Reborn Into A New Life, Everyone Loves Me Now (GL) - Chapter 26.1
The darkness was heavy, like thick black ink smeared across the boundless night sky.
In the silence of the wilderness, a campfire could be seen burning in the distance amidst the dense forest. Su Qishi and Liu Jiangli sat by the fire, a wide expanse separating them. An invisible wall stood between them, and in the quiet atmosphere, only the soft crackling of the flames could be heard.
The firelight flickered across Su Qishi’s emotionless face. Liu Jiangli wanted to move closer to him, but at that moment, she lacked the courage.
After a struggle within, she cautiously spoke. “A’Shi, I didn’t intend to deceive you.”
Su Qishi’s gaze was as cold as frost beneath a glacier that had existed for millennia. His heart was filled with disdain for Liu Jiangli—it had reached its peak.
Seeing that Su Qishi wouldn’t even spare her a glance, Liu Jiangli’s heart was seized with panic. “A’Shi, I was just afraid… afraid that if you knew I had recovered my past life’s memories, you would abandon me, hate me, and push me away. That’s why I…”
Su Qishi interrupted her coldly, “That’s why you pretended to know nothing. Because you knew I had regained my memories too. You wanted to take revenge for your past self and for Su Qi, didn’t you?”
“I was wondering why you were so eager to marry me—was it just so I could relive the pain of being abandoned by you in our past life? So you could reunite with your beloved Su Qi all the sooner?”
Liu Jiangli quickly responded, her voice laced with sobs and her eyes brimming with tears. “No, A’Shi! I truly love you. In our past life, I married Su Qi because I had no choice. I was forced… utterly helpless.”
Su Qishi glanced at her with disdain, his voice cutting. “I don’t care what reasons you had. Everything from our past life—I remember it all. And the pain I suffered—I will repay it double. Neither you nor Su Qi will escape. While there’s still time, you’d better cherish whatever time you have left with Su Qi.”
Tears spilled from Liu Jiangli’s eyes like a spring bursting from a mountainside. Yet she remained unwilling to give up and continued, speaking of her helplessness in their past life. “Su Qi deceived my elder sister into falling for him, then used her to pressure our father into supporting him. When my sister discovered his true nature, she left the capital. But one day, she realized she was pregnant—it was Su Qi who forced her! After giving birth, she died from complications, and the child was left at the Prime Minister’s estate. Somehow word got out, and Su Qi learned of the child’s existence. He tried to take the child and then forced my father to marry me off to him.”
Su Qishi furrowed his brows slightly. He did recall the Prime Minister’s estate had two daughters, but the elder sister had never appeared at court functions—he had nearly forgotten Liu Jiangli even had a sister.
Liu Jiangli paused before continuing, “I tried to refuse him, citing the imperial decree of our engagement, but Su Qi said the Emperor had already agreed and even showed me the decree annulling our engagement. I had no way out, A’Shi, but in my heart, there has always been only you.”
Upon hearing this, Su Qishi felt no sorrow—only a bitter ache for his past self. That bitterness, mixed with grief, left him with a sense of deep regret, as if he had been unworthy.
He gave a bitter laugh, then spoke coldly. “So you agreed just like that? If you were threatened, why didn’t you come to me? Because you never trusted me. You never truly gave me your heart. You could easily abandon me for your family. They are your family—what about me?”
Then he added, his words dripping with sarcasm, “You didn’t enter the palace just for your family—you did it for yourself. You wanted to be Empress! You thought you loved me, but when everything you desired was laid before you, you realized I meant nothing. All your so-called helplessness was just a cover for your own shame.”
“Is it so hard to be honest with yourself? Even now, you’re lying to me. Liu Jiangli, you truly make me sick.”
Liu Jiangli’s voice trembled as she protested through tears. “A’Shi, I didn’t! Su Qi tore us apart, caused my sister to die in regret. How could I possibly have wanted to be Empress? I’ve never stopped wanting to kill him! But he’s guarded against me—I can’t even get close to him…”
Su Qishi, as though seeing through everything, said expressionlessly, “It’s not that you can’t kill him—it’s that you won’t. The court is in chaos, and you’re afraid that if Su Qi dies, his faction will rebel and dethrone the young emperor. That’s why you never dared to kill Su Qi. And when I stormed the palace, you gambled on my lingering affection for you. That’s why you didn’t tell me Su Jue’s true identity. And at that time—you gambled correctly…”
Then, he gave a self-mocking laugh. “Liu Jiangli, you’re ruthless. Every moment, you’ve been scheming against the sincerity of my heart.”
