Rong Dai was in a daze and felt as if she was floating back to that cold palace. She was strongly attracted and pulled back there, as if something was luring her to return.
She couldn't help but resist. She had ruined the Rong family and the Emperor had used and despised her. She was unwilling to go back to that place.
She felt as if her soul had left her body. After struggling for a long time, she still returned to that cold, gloomy and dark palace.
But she saw an unbelievable scene - "she herself" was still alive!
Rong Dai's body didn't listen to her, but her mind was extremely clear.
That other self seemed to have seen her too, and suddenly revealed a bright smile to her.
"I don't want to go back there anymore, I like it here," the other self said to her.
Rong Dai felt a shiver run through her body, with the hair on her neck standing up. She looked at the other self in horror, and a bold guess emerged in her mind.
"Are you...Rong Dai?" She found that she could actually speak!
The "Rong Dai" nodded, then gestured for her to sit down. She looked at the bleak scenery outside the palace, with no despair in her eyes, but a vibrant spirit instead.
"Tell me a little about yourself, and I'll tell you about me too. After we're done, we'll be even, and I'll live well here in your place, while you also live well over there in my place. What do you think?"
"Rong Dai" asked her with a smile. She was horrified and felt it was absurd, but her mind was unusually clear. She had even experienced such a bizarre thing as rebirth, so what else could be absurd?
She suddenly thought of Zuo Ran and those photos, those thick diary books.
She had to live in a different way. It was obvious that she and "Rong Dai" could no longer switch back. They could only live well in each other's place.
She nodded and sat next to "Rong Dai". The two were strangers, clearly from two different times, yet there seemed to be a special connection linking them together.
They recounted in minute detail to each other about the people, things and events they had encountered since gaining consciousness and memory.
Huo Shao Ting, who was keeping vigil by her sickbed, did not know about everything she had experienced in her dream. He just periodically used a cotton swab dipped in water to wipe her mouth until her fever went down at dawn, and only then did he lean back on the sofa to nap for a while.
Rong Dai woke up from thirst. When she opened her eyes and saw herself in the ward, she remembered that yesterday, when confronting that madman Zuo Ran, it seemed she had been injured and lost consciousness from fright afterwards.
When she turned her head, she saw Huo Shao Ting sleeping very peacefully on the sofa. This man was not as enchanting, but every angle of his face was particularly pleasing to look at.
Recalling yesterday's thrilling events, Rong Dai also broke out in a cold sweat. Thinking back to everything she had experienced in her dream, she still felt it was absurd, but she had no choice but to believe it.
Before, when she didn't understand the situation, every word she said was hesitant and wary. But now she could be at ease.
However, the price to pay for this peace of mind was huge. It was very likely that her marriage with Huo Shao Ting would end soon, not even lasting a full year.
Huo Shao Ting was very perceptive. Even when asleep, he did not relax his vigilance.
So when he sensed Rong Dai's gaze lingering on his face, he had already awakened.
Seeing Huo Shao Ting open his eyes, Rong Dai's heart jumped to her throat. She still hadn't figured out how to explain everything to him.
Although she also felt very depressed about the mess the original owner had left her, thinking of the original owner who was surviving in the cold palace in her place, her mood instantly dissipated.
Huo Shao Ting remained seated on the sofa without moving. His deep eyes kept looking at her. Even with his expressionless face, it could bring tremendous pressure.
At least Rong Dai felt like a mountain was pressing down on her. She struggled to sit up, propping herself against a pillow.
She took a couple deep breaths to settle her jumbled thoughts, then shifted her gaze to Huo Shao Ting.
"About this matter... No, regarding everything, just ask whatever you want to know. I won't hide anything."
After speaking, she averted her eyes again, looking a bit dejected, perhaps due to the aftereffects of her high fever.
From her encounter with the original owner in her dream and their exchange of experiences, she finally understood how difficult the original owner's life had been.
She and her mother had always lived under Zuo Ran's control.
Not only was Zuo Ran extremely possessive, his preferences also deviated from normal.
What Rong Dai and her mother didn't lack was beauty that was one in a million. And that was exactly what Zuo Ran valued in them - their extraordinary beauty as mother and daughter.
The original owner didn't know much about her mother's private affairs either, but from her memories, she knew her mother went from gratitude to forced victim.
This harm had also befallen the original owner. There was also the matter of her mother's very suspicious death.
But she had no energy to think about these things now. She just wanted to confess everything to Huo Shao Ting as soon as possible, and could only resign herself to whatever the outcome would be.
"How do you want to handle this matter? Or what kind of result do you want?"
Huo Shao Ting was silent for a while before speaking. But he didn't ask about her and Zuo Ran's matters, only asking what she wanted the outcome to be regarding this matter.
Rong Dai was taken aback, not quite understanding his meaning. Was he not the least bit curious about this?
Even she couldn't accept something like this. He was her nominal husband. If this matter was exposed, it would damage not only his reputation, but also the Huo family's.
If Huo Shao Ting agreed to divorce her in consideration of the Huo family's reputation, she would be powerless to stop it.
She had already prepared herself for the worst, but didn't expect him to ask like this.
"What are you thinking?" Seeing that she didn't answer for a long time, he couldn't help frowning.
Rong Dai came back to her senses and quickly shook her head. "I thought you...would propose getting a divorce from me right away. I know this matter could have a huge impact."
Huo Shao Ting's frown deepened. "What kind of person do you take me for? Would I take advantage of your predicament? Or do you want a divorce? If you have issues with your orientation, I'll permit the divorce."
His voice was cold, but he was actually quite annoyed inside. However, seeing the white gauze wrapped around her head, he couldn't get angry and could only restrain himself.
Rong Dai's face turned red with embarrassment and she quickly denied, "My orientation is very normal, I don't have any issues."
Thinking of Zuo Ran's madness, she still felt chills running down her back.
"Then leave this matter to me. Do you have any objections? Or anything you need to remind me about it?"
Huo Shao Ting looked at her and saw her lips were dry and cracked. As he spoke, he went to pour her a glass of warm water.
"Thank you." She carefully accepted the warm water he handed to her, not daring to look at him as she focused her gaze into the glass.
