Vol 2 Chapter 17: The Price Has Been Paid
Absurd.
Lu Li’s only thought was absurdity. If An Baili had told him about rebirth in his previous life, he wouldn’t have believed a single word. But now, he was the one who was reborn, and he couldn’t help but believe it. Lu Li quickly calmed down, his gaze fixed on the unremarkable heart-shaped pendant.
An Baili didn’t light the lighter to die together, but to be reborn… This reason was unexpectedly compelling, and his heart wavered slightly. If what An Baili said was true, not only could he not hate her, but he should also thank her? Thank her for giving him a chance to make amends? He shook his head.
People always had to pay the price for their mistakes. This was the life principle that Lu Li had always believed in. Parents would bear the consequences of their children’s mistakes, and adults had to pay for their own mistakes. An Baili had always been an immature wife, willful and clingy. But what about him? Was he a mature husband?
Lu Li fell silent. He had made this mistake once in his previous life. Being too harsh on others, even attempting to control their personality, would only lead to tragedy.
No one was God.
An Baili pointed to the four fragments on the pendant: “Every time I’m reborn, a piece of the crystal breaks. This time, you and I were reborn, and two pieces broke at once. I guess this pendant has lost its power of rebirth. It’s a relic my mother gave me. When I was seven, An Gulai personally handed it to me and told me to keep it safe.”
“Wait. You said a piece breaks with each rebirth, but according to you, you’ve only been reborn twice, so there should only be three broken pieces. Why are all four broken?” Lu Li pointed to the pendant. He actually hoped that An Baili was lying. As long as he pointed out the flaws in her lies, she would cover her mouth with a smile and say: You saw through me.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
“Because someone used it before I got it.” An Baili solemnly placed the pendant in front of Lu Li. “I don’t know who used it, but one of the crystals was already broken.”
Mei Jinliu.
The name of An Baili’s mother flashed through Lu Li’s mind. It could only be her. This was also the reason why Mei Jinliu passed the pendant on to her daughter.
Lu Li couldn’t help but reach for the unassuming toy, a sense of awe rising in his heart. Humans were inherently afraid of the unpredictable and unknown. The moment he touched the pendant, Lu Li’s body froze. He felt a chill run down his spine, and an indescribable sense of horror washed over him.
“The price has been paid…”
It seemed like his own voice was speaking in his ear, but Lu Li swore he hadn’t moved his mouth! This chilling sensation only lasted for a moment. The next second, Lu Li picked up the pendant in one smooth motion, as if the pause had never happened.
“What’s wrong?” Seeing Lu Li in a daze, An Baili tilted her head and asked.
Did only he hear it? Lu Li swallowed and said nothing. What did “the price has been paid” mean? Did rebirth have a price? Then why didn’t An Baili pay the price… Wait!
Lu Li’s pupils constricted sharply. He remembered an unsolved mystery that had troubled him for many years in his previous life: he and An Baili had been married for many years, but they had no children! If what An Baili said was true, and she had been reborn twice, was the price she paid for the first time lifelong infertility?
Then what about this time?
He didn’t dare to think further, and he wasn’t even sure if the words he had just heard were real. Maybe it was just an auditory hallucination? Maybe he was just affected by An Baili’s bizarre narrative?
He held the pendant in his hand and examined it repeatedly, but the strange voice never reappeared. The pendant seemed to have completely lost its magic, no different from an ordinary toy.
“Li, everything I said is true. If I’m hiding anything, may lightning strike me five times.” Seeing that Lu Li hadn’t responded for a long time, An Baili thought he didn’t believe her and quickly raised her hand to swear. She suddenly saw the bloodstains on Lu Li’s right hand and gasped. She quickly got up and took out a clean handkerchief, wiping the bloodstains while saying with distress: “Does your hand hurt?”
Being cared for by a beautiful girl was a pleasant experience, and Lu Li’s expression softened considerably, just like in the past. This was the first time since his rebirth that he spoke to An Baili in such a gentle tone: “I believe you.” Did he really believe her? Lu Li didn’t believe the strangeness of the pendant, he simply believed in An Baili as a person.
Ever since An Baili lit the lighter, Lu Li’s mind had been filled with prejudice against her – disrespect for life, disrespect for love, disrespect for herself… But when An Baili desperately stood in front of the out-of-control An Gulai and shouted, “Don’t hurt Lu Li!”, the string in his heart that should have been silent was touched. He suddenly realized his foolishness. What was he doing? Was hurting An Baili really his intention? Could avoidance really solve the problem?
