Shen Miao’s awakening nearly shocked the entire imperial court.

A person who had been sleeping day after day, with no sign of ever waking up again. When everyone had given up hope, who would have thought that at this exact moment, while Xie Jingxing took the two children out for a spring outing, Shen Miao would wake up on her own? When the two returned to the palace, it nearly scared everyone’s teeth out.

Shen Xin and his wife, along with Shen Qiu, came out to see Shen Miao standing properly before them. Luo Xueyuan immediately embraced Shen Miao and burst into tears. Though Shen Xin and Shen Qiu stood stunned for a long while and were not as emotionally expressive as Luo Xueyuan, they couldn’t help but redden their eyes.

Luo Tan clapped her hands as she reached out to touch Shen Miao’s hair, saying, “Is this real? I’m not seeing things, am I? Gao Yang, pinch me and see if this is real?”

Gao Yang wasn’t there, as she had gone to fetch Gao Zhan.

After Gao Zhan arrived and checked Shen Miao’s pulse, he clicked his tongue in amazement, saying, “Her Majesty the Empress’s pulse is stable, and she is completely fine now.”

Everyone finally let out a long sigh of relief.

The Shen family had arrived in Great Liang shortly after Xie Jingxing ascended the throne, and upon learning about Shen Miao’s extended unconsciousness, they were unable to accept it. They insisted on taking Shen Miao to seek out every famous doctor in the world, thinking that Xie Jingxing couldn’t possibly let an unconscious person be Empress. Even if she became Empress, people’s hearts change easily, and he might take other women into his harem. Shen Xin was determined to take Shen Miao away.

But Xie Jingxing refused under any circumstances. He even knelt to beg Shen Xin, and ultimately threatened him with the Moyu Army, nearly coming to blows with Shen Xin.

It was Luo Tan and Luo Xueyuan who finally persuaded them, mentioning the children, First and Fifteen. Shen Xin had no choice, but he also feared that someone might take advantage of Shen Miao’s unconscious state to create trouble and cause her to suffer. So he simply handed over the Shen and Luo armies to Luo Ling to manage, while his family took up long-term residence in the palace to watch over Shen Miao and prevent any mishaps.

This was somewhat against protocol, but Xie Jingxing was happy to allow it. Having people to keep Shen Miao company and talk to her was a good thing. Over the past half year, Shen Xin’s family had seen with their own eyes that Xie Jingxing treated Shen Miao exactly as he had before, and gradually they put their minds at ease, even as they sighed with sorrow.

When these matters were mentioned, Shen Miao felt a mix of emotions. She never imagined that when she woke up, she would see her own family. Everyone was safe and sound, with peace all around—it was already a blessing she dared not imagine.

“Sister-in-law,” Ji Yushu said, “Now that you’re awake, those court officials won’t dare to talk nonsense all day long. You don’t know how His Majesty has dealt with Longye’s officials these past six months.”

Xie Jingxing gave him a leisurely glance and said, “Talking too much.”

Ji Yushu immediately fell silent. Ever since Shen Miao had fallen into deep sleep, Xie Jingxing had shown no patience for anyone except the Shen family and his two precious children, First and Fifteen. Jokes were out of the question. His methods of dealing with people had become increasingly severe. Naturally, no one dared to provoke him.

“You’ve asked enough, now go back,” Xie Jingxing coldly observed as everyone chattered. “It’s late today, don’t disturb my Empress’s rest.”

He emphasized “my Empress” very heavily.

Seeing this, Shen Qiu was about to roll up his sleeves and fight with Xie Jingxing. Over the past half year, the two of them had frequently engaged in combat behind the scenes, supposedly as practice, but it was actually to vent their frustrations. Shen Qiu was resentful that Shen Miao couldn’t wake up because of Xie Jingxing; if she hadn’t been with Xie Jingxing in the first place, it would have been better. Xie Jingxing was annoyed that Shen Qiu was meddling in his affairs—why should outsiders have any say over his wife? Not even her eldest brother.

