Fighting For My Wife With Myself After Being Reborn - Chapter 33

The last memory ended with the piercing screech of brakes, the blinding glare of white lights, and a crushing sense of suffocation as metal collided and crumpled with immense force. Then, amidst a surge of agonizing pain, Shen Huaixu plunged into endless darkness.

Her soul drifted aimlessly in the air, yet her body felt as though it were constantly falling.

In the darkness, Shen Huaixu lost all control over her physical form. Her slender limbs felt bound by invisible chains, making even a simple movement like raising a hand impossible. She was confined to the spot, unable to move.

She tried to force her eyes open and break free from the restraints, but no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t find the leverage. Instead, her efforts only caused the chains to tighten, bringing on a faint sensation of suffocation.

Reluctantly, she stopped struggling, choosing to wait for an opportunity to break through the shackles in one go.

How strange, though, Shen Huaixu thought idly. These chains smell so fragrant, and they feel so soft…

A familiar scent. She felt as though she had smelled it somewhere before.

Her chaotic mind was a blur until a flash of white light occurred, and the events of her life began to play out like a revolving lantern—a zoumadeng.

The lantern played in silence.

Yet, no sound was needed. With a single glance, Shen Huaixu knew exactly what the people in the images were saying.

That was the scene of her first meeting with Gu Yinghuai.

As their eyes met in the memory, the rusty gears of Shen Huaixu’s brain began to click and turn, gradually regaining the ability to think.

The fragrance surrounding me… it smells just like the scent on Huai.

So, is this what death is like?

Suffocating to death amidst the fragrance of one’s lover… it’s not a bad way to go.

Shen Huaixu gave up the struggle and allowed herself to sink into the darkness. Her body continued to fall, until—

“Wake… wake up…” “Axu…” “Hurry and wake up…”

In the darkness, a familiar voice rang out near her ear. It was gentle, carrying a hint of a smile and a touch of indulgence, making one want to open their eyes just to see if the speaker was as soft and warm as her voice.

Who is it? Who is calling my name?

Shen Huaixu, who had previously surrendered to the void, was jolted awake by the commotion. Her heavy eyelids no longer felt weighted; the chains had vanished at some point, and the feeling of suffocation was gone.

She slowly opened her silver-gray eyes. The bright light of the room stung, causing her pupils to contract sharply.

“What’s wrong with you today, Axu? I’ve been calling you for so long and you wouldn’t wake up.” The first thing she saw was a pair of familiar almond-shaped eyes.

The woman’s long black hair rested on her shoulders, with a few strands sliding off her fair, delicate skin. From Shen Huaixu’s perspective, she could see the woman’s exquisite collarbones and a face that looked exactly like Gu Yinghuai’s.

She propped up her chin, blinked, and twirled a lock of Shen Huaixu’s hair with her slender fingers, her eyes brimming with a smile. “If you don’t get up, you’re going to be late. Did you forget you have work to do today?”

The sunlight from the window hit her, making her seem to glow.

Shen Huaixu was stunned, her silver-gray eyes reflecting the other woman’s smile.

She felt as if she were looking at an angel.

So, people really do go to heaven after they die.

To be able to see her Huai one more time after death… Shen Huaixu felt deeply satisfied. She folded her hands over her chest and closed her eyes, looking very peaceful.

Drunk on Gu Yinghuai’s beauty, she failed to notice something was amiss.

“What time is it?” “Eight-thirty. I even finished making breakfast and came back, and you were still sleeping.” “Sorry, I’ll get up right away.”

The dialogue continued. Shen Huaixu, who had been blissfully resting with her eyes closed, finally realized something was wrong.

She clearly hadn’t spoken, so why did she hear her own voice talking to the “angel”? And why was their conversation so natural and intimate? Did they know each other?

Questions flooded in, and Shen Huaixu’s long-dormant brain couldn’t process them all at once. What happened next caught her even more off guard.

To her horror, Shen Huaixu felt her lips being gently nibbled. A smooth, soft tongue flicked against her lips; it tasted sweet.

She snapped her eyes open.

No! Even if this angel looks like my Huai, it doesn’t mean she can kiss me!

Refusing any intimacy that wasn’t from the real Gu Yinghuai, Shen Huaixu reached out to push away the person kissing her—only to watch in shock as her hand passed right through the woman’s body.

