Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The night Ning Yichu was reborn, he bit He Shixia’s neck twice, making the injury worse so it wouldn't heal in just two or three days. In early September, it was too warm to cover his neck with high collars or scarves, so the wound was naturally seen by the rest of the He family.

On He Shixia’s face, near the brow bone, a small bruise, half blue and half purple, was still visible—also caused by Ning Yichu hitting him with a water glass that night.

Ning Yichu had noticed it earlier but couldn’t be bothered to ask about it.

At this, he was slightly taken aback, recalling the shamelessly huge demand he had made before falling asleep. He hadn’t expected He Shixia’s casual agreement to actually be serious.

But since nothing had been handed over yet, Ning Yichu cautiously didn't commit himself: “It’s none of my business.”

He Shixia still said, “Alright,” then went to get Ning Yichu a set of clothes.

Having just moved in, Ning Yichu hadn’t had time to unpack before falling ill. He had only placed his suitcase in the walk-in closet connected to the bedroom. Over the past two days, He Shixia hadn’t unpacked for him either, so he just grabbed clothes directly from the suitcase.

“A Ning, how about we move out?” He Shixia said suddenly as he returned with the clothes.

Ning Yichu frowned. “Can’t you just settle down? We’re about to get divorced. Why bother moving now?”

He Shixia looked at the impatience on his face and remembered how, in their past life, after filming the show, Ning Yichu had dozed off in the car on the way back. When He Shixia woke him, half-asleep, Ning Yichu suddenly said, “I don’t want to live in the He family home.”

At the time, He Shixia hadn’t asked further. He just paused for a moment before replying, “That’s fine too. I can find another place. You can choose somewhere you like.”

What He Shixia meant but didn't say was that he would move with him.

But since He Shixia hadn’t made it explicit, and Ning Yichu, having suffered enough from misreading signals and making a fool of himself in the past, instinctively assumed He Shixia meant finding a place for him to live alone.

So, in their previous life, Ning Yichu ultimately said, “Forget it.”

Moving out of the He family home at that point would have been seen as him getting kicked out. He didn’t want people to think he had been cast aside and abandoned again…

Hearing him say “forget it,” He Shixia assumed Ning Yichu still felt living in the mansion was more prestigious and gave him more chances to get close to the He Corporation, so he never brought up moving again.

Back then, their relationship was peculiar—not close by any means, but not exactly tense either.

In fact, apart from the very beginning of their marriage, when He Shixia, angered by Ning Yichu’s earlier suicide attempt by cutting his wrists as a manipulative tactic, had harshly criticized him for gambling with his life, they were usually extremely polite to each other—so polite it felt distant.

Recalling it now in this life, He Shixia thought Ning Yichu’s wrist-cutting back then likely wasn't a calculated move. He had genuinely been disheartened and desperate. Yet, when he was near death, his will to live took over, leading him to instinctively cry for help.

But even his cry for help was misinterpreted as a shameless ploy… He endured a lifetime of grievances, and now he no longer wished to show even a hint of warmth to others. And they probably deserved it.

He, He Shixia, deserved it too.

Why should Ning Yichu accept his attempts at making amends and continue this marriage just because he wanted to make up for it?

“Sorry,” He Shixia said softly, then placed the clothes beside Ning Yichu. “You just woke up and you're still weak. Let me help you change, okay?”

Ning Yichu looked at the gauze on He Shixia’s neck, tilted his head slightly, and suddenly said, “If you had been like this in our past life, even if only a tenth of it had shown, I would've definitely fallen for you. But I’m naturally suspicious, so I probably would've doubted you even as I fell harder.”

He Shixia’s fingertips trembled slightly.

“But the you from back then was too stingy, and in this life, I don't need it anymore.” Ning Yichu smiled faintly. “Once you've died once, you stop worrying about all that meaningless stuff. Things like family, love, and friendship—none are as important as my own life.”

He Shixia swallowed the knot in his throat and nodded gently. “That's only natural.”

Ning Yichu: “So I also don’t believe that you, having died once yourself, would think I’m more important than your own life… Stop pretending to be a devoted lover, Film Emperor He. It’s exhausting to watch.”

He Shixia did not respond.

