“Qin Mingzhi, why did a bitch like you get to live such a good life in our past lives? Your husband’s wedding night is mine now.”
“I’ll be sure to thoroughly enjoy him.”
Out in the alleyway, the lively chatter of the wedding guests was beginning to fade.
Qin Mingzhi, who should have been led into the bridal suite, was dizzy and disoriented as someone yanked her violently toward the exit.
“Mom, hurry up and take her bridal gown off so I can put it on! She’s completely drunk. Take her to the back door—someone will be waiting to carry her away.”
Qin Mingzhi didn’t even have the strength to open her eyes, and another cup of strange-tasting liquid was forced down her throat.
“So hot…”
The night air was crisp and cool, yet a scorching heat flared through her entire body, turning her legs to jelly.
She watched the retreating figures of her stepmother and stepsister, forcing herself to stand.
The familiar surroundings made it instantly clear: she had been reborn.
She was back in 1986, on the night of her wedding to her husband, Xiao Xingjie.
She had indeed been drunk that night in her past life. But all these unexpected twists were happening because her stepsister, Qin Mengxue, had been reborn too.
In her previous life, Qin Mingzhi married Xiao Xingjie—the great-grandson of Elder Xiao—to fulfill a deathbed promise made to her grandfather.
On their wedding night, he had gotten completely wasted and never even touched her. He stopped coming home altogether after that, and only later did she learn he had been recruited into the army.
After three years of living under the same roof without ever sharing a room, Qin Mingzhi was inexplicably labeled infertile, unable to clear her name no matter how hard she tried.
Her parents-in-law dropped passive-aggressive hints and piled pressure on her: You’re about to become an officer’s wife, yet you can’t even produce a single child.
Not long after, Xiao Xingjie brought home a two-year-old boy, claiming he was looking after the child for a fallen comrade.
Even though he wasn’t their blood grandson, her parents-in-law doted on the boy endlessly.
It was only during a slip of the tongue that Qin Mingzhi discovered the truth: the child was born to Xiao Xingjie and his first love—he had been carrying on with that woman all along!
Qin Mingzhi demanded a divorce on the spot. Armed with a paternity test, she set out for the military base to expose him.
She never expected to run into a completely unhinged Qin Mengxue on the way.
Qin Mengxue drove recklessly and rammed into us, yelling, “Why am I beaten to a pulp by a domestic abuser, leaving me crippled, while you get to be a military officer’s wife so comfortably! Qin Mingzhi, go to hell!!”
By the time Qin Mingzhi snapped back to reality, she had already returned to this exact moment.
She staggered forward down the hallway, which had never felt so endless. Double vision made single paths split into many.
Qin Mingzhi pinched herself hard. She had to escape—if Qin Mengxue’s people dragged her away, her virtue would be ruined.
The doors lined along the hallway were all firmly locked.
Losing her balance in a wave of panic, she tumbled sideways into an open room.
The dim interior was dead silent; it appeared unoccupied.
Qin Mingzhi breathed a sigh of relief. Using the last ounce of her strength, she shut the door and stumbled deeper into the room.
Her remaining rationality was burning away rapidly. Her entire body felt ablaze, her cheeks flushed a deep crimson, and her vision grew hazy with heat.
Exhaling softly, she searched for a place to sit down, only to fall straight into a pair of icy arms.
“Who’s there?”
The man was about to push her off—he despised people who reeked of alcohol.
Yet the hand he raised to clamp around her throat hesitated the moment he heard her gasp—
And firmly seized her slender waist instead!
“Ah…”
Qin Mingzhi trembled violently, her soft hands pressing helplessly against his chest.
“Who allowed you into my room?”
The man’s voice was deep and magnetic. Whether it was her imagination or not, he suddenly felt dangerously close.
His breath brushed against her ear, making her flush with a distress that nearly brought her to tears.
She couldn’t see his expression in the dark.
She had no idea that his thin, flatly set lips curved into a faint smile the moment he caught sight of her flushed, disoriented face.
Losing all strength, Qin Mingzhi collapsed into his arms.