Now, seeing Xie Jingxing assert his authority as soon as Shen Miao returned, Shen Qiu felt displeased.

But then Luo Xueyuan said, “What he says makes sense. Jiaojiao has just awakened, and with all of us talking at once and asking so many questions, she must be feeling dizzy. Let’s let her rest for a while. After all, there’s plenty of time ahead, and we can talk slowly.”

Shen Miao wanted to hear about what had happened over the past six months, but then she thought it couldn’t all be explained at once anyway. It was better to take it slowly—there was plenty of time.

Everyone then agreed to disperse, and Shen Miao returned to her chambers.

She went to bathe first, with Jingzhe and the others attending to her. As they served her, they were wiping away tears, looking at her with eyes full of tears, saying, “My… Your Majesty has finally awakened. We servants had just been thinking, if only we could serve Your Majesty in her bath once more, not knowing if Heaven would grant us this opportunity. To think that Heaven truly has compassion, willing to give us servants another chance… Your Majesty, from now on, we will serve you like this every day…”

Shen Miao didn’t know that bathing once would make these maids weep so uncontrollably, leaving her both amused and helpless. So she comforted these maids with gentle words, knowing well that her six-month sleep had frightened them.

After drying her body and wringing her hair dry, Shen Miao put on her clothes and went out, asking the wet nurse to bring First and Fifteen over. The two children were placed on the bed. They had often been held by Xie Jingxing to be close to Shen Miao, and although Shen Miao had never awakened, the children were not at all unfamiliar with her scent. They smiled at her, curiously reaching out with their soft little hands to touch her hair.

Shen Miao’s heart melted at the sight of these two children. She extended her finger to play with them. Since they were twins, and equally lively, the wet nurse couldn’t tell them apart, so she dressed them in different clothes. First wore a blue coat, and Fifteen wore a red one.

First grabbed Shen Miao’s finger and giggled.

Shen Miao laughed with a “pfft.”

Xie Jingxing had just returned from outside when he saw Shen Miao lying on the bed, laughing happily as she gazed at the two little ones.

He walked over and said with disdain, “Did sleeping for half a year make you stupid? You’re laughing like a fool.”

“I’m looking at my sons,” Shen Miao glanced at him coldly. “What does it have to do with you?”

“They’re my sons too,” Xie Jingxing raised an eyebrow. “Without me, how could you have given birth to them?”

Shen Miao couldn’t be bothered to respond to him and happily played with First and Fifteen. Xie Jingxing took off his outer robe, walked over, and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, saying, “Those two little fools, nothing worth looking at.”

“Haven’t you given them names yet? First and Fifteen as milk names are too casual,” Shen Miao complained. “Did you just casually pick these?”

“Who says I picked them casually?” Xie Jingxing said. “I’m saving their names for you to choose when you wake up.”

“What if I never woke up?”

Xie Jingxing said lazily, “Then they’d just be called Xie First and Xie Fifteen.”

Shen Miao: “…”

The two little ones on the bed, as if understanding Xie Jingxing’s words, protested with “Ya ya” sounds.

Shen Miao quickly reached out to comfort them, but Xie Jingxing grabbed her arm and pulled her back into his embrace, saying, “Half a year without seeing each other, and you don’t miss me? You’re so cold.”

Shen Miao paused for a moment, suddenly turned around, broke free from Xie Jingxing’s embrace, and stood up. She crossed her arms, giving him a half-smile as she stared at Xie Jingxing.

Xie Jingxing suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

She said, “Young Master Xie, do you know what you’ve done?”

Xie Jingxing was puzzled: “What have I done?”

Shen Miao gave a cold laugh.

…

Summer flowers were beautiful, with butterflies dancing and bees flying about. Birdsong and fragrant flowers were everywhere, the streets were crowded, and swift horses galloped past. The lively calls of vendors echoed from the east to west of the city, everywhere was filled with joy.

