But it wasn't until her dying day that she finally realized the truth—

Marriage is not a necessary choice in life, and love is certainly not enough to make career give way to it.

There were too many obstacles between her and He Mingxiao before, and love was already a luxury. So, given a second chance, she chose to live for herself!

And we must live a more fulfilling life!

Nan Xian sat on the hotel terrace all night, enjoying the breeze, and finally her mind calmed down.

As dawn broke, she began to review her work schedule.

What she saw almost made her fall off her chair in shock—

Just yesterday, she announced her decision to retire from the entertainment industry to her agent, Tan Wei!

Nan Xian's company, Fanmeng Entertainment, was acquired by the He family a few years ago. After her marriage, she went from being an artist under the company to becoming the boss's wife. In the past six months, she has been either on her honeymoon or in contact with high-society circles like the He family, and has not arranged any work.

Tan Wei had long guessed that she wanted to leave the entertainment industry. As an ordinary working woman, even though she felt very sorry for her, she could not refuse her boss's decision and immediately turned down all the scripts and variety show invitations prepared for her.

At this moment, Nan Xian really wanted to bang her head on the ground—

If only I could have been reborn a day earlier! Unfortunately, there was no function to recall messages back in 2012!

After much deliberation, she reluctantly explained to Tan Wei that she hoped to continue her career in the entertainment industry.

Unexpectedly, Tan Wei replied immediately.

She sent a slightly confused emoji, and after a while replied with an "okay".

Nan Xian breathed a sigh of relief. Having worked together for so many years, she knew that although Tan Wei was cold and taciturn, she was very reliable.

Sure enough, not long after she finished washing up, Tan Wei sent a new message.

[You haven't had any work in six months, joining a film crew now would be too rushed. Why not do some variety shows to get some exposure? I have a new variety show on hand; the director, who had been rejected before, insisted on inviting you. Take a look.]

When Nan Xian opened the file she sent, she was momentarily stunned when the name of the variety show jumped into her eyes.

—The first season of "Unveiling Ghost Stories", directed by Zheng Hangwei.

Ding He had mentioned this name to him the day before the car accident, and he never expected to see it again the day after his rebirth.

She suddenly felt a sense of disorientation, as if time and space were out of her mind, and only continued reading after a moment of distraction.

The variety show introduction was almost identical to what she remembered, but when she saw the guest lineup, her eyes widened slowly.

Three of the four regular guests for the first season have been confirmed, and they are all names she remembers, but Wei Zeling is not among them.

—That's right. Nan Xian rejected Director Zheng's invitation in her first year because she decided to leave the entertainment industry, and the next nine years were all because of Wei Zeling.

Before this, Wei Zeling had been developing her career overseas and was not well-known in China. However, she broke into the Chinese entertainment industry through this variety show and gained a lot of popularity.

However, the current situation is that Wei Zeling was not originally a regular guest, which means that if Nan Xian had accepted the invitation back then, Wei Zeling would not have been involved.

Nan Xian's gaze was fixed on the row of guests.

Her heart pounded faster and faster like a drumbeat, and suddenly her eyes sharpened as she switched back to her chat with Tan Wei.

I'll take it!

**

A few days later, she met He Mingxiao again.

In the quiet private room, the waiter placed the tea on the table and quietly withdrew.

Nan Xian gestured to the lawyer with her chin, then picked up her teacup and took a small sip.

The man sitting across from her clearly had no interest in sipping tea. He gave her a deep look and opened the divorce papers that the lawyer had handed him.

His gaze lingered on the line about "voluntarily leaving with nothing," and he frowned, saying in a deep voice, "I want to talk to you alone."

The lawyer glanced at Nan Xian's expression and then left on his own.

Nan Xian put down her teacup and looked up to meet his gaze.

He looked much more haggard after just a few days, and surprisingly, he even showed signs of fatigue.

Nan Xian's eyes suddenly stung, and she quickly looked away.

He stared at her silently for a long time, as if he had a lot to say, but in the end he only said, "Divorce is fine, but at least let me compensate you."

She suppressed her turbulent emotions and coldly uttered three words: "No need."

The most fatal thing is to have lingering ties; she didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore.

He Mingxiao continued, "I did hide something from you. I didn't consider your feelings before dragging you into my life. You are a good wife, but I failed to fulfill my responsibilities as a husband. I'm sorry. Nan Xian, I'm sorry."

Nan Xian curled her fingers tightly on her knees and subconsciously lowered her eyes.

She knew perfectly well that this was precisely why she couldn't resist He Mingxiao—

He was sharp and assertive in public, respected and feared by all, but when facing her, he concealed his sharpness and used a gentle and tolerant demeanor to bewitch her.

This led her to become deeply entangled in it time and time again, until she could no longer extricate herself.

Seeing that she remained silent, He Mingxiao sighed softly.

“Even if it’s fake, we were once husband and wife. I’m giving you 49% of Fanmeng’s shares as a thank you for…the six months you’ve been with me.”

With a gliding stroke of his pen, he signed his name on another pre-prepared divorce agreement.

When Nan Xian looked up again, he was already gone. She stared blankly at the empty seat opposite her, her heart aching as if it had been ripped out.

It's okay, it's all over.

She picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp, her eyes reddening from the heat, and tears streamed down her face.