She remarried a cold-faced, powerful man, and the scumbag regretted it and cried his heart out.

Shen Jingshu returned to the Pingyang Marquis's residence and went to see her mother first.

Song Wan was sitting in the hall when she saw Shen Jingshu walk in with a displeased expression. She quickly asked, "Jingshu, what's wrong? You don't look well."

“Mother, there are rumors outside that the Marquis of Pingyang’s family and the Fu family are getting married soon.” Shen Jingshu got straight to the point, her tone tinged with annoyance.

Upon hearing this, Song Wan tenderly took her hand and tidied the stray hairs by her ear, saying, "It's all my fault for not protecting you. I let you suffer for nothing."

Shen Jingshu's eyes instantly reddened.

In her previous life, the Fu family proposed marriage several times, but her parents turned them down. She had lost her mind and was overjoyed to marry Fu Zijin. In the end, what she got was the misfortune of the Shen family being wiped out!

“Someone did this intentionally, so what wrong have we done?” Shen Jingshu didn’t want her mother to blame herself, so she squatted down in front of Song Wan and pressed her face against her legs.

Shen Yuanzhou chimed in, "Mother, today when we left the manor, I heard people talking about this all the way. They said some really nasty things! My sister even got into a fight with someone because of it."

Song Wan frowned. "Would Jing Shu be willing to marry him?"

“I don’t want to. I want to stay at home for the rest of my life and just be Shen Jingshu.”

"Alright." Song Wan patted her daughter's shoulder gently. "Our daughters of the Pingyang Marquis's mansion can just do whatever they want."

Suddenly, Shen Jingshu's gaze swept past Song Wan and caught sight of Xie Wanqing, who was gracefully walking towards them.

In an instant, Shen Jingshu's hands clenched involuntarily, her nails digging deep into her palms.

Xie Wanqing is a cousin of the Shen family. She came to seek refuge in the family due to a family tragedy and was raised by the Shen family since childhood. The Shen family has always treated her as their own daughter and taken good care of her.

In her past life, Xie Wanqing tried her best to please her, and she also cherished this cousin. However, she never expected that she had long been in cahoots with Fu Zijin, keeping the entire Pingyang Prefecture in the dark and fooling them at will.

Xie Wanqing entered the hall, first bowed to Song Wan, and then looked at Shen Jingshu with a fake smile on her face. "Sister Jingshu, I just went to the rouge shop and heard people outside saying that you are going to marry Young Master Fu. I think Young Master Fu is humble and polite, and has outstanding talent. If you marry him, it will definitely be a beautiful story."

Shen Jingshu calmed herself down, stood up, looked up at Xie Wanqing, and suppressed the hatred in her eyes. "Since Cousin Wanqing praises him so much, why don't you marry him? With your talent and beauty, you're sure to be a perfect match for him, and grow old together!"

Xie Wanqing was taken aback. Since arriving at the Shen family, Shen Jingshu had never spoken to her in such a tone. A flicker of panic crossed her mind, but she quickly regained her composure, a wronged expression appearing on her face.

She bit her lip, seemingly hesitant, but continued, "Sister, why take your anger out on Wanqing? Wanqing is only doing this for your own good. Although his family's circumstances aren't what they used to be, he has great ambitions and is Uncle's prized student. He'll surely be able to revive the family in the future. If you marry him, you can not only silence the gossips but also lend him a helping hand. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation? Are you just going to let those people point fingers at you and ruin your reputation? Besides, you've been in the same room with Young Master Fu for many days now; your innocence..."

"Enough!" Shen Jingshu interrupted her sharply, her eyes flashing with cold light. "As for my affair with Fu Zijin, the innocent are innocent. I have done nothing wrong and I am not afraid of anyone gossiping!"

Shen Yuanzhou, who was standing to the side, couldn't hold back any longer and said loudly, "Stop talking nonsense! If my sister doesn't want to, no one can force her!"

Xie Wanqing was intimidated by Shen Jingshu's imposing manner, her face turning pale and then red. She never expected that Shen Jingshu, who had always doted on her, would be so aggressive.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something more, but was interrupted by Song Wan.

"Alright, that's enough!" Song Wan's face also darkened. "Jing Shu has already said that she doesn't want to marry Fu Zijin, so let's leave it at that! Wan Qing, don't bring it up again."

Seeing that Song Wan was also angry, Xie Wanqing had no choice but to shut her mouth unwillingly.

She would never give up. She was determined to ruin Shen Jingshu's reputation and make her taste what it was like to be despised!

-

Two days later, Fu Zijin sat in a private room of the teahouse, looking gloomy.

With the help of a powerful figure, he painstakingly spread rumors about himself and Shen Jingshu, but unexpectedly, the rumors were suppressed in just a few days.

What is going wrong?

Thinking of Shen Jingshu, he felt uneasy and closed his eyes.

In his previous life, he drove the Shen family to ruin in pursuit of power and wealth. Later, he also died at the hands of Jiang Jin'an. The last thing he thought of before his death was that he would never see Shen Jingshu again.

He then realized with a start that he hadn't really looked at her properly in a long time.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself back to when he was seventeen, three days after Shen Jingshu was rescued.