Shen Miao wore a yellow long-sleeved robe with colorful floral embroidery scattered across it. The garment was already bright in color, and with the complex embroidery added, it appeared cluttered. With her head full of gold and silver ornaments and her heavy makeup, she looked especially… foolish.

People passing by occasionally glanced at her, their expressions mocking.

Shen Miao’s gaze was somewhat bewildered.

Just a moment ago, she had been in the palace of Great Liang, on the verge of death from childbirth, thinking she was dying. But the next moment, she was on this bustling street.

She recognized this street—it was in Dinjing City of Ming Qi.

What was going on? From Longye to Dinjing was certainly not a journey that could be made in the blink of an eye. Could she be dreaming?

But Shen Miao knew it wasn’t a dream. Jingzhe and Guyu followed behind her, both maids with cautious expressions. Shen Miao looked at the clothes she was wearing… it seemed she had returned to long ago, so long ago that… she had just begun to be infatuated with Fu Xiuyi?

Could it be that her previous belief of having relived her life was the real dream? A dream of golden millet, which was real and which was the dream?

Shen Miao felt a bit dizzy. She raised her hand to her forehead, and Guyu saw this and was startled, asking, “Miss, are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

Shen Miao shook her head, about to speak when she saw a familiar figure walking around the corner. That person wore tattered clothes, held a whisk, swaying his head, muttering something incomprehensible and mysterious. Shen Miao’s eyes brightened, and without saying a word, she ran toward that person.

Jingzhe and Guyu couldn’t stop her in time and could only follow, watching helplessly as Shen Miao approached the person.

“Daoist Chiye!” Shen Miao called out.

The strange Daoist turned around, with a smiling face—it was Daoist Chiye.

Daoist Chiye saw her and looked very surprised, asking, “Madam, how did you get here?”

Shen Miao noticed that he said “Madam” and not “Miss.”

Jingzhe said angrily, “Who are you calling Madam? Don’t shout carelessly. Our Miss is not yet married!”

But Shen Miao stopped Jingzhe’s words and said to Daoist Chiye, “Daoist, let’s talk privately.”

“Miss!” Jingzhe and Guyu stomped their feet anxiously.

Shen Miao raised her brow: “Listen to me!”

Her eyes suddenly became sharp, and the two maids were stunned into silence.

Shen Miao and Daoist Chiye went to a broken temple, with Jingzhe and Guyu guarding outside. Shen Miao looked at Daoist Chiye, hesitated for a moment, but still asked, “Daoist, you recognize me, don’t you?”

“I’ve met Madam three times,” the Daoist extended his hand to make the number “three.”

Once in her previous life, twice since her rebirth—that would indeed be three times. Shen Miao quickly asked, “Daoist, do you know what’s happening? Why am I here?”

She had been perfectly fine, with her life force nearly exhausted, so how did she return to Ming Qi’s Dinjing, back to the very beginning? Could it be that everything with Xie Jingxing, and all that happened in Great Liang, including giving birth to children, was just a dream of golden millet? If it was a dream, it seemed too real.

“Madam’s fate is very special,” the Daoist said. “Although there was a chance to start over, it disturbed the order of fate, thus creating a life tribulation. The previous one was resolved, but now comes the final tribulation. It concerns no one else, only Madam herself.”

Shen Miao frowned: “What does the Daoist mean?”

“In your previous life, someone prayed for a chance for you to start over. However, in the myriad possibilities of the world, you could meet, know, and fall in love with the person from your restarted life, or you could also meet, know, and fall in love with someone else. Madam, you have two choices.”

Shen Miao clenched her fist: “What choices?”

“Right now, Madam’s ‘other body’ is probably in a deep sleep. You can choose to stay in this dream, seek another possibility, start over from now, and choose another life. However, your ‘other body’ would then remain in eternal sleep.”

“What’s the other possibility?” Shen Miao asked.

