She was buried alive at the start, but she's determined to smash her ex-husband's head in

The relationship between Ye and Lin Qingwei has been strained for thirteen years, even bordering on acrimonious. She can pretend to be nice for a short time, but when it comes to Lin Xiuyao, she can't tolerate it at all.

Lin Qingwei was not saddened by such favoritism. Watching Lin Xiuyao being led away surrounded by admirers, she remained expressionless and calm.

But those who care about her see it differently.

"Are you alright?" Qi Yan asked cautiously.

Lin Qingwei shook her head: "I'm fine."

The Duchess, seeing how well-matched the two were, silently took a few steps to the side, leaving them some space.

The sun wasn't glaring; its golden light slanted across the two of them, as if gilding them, making them look like a golden couple from afar.

Looking at Qi Yanzhi's caring gaze, Lin Qingwei felt a surge of guilt.

She shouldn't have such genuine, heartfelt concern for someone who was clearly used as a shield and manipulated by her.

They were just strangers who met by chance; their brief encounter last night wasn't worth Qi Yanzhi doing this for.

She didn't want to have anything to do with this person, especially not emotionally...

“Although you won’t admit it, I’m pretty sure you’re the girl I met last night,” Qi Yanzhi said, looking into her eyes with great seriousness.

His heart recognized her before his eyes; a heartbeat doesn't lie.

Lin Qingwei took a step back, a polite smile on her face: "Your Highness is too kind. Aren't we meeting for the first time today?"

"If you don't want others to know that you left Tianxiang Tower last night, I can keep it a secret for you." Qi Yanzhi looked at the growing distance between them, lost in thought.

"I don't understand what the Crown Prince is saying."

Qi Yanzhi also took a step back, looked up at her, and smiled so brightly that it could melt away all the frost in the world, shining brightly in the golden sunlight.

She must have her own reasons.

Since she doesn't want to get too close to him, he'll take a step back and stand at a safe distance from her. Once she's willing to accept him, he'll rush to her immediately.

"Let's pretend it never happened. I'm very happy to meet Miss Lin for the first time today." He took out a bracelet made of green jade beads from his sleeve and handed it to Lin Qingwei.

"Please accept my gift, my fiancée."

A boy's laughter and sparkling eyes can break through the shackles of darkness and become an inextinguishable light.

Lin Qingwei lay on the bed, holding up the vibrant green jade bracelet in the moonlight, a strange feeling stirring within her.

Why is this unexpected person's trajectory completely different from that of the previous life?

But it's all for the best. Without the support of the Duke of Mu's mansion, Lin Xiuyao's plans have failed, and things should be quiet for a while.

Lin Qingwei put away her bracelet and was about to turn off the light and go to sleep when she caught a glimpse of a dark figure outside the window.

She immediately became alert, reaching under her pillow to grab a sharp dagger: "Who!"

"Please accept my gift, my fiancée, ha." Pei Zhaoan climbed in through the window, sat down with an air of nonchalance, poured himself a cup of tea, and looked at Lin Qingwei with a cold, mocking gaze.

"It seems you've adapted well to your new identity, Miss Lin, and even have the time to flirt with other men?"

The teacup in his hand was almost crushed.

Lin Qingwei breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was him. She straightened her collar and sat up.

"Lord Pei, you came to visit so late at night just to remind me of this matter?" Lin Qingwei said. "Don't worry, I will find a chance to get what I promised you."

The man moved quickly, and the candlelight was extinguished by the wind he created when he stood up, plunging the room into darkness in an instant.

The sound of breathing so close to her ear made Lin Qingwei shiver. She took a step back, but was immediately grabbed by the wrist and pulled forward.

It was early summer, yet he always carried an aura of coldness as if it were the dead of winter, mixed with a faint smell of blood; his oppressive presence was innate.

In the dim moonlight, the man's rugged features appeared even sharper, and beneath his cold demeanor lay an indescribable allure, like a snake squinting its eyes in disguise.

Lin Qingwei felt a chill run down her spine, her neck feeling cold.

"What is the Grand Commander trying to do? If you kill me now and replace me with someone else, it may be too late."

You think I'm going to kill you?

Pei Zhaoan pulled off the bead that belonged to him that Lin Qingwei was wearing around her neck, making Lin Qingwei feel a sharp pain from the tightness.

Isn't this just trying to kill her?

"You must remember that you are not the real Lin Qingwei, so you are not responsible for fulfilling her marriage agreement with the Duke of Mu's heir."

Lin Qingwei knew, of course, that she had gone to great lengths to become the eldest daughter of the Lin family in order to secure a place in the palace to accompany her children in their studies and thus gain access to Xu Hanzhang and Zhao Huarong.

She was reborn only to reclaim her rightful identity and take revenge on those who had hurt her. She never even considered falling in love with anyone or being with anyone.

She did have feelings for Qi Yanzhi, feelings of gratitude, but absolutely no romantic feelings, let alone any intention of actually getting engaged to him.

Why would Pei Zhaoan think that way?

"I know."

"Not only should you know this, but you should also keep it firmly in your heart: Qi Yanzhi is not someone who can stand shoulder to shoulder with you."

Another gust of wind blew, and Pei Zhao'an vanished without a trace, leaving behind those words. The jade bracelet that Qi Yanzhi had given to Lin Qingwei also disappeared with him.

"What's going on?" Lin Qingwei frowned and muttered.

She rubbed the back of her neck, which still hurt terribly; it must have been scraped when Pei Zhaoan pulled the rope!

She's a complete bandit! She just shows up whenever she wants, mocks people, and takes away the gifts they gave her! Does a high-ranking official like her have so much free time?

He's having her monitored, isn't he? Is her every move under his watchful eye? Doesn't he trust his business partners at all?

"Spring Festival, Spring Festival?"

Lin Qingwei called Chunqi several times, somewhat angrily, but no one responded. She got up and opened the door, and saw Chunqi sleeping soundly against the door. Her anger dissipated immediately.

Back at his residence, Pei Zhao'an's face remained ashen, and he casually tossed aside the string of beads that Qi Yanzhi had given him.

Xia An yawned: "Where did you go so late, sir?"

"Go find a nice piece of silk thread."

"Huh? Is this some new method of murder?" Xia An looked at Pei Zhao'an with wide eyes, her interest piqued.

Pei Zhaoan stretched out his hand, changing it into a circle shape: "It needs to be this long."

Then he took out one emerald green jade bead after another from a small box. They looked exactly the same as the one he had pulled off Lin Qingwei's neck, and the jade was of excellent quality.

Xia An scratched his head. "It's so long, it won't kill anyone, will it? It looks like the size of a girl's wrist."

That girl was so unlucky to have been targeted by the Grand Secretary!