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

"Now that there is no flood in Youzhou, Zhaozhao must be doing well and should be about three years old."

Fu Zijin's words struck a chord with Shen Jingshu. As she listened, she felt a chill in her fingertips. Unconsciously, she gripped the table tightly, her knuckles turning white.

She did consider going to find Zhaozhao.

Since her rebirth, every step she has taken has been fraught with peril. She needs to avoid her ill-fated relationship with Fu Zijin, get rid of Xie Wanqing, and find a way to obtain the map of the Northern Territory as soon as possible, just in case.

Before she could even catch her breath, she was betrothed by the Emperor in a completely daze. Then, she accidentally saved the daughter of a poison master, only to lose her and search for her for over a month without success.

Youzhou is far to the south, thousands of miles away, and she simply couldn't spare the time to attend to it.

She looked up and stared directly at Fu Zijin, her voice trembling slightly, "What exactly do you want to do?"

Fu Zijin seemed oblivious to her odd behavior, picking up a candied fruit from the fruit plate on the table. His slender fingers wandered among the various candied fruits before finally choosing a plump and round one and putting it in his mouth.

The sour taste instantly filled his mouth, causing him to frown slightly, but he quickly relaxed.

He said casually, "It's just an attempt to make amends."

"make up?"

Shen Jingshu found it laughable. He had ruined her life and the entire Shen family. Now he thought he could wipe the slate clean with a casual "make amends"?

Shen Jingshu's hands clenched and unclenched, then clenched again, her nails almost digging into her flesh. "You can find her?"

Fu Zijin looked at her, a somewhat ambiguous smile on his lips. "I've said it before, if you ask me, whether it's Zhaozhao or Chu Xiangling, I'll help you find them. As long as you ask me, I'll do anything for you."

After a brief silence, Shen Jingshu let out a breath.

"Please."

These two words were spoken very softly, yet they struck Fu Zijin's heart like a heavy hammer blow.

Fu Zijin's hand, which was reaching for the candied fruit, paused, his fingertips hovering in mid-air, unable to move forward even an inch.

He withdrew his hand, straightened his back, and the sinister look in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by an almost obsessive smile. He murmured, "Jing Shu, if only you could always be this obedient."

Shen Jingshu felt her heart skip a beat, and the sea of ​​fire reappeared before her eyes, burning her nerves and making her feel nauseous.

"Knock Knock Knock-"

A knock suddenly sounded at the door, and the scene before Shen Jingshu's eyes vanished. She came to her senses, hurriedly got up to open the door, and almost stumbled into Jiang Jin'an's arms.

Caught off guard, Jiang Jin'an stumbled and nearly fell as she lunged at him.

He quickly steadied himself, reached out and hugged her. Feeling her body trembling, his face darkened instantly, and his body temperature dropped several degrees.

The air pressure around him suddenly dropped, becoming as cold as ice. A sharp gaze swept over Fu Zijin, who looked completely innocent: "My lord, please don't misunderstand. I did nothing."

Jiang Jin'an ignored him, and Fu Zijin watched as he gently stroked Shen Jingshu's back and whispered something in her ear.

Shen Jingshu looked up into Jiang Jin'an's eyes, her tense nerves finally relaxing, and she smiled at him.

It was a relieved, reassured smile.

The arms around her waist loosened slightly, and Jiang Jin'an took the opportunity to take her hand, their fingers intertwined.

He stepped in, shielding Shen Jingshu behind him, his voice as cold as ice: "Young Master Fu, it's late, please leave."

Fu Zijin nodded, stood up, and walked out of the study without looking back.

As he brushed past Shen Jingshu, he lowered his eyes, his gaze sweeping over their tightly clasped hands, his eyes darkening.

Jiang Jin'an's gaze fell on the jade lock on the table. He instructed Yaoqin and Jinse to take Shen Jingshu back to her room first, and then he turned around and followed in the direction Fu Zijin had left.

"I have already mentioned your matter to His Majesty. His Majesty said that he will personally summon you, at which time you will be able to realize your ambitions."

Jiang Jin'an's voice rang out from behind.

Fu Zijin showed no surprise whatsoever, and simply replied, "In that case, thank you very much, sir."

A silence fell between them, and they remained silent the entire way until they reached the back gate of the Jiang residence.

Out of courtesy, Fu Zijin was about to bow and take his leave to Jiang Jin'an when Jiang Jin'an suddenly threw a punch, which landed heavily on his cheek.

This punch was fast and fierce, accompanied by a sharp gust of wind.

Caught off guard, Fu Zijin was hit squarely. He groaned, staggered back a few steps, covered his face, and stared at Jiang Jin'an in astonishment.

Lin Yu was also stunned, his mouth agape, unable to close it for a long time.

Jiang Jin'an reverted to his cold demeanor, standing with his hands behind his back, his tone devoid of warmth: "Young Master Fu, it's dark and the roads are slippery, watch your step, I won't see you off."

……

Fu Zijin returned to Willow Shade Lane and locked himself in his study once again.

He doesn't like it here.

The same season, the same place, yet the scenes from my memory are nowhere to be found.

In his previous life, after he married Shen Jingshu, he also lived here for a period of time.

Shen Jingshu understood his pride and did not use her dowry, nor did she allow the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion to prepare a new house for him. It was not until later, when he passed the imperial examination with high honors and his official career progressed smoothly, that he was able to purchase a new courtyard and move away from Willow Shade Lane.

In Willow Shade Lane, there was always a rocking chair under the old locust tree in front of the door. She loved to lie on it and read storybooks, then ask him with a smile, "Husband, do you think this scholar will end up with the snake demon?"

The inner room was always faintly filled with the scent of her usual angelica balm;

The small kitchen... She blew up the small kitchen too many times, just to cook him a decent meal by herself. Although the final product was always a disaster, he would still eat it with a smile and praise her for her improved cooking skills.

Later, he personally pushed her into the fire.

Fu Zijin sat in the darkness, his eyes gradually reddening.

Every brick, every tile, every blade of grass, every tree—everywhere here are traces of the life Shen Jingshu lived, as he remembered it.

But now, there is no rocking chair under the tree in front of the door, only the smell of ink remains in the room, and the small kitchen is intact. Everything is a constant reminder to him that Shen Jingshu is no longer here.

So he decided to leave.

But he didn't know where to go.

He wanted to enter officialdom, he wanted power, and he wanted Shen Jingshu back by his side.

The more he wanted, the more he imprisoned himself, drawing a circle around himself and trapping himself in his own web.

One day, he suddenly thought of Zhaozhao.

He wanted to go to Youzhou, to find Zhaozhao, and bring her back to his side.

She'll be so happy, right?

That was what he originally thought, but today he realized that Shen Jingshu's happiness was too dazzling.

She can't do this.