“You find the man destined for you, make the man in this dream believe you too, and take him back to Great Liang, to the imperial palace. The moment you step into the imperial palace of Great Liang, your ‘other body’ will wake up.”

Shen Miao was stunned.

“But this is very difficult,” the Daoist stroked his beard. “Right now, this man is a stranger to you. Convincing him to go to Great Liang with you is very challenging.”

Shen Miao had a headache: “This is simply impossible.”

With Xie Jingxing’s character—sharp, suspicious—he would never easily trust others. Even after her rebirth, Shen Miao had struggled with Xie Jingxing for quite some time. Now… Shen Miao looked at her current attire, and it would be strange if Xie Jingxing believed her.

“Madam, I’ve said all I can,” the strange Daoist said. “Madam can, of course, choose to stay in this dream. This dream is identical to reality, and Madam can stay here to live out a lifetime, start anew—it’s much simpler. If you choose the second path, it will be much more difficult.”

Shen Miao lowered her head, and after a while said, “Daoist, do you still have red strings? Could you give me two?”

Daoist Chiye was startled, looking Shen Miao up and down as if he didn’t recognize her, then suddenly smiled and said, “So Madam still wants to choose that path?”

“Of course I could live like this. Living here would be fine too,” Shen Miao smiled slightly. “But even if there are a million possibilities in the world, if in one of those million, he is sad because of me, I would not wish for that. If he doesn’t know me, I’ll get to know him first.”

“If the mountain won’t come to me, I’ll go to the mountain. Daoist, you gave me a fate, but the fate is gone, so I’ll go find it myself,” she said.

Daoist Chiye said, “Love makes fools! Since that’s the case, this poor Daoist will give you another fate! How about that?” He took out two red strings from his bosom: “Madam, I wish you success.”

Shen Miao curtsied and turned to leave.

…

Jingzhe and Guyu had been feeling strange these days.

First, Shen Miao had changed her former habit of wearing gold and silver, opting instead for more mature colors, which looked quite good on her. Second, she was no longer completely obedient to the second and third branches of the family, and most of the time, she didn’t even bother to engage with them.

Third, while she had previously been constantly asking about the Prince of Din, lately she hadn’t mentioned him at all, as if she had completely forgotten such a person existed.

Finally, she had recently been wandering the streets often.

Shen Miao was even more troubled than Jingzhe and Guyu.

Xie Jingxing had a habit of roaming about—visiting brothels one day, attending banquets the next—though she knew this was all part of his disguise. However, with her current mindset, seeing Xie Jingxing attracting bees and butterflies like this, she still wanted to kick him a couple of times.

But to track Xie Jingxing’s whereabouts, she had to secretly follow him. Over the past half month, she had gone to different places every day, almost touring all of Dinjing City.

One evening, Shen Miao had Jingzhe and Guyu wait at another end while she went to wait at the entrance of the Linan Marquis Mansion.

She disguised herself as a man, with a clean and neat style. Since everyone in Dinjing knew her as a bejeweled fool, they naturally wouldn’t connect her, the Fifth Miss of the Shen family, with this disguise.

From a distance, she saw Xie Jingxing returning on horseback.

Beside him were Gaoyang and Ji Yushu.

As expected of a young master who frequented brothels, he immediately spotted that she was a woman disguised as a man. Ji Yushu even whistled and laughed, “Third Brother, another beauty has come to pursue you.”

Shen Miao: “…”

Xie Jingxing dismounted, glanced at her—though his intentions were unclear—and was about to walk inside. Shen Miao grabbed him: “Young Master Xie!”

Xie Jingxing stopped in his tracks.

“Let’s talk,” she said.

Inside the room, Xie Jingxing poured her a cup of tea, lazily staring at her as he said, “Shen Miao, Fifth Miss Shen, you’ve been following me for half a month. Don’t tell me you’ve fallen in love with me?”

His words were frivolous, but his eyes were sharp, as always, revealing his cutting edge. He had already thoroughly investigated her identity, yet spoke of it lightly as if nothing mattered.