What’s going on? Shen Huaixu was terrified.

Have I become a ghost? She stared blankly at her own transparent hand, her expression shifting wildly.

If I’m really dead, what will happen to Huai?

Her Huai was someone who cried so easily, someone so tender-hearted. Every time they curled up on the sofa to watch a drama, those clear almond eyes would fill with tears at the emotional parts, and those curled lashes would be heavy with crystal droplets. Every blink was like a tiny rainstorm on her face.

Shen Huaixu clenched her fists tight.

She was too cowardly to even imagine how devastated Gu Yinghuai would be upon hearing the news of her death. If she was gone, who would be there to catch Gu Yinghuai’s tears and wipe away the scars on her heart?

She couldn’t even give her a hug.

Her clenched fists slowly relaxed.

Shen Huaixu took a long, deep breath, trying to calm herself down and figure out the current situation. Life? Death? She had to know for sure.

The sensation on her lips vanished. Though she didn’t understand why she, as a spiritual entity, shared sensations with this other person, at least she didn’t have to worry about being “defiled” anymore.

However, that relief didn’t last long.

At the breakfast table, through their conversation, Shen Huaixu pieced together the answer.

She wasn’t dead, nor was she just alive; she had traveled from the scene of the car accident into the future, becoming a “behind-the-back spirit” (a wraith) of her future self.

So, the question was: How could she return to her own timeline?

She had no idea how much time had passed since her accident. She worried that if she didn’t return soon, her Huai would be scared to death.

While she pondered, Shen Huaixu didn’t forget to observe the Gu Yinghuai sitting across the table.

Cruel time seemed to have left no marks on her. Instead, it had gifted her with eyes as gentle as spring water and a face like peach blossoms in March.

In short: Beautiful!

Shen Huaixu was deeply moved. As expected of her Huai, she only became more elegant and stunning as she grew older.

She began to regret pushing her away. She wished she had savored that kiss a bit longer earlier, rather than miserably reminiscing now while her mouth tasted like nothing but fried eggs.

Mmm, Huai’s cooking has certainly improved.

“I’m heading out.” “Be careful on the road.”

While the “Wraith Miss” was still admiring Gu Yinghuai’s beauty, the “Future Shen Huaixu” was already locked in a passionate parting kiss with Gu Yinghuai.

This infuriated the Wraith Miss. She quickly closed her eyes to focus on the sensation, imagining that the person kissing Gu Yinghuai was herself.

When the warm lips parted, Shen Huaixu lingered on the feeling, even getting a bit annoyed that the goodbye kiss was so short. So what if you’re late for work? It’s not like you haven’t been late before!

Of course, the “Future Shen Huaixu” couldn’t hear the Wraith Miss’s complaints. She gave Gu Yinghuai’s moist lips one last peck and reluctantly left for work.

“Couldn’t you have kissed her just a bit longer?” the Wraith Miss muttered, poking the back of Future Shen’s head in the elevator before floating out after her.

Work was boring—especially since the tasks were largely the same as what she used to do, with no novelty at all.

So, this is what Jiang Rui looks like in a few years? Much more serious.

Shen Huaixu laughed at the sight of Jiang Rui, who now had more wrinkles between her brows and deeper nasolabial folds. She was completely oblivious to the fact that Jiang Rui’s aging was likely caused by her own self-centered and unpredictable work style.

She just floated behind “Future Shen,” watching her work.

So dull. Realizing that no one on set could see her, Shen Huaixu stopped paying attention to the production and focused instead on how to detach herself from this state and return to her own time.

As beautiful as the future Huai was, she wanted to go back and kiss and hug her Huai.

This longing reached its peak when she saw “Future Shen” taking advantage of a break to message Gu Yinghuai.

If not for the accident, this is what she would be doing now: sitting in a corner of a busy but orderly set, clutching her phone and chatting with Huai, smiling sweetly.

Instead, she was stuck to “Future Shen,” being walked through by various staff members.

Shen Huaixu naturally disliked excessive physical contact with people, so being passed through by several crew members over and over made her quite angry. She floated above Future Shen’s head, sat cross-legged, and looked down at the phone screen.

Hmph, acting spoiled again.

Shen Huaixu was full of disdain. How old are you, acting like a baby? So shameless. Why can’t you be more mature and stable like me?

