Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 165: Marrying This Prince, Are You Unwilling?
’Why is he here again?’
Song Lianhe had just raised her cup of wine, reluctant to put it down, when she looked up and saw a tall, dark-robed figure entering through a side door.
After all, he was the man she was marrying tomorrow. The moment she saw him, Song Lianhe’s heart couldn’t help but give a lurch.
According to custom, the bride and groom were not supposed to meet before the wedding. Shuang Ye was about to remind her lady to step away when, to her surprise, the man walked straight toward them.
Everyone had long since noticed Prince Qing’s arrival, but they all shared an unspoken agreement to pretend they hadn’t. Even the Marquis Xuan Chang, flushed from drinking, was about to raise a hand in greeting when his wife pulled him back. "Just drink your wine."
Meeting before the wedding was already a breach of custom. Moreover, Prince Qing’s status was delicate. He had offended the Holy Emperor just the day before yesterday, and now he was visiting the Yue Family with such frequency. It was almost certain that meddlers would seize the opportunity to fabricate malicious slander.
And his current behavior was a case in point.
Song Lianhe held her breath.
’She’d been afraid of him before, but never this afraid!’
’Besides fear, there was also a hint of awkwardness...’
The cup was suddenly drawn from her hand. Then, using her cup, the man drank all the wine inside.
Stunned, Song Lianhe turned her head to look at him.
The man’s profile was truly stunning. His eyes were deep and cool, his nose was handsome and straight, his jawline was a smooth, clean line, and the corners of his lips were tilted in a slight curve...
’Staring at his lips, she couldn’t stop herself from thinking about that kiss...’
It wasn’t until the man turned toward her, propping his head on one hand and fixing his pale, faintly smiling eyes on her, that Song Lianhe belatedly realized she had just been swooning over a man!
Flustered, she averted her gaze and hastily picked up a pastry, nibbling on it to hide her embarrassment.
Suddenly, her hand was taken again.
She froze, looking at him in disbelief.
’There are so many people here!’
’What does he think he’s doing?’
"Is your hand any better?"
"Ah... It’s... it’s better..."
He turned her palm over, the pad of his finger gently caressing its center. Song Lianhe’s cheeks burned hot. She wanted to pull her hand back, but he held her by the wrist. Any larger movement would easily attract the attention of others.
So she could only whisper, "Let go."
After she spoke, she scanned her surroundings out of the corner of her eye. Only then did she realize that everyone was engrossed in loud drinking games, completely oblivious to them. Song Lianhe finally relaxed a little.
Zhou Cangyan, however, acted as if no one else existed. He didn’t loosen his grip on her wrist. Instead, with a slight tug, he pulled her even closer.
So close she could smell the faint, heady scent of wine on him—an aroma intoxicating in itself.
She subconsciously tilted her head up. The man lowered his gaze, his eyes seeming to hold a swirling mist that made them look both real and illusory. Despite having had only one cup, he spoke in a slightly drunken tone. "Are you reluctant to marry me?"
Song Lianhe stared at him blankly. ’I’m the one who hasn’t had a single drop of wine, so why do I feel more intoxicated than he does?’
"I... I’m not reluctant..."
"Then you are doing so willingly?"
"..."
’Does not being reluctant automatically mean I’m doing it willingly?’
’She suspected he was trying to manipulate her, but she had no proof.’
Song Lianhe avoided his scorching gaze and whispered, "The Holy Emperor has already decreed this marriage, and we put on that whole show for him. At this point, would anyone even listen if I said I wasn’t willing?"
’So much for living for myself. In the end, I still couldn’t escape my fate of being a puppet on a string.’
But Song Lianhe wasn’t one to wallow in self-pity. ’On the bright side,’ she thought, ’with the title of Princess Qing, it’s like I have a double insurance policy. My days of throwing my weight around are just beginning!’
But upon hearing her muttering, Zhou Cangyan stared at her intently, his gaze turning cold.
"It’s too late for regrets."
Song Lianhe mentally rolled her eyes.
’Of course I know that. Do I really need him to remind me?’
