Zi Xunyi felt her head spinning, her thoughts plunged into utter chaos.
So the little secret that only a husband and wife would know… was referring to something like this?
The crucial part was that Yan Zhen was basically right about everything.
She really was the “Little White Tiger,” and thanks to her Bloodline Divine Tattoo, her navel was incredibly sensitive. Even accidentally brushing against it in everyday life left her body feeling weak and limp. As for whether she preferred being on top or bottom—she hadn’t experienced it firsthand yet, so she couldn’t say for sure. But in those earlier erotic dreams of hers, whenever she was on top, she definitely got more into it.
—I’m done for. This scumbag junior brother really was her future husband. And he’d reincarnated too, acting like he wanted to get intimate with her right here and now.
—She couldn’t admit it. Absolutely not. He had no way to prove whether it was true or not anyway.
“Enough. Stop talking.” Zi Xunyi hurriedly cut Yan Zhen off, a flush of coloring her face. “I’ve figured you out. You’re just here to act like a pervert.”
“I’m sorry. I went too far. Please don’t be mad.”
Yan Zhen didn’t argue in the slightest. His gaze remained as deep and affectionate as ever, his smile as gentle as before, brimming with indulgence toward Zi Xunyi.
Zi Xunyi found herself unable to meet his eyes.
“You’ve definitely got the wrong person. I could never be your future wife. The one who should be your wife is Miss Yu Xuan from the Yu Family.”
Ah… Yan Zhen froze for a moment. How did she know about Mentor Yu Xuan?
Seeing his puzzled expression, Zi Xunyi closed her eyes and spoke coldly.
“You’re the Yu Family’s prospective son-in-law, aren’t you? And you seem pretty close to Huangfu Wenqing, the New Student Number One from your East Courtyard. Now you’re coming to me with this nonsense? I don’t think that’s the behavior of a decent man.”
Holy crap—even Wenqing knew about that? Yan Zhen’s mind raced, and then he “confessed” honestly.
“Huangfu Wenqing is my fiancée through an arranged marriage. She’s a successor of the Cloud Heaven Palace from the Garo Kingdom. She’d rather I join her family than marry out, so we’ll have a decisive contest in about a year. I’ll win, of course, but the Cloud Heaven Palace folks won’t honor it by marrying her off to me. Mentor Yu Xuan’s the same—I don’t want to join the Yu Family, and they won’t let their heir marry out. We’re destined but never meant to be. In the end, the only one I’ll be with is you, Zi Ji. You’re my one and only wife!”
With that, Yan Zhen stood up in agitation and grabbed his future wife’s hand.
Zi Xunyi jumped in fright and struggled to pull free.
“What are you doing? Let go of me!”
Yan Zhen came back to his senses as if from a dream and released her.
“I’m sorry. I got too worked up. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
When he said “offend,” his tone carried such obvious dejection that it stirred pity in anyone listening.
A couple who had once been inseparable in their previous life, and now even holding hands qualified as an “offense.” This man was truly pitiable~
Zi Xunyi tucked her hand back into her sleeve and placed it under the table. Her pearly teeth nibbled at her lip, her cheeks flushed rosy like rouged peach blossoms, an utterly captivating sight.
She had no idea what had come over her. She’d let him hold her hand as if she’d forgotten she was a Mystic King powerhouse. If it had been anyone else, she would have channeled her energy and snapped their hand off—no, they wouldn’t even have had the chance to enter her room and talk face-to-face like this.
She clearly didn’t want to interact with him, much less get close, and yet her body didn’t seem to mind at all.
“If you keep this up, I’m going to ask you to leave.”
No sooner had the words left her mouth than Zi Xunyi regretted them. What she should have said was “Get the hell out of here.” If she let him stay any longer, who knew what else he might try?
But Yan Zhen seemed to read her mind and took the initiative.
“I’m sorry. I lost control there. I should go for now, or I might not be able to hold back. It’s just… I finally got to see you, and I don’t want you to hate me…”
He gave a sad little smile, then strode quickly out of the room to the terrace. There, he paused, turned back, and gazed at Zi Xunyi with reluctance.
“I’ll… come again tomorrow night.”
With those words, Yan Zhen’s figure dissolved into motes of starlight and vanished.
—Don’t go!
Watching that scene, Zi Xunyi’s heart twisted in her chest. Her red lips parted slightly, an impulse rising to call him back. But reason told her she couldn’t, and in the end, she stayed silent.
She let out a wistful sigh, her gaze drifting to the tea he’d left half-drunk. She stared off into space.
For a playboy stepping out with multiple women, Zi Xunyi’s instinct was to keep her distance, no matter how sweet their words.
But Yan Zhen was her future husband—a reincarnator carrying memories from their past life. It was clear how much he loved his future self. When he spoke to her, his eyes brimmed with tenderness and affection. And crucially, Zi Xunyi herself had “dreamed” of her future self.
—Hold on.
Lately, she’d been dreaming nonstop of her future self entwined passionately with Yan Zhen, even scenes from their wedding night. Could that be a sign that her own past-life memories were about to awaken?
Her husband had reincarnated, so why couldn’t his wife?
—No. I’m me now. Even future me can’t replace the current me.
Zi Xunyi thought firmly.
But what about him?
The thought of Yan Zhen’s slightly sad smile made her restless, a voice in her head whispering that she didn’t want to hurt him.
Yet she didn’t like him right now—not really.
The young woman sighed deeply once more.
“…”
While Zi Xunyi wrestled with her turmoil, Yan Zhen had already made his way back to his new room. He sat on the bed and exhaled, easing the tension.
It had been over a year since he’d crossed over. He’d endured forced kisses, surprise attacks from behind, and all sorts of other violations, but he’d never taken the initiative to pursue a girl.
So Yan Zhen had to resort to unconventional tactics. Using the script and intel from his “mature” wife Zi Xunyi, he pretended to be the reincarnator, approaching the young Zi Xunyi as her future husband to speed up his pursuit!
Sure, deceiving his own wife felt a bit shady, like he was some scheming playboy. But it was all for saving Ling’er. Once she merged her past-life memories, she’d understand her husband’s methods.
At any rate, he’d taken the first step. Next, he’d keep interacting with her as the “future husband.”
For now, time to rest. Tomorrow, he’d head to the Firmament Nine-Story Tower to cultivate and play out the next key plot point.
Yan Zhen lay back lazily and closed his eyes.
The night passed uneventfully. Not even mature Zi Xunyi came looking for her husband.
When he woke, Yan Zhen noticed his Messaging Talisman buzzing nonstop. He pulled it out, saw no messages, and remembered he also had the Cloud Heaven Palace Transmission Talisman.
He opened the other one, and sure enough, it was Huangfu Wenqing asking where his dormitory was.
[Fiancé Yan Zhen: The Grand Elder took me as her disciple, so I’m living with her—not in the dorms. Come here and find me.]
Yan Zhen sent over a Mystic Qi Positioning marker, then freshened up simply.
Soon, he heard Huangfu Wenqing calling.
“Yan Zhen, where are you?”
Yan Zhen opened the window, waved to her, then leaped down, landing lightly in front of Huangfu Wenqing.
