough to actually give them to him. But Ning Yichu hasn’t woken up these past few days, so there’s no one to witness any drama. That’s why he hasn’t explained it to us. Once Ning Yichu wakes up, we’ll stop Shixia in front of him, and he’ll probably go along with it and stop this. After all, would Ning Yichu really have the nerve to accept the shares?”