Reborn Into A New Life, Everyone Loves Me Now (GL) - Chapter 3

“Today is the day your new consort enters the palace… why have you come to me, Your Majesty?”

Liu Jiangli’s tone was calm, yet beneath the surface lay deep resentment. If one listened closely, there was a faint trace of longing, as though she waited—desperately—for an explanation.

Su Qishi chose to ignore the accusation, responding with a soft smile.
“A’Li, do you not wish to see me?”

Liu Jiangli knew she had no right to feel this way. After all, it was she who had destroyed the tenderness that once existed between them. And yet… she could no longer control her emotions. The thought of A’Shi belonging to another woman, of her sharing her warmth with someone else, made her heart ache unbearably. The regret only deepened.

Her heart tensed at Su Qishi’s words. Panic surged through her, and she replied hastily, afraid that even a second’s hesitation would make Su Qishi turn and leave without a second thought.

“A’Shi… I—I never meant that. I hope every day to see you.”

Her eyes welled with tears, misting over in an instant. Though born with a cool, refined beauty, at this moment she seemed fragile—almost vulnerable—eliciting an inexplicable sense of tenderness.

Su Qishi seated herself, casually picking up a teacup. With an air of indifference, she asked,
“I am not young anymore. It’s time I appointed an empress. Looking across the capital… A’Li, who do you think is most suited to the position?”

Her voice—so familiar, the voice Liu Jiangli longed for day and night—yet the words spoken were ones she dreaded to hear.

Liu Jiangli hesitated, her gaze flickering as she tried to steady her voice.
“A’Shi… have you already chosen someone?”

Su Qishi set the cup down and spoke slowly,
“She is virtuous and kind, calm and composed, gentle and dignified—a fine woman, and one who would make a worthy empress for the realm.”

Liu Jiangli forced a smile, her heart aching.
“A’Shi, you’ve already chosen. Why ask me at all?”

Su Qishi caught the sorrow hidden in her voice. She couldn’t help but wonder—was Liu Jiangli sad because she hadn’t been chosen as empress?

After all, Liu Jiangli had sacrificed so much for that title.

Su Qishi had once thought: If Liu Jiangli would simply ask me, I would make her my empress.

But she quickly discarded the thought. Liu Jiangli had her pride—she would never humble herself in that way.

Her willingness to yield to Su Qishi had only ever been a matter of expedience, a means to an end. Su Qishi knew this—and yet still, she had willingly fallen into this entanglement.

Perhaps it was better this way, to remain in this endless struggle, to live only in the present and let the future be.

Su Qi was dead. Even if Liu Jiangli hated her, so be it. Hatred was better than apathy—at least hatred meant emotion.

A twisted thought flickered in Su Qishi’s eyes, a shadow of obsession.

“A’Li, you do have a choice.”

“If you say no… I won’t appoint an empress.”

What greeted Liu Jiangli were not the affectionate eyes she longed for, but the smiling gaze of Su Qishi—a smile that held no trace of love. Despite herself, a wave of disappointment washed over Liu Jiangli’s heart.

But she should be content… shouldn’t she? At the very least, A’Shi still cared for her.

Liu Jiangli’s eyes were tinged red, and her delicate nose flushed a faint pink. The chill wind drifting through the window carried strands of her hair into the air, momentarily blurring Su Qishi’s vision.

A fragile, cold beauty—shattered and sorrowful—clung to Liu Jiangli’s form.

Su Qishi’s heart stirred once again, unwillingly, at the sight.

Liu Jiangli’s voice was soft and delicate.
“No… I don’t want A’Shi to marry anyone else.”

Buoyed by Su Qishi’s indulgence, a rare confidence rose within her. Her cheeks flushed deeply, shyness tinting her words.
“It’s getting late… A’Shi, why don’t you stay?”

Her gaze, filled with anxiety and hope, fixed on Su Qishi, though in her heart, she had already braced for rejection.

