Jian Zhou said coldly, "No matter how regrettable, it is still your own choice. You have to bear the consequences, whether bitter or sweet."
An Qiuyan had hoped for some words of comfort. Hearing Jian Zhou's response only made her heart ache more.
"Jian Zhou, listen to me. Choosing Shen Mingjue back then was a mistake, but I didn't deliberately deceive you."
"Whether it was deliberate, you know best."
"Shen Mingjue didn't love me. He loved my youthful appearance. Once I grew old and my beauty faded, he abandoned me."
"I know!"
"You know?" An Qiuyan's face lit up. "Don't you think I'm lying?"
Jian Zhou chuckled, "Of course not. Because your own painful experience has already told me that all of this is true. I have no reason not to believe you."
These words struck An Qiuyan like a dazzling bolt of lightning, shattering her. Her expression froze, rigid and stiff.
"You... what did you say..."
Jian Zhou sneered, "Don't you understand what I mean? I called you stupid, and you really are quite stupid."
He fiddled with his new sapphire blue Patek Philippe watch and smiled, "You and I are the same kind of people. How could I not know about your past life?"
An Qiuyan's pupils widened in shock, leaving her utterly speechless. "You... you're also a重生者 (chóngshēng zhě - reborn person)? No, no, that's impossible."
Jian Zhou coldly retorted, "If a selfish and heartless woman like you can be reborn, why can't I? If we're talking about misery, my previous life was far more tragic than yours."
An Qiuyan shrieked, her voice sharp, repeatedly crying out, "Impossible, impossible, you're talking nonsense!"
Jian Zhou chuckled, "After your rebirth, you found that everything had changed and suspected that there was another reborn person beside you. You used the foreknowledge of a reborn person to make subtle changes. You suspected everyone, even pointing fingers at Jiang Ling several times, but you never would have thought that I was the one who was truly reborn."
An Qiuyan recoiled in terror, biting her lips tightly. "Since you were reborn, why didn't you come to me? In your previous life, you were clearly so..."
Before she could finish, Jian Zhou interrupted her. "In my previous life, I was blind to love a sinister and venomous woman like you, which led to my family's ruin and the estrangement of all my loved ones. Heaven showed great mercy and gave me a chance to be reborn, so naturally, I wouldn't be foolish enough to jump into your trap again."
"I... Jian Zhou... I..."
Jian Zhou interrupted her again, "You caused me so much suffering in your past life. This life, I naturally won't let you off easy. That's why I supported Jiang Ling, your mortal enemy from the previous life, hired the best acting coaches to guide her, and used capital to help her make a comeback when she was facing a public outcry."
An Qiuyan was both shocked and furious. "So that's how it is! I found it strange. In my previous life, she faded out so early, but why is she so glorious in this life? So you two were colluding from the start."
"That's right. Jiang Ling was just a shield I put forward. I am the true manipulator behind the scenes."
Jian Zhou revealing his identity as a重生者 (chóngshēng zhě - reborn person) was intended to distance Jiang Ling.
For the past two years, he had been watching An Qiuyan and knew she had already suspected Jiang Ling.
Although Jiang Ling, with her current strength and status, no longer feared An Qiuyan's revenge.
Jian Zhou did not want her to be involved in this mess. Since this karmic debt originated from the ill-fated love of his previous life, he would end it himself.