Chapter One — Rebirth: Furious Retribution Against the Scoundrel

"Jiang Ning! Why don’t you just die! Stop pretending to be some saint, you wretched woman!" The man spat out his words with contempt and mockery, straddling the woman and locking his hands tightly around her throat.

Jiang Ning struggled to open her eyes, her gaze red with fury. "Bai Zehan, let me go!"

Hadn’t she already been poisoned to death by this scumbag husband?

Bai Zehan, ignoring her futile resistance, tore at her clothes with brutal force. "Let you go? Why? It’s fine for you to sleep with someone else, but not with me?"

"Worthless woman! Have you ever taken me, your boyfriend, seriously?" His massive hand swept across her disheveled hair.

A sharp slap rang out.

Crimson blood trickled from the corner of Jiang Ning’s mouth.

Blinded by rage and desire to dominate, Bai Zehan leaned in close, feigning gentleness as he whispered in her ear, "Just behave and serve me well. We’ve been together so long—you ought to fulfill your duties as my girlfriend. When the show ends, we’ll go public. Be good, Jiang Ning."

Jiang Ning stared at him in shock, the pain on her face all too real.

Wait—show?

What show?

Ever since she married Bai Zehan, she’d withdrawn from the entertainment world, planning to live quietly as his wife and raise a family. What was happening now?

This place? The camera in the corner?

Jiang Ning’s shock deepened as she realized she was in the hotel where, five years ago, she’d stayed while filming the reality dating show "Love on the Journey."

She glanced anxiously at the camera in the corner, and, seeing that it was off, felt a small measure of relief.

Otherwise, everything just now would have been broadcast live.

"Love on the Journey" had been the most popular live reality show of its time—unscripted, unedited, featuring eight guests, four men and four women, paired off on a trip where they’d compete for a chance to date their ideal partner.

But back then, she had left after just one episode.

She never imagined she would return to life—reborn five years in the past.

"Jiang Ning, be good. I really want to marry you. Afterward, you won’t have to work yourself to death filming anymore. Rather than stay in the industry, let me take care of you, all right?" The man bent down, kissing the blood at the corner of her lips.

His honeyed words revolted Jiang Ning.

In her previous life, she had believed this man’s endless lies, left the entertainment world for him, became his housekeeper, and, for the sake of his career, had even been sent to warm another man’s bed.

No time to hesitate, Jiang Ning braced her hand against his chest, creating some distance, then quickly grabbed the rhinestone-studded chain purse beside her and smashed it down on Bai Zehan’s head.

"Jiang Ning! You shameless woman! Marrying me is your good fortune!" The man staggered up in pain, only to be struck by a sharp slap that sent him sprawling.

Jiang Ning dodged his falling body, turned, and seized a vase from the nightstand, bringing it crashing down on his head.

"You—" Bai Zehan lost all strength and collapsed on the bed, unconscious.

Jiang Ning looked down at his handsome face, her smile ice-cold. It seemed she truly had been reborn.

She stepped forward, raised her arm, and, after a few ringing slaps, left his face red and swollen.

Her memories surged back.

That scene just now—was the thorn in her heart.

Five years ago, she’d been a nobody in show business, and after wearing a knock-off gown to a film festival where she matched with the film queen Gao Tiange, she’d been constantly attacked by the press, slandered as some famous director’s mistress.

Only her boyfriend Bai Zehan had believed her, taking her onto the wildly popular reality dating show that year.

Originally, Bai Zehan had promised to partner with her on the show, then go public with their relationship. But as soon as the first episode aired, Bai Zehan received several compromising photos of her, flew into a rage, took her forcibly, and then proposed marriage.

She left the show abruptly and married him in secret.

But she never imagined that marriage would be the first step into an abyss.

After marrying, Bai Zehan cheated with her best friend. To provide better resources for his lover, he handed Jiang Ning over to various investors.

She fought desperately, but it was too late—he eventually poisoned her to death.

"Jiang Ning, do you even know what you just did?" Rage and disbelief twisted Bai Zehan’s handsome features.

He tried to lunge at her.

Jiang Ning snatched up a fruit knife from the coffee table and stabbed it into his thigh. "Self-defense," she declared coolly.

A gentle smile curved her lips as she looked down at him, his ugliness barely concealed beneath a handsome exterior.

"Bai Zehan, everything you did to me—I’ll return it all to you, piece by piece, until you’re ruined and wish you were dead."

Suppressing the darkness in her eyes, Jiang Ning’s lips curled faintly.

"Bai Zehan, we’re through."

