The heat in the room had settled, replaced by the lazy warmth of tangled limbs and steady breathing. Hua Ling rested against Xu Ming’s chest, tracing small circles along his collarbone as though nothing in the world could disturb her peace.

Then her lips curved, and she spoke as if remembering something unimportant.

"Oh — did you hear? Fu Jing Rong actually came to the Hua mansion asking for Hua Jing."

Xu Ming’s brow lifted. "Why would he do that?"

He did not know that the man had woken up. His accident back then had cause such a stir and being in the business world, he of course heard about the impact.

Him waking up had also hit the waves recently as well and Hua Ling having see. Him made him believe that the man was truly awake but...

Why?

Why was he looking for Hua Jing?

When he was still with Hua Jing, the two had hated each other to the core.

He had seen how much Hua Jing hated Fu Jing Rong so what would that man be doing looking for her?

Even though he had broken up with Hua Jing, he still felt uncomfortable that another man had gone to look for her.

Her tone stayed airy, casual. "Well, after we realized Hua Jing wasn’t doing well in the hospital, my family thought it would be better to take her home. Private care, you know. But Fu Jing Rong didn’t see it that way. He barged in, made a scene. If my father hadn’t stepped in, I don’t even want to imagine what would’ve happened. He could have destroyed the whole family."

She didn’t say how "home care" had really meant dumping Hua Jing in a place far from help, or how she’d barely spared a glance at her after that. In truth, Hua Jing had been in a coma the entire time. Hua Ling had no idea if she’d lived or died — and in her mind, the girl was still lying somewhere unconscious.

Xu Ming frowned. "That’s... odd. What kind of relationship did they even have?"

There was a thing strip of jealousy that passed his eyes.

Her shoulders lifted in a light shrug, though her words dripped with quiet venom. "Who knows? Maybe he was her lover. She’s the type who could have dozens. I wouldn’t be surprised."

When it came to sowing seeds of scorn, Hua Ling excelled at it more than anyone else.

This was the same tactic she had used to steal the man back then.

As expected, Xu Ming’s eyes constricted in disgust!

Xu Ming’s frown darkened into something colder. "Pathetic. I’m glad you’re not like her. You’re... pure. You stay away from trash like that!"

Hua Ling smiled faintly, nestling closer. Let him think what he wanted — the seed of doubt was planted, and that was enough.

She slightly extended her hand somewhere and the man recoiled sharply.

The lust in his eyes was evident as he also inserted his fingers somewhere.

Hua Ling moaned loudly, "Aaah!"

Xu Ming looked at her and laughed, "Not tired?"

Hua Ling spread her legs wider, her whole body language suggestive,

"How can that be possible?"

...

Back at Yellow Garden, the sunlight poured lazily through the open windows, catching on the ripples of the koi pond.

Hua Jing strolled along the covered walkway, her steps unhurried. Fu Jing Rong had been called away to handle some matter, leaving her with a rare few minutes of quiet.

But peace never meant her mind was still.

Ever since she returned here, a knot of worry had been lodged in her chest — the shadow of the other life.

That life had ended without warning. One moment she was there, the next she was here. The sudden shift left her restless, uneasy.

What was happening there now?

Her fingers tightened on the railing as the thought returned again and again.

And most importantly...

Had Zhao Yan of that world woken up yet?

The question had haunted her since the moment she opened her eyes in this place. It was like a splinter lodged under her skin — small, but impossible to ignore.

Many things in that world had been left unresolved. Many people. Many debts.

Was Zhao Ling Xu taking care of the empire well?

Since she had woken up here, she reckoned Zhao Yan must have woken up there too. But was he safe? Had he and the Hua Jing of that world found each other again?

A strange unease prickled her. She and Fu Jing Rong here... they genuinely liked one another. But over there? Did Zhao Yan truly like the Hua Jing of that world? Or had that bond faded the moment their souls left?

And then there was the one question that refused to let go —

How was it possible that a lady born out of wedlock, out of an affair no less, could end up as the prince’s seventh consort?

The more she thought about it, the more the pieces refused to fit. Now that she was here, nothing about that other life seemed to add up at all.

She did not know what to think anymore but the more she thought about it, the more confused she became.

She also felt some sort of hurt when she remembered the Hua Jing of that world .

She was treated quite horribly by her family. That torture chamber Chen Li had made and how insignificant she was in the Hua mansion despite being a daughter of the patriarch.

If ever Zhao Yan woke up and did not love her, what was the future for her then?

There was no way that Hua Jing would be able to do anything as she was quite timid in nature.

Everything was unsettling.

A faint chill crept through the breeze.

Just then, the sound of footsteps pulled her from her thoughts.

Fu Jing Rong’s presence was like a warm shadow behind her. Without a word, he draped a coat over her shoulders, the weight and heat seeping into her skin.

His voice was low, steady. "What is it?"