Although Tang Xiaomin disliked Yan Jun, she couldn't help but be moved when she accidentally saw him crying so mournfully.
As she slowly approached the prison cell, Yan Jun sensed her presence and suddenly turned around.
Their eyes met, and a flicker of obvious surprise flashed in his eyes, quickly replaced by heartache.
"Why are you here?"
After a pause, he added, "Are you here to see me?"
This was obviously a rhetorical question, as there was no one else left in the cell besides him.
Realizing he had asked a foolish question, Yan Jun curved his lips into a forced, bitter smile.
Her coming to see him, coming specifically for him, was enough to make him happy.
Tang Xiaomin arrived at the cell door and, as before, found a stool to sit on.
She took out a bottle of wine and two cups.
"Yan Jun, let's have a drink."
Yan Jun frowned, his tone laced with disbelief. "You came to see me just to have a drink with me?"
Tang Xiaomin nodded.
"I want to talk with you, and have a drink. We can chat while we drink."
Without some ceremonial drinks, Tang Xiaomin felt awkward talking with Yan Jun.
Drinking was just a way to alleviate that awkwardness.
And so, Tang Xiaomin sat on the stool, while Yan Jun sat on the ground.
They each had a cup, and the bottle of wine was passed in and out for refills.
After several rounds of drinks, Yan Jun spoke.
"I never thought that you and I would be drinking under such circumstances."
Tang Xiaomin said, "I thought after everything that had happened between us, we would never see each other again. Unfortunately, by some unseen force, we seem destined to interact. It's just that things have changed, and our positions are no longer the same."
From their initial discussions of marriage, they had evolved to this point of armed conflict and imprisonment.
She could only sigh... how unpredictable life is.
Yan Jun thought of everything he had lost. The potent wine could not in the slightest degree dilute his bitterness.
"I used to imagine what it would be like for us to be together. Unfortunately, it seems everything was fated."
"Whether as Yan Jun or Ye Fengxing, in the end, I was destined to miss you."
What unforgivable sin had he committed for fate to treat him this way? He couldn't understand.
It seemed as though everything changed after Yan Jue appeared.
After downing a cup of wine, Tang Xiaomin stated her purpose.
"Tell me, what was your relationship like with the Supreme Commander before?"
"Why the sudden question? Didn't you not want to know?" Yan Jun looked at Tang Xiaomin curiously.
"I'm just suddenly curious."
"Is it merely curiosity?"
This time, Tang Xiaomin remained silent.
Because she was indeed just curious. Even if she knew, she had no intention of rekindling her romance with Yan Jun.
Yan Jun's thoughts drifted back to a long time ago, to his past with the Supreme Commander. Those memories flashed through his mind like a running film.
A genuine, resigned smile curved his lips, and a hint of tenderness welled up in his eyes.
"Before, she loved me dearly. That was my happiest time. We were almost married, you know."
...
As he spoke, Yan Jun took another large gulp of wine, his face etched with profound regret.
This did not sound like a lie, and Tang Xiaomin became even more curious.
"Then what happened that you didn't get married?"
When the topic of regrets arose, Yan Jun's face was filled with sorrow. Tang Xiaomin had seen that expression more than once.
Originally, Yan Jun had promised the Supreme Commander that he would never speak of those matters to anyone.
But now, Tang Xiaomin's identity was special, and he saw no need to hide it from her.
Moreover, since she was interested in understanding the past, it meant she was curious about it.
Given this, Yan Jun was naturally unwilling to miss any opportunity to win her back.
"We were deeply in love back then, to the point where we were discussing marriage. I thought we would get married. But one day, you secretly asked me to do something. It was that very task that caused me to miss the moment of your weakness, allowing Yan Jue to take advantage."
So that was it. Tang Xiaomin thought that given Yan Jun's feelings for the Supreme Commander, he wouldn't have stood by and let her affairs be exploited by Yan Jue.
"What was so important that it required you to do that?" Tang Xiaomin asked.
"You told me that a terrifying being was sealed in the abyss deep within the Underworld, and you sensed that the seal might loosen soon. You asked me to investigate and reinforce it."
"It was my own carelessness. I never imagined that the loosening of the seal was caused by your tribulation and weakness."
"By the time I returned, you had already been thrown into reincarnation by Yan Jue and transformed into Tang Xiaomin."
So that was it.
But Tang Xiaomin felt something was still amiss.
"No, when you returned from the depths of the Underworld, I had already become Tang Xiaomin. But before I died, you were already Ye Fengxing. I knew Ye Fengxing before I died. Where did it go wrong? Think carefully."
"What did you say?" Yan Jun's expression also turned grave.
Tang Xiaomin stated with certainty, "I knew Ye Fengxing before I died. This means that before I was thrown into reincarnation, you were already in the cycle of reincarnation. So, how did you enter reincarnation before that?"
*Crack!*
Yan Jun's wine cup shattered in his grip, and his face turned extremely ugly.
"Tang Xiaomin, are you sure you're not lying to me?"
Tang Xiaomin shook her head affirmatively.
"Although Yan Jue is extreme, he always takes responsibility for his actions. I wouldn't lie to you just to clear his name."
In Yan Jun's impression, Yan Jue was indeed an upright person.
A terrifying possibility arose in his mind.
But as he tried to recall, his head suddenly felt like it was about to explode with pain.
"Ah!"
The pain contorted his brow, and he couldn't help but let out a groan before collapsing unconscious.
*Bang!*
Yan Jun fell to the ground, unconscious, right in front of Tang Xiaomin.
"Yan Jun!"
"Yan Jun!"
Tang Xiaomin stood up and called out a few times, but Yan Jun was barely breathing and showed no reaction.
"Quick, quickly let Yan Jun out, and find him a ghost doctor! Hurry!"
...
Soon, Tang Xiaomin had several attendants carry the unconscious Yan Jun into the Underworld.
"Quick! Quickly take him to a room to rest."
Under Tang Xiaomin's orders, Yan Jun was carried into a room in the Underworld.
Soon, a ghost doctor entered to examine Yan Jun's condition. He administered some medicine, and shortly after, Yan Jun woke up.
The first thing he saw upon waking was Tang Xiaomin.
"Are you alright?"
She was looking at him with concern.
At that moment, Tang Xiaomin's appearance seemed to merge with that of the Supreme Commander.
Yan Jun couldn't help but reach out, attempting to caress her face.
Seeing this, Tang Xiaomin instinctively took two steps back, avoiding his touch.
She then reminded Yan Jun.
"I am not her. You'd best not touch me carelessly."