Chapter 5: He Has Also Been Reborn

Study.

Zhuang Huaijin, who had been drowsy from drinking too much the night before, was suddenly shaken awake by his manservant, Jinbao.

"You dog of a servant, why are you shaking me so hard?"

Zhuang Huaijin was dazed, feeling as if his head were about to be shaken right off his shoulders. When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of "happiness" characters pasted all over the room. He rubbed his eyes fiercely, stunned for a long moment.

Hadn't he died at the hands of the man in black?

A single fatal strike—the assassin had practically wanted to slice him into a thousand pieces. His death had been gruesome, a sight that would have terrified anyone. Yet here he was, safe and sound, on the very day of his wedding to Lu Lanxi.

Could it be that he had been reborn?

At this thought, a buzzing sound filled his head. He grabbed Jinbao’s hand and, in a fit of excitement, patted the servant’s head. Jinbao stood there with his bottom stuck out and his back hunched, staring at him in bewilderment.

Jinbao thought to himself: *The Young Master must be delirious from the drink. What does he take me for? I’m still a chaste man! I absolutely cannot let the Young Master defile me. I still intend to marry and have children; I must not bring shame upon my family. If he forces himself on me, I shall have no choice but to take my own life to prove my integrity.*

The little servant seemed to have reached a firm resolve, looking for an opportunity to break free from Zhuang Huaijin’s grip.

"Punch me."

"What? Young Master, I wouldn't dare!"

Jinbao was terrified. Had the Young Master gone mad? Even if he were given ten times the courage, he would never dare lay a hand on his master; he would rather be killed.

"I said punch me! If you don't, I’ll kill you."

Helpless, Jinbao cursed inwardly, convinced that the man had truly become a drunkard.

*Thud.*

Jinbao landed a heavy punch on Zhuang Huaijin’s chest, the force of which likely carried a fair amount of personal resentment.

Feeling the sharp, genuine pain, Zhuang Huaijin still couldn't believe it, so he bit down hard on his own arm.

"Hiss. That really hurts."

A joy, born from the brink of death, washed over him. He had truly died, yet miraculously, he lived again.

"Young Master, please stop abusing yourself. The rooster you ordered me to take to the main hall for the ceremony... it’s, it’s dead..."

"Dead?"

"It was the Young Mistress. She killed the bird and ordered the maid to stew it."

Zhuang Huaijin frowned, unable to believe it. In his previous life, not only did the rooster survive, but it had even stood in for him during the wedding ceremony.

Reborn into this life, Lu Lanxi not only refused to bow to the rooster, but she had actually slaughtered it? It was no ordinary bird; it represented him, Zhuang Huaijin. Was she actually trying to kill him? And eat him, too? How could she be so ruthless?

"Young Master, that’s not all. She... she also laid hands on the Matriarch..."

Zhuang Huaijin felt that something was different. A thought flashed through his mind instantly: *Could this woman have been reborn as well?*

He rushed to the main hall in a panic, desperate to confirm his suspicion.

In the main hall:

"Lu Lanxi, what do you think you are? You have no manners at all. My brother deigned to fancy you and let you marry into our Marquis of Dongyang’s estate—your ancestors must have been blessed for you to have such luck. Since you aren't grateful, don't blame my brother for casting you aside."

The one stepping forward to assert her presence was Zhuang Huaijin’s younger sister, Zhuang Huairou. In his past life, Lu Lanxi had treated her like a true sister, but that sincerity had been thrown to the dogs.

Bai Zhi held the dead rooster, standing beside Lu Lanxi, praying silently: *Another jinx has appeared. There isn't a single good person in the Zhuang family. It’s truly endless. I hope Young Mistress won't go soft.*

"Since you speak of manners, let me teach you what they are. First, your brother and I have not yet bowed to one another; we are not husband and wife, so how can there be talk of 'casting aside' a wife? It would be more appropriate for you to address me as Miss Lu the Third. Second, since ancient times, bowing to a rooster has only been done for a 'spirit wedding' or a 'wedding for luck.' May I ask, is your brother on the verge of death, or is he already dead?"

Lu Lanxi stood unyielding, her words clear and forceful. Even the guests couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"You bitch! My brother is alive and well! You’re the one who’s going to die!"

"Since your brother is alive and well, why hasn't he come out to perform the ceremony himself? Who does he think he is looking down upon?"

"Naturally, he looks down on you—a lowly concubine’s daughter."

"Heh. It is true that I am the daughter of a concubine, but does that mean I deserve to be humiliated and tortured by you? If you don't love someone, you don't have to marry them. But to marry and then constantly rub salt into someone’s wounds—is that the noble conduct of a legitimate daughter?"

Lu Lanxi’s words resonated with some of the guests. Many of them were also from secondary branches of their families and knew the bitterness of such a status. If you cannot love, at least do not hurt. Everyone has the right to live, including those born of concubines; they did not choose their own birth.

"You truly have a sharp tongue and a silver voice, but this is the Marquis of Dongyang’s estate; it is not a place for you to run wild."

"Run wild? Heh. I don't have your talent for turning black into white, Miss Zhuang. To humiliate me is to humiliate the Ministry of Rites. Oh, so you look down on the Ministry of Rites? Does that not mean you look down on Lu Wuwei? Besides, it was your brother who took the initiative to propose to the Lu family. Or perhaps, you look down on your brother as well?"

Zhuang Huaijin stood at the entrance, listening to Lu Lanxi’s relentless, step-by-step advance. His face was grim, and his entire being radiated a coldness that felt as if it could freeze everyone present.

"If you are to marry into this family, behave yourself. Huairou is your sister; you must not hurt her like this."

"She, Zhuang Huairou, is not my sister."

A voice, both familiar and strange, reached her ears. Lu Lanxi clenched her fists so tightly her nails dug into her skin. Her eyes turned dark and inscrutable. She wanted to kill him so badly.

The moment their eyes met, she saw a hint of unease on Zhuang Huaijin’s face, his gaze filled with hatred, composure, and detachment. This was not the look of a sixteen-year-old Zhuang Huaijin.

Could it be that he, too, had been reborn?

Bai Zhi sensed her mistress's hatred. Though she didn't understand why her mistress’s personality had changed so drastically, she firmly supported her decision to stay away from this pit of fire.

"May I ask, how is a bride supposed to perform the ceremony alone? Where is the groom? This servant heard that the night before the wedding, the groom went out to drink and carouse?"

"Insolent wench! How dare you spread rumors? Be careful, or I shall have your tongue ripped out."

Zhuang Huaijin walked coldly toward Bai Zhi, his tone firm and devoid of warmth.

"Young Master Zhuang, have you developed an addiction to ripping out tongues? Shall we start with mine?"

Lu Lanxi fought to control her rage, smiling at him. That smile was chilling, and her eyes burned with a fire that held not a shred of affection. In her past life, he had boiled Bai Zhi into a soup. In this life, he still dared to stand before her and utter such threats?

Killing is but a simple act, but she, Lu Lanxi, swore to ensure he would never know a moment’s peace in this life, nor find rest in the next.

Zhuang Huaijin froze. What did she mean by that? She didn't look like a fifteen-year-old Lu Lanxi. It seemed his guess was correct; she really had been reborn.

Zhuang Huaijin guiltily averted his gaze.