With Su Qishi’s words, the entire truth was laid bare. Everything Liu Jiangli had desperately tried to hide was now exposed. She wanted to conceal it again—but it was too late. The shameful part of her heart, once known only to herself, was now revealed to the world.
She wanted to deny it—but no words came.
Now, she clearly understood—she only wanted A’Shi.
Liu Jiangli remained silent, the stabbing pain in her chest lancing through her nerves.
No matter what she said now, it could never repair the heart of A’Shi, wounded beyond healing.
Suddenly, Su Qishi’s cold voice echoed beside her ear. “That arrow through my heart in our past life—isn’t it time you repaid the debt?” Then, a cold sword pointed directly at Liu Jiangli’s heart.
She remained seated, her breath catching in her throat.
Her white robes were disheveled, her lashes trembled, and the corners of her eyes reddened. She stared blankly at Su Qishi, as if trying to find a trace of mercy in his eyes.
But in the end, she was disappointed. Su Qishi’s gaze held no emotion—only icy indifference.
Liu Jiangli’s voice trembled as she finally spoke, her tone cold, tinged with sorrow and grievance. “A’Shi… I didn’t kill you.”
The distrust in Su Qishi’s eyes was like the bone-chilling wind of midwinter—cutting straight to the soul.
Liu Jiangli forced a faint smile at the corners of her lips, then softly said, “A’Shi, it truly wasn’t me. The moment you left that day, I woke up. Without you by my side, I felt completely unsafe. Later, when I went to find you, I encountered a masked man. He took me up to the city wall, picked up a bow, and shot down below—then he fled immediately. I only heard the sound of the arrow piercing a body. I ran to the edge of the wall and looked down… and saw you lying there. A’Shi… do you know how much it hurt at that moment?”
Su Qishi responded coldly, “I don’t want to know. So, what you’re saying is that the arrow was shot by a masked man? How could there be such a convenient coincidence in this world? If that’s true, then tell me—who set you up?”
Liu Jiangli was rendered speechless. She didn’t know who had framed her, nor did she know how to make A’Shi believe her. Since nothing she did would convince him…
A dangerous thought suddenly rose in Liu Jiangli’s mind.
She abruptly stepped forward. Su Qishi quickly moved his sword aside, but it was too late—Liu Jiangli was still struck. Her white robes were slashed open, and bl00d seeped through, staining the fabric conspicuously.
Su Qishi’s brows furrowed sharply. He shouted, “Do you have a death wish?!”
Liu Jiangli’s beautiful eyes stared fixedly at Su Qishi, her gaze filled with obsession he had never seen before. “A’Shi, if you don’t believe me… that’s worse than death for me!”
Su Qishi slowly sheathed his sword, his eyes full of contempt. He sneered, “Liu Jiangli, is this all you’re capable of? Don’t worry—your life, I’ll take it eventually. Just not now. Your excuse is too far-fetched. Come up with something better, and perhaps I’ll believe you.”
With a cold snort, he leapt lightly into the air, his red robes fluttering as he landed on a tree branch. He lay across it, closing his eyes, ignoring Liu Jiangli standing frozen below.
As he replayed the events of the day in his mind, he realized the first group of assassins in black had clearly been more skilled than the second wave.
After that arrow—the one that exposed Liu Jiangli’s past-life memories—came the second wave of assassins. Fearing more attackers, she had dealt with the enemies before her swiftly and taken Liu Jiangli away on horseback. As for why they were still in the forest… she was lost.
This was the first time the hunting grounds were used for a royal hunt. The area was vast—an entire mountain, one of the famed Three Mountains of Yun Dynasty, known for its towering majesty. Although the area was secured, some defenses were incomplete. No doubt, after this incident, many would be held accountable.
To have laid an ambush inside the hunting grounds—the court officials could not be entirely innocent… As for who it was, she needed to think carefully.
Her first thought wasn’t Su Qi, but Su Hui. She held leverage over Su Qi; he wouldn’t risk angering her by sending assassins—it wouldn’t benefit him. But Su Hui was in a critical stage. His mother hailed from the prestigious Qingzhou aristocracy, whose influence had once been great. However, over the years, the Emperor had secretly stripped their power, and now these noble families struggled to survive. Su Hui was eager to find allies. Recently, he had set his sights on Minister Shang’s daughter, Qi Wanxuan, but she had blocked that path. Now, he was anxious to provoke a struggle between her and Su Qi, hoping to reap the benefits from the sidelines.