Chapter 1: Reborn on the Day of the Hanging

"Yan Ziyue, are you really going to divorce me for Xu Lecheng?"

It seemed as if the voice of her ex-husband, Xiao Heshuo, still echoed in her ears, burning with anger and unwillingness. Each word was like a knife, forcibly carving at Yan Ziyue's heart.

"I'll grant your wish. When you wake up, we'll go get proof and divorce."

As her vision gradually cleared, she saw a man. His nose was high and straight, his features nearly perfect, paired with deep, dark eyes and sharp, jet-black brows that radiated an innate, powerful presence.

"Xiao... Xiao Heshuo!"

Yan Ziyue reached out, trying to grasp him.

She had been wrong. She regretted it. She should never have foolishly trusted Zhang Qingqing and Xu Lecheng, nor treated Xiao Heshuo that way, ruining her own life as well.

Xiao Heshuo pressed his lips together, staring at her outstretched hand for a few seconds.

Just as Yan Ziyue's hand dropped weakly, Xiao Heshuo grabbed it and carefully helped her sit up.

"I'll go to the commune to get proof later. This afternoon, we'll divorce as you wish."

He stood again at her side, about two or three steps away.

The fleeting warmth and the familiar voice ringing in her ears made Yan Ziyue freeze for a moment.

Suddenly—

She grabbed Xiao Heshuo's wrist, her eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at him. "You're not dead?"

She remembered clearly—she had died in front of Xiao Heshuo.

Xiao Heshuo opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing, flinging her hand away.

He was cold as ice, his tone laced with sarcasm. "Of course you'd wish for me to die early, so Xu Lecheng could have my place."

Xiao Heshuo turned and went into the next room.

He truly hadn't expected Ziyue to wish for his death.

Yan Ziyue sat there, stunned, staring down at her hands.

Suddenly, she pinched her arm.

It hurt!

She shot up, rushing to the calendar in desperation.

On the old calendar, the date was clear: June 11, 1975.

She had come back to life!

She had returned to the day she hung herself and demanded divorce!

In her previous life, she had been deceived by her sister Zhang Qingqing and the scoundrel Xu Lecheng, believing they were genuinely good to her.

Because of this, she opposed Xiao Heshuo at every turn, never giving him a chance, even bringing Xu Lecheng around to flaunt him before Xiao Heshuo.

She listened to Xu Lecheng, staged her own suicide to force a divorce, and turned to be with the scoundrel.

Even with no name, no status, she willingly gave everything.

For Xu Lecheng's dream of starting a business, she worked everywhere, borrowed money, even sold her organs.

When she fell ill at twenty-two, Xu Lecheng and Zhang Qingqing came to her, hand in hand.

They told her, face to face, that they'd secretly married before her divorce, and had been using her all these years. Even the organ selling was their plan.

She was so enraged by them that she died!

"Xiao Heshuo, I'm not divorcing!" Yan Ziyue, full of anxiety, chased after him, wanting to explain face-to-face.

Since their marriage, they'd always slept in separate rooms. Yan Ziyue refused to share a roof with Xiao Heshuo.

"Xiao Heshuo, I won't divorce!"

"I nearly died just now—I've woken up."

"I see Xu Lecheng's true nature now."

"Xiao Heshuo, please trust me one more time, won't you?"

Heaven had pity on her, granting her a second chance; whatever happened, she would not divorce.

In this life, she would make the scoundrel, that wretched girl, and her rotten father pay the most painful price. She would live happily with Xiao Heshuo.

Xiao Heshuo ignored her—this time, he would not trust her again...

Yan Ziyue shouted until her throat was dry, but still couldn't make Xiao Heshuo open the door.

Unable to bear the soreness in her throat, she went to the kitchen to ladle some water.

After drinking, Yan Ziyue sat in the courtyard, basking in the sun, keeping an eye on Xiao Heshuo and plotting her revenge against Xu Lecheng and Zhang Qingqing.

She surveyed the simple, humble home: two bedrooms, a main room, a kitchen, and an outhouse.

In the right corner of the front yard, some melons and vegetables grew lush and vibrant, their greenery delighting the eye.

In the left corner, chickens and ducks were penned; the clucking echoed from time to time.

All tended by Xiao Heshuo.

He truly was an extraordinary man.

Though they had met through a matchmaker, he had always treated her well.

Yan Ziyue squinted, thinking about making money alongside her revenge.

Labor work?

With only a primary school diploma, she couldn't find a good job.

Business?

First, no money. Second, what to do? Third, she didn't want to use Xiao Heshuo's money...

She looked toward the mountain behind the village, squinting—perhaps she could resell things from the mountain?

Just as she was planning a trip to the mountains, she suddenly heard the voice of the scoundrel, Xu Lecheng.

"Ziyue, are you feeling better?"

The anger Yan Ziyue had just managed to suppress surged uncontrollably.

She glared at Xu Lecheng and Zhang Qingqing with bloodshot eyes, her mind filled with the venomous words they'd spoken by her sickbed in her past life, endlessly tormenting her fragile nerves.

She clenched her fists, struggling hard not to pounce and strangle them both.

Having finally gotten a second chance, she would never ruin her life for the sake of these two.

"Ziyue, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Xu Lecheng squatted before her, his delicate face full of concern.

Zhang Qingqing stood to the side, looking down at Yan Ziyue with genuine care. "Sister, you're not feeling well and your husband doesn't even take you to see a doctor—he's too much."

Inside, she felt a wicked joy. The worse life got for Yan Ziyue, the happier she was.

Let that wretch look prettier than her.

Let that wretch's mother steal her father, turning her own mother into a mistress, making her the mistress's daughter, laughed at by everyone.

So, she was determined to destroy Yan Ziyue completely.

Yan Ziyue narrowed her eyes and stood up without warning.

Zhang Qingqing was startled.

She instinctively hid behind Xu Lecheng, her voice faltering. "Sister, what...what are you going to do?"

Xu Lecheng, moved with pity, shielded her and glared at Yan Ziyue with displeasure. "Ziyue, hurry up and apologize to Qingqing."

"Qingqing only cares about you, yet you treat her like this. Is this how a sister should behave?"

Zhang Qingqing tugged at him, her voice trembling with tears. "Lecheng, don't blame sister. It must be something I did wrong that made her unhappy."

Inside, she was smug. No matter how beautiful Yan Ziyue was, no matter how much she liked Lecheng, so what? Lecheng truly only loved her.

"She just can't stand you," Xu Lecheng said, holding Zhang Qingqing's hand, growing more dissatisfied with Yan Ziyue. "Ziyue, hurry and apologize!"

"If you don't, I won't talk to you anymore."

A woman like Yan Ziyue—if it weren't for her usefulness in getting money from Xiao Heshuo—he wouldn't even glance at her.

Yan Ziyue was full of mockery, most of all towards herself from her previous life.

She had truly been blind.

Xu Lecheng and Zhang Qingqing had openly flirted before her, yet she regarded them as good friends despite all the village gossip.

Look at these good friends—holding hands right in front of her.

Yan Ziyue's expression was sarcastic, her tone caustic. "Oh, this is the first time I've seen good friends holding hands."

"Anyone who didn't know better would think you two were married."