Chapter 364: 371: Do You Mind
“Birth, aging, sickness, and death are natural laws, yet perhaps here, the concept of eternal youth means something else, a rebirth in a different manner,” Su Wenyue almost revealed her secret with those words. She believed that Han Yu must have noticed something, which was why he hesitated before responding. After all, as a couple who lived closely together, and considering Han Yu’s meticulous and shrewd nature, she might have betrayed more slip-ups than she had imagined. Speaking out could be for the best. Otherwise, if Han Yu kept his suspicions bottled up, there would always be a thin barrier between them, bound to cause issues sooner or later.
Hearing Su Wenyue speak so, Han Yu’s body trembled, as the answer he had long been guessing was about to be revealed by his wife.
“My Wife…” Han Yu wanted to say something but didn’t know whether he should continue to ask, when Su Wenyue spoke first.
“Husband, the matter I’m about to discuss, you may find it bizarre and difficult to accept. Therefore, I’ve been too afraid to speak up until now. But I can’t keep it from you any longer because you are my Husband, my closest person. We’ve promised each other honesty, and if by chance it bothers you, I…”
Han Yu interrupted Su Wenyue’s ensuing words, “My Wife, I don’t mind. I’m glad you’re willing to confide in me. Since we are Husband and Wife, whatever it is, I’m ready to face it with you.”
As he spoke, Han Yu drew Su Wenyue into his arms, held her hand as if to give her resolve and strength, reassuring her of his unswerving intention, and dispelling any further doubts she might have.
Initially uncertain and hesitant, Su Wenyue found these feelings vanish in that moment. Given Han Yu’s intelligence, he was bound to guess something. With such an attitude displayed, she had nothing to hesitate about.
“Actually, I am reborn. In fact, I’ve lived through two lifetimes. In my previous life, I never understood what was most important. I made many mistakes and met an unhappy end. I thought it was the mercy of the heavens that I was given another chance to be reborn, bringing me back to when we first got married. But after hearing the legend of the Colorful exquisite lamp and reflecting on my experiences, I’ve realized it’s not so simple—perhaps my rebirth is because of this Colorful exquisite lamp.”
Although Han Yu was somewhat prepared, he was still shocked to hear Su Wenyue confess such a reality. He had made guesses before, but due to a sliver of uncertainty, he had considered other possibilities, wondering if he was overthinking. But now, his wife indeed revealed she was reborn, which explained many previously unanswerable questions.
“Husband, I never expected such an fantastical event to happen to me. Does it… bother you?” Su Wenyue asked, slightly cautious and nervous, as Han Yu had given no response for a moment.
“I don’t mind—it doesn’t matter if you’re reborn, you’re still my Wife, aren’t you? As long as we treat each other well from now on.” Han Yu admitted that not minding at all wasn’t quite accurate as the whole thing was rather bizarre, but considering how well he had accepted such news was already significant. However, seeing his wife fretful and anxious, his heart softened, understanding that what she needed most was his affirmation, so he assured her without hesitation.
Having heard Han Yu say this settled Su Wenyue’s mind a bit. After all, Han Yu was no ordinary man; otherwise, just hearing her story might have scared him, or worse, he might have regarded her as a monster. Han Yu seemed undisturbed by her revelation and reacted quite normally.
“My Wife, I’m still not quite clear on something you mentioned earlier. You’re also saying that this Colorful exquisite lamp appeared in your previous life, right? Who ended up with the lamp then?”
Knowing that Han Yu asked with some purpose in mind, Su Wenyue didn’t hide anything: “In my previous life, I didn’t attend that Flower Lantern Festival, so I don’t know the specifics. I only know that in the end, the Colorful exquisite lamp fell into the hands of Sikong Ling. Sikong Ling gathered many eccentrics and skilled craftsmen, but ultimately, they could not unlock the lantern.”
“Then how did the lantern end up in your hands?” Han Yu’s question was naturally founded on something—since Su Wenyue claimed she had never seen the lantern in her previous life, her earlier reaction and familiarity with the lantern were unexpected. She must have been the one to obtain the Colorful exquisite lamp. Moreover, she had mentioned that her rebirth had a significant connection to the lamp.
“I…” Su Wenyue was taken aback by Han Yu’s question, momentarily at a loss for words.
Seeing his wife’s expression, Han Yu felt a twinge of discomfort. He had noticed that his wife’s reactions to Sikong Ling were abnormal, as if there had been some interaction in the past, but he was unable to uncover anything. Now it appeared the issue stemmed from the previous life. Furthermore, considering the way she inadvertently showed familiarity with Sikong Ling, jealousy stirred within him.
“Did you acquire this Colorful exquisite lamp from Sikong Ling?” Han Yu asked, discerning a subtle shift in Su Wenyue’s complexion and feeling more certain of the answer. Sikong Ling was not the kind of man to let go of possessions easily; it would be difficult for others to covet his belongings, let alone a weak woman like Su Wenyue craft a strategy to obtain them. And since his wife had mentioned wrongdoing in her previous life, Han Yu believed she was not capable of such acts, yet the reality presented made him reluctantly consider this possibility.
Realizing she couldn’t evade the question, Su Wenyue knew that if she spoke of her connection with Sikong Ling, even someone as magnanimous as Han Yu couldn’t overlook the fact that his woman had been entangled with another man. Given Han Yu’s possessiveness, but if she hid the truth, Han Yu’s intelligence would lead him to suspect something anyway. This matter would become a thorn in his side.
“I, at that time, was naive and arrogant, not to your liking. You treated me poorly, and Han Lin and Mrs. Wang lusted after the Zhuangzi included in my dowry. They plotted against me, and afterwards…”