Fighting For My Wife With Myself After Being Reborn - Chapter 20

Something was terribly wrong.

Gu Yinghuai didn’t know how to explain the situation before her eyes.

The strength and touch of every press during the massage moments ago were clearly familiar to her. Her Axu knew her body inside out—one could even say better than she knew herself. Without Gu Yinghuai saying a word, she only had to lie on the bed, and Shen Huaixu could make her feel incredibly comfortable.

Because of this, Gu Yinghuai found it even harder to understand what was happening now.

The comfortable, moderate pressure on her body proved that the person massaging her was indeed her girlfriend. Yet, the moment she turned around and met those eyes filled with a dangerous aura, Gu Yinghuai—despite her usually slow nerves and current fear—noticed the anomaly immediately.

This person was not the Shen Huaixu she knew. Or at least, not the one she was familiar with.

When the words “Who are you?” escaped her lips, no matter how thick-skinned or terrified Gu Yinghuai was, she could see the other person’s expression suddenly darken, those eyes instantly filling with sorrow.

What? I should be the one who’s sad here, Gu Yinghuai thought. Strangely, her heart felt as if it were being squeezed by a hand, a piercing pain thrumming through her.

Why was she feeling sad for her? Gu Yinghuai couldn’t explain this heartache. She clutched her aching chest, trying to stop the pain from spreading through her entire body.

When her palm touched her bare skin, she suddenly realized she had forgotten to put her clothes back on.

“You… who exactly are you? Where is my Axu?” Gu Yinghuai hurriedly grabbed the bathrobe she had tossed aside earlier to cover herself. A flush spread from her white neck all the way to her cheeks. She glared at the silent figure, trying to make herself look fierce.

Even though they were both women and there shouldn’t be any shame in being seen unclothed, considering the other person’s prior behavior, Gu Yinghuai’s face looked like an overturned palette—red and green all at once.

The moment she thought about the possibility that she might have slept with someone other than Shen Huaixu the last few times, her stomach twisted into knots. It felt as if she had been forced to swallow ice cubes straight from the freezer—cold, hard, and constantly sinking.

A chill raced up her tailbone, pinning her to the spot, unable to move.

Ahhh! If I’d known, I wouldn’t have drunk so much! Gu Yinghuai began to regret her drinking. If she hadn’t been drunk those previous times, she would have discovered long ago that her Axu’s “inner core” had been swapped out, and she wouldn’t have ended up in that kind of relationship with her.

Gu Yinghuai bit her lower lip hard, her apricot-shaped eyes darting around, not knowing where to look. Her fair fingers clawed at the bedsheets, creating heartbreaking wrinkles.

The person who had remained silent finally moved amidst Gu Yinghuai’s panicked gaze.

She reached out with the hand that had once caressed Gu Yinghuai’s entire body. Gu Yinghuai wanted to dodge, but unexpectedly, the move only sent her right into that hand.

First came the cold, oil-slicked fingers. The fingertips gently rubbed the marks on Gu Yinghuai’s bitten lower lip, the touch so light it was as if she were touching a fragile artifact. The scream in Gu Yinghuai’s throat was stuck, held back by the other’s actions.

She blinked rapidly, seemingly unable to grasp the current situation.

“You…” Before she could speak, the person opposite her spoke first.

“I’m sorry,” she said. Crystal tears slid down her cheeks and crashed onto the bedsheets, blooming into irregular water stains.

“Eh?” Gu Yinghuai was startled by the reaction. She looked at the silver-gray eyes soaked in tears; those beautiful, alluring fox-eyes had lost their usual spirit and arrogance, leaving only a piteous fragility and grief.

Gu Yinghuai couldn’t find any suitable words to describe the current Shen Huaixu.

She didn’t look like the Shen Huaixu from any time period Gu Yinghuai knew. She was too fragile, like a doll that had shattered into countless pieces and been painstakingly glued back together.

But that didn’t mean she wasn’t dangerous.

Beneath those innocent, pitiful eyes lurked a hidden danger that made Gu Yinghuai’s blood run cold.

Her brain screamed at her to get away from this Shen Huaixu immediately—ideally, to leave the room without looking back.

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” the person looked at Gu Yinghuai sorrowfully. “I was just… a little happy to be able to see you again.”

“What do you mean? You know me? No, wait—you still haven’t told me who you really are.” Gu Yinghuai almost forgot. Her previous question hadn’t been answered.

The person opposite her let out a long sigh. From her tensed shoulders, Gu Yinghuai could sense her current nervousness.

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she seemed to have reached a decision. The hesitation in her eyes vanished. She placed her ice-cold hands on Gu Yinghuai’s shoulders, staring directly into her eyes.

“I must tell you something. You might think it’s absurd, or that I’m crazy—it doesn’t matter. I just… I must tell you the truth, because you have the right to know what happened.”

Gu Yinghuai could hear a tremor in her voice; even the palms on her shoulders were shaking.

She was afraid.

This was the signal Gu Yinghuai intercepted from the other’s behavior.

“Go ahead,” Gu Yinghuai said. She didn’t even notice her own voice softening instinctively.

“I don’t belong to this time. I come from the future.”

“I am the Shen Huaixu from ten years later.”

“The… future…?”

