Chapter 256: Are You Truly Resigned?

Chapter 256: Chapter 256: Are You Truly Resigned?

"Waaaah—"

Luo Xiaohu wailed as he rubbed his butt, a look of utter despair on his face. "But... but, Boss, I’m really afraid I can’t convince your lady to come over. What am I going to do?"

The thought of the utterly impossible task the boss had given him made Luo Xiaohu want to cry.

"...You tell her that if she doesn’t come, I’ll have no choice but to go over and invite her myself..." Luo Hongyi gazed at the distant mountains behind him, his eyes filled with a deep sorrow that Luo Xiaohu couldn’t comprehend. After a long moment, Luo Hongyi slowly added, "Just say that. She’ll come."

Huh?

Luo Xiaohu looked up at his boss in confusion, but finally nodded and turned to head for the Zhang family’s home. ’There’s such an age gap between the boss and his lady. How did they even meet? And what’s with this surprisingly deep ’grudge’ between them?’ He had so many questions. But no matter how curious he was, neither the boss nor his lady was willing to talk. What could he do? He could only bury his doubts deep in his heart and keep them tightly under wraps. As long as the boss didn’t say anything, he couldn’t let a single hint slip to anyone.

「Gu Nuan Nuan’s Room」

Listening to the "threat" Luo Xiaohu delivered with an apologetic smile, she desperately wanted to slap him right into the wall. She knew he was just an innocent messenger, but she couldn’t quell the violent anger bubbling up inside her. ’If this keeps up,’ she thought, ’I’m really afraid I’ll suffer a Deviation one day.’

"Absolutely shameless." ’He was thick-skinned in our last life, but in this one, he’s completely shameless.’

Gu Nuan Nuan cursed through gritted teeth. Her expression was livid, but she had no choice but to accept the threat. She knew that if she dared not to show up, that shameless scoundrel would actually come knocking on her door. That would be a huge mess. He could just leave after a couple of days without a care in the world, but how would she explain it to her mother, grandfather, grandmother, and uncle? Would she have to spin countless more lies just to cover for this one?

Or was she supposed to just tell her family that she and Luo Hongyi had both been reincarnated?

’That menace...’

She shot Luo Xiaohu a glare, venting her frustration on him, then swept out of the room like a gust of wind.

’Huh. As expected of the one the boss likes. His lady is just as terrifying as he is when she’s angry.’

That one glare from Gu Nuan Nuan had been enough to make Luo Xiaohu break out in a cold sweat. He watched her leave, and knowing his mission was complete, he finally patted his chest in relief and wiped the sweat from his brow. ’I’d never admit it, but she’s actually way scarier than the boss when she’s mad. At least I’ve never been so scared in front of the boss that I’ve broken out in a nervous sweat. But then again, the boss probably never unleashes his full chilling aura on me, right? So, of course, in my heart, the boss is still the best—’

---

"What in the world do you want? Do you have any idea how severely you’re ruining my good mood?"

Facing Luo Hongyi, even though no one was passing by the foot of the mountain at noon, Gu Nuan Nuan secretly formed a hand formula to shield the area around them. It not only prevented people from hearing their voices but also made it impossible for anyone to even see them talking together. At this moment, she could finally vent all the pent-up frustration from this life and the last at the man responsible.

She stared directly at Luo Hongyi, making no attempt to hide her irritation—in her current state, she couldn’t have hidden it even if she wanted to. "Can I please just beg you? I’m begging you, can you please disappear completely from my life? In this lifetime, I don’t want to have the slightest thing to do with you ever again. Not ever. We’re not right for each other. Our relationship in our last life was a massive, massive mistake. I’ve been given a rare chance to start over in this life, and I don’t want to repeat my past errors. I believe that without me, your life will surely be even more brilliant. So please, I’m begging you. Let me go, and let yourself go, okay?"

"Nuannuan, are you really content with that?" Luo Hongyi gazed deeply at Gu Nuan Nuan, his eyes seeming to peer directly into the depths of her heart.

"I have nothing to be discontent about. What reason would I have?" Gu Nuan Nuan turned her head away. "In this life, I’ve already changed my mother’s fate and my uncle’s fate. My family will become wealthier and wealthier in the future. I can live a life of luxury even better than my last one without having to lift a finger. I think this life of mine can already be considered complete."

"What about our Haoyang, then? And Shengnan? Can you really bear for them to never have the chance to come into this world, to see how beautiful it is?" Luo Hongyi closed his eyes, then opened them to reveal a look of profound sorrow. "You were able to change your mother’s and your uncle’s fates. You even changed the fates of your grandfather, grandmother, and aunt along with them. Doesn’t that mean that if we’re willing, we can definitely change Haoyang’s and Shengnan’s fates in this life, too? Right?"

At the mention of her two children, Gu Nuan Nuan’s heart suddenly clenched. Setting Haoyang aside for a moment, could it be that even—

The more she thought, the more uneasy she became. "What happened to Shengnan?"

The moment the words left her mouth, Gu Nuan Nuan regretted them. But damn it, it was as if she had opened a floodgate in her heart that she had never dared to touch, and now that it was open, it wasn’t so easy to close. Her eyes reddened as she thought of her little daughter, forever a baby in swaddling clothes in her memory, not yet able to walk. The heartache was so intense she could hardly bear it. "I knew you were unreliable. You couldn’t even protect such a small child. Did you let that wife you married later bully and abuse her? Or did you just ignore me and not give her to my mother to raise, instead irresponsibly tossing her back into that den of wolves you call a family home?"

"Nothing happened to Shengnan. She was always safe and sound. In our last life, after you... left, I brought your mother to come live with us. There was no stepmother abusing a child. You were always, from beginning to end, the only mistress of our home. As for my family back home, aside from sending my parents money for their retirement, I kept my promise to you and... I never had anything to do with them again. Your mother raised Shengnan very well. She grew up peacefully into an adult, and eventually married and had children, all without a hitch. She married a man who truly cherished and loved her."

Luo Hongyi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at Gu Nuan Nuan’s accusations. He quickly explained what had happened in their past life in just a few words to prevent any more misunderstandings. At the same time, the fact that Nuannuan cared so much filled his heart with endless hope. "Aside from losing her mother’s love at a young age, Shengnan’s life was quite complete. Her other half is named Shen Mu. He’s a war orphan who was adopted and raised in the military compound. He’s an outstanding man with no other relatives, so there was none of that messy family drama to cause Shengnan any grief."

As he spoke, a bitter smile touched Luo Hongyi’s lips.