“Help me…”
She began kissing him haphazardly, but he showed no restraint, pinching her soft waist hard.
Xiao Wangnian’s brows furrowed, his usual composure vanishing completely. “Qin Mingzhi, pull yourself together.”
Her lips had just grazed his Adam’s apple.
“Ow! It hurts!!” Her eyes welled with genuine tears of pain. “Let me down!”
This block of ice was covered in thorns. Not only did he fail to cool her down, but he also hit her!
Realizing she had completely lost her mind to whatever was in her system, Xiao Wangnian held her tightly in his arms and let out a silent sigh. “Do you even know who I am?”
Qin Mingzhi knitted her brows, appearing to think very hard—as if trying to recall whether ice blocks were allowed to become sentient spirits after the founding of the Republic.
Amused to the point of laughter, Xiao Wangnian scooped her up and walked toward the bed.
Earlier that evening, before passing out drunk, Xiao Xingjie had asked him, “Uncle, why are you at my wedding? Didn’t you say you weren’t coming?”
“Uncle, you haven’t had much to drink, so why do you look even more out of it than I am? Let me arrange a room for you to rest.”
As Xiao Wangnian was thinking about Xiao Xingjie’s face, which made him want to punch him, Qin Mingzhi in his arms started causing trouble again, touching things she shouldn’t have.
His gaze locked up as his rationality engaged in a fierce tug-of-war with desire.
He kicked off her shoes, pressed her firmly onto the mattress, and pinned both of her delicate wrists above her head with a single hand.
“Qin Mingzhi, look closely—”
“I am Xiao Wangnian.”
Xiao Wangnian?
Hearing the name, Qin Mingzhi instinctively shrank her neck back.
Isn’t he… Xiao Xingjie’s uncle?
Before she could speak, Xiao Wangnian added, “You went into the wrong room. Your husband is next door.”
The mere mention of Xiao Xingjie sent a surge of fury through her. She gritted her teeth and snapped, “Who’s my husband? Xiao Xingjie isn’t my husband! We haven’t registered the marriage yet, so it doesn’t count!”
“Even a dog wouldn’t marry him! Bastard, cheater, marrying someone while keeping a mistress… he doesn’t do a single human thing!”
Surging with a sudden burst of unknown strength, she broke free from his grip and threw a few wild punches into the air.
Even dead drunk, she knew Xiao Xingjie was trash.
Qin Mingzhi grabbed Xiao Wangnian by his shirt collar, squinting to study his features.
The man in front of her didn’t seem to look like a scumbag—
In fact… he was pretty handsome?
She let out a soft chuckle. “Mhm, not bad.”
Xiao Wangnian: “…”
Qin Mingzhi looked at him. “Are you seeing anyone? Will you cheat after marriage?”
His gaze darkened. He grabbed her hands and pulled them down. “No.”
Qin Mingzhi nodded. “Then I’ll just swap husbands. I choose you.”
Without waiting for his response—or even noticing that he hadn’t given one—she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
Just as she tried to pull back, Xiao Wangnian cupped the back of her head and pressed his lips against hers, pursuing the kiss.
An unfamiliar, overpowering breath invaded her senses.
A soft whimper escaped her lips. As her head sank into the pillow, her long, dark hair cascaded outward. The man laced his long fingers through hers, pressing her hands firmly beside her face with a mixture of gentleness and dominance.
Kissed into a dizzy haze, intuition screamed at her that this was dangerous.
Yet, driven by pure instinct, she couldn’t help but lean into his touch.
Nervous and overwhelmed, Qin Mingzhi bit her red lips, smearing her lipstick.
The unfamiliar sensation took complete control of her mind, leaving her deeply uneasy.
Especially with the absolute difference in their sizes—with his body towering over hers, there was nowhere to run.
She struggled and struck his chest a few times, only for her own hands to throb in pain!
Oh no!
Qin Mingzhi suddenly lost her nerve and wanted to flee.
However, Xiao Wangnian’s calloused thumb gently brushed across her lower lip as his deep voice coaxed her:
“Don’t be afraid. Take a deep breath—”