He was overjoyed. This time, he would definitely have a more meticulous plan and choices. In a few days, Jing Shu would remarry him, and everything could start over.

"Young Master Fu, you haven't handled this matter well." A voice came, pulling Fu Zijin back to reality.

"It was my oversight." Fu Zijin lowered his eyes. "I beg you to give me another chance."

The man seemed to be in a good mood, his words tinged with amusement, "This time, we'd better do it beautifully."

Pingyang Houfu.

The maid Yaoqin whispered, "Miss, Young Master Fu has arrived."

Shen Jingshu nodded. "Let's go."

Upon entering the hall, one sees Fu Zijin sitting upright in the guest seat. His blue robe accentuates his tall and straight figure, and his face is as gentle as jade, exuding the air of a humble gentleman.

The moment he saw Shen Jingshu, his previously calm eyes were instantly filled with turmoil. He stared intently at her, his mind going blank, his heart pounding wildly.

This was the first time he had seen Shen Jingshu since he returned. The young girl, who was of marriageable age, was slender and beautiful, and her image gradually overlapped with that of the woman he had wronged in his memory.

Fu Zijin's eyes reddened, and his Adam's apple bobbed. He stood up, but accidentally aggravated his still-healing wounds. A sharp pain shot through him, but he was oblivious. He just stared at her intently and called out in a hoarse voice, "Jing Shu."

Seeing his affectionate expression, Shen Jingshu couldn't help but lower her head and chuckle softly.

This injury was clearly something he deliberately stabbed himself to complete the act! In her past life, she was deceived by his appearance, but now that she has been reborn, she will naturally not be fooled by his hypocritical tricks again!

"Why is Jing Shu here?" Shen Zizhong couldn't help but show a hint of surprise when he saw Shen Jing Shu step into the hall.

The Shen family has been predominantly male for generations, and by the time of Shen Zizhong's generation, they only had one daughter, Shen Jingshu, whom they cherished dearly.

"I heard that Young Master Fu has arrived, so I came here specifically to... demand an explanation." Shen Jingshu raised her eyes, her gaze cold, her tone carrying a hint of aloofness.

Fu Zijin sensed her displeasure and asked urgently, "Is it those rumors from a while ago? Jing Shu, you..."

“Please call me Miss Shen.” Shen Jingshu raised an eyebrow and interrupted him without any mercy. “Young Master Fu, it seems that we are not yet familiar enough to call each other by our maiden names.”

Fu Zijin stood there, his lips slightly parted, but he remained silent for a long time.

He stared blankly at Shen Jingshu, whose eyes, which had once been filled with love whenever she saw him, were now as cold as ice, and even carried an unyielding hostility.

In that instant, Fu Zijin felt a strong sense of foreboding surge into his heart without warning.

“Miss Shen, I have come here to ask my teacher for a favor.” Fu Zijin tried to remain calm, but his voice trembled slightly.

Shen Zizhong sighed slightly and said helplessly, "Zijin, I have already told you that this is not your fault, you don't need to do this."

"Teacher, my feelings for Miss Shen are sincere. Even without this incident, I..."

"Fu Zijin," Shen Jingshu suddenly spoke, a half-smile on her face, "what does your true heart look like?"

Fu Zijin's body stiffened. Thinking of his past life, his hands unconsciously clenched into fists. "I know the rumors have been troubling you lately, but I swear to God, I truly want to marry you and protect you for the rest of my life. If you don't believe me, I'm willing to guarantee it with the reputation of my entire Fu family."

Shen Jingshu, however, seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world, laughing with her eyes crinkling, "Fu Zijin, the reputation of your Fu family is nothing but dirt to me. Are you going to get out of here on your own, or will you let the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion throw you out?"

Shen Zizhong frowned as he watched this scene. He knew his daughter's temperament and now it was impossible to change her mind. "Zijin, you are injured. You should go back."

Fu Zijin's face was grim, but he still tried his best to maintain a semblance of composure. He gave Shen Jingshu a deep look, then bowed to Shen Zizhong and turned to walk towards the gate of the Marquis's residence.

As soon as he stepped out of the mansion, Fu Zijin saw a figure waving at him from the street corner; it was Xie Wanqing.

Xie Wanqing carefully looked around to make sure no one was paying attention before hurrying towards Fu Zijin.

"Brother Zijin, how did things go?" Xie Wanqing asked softly, a hint of jealousy flashing in her eyes as she looked at Fu Zijin's slightly haggard face.

Fu Zijin simply shook his head in silence, his expression unreadable.

Xie Wanqing frowned slightly, her jealousy burning even more intensely, but she said aloud, "Someone must be instigating my sister behind the scenes, causing her to misunderstand Brother Zijin like this. But... if we can't marry my sister soon, won't this plan fall through?"

"Her resolute decision must have been influenced by others. You continue to keep an eye on Jing Shu's movements at the Marquis's residence, and inform me immediately if anything unusual happens."

That being said, he was always meticulous, and at this moment he had a bolder and more unsettling guess.

Could it be that she, like me, also experienced rebirth?