They say that a dark night with a high wind is the best time to do bad things—

However, the one up to no good is not a big, strong, and vicious man, but a disheveled young woman who is dirty all over.

Is this a set of abs? The sensation is quite good, soft and firm, making one want to touch it again and again, almost addictive. However, the smoothness under her hands quickly turned tense, as hard as a hot iron.

She swore she did not mean to take advantage of this man. It was just that when she opened her eyes, she couldn't distinguish what was underneath her; she felt it was so pleasant that she couldn't help but touch it a few more times.

"Wen… Ningning… take… your filthy paws off me… or don't blame this son… for ruining them," the man, his face obscured by a pile of rotting straw, glared at a hand that had already groped more than enough and was dangerously sliding further down. If he did not stop her, his dignity would be lost at the hands of this girl.

Upon hearing the anxious and exasperated voice of the stranger, the girl raised her head, and her confused eyes regained some clarity.

So it wasn't just a dream.

How long has it been? Sixty flickers of time; an instant holds nine hundred lives and deaths.

In that instant, her mind felt as if someone had shoved her head into an entirely unfamiliar life. These decades of memories did not belong to her, Ye Manman, but she had inherited them without a hitch.

The sensation was extremely disjointed.

It was as if she were a butterfly unaware that she was one, or perhaps she truly was that butterfly?

Moreover, the "Wen Ningning" the man spoke of… Ye Manman pondered and remembered this person she recognized.

This Wen Ningning was known as a fool in the Eastern City before her marriage. Though her family was prominent, with her father and brothers excelling in military achievements, she was avoided by others due to her foolishness, which also led to her being subject to countless malicious pranks. She vaguely remembered that Wen Ningning died in a vague accident.

The Ye and Wen families held different positions in court and were separated by one city and sixteen streets, rarely interacting.

After the accident, she vaguely recalled her father mentioning it at the dinner table, saying the Wen family caused a stir in the city over Wen Ningning's sudden death, confronting the offending Shandong Marquis family before the Emperor.

At that time, she was already engaged to the Jun Wangfu's heir due to her stepmother's arrangements and did not pay much attention to this matter.

But he actually called her "Wen Ningning"?

She touched her face, her limbs, and pinched her bulky figure. Short and stout, with a barrel-like body, this Wen Ningning was clearly already fourteen. Generally, girls at this age are beginning to blossom into womanhood; even if they still retain some childishness, they should exhibit some semblance of a young woman's form. But currently, her physique was still undeveloped… Well, never mind that. Did this mean she had come back to life? Reborn into the body of that foolish girl, Wen Ningning?

Could it be that Wen Ningning's accident was altered because of her rebirth?

And was Wen Ningning being locked in this small dark room the cause of her death?

"I… am Wen… Ningning?" she asked, finding it difficult to articulate. Her mouth felt filled with saliva that she wanted to swallow, but it wouldn't obey, instead flowing down the corners of her mouth. She tried to raise her hand to wipe it, but it was too late, and it dripped onto the man's clothes.

The man under her emitted a heavy grunt, and upon seeing her dazed expression, combined with the drool that flowed like silver threads from her lips, his phoenix eyes were filled with cold disdain.

Ye Manman thought that if this man had a knife in his hand, he would undoubtedly chop her into pieces without mercy.

She wanted to explain something, but her throat felt tight, and her tongue was not cooperating. She let out two muffled sounds, feeling more saliva spill out.

Fortunately, this time she managed to raise her hand and wiped away the drool at the corner of her mouth. Otherwise, considering how she had just groped him and the murderous look in his eyes, spilling drool on his clothes could have led to a deep-seated hatred.

But he looked somewhat familiar…

Bu Gucheng, having been struck by his opponent's soft tendon powder, had crawled into this deserted little broken house, only to find that he was not alone—there was a woman huddled in the corner, curling into a ball with her fists in her mouth, shivering.

The onset of the drug was quick, and he felt powerless to leave, so he could only sit on the ground, waiting for the effects to pass before he could leave.

