A self-mocking smile curled at the corner of Wen Zhili’s lips.
Who in the capital’s social circles didn’t know that she, Wen Zhili, was Huo Cheng’s devoted follower, practically clinging to his shadow at every moment?
But just last night, she had ended up in the bed of Huo Cheng’s uncle, Huo Shengbai.
This all began yesterday evening…
…
Yesterday, at the age of twenty-five, she was reborn, returning to the day of her nineteenth birthday.
At nineteen, she had even prepared a special proposal ceremony.
Although they were already engaged and only waiting for her to reach the legal age to register their marriage, she still wanted the romantic gesture of a proposal.
Filled with anticipation, she waited from the agreed-upon time of six in the evening until midnight, but he never showed up.
All the invited guests and friends had left one by one.
Only she remained, sitting at the candlelit dinner table, her heart gradually growing colder and colder.
Then, she saw the boastful social media post from Wen Yuxuan.
In the photo, Wen Yuxuan had an IV drip in the back of her hand, while Huo Cheng, asleep, sat beside her, allowing her to lean against his chest.
Wen Yuxuan stuck out her tongue at the camera, her eyes brimming with unmistakable arrogance and triumph.
[“It hurts to be sick, but at least he’s here with me. So heartwarming.”]
Heartbroken, she went to a bar to drown her sorrows in alcohol, and on her way home, she was involved in a car accident that left her legs paralyzed.
Grandpa Huo was furious. He forcibly sent Wen Yuxuan abroad and pressured Huo Cheng to marry her.
At that time, naive as she was, she still believed she could eventually melt his icy heart.
Several years later, after Huo Cheng inherited the Huo family, the first thing he did was force her to divorce him because Wen Yuxuan was already pregnant.
Only then did she realize that throughout their marriage, Huo Cheng and Wen Yuxuan had never truly ended their relationship, continuing their affair in secret.
She finally gave up all hope and signed the divorce papers.
But Huo Cheng still refused to let her go!
He believed that all these years, she had been occupying the position that rightfully belonged to Wen Yuxuan—that his wife should have always been Wen Yuxuan.
He imprisoned her in a room, allowing the servants to bring her food only once every few days. Once, the interval was so long that she nearly starved to death.
He also instructed the servants to abuse her regularly, with needle pricks being a common occurrence—injuries that left no visible marks on the surface.
…
Wen Zhili’s tears had long since dried up.
And she had long since come to regret everything.
She regretted loving the wrong person, regretted giving her heart to someone unworthy, regretted being too foolish and too stubborn.
She thought she was already living in hell, until one day, her room caught fire.
Paralyzed and unable to walk, she could only crawl desperately, trying to escape, but in the end, the door was locked, and she was burned alive.
While she was writhing and screaming in agony amidst the flames, what was Huo Cheng doing?
After her death, her spirit drifted to Huo Cheng’s side.
She saw him marrying his bride, Wen Yuxuan.
After the wedding, she also witnessed Wen Yuxuan secretly calling the assassin she had hired, confirming that the assassin had indeed burned her to death.
Wen Yuxuan laughed with unrestrained delight and triumph: “Wen Zhili, oh Wen Zhili, you’re finally dead! Hahaha, everything you had is now mine!”
She wished she could tear Wen Yuxuan and Huo Cheng into a thousand pieces.
But her spirit could only pass through them, unable to touch them at all.
In her ghostly state, she drifted aimlessly for several days until she completely dissipated, sinking into darkness.
…
But she never imagined she would open her eyes again!When she opened her eyes, she found herself seated at a candlelit dinner, scrolling through Wen Yuxuan’s social media feed on her phone.
She had a body temperature and could breathe.
Her legs could still stand and walk.
She also checked the time displayed on her phone.
After a long while, she finally believed it—she had been reborn.
She had returned to the day of her nineteenth birthday.
Heaven had truly given her a second chance.
Looking at Wen Yuxuan’s boastful social media posts, the 25-year-old Wen Zhili no longer felt any heartache.
The first thing she did after her rebirth was to go to a bar and find Huo Cheng’s uncle—Huo Shengbai!
She earnestly and solemnly proposed to Huo Shengbai: “I want to change the arranged marriage partner and marry you.”
Apart from Huo Cheng, the only unmarried person in the Huo family was his uncle, Huo Shengbai.
At that moment, the intensity in Huo Shengbai’s eyes startled her. She couldn’t understand it, and there was no time to regret it.
Because the next moment, the drunken Huo Shengbai kissed her lips…
From then on, everything seemed to spiral out of control.
He carried her to a hotel, and they were entangled for almost the entire night.
Except for the final step, they did almost everything.
…
The memories of last night receded like waves.
Lu Jia’er didn’t mention Huo Cheng much, afraid of hurting Zhili further, and could only offer words of comfort.
Usually, no matter how outrageous Huo Cheng’s actions were, Zhili would eventually forgive him.
Listening to her best friend’s comforting words, Wen Zhili felt a warmth in her heart.
She said, “Jia’er, I’m fine, don’t worry.”
But Lu Jia’er still wasn’t entirely convinced: “Don’t force yourself, do you really not need me to stay with you?”
Wen Zhili gently declined.
Lu Jia’er asked a few more times, and only after confirming she was alright did they end the call.
After putting down her phone, Wen Zhili felt Huo Shengbai’s gaze on her.
For some reason, she faintly sensed unease in Huo Shengbai’s eyes, but when she looked up, his gaze was as calm as a deep pool, without a single ripple.
She must have been mistaken.
Huo Shengbai said gently, “Was it Huo Cheng looking for you?”
Wen Zhili shook her head, “No, it was my best friend.”
“Hmm, I see.”
The corners of Huo Shengbai’s lips lifted slightly, his tone as calm as if discussing the weather: “Zhili, when should we go register our marriage?”
Hearing this, Wen Zhili felt somewhat dazed.
In her previous life, her husband was Huo Cheng.
In this life, her new husband would be Huo Cheng’s uncle.
Life truly was like a play.
But her daze was interpreted by Huo Shengbai as reluctance.
A flicker of fear and possessiveness churned in Huo Shengbai’s deep eyes but was quickly concealed, replaced by his gentle gaze fixed on Wen Zhili.
“Having regrets?”
Wen Zhili snapped out of her daze and shook her head.
Huo Shengbai’s breath hitched for a moment. He lowered his head, hiding the barely restrained possessiveness in his eyes.
But then, Wen Zhili’s next words made Huo Shengbai instantly look up, his eyes gleaming with excitement.