Shen Miao had a headache.

To allow the “her” in Great Liang to wake up soon, she needed to quickly lure Xie Jingxing to Longye, and the dream would end. But in this dream, Xie Jingxing was still as mischievous and suspicious as ever. How should she phrase it?

Should she say she was Xie Jingxing’s wife? That she had even borne him two children? Would Xie Jingxing think she had lost her mind?

She said, “Young Master Xie, could you… Accompany me to Great Liang?”

Before she finished speaking, a powerful gust came from the front. Shen Miao hadn’t reacted before her throat was gripped. His voice was cold, carrying an unspoken killing intent: “What do you know?”

Shen Miao could barely breathe.

She knew it would be like this! With Xie Jingxing’s domineering personality, he wouldn’t listen no matter what she said. She couldn’t even explain!

Seeing her struggling to breathe, and indeed having no martial arts skills, Xie Jingxing slightly loosened his grip. Shen Miao, both angry and anxious, shouted, “Bastard!”

Xie Jingxing’s eyes flashed: “You’re quite bold.”

“Bastard! Scoundrel! Shameless! Ungrateful! Wolf-hearted dog-lunged…” She cursed without stopping.

Xie Jingxing was dumbfounded and unconsciously completely released his hands. After a moment, he laughed and said, “Miss Shen, I don’t believe I’ve offended you.”

Shen Miao covered her throat and said, “Take me to Great Liang.”

Xie Jingxing was about to get angry again, but Shen Miao quickly said, “Take me to Great Liang, and I’ll tell you what I know.”

Xie Jingxing crossed his arms, coldly looking at her, smiling slightly: “Sorry, I have no interest in what you know.” He sat back down at the table, leisurely drinking tea: “But today I’ll spare your life. If I find you have other plans… Miss Shen knows, I’m not a good person.”

Shen Miao was slightly startled.

“I’m not a good person”—Xie Jingxing had said those words to her before.

“Miss Shen, aren’t you leaving? Want to spend the night in my mansion?” he asked with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. “I have no objections.”

Shen Miao said, “Shameless!” and stormed out angrily.

After Shen Miao left, Xie Jingxing’s face suddenly turned cold. He said, “Iron Clothes.”

A black-clad person appeared in response.

“Investigate the Shen family, Shen Miao,” he ordered.

The black-clad person accepted the mission and left.

…

Pursuing Xie Jingxing was very difficult for Shen Miao.

Whether the real Xie Jingxing or the one in her dream, they were equally hateful, always making Shen Miao grind her teeth in anger. Especially in the dream.

Now in this dream, Shen Miao was just a stranger to Xie Jingxing. Before that, she had been notorious, foolish, and had even liked Fu Xiuyi. If she changed her image now, he would find it inconsistent with others’ descriptions and would only think she was deeply scheming, possibly even knowing his true identity, planning something unknown.

Xie Jingxing was wary of her, making it not so easy to get close to him. Shen Miao had no choice but to go out every day to secretly follow him, finding ways to exchange a word or two with him.

Xie Jingxing also knew she was following him but pretended not to notice. However, Gaoyang and Ji Yushu knew about this and often teased him with meaningful remarks.

On the third day of the seventh month, it was Xie Jingxing’s birthday.

Shen Miao naturally knew that the young master of the Linan Marquis Mansion didn’t celebrate his birthday on this day. But the Prince Rui of Great Liang did celebrate on this day.

She felt that in the real world, on Xie Jingxing’s birthday, she had been at odds with Madam Mei and Xie Jingxing, and after they had made up, Xie Jingxing had been worried because of an assassin. Since that was the case, why not take advantage of this dream to give Xie Jingxing a make-up birthday celebration.

She left home early and went to Yanyu Pavilion to order a banquet.

She had many gold and silver ornaments, all of which she pawned. A banquet at Yanyu Pavilion cost thousands of gold, making Jingzhe and Guyu almost red-eyed with anxiety, but Shen Miao wouldn’t listen.

