The moment he saw me, my body instinctively froze.
I thought of the knife stabbing me from behind; my first reaction wasn't pain, but shock.
I turned and saw those gloomy, cold eyes. Before I could even register what had happened, he had already pulled the dagger out with a clean, sharp motion.
Those eyes that haunted my midnight dreams now stared at me like a venomous snake.
Even though I'd been reborn, my heart still raced at his gaze, my adrenaline surging.
I felt like I was on a roller coaster, speeding up to its apex, my heart hanging at the top of its lungs.
My mind told me to ignore his gaze, but my instincts trembled with fear that he might kill me.
At that moment, a tall figure blocked his view, and a sense of relief washed over me.
"Madam, have a drink of water."
It was Shen Ji. The man was tall, and Shen Ji was equally tall and muscular, easily blocking all his prying eyes.
"Thank you, thank you."
No one knew I was covered in cold sweat, as if I'd escaped death.
I took a sip of warm water, and only then did I feel the warmth return to my body.
I lowered my voice and said, "He's here, at ten o'clock, over 185cm tall."
Lu Yanchen turned to look at Shen Ji. "Keep an eye on him, don't alert him."
"Yes."
I warned him again, "That's not his true appearance. He's very good at disguising himself."
"Got it."
Whether he'd killed me that day or just met me at the art exhibition, his face was different today.
But what I knew for sure was those eyes and that build; there was no mistaking it! It had to be him.
I lowered my head and pretended to talk to Lu Yanchen. Lu Yanchen squeezed my hand, feeling my body tremble.
"Don't be afraid."
I had no control over my body at all. It was like a mouse seeing a cat; it was instinct. The man was still studying me. Even when I wasn't looking, I could sense his gaze.
I couldn't be as calm as Lu Yanchen.
Shen Ji had already left, and I even considered catching him today.
I wanted to skin him alive, tear off his mask, and see what kind of evil face lay beneath it!
Lu Yanchen, fearing I'd be exposed, told me to push him away.
We didn't have much of a connection to begin with with Su Nanfeng; we could just burn incense and go through the formalities and leave.
Back in the car, as the door slowly closed, I threw myself into Lu Yanchen's arms. "Don't be afraid, Wanwan, I'm here."
I reached out and grabbed the corner of his shirt, gritting my teeth, "I want to kill him, skin him, and tear his bones!"
"Wanwan, I promise you, this day will come. Don't alert them. We'll just wait for news."
I muttered, "Okay..."
Although I'd agreed to Lu Yanchen's request, I felt uneasy. I was afraid of losing him, and I was also afraid of alerting them.
Lu Yanchen was afraid we'd become a target, so he took me away first.
"Going back to my mother-in-law's?"
The house was infested with blood-sucking bugs, and I was already annoyed. "No."
"Then back to the Lu family?"
"I don't want to go anywhere. I just want Shen Ji to find that person quickly."
Lu Yanchen patted my head. "Don't worry. I'll take you somewhere."
I never expected he'd actually take me to the furniture store. "Why are you here?"
"We'll all be moving out sooner or later. Don't you want to decorate our new home? After all, we'll be living together for a long, long time."
I thought of Lu Shiyan and I'd built our new house. I personally oversaw it for years, from the design to the finished product.
I even carefully selected every tree, and yet it was already dirty before I even moved in. I simply don't have the energy to do it again.
Lu Yanchen saw through my thoughts. "Wanwan, maybe Su Ning'an has been suspicious of you for a while now. We need to do something—first, to dispel their suspicions, and second, to distract you. Understand?"
"Okay."
Stepping into the furniture store, I carefully selected furniture.
Passing by the children's room, Lu Yanchen paused. "Why don't you go in and take a look? It's a good time to buy something together."
My ears flushed. "We don't even have children yet. It's too urgent to see them now."
Lu Yanchen looked me straight in the eye. "We'll have them sooner or later, right?"
"...Okay."
In the baby area, everything seemed so warm and inviting, all soft, pastel colors. I thought of that poor child, whose gender I didn't even know.
I unconsciously held a rattle, wondering if I got pregnant again. Would it be in my belly again?
"Like?"
A hint of desolation crossed my face. "Back in the hospital, trying to preserve my pregnancy, the only thing keeping me alive was that child... I even bought tons of clothes and toys online, and it was gone so soon."
No one knew, but after I was discharged, those packages kept arriving.
My heart ached with each unpacking.
In the end, I burned everything, piece by piece, for him.
So seeing these little things again would reopen the most painful scar in my heart.
It hurts!
Lu Yanchen held my hand. "This time, nothing like that will happen again, honey. I'm ready to have a family with you, including our child. Trust me, okay?"
I nodded. "Okay."
He wasn't Lu Shiyan. He wouldn't hurt me. Lu Yanchen patiently selected items with me, and the salesperson complimented him, "Ma'am, your husband is so thoughtful! He's so attentive even before the baby is born. Who knows how much he'll spoil the child in the future? There aren't many good men like him these days."
Her words made my face blush, and I invested time in choosing with him.
It felt as if we were actually expecting a child.
Unlike back then, when the father was still embroiled in another affair, I was left alone, anxious yet filled with anticipation.
This trip to the furniture store took me a whole day. From sofas to the master bedroom, I picked out everything from vases to tableware.
When Lu Yanchen's phone rang, I was cradling a cute bread-shaped pillow.
"Brother Yan, this..."
He answered, his expression darkening.
My heart tightened, knowing there was news from Shen Ji.
After hanging up, he let me take the pillow and then checked out, ending the day. After getting in the car and making sure it was safe, I quickly asked, "What happened?"
"We're heading in the right direction. He went back to the auto repair shop."
"Sure enough, Xiaoying saw him there! There must be something fishy about that auto repair shop."
I was brimming with excitement. "Yanchen, my spirit was in a huge basement, and they placed my body on a stone bed! Didn't you say it was a mass grave? I suspect the basement is underneath the auto repair shop."
I grabbed Lu Yanchen's hand and said, "Ayan, I want to go check it out. There must be clues to my body there."