Jiang Si’s sudden rush into the room startled A’man, who had been peeking through the door crack.

“M-Miss?”

Her mistress hadn’t panicked even when committing arson and murder at Jinshui River, so what could Young Master Yu have said to frighten her like this?

Jiang Si ignored A’man’s call, her mind filled with Yu Jin’s words: “I don’t have feelings for any Holy Maiden. The one I care for is the Fourth Miss of the East Peace Earl’s Manor—Jiang Si.”

Her first thought was that it was impossible.

Back then, when Yu Qi interacted with her, he had initially approached her as a stranger.

At that time, she was assuming the identity of the Holy Maiden A’sang. Although she felt guilty, she consoled herself that even if this man believed he cared for A’sang, it didn’t matter. After all, it was Jiang Si who had interacted with him from beginning to end, Jiang Si who had grown increasingly familiar with him, and Jiang Si who had fallen in mutual love with him.

She couldn’t mention a word about her past in the capital. For her, the Holy Maiden’s identity was a new life, a chance for happiness anew. Since she had taken on the Holy Maiden’s identity, why should she care about the name her beloved used? It was enough that he cared for her as a person.

But later she learned that Yu Qi had known A’sang long, long ago. From the very beginning, he knew she wasn’t A’sang. His initial pretense of unfamiliarity was merely to lower her guard and make it easier to get close to her.

The Holy Maiden was dead, and finding solace in a woman who resembled the deceased beloved was a form of comfort.

These words were spoken to her with a contemptuous sneer by Wulan, A’sang’s maid.

She didn’t want to believe a single word spoken by others, even when she accidentally discovered A’sang’s portrait in a hidden compartment in Yu Qi’s study. She still refused to give up hope.

She knew then that Wulan’s words were likely true.

That portrait was quite old. The girl in the painting was only twelve or thirteen, in the bloom of youth, with bright eyes and white teeth, snow-white skin, and jet-black hair. A red mole between her brows was particularly vivid, adding a touch of allure to the young girl who had not yet fully matured.

The most obvious difference between her and A’sang at first glance was that A’sang had a red mole between her brows, while she did not. When she assumed A’sang’s identity, that red mole was painted on.

Moreover, there was one point Jiang Si couldn’t deceive herself about: she had never met Yu Qi when she was twelve or thirteen. If she still tried to convince herself that the girl in the painting was her and not A’sang, it would be not just laughable, but pitiful.

She, Jiang Si, could accept not being liked, could accept being schemed against and used as someone else’s substitute, but she couldn’t be a pitiful, laughable person living in a false reality.

This was probably the root of her pain, to the extent that all of Yu Qi’s kindness towards her couldn’t alleviate this endless suffering. In fact, the kinder he was to her, the angrier she became.

Later, when she heard him say with her ears that the one he cared for was the Holy Maiden, she completely gave up hope and accepted her fate.

At that time, she had thought more than once that if everything could start over before she had fallen for him, or even if she had fallen for him but hadn’t married him yet, she would never be with this bastard again.

And now, he was telling her that the one he had always cared for was Jiang Si.

Jiang Si raised her hand, gently touching her brows with her fingertips.

It was smooth and flat there, with no red mole, so there was no possibility of mistaken identity.

Should she believe his words or not?

Jiang Si leaned against the wooden door, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.

She probably would believe him.

Although that bastard had thick skin and could spout sweet nothings endlessly, there was one thing she understood about him: when he spoke with that expression and tone, he was serious.

If that was the case, then what about her previous life?

Jiang Si closed her eyes, and the image of Yu Jin appeared in her mind.

It was Yu Jin from her previous life, compared to now when he hadn’t completely shed his youthful innocence. Back then, he had grown into a young man with increasingly sharp features.

When she was cold towards him, the man who appeared frosty to others would reveal eyes as pitiful as a small animal’s, and then use this look along with heart-fluttering words to soften her heart.

Back then… did he also like Jiang Si?

Jiang Si had never felt so confused since her rebirth, even more so than when the fate of the Marquis and Marchioness of Yongchang turned out completely different from her previous life.

Countless thoughts swirled in her mind as she dazedly left the doorway and walked inside, sitting down at the eight-immortals table in the main hall and drinking a cup of cold tea.

A’man was truly frightened by Jiang Si’s reaction. She quietly glanced at her mistress, then tiptoed out of the room, quickly running to Yu Jin and putting her hands on her hips, asking, “Young Master Yu, what exactly did you say to my Miss to frighten her like that?”

The young man, who seemed to have been under a petrification spell, finally came to his senses at the little maid’s questioning, his dark eyes moving slightly.

Come to think of it, he was the one who had been frightened. When A’si suddenly stood up earlier, he thought he was going to get a beating…

“Say something!” A’man stomped her foot impatiently.

Yu Jin gave A’man a cool glance and walked past her toward the room.

A’man chased after him but was shut out with a bang when she reached the door.

A’man rubbed her nose and turned to sit on the stone steps, resting her chin on her hand and pondering: Based on her experience, her Miss wouldn’t be at a disadvantage. Moreover, Young Master Yu not only had a handsome face but also a large dog that could find money pouches. With these two advantages, she rather hoped her Miss and Young Master Yu would become a couple.

Yu Jin walked in step by step, coming to sit across from Jiang Si, who still showed no reaction.

“Were you really that scared?”

Jiang Si blinked and stared at him steadily.

That gaze was too complex as if thousands of emotions were fused, overflowing from a pair of exquisite bright eyes, almost too much to contain, enough to drown the person looking into them.

Yu Jin was momentarily at a loss, mumbling, “I was just clarifying a misunderstanding, not forcing you to accept me right away. How did it frighten you so much?”

To frighten the person you love into a daze by confessing your feelings—probably not many people in the world could achieve that.

The young woman across from him fluttered her eyelashes, finally showing a reaction: “Was what you just said true?”

Just now?

A’si asking like this, could it be that she cared deeply about who he truly loved? Didn’t this mean that A’si had him in her heart?

A secret joy instantly surged through Yu Jin’s heart, making it beat rapidly.

He could hear his heartbeat, and so could she.

“Is it true?” Jiang Si asked again as if summoning all the courage from her past and present lives.

The young man across from her, as straight and handsome as a green bamboo, raised his hand and gently rubbed her head, sighing, “Silly girl, why would I lie to you? If I liked some so-called Holy Maiden, why would I keep making a fool of myself in front of you every day?”

Jiang Si opened her mouth, but didn’t ask the question: Maybe because the Holy Maiden was dead?

In this life, she had no reason to know that the Holy Maiden was no longer in this world.

At this moment, she heard Yu Jin say in a calm voice, “Let me tell you a secret.”