After rebirth, I rejected the rich yandere lady

The first thought that flashed through Xu Musen\'s mind was whether Yao Mingyue might have done something foolish.

Even though he didn\'t want to repeat the same mistakes with Yao Mingyue in this lifetime, he couldn\'t just watch her get into trouble.

After all, in this life, they owed nothing to each other; if they couldn\'t be lovers, they needn\'t be enemies either.

Moreover, the kindness between their families was still there; he couldn\'t just stand by and watch her come to harm on his watch.

"Mom, don\'t worry, I\'ll go check on her at her house."

After saying this, Xu Musen hung up the phone and immediately got up and ran downstairs.

Outside, another storm was raging, the worst weather of the year, with constant thunder in the sky, and lightning splitting the night.

The strong wind also battered the windows, as if a procession of ghosts were parading through the streets.

Some inexplicable irritation and unease started rising in Xu Musen\'s heart.

Suddenly, he remembered something.

He ran all the way to the villa\'s gate.

He knocked, but no one opened the door.

Xu Musen took out the spare key to her house and opened the door directly; the vast villa was empty, oppressively so in the darkness.

The howling wind against the windows could be heard, such that even a grown man might feel a bit intimidated.

"Yao Mingyue!"

Xu Musen called out, switched on the light, but she wasn\'t on the first floor.

Xu Musen ran to the bathroom to check, but there was no sign of her either.

Finally, he went upstairs, knowing where Yao Mingyue\'s room was.

The door wasn\'t locked, and Xu Musen slowly opened it.

The room seemed to be hit by a gust of cold wind, and the usually well-lit French window now appeared particularly sinister against the outside storm and swaying tree branches.

The room was pitch-dark, and only the figure curled up on Yao Mingyue\'s bed could be seen.

Xu Musen turned on the light and was taken aback to see the figure trembling beneath the covers.

Xu Musen cautiously approached the bed, about to call out to her.

"Don\'t, don\'t come any closer!"

Suddenly, a glint of cold light flashed, and a craft knife was brandished from beneath the covers, held defensively in front of her.

Xu Musen instinctively grabbed her wrist.

Under the covers, Yao Mingyue, curled up and hugging her knees, was shaking uncontrollably, her lips bitten into layers of bloodstains.

Her stunning face was now marred by a sickly pallor; her beautiful phoenix eyes red and bloodshot, surrounded by swollen rims.

She resembled a small hedgehog in the forest, frightened by lightning, defensively raising its spines to protect itself.

"It\'s me."

It was the first time Xu Musen had seen her like this; he tightly gripped her wrist, taking the craft knife from her hand.

"Xu Musen..."

Yao Mingyue, recognizing him, spoke with a trembling voice; the fear and emptiness in her eyes regained a hint of expression.

"What are you doing with the knife?" Xu Musen frowned, quickly checking her wrists for wounds, finally relieved to find none.

"Boom!"

Another thunderclap shook the air, and a flash of lightning illuminated both of their faces. Yao Mingyue, who had just calmed down a bit, instantly tensed up again.

She burrowed tightly into Xu Musen\'s embrace, clinging to him with all her might.

Xu Musen instinctively stepped back, but Yao Mingyue, her entire body shivering, was gripped by an inexplicable fear.

"Don\'t leave me..." her voice broke with an unusual fragility and pleading, even containing a hint of crying.

With each clap of thunder outside, Yao Mingyue wished she could hide within his body.

Xu Musen\'s mind was flooded with memories of the past.

In her previous life, Yao Mingyue always presented herself as a cold and dominant female CEO.

Her only vulnerability, perhaps, was that whenever there was a storm with thunder, she would cancel all her work.

Only by locking herself in her room and tightly embracing Xu Musen could she find peace.

As for the reason, Xu Musen had a guess.

Years ago, on just such a stormy night, there had been a car accident, and her father never returned.

That night, Xu Musen had also been sleepless. His father had been dragged into the intensive care unit and didn\'t come out for half a month, leaving him with a leg injury.

Back then, the two of them had sat huddled together on the cold hospital corridor chairs just like this.

For a child who had just graduated from elementary school and was about to celebrate her birthday, it inevitably became a lifelong psychological shadow.

At the moment, Xu Musen felt nothing but empathic pain and understanding.

He held Yao Mingyue, gently stroking her head, with no other emotion in his heart but comfort.

"It\'s all in the past now,"

he whispered, and Yao Mingyue held him even tighter.

It took a long time before Yao Mingyue finally calmed down a bit,

She lifted her head, her somewhat pale lips now also bitten with a hint of blood. She looked at Xu Musen and suddenly pushed him away.

"Why are you still here? Aren\'t you going to find her?"

Xu Musen looked at her haggard appearance and sighed softly, "There isn\'t as much between her and me as you think, and my mom called you a lot, but you never answered."

Yao Mingyue\'s gaze unintentionally glanced at the floor.

Xu Musen followed her gaze and then noticed the phone that had smashed to the ground, apparently retired on the spot.

And it seemed her phone was a recent purchase.

Really treating money like it\'s nothing.

Xu Musen felt a headache coming on: "Yao Mingyue, what\'s past is past, you have to learn to control your emotions in the future..."

"Xu Musen!"

Yao Mingyue bitingly interrupted him, her eyes still hollow, "What, exactly, is the relationship between you and that girl?"

Xu Musen looked at her for a few seconds, then slowly began,

"Friends."

"Friends? She was hugging you?"

Yao Mingyue let out a cold snicker.

Xu Musen looked down and said, "Haven\'t we hugged as well?"

Yao Mingyue\'s gaze faltered, but she didn\'t leave his arms.

"I hug you because you\'re already mine! You can\'t hug other people..."

Yao Mingyue clutched his collar, mixing forcefulness with a touch of grievance.

"Nobody belongs to anyone. My hug with her is just like the one with you right now, with no messy thoughts, just a pure hug."

Xu Musen\'s face was calm, and he felt no guilt.

But Yao Mingyue let out a scoffing laugh, her bloodshot eyes glinting.

"You\'re pure, but what about her?"

Yao Mingyue emphasized each word, looking at Xu Musen, "If one day she falls in love with you, can you still say it\'s just pure?"

Scenes of Xu Musen\'s interactions with An Nuannuan flashed through his mind, including their outing today.

Shopping, eating out, watching a movie, even exchanging gifts, and finally a farewell hug…

It felt almost like a couple\'s interaction, of course, without any kissing, hugging, and lifting high.

Yet, looking at Yao Mingyue, Xu Musen had been through these same activities countless times with her…

As for being moved, he could no longer tell which moment affected him more.

"This is between her and me; it has nothing to do with you, Yao Mingyue. Right now, we\'re merely friends, and I don\'t need to explain anything to you."

Xu Musen looked at her, his tone especially firm.

"Xu Musen, you can\'t fool me. You still like me!"

Yao Mingyue tightly embraced Xu Musen\'s neck, slowly straightening up in his arms, their cheeks nearing each other, their gazes intently locked.

In Yao Mingyue\'s phoenix eyes was a stubborn look, almost as if she were darkening completely.

"But I don\'t want to just be friends with you! You\'re mine, forever..."

The lightning flashed.

"Boom!"