This Is What a Villain Is Like

"That’s enough."

"Jiang Ruxian."

Jiang Lan calmly cut her off, his eyes filled with indifference. "Stop with that guilty, self-recriminating act. I don’t need your pity, and I certainly don’t need your sympathy or guilt. Do you have any idea... how disgusting I find you right now?"

As he said this, he could feel sharp pangs of pain, helplessness, and sorrow coming from the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart.

This heart, which had originally belonged to Jiang Ruxian, was now beating vividly in his chest, yet it still allowed him to feel its original owner’s emotions.

’This feeling of connection, this link between them, is truly unpleasant.’

"You... you really find me that disgusting now?"

Jiang Ruxian’s face grew even paler. She raised a hand to her chest, but her gaze was fixed on Jiang Lan, as if searching his familiar face for any ripple of emotion.

But... there was nothing.

Nothing at all.

Beyond his calmness was a profound indifference, as if he were looking at a complete and utter stranger.

If Jiang Lan, having been reborn into the present, had hated her, wanted to kill her, or sought revenge against her, she wouldn’t have cared. She could have accepted any of it.

But seeing the detached, merciless disgust in his eyes now, she truly felt her heart tremble as if it were about to shatter.

"..."

Jiang Lan just looked at Jiang Ruxian, not answering.

Jiang Ruxian gave a miserable smile. Though she tried her best to remain composed, she asked him again, her voice trembling slightly, "Do I really disgust you that much now...?"

"The face I want to see least in the world right now is yours," Jiang Lan said, his gaze calm as he looked at her.

Jiang Ruxian’s body swayed slightly. She looked as if she wanted to say something, but stopped herself.

She bit her lip, and a trickle of blood instantly slid from the corner of her mouth.

At that moment, the roar of thunder and the downpour of rain suddenly seemed to grow clearer.

Jiang Lan just watched her, unmoved.

Jiang Ruxian stared blankly at Jiang Lan, who stood right before her. They were so close, yet he seemed impossibly far away—so far that it felt she could never reach him, no matter how she chased him for the rest of her life.

A self-mocking curve formed on her lips.

Then, that self-mocking curve seemed to widen into a smile. It was a strange smile; though it was a smile, her eyes were brimming with sorrow.

Forcing a smile filled with sorrow, she murmured,

"I’m... I’m sorry..."

"I didn’t want this to happen. I didn’t want things to turn out this way..."

"I thought... I always thought that you might actually forgive me..."

"I’m not qualified to forgive you."

"The Jiang Lan you knew is already dead. I have no right to make any decisions for him."

Jiang Lan looked at her, his expression unchanging.

Jiang Ruxian stared at him, stunned. Her heart clenched, and a wordless pain spread through her.

’No matter what she did, the Jiang Lan of this life is no longer the man he once was. He already died in his past life. The man standing here now has returned to take revenge on all his former enemies...’

"Why did it turn out like this..."

"I know you still hate me. You hate me for being too selfish, for betraying your trust, for not distinguishing right from wrong. You hate me for that sword strike, for causing you to suffer from illness and pain, for making you fall from grace..."

"All of this is what I deserve."

Jiang Ruxian lifted her head, and in an instant, the misty rain enveloped her.

Her face was wet, her black hair clinging to her skin. It was impossible to tell if it was rain or tears. Her voice seemed to hold back a sob.

Jiang Lan still watched her. Hearing her words, he just shook his head and said calmly, "I don’t hate you. And I have no right to hate you. I never experienced the pain and despair you felt when your Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart was dug out. I don’t know how you managed to survive a situation where death was certain. And I certainly have no right to ask you to let go of your hatred for my parents..."

"I just want to completely settle the score between us."

"From now on, we have nothing to do with each other. If you want to kill my parents, then I will kill you."

His words were very calm, swallowed by the pouring rain.

But Jiang Ruxian heard every word clearly. Her heart seized, her lips turned pale, and she felt as if something that belonged to her was drifting further and further away, so far that she could never grasp it, never get it back.

"No... please don’t be like this..."

"None of that had anything to do with you! You didn’t know anything back then. Because of the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Immortal Heart, you not only lost your cultivation, but you were also left with its backlash and sickness..."

Her voice trembled as she suddenly lunged forward and threw her arms around Jiang Lan, her whole body shaking as if terrified of losing something precious.

"Every single one of those things happened because of me. What do you mean it had nothing to do with you?"

"This pitiful, sympathetic act of yours is truly disgusting. Instead of this, Jiang Ruxian, why don’t you just be straightforward like before and kill me? That would be better."

Just then, a mocking curve seemed to form on Jiang Lan’s lips. He gave a soft, derisive laugh, looked at Jiang Ruxian, and then slowly reached out to push her away.

His tone was still calm, but now it was laced with a sneer. "If you hadn’t met the wet nurse, would you have come to the Imperial Capital to kill me again, just like you did in the courtyard that last time?"