Return to before death

Yan Ran finally settled on the private room at the far end of the shop. It was a small room, decorated in a very elegant style. Upon entering, there was a half-open screen painted with peonies. Behind it was a slender carved jujube red wooden table, with an ebony chair on each side, covered with soft bright yellow silk cushions.

She nodded in satisfaction and went straight to sit in a chair that was far from the door.

The waiter stepped forward and asked, "Miss, is there anything else you need?"

Yan Ran paused for a moment before hesitatingly saying, "A case of Budweiser."

Seeing the waiter's visibly surprised expression, she said, "That's all, you can go now," thus stopping him from saying anything he was about to say.

Yan Ran stared at the intricately carved lotus flowers on the table leg, a bitter smile playing on her lips. A few days ago, she would have only sipped wine lightly. But… now she desperately needed this magical liquid to dispel her sorrows.

She once so hoped that she could have a marriage with Zong Zhengqing that was a good match, but now the first thing that comes to mind is the cheap drink that her father often drank, which was very familiar to her from her childhood.

Just as the matriarch had said, even if she climbed the social ladder, she could never become a phoenix; deep down, she was just a sparrow.

The waiter quickly brought the drinks, and Yan Ran saw the faint worry in his eyes, her heart filled with mockery. Even strangers would worry, but those people from the Zong family just let her out there without a care in the world.

She opened the bottle cap, and without even taking a cup, she put it directly to her lips and started drinking.

He drank too quickly, and some wine spilled from his mouth, wetting his clothes.

Yan Ran was wearing loungewear this morning; the fabric was very light and soft, and when it got wet, it clung tightly to her chest, causing some discomfort. So she reached up and tugged at the neckline, slightly revealing the edge of her light pink bra.

Unexpectedly, the door suddenly opened at that moment.

Yan Ran blushed slightly and quickly pulled her collar up to cover her fair skin, which was slightly pink.

When Sheng Xuanling entered the room and saw this vibrant and sensual scene, his heart suddenly skipped a beat. But when he glanced at the conspicuous wine box on the ground and the half-empty wine bottle in the woman's hand, his face darkened instantly.

"What? Drowning your sorrows in alcohol? Did you try to kill yourself after being dumped by a man?"

The moment his teasing words left his mouth, Yan Ran's face turned pale.

She stared at the nonchalant man who seemed to be there to make a fool of herself, gripping the table leg tightly, speechless for a moment. Her pride made her feel extremely embarrassed.

A lost dog like myself, and a spirited man.

"What's it to you!" Yan Ran slammed the wine bottle on the table with a bang, adopting a defensive posture.

Sheng Xuanling merely sneered, his handsome face appearing quite gloomy due to his unfriendly expression. He snatched the wine from the woman's hand and threw it back into the box on the ground.

"It has a lot to do with me. Have you forgotten what you promised me?"

"If I had known you were an untrustworthy person, I wouldn't have agreed to your request. But now you regret it, don't you? The husband you worked so hard to save is a heartless ingrate."

"No!" Yan Ran denied almost instinctively, but then knew clearly that the man was right.

She's a complete idiot. All that hard work and sacrifice of her daughter's life only resulted in a selfish, cowardly good-for-nothing. And there was a moment when she genuinely didn't want to think about the future at all; she wanted to escape and back down because of the pain.

She's no good either.

Sheng Xuanling looked at the woman gripping the table leg so tightly that her knuckles were so white they were almost bloodless, and he felt a pang of pity.

He coughed and then said, "It's already come to this, there's no use in giving up on yourself. You might as well think about how to fulfill my request."

Yan Ran looked at him blankly.

"Okay," she agreed readily.

Yan Ran didn't know what she was feeling anymore. She was originally heartbroken and just wanted to get drunk, but now that the man had interfered, she was a little angry and embarrassed. However, the deep sorrow subsided, as if she had temporarily found a way out.

Life must go on; she can't run away forever.

"Okay, I promise you," Yan Ran said again, her eyes hardening.

Sheng Xuanling snorted through her nose.

"Come with me."

Yan Ran got into Sheng Xuanling's car, and about half an hour later, Sheng Xuanling stopped the car.

"Where did you bring me?" Yan Ran asked, her eyes wandering aimlessly. It was a very deserted little white building, with lush green ivy climbing all over the walls. It had a sense of the times and a little bit of life, but it was unusually indifferent.

This kind of residence doesn't seem like the kind of place where Young Master Sheng would stay.

"This is where I first met her." Sheng Xuanling surprisingly showed a gentle expression, and even her voice became soft.

Yan Ran felt a pang of pain in her heart for a moment, and she frowned in confusion.

Her intuition told her that she didn't like the man's expression at all. In her impression, this man was arrogant and conceited, with a charmingly wicked look on his face. How could he suddenly show such an expression of love for a woman, just like an ordinary man?

I guess I'm not used to it.

Yan Ran explained it to herself, casually saying, "Is it the woman you asked me to save?"

Sheng Xuanling nodded.

Yan Ran felt a little awkward and asked, "Are you sure? That person must be very important to you, but you know what happened to me. Even if I go back in time and save her, it's hard to guarantee how things will change afterward. It might cause you even more pain, you..." Yan Ran hesitated but slowly continued, "Are you really sure?"

Sheng Xuanling turned to look at her, and Yan Ran was very familiar with the look in his eyes. It was the look she had seen countless times in Zong Zhengqing's eyes; he loved that woman.

Yan Ran sensed it with absolute clarity.

"Of course, no matter what happens, saving her is my only wish."

As the man spoke, he looked down into Yan Ran's eyes, his voice even carrying a hint of pleading.

"The only person I've ever loved in my life is her, but we couldn't be together. We were childhood sweethearts, but her family fell on hard times, and her father gave her to my father in order to get financial support from him."

Sheng Xuanling's expression grew increasingly gloomy, and Yan Ran could even sense his murderous aura.

At least for that instant, he wanted his father dead.

Yan Ran didn't know what to say, so she could only listen in silence.

“I couldn’t stop it. After that, she refused to see me again. Not long after, I received the news that she had been injured for unknown reasons and sent to the hospital, but she could not be saved. I tried every means to get her diary before she died, and that’s when I found out what really happened between us.”