Gu Yinghuai had imagined countless possibilities, but she had never considered this. The person before her, who looked like she might crumble into dust with a single puff of wind, was actually the Axu from the future.

Just what had happened to her to cause someone who was always so flamboyant and unyielding to have eyes full of fear and regret?

Gu Yinghuai felt a surge of unease.

The future Shen Huaixu seemed to sense Gu Yinghuai’s unease. The hands on her shoulders slid down to her tense back, patting her gently to soothe her.

The familiar warmth and scent caused Gu Yinghuai to lean toward Shen Huaixu subconsciously. She let go of the bathrobe she was clutching and instead gripped the clothes at the other woman’s chest.

She wanted to lean into this embrace that made her feel at peace.

“Yes. I know it’s hard to believe. Two months ago, if someone had told me I would travel through time and return to the past, I would have thought they were crazy, too.”

“But the fact is, as soon as I opened my eyes, I was back in the time when we were still young.”

Gu Yinghuai’s subconscious act of reliance greatly pleased “Shen Huaixu.” She reached out to hold the slightly trembling Gu Yinghuai, her chin resting on top of Gu Yinghuai’s head.

“But, why…?” The person in her arms shifted but didn’t pull away from the hug.

“Because you left me,” “Shen Huaixu” whispered.

“How is that possible?! How could I ever leave you alone?! You’re lying to me, aren’t you?” Gu Yinghuai pushed “Shen Huaixu” away, her delicate apricot eyes full of disbelief. Upon closer inspection, her eyes were starting to grow moist.

“No.” She pulled Gu Yinghuai back into her arms and murmured, “You really did leave me. You left me alone to endure a world without you.”

“How… does that mean I d— mmm!”

Before the word “died” could leave her mouth, Gu Yinghuai’s lips were immediately covered by “Shen Huaixu’s” hand.

“Don’t. Huai, I beg you, don’t say that word. Only that word—don’t say it.” “Shen Huaixu” pleaded.

Her voice was fragmented, like a wind chime hanging on a windowsill in summer, blown by a sudden gale until it clattered violently. The thin, transparent glass dome swayed in the wind until it finally couldn’t take the burden, smashing against the window frame and shattering into tiny, sharp shards.

Gu Yinghuai felt sad for her. She wrapped her arms around “Shen Huaixu’s” waist and apologized for her recklessness, “I’m sorry…”

“Shen Huaixu” shook her head. She cupped Gu Yinghuai’s cheeks, guiding Gu Yinghuai to look her in the eye. “You know that’s not what I want to hear.”

Gu Yinghuai gazed into those sorrowful silver-gray eyes, unsure of how to respond for a moment.

“I can’t appear for very long. In a little while, the Shen Huaixu of your time will wake up. Don’t worry, when I am in control of the body, she won’t have any memory of this time.”

“Shen Huaixu” stroked Gu Yinghuai’s tender cheek and said, “Huai, I need you to do me a favor.”

Gu Yinghuai looked at her, dazed, walking right into the trap “Shen Huaixu” had custom-made for her. “What favor?”

“Don’t tell her about my existence.” “Shen Huaixu” lowered her eyes, not letting the person in her arms see the flash of calculation in them.

“Why? She’ll find out eventually, won’t she? You can’t hide it from her forever.” Gu Yinghuai didn’t understand the reason behind “Shen Huaixu’s” request.

“Shen Huaixu” gave Gu Yinghuai a smile that looked more like she was crying. “I know. But until I find a way to go back, I hope you can help me hide this. I don’t want my presence to disturb your lives.”

With her making that kind of expression, how could she refuse? Gu Yinghuai pouted and muttered softly, “Fine, I’ll help you. But I can’t guarantee anything. If it happens too often, Axu will definitely get suspicious.”

“Shen Huaixu” was amused by Gu Yinghuai’s expression. she comforted her, saying, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll try my best to only appear at night after she’s fallen asleep.”

“What do I have to be afraid of?” Gu Yinghuai poked “Shen Huaixu’s” chest. “You should be the one worrying. Oh, right—speaking of which, how did the future me… that?”

To minimize triggering “Shen Huaixu’s” painful memories, Gu Yinghuai thought she was being very thoughtful by replacing the word “death” with “that.”

“I’m sorry, that is the one thing I cannot tell you.” “Shen Huaixu” caught the mischievous hand at her chest. “None of us can guarantee that if you know ahead of time, it won’t become the butterfly wings that trigger the storm. I can’t gamble with your future.”

“Also, she’s about to wake up. Can I hold you one more time?” The silver-gray eyes looked at Gu Yinghuai almost pleadingly.

Gu Yinghuai couldn’t bear to refuse “Shen Huaixu” and nodded in agreement.

She was pulled into “Shen Huaixu’s” embrace. Long, powerful arms gripped her waist tightly, with a force as if she wanted to embed her into her own body, never to be separated again.

“Goodnight.” “Shen Huaixu’s” kiss was light as a feather, falling on Gu Yinghuai’s forehead.

“Goodnight.” Gu Yinghuai hugged her back, her heart filled with a feeling called pity.

What she didn’t know was that, in a place she couldn’t see, “Shen Huaixu” wore a smile of absolute determination.