After being reborn, I became the big boss's darling.

In the ward, Jinian Ci listened quietly to the doctor's instructions, not missing a single word.

Shen Ceyan lay half-reclined on the hospital bed, tilting his head and staring at her intently.

After the nurse left, Ji Nianci turned her head and met his gaze.

"...Lie down, the doctor said you need to rest more."

Ci lowered her eyes, stood up, and prepared to leave.

"Niannian," Shen Ceyan called out to her.

"I've seen the surveillance footage. You did it on purpose, didn't you?"

She suddenly stopped making any further moves.

"You know that Shen Yanzhi has a serious mental illness, so you deliberately lured him out, deliberately said those things to provoke him, and deliberately made him hurt you in exchange for his life imprisonment."

Shen Ceyan spoke slowly, word by word, his face calm, but his eyes were slightly red.

"Niannian, you chose to do this for me, didn't you?"

Ji Nianci felt a lump in her throat. She turned her head away, no longer looking at him. "No, Shen Yanzhi's target was me too. I just acted first to ensure my future safety."

The air was so quiet that she felt any sobbing, even the slightest, would be extremely noticeable and completely exposed.

In remembrance of Ci, he once again wanted to leave.

Shen Ceyan stretched out his long arm and scooped her up. Ji Nianci lost her balance and fell straight into his arms.

"You lied to me again."

The man's chin rested on her forehead, and she seemed to hear a faint sigh.

"What are you doing? You're pressing on the wound...!" she remembered, struggling but not daring to struggle too much.

"So what if I pressed down on you?" Shen Ceyan didn't seem to care much, and simply tightened his arm a little more.

"You still care about me, don't you?" Shen Ceyan said softly, a smile playing on his lips.

"Who cares about you?" Ji Nianci said these words with a hint of gritted teeth. She was completely encircled in Shen Ceyan's arms, neither daring to struggle nor to relax and lean down. The position was awkward and uncomfortable.

"Niannian, come back to me." He lowered his eyes, his expression serious, his voice soft and slow, as if he were praying to his god for blessings.

Hearing those words again after three years, she felt a strange sense of unreality.

"You... let go."

Shen Ceyan remained silent for a moment, then released his hand.

"Back to your side?" She chuckled softly, leaning back in her chair with a casual air.

"Just now, Assistant Lin asked me if I could give you a chance."

I did not answer him.

The voice of the memorial was faint, revealing no emotion.

Shen Ceyan's eyes dimmed.

"Shen Ceyan, the one who truly doesn't give me a chance is you."

He frowned: "I can explain what happened back then..."

“Yes, I know.” Ji Nianci interrupted him calmly: “You have your reasons and difficulties. From your perspective, I am indeed very moved. However, you have never given me a choice, nor have you ever asked me if what you are doing is what I want. I can only keep accepting your arrangements.”

"Shen Ceyan, is it difficult for you to be honest in relationships?"

Time flies like an arrow; some questions were only asked three years later.

“I…” He choked on his words, his chest heaving with emotion.

"I just wanted to ensure your safety..." After a long silence, he could only offer this weak explanation.

"What makes you think that a potential danger would hurt me more than a divorce decree or my husband's infidelity?"

"Shen Ceyan, do I have no heart? How could you treat me like this?"

Her voice was soft, but every word struck his heart heavily, causing him unbearable pain.

He remembered every word he said to her that night three years ago with perfect clarity.

During those three years, he also tossed and turned, unable to sleep alone.

"I'm sorry... those words weren't what I truly felt. I never intended to take revenge on you. I've always... loved you very much."

Shen Ceyan's voice grew softer and softer towards the end; he wondered if he still had the right to utter those three words.

Ji Nianci turned his head and closed his eyes, a tear sliding down his cheek. It fell to the ground, and also into his heart.

"It was my fault. I was too arbitrary. I didn't treat you and me as equals. I hurt you..."

From a young age, his grandfather told him that he would be the head of the Shen family in the future.

He wanted him to be independent, rational, and indifferent... From a very young age, he was used to making his own decisions, solving his own problems, and weighing the pros and cons on his own.

He was a perfect head of the household, but not a good lover.

He used the same tactics he used on his enemies and employees on the person he loved most.

He felt deep regret and helplessness; the words he had spoken and the deeds he had done were like water spilled—unrecoverable. The damage he had caused could not be undone.

“Three years, because of Shen Yanzhi, you pushed me away for three years. What about next time? If something like this happens again, will you push me away again? How many three-year periods can one afford to waste in a lifetime?” Ji Nianci looked at him, her throat feeling like it was blocked by cotton soaked in cold water, even breathing was a dull pain. Her eyes were throbbing with tears, but she couldn’t squeeze out any more.

"There won't be a next time... there won't be a next time..." he repeated softly, but when he looked up, he found her eyes were filled with tears.

Shen Ceyan's breath hitched, and he pulled her into his arms, wiping away her tears once more.

Commemorating Ci, there was no further resistance.

She leaned on Shen Ceyan's shoulder and said in a hoarse voice, "Didn't you want to know why I didn't tell you when I went to see Shen Yanzhi? Actually, besides wanting to solve this problem for you, there's another reason: I also want to treat you the way you treated me back then."

"You can hide things from me, and I can hide things from you. When it comes to feelings, if you keep hiding them, they'll fall apart."

Shen Ceyan's hand trembled slightly.

“Oh no,” Ji Nianci suddenly chuckled, “we’ve already broken up.”

"It won't happen again..." Shen Ceyan unconsciously tightened his grip slightly, as if that way the person in his arms would never leave: "I won't hide it from you anymore, please forgive me, okay? Give me another chance..."

He could no longer afford the price of losing her.

Ji Nianci sighed and withdrew from his embrace.

“Shen Ceyan, it’s not that I can’t forgive you, or that I can’t give you a chance, but if we get back together and all I get is a relationship that’s not honest with each other, then I’d rather not have it.”

“I admit I still love you,” Ji Nianci said frankly. “But I’m not willing to settle. After all, I can live a good life on my own.”