The truth was, Shen Huaixu herself was incredibly childish and acted spoiled with Gu Yinghuai constantly. Her methods were no different from Future Shen’s—if anything, they were probably worse. But even with the facts right in front of her, she would never admit it.

Lunchtime arrived.

“Future Shen” couldn’t even eat in peace. She took her lunch box to the trailer, pulled out her phone, and started a video call with Gu Yinghuai. Her tone was all mushy and clingy, a far cry from her cold demeanor on set.

Unbearable. Shen Huaixu covered her face. This was the first time she had seen herself acting spoiled from a third-person perspective. It was just…

She didn’t want to finish that thought. After all, “Future Shen” acting spoiled and “Current Shen” acting spoiled were one and the same. The only difference was that one was older, while she was still young, beautiful, and Gu Yinghuai’s “precious baby.”

Thinking of this, Shen Huaixu missed her Huai again.

How do I get back…

The lunch break flew by. Shen Huaixu watched as “Future Shen” reluctantly hung up, put on her cold mask, and returned to the set.

Shen Huaixu propped up her chin and accompanied “Future Shen” through the rest of the workday.

When work finally ended, the love-struck “Future Shen” rushed home immediately, even the tips of her hair seeming to radiate impatience. The Wraith Miss was dragged along like a kite, cursing all the way.

Shen Huaixu ranted until they reached home. Her frustration and anger vanished the moment she saw Gu Yinghuai’s smiling face. The subsequent kiss on the cheek soothed the irritation of being forced to “work” all day.

“You’re back? Hard work today. I’ve made dinner, go change and let’s eat.” Gu Yinghuai stood on her tiptoes to kiss Future Shen’s cheek, but before she could pull away, she was grabbed by the waist and pulled into a deep kiss.

Good, good. That’s how it should be. A cheek kiss is never enough, the Wraith Miss thought, nodding in approval.

“Alright, go change. The food will get cold.” Eventually, Gu Yinghuai pushed away the clearly unsatisfied Future Shen, tapped her nose, and said indulgently, “Acting like a baby the moment you get home. How old are you?”

Future Shen, being Shen Huaixu, shamelessly replied that she was only three years old.

“Ugh.” Shen Huaixu was the first to succumb, leaning against the wall and pretending to gag. Seeing myself act like this from such a close distance is disgusting. My eyes… She covered her eyes, refusing to look.

Dinner was another form of torture.

Future Shen couldn’t stay still while eating. She was constantly touching and nudging. While her hands were busy with food, her feet were busy under the table, her slightly cold toes grazing Gu Yinghuai’s warm calves, enjoying the thrill of skin-on-skin contact.

“Am I really this clingy?” Shen Huaixu re-examined herself.

She recalled her past behavior. Intertwined legs under the table, foreheads pressed together on the sofa, hands that wouldn’t let go even in the sweltering heat of a summer afternoon…

Fine, I am excessively clingy.

After dinner, Future Shen and Gu Yinghuai stood shoulder to shoulder, arms brushing, as they laughed and talked while washing dishes. Shen Huaixu floated nearby, watching them wash up, share a soft kiss after drying their hands, and then head to the bedroom to shower.

Since Future Shen was the one showering, Shen Huaixu rolled her eyes and floated by the bathroom door to wait. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to leave; she literally couldn’t. She had tried to move away from Future Shen countless times throughout the day, only to be stopped by an invisible wall.

Great. Instead of wasting time here, I could be in the living room with my precious Huai!

Unfortunately, the person in the shower couldn’t hear her inner screaming. She took her time, humming a happy tune as she finally emerged.

“Looking at this face for too long really makes me annoyed,” Shen Huaixu muttered, jealous that this version of herself could touch and kiss Gu Yinghuai at will. She folded her arms and followed her onto the bed.

The bed…

Wait.

Did this mean that tonight they would…

Shen Huaixu’s eyes lit up. She began to look forward to what was about to happen.

Night fell, and the starlight was hazy.

Under Shen Huaixu’s watchful gaze, “Future Shen” reached out and turned off the light.

Plunged back into darkness, Shen Huaixu was dazed for several seconds before she finally reacted, exploding in anger: “Are you kidding me?! You turn off the lights right at the climax?!”