At first, she trembled quietly as if shaken by an earthquake, completely unaware of his presence. After a while, perhaps the darkness and crawling bugs around overwhelmed her; she began to mutter, scream, and slap herself, crashing about, pushing at the window, shoving the door, and hammering the walls. After discovering that all was in vain, she suddenly began to bang her head against the door. Perhaps her actions were too frantic; she suddenly clutched her chest, whimpered, convulsed, and collapsed onto the ground.

What he never expected was that when she collapsed, she did so right onto his chest. After scratching him several times in her restless struggle, she quickly fell silent.

He didn't even have time to feel furious, slowly realizing that she was having an episode.

This fool from the Wen family not only had a mental deficiency but also suffered from an asthma condition that had been carried since birth, and it just so happened she was having an attack at this moment.

Several moments passed, and just when he thought she was done for, her chubby hand moved, taking advantage of him once again.

If it were anyone else, he would firmly assert that she took advantage of him under the pretense of fainting, but this girl was indeed hard to determine…

"Ah, you can't—move?" Ye Manman asked, struggling.

Not receiving an answer from Bu Gucheng, she didn't care; she slowly sat up and looked at his immobilized body.

To confirm, she boldly poked his chest with her chubby finger. Sure enough, she was met with Bu Gucheng's fierce glare.

Oh dear, if he were an ordinary man, he would have been furious and jumped up to slap her for her earlier groping, but he lay there like a corpse, with only his eyes moving. Had he fallen into someone else's trap?

She could only think this—perhaps he had done something shameful that required him to avoid detection, and that was why he had hidden here, only to encounter the abducted Wen Ningning locked inside the small dark room.

That made sense.

In the hazy memories of her original self, this man was one of the few who wouldn't mock her or call her "Wen the Fool." Once, he even helped her pick up the dog tail grass she had dropped.

At this moment, Ye Manman finally remembered why this man looked familiar.

He was the heir to the Jun Wangfu, who would become the famous Iron-faced General Bu Gucheng after a few years, and he was also Ye Manman's husband, whom she had seen only once during their wedding.

Her next encounter with him would be only in a cold coffin.

Her feelings were complex regarding the husband who had shown her no kindness on their wedding day and rushed off to the northern lands to repel the Tatars.

To the nation, he was a hero who drove away foreign invaders, worthy of being remembered by the people forever. However, on a personal level, both he and she had been forced into this marriage due to schemes by their stepmothers.

As strangers, the couple had yet to settle into any understanding within their begrudging union when he received orders and led his troops to the desolate northern regions.

At first, his military campaigns were successful, catching the Tatars off guard and progressively pushing them back three cities. However, after something went awry, news spread that the general had died in battle during the campaign for Jin City.

Losing their commander in battle was a military taboo. In a situation of being besieged on all sides, the complacent Tatars turned the tables, but like a mantis stalking a cicada, rumors had it that the supposedly fallen general, Bu Gucheng, lay in wait, capturing the Tatars at the right moment and claiming the final victory.

It is said that soldiers should not shy away from deception, and no one knew that Bu Gucheng, though he appeared dead, was actually gravely injured. After the bloody battle in Jin City, his wounds were critical, and he passed away suddenly on his way back home when he returned triumphantly.

Winning battles is good news; however, the Emperor, instead of posthumously promoting Bu Gucheng for his sacrifice to the nation, instead declared treason. He executed all male members over the age of nine from the Jun Wangfu and sold the female members to a brothel for life, with no possibility of redemption.

The destruction of the family was just that.

It turned out that the Chancellor led the officials to accuse Bu Gucheng of treason, wondering how it was possible that so many soldiers died in the Jin City battle. He was accused of deliberately delaying the campaign that should have led to a victory, raising suspicions of collusion with the enemy.

Once dead, one cannot defend themselves. When the wall falls, everyone pushes, and all blame fell on Bu Gucheng, making him the most unfortunate person.

Those in power who fall into the king's suspicion cannot escape the fate of extermination.

As the wife of the Iron-faced General, she naturally could not avoid the fate of the royal household women who died from swallowing gold.

She thought her soul had returned to the place of endless sorrow, but fate pulled her back to life in the body of Wen Ningning—why?

