Jiang Jiang had read many novels and watched many television dramas about rebirth, and in most of them, the protagonists would use "amnesia" as a reason to explain their abnormality.
After thinking it over again and again, Jiang Jiang decided to use the same method, because this reason was indeed very convenient.
But at the same time, she did not make her words too absolute. Jiang Jiang only said that her memory was somewhat blurry, but as for how blurry it was, that would depend on Ji Xu'an's reaction afterward.
Moreover, there was one more point that Jiang Jiang had not mentioned: the body she was using now was actually her own.
However, very quickly, Ji Xu'an raised her own question regarding this point.
"You said that you are not Xie Xiao, then is the body you are using Xie Xiao's?"
As Ji Xu'an spoke, her brows furrowed even more tightly.
She was very certain that what she liked was Jiang Jiang's personality, not her skin and appearance. In other words, what she loved was the soul within this person, not the outer shell.
If an ordinary person said such words, it would most likely just be to display her deep affection, but Ji Xu'an was truly caught in entanglement.
Her wife was now using someone else's body, then the one she had previously hugged and kissed, was that not also someone else?
If one day Xie Xiao's soul returned to this body again, would her behavior not count as cheating?
At this thought, Ji Xu'an subconsciously released Jiang Jiang's hand.
Jiang Jiang was stunned for a moment. The slight coolness spreading from her fingertips clearly reminded her that Ji Xu'an indeed could not accept this kind of matter.
A thought surfaced in Jiang Jiang's mind: what Ji Xu'an could not accept—was it Xie Xiao, or was it Xie Jiang Jiang?
Her fingers curled slightly. Instead of answering, she asked, "Does Sister hope that it is, or that it isn't?"
This time Ji Xu'an reacted very quickly and did not give Jiang Jiang more time to let her thoughts run wild.
"I hope it isn't," she said seriously.
Jiang Jiang could not quite describe what she felt in her heart, but perhaps she had still let out a breath of relief.
Ji Xu'an wanted to reach out and stroke Jiang Jiang's long hair, yet she felt a little awkward inside. Her hand lifted and then fell, and in the end she withdrew it somewhat dejectedly.
After several seconds of silence, Ji Xu'an moved her lips, her voice low. "I don't know the real Xie Xiao. From beginning to end, the one I have come into contact with has only been you."
"And the one I want is only you."
What Ji Xu'an wanted was a complete Xie Jiang Jiang.
Moreover, if the body Jiang Jiang was using now was her own, then the unknown risks would be much smaller.
But no matter what, Ji Xu'an's mood was destined not to be at ease; there were even more things she had to worry about now.
Before, she had been afraid that Jiang Jiang would be with lit Yuan. Thinking about it now, what did that even count as? If that situation truly occurred, at least Jiang Jiang would still be within her reach.
If one day Jiang Jiang really switched back with Xie Xiao, where would she go to find Jiang Jiang?
As Ji Xu'an thought of this, a surge of panic and fear suddenly welled up in her chest. She bit the tip of her tongue, forcing herself to calm down through the pain. At least her expression did not become any worse.
In the silence, Jiang Jiang suddenly felt a chill along her back, and an inexplicable sense of crisis circled in her heart.
She looked up and discovered that Ji Xu'an was staring straight at her with those deep black eyes. Many complicated emotions were intertwining and surging in the other woman's gaze.
Jiang Jiang inexplicably had the intuition that what Ji Xu'an was thinking at this moment must be something she would not be able to accept.
Her instinct for survival prompted Jiang Jiang to speak in time, interrupting Ji Xu'an's train of thought.
"I don't know why either. I look exactly the same as Xie Xiao, but I can be certain that this body right now is my own."
Jiang Jiang lifted her sleeve toward Ji Xu'an. She flipped her wrist, and that tiny black mole appeared before their eyes.
"There are photos of Xie Xiao in that house. There shouldn't be this small mole on the inside of her wrist."
And even if their appearances were similar, their bodies could not possibly be exactly the same. How could she not feel whose body she was using?
Upon hearing this, Ji Xu'an let out a heavy sigh of relief. She reached out and circled Jiang Jiang's wrist, rubbing the small black spot twice with her fingertip as if confirming something.
"That's good."
This question was considered resolved, but immediately afterward Ji Xu'an asked again, "Then will you switch back with Xie Xiao?"
"I don't know." Jiang Jiang shook her head.
On this point, she had not deceived Ji Xu'an. When she and Xie Xiao had exchanged identities back then, it had also happened without any warning. Jiang Jiang did not dare to give Ji Xu'an a definite answer.
This answer left Ji Xu'an feeling empty inside.
But she knew she could not blame Jiang Jiang. Jiang Jiang was also very innocent, and the fear and worry in her heart must be far greater than her own.
Ji Xu'an tried hard to force herself not to think about this issue for the moment. She tugged at the corner of her lips and simply changed the topic.
"Do you truly not remember anything at all about your previous life?"
