After Rebirth, I Married the Great Demon King-Chapter 481: Guilt

Mu Chengzhu pressed his lips together, his eyes cast downward, seemingly trapped in pain.

"But, those were matters of the previous life. I died, and when I opened my eyes, I had returned."

Mu Chengzhu raised his eyes and looked at Yun Shifei.

He wanted to say that, since he had been given another chance at life, perhaps the events of the previous life could be left in the past.

After all, he hadn’t been able to control himself back then.

But the words Yun Shifei had just spoken made it impossible for him to utter his thoughts.

Thinking it over, although he had been under control, he truly had done those things to her.

"Mu Chengzhu, did you know? When I came back, I was incredibly grateful to heaven for giving me another chance. At that time, my only goal was to live well."

"In my past life, I lived entirely for you, and in the end, I met such a miserable fate. In this life, I just want to chase my own happiness. I have only one simple wish—can’t you fulfill it for me?"

"I..." Mu Chengzhu wanted to respond, but the words got stuck in his throat.

He couldn’t say them.

In front of him, the girl sat upright, her hands and feet tied up with ropes he had wrapped around her, preventing her from moving.

This basement had excellent soundproofing; even if she screamed and shouted, no one outside would necessarily hear.

If she had woken up cursing at him, struggling to escape, perhaps he would have ruthlessly bound her tighter, keeping her here no matter what.

But now, she calmly talked to him about the events of the past life, sharing her emotional journey, and it was as if he could empathize with her, realizing that what he had done to her in the previous life had been monstrous.

This gave Mu Chengzhu a flicker of doubt.

Had he truly been wrong to trap her like this? Shouldn’t he give her freedom?

As she had said, she hadn’t been happy in the previous life. This time around, she deserved to pursue her happiness anew.

Yun Shifei noticed Mu Chengzhu’s wavering resolve and felt a sliver of relief. Fortunately, Mu Chengzhu still had some conscience left. She continued to persuade him: "Mu Chengzhu, haven’t you always felt guilty for what you did to me in the last life? Don’t you want to see me happy in this life, leading a simple and joyful life?"

Don’t you?

Of course he did, or else wouldn’t that contradict the very words he had just said?

But the happiness he desired was seeing her happy with him, not seeing her happy with Cheng Lie.

"Shifei, if you were with me, I could give you happiness too."

Yun Shifei cursed silently in her heart. She had anticipated Mu Chengzhu would say this, but luckily, she had already prepared a response.

"Do you think I haven’t considered being with you again? But every time I think about the things you did to me in the past life, I wake up from nightmares every night. Mu Chengzhu, please don’t force me!" Yun Shifei said, tears falling from her eyes. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

One tear, then two, then three—the quiet and desperate tears shocked Mu Chengzhu.

He stared blankly at Yun Shifei, his heart thrown into disarray.

In this life, he had never seen Yun Shifei cry.

She had shown signs of sadness, had been exasperated at times, but had never cried like this.

Mu Chengzhu’s guilt deepened.

Yes, in the past life, he had caused her such profound trauma. In this life, it would take an entire lifetime of effort to erase the shadows he had cast upon her.

Mu Chengzhu raised his hand and wiped Yun Shifei’s tears away, his movements cautious, as if afraid of hurting her.

This gentle act of wiping her tears sent shivers down Yun Shifei’s spine, but she forced herself to hold back.

She needed to heighten Mu Chengzhu’s sense of guilt. Only then would she have a chance to escape.

She understood Mu Chengzhu well. She knew that, since he had managed to brazenly take her away right under Cheng Lie’s nose, he must have been thoroughly prepared. It wasn’t likely that Cheng Lie would locate her quickly.

Her only options were to stall Mu Chengzhu or to make him feel enough guilt to release her.

This was the best course of action.

Mu Chengzhu indeed felt waves of guilt. In the last life, he had already inflicted so much harm upon her.

Now, in this life, he truly shouldn’t—shouldn’t let his so-called obsession keep her trapped by his side.

Thinking this, Mu Chengzhu grasped Yun Shifei’s hand and whispered, "I’m sorry. I should want to see you happy."

He had been mistaken. Keeping her by his side wouldn’t bring him happiness.

After all, he had caused her enough suffering in the last life. This time around, he should let her experience joy instead.

Even if, deep down, he couldn’t bear to let her go.

Still, he reached to untie the ropes binding Yun Shifei’s hands.

"Do you and Cheng Lie truly believe you’ll find happiness together?" Mu Chengzhu couldn’t help asking Yun Shifei.

Yun Shifei hesitated, unable to answer for a moment.

If she said they’d be happy, she worried Mu Chengzhu’s jealousy might reignite, leading him to hold onto her.

If she said they wouldn’t, then that would clearly be a lie.

Instead, Yun Shifei turned to ask him, "What about you and Yun Sisi? How are things between you two now?"

"What feelings could I possibly have for her?" Mu Chengzhu immediately responded to her diversion. "After what happened in the last life, there’s no way I could love her again."

Normally, he wouldn’t have been able to care for someone like Yun Sisi—a woman so fake.

Thinking back to when he first became aware of Yun Sisi’s duplicitous nature, thanks to Yun Shifei’s reminder, Mu Chengzhu couldn’t help but gaze deeply at Yun Shifei.

This strange look made Yun Shifei tense, leaving her unsure of what to say.

Neither spoke, leaving only silence and the flickering of the candle flames to fill the space.

Mu Chengzhu loosened the ropes around Yun Shifei’s hands, moving next to the bindings on her feet.

Yun Shifei’s heart raced with anticipation—she was so close. Once she got away from here, she would immediately return to Cheng Lie’s side. She was terrified.

But just then, a voice rang out: "Mu Chengzhu, what are you doing?"

Yun Shifei looked up and saw Yun Sisi suddenly appear.

Yun Sisi had come to check on Mu Chengzhu, only to find him about to set Yun Shifei free, clearly intending to let her go.

This... This fool, who always appeared so sharp and calculating, how could he lose his sense at such a critical moment and release Yun Shifei?

Mu Chengzhu also froze at Yun Sisi’s sudden arrival. He turned to her and said, "I’ve come to understand."

"Understand, my ass! You like Yun Shifei. If you let her go and watch her marry Cheng Lie, I promise you’ll regret it for the rest of your life."

Upon hearing this, Yun Shifei’s heart sank.

Mu Chengzhu might be moved by guilt for the harm he had caused her in the past, but Yun Sisi—she clearly just wanted her dead.

Meanwhile, in the hotel lobby, group after group arrived, searching the rooms thoroughly. Yet there was still no sign of Yun Shifei.

Cheng Lie’s expression turned frigid.