An Baili saw the small wound on Lu Li’s index finger. She looked at the absent-minded Lu Li with tenderness, opened her mouth slightly, and put his finger in her mouth, licking it with her moist and fragrant tongue, her body unconsciously leaning closer to his arm. Lu Li was moved by her, and she was also moved by him.
“I’m sorry… I really didn’t think much that day. When I heard you wanted a divorce, I, I… my mind went blank. I just wanted you to change your mind as soon as possible. If you still hate me, I don’t know what to do… Or, or you can hit me with a beer bottle too.” Lu Li laughed at her words. An Baili was still the same An Baili, she had never changed.
“If you forgive me, take my virginity.” Her voice was filled with guilt. “It has always belonged to you…”
Lu Li neither stopped An Baili nor made any further moves: “Baili, promise me one thing, okay?”
“Okay…”
“Respect yourself, don’t treat your body as an object.” Lu Li had been holding these words in his heart for a long time. He had wanted to say this to An Baili for a long time. He hoped that An Baili would be an independent, autonomous, strong, and self-loving girl, not a pitiful creature who could only use her body to exchange for love. Low self-esteem was an inherent human flaw that was difficult to escape.
“Okay.” An Baili’s body went limp. She felt Lu Li’s sincerity, and her heart was filled with warmth and sweetness. She couldn’t say anything, but just leaned weakly against him. What she didn’t tell Lu Li was that she was only so humble in front of him. In her eyes, Lu Li was like a shooting star across the sky, bright and dazzling, only staying in her world for a short time. He should be accompanied by the stars and the moon, not tied down to a weed like her. As long as she could keep Lu Li by her side, she was willing to pay any price.
The atmosphere in the room quieted down. Lu Li remained silent for a long time before asking: “Would you mind telling me about your first rebirth?”
Finally. An Baili’s body trembled slightly. Even though she had been mentally prepared, when she truly faced this request, she couldn’t help but feel fear. She was afraid that after Lu Li knew the truth, he would dislike her again, see through her hypocritical mask, and become a shooting star that would forever pass through the sky and disappear.
“I’m a thief.” The unexpected opening remark stunned Lu Li.
“I stole you from Wen Hupo.” The girl’s shoulders trembled. Was she crying?
Lu Li couldn’t help but hug An Baili, his chin resting on her head: “Don’t cry. Remember what I told you? The past can’t be changed, the future is yet to come, I only value the present.”
The more considerate Lu Li was, the more heartbroken An Baili cried: “I’m, I’m sorry… If I hadn’t interfered, you should have, should have a happy family with Wen Hupo, a pair of lovely children…”
Wen Hupo… Lu Li held her even tighter. He had to admit that he had liked Wen Hupo in his previous life. He liked her calm personality, her values that were similar to his own, her appearance, her little jokes… But in the end, he chose to be with An Baili because Wen Hupo still had her family, career, and status without him, while An Baili would truly have nothing without him.
“You married Wen Hupo in college… I, I was very sad and used some extreme methods to pester you… and then you hated me…” An Baili cried. “I remember when you heard the news of Wen Hupo’s pregnancy, you jumped for joy… That day, I was heartbroken. I felt like I had lost you forever… You were so good to me, you helped me so much, but I was greedy and wanted to have you forever…”
“I’m a thief…”
“That day, I drank alcohol for the first time, drove alone, and plunged into the river. When I woke up again, I was reborn in my first year of high school, which was my previous life.” An Baili spoke lightly, but Lu Li was horrified. “Then, then I did what Wen Hupo had done, getting closer and closer to you before she could…”
Many details from his previous life suddenly surfaced in his mind: no matter what he did, An Baili was always there; whenever he was alone with someone, An Baili would always show up and interrupt; he often ran into An Baili when he went out… So it was like this, so it was like this, was it all deliberately arranged by An Baili?
“Li, do you hate me like this?” When An Baili asked this question, she buried her head in Lu Li’s arms, her body trembling. She didn’t dare to look up, even covering her ears.
Lu Li’s gaze lost focus, as if he was staring into the void that he could never reach. He was thinking, peeling away the layers of his heart. After a long, long time, the young man finally made a decision.
Lu Li touched the girl’s head:
“Do you want me to hate you?”
“…No…”
“Then I don’t hate you.” He answered calmly.
“Wuu…” Hearing Lu Li’s answer, An Baili burst into tears. She clutched Lu Li’s school uniform tightly, determined never to let go.
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