If Jiang Jiang could give her even a general direction, no matter what price she had to pay, Ji Xu'an would certainly find a way to clarify Jiang Jiang's true identity.
In that way, even if one day the two of them truly switched back, at least she would know how to search for Jiang Jiang.
Jiang Jiang frowned, striving to assume a posture of recalling. "I don't remember very clearly. There are only some vague images."
"That seems to be a world completely different from here."
Upon hearing this, Ji Xu'an's heart had already sunk.
What Jiang Jiang said next made her even more distraught, and she could not recover for quite a while.
"If I have to describe it, it is very much like this world turned back a thousand years," Jiang Jiang said softly.
Ji Xu'an was speechless for a long time. In truth, she was not entirely unprepared in her heart. After all, in previous transmigration works, there had also been many plots of ancient-to-modern travel.
She had already accepted something like rebirth. What else could she not accept?
Yet Jiang Jiang's previous behavior had still caused Ji Xu'an to harbor a trace of hope. What if it wasn't?
Jiang Jiang's words just now completely shattered her fantasy.
"I'm sorry, Sister. I didn't tell you these things before." Jiang Jiang bit her lip, and a layer of mist gradually surfaced in her almond-shaped eyes.
"I was very afraid of being treated as an anomaly. There has always been a voice in my mind telling me that a situation like mine would be treated as a monster, captured and burned alive with fire."
The moment Jiang Jiang finished speaking, Ji Xu'an answered in a firm tone, "You won't."
Jiang Jiang looked into her eyes. Ji Xu'an's expression was heavy, yet her gaze was resolute, and the fingers holding Jiang Jiang's were very tight, like silent comfort.
"I will not let that kind of situation happen."
She had not been particularly concerned about Jiang Jiang's concealment to begin with, and now she would certainly not feel the slightest dissatisfaction because of it.
What had Jiang Jiang done wrong?
She had only wanted to protect herself.
Ji Xu'an even thought that Jiang Jiang had not confessed to her before because she herself had not done well enough and had failed to give Jiang Jiang a sense of security.
So the responsibility lay with her, not with Jiang Jiang.
Ji Xu'an leaned closer to Jiang Jiang and gently brushed aside the stray hair by Jiang Jiang's cheek with her fingers. When she lowered her eyes, her expression was solemn and serious.
"You have already worked very hard to adapt to a world that is completely unfamiliar to you. I don't blame you."
"You are my future wife. We signed an agreement. This will never change."
Ji Xu'an gazed into Jiang Jiang's eyes. "So you can trust me a little more. Believe that I will protect you."
Jiang Jiang's eye sockets grew even redder and wetter. As if moved by Ji Xu'an's words, she kept looking steadily at Ji Xu'an with those eyes shimmering with moisture.
Jiang Jiang's entire face was flushed. Lower still, her soft lips had been bitten unconsciously until they were damp. She let out a soft nasal "mm," and between raising her head and lowering her brows, there was an indescribable pitifulness about her.
"Does Sister truly not mind my concealment? Would you think that I am a bad person with deep schemes?"
"You did nothing wrong." Ji Xu'an used her fingertip to wipe away the tear at the corner of Jiang Jiang's eye, her voice becoming even gentler. "If I were you, I would have made the same choice."
"You are not bad either."
"In my heart, no matter what you do, you are right."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Jiang suddenly opened her arms and threw herself into Ji Xu'an's embrace. She wrapped both arms tightly around Ji Xu'an's waist, and her face buried itself into the hollow of Ji Xu'an's neck. When she spoke, her voice was muffled.
"Maybe I am not as good as Sister thinks."
"If one day Sister discovers that I am actually not innocent, would you also treat me the way you dealt with Zheng Zhouzhou?"
Ji Xu'an tightened her arms around Jiang Jiang, her palm gently patting Jiang Jiang's back.
"You are different from Zheng Zhouzhou."
Ji Xu'an promised, "No matter what happens in the future, I could never treat you that way."
"You don't need to worry about the people from the state either. I will explain it for you."
She was afraid that Jiang Jiang would not believe her. After thinking for a moment, she added, "Everyone knows you are my fiancée. If you were truly confirmed to have an unusual identity, Linghai Group would certainly be affected as well."
"So no matter for what reason, I will not let anything happen to you."
Jiang Jiang: "Mm."
She closed her eyes, concealing the thoughtful look within them.
Empty promises could not make her believe, but if it was related to personal interests, Jiang Jiang believed that Ji Xu'an would indeed do as she said.
She rubbed her cheek against the hollow of Ji Xu'an's neck, her voice soft and cottony. "In this world, the only person I can trust and rely on is Sister."
Jiang Jiang's tone was full of dependence, as though she regarded Ji Xu'an as her entire world.
"If even Sister does not want me, then I truly would not be able to go on living."
—
Author's Note:
President Ji, a super invincible love-brained person
Ji Xu'an: Whatever my wife says is right. My wife can never be wrong!
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