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

The man's eyes narrowed sharply as he stared into Song Xizhi's eyes, the slightly reddened corners of his eyes seeming to speak of fear and despair.

He felt a strange mix of emotions, and the bitterness in his throat grew stronger.

He knew that when he stepped forward and almost lost his composure to grasp the jade hairpin in her hand, he had already lost.

But he never imagined that after he confessed, the woman in front of him would be so resolute.

The word "withdraw" is used far too easily.

She actually always loved He Jingyan from her childhood.

Their time together had left no trace in her heart, nor even stirred the slightest ripple within her.

This made her hesitate a little.

An unprecedented surge of jealousy welled up within the man.

He admitted that he was jealous, resentful, and regretful.

The man neither spoke nor moved; only Song Xizhi's voice continued to break the silence of the room.

"So can you tell me what I should call you? At least let me know who the man I've been intimate with is."

Song Xizhi pursed her lips. All her previous guesses had come true. Now, she was seeking confirmation for her last guess: "So I should call you Your Highness, right?"

A hoarse male voice then rang out: "He Jingyan."

The man answered without hesitation: "I am He Jingyan."

Song Xizhi's pupils dilated, and she stood there stunned, momentarily doubting her ears: "What are you saying?"

The man reverted to his former voice from the Marquis's residence, repeating it again in He Jingyan's voice:

"You ask me who I am? I am He Jingyan."

"If I could start over, when that little girl was young, I would give her a hug without hesitation, and I would tell her that her father's indifference was not her fault."

"If I could start over, I would wake up on our wedding night so that you wouldn't suffer any injustice, so that you would know that I firmly chose you, and so that your heart would no longer be filled with unease and hesitation."

"If I could do it all over again, Jingma, Xianglou, Shanhong, I would still choose you without hesitation every time."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but stroke Song Xizhi's cheek again.

He wiped away the tears on Song Xizhi's face, his fingertips trembling slightly.

The man's voice carried a hint of seduction: "Nothing is different, everything is exactly the same as before."

Song Xizhi remained with his head tilted back, blankly letting him do as he pleased, not yet snapping out of his daze.

The man's low voice rang out again, like a whispered intimacy: "Actually, a long time ago, when you were touching me all over in bed, I was already conscious at that time."

“I think this must be my wife, with whom I will live in perfect harmony.”

Hearing the man's words, Song Xizhi felt a chill run down her spine, and her thoughts became chaotic: "So you're saying you're He Jingyan?"

The man's eyes darkened for a moment, then he nodded: "Yes. It's always been me, no one else."

"We were meant to be together, and you are never allowed to say anything about divorce again."

Song Xizhi remained standing there, dumbfounded, trying to process what the man had just said.

The man's string of sweet words had made her heart pound.

This all happened so suddenly, which was completely unexpected for her. The man's words were from a perspective she had never imagined.

She suspected that this man was the Crown Prince, that he was her husband with whom she shared a bed, and even that the Crown Prince and He Jingyan had switched identities on the battlefield.

The person who fell from his horse and was buried on the battlefield, and was unconscious, was actually the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince took He Jingyan's identity and returned to the capital, which caused all of this.

But she never imagined that the completely unfamiliar man in front of her would say that he was He Jingyan.

His Highness the Crown Prince, a man of noble character and deep concern for the country, would probably not stoop so low as to use so much scheming to lie to her and deceive a woman confined to the inner quarters of the palace.

There's really no need for that.

So, is this really the only possibility left?

Could he really be He Jingyan?

"...Then what's wrong with your face?"

Song Xizhi frowned, her eyes slowly scanning the man's deep features, her tone tinged with hesitation.

The man's Adam's apple bobbed, and he continued to answer in He Jingyan's voice: "Human skin mask."

"I am wearing a human skin mask, a human skin mask made to resemble His Highness the Crown Prince."

This was the first time Song Xizhi had ever heard of the incredible human skin masks described in the picture books, which actually existed in the world.

She quickly reached out and touched the man's jawline.

She ran her fingers along his jawline to the back of his neck but found nothing amiss. Instead, the man's voice grew increasingly hoarse, and his eyes became more tender.

"The human skin masks used in the military cannot be easily detected by touch; they require a special solution to dissolve them."

"If you don't believe me, that's fine. Once we return to the Marquis's residence, I can change my face and appear before you in the form you like."

He kept staring at Song Xizhi's face, and when he finished speaking, he could no longer restrain his inner impulse and hugged her again.

His voice remained hoarse: "Because I was burdened with the blood feud of His Highness the Crown Prince, I sensed the unusual activity in the capital after I woke up. So His Highness the Crown Prince gave me a mission, and I had no choice but to wear his human skin mask and continue investigating the Han family's case."

As the man spoke, he gently rubbed the tip of his nose against Song Xizhi's neck, his voice growing even lower: "Zhizhi, it wasn't my intention to pretend to be a stranger to you."

Song Xizhi was still somewhat bewildered by the man's explanation.

Is this really He Jingyan?

She felt the man's faint touch on her body, and resisted by sitting up and pushing against his chest to create distance between them.

"I'm still a little uncomfortable with your face being so close to me. We can talk about anything else after the face is swapped back."

Actually, she was still very curious about how to get her face back.

If we could see with our own eyes that he had regained his former face, it would prove that what he said was true.

As the man felt Song Xizhi's movements, he slowly sat up. He had felt a slight pang of sadness upon hearing her words.

But seeing her bewildered expression, I couldn't help but chuckle.

"You don't like my face?"

Song Xizhi shrank back, not daring to offend His Highness the Crown Prince, and said only, "I'm just not used to it. When I talk to you, it feels like I'm having an affair."

"Then don't look."

The man spoke in a hoarse voice, reaching out to cover Song Xizhi's eyes before leaning down and kissing her deeply.

Before Song Xizhi could react, the world before her eyes suddenly went black, and the man's warm hand touched her eyes.