Without waiting for a reply, Jiang Ning turned to leave.

Suddenly, her pupils contracted, eyes wary as she fixed them on the open doorway.

A tall figure leaned casually against the door, clearly having watched the entire scene unfold for some time.

"Sir, do you have no manners? Entering someone’s room without permission?"

The man spoke, his voice like a chill wind from a polar land, cold to the bone: "I didn’t enter."

Gu Beicheng had just been about to pick up his vice president when, passing the wide-open door next to his, he heard Bai Zehan’s shouts and decided to look in—only to witness such a fierce woman in action.

"Gu Beicheng?" The name slipped from her lips.

He arched a thick brow, gazing with interest at the "formidable" woman before him. His thin lips parted. "You know me?"

"I don’t," Jiang Ning replied, chin slightly raised, warily watching for him to come in.

Gu Beicheng’s eagle-sharp, dark eyes surveyed her without any pretense.

Jiang Ning hated the way he looked at her, just as he had when he insulted her in her past life.

This man was ruthless in his dealings. As president of Chengxing Group, he controlled the lifeblood of the entertainment industry.

In her previous life, after marrying, Bai Zehan tried to curry favor by sending her to Gu Beicheng’s bed. Gu Beicheng had only looked at her with disgust before turning away, as if even one more glance would soil his eyes.

How could she not recognize this man?

Snapping herself out of her thoughts, Jiang Ning narrowed her eyes at him.

Why was he here, in the hotel arranged by the production crew?

Did the president need to inspect in person?

Gu Beicheng, hands in his pockets, ignored the hostility in her gaze and walked past her casually, his cold eyes taking in the chaotic room.

When he saw Bai Zehan lying limp and disheveled on the floor, his brows furrowed. He said coldly, "Pathetic."

"Call... 911..." Bai Zehan’s eyes lit up with hope at the sight of the man at the door, gasping out the words.

"This has nothing to do with you," Jiang Ning said, lips curled, her fox-like eyes glinting coldly. She gave Gu Beicheng a shove, grabbed the door handle, and slammed the door shut.

Gu Beicheng paused, the annoyance in his eyes deepening, but a faint smile tugged at his lips. He turned and blocked her path.

"Move. Good dogs don’t block the way," Jiang Ning growled at him, massaging her throbbing temples.

She felt a warm trickle run down the inside of her thigh.

Gu Beicheng’s gaze dropped. Noticing the blood on her long, slender leg, he raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile at his lips. "Your leg... need help?"

Their eyes met: one icy cold, the other full of implication.

"No need. Move aside. Anyone connected to Bai Zehan is no good," she snapped, instinctively clutching her purse to cover her leg, and briskly strode past him back to her room.

As she disappeared from sight, Gu Beicheng’s eyes grew darker.

Just then, a male voice called from behind him. "Beicheng, what are you doing? You’re a CEO—why are you moonlighting as a guest star? It’s getting harder and harder to be your vice president."

Gu Beicheng replied indifferently, "Saving on costs. Just keep an eye on the show. And keep my identity secret."

Shen Mubai leaned against the door, looking at Gu Beicheng with mournful eyes. "The worst decision of my life was becoming your VP."

Gu Beicheng gave a faint smile and glanced at the closed door. "Mubai, does Bai Zehan live next door to me?"

"Huh? I have no idea—that was all arranged by the crew."

Gu Beicheng spoke, his voice cold. "Go take a look."

Shen Mubai opened the next door carelessly. "Damn! There’s enough aphrodisiac here to knock out a horse—they really go all out!"

Seeing Bai Zehan sprawled on the floor, Shen Mubai rolled his eyes in disgust and closed the door without a second glance.

"Probably just got wild with his girlfriend. Looks like no real harm done. I always said Bai Zehan isn’t as honest as he seems," Shen Mubai remarked with a shake of his head.

If it weren’t for Bai Zehan being the high school classmate of their boss, Gu Beicheng, Shen Mubai would never have signed him as an artist.

"Girlfriend?" That red silhouette flashed in Gu Beicheng’s mind.

Shen Mubai snorted, waving his hand. "Jiang Ning. Some unknown, low-tier actress you wouldn’t know. She hooked up with Bai Zehan and got on the show as a guest. Look how wild they’re getting—there’s even blood."

Gu Beicheng’s gaze swept over his oblivious VP. He could tell the truth: that woman had clearly just escaped a struggle.

Shen Mubai, intrigued, waved his phone in front of Gu Beicheng. "Let’s go to your room and talk about the script. I’ve got my eye on a new film project."