Late at night, a fine drizzle began outside the window. Lin Banxia leaned against the window, her gaze coldly fixed on the rainy night outside.
The joy of surviving death and being reborn had slowly faded, replaced in her heart by anger, resentment, and hatred.
But the most vivid memory was the painful entanglement with Huo Yanting at the hotel before she died.
Three years of marriage, and her purity had been given to someone else.
He said he loved her, said he wanted to marry her—was it true? Or was it all just lies?
Her sports car had just been serviced; the brakes couldn't possibly fail. The only explanation was that someone had tampered with her car.
Who?
There was no point in pursuing this question anymore, but Lin Banxia wasn't foolish. She knew exactly who benefited most from her death.
The fear of cold water flooding her organs still remained vivid, the suffocating pain etched into her very bones, impossible to forget.
Once, she had been a fool, manipulated and played by them. But now, she would become the one wielding the whip, beating them bloody.
From now on, every step she took had to be calm, calculated. She couldn't afford to be a clueless victim anymore.
Lin Banxia clenched her fists. Suddenly, a cold and regal male face surfaced in her mind.
The most unforgettable thing was the man's deep and enigmatic eyes, always hiding an unfathomable light that left her guessing.
Every time she was in disgrace, he always seemed to witness it. And he always gazed at her, inscrutable as an emperor, repeating the same question: "Do you regret it?"
In the past, Lin Banxia couldn't understand why he kept asking her that. She thought he was mocking her.
Now, she felt that he wasn't mocking her. Maybe he'd truly fallen for this foolish woman.
The entwined passion before she died—it had begun with shame and anger and had now settled into tranquility.
She neither hated nor loved Huo Yanting anymore. Perhaps she even owed him gratitude; at least she hadn't lost completely. Huo Qinglin slept with her cousin, and she slept with his cousin. It didn't seem that unfair.
"Huo Yanting, in this life, will you still love me?" Lin Banxia muttered mockingly to herself.
But she quickly dismissed the thought.
What was Huo Yanting's standing? The ruler of the Huo Family, the most prestigious figure, the city's most powerful man.
How could she fantasize about being with him? It was nothing but a daydream.
"No, I can't entertain such ridiculous thoughts!" Lin Banxia shook her head forcefully, throwing the notion away.
No matter what Huo Yanting's attitude toward her had been before, now she had to be cautious with every step she took.
She could no longer pin her hopes on men. The only person she could trust was herself.
The painful lessons of her past life were engraved deeply in this one. She had to forsake love and protect what was most precious to her.
The next morning, Lin Banxia drove out.
She was shopping for a birthday gift for Mrs. Huo.
The vintage cheongsam worth over sixty thousand yuan that she'd bought earlier—she had taken it back to the shop for a refund, stuffing the cash tightly into her bag, heavy with its weight.
The sales assistant at the boutique watched her leave with a contemptuous glance.
Sneering: "What kind of person demands cash? Fortunately, our shop is upscale enough to have that much cash available for her."
Lin Banxia stood at a bustling intersection in the pedestrian street, one hand on her hip, the other lightly tapping a nearby post, deep in thought.
What gift should she give that old woman?
Ah, she'd give her a hand warmer. Economical and practical—surely the old lady could use it, right?