It was just a dream, and in reality, gold and silver were external things, let alone in a dream?

She thought that when evening came, she would drag Xie Jingxing over, and at the banquet table, perhaps they could talk properly and discuss the Great Liang matter. The entanglements were too complex—even if she explained, Xie Jingxing wouldn’t understand, and might think she was talking nonsense. It needed careful consideration.

She followed Xie Jingxing to Qianjin Tower, where he was drinking with several noble sons of Dinjing, when she saw Qin Qing.

The daughter of the Left Censor-in-Chief, Qin Qing, had once painted with Shen Miao during a school examination. Qin Qing was beautiful, wearing a blue wide-sleeved cotton embroidered robe with a yellow belt at her waist, accentuating her slender waist that seemed less than a handful, and her flowing robes gave her a somewhat immortal air.

Qin Qing had always been proud of her beauty, rarely regarding ordinary people, but now she sat with her elder brother, her gaze unconsciously wandering to Xie Jingxing. Where was her usual pride? It was all tender affection.

Only a fool wouldn’t see that Qin Qing had feelings for Xie Jingxing, and Qin’s elder brother was intentionally trying to match them, deliberately making room for Qin Qing to sit next to Xie Jingxing.

Watching from a distance, Shen Miao could see Qin Qing and Xie Jingxing talking, though she couldn’t hear what they were saying. Xie Jingxing smiled charmingly, while Qin Qing shyly nodded. From afar, they truly looked like a perfect couple.

Shen Miao’s eyes began to burn.

She knew this was a dream, and she knew that Xie Jingxing neither recognized nor liked her at the moment, so his flirtations with others shouldn’t matter—she had no right to intervene. But she still felt sad, wondering if in the real world of Great Liang, there might also be beautiful women by Xie Jingxing’s side in the future, sharing fragrant companionship and domestic bliss.

In the millions of possibilities in the world, he couldn’t possibly choose her every time.

She closed her eyes, finding the scene of toasts and exchanges of cups too painful to watch, and she stood up and left the table.

She walked and walked until she reached Yanyu Pavilion.

The banquet reserved at Yanyu Pavilion was the best, with a good location on the highest floor. Looking out the window, one could see fireworks and the moon.

Shen Miao entered alone, and in the vast banquet hall, only she sat there desolately. The exquisite dishes filled the table, looking magnificent, yet they couldn’t hide her loneliness.

She poured herself a glass of wine.

The wine was fine, a rich osmanthus brew, sweet and with a lingering aftertaste.

She drank slowly, looking at the moon with each cup.

The moon in the dream was so beautiful. In the real world, who was Xie Jingxing watching the moon with?

She drank a lot, until her head felt heavy, until she didn’t even hear the footsteps behind her.

She heard a mocking voice from behind.

“Wow, the Shen family is truly wealthy. Even when Miss Shen dines alone, she must reserve such a high-ranking banquet at Yanyu Pavilion.”

Shen Miao turned around to see Xie Jingxing with a smile at the corners of his lips, walking in unhurriedly.

She frowned.

Xie Jingxing’s gaze swept over the empty wine bottles on the table, one after another, tilted in disarray, and he teased, “Drinking so much, is Miss Shen in a bad mood?”

Shen Miao stared at him directly.

Xie Jingxing bent slightly, his eyes level with Shen Miao’s, seeing her slightly reddened eye rims. He was momentarily surprised, then said, “Could it be because of me?”

Shen Miao still didn’t speak.

Xie Jingxing mused, “Because of Qin Qing?”

Before he finished speaking, Shen Miao suddenly threw herself into his arms.

She wrapped her arms tightly around Xie Jingxing’s waist, her face buried in his chest. It was a familiar body, so why did he speak to her in such an unfamiliar tone?

She sobbed and cursed, “Shameless, are you planning to divorce me? When you married me, you clearly said there would be no other women in the future, one life, one world, one pair. Xie Jingxing is a liar! You tricked me into marrying you, and now you’re attracting bees and butterflies. My elder brother and father will beat you up! Bastard, bastard, bastard!”