As she looked at the man’s equally indifferent expression, it suddenly occurred to her: she was being forced into this, but wasn’t he as well?
’Even though he hasn’t yet fallen deeply in love with the heroine, this story is a classic, old-fashioned romance with a certified lovesick villain. The main romantic plot threads from the original novel won’t be easily shaken. In other words, aside from my own anomalous presence, the villain will most likely still fall for the heroine.’
Zhou Cangyan raised an eyebrow, confused by the sudden look of overflowing sympathy she was giving him.
Song Lianhe sighed softly. "We’re in the same boat, you and I."
He raised his eyebrow again. "The same boat?"
She suddenly held up a hand. "Don’t ask. You’ll understand in the future."
’I just hope that when the time comes, he won’t blame it all on me.’
Despite the continued clamor, everyone’s eyes couldn’t help but drift in their direction.
Nanny Diao, using the pretense of arranging food on the Marchioness’s plate to hide her smile, said, "If you ask me, my lady, you can finally set your heart at ease. Just look at the way Prince Qing looks at our young miss~"
Marchioness Xuan Chang smiled without speaking, her silence a tacit agreement.
At her age, she considered herself a good judge of character. The way Zhou Cangyan looked at her granddaughter was with the possessiveness of a man looking at the woman he desires. It was impossible to hide, not that he even deigned to try.
It was a bit domineering, perhaps, but compared to the reserved type like Zhou Junlin, Marchioness Xuan Chang found she rather appreciated Zhou Cangyan’s unabashed nature.
The passions of youth ought to be so fiery and forthright!
When it came to judging character, her granddaughter’s taste was clearly far superior to her mother’s.
She recalled the time her daughter first brought Song Xingfeng to meet them. Marchioness Xuan Chang had disliked him from every angle.
It wasn’t because of his humble birth or lack of a distinguished family background. Rather, it was his timid, cowering demeanor. He liked her daughter but didn’t dare admit it, instead opening his mouth with nonsense about knowing his station was low and being unworthy of a Lord’s daughter...
Utter bullshit!
He had already come to meet her parents, and *then* he was going to say he wasn’t worthy? If he really had any self-awareness, he should have stayed in his lane. Why did he have to provoke her daughter at all?
No matter how Marchioness Xuan Chang tried to intervene, it was useless. Lin Shuniang was dead set on marrying him. That Song Xingfeng would claim to be unworthy to their faces, but in front of Lin Shuniang, he would act resolute, declaring that if it wasn’t her, he would never marry. That, in turn, made Lin Shuniang insist she would marry no one else.
And what was the result? Shortly after they were married, he brought Mrs. Liu home from the outside.
Lin Shuniang was a woman who understood the importance of maintaining propriety, so even though she was heartbroken, she acquiesced to Mrs. Liu’s presence.
But the irony was, that very night, he went to stay at Mrs. Liu’s residence outside the family estate...
Every time Marchioness Xuan Chang thought of this, she gritted her teeth in fury!
At the same time, the Marquis Xuan Chang’s brows were practically twisted into a rope. He just couldn’t find anything to like about Zhou Cangyan.
"Does he have no sense of decorum at all?" he complained, turning to his wife. "How dare he be so brazen, right under our noses! He clearly has no respect for us!"
Marchioness Xuan Chang nodded along. "The wedding is tomorrow, and this grandson-in-law of yours has already run over here twice today. What would it hurt to miss seeing her for one day? It is brazen indeed."
Though her words sounded like a complaint, there wasn’t a hint of genuine reprimand in them.
Nanny Diao covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. "The Marchioness is right. No matter how overjoyed one is, one must still observe the proper customs. If outsiders were to find out, they’d surely laugh at our young master."
"I’d like to see who dares laugh!" the Marquis Xuan Chang declared upon hearing their laughter, shooting them a sideways glance. "You two seem quite satisfied with him!"
The Marchioness teased, "You’re hardly one to talk, my Lord. If you were truly displeased, I’m sure you would have ordered him thrown out of the mansion by now."
"Hmph! You think you know everything, my lady!"
"Hehe, of course I do~"