Ning Yichu had just woken up and indeed felt weak all over. He couldn’t be bothered to put on airs, so he let He Shixia help him change out of his pajamas. After all, they weren’t strangers to seeing each other naked. Besides, the pajamas he was wearing weren’t the ones he had on before—He Shixia must have changed them for him while he was sick.

He Shixia gently helped Ning Yichu into his clothes and suddenly spoke up, continuing the earlier conversation: “Some obsessions, once you've died, you let go of. For example, in your previous life, despite your seemingly sharp exterior, you actually cared deeply about how others saw you and valued emotional connections.”

Ning Yichu didn’t deny it, just scoffed. “Yeah, starved for affection.”

He Shixia lowered his gaze. “But some obsessions, after dying once, become even clearer. Given a second chance, they only become more consuming. Like my feelings for you… In my past life, I was too arrogant, only realizing my regret after it was too late. In this life, I have no right to expect your forgiveness. But… A Ning, I know you don’t believe me, but in this life, I only want to live for you.”

Ning Yichu was hearing such words for the first time and found it rather novel. He dropped his cold expression and looked at He Shixia with interest.

He Shixia met his eyes and said softly, “You can ask me to do anything, as long as it brings you satisfaction.”

A sudden idea struck Ning Yichu. “Then have an affair. I’ll bring reporters to catch you in the act. That way, when we divorce, everyone will know it’s because of your misconduct.”

“That’s not allowed,” He Shixia immediately replied.

Ning Yichu: “How boring.”

He Shixia smiled. “Having an unfaithful partner isn’t exactly something to be proud of either, is it? How did you come up with such an idea?”

“If you lose face, I’ll be satisfied. Didn’t you say you wanted me to be satisfied?” Ning Yichu retorted.

It was early September, and the weather still carried some lingering heat. However, Ning Yichu had a weak constitution and was sensitive to cold, and the mansion had air conditioning running throughout. So, He Shixia also fetched a light jacket for Ning Yichu.

As he helped Ning Yichu into the jacket, he leaned in slightly closer, his voice growing even gentler. “Want to ruin my reputation? There are plenty of ways. Aside from adultery or murder and robbery, I’m willing to cooperate.”

Ning Yichu casually grabbed He Shixia’s collar and tilted his head up slightly. “How did you explain the injury on your neck?”

He Shixia asked, “How would you like me to explain it?”

“Say you tried to rape me, and I injured you in self-defense to stop you. But I still got so scared I fell ill. How about that?” Ning Yichu said leisurely.

He Shixia smiled again. “Sure. But you’ll have to cover for me and not call the police.”

Ning Yichu released his collar. “How dull.”

He Shixia couldn’t help but gently stroke Ning Yichu’s head. “Shall I carry you downstairs?”

Ning Yichu pushed him away. “No need to wish me disabled so soon.”

He Shixia stood by the bed, watching as Ning Yichu turned to get out of bed and put on his slippers.

“With such a sharp tongue, you must have been holding back a lot in your previous life, huh?” He Shixia said with a pang of heartache.

Ning Yichu was creeped out by his tone. “Can you not be so sentimental?”

After saying this, Ning Yichu tried to stand up, but as soon as he did, his legs gave way weakly, and he fell back onto the bed.

Even more irritated, Ning Yichu couldn’t help muttering under his breath, “Go to hell…”

He Shixia, who had reached out to steady him, silently withdrew his hand. “It’s fine to curse others to go to hell, but using it as a catchphrase isn’t ideal. Maybe avoid tempting fate?”

Ning Yichu: “…Carry me out.”

He Shixia said gently, “It would be my honor.”

He Shixia’s “madness”—his decision to gift his shares in the He Corporation to Ning Yichu, along with reportedly all his other assets—had left the He family quite anxious.

To make matters worse, over the past few days, aside from having his assets organized, He Shixia had only stayed in his room taking care of the ill Ning Yichu, avoiding any communication with the rest of the family. Even his parents’ attempts to speak with him had failed to secure a moment of his time. Left with no other choice, the He family members had all remained in the old mansion, waiting to see how things would unfold.

This was the first time every member of the He family was "concerned" about Ning Yichu's condition, eagerly hoping he would wake up soon so He Shixia could turn his attention to properly clarifying the matter of the shares.

"What's the deal with Shixia, anyway?"

Downstairs at the moment, apart from He Shixia's parents who had gone to the He Corporation to handle work, the rest of the He family was at home, gathered together for afternoon tea.

