Rebirth

Tearing pain, accompanied by waves of dizziness, nearly left Bai Yunsheng unable to breathe.

Bai Yunsheng tried to open his eyes, but he could not move his eyelids at all.

He did not know how long it took before the pain gradually faded. Chaotic footsteps sounded beside him, and his eyelids, once heavy as a thousand pounds, felt much lighter. His black lashes trembled as Bai Yunsheng slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurred and mottled for a moment, but a few seconds later, he saw a brown floor, and...

Bai Yunsheng froze, staring at everything before him in disbelief. Everything was so familiar—so familiar that it filled him with fear.

It was his room. His ransacked room.

His gaze shifted as though he could not believe it, scanning the surroundings involuntarily. When his eyes landed on a box not far away, his pupils trembled violently. As if suddenly waking up, Bai Yunsheng swiftly stood. The dizziness had not yet faded, and he was still unsteady on his feet. He took a dazed step forward.

Wasn't he dead?

How could he...

How could he be here?

Did he have to revisit the place where he had lived before crossing the River of Forgetfulness?

The moment that thought surfaced, Bai Yunsheng immediately dismissed it.

Because his body still hurt. As though trying to prove something, Bai Yunsheng crouched down and reached out. Just as he was about to touch the box, he suddenly stopped. He stared fixedly at it, mentally preparing himself for several seconds before reaching out again. This time, his hand did not pass through it. He truly touched it, even feeling the texture of the box.

Bai Yunsheng blinked slowly. A thought gradually surfaced in his mind, then solidified with startling speed.

He... had come back to life. Or rather, he had been reborn—reborn to a time shortly before his death.

"Why isn't he here yet?" Zhang Cheng said impatiently from the side. "Don't tell me he doesn't dare come."

Feng Tingfan frowned. "Impossible. That necklace is very important to him."

Someone else beside them chimed in, "Could it be that he doesn't know we're at the pool?"

Zhang Cheng said, "No. I deliberately left someone there to wait for him."

As soon as Zhang Cheng finished speaking, he saw Bai Yunsheng walking toward the pool in the distance. Excitedly, he bumped Feng Tingfan with his elbow. "Tingfan, he's here!"

Bai Yunsheng headed straight for Feng Tingfan with a clear purpose. Feng Tingfan had originally wanted to say something, but when he saw Bai Yunsheng's expression, he inexplicably felt uncomfortable. His face darkened, and he directly tossed the necklace into the pool. Bai Yunsheng did not stop. He did not even glance at Feng Tingfan, merely changed direction and jumped in.

Mocking laughter rose from the side of the pool, just as it had in his previous life. Bai Yunsheng ignored it completely and swam toward where the necklace had fallen. Because he clearly knew where it would land and in which direction it would drift, Bai Yunsheng did not need to expend much energy to find it this time.

Bai Yunsheng sank to the bottom of the pool and looked at the necklace in his palm, his eyes dark and unreadable. The next second, he clenched it tightly in his hand, then raised his head and swam toward the shore.

The moment Bai Yunsheng's head broke the surface, someone pressed it down viciously. Amid cheerful laughter, the force pinning Bai Yunsheng down grew heavier and heavier.

Without hesitation, Bai Yunsheng pulled a folded fruit knife from his pocket. A glint flashed across its tip. He moved too quickly for anyone to react—or perhaps no one had expected Bai Yunsheng to suddenly take out a knife.

Amid screams, bright red blood spread across the water. The man failed to dodge in time. Just as he tried to retreat, Bai Yunsheng grabbed his wrist. The pain drained the man's strength, and Bai Yunsheng used the grip on his wrist to rise for a breath before dragging him straight into the pool.

Under the cold moonlight, Bai Yunsheng finally saw who had been holding him down.

A minor lackey, one of Feng Tingfan's lapdogs. He had a little money, but was not even worthy of touching the edge of the Feng Household. Bai Yunsheng remembered that he had beautiful calligraphy. At that thought, a vicious light flashed in Bai Yunsheng's eyes. He reached out and gripped the man's wound, his fingers sinking deep into the flesh.

The man opened his mouth wide from the pain, utterly terrified. He gulped down several mouthfuls of water and struggled to escape, but could not break free from Bai Yunsheng's restraint. He sank with Bai Yunsheng, the rising bubbles looking exactly like dispersing souls. Several splashes broke the surface as people jumped in from the edge of the pool.

Bai Yunsheng glanced at them and released his hand without hesitation. This time, he made it safely ashore.

Chaos erupted.

Bai Yunsheng stood calmly to one side, wringing out his soaking clothes. He swept his hanging hair back, revealing his smooth, full forehead and those eyes that had always been lowered in humble submission before.

After the man was dragged ashore, his face had gone pale with fright. He coughed violently as his body trembled slightly, blood still gushing continuously from his wrist. He looked both pathetic and miserable.

Feng Tingfan was the first to recover. He stared at Bai Yunsheng in shock, then walked toward him. But because Bai Yunsheng was still holding the folding knife, he stopped at a safe distance and snarled, "Are you insane?!"

Bai Yunsheng stopped wringing out his clothes. He lifted his eyelids and stared directly at Feng Tingfan, then said expressionlessly, "He wanted me dead, so I'll make him keep me company."

He brought up death in such a casual tone.

Feng Tingfan had not expected Bai Yunsheng to say that. His gaze fell on Bai Yunsheng's eyes. This was the first time Feng Tingfan had truly seen them clearly. They were unexpectedly beautiful, a standard brown beneath equally well-shaped willow-leaf brows, giving him a gentle, obedient appearance. Yet for some reason, Feng Tingfan found Bai Yunsheng's gaze frightening.

Zhang Cheng did not notice the strange atmosphere between Feng Tingfan and Bai Yunsheng. He walked over to Feng Tingfan's side. "No, the cut is too deep. We need to call a doctor."

Zhang Cheng's words pulled Feng Tingfan's thoughts and attention back. He instinctively dismissed his earlier impression. Bai Yunsheng had merely been driven into a corner. Anyone would become different when their life was in danger.

"Bai Yunsheng, you're dead," Feng Tingfan said before turning and leaving. Zhang Cheng also wanted to leave, but after taking one step, he stopped. His gaze could not help drifting toward Bai Yunsheng. The moment he saw Bai Yunsheng's face, he froze.

Whenever Zhang Cheng had seen Bai Yunsheng before, Bai Yunsheng always kept his head down, his back hunched, timid and shrinking, lifeless, as though he wished he could hide himself away in some dark corner where no one could see him.

But now, the person before him stood straight. His long hair had been swept back, exposing his entire face to Zhang Cheng's gaze. Under the pale moonlight, he was as beautiful as a full moon reflected in water.

Bai Yunsheng seemed to sense Zhang Cheng's gaze and looked over. When their eyes met, he did not avoid him. His expression was so calm that Zhang Cheng might as well have been something utterly insignificant.

To Bai Yunsheng,

Zhang Cheng was utterly insignificant.