Nan Zhiyun didn't know how to describe her current feelings. She didn't say she sympathized with Consort Yun, but... she suddenly realized that for Yu Jingchen, human life was just a matter of a word, or a matter of a moment's mood.

However, rather than that, it's more accurate to say that Yu Jingchen seems to be perpetually rational, as if no one has ever been an exception to his rule. No matter who the other person is, even if they've had a relationship with him, even if he's pampered them, even if they've conceived his child, he can act as if nothing ever happened and simply take their life.

Such a person is truly terrifying because he has no feelings or heart, and even his blood seems cold... So what does he mean to me now?

"Yun'er, don't be afraid, okay? The reason I told you so directly just now was because I didn't want to lie to you, and I didn't want to pretend to be someone I really am in front of you. But you have to believe me, I don't have any other feelings for you right now, and it's not some new trick. Trust me, okay?" Yu Jingchen explained proactively.

Nan Zhiyun kept her head down and didn't say a word. She already knew how terrifying Yu Jingchen was, so how could she really let go of her fear?

"I promise you, this kind of thing will never happen to you again. We will be fine from now on. I've said this to you many times, so please believe me, okay?" Yu Jingchen didn't hide what kind of person he really was because he was afraid that Nan Zhiyun would be scared if she found out later.

Even though there was really no point in lying now—after all, he had become a cold-blooded and cruel person in her eyes—he still didn't want to deceive her. These things probably couldn't be kept secret any longer, and if they were exposed later, it would be even more embarrassing.

"...Does Your Majesty never make an exception for anyone? If you think someone should die, you don't hesitate at all, right?" Nan Zhiyun suddenly asked, her voice very soft, showing that she had mustered up her courage.

"Maybe it was before, but it's impossible in the future, because from now on, you are my exception, understand?" Yu Jingchen said very directly and frankly. Nan Zhiyun is now his only exception.

No matter what he does, Nan Zhiyun is always his first thought. Whenever something involves Nan Zhiyun, he will always put her first.

"You know what kind of person I am. I wouldn't deliberately lie to you, nor would I pretend to do something for so long just to do something to you in the end, right?" Yu Jingchen began to guide you step by step again.

"So you have to believe me, my feelings for you are real now, Nan Zhiyun. I care about you a lot, I really care about you, and I really can't bear to leave you." Yu Jingchen continued.

Nan Zhiyun knew he wouldn't stoop to such methods, but the matter itself was so bizarre that she couldn't believe it, how could she possibly accept it? His change wasn't subtle, it was earth-shattering, yet the interval between them was less than half an hour, so how could she possibly believe it? She couldn't convince herself, nor did she have the courage to take responsibility.

“I know you have concerns and doubts, and I also know that I have changed a lot, which makes you feel uneasy. But Yun’er, you can think back to how we’ve spent time together these past few days. Everything that happened was real, not a dream, but fact.” Yu Jingchen gently stroked her.

"There are some things I can't explain to you right now, but I'll tell you when the opportunity comes. Please wait a little longer, okay?" Yu Jingchen said. Actually, he could talk about this now, but he was hesitant because he didn't know if Nan Zhiyun would believe him or how she would react.

Furthermore, if she really found out about those things, what would she do? Would she choose to leave? Would she hate herself? Or would she remember...?

He might not have had so many concerns in the past, but after these two incidents, he had to take this matter to heart. He absolutely could not bear the pain of losing Nan Zhiyun again; such a thing must never happen again.

Nan Zhiyun also really wanted to ask, when exactly was the right time? What exactly happened in between? Why didn't she know? But unfortunately, she could only keep these questions to herself, because she didn't have the courage to ask them directly. Besides, even if she did ask, she couldn't judge whether what Yu Jingchen said was true, could she?

"Yun'er...do you believe in past lives and reincarnation?" Yu Jingchen suddenly asked this question.

Nan Zhiyun slowly raised her head.

"Don't you usually like reading storybooks? Have you ever read any stories about past lives and reincarnation?" Yu Jingchen asked her.

Nan Zhiyun didn't know what he meant by those words. Was he trying to distract her?

"I've seen it..." Nan Zhiyun replied.

"Do you believe the stories in them? And how do you view these stories?" Yu Jingchen then asked.

“…” Nan Zhiyun hesitated for a moment, perhaps unsure of how to answer.

"It's okay, just say what you think, alright? I'm a little curious." Yu Jingchen didn't reveal anything, only saying that he wanted to know.

"It's just a story, of course I don't believe it. It's all just fiction. How could such a thing really happen in real life? So I don't believe it..." Nan Zhiyun replied. A story is just a story, how could it possibly become reality?

Those so-called past lives and reincarnations, the idea of ​​starting over, are all just figments of our imagination. In the real world, there's no chance to even regret, so how could there possibly be a second chance?

"What kind of stories does Yun'er read the most?" Yu Jingchen continued, as if he was just curious.

"Most likely... it's because I did something wrong in my past life, so I'm being reborn to correct it and get everything back on track," Nan Zhiyun replied. But what's done is done, so how can it be called getting back on track? The original events are the original trajectory; if I were to truly change them, I would be deviating from the right path.

"What was the ending? What was the ending like? Did it succeed?" Yu Jingchen didn't look at those things, but he really wanted to use them to understand what Nan Zhiyun was thinking.

"The ending... most of them are actually quite happy, right? They're reborn before anything has happened, when everything is still possible, so things really change," Nan Zhiyun said. Actually, many of the books she used to read didn't have very good endings, but the ones she's been reading recently all seem to have very happy endings.

"So, do you like this ending?" Yu Jingchen asked again, perhaps this was the question he cared about most.

“…I don’t know…” Nan Zhiyun hesitated for a moment before giving an answer; she couldn’t explain it.