Chapter 2: The Sharp-Tongued Officer

In her previous life, just how heartless and cold-blooded had she been, to keep sacrificing the interests of her loving family just to please Wen Zhuqing?

After she was pulled out of the river in her past life, her eldest brother finally gave in.

She did end up marrying Wen Zhuqing as she wished, but that was only the beginning of her nightmare.

Because she jumped into the river in the dead of winter, she became infertile. Out of guilt for not being able to give Wen Zhuqing a child, she kept sacrificing her family’s and her own interests to help him.

For Wen Zhuqing’s sake, her family was all but destroyed. Her eldest brother and sister-in-law became a resentful couple, her second brother went to prison, her second sister-in-law died in childbirth along with the baby, her third brother’s spot at university was taken away, leaving his eyes dull and lifeless, and her parents died tragically while searching for her.

As for Wen Zhuqing, once he had squeezed every bit of value from her family, he faked her disappearance, passed her around to others, using her beauty to trade for his own gain. In the end, to smoothly marry a rich and beautiful woman, he set her up to die in a fire.

Yao Chunhua, Old Father Gu, and the others had never seen their daughter cry like this before. This daughter, pampered since birth, was the apple of the Gu family’s eye. They couldn’t bear to let her suffer even a little, always wanting to give her the best of everything.

Now, seeing her cry so hard, their hearts ached. They gently patted her back to comfort her.

“Don’t cry, Ning girl, don’t cry.”

“Come, have some chicken soup first, then get some good rest.”

“Whatever happens in the future, we can always talk it over as a family. Just don’t ever do anything foolish again.”

It took a long time for Gu Jianing to calm down. Only after her mother personally fed her a bowl of chicken soup did she finally lie down.

“Get a good sleep. I’ll call you when it’s time to take your medicine.”

After carefully tucking her in, Yao Chunhua left with the rest of the Gu family, gently closing the door behind them.

Now, only Gu Jianing was left in the room.

Her eyes were red from crying, but deep down, she was filled with relief.

Gu Jianing never expected that she would actually be reborn—and at the very moment in her past life when she jumped into the river to force her eldest brother to give his job to Wen Zhuqing.

She remembered that, in her previous life, just as she was about to burn to death, she saw a figure in dark green rushing into the flames, calling her name desperately.

After her death, Gu Jianing’s soul saw that the man who had rushed in was someone she had long forgotten—Sheng Zexi.

Following Sheng Zexi’s side as a spirit, she learned that when they first met, he was just a battalion commander, but now he held a high rank and great power.

Listening to Sheng Zexi’s story, she found out that on the very day she jumped into the river, he had sent a matchmaker to the Gu family to propose marriage. Unfortunately, she was caught jumping into the river, and rumors about her and Wen Zhuqing were spreading like wildfire in the village.

The matchmaker thought she was already in love with someone else and left without even entering the house, rejecting Sheng Zexi’s proposal.

Sheng Zexi left, and by the time he returned, she was already married to Wen Zhuqing.

Heartbroken, Sheng Zexi remained single all these years.

Gu Jianing saw that Sheng Zexi, who carried her out of the fire, was badly burned, especially on one side of his face. Even though he was older, he was still handsome, but his looks were ruined. Tragically, even though he carried her out, she was already dead. Sheng Zexi took care of her funeral and ruthlessly took revenge on Wen Zhuqing, dragging him down.

He died in his fifties from injuries and illness, leaving only one wish: to be buried with her...

At that time, Gu Jianing thought, although Sheng Zexi was proud and sharp-tongued, if she had another chance, she’d rather try being with him. That would be better than Wen Zhuqing, that wolf in sheep’s clothing.

She never expected her wish to come true.

After her death in her previous life, Sheng Zexi did many good deeds in her name, accumulating a lot of merit. Coupled with her deep regret and strong desire for a child, she attracted the Childbearing System, which bound itself to her and brought her soul back to this moment.

Maybe it was the weakness from jumping into the river, or maybe she had just released too many emotions, but Gu Jianing was exhausted. Wrapped in her warm quilt, her eyelids grew heavy and she quickly fell asleep.

Her last thought before drifting off was that this time, the matchmaker probably wouldn’t turn Sheng Zexi down.

[Don’t worry, Host. Just rest well. The matchmaker definitely won’t reject him this time.] As the mechanical voice sounded in her mind, Gu Jianing had already sunk into a deep sleep.

The matchmaker Gu Jianing was thinking about, after dropping off the gifts Sheng Zexi had prepared at the Gu house and seeing how busy everyone was with Gu Jianing, simply said goodbye and left.

She had already walked out of Huaihua Village when she spotted a green jeep parked by the roadside. Leaning against it was a tall man in a dark green military uniform, a cigarette dangling from his lips. She hurried her steps.

“Officer Sheng!” the matchmaker called, raising her hand in greeting.

The man, who had been lazily glancing at his watch, suddenly looked up. His features were sharp and striking, his eyes dark and piercing, his face stern and handsome, with a hint of unruliness in his raised brows. His jawline was strong and smooth. He stood about 1.9 meters tall, his build tall and lean, back straight, the belt accentuating his slim waist. Below, his long legs were wrapped in uniform pants, straight and powerful.

Looking closer, his collar was slightly open, giving him a relaxed, casual air.

Seeing that it was Aunt Wu, the matchmaker he’d sent to the Gu family, he quickly straightened up, stubbed out his cigarette, put away his nonchalance, and walked over with long strides, a hint of urgency he himself didn’t notice.

“Aunt Wu, how did it go?” His voice was low and magnetic.

Aunt Wu, still catching her breath, glanced at Sheng Zexi, thinking to herself that this officer’s heart was really set on that Gu girl. She just wasn’t sure if it was worth it.

She didn’t beat around the bush. “She agreed, but...”

Seeing the matchmaker hesitate, the joy that had just started to bloom in Sheng Zexi’s eyes faded, his brows furrowing. “Is there something else?”

The matchmaker hesitated, but finally told him what she’d heard in Huaihua Village: that Gu Jianing liked Wen the educated youth, and had even jumped into the river to force her brother to give up his job for him.

“...When I arrived, the girl had just been pulled out of the river. I don’t know how she later agreed to meet you, but the whole village is talking about how she likes that Wen fellow. I think it’s probably true. But you’ll have to judge for yourself.”

As soon as she finished, she saw the man’s previously lively brows lower, his eyes turning cold, a mocking smile tugging at his lips. “That silly girl—what, is she blind, or just brainless? Falling for an educated youth and even jumping into a river for him. Does she think she doesn’t have enough water in her head already?”

The matchmaker: ...This officer is handsome, sure, but his mouth is vicious. If the girl were here, she’d probably be driven to tears by him.

“So, Officer Sheng, will you still go see her tomorrow?” Aunt Wu probed.

“Of course I’ll go. I’ll pick you up in the morning.”

“Great, that’s good.”

Relieved by his firm answer, Aunt Wu left in high spirits.

Sheng Zexi lifted his leg and got into the jeep with ease. His dark eyes gazed deeply in the direction of Huaihua Village. Resting his hand on the steering wheel, he started the engine, then seemed to remember something, spun the wheel for a 180-degree turn toward the county town. The jeep’s tail kicked up a trail of dust as it sped away, disappearing quickly from sight."