And when that rejection came, it still struck like a blade.

“There’s no need. Winter has arrived—close your doors and windows, take care not to catch cold. I’ll take my leave.”

As soon as the words fell, Su Qishi turned and strode away.

“A’Shi…”

Liu Jiangli’s voice trailed off, her gaze dimming, shadows flickering through her eyes.

Scarlet drops of bl00d seeped from her clenched palms, staining her snow-white dress like blossoms of red plum blooming in the snow.

With each step Su Qishi took, her heart grew emptier, until—before she realized it—she had walked beyond Changchun Palace.

The night was late. A lone crescent moon hung in the sky, casting pale light over the long corridor, flanked by towering palace walls.

Once, Su Qishi had dreamed of escaping this place—but no matter how she tried, she could not.

She longed for freedom, but her fate was no longer her own.

A’Li… was what you did today from the heart, or merely another ploy?

Her gaze darkened, her heart caught between yearning and doubt.

“Your Majesty, why didn’t you stay?”

Yue Ye’s voice broke the silence, her curiosity barely veiled.

After all, His Majesty cared for Liu Jiangli the most. In dreams, she still called her name—yet upon meeting, she forced coldness, driving her away.

Su Qishi couldn’t find an answer. When Liu Jiangli made her offer, there had been a moment—just a flicker—of joy in her heart. And yet, she hadn’t stayed.

She couldn’t explain the feeling.

“I suppose… I’ve grown used to being alone.”

Yue Ye frowned, eyes filled with concern.
“Your Majesty still has me. I will always serve you.”

Su Qishi glanced at her, smiling lightly.
“Alright, Yue Ye. I know.”

She teased, “You’ve grown up. You’ve learned to worry about me.”

Yue Ye blushed furiously, flustered.
“I’ve always cared for Your Majesty…”

Su Qishi said nothing, walking forward alone.

Yue Ye was about to follow when she heard—
“Yue Ye, go back. I’d like to walk alone.”

She paused mid-step, then slowly returned.

From behind, all she could see was Su Qishi’s figure growing distant.

Dressed in a crimson gown, draped in a black-and-gold fox-fur cloak, her dark hair loosely tied with a red silk ribbon, the rest cascading down her back—Su Qishi walked with quiet grace, the red ribbon trailing in the wind.

To Yue Ye, such a person should have been radiant—brilliant and untouchable.

Yet, no matter what, she always seemed cloaked in sorrow.

Just like when they first met—beneath that resolute exterior was a tender, vulnerable heart.

Yue Ye faded into the night, quietly following Su Qishi’s steps from afar.

Su Qishi wandered the palace corridors aimlessly. The winter wind cut through her, stinging her skin to the bone, as though only through this pain could she find relief.

But the ache in her chest would not fade. Her heart throbbed violently, her fingers dug into her palm until bl00d welled—but nothing could stop the torment within.

Under the effect of the black pill, Su Qishi’s pain finally eased.

The cold wind struck the beads of sweat on her brow, turning them icy against her skin.

Gradually, her vision blurred, and she seemed to slip back in time—to the moment she was falsely accused of treason and colluding with the enemy. Everything around her felt piercingly vivid.

Her mother’s cold indifference.
Su Qingzhi’s relentless ambition.
Su Qi’s duplicity and betrayal.
Her father’s bitter disappointment.

A thousand unspoken words turned into countless sharp blades, each one slashing at her, threatening to tear her apart.

Dizziness overwhelmed her. Su Qishi collapsed into the snow.

Snowflakes danced through the sky, falling endlessly. The pure white snow settled on her crimson robe, the expanse of white and that touch of red creating a striking contrast.

She looked like a rose… slowly withering in the snow.

Su Qishi was smiling—but her smile was bitter, laced with pain.

In the end, the tears at the corners of her eyes fell.

Yue Ye arrived just in time to see this heart-wrenching scene. Alarmed, she cried out,
“Your Majesty!”