Xie Jingxing was shocked and said, “When did I ever say…”

But Shen Miao was holding him and crying so bitterly that Xie Jingxing swallowed the rest of what he was going to say.

The young woman in his arms was crying so sadly, her body shaking, clearly truly angered. Her hands tightly held his waist, like a child who refused to let go. Xie Jingxing hesitated for a moment before extending his hand, intending to gently pat this young woman’s shoulder.

She was the Fifth daughter of the Shen family, known to all as a stupid fool. The Shen family had no dealings with him, and he paid them no attention. Who would have thought that one day he would be targeted by Shen Miao, who always acted as if they were close friends? Xie Jingxing was baffled and increasingly suspicious, especially since Shen Miao seemed to know his secret about Great Liang.

But somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to be harsh with her.

When Iron Clothes told him she was drunk at Yanyu Pavilion, he had inexplicably followed.

Xie Jingxing frowned as he looked at the person in his arms. Her warm body seemed to warm his heart a degree or two. But he felt strange, as if this posture was familiar, as if he had done this before.

Where had he done this before? In a dream?

He hesitantly, uncertainly asked, “Shen Miao, have I… held you like this before?”

The crying in his arms abruptly stopped.

Shen Miao raised her head from his embrace, staring at him intently.

In the moonlight, her eyes were red and swollen, yet they sparkled, as if new hope had appeared amid despair—it was very moving.

She stood on tiptoe, reached out to grab Xie Jingxing’s collar, pulled him close to her, and suddenly kissed him.

“You’ve also kissed me like this,” she said.

…

Later, Shen Miao pestered Xie Jingxing until he had no choice but to agree to take her to Great Liang.

Perhaps in that dream, when Xie Jingxing and Shen Miao woke up one morning and people found them missing, the citizens of Ming Qi might think they had eloped.

But what did that matter? Once they reached the imperial palace of Great Liang, the dream would end.

During that nearly half-year journey, Shen Miao also told Xie Jingxing of the dream everything about herself. She didn’t know if Xie Jingxing would believe her.

After listening, Xie Jingxing said nothing, but one night, he spoke to Shen Miao.

He said, “That Daoist was wrong.”

Shen Miao was confused: “What?”

“In a million possibilities, I would only choose you,” he smiled wryly, taking one of the red strings from Shen Miao’s hand and tying it on himself. “Let’s hurry along. Don’t make the me in reality wait too long, Shen Jiaojiao.”

…

Xie Jingxing was dumbfounded as he listened to the story.

Shen Miao glanced at him sideways: “In that dream possibility, you were attracting bees and butterflies, visiting brothels daily, bullying me constantly, not believing anything I said, being suspicious of me, and even choking my neck. Xie Jingxing, do you know what you’ve done?”

Her tone of accusation left Xie Jingxing speechless. After a while, he said, “That was the dream version of me, not me.”

“The dream version is also you!” Shen Miao said angrily.

Xie Jingxing quickly embraced her and stroked her to calm her down, saying, “In the end, the dream version of me believed you and took you back to Great Liang, which proves I only have you in my heart.” Then, stroking his chin with displeasure, he added, “But that guy was really lucky—you kissed him first.”

Shen Miao: “…”

Only Xie Jingxing could be jealous of himself.

“In that case, I must certainly make amends to Madam,” Xie Jingxing said seriously, suddenly lifting Shen Miao in his arms: “Neglecting my wife is unforgivable. Today, Madam can do as she pleases.”

“Hey, what about First and Fifteen…”

“Let the wet nurse watch them.” Xie Jingxing carried her and turned to leave, the corners of his lips curling up involuntarily as he said, “Although the person in the dream was very hateful, there was one thing he got right.”

Shen Miao looked at him: “What was that?”

“In a million possibilities, I would only choose you, only you,” he said.