Looking at its composition alone, the He family was much simpler than the Ning family—He Shixia's grandparents were still alive. Grandmother He and Grandfather He, who had married into the family, had only one son and one daughter. The eldest son was He Shixia's uncle, and the younger daughter was He Shixia's mother.

He Shixia's father was the one who married in, and with He Shixia's mother, they had only He Shixia as their sole son.

The person who started the conversation now was He Rulin, the third son of He Shixia's uncle, He Dingbang.

Although it was called afternoon tea, He Rulin held a wine glass in his hand.

He swirled the wine, saying leisurely, "Who knew he was so into Ning Yichu?"

He Rulin's eldest sister, He Ruxue, chuckled. "Tell me about it. I thought he was really forced into this marriage, but apparently not. It's quite strange."

"Whether he likes Ning Yichu or not doesn't matter. They're already married now, so they can fuss all they want. But stirring up trouble over the family shares is out of line, isn't it?" The fourth child, He Ruyue, said, glancing at Grandmother He in the main seat.

Neither Grandmother He nor Grandfather He spoke.

He Dingbang also smiled. "Although the shares are in Shixia's hands to arrange as he pleases, it really isn't very appropriate, don't you think, Weian and Qingshan? Mom, Dad, as grandparents, you can't stay out of it with Shixia forever."

He Weian was He Shixia's mother. Tang Qingshan was He Shixia's father.

"Who knows what Sixth Brother is thinking? Aunt and Uncle are his own parents, and even they can't get an answer... Is Sixth Brother that old-fashioned? Once married, regardless of whether he likes it or not, he has to hand over all his money for his 'wife' to manage?" muttered He Ruzhu, the youngest of the generation and He Dingbang's sixth son.

Although he was He Dingbang's sixth son, when ranking all the grandchildren of the He family, He Ruzhu was seventh, with He Shixia being sixth.

The fifth child, He Rufeng, laughed. "That's not old-fashioned; he's clearly lost his mind!"

"Rufeng," Grandmother He called out to her.

Grandmother He was still the matriarch, and Grandfather He, who had married in, couldn't override her. Among the current grandchildren, Grandmother He favored the eldest granddaughter, He Ruxue, and the only son of her daughter and son-in-law, He Shixia.

He Dingbang knew his mother doted on He Shixia, so he deflected: "Rufeng didn't mean to insult Shixia. It's just... Shixia's actions are really a bit hard to understand."

He Dingbang put on a show of concern, looking like a caring elder. "How Ning Yichu entered our family is known to everyone. I already thought it was a bad idea when Shixia didn't sign a prenup. And now this—they've only been married two days, and Shixia not only wants to give him other assets but even transfer his shares. It's worrying... Maybe Shixia had a moment of weakness and was tricked by something Ning Yichu said?"

"Dad, do you think Shixia is like you? Once you roll into bed, you lose your mind and agree to anything. Though even you aren't stupid enough to hand over your entire fortune, are you?" He Rulin interjected.

He successfully made his father's face flush with anger. "You little shit! How dare you speak to your father like that!"

He Rulin: "I'm just saying... I wonder how Ning Yichu's illness is progressing. I'm really worried whether the child in his belly will be affected."

The fourth child, He Ruyue, said quietly, "So concerned? Is the child in his belly yours?"

He Rulin snorted with laughter. "Don't say that. If Ning Yichu had agreed to get into my bed earlier, it really might not be certain whose child he'd have conceived first. But unfortunately, his standards were higher. He turned down the olive branch I offered, preferring to climb to someone higher. And look, he really managed it, didn't he? The shares are almost in his hands."

"Enough! This is getting more and more outrageous!" Grandmother He said displeasedly. "No matter what, he is Shixia's other half now. Rulin, what kind of indecent talk is this?"

"Don't be angry, Grandmother," He Rulin said, taking a sip of wine. "I've had too much to drink; I'm talking nonsense."

He Ruyue took a bite of dessert and suddenly said, "Is Shixia using the shares as bait for his wife? He can't be stupid enough to actually give them to him. It's just that Ning Yichu hasn't woken up, and there's no audience for a performance, so he hasn't explained things to us. Once Ning Yichu wakes up, if we oppose Shixia in front of him, he'll probably take the opportunity to back down. After all, would Ning Yichu really have the nerve to accept the shares?"