Was it that heaven was giving her another chance? A chance for Ye Manman, who had grown up alone, never experiencing the warmth and beauty of life, to experience life once more?

Tears glistened in the corners of her eyes.

Wen Ningning's foolish, dull gaze made Bu Gucheng very displeased. He turned his eyes away, filled with disdain.

Her face and body had rolled around on the ground multiple times, with bits of straw stuck in her messy hair. The thought that she had just been on top of him and dribbled saliva made him want to die.

However, that expression of hers—when she looked at him, she was momentarily surprised, as if she had just recognized someone unexpectedly.

"You… recognize me?"

Because they were so close, the youth's fresh and clean scent wafted over, his handsome face almost within reach. His skin was as beautiful as jade, with long brows and phoenix eyes, a straight nose, and tightly pressed lips. He had striking features, and his black, gem-like eyes seemed to pull one in, reflecting her image clearly… especially under his boiling rage, his facial features were as severe as a knife's edge.

She almost succumbed to the temptation and nodded.

However, Ye Manman managed to restrain herself. She did not know this young version of Bu Gucheng. The Bu Gucheng she knew was several years older than the current one.

At that time, he was more mature, intimidating enough that one would not dare to gaze upon him.

However, though they were both noble sons, there were different tiers. Bu Gucheng was different from ordinary young masters who relied on their father's legacy for idleness; he had already taken on significant responsibilities in the Jun Wangfu as a young heir, had several missions before the Emperor, and was highly valued. Such a hot commodity was the object of desire for all renowned young ladies of the Daxiang Dynasty.

Yet, this fellow had always been indifferent to women. He treated them without any pampering, and would not show any leniency simply because a woman was from a prominent family, frightening away many modest and timid ladies.

Back then, she had always found it hard to believe she would marry into the Wangfu and become the heir's wife. How could someone so sought-after end up as her husband?

During the years she waited for Bu Gucheng's return to the Wangfu, she finally understood that what the Jun Wangfei wanted was a daughter-in-law she could easily manage—someone who would dare not go against her will. Ye Manman's cowardice, having been carefully filtered through her stepmother's plans, made her the chosen one.

The Wangfei and her stepmother, eager to marry her off, teamed up, allowing her to marry into the Jun Wangfu amid everyone's envy and jealousy, leading her down a path of no return.

Ye Manman was lost in thought, deaf to Bu Gucheng's question.

In fact, after Bu Gucheng asked, he regretted it; why would he ask such a question of a dimwitted girl? If she could answer, she wouldn't be foolish.

Just that moment, with her clear yet reflective gaze, he realized he had been too impatient.

Her lack of response oddly calmed him.

His actions today were secretive, and if exposed, the repercussions could only end in murder; even if the target was her, there would be no exceptions.

However, he did not realize he had made another "foolish" move…

"If someone asks when you go out if you've seen me, how will you answer?" His voice held a hint of seduction, masked with contradictory ruthlessness.

Ye Manman's eyes darted around, her thoughts racing. The murderous intent in his eyes was severely chilling. She keenly observed him gripping a dagger hidden in his sleeve.

Quickly, she understood—his body must have returned to normal, and this was the prelude to silencing her!

It was evident he knew Wen Ningning was not an ordinary person, hence he had tolerated her indulgence repeatedly. However, once he found out that the current her was no longer the original, even more improved, he might kill her without hesitation… No, with just a single finger, he could send her back to the underworld.

If he were to find out that the original Wen Ningning's core had transformed entirely, he would have likely lost patience and stopped teasing.

This absolutely cannot happen. She had just been given a chance at life again; how could she return to report to the King of Hell? That would make this journey to come back meaningless!

Giggling, she displayed her pearly white teeth, erasing any signs of clarity on her face and putting on an innocent demeanor. "Big brother, let's play hide and seek, okay?" Pretending to ponder, she added, "No matter who asks… Ningning will say she hasn't seen big brother."

With her tender finger pointing to the pouch at his waist, she didn't wait for him to respond and unfastened the embroidered bag with a golden edge, playing with it without letting go.