In their past life, Fu Yi had assumed Bai Qingqing would never want to speak of those days—that they held only pain and regret for her. But now, he couldn’t help but reflect more carefully.
“Father did mention it once. But didn’t you still send your maid to the Bai residence with messages from time to time? That girl who served you closely—Qinglian, wasn’t it?”
Bai Qingqing’s pupils contracted sharply. “Qinglian? She stopped serving me not long after I married into the Fu family. How could I have sent her back and forth between our families?”
Fu Yi’s expression turned puzzled. “But I definitely saw her at our home. At the time… Father was there, too. She said she was delivering regards from the Duke of England to my father.”
Qinglian had come into the Fu household as Bai Qingqing’s personal maid. Whatever she said, Fu Yi had no reason to doubt. “Still, I only saw her once or twice by chance. Why didn’t she return to you?”
Bai Qingqing loosened her teeth from her lower lip, revealing deep bite marks on its soft pink flesh.
“She told me her parents were old and sick, and she wanted to return to the Bai family to fulfill her filial duties. Thinking we had once shared a bond as mistress and servant, and fearing she would only suffer in the Fu household, I let her go. But now… it seems that was only an excuse to deceive me.”
She let out a cold laugh. “She was my maid, moving freely between both households. If she wanted to meddle in things, who would have suspected her?”
Fu Yi still couldn’t quite believe it. “But back then, my father risked everything—risked being punished himself—to clear the Duke of England’s name…”
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“Then tell me this—now that my family is in a far better position than in our past life, has your father once stepped forward to defend us?”
Before coming, Bai Qingqing had specifically asked Bai Yan about it. Her eldest brother had only sighed at the mention of Prince Ping. Though his response had been tactful, it was clear to her: Prince Ping belonged to the faction that would not let go of any potential threat.
Fu Yi lowered his gaze, lost in thought. He had harbored suspicions before, but to be told so directly that the Bai family’s misfortune was tied to the Prince Ping’s estate—his heart struggled to accept it.
In their previous life, he had already failed Bai Qingqing in love. If he had also failed her family… he felt an unbearable guilt, as if he no longer deserved to live.
“Back then, Prince Ping made such a show of trying to shield the Bai family—maybe because he knew the outcome was already fixed. No matter what he did, it wouldn’t change a thing. But it would make him seem loyal, righteous. I don’t want to think the worst of him—but answer me this: he forbade me from staying in contact with the Bai family. Then why was the news of my death delivered to my parents so quickly?”
There was no hiding the hatred in Bai Qingqing’s voice. Blood threaded faintly through her eyes. “I’m telling you all this today not because I’m afraid you’ll run off and tell Prince Ping. I just want you to know—I already see things clearly. Even if it costs me my life, I won’t let the ones who destroyed the Bai family go unpunished!”
Fu Yi’s heart lurched violently. He closed his eyes slowly. “Everything I said before—I meant every word.”
In that moment, it felt as though being granted another life was heaven’s way of giving him a chance to live without regret. He might never be able to make up for the hurt he caused Bai Qingqing. He might never hold her again. But perhaps… he could still make things right.
“If it truly was my father behind those deeds, I won’t turn a blind eye. Qingqing, I swear—I won’t become someone you no longer recognize.”
Bai Qingqing’s fingers slowly uncurled. Her palm was slick with sweat. She had made the right bet.