After being reborn with my scumbag ex-husband, I became his sister-in-law.

He Yunze's mind was in turmoil, and a dry, bitter, and guilty feeling almost overwhelmed him.

The feeling was no less heart-wrenching than when he learned that Song Ruoan couldn't make incense.

He kept staring at Song Xizhi's profile. It was clearly a familiar face, but He Yunze felt that something was different.

He Yunze thought for a moment, then clenched his fists and took a step forward. He had so many things he wanted to ask her about the past.

He had already reached Song Xizhi's side, and called out again, seemingly wanting to say something but stopping himself:

"The..."

Prince Ning's pupils dilated slightly, and his expression became subtle at that moment.

Upon hearing this, Song Xizhi felt a chill run down her spine. She immediately took a step back, keeping a half-step distance from He Yunze: "I can't stand your way of addressing me."

He Yunze felt her wary gaze and thought about their current relationship. He felt a pang of sadness, but also a sense of relief.

He was reborn with bitterness, and Song Xizhi became his sister-in-law by a twist of fate, instead of his wife.

But he was also grateful that he had been reborn and that the harm he had done to Song Xizhi in his previous life had not yet occurred.

Even more fortunately, he was the only one who knew about everything that happened in his past life.

Since everything from his past life can be ignored and erased, just like a snow-covered landscape in winter, all his past misery can be whitewashed and made peaceful.

So, in this life, before he has truly hurt her, his apology is not too late.

Thinking of this, He Yunze breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He didn't step forward, but just stood there, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. Then he spoke again, "Sister-in-law, I'm sorry."

Song Xizhi finally heard his long-awaited apology. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes again.

The hands hanging at the sides loosened and then clenched again.

She felt that this perfunctory apology was insufficient; compared to everything that had happened in her past life, it seemed utterly ridiculous.

She even saw a hint of relief in He Yunce's eyes.

What to be thankful for?

Song Xizhi racked his brains but couldn't come up with a solution.

He Yunze looked at her silent expression, opened his mouth as if to speak, but a commotion suddenly broke out outside the room.

A man's voice came from outside the door.

He opened the door to the private room, his voice still tinged with anger: "Sorry? Don't even mention Boss Song, even I wouldn't agree!"

Upon hearing the abrupt yet familiar male voice, the group looked up in surprise and saw Prince Xiu push open the door to the side room, only to be stopped at the door by Prince Ning's guards.

His angry face was pressed against the crack in the half-open door of the side room, making it clearly visible to everyone.

When he met Song Xizhi's gaze, the anger on his face subtly transformed into embarrassment and ingratiation.

"When Xiao Wang heard that Boss Song and the young imperial uncle were chatting in the side room, he thought he would come up to have some tea with the young imperial uncle and apologize to Boss Song."

King Xiu spoke hastily.

In fact, after the people from the Jingzhao Prefecture left, Prince Xiu wanted to see Song Xizhi, still because of the incense matter from before.

He had been standing at the door of the side room for quite some time, with crowds coming and going, jostling him, and his legs were starting to ache from standing.

Before he could even complain, he saw He Yunze recklessly barge in.

If even a heinous scoundrel like He Yunce could get in, then why can't he?

After hesitating for a moment and thinking it over again, King Xiu forcefully barged in.

Two of Prince Ning's guards stood blocking the doorway to the side room. They glanced at Prince Ning with some helplessness, but when he waved his hand, they finally let him in.

King Xiu received permission and entered the side room as if granted a pardon.

He was initially very happy to see Song Xizhi, and he was full of pride and high spirits. However, when he walked up to He Yunce, his face suddenly fell.

He looked at He Yunze's hateful face, sneered, and launched into a tirade of insults:

"Young Master He, your beloved wife is still in the prison of the Jingzhao Prefecture! You have the leisure to sit here and drink tea."

"Song Ruo'an's great abilities are largely due to your aiding and abetting of evil. Do you think a simple 'I'm sorry' can erase the harm you've done to Boss Song and me?"

If he hadn't listened to He Yunze's slander and had directly received Su Mingli and Song Xizhi who came to deliver incense, he wouldn't have had to go through all this trouble to ask for incense.

Not only did he lose face at the poetry gathering, but he was also ridiculed in front of Prince Yu.

If it weren't for He Yunze's interference, he might have had a share in Xianglou!

As the prince thought about it, he gritted his teeth even more: "Were you really being deceived, or were you just pretending to be innocent, when you put on such a heart-wrenching act in front of everyone?"

Hearing this, He Yunze felt his face burning. Looking at Song Xizhi's somewhat amused gaze, he suddenly clenched the prescription in his hand.

"What happened today has caused you a lot of trouble. I know that an apology alone cannot make up for it. Now that the truth has come out, I will give you an explanation."

After He Yunze finished speaking, he looked down again at the crumpled prescriptions in his hand.

As if he had made up his mind, he looked up at Song Xizhi one last time, and then left without looking back.

With He Yunce gone, Song Xizhi's expression immediately softened, and the atmosphere in the previously gloomy room improved considerably.

Xiu Chao bowed to Prince Ning and said, "Greetings, Little Imperial Uncle."

After Prince Ning nodded, he turned around and bowed to Song Xizhi, saying, "I also need to apologize to Boss Song."

“In the past, you and Lord Su personally came to my Prince Xiu’s mansion to offer incense, but I was busy that day and did not see you.”

"Besides the fact that we are not destined to be together, it's all because of He Yunze's instigation and obstruction!"

"He listened to Song Ruoan and stole the incense from Boss Song's shop. Then he pretended to deliver it to Xiao Wang, making Boss Song and Lord He, who was just recovering from his illness, wait for so long. He is really regretting it!"

Thirty years in Hedong and thirty years in Hexi.

On that day, Song Xizhi stood at the gate of Prince Xiu's mansion for so long with incense, but was not received by Prince Xiu. Now that she has opened this incense shop, Prince Xiu will have to wait for a long time in front of her room.

Upon hearing this, Prince Ning's eyes widened, and he slammed his fist on the table:

"You actually kept Boss Song waiting? Where did this order come from? What if she gets too cold from standing there and can't make incense anymore?"

Prince Xiu was startled by his uncle's sudden action and shuddered. He then forced a smile, like Sun Wukong who had been trapped under the Five Finger Mountain: "Yes, yes, yes, little uncle is right!"

Prince Ning looked Prince Xiu up and down, then crossed his arms and said, "My own child is ignorant. Boss Song, you tell me, how should he be punished?"