Volume One, Chapter Nine: Early Death, Early Rebirth

“Sorry, I have other things to attend to and don’t have time to listen to your belated lectures,” Jiang Chenyu said, her expression tightening as she genuinely didn’t want to argue about their so-called ‘intentions.’

She no longer cared about their opinions of her.

Without waiting for a response, she sidestepped past a few people and quickly left.

This was already the countless time Jiang Chenyu had deliberately distanced herself from them. Before, whenever she saw them, she would cling to their side, even going so far as to make a fool of herself just to join their conversations and engage with them.

This stark contrast made several of them feel uneasy.

“Maybe Chenyu is still upset. I’ll go talk to her tonight, that should help,” Jiang Chao offered himself a way out.

After a moment’s thought, he couldn’t help but complain to Chen Ping, “Mom, after all, Chenyu is still helping the Jiang and Qin families with business negotiations. You should be less harsh when you speak.”

Chen Ping recalled what Jiang Chenyu had just said and immediately felt indignant. She wasn’t the only one who had spoken harshly to Jiang Chenyu…

But before she could say anything, Jiang Daming snorted coldly, “More useless than helpful. What do you expect your mother to accomplish?”

With that, he swept his sleeve and left.

Jiang Chao looked between his father and mother, then simply shook his head at Chen Ping before quickly following his father.

Chen Ping’s heart trembled slightly—had she really done something wrong?

“Mom, Dad and Big Brother are either angry with you or think Chenyu is unreliable, so don’t take it to heart,” Jiang Xue’er comforted her.

Chen Ping’s eyes welled with tears, feeling the warmth from Jiang Xue’er and finding her words reasonable—she hadn’t done anything wrong; neither Jiang Daming nor Jiang Chao were at fault; it was all Jiang Chenyu’s fault!

“I’m not upset, I’m happy! We sent out so many invitations today. I want to hold your birthday party beautifully. Who has time to care about others?” she said, gripping Jiang Xue’er’s hand and biting her lip in determination.

Even if her own daughter was useless, what did it matter? As long as she showed everyone how well she had raised Jiang Xue’er, others should understand that Jiang Chenyu’s shortcomings had nothing to do with her.

…

Gu Jinyan’s apartment was in a high-end complex in the city center.

Because Gu Jinyan had made arrangements in advance, the security guards immediately welcomed Jiang Chenyu upon hearing her name and kindly escorted her to the elevator of his building.

This unexpectedly warm reception surprised the well-prepared Jiang Chenyu.

She sent a message to Gu Jinyan before opening the apartment door.

To her surprise, as soon as she opened the door, she saw Gu Jinyan sitting in the living room, holding a magazine in one hand and a phone in the other.

He looked up just as Jiang Chenyu’s phone vibrated twice.

It was a message from Gu Jinyan: “I’m waiting for you at home.”

Simple words, yet exactly what Jiang Chenyu needed at that moment.

She pressed her tongue against her cheek, then blinked and quickly composed herself. “Mr. Gu, don’t you have work? You’re so relaxed.”

“Not relaxed—just making time to wait for you,” Gu Jinyan said frankly, effectively silencing any teasing Jiang Chenyu wanted to say.

He glanced behind her. “Where’s your luggage?”

Jiang Chenyu scratched her head and, without hesitation, pulled a suitcase and a down jacket from her pants pocket.

Even though Gu Jinyan was already familiar with Jiang Chenyu’s exceptional nature, seeing this still left him momentarily stunned.

It contradicted the worldview he had built over twenty-nine years.

But he quickly looked away and said, “Let me show you the room first.”

Jiang Chenyu nodded, growing a bit more appreciative of her ailing husband’s calm and unpretentious manner.

Gu Jinyan was thoughtful in his actions—he not only made Jiang Chenyu’s room comfortable but also adjusted some of the common areas to suit a feminine taste.

Watching the entire process, Jiang Chenyu almost wanted to call Gu Jinyan “Dad” right then and there.

“My parents live downstairs. If you need anything or want to eat, you can go down to find them,” Gu Jinyan added.

Jiang Chenyu’s bright eyes dimmed suddenly. She wasn’t a patient person; apart from the Jiang family, she felt indifferent toward everyone else.

And the few Jiang family members she tried to get along with had terrible relationships with her.

She had heard the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships downstairs were tense, and she couldn’t guarantee she could ignore constant bullying day after day.

However, her collaboration with Gu Jinyan was originally intended to help him solve some ‘family troubles.’

She prided herself on being a partner with a strong sense of contract and promised, “Don’t worry, I won’t cause you trouble on purpose.”

If trouble came looking for her, she would dodge it.

If someone bullied her… well, that wouldn’t count as her looking for trouble, would it?

Jiang Chenyu touched her nose, thinking this secretly to herself.

Gu Jinyan seemed to see through her thoughts and chuckled lightly, “My parents usually don’t come upstairs on their own, so you don’t need to be nervous.”

“I’m not nervous,” Jiang Chenyu quickly retorted, but the relief on her face betrayed her.

Although she was very shrewd, of all her cunning, one hundred seventy-nine out of one hundred eighty were written plainly on her face.

It was rather endearing.

Gu Jinyan smiled and didn’t expose her, continuing, “The marriage certificate was a bit casual, but the wedding should be taken seriously. If you have any requests, just tell me.”

“We’re getting divorced in a year anyway. Isn’t that too much trouble?” Jiang Chenyu instinctively objected.

Gu Jinyan was firm on this matter, “Having a wedding will reassure others about our marriage.”

Jiang Chenyu recalled what the elderly Madam Qin had said—Qin family’s birthday banquets were always watched closely, so the wedding of the wealthiest family’s son would surely have many schemes involved.

She had just started cooperating with Gu Jinyan and wanted to show sincerity, so she said, “Alright, if you want to have it, then let’s. I don’t have any specific demands and will try to cooperate.”

Her casual tone didn’t sound like someone preparing for their own wedding.

Gu Jinyan noticed this but didn’t change expression. “When are you free? I’ll arrange for you to meet my family first.”

“Um… how about tomorrow night? I’ll wait for you at home, then we can go see your parents together,” Jiang Chenyu said. She had wanted to say “anytime,” but quickly remembered meeting the family was a necessary step—better to get it over with sooner.

Gu Jinyan was indeed easy to talk to and didn’t mind Jiang Chenyu’s tight schedule.

It was strange—Jiang Chenyu had lived with the Jiang family for six years and always felt uncomfortable returning. But the first time she came to Gu Jinyan’s apartment, she unexpectedly slept well.

She woke up at half-past seven.

As a cultivation practitioner, she usually woke at six to meditate and cultivate.

Although she no longer needed to reverse fate for the Jiang family, she didn’t want to give up on herself.

Cultivation was hard work, requiring one’s own spiritual energy to blend with surrounding energy, then purify and circulate it.

Jiang Chenyu sat cross-legged by the bay window and suddenly sensed a foul stench.

Something was aggressively competing with her for the spiritual energy in the air but fled quickly upon realizing her strength.

She opened her eyes sharply and saw a little tadpole-like black mist clinging to her, like a rabid dog thrown into feed, ravenously devouring her spiritual energy.

This filthy thing was truly brazen—knowing it couldn’t compete with her, it came to sneak from her territory?

Jiang Chenyu laughed in anger and flicked her hand; the “little tadpole” dispersed into the air.

She thought again of Gu Jinyan’s frail body and decided to leave quickly.