Capítulo 6: Rebirth
The suffocating darkness receded, and Jiang Yanxu blinked against the dim light, disoriented. His mind had been clouded by the sensation of death, but when his eyes opened, he was met not with the cold grip of the afterlife, but with the sterile warmth of a lavish room. The air smelled faintly of lavender, and the silence was only broken by the faint hum of the clock on the wall.
He stared at it: 5:30 AM.
A sharp pang surged through his skull, and he winced, pressing a hand to his temple. His head throbbed violently, and for a moment, he wasn't sure if he was awake or trapped in some cruel nightmare.
Gradually, he sat up, confusion flooding his senses as he tried to piece together his fragmented thoughts. That was when he noticed him—someone lying next to him in bed. The man's bare upper body, lithe and youthful, was exposed under the thin white blanket. Jiang Yanxu's breath caught in his throat.
His eyes immediately locked onto the face of the sleeping man beside him.
Ye Xinren.
A jolt of panic surged through Jiang Yanxu. His body jerked, and instinctively, he pushed himself off the bed, disoriented by the sudden rush of emotions and memories. He looked down, realizing with horror that he was completely naked.
What in the world was going on?
Jiang Yanxu's mind scrambled, trying to recall the events leading up to this moment. He stood frozen for a beat, trying to recollect the violent end to his previous life—the suffocating strangulation, the fatal stab wound in his liver. None of those injuries were present. His body felt ... pristine, untouched. He felt alive—so painfully, bewilderingly alive.
He quickly grabbed the satin robe hanging from a nearby chair, donning it with trembling hands, and retreated to the bathroom, hoping to make sense of his new reality.
When he looked into the mirror, the reflection before him stunned him further. His face, once marred by time and hardship, was now youthful, vibrant. No scars, no rope marks. His muscles, toned and firm, bore no sign of the trauma he'd once endured. He touched his face with cold fingers, then the warmth of his skin registered. He was living, breathing.
Alive.
For a long moment, Jiang Yanxu stared at his reflection, as though hoping the mirror would offer some explanation. Was this some twisted punishment? Or perhaps a second chance, a rare opportunity to right his wrongs?
He was alive.
The shock was overwhelming, and as he slowly pieced together the fragments of his past life, the memories began to resurface. Ye Xinxin ... the man who had once ensnared him with his beauty, his warmth. The man who had, in the end, betrayed him in the most horrific way imaginable.
Jiang Yanxu exhaled sharply, trying to gather his thoughts. He couldn't afford to be paralyzed by confusion. He had a mission now, didn't he?
Stepping out of the bathroom, he wandered back into the room, still reeling from the surreal nature of his rebirth. His eyes swept the space, lingering on the man who was still asleep in the bed. Ye Xinren, the one he had once loved with all his heart. The one who had broken him.
His gaze fell on the calendar by the bedside. April ... 2007.
A bitter taste curled in his throat as the significance of the date sank in. He was twenty-nine again—still caught in the year of his failed marriage, his divorce from Yan An still looming in the future. But here he was, on the cusp of a different kind of tragedy: his honeymoon with Ye Xinren.
The irony of it all was almost too much to bear.
Jiang Yanxu sat at the edge of the bed, staring blankly ahead as he picked up his old, outdated phone. The screen confirmed what he feared. 2007. Everything was as it had been, but now, he had the chance to rewrite it—or destroy it all over again.
"Ha," he laughed bitterly, the sound dry in the still air. "So, this is how the gods repay me? By giving me a second chance only to put me back in this hell?"
The sound of a soft groan beside him broke his dark thoughts. Ye Xinren stirred in the bed, stretching lazily, his face still peaceful in sleep. But when his eyes fluttered open, they locked onto Jiang Yanxu's.
"Honey, good morning." Ye Xinren's voice was soft, a gentle whisper, as if nothing had changed.
Jiang Yanxu's chest tightened. Those words, once so sweet, now felt like a dagger. He remembered the love he had once felt for Ye Xinren, how he had let himself be blinded by the man's beauty and affection, only to be consumed by betrayal.
"What's wrong?" Ye Xinren asked, his voice filled with confusion and concern as he reached out to touch Jiang Yanxu's hand, his fingers warm and tender.
Jiang Yanxu fought to control the storm of emotions threatening to overwhelm him. He turned his face away from Ye Xinren, the words bubbling up in his throat like acid.
"Where are we?" he asked, his voice hoarse, not with emotion, but with a deep-seated frustration he could no longer hide.
Ye Xinren blinked, his expression puzzled. "Why are you asking that? We're on a cruise ship. Aren't we on our honeymoon?"
Cruise ship.
Jiang Yanxu's mind reeled. So, this was after their wedding. After the vows. After everything had gone wrong. He swallowed hard, his mind racing through the bitter memories of how his marriage with Ye Xinren had started—how everything had seemed perfect, and how quickly it had all turned into a nightmare.
Three weeks ago, they had gotten married. Three months after his divorce from Yan An.
"Of course," Jiang Yanxu muttered under his breath, the weight of it all sinking in. "This is where it all started, isn't it?"
Ye Xinxin's gaze softened as he crawled closer, his lips curving into a smile. "Come on, don't be like this. We just got married, remember? You used to greet me with a kiss every morning. Why are you acting so distant?"
The words felt like a slap in the face. Jiang Yanxu closed his eyes, trying to steady his racing heart. He couldn't do this. He couldn't let this farce continue.
He stood up abruptly, walking toward the bathroom, ignoring Ye Xinren's call.
Inside the steamy confines of the bathtub, Jiang Yanxu closed his eyes, letting the hot water wash over him. He needed time. Time to figure out what to do next. Time to fix the mistakes he had made before.
Five months. He would have to endure this twisted charade for five more months before he could return to the life that had been ripped away from him. But he wouldn't make the same mistakes this time.
He couldn't afford to.
A moment later, Ye Xinren entered, his slender frame slipping into the water with ease. He leaned against Jiang Yanxu's chest, his fingers brushing against the other man's skin, a soft sigh escaping his lips.
"Did I do something wrong?" Ye Xinren asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
Jiang Yanxu's eyes flickered with something close to disgust, but he buried it deep within himself. He couldn't let this go on forever. Not like this.
But for now, he would play the part.
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