Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 171: King Qing’s Destined One Is My Sister
Song Lianhe was dumbfounded.
She stared at the man who had pinned her down, unable to comprehend his actions.
The man lowered his head, leaning close to her ear to whisper, "Our relationship... can’t be exposed."
Song Lianhe rolled her eyes. ’Of course I know it can’t be exposed!’
But if she didn’t get Shuang Ye to leave soon, they were dangerously close to blowing their own cover.
Shuang Ye must have heard the commotion, as she turned her head curiously. "My Lady?"
"...Hn."
Song Lianhe could only manage a vague response.
Staring at her, the man slowly moved his hand away.
"Sigh, My Lady, aren’t you the least bit anxious? It’s your wedding night! The consummation of your marriage!" Shuang Ye pressed her fingers to her brow, feeling as if she’d aged years in an instant.
"...Putting aside the fact that Prince Qing is of imperial blood, in terms of looks alone, he’s the most handsome man in all of Ling’an City! My Lady, you have no idea. Ever since Prince Qing returned, more and more young women have been setting their sights on him. If word gets out that you’ve been given the cold shoulder the moment you arrived at the mansion, won’t that just give them an opening? This servant refuses to believe you’d remain indifferent watching Prince Qing with another woman in each arm," Shuang Ye pleaded, her words full of earnest concern.
’Ugh, this is so exhausting...’
Song Lianhe looked mortified. Shuang Ye made her sound like such a hopeless case.
Still, the thought of Zhou Cangyan with his arms around another woman, whispering sweet nothings right in front of her, made her chest tighten as if squeezed by a fist. A breath caught in her throat, refusing to go up or down.
’How infuriating!’
But her rational mind told her it was nothing more than a momentary pang of resentment. Such an emotion was meaningless.
Besides, she had already decided they would be a couple who treated each other with polite distance, never interfering in the other’s affairs.
After all, who has a death wish?
It was one thing to discuss this with Shuang Ye in private, but to have this conversation in front of the very man she had been intimate with... she couldn’t help but feel humiliated.
The man’s dark eyes watched her, as if trying to probe her very soul. An emotion was already stirring in their depths.
The corners of his lips quirked up in a faint smile—part teasing, part seduction.
Song Lianhe held her breath and silently turned her head away. Whenever she met his gaze, she felt as if she had been bewitched. A heat spread from her body to her very soul, and her cheeks burned fiercely.
Unable to bear the intimacy a moment longer, she rushed to cut Shuang Ye off. "Alright, alright, Nanny Xiao Ye, I get it... Um, I’m tired. I’m going to sleep now."
The man’s gaze was filled with the sight of her flushed, shy face, which made his heart stir.
His eyes becoming half-lidded, he lowered his head until the tip of his nose almost brushed against hers.
Song Lianhe’s hands dug into the bedding beneath her as her wide eyes blinked nervously.
She subconsciously reached for her waist, only to remember she was in her wedding dress. ’I don’t have my acupuncture kit!’
A wave of panic washed over Song Lianhe. But with a single sidelong glance, the man saw right through her intentions.
He lowered his head, his warm, suggestive breath ghosting across her ear. His voice was even deeper now, thick with desire.
"Did you think," he murmured, "that I would do something to you here?"
Song Lianhe immediately shook her head.
’No, I wasn’t thinking anything at all!’
Just then, Shuang Ye’s voice drifted in from outside again.
Having worried herself sick like a mother hen, she let out a faint sigh. "Then this servant will take her leave. My Lady... uh, no, Princess Consort, please don’t forget what I just told you."
Song Lianhe mumbled, "I know."
The moment Shuang Ye was gone, Song Lianhe shoved the man off her and scrambled off the bed.
"You see? It’s too dangerous here. You have to leave, now!"
The man sat up. A smirk played on his lips, and his gaze on her was unabashedly bold. "Afraid?"
"Oh, for crying out loud! You’re not scared, fine! But I am! I’m scared, alright?!"
Song Lianhe could now fully appreciate what it felt like to be a cheating scumbag. ’The guilt is so real.’
"Scared?" The man rose to his feet and closed the distance between them, looking down at her coldly. "If you were so scared, why did you dare to provoke me in the first place?"
"I was wrong! So, so wrong!" Song Lianhe’s apology was utterly sincere. Forced to tilt her head back due to his superior height, she brought her fists together in a formal salute. "I hope that you, a great hero, can overlook the transgressions of this humble one. In the future, I shall devote my life to repaying your grace!"
’Just please, please leave!’
If Zhou Cangyan were to walk in on this, even if the man’s heart wasn’t with her, he would absolutely not appreciate being made a cuckold.
No matter how it played out, she would be the one to suffer!
He smiled.
"You took advantage of me, and now you plan to just cast me aside?"
Song Lianhe shot up, waving her hands in frantic denial. "That’s not it! I didn’t! I would never!"
The man’s gaze fell. He picked up a red goblet from the table. "Then what about Prince Qing? Are you fond of him?"
Song Lianhe shook her head decisively. "How is that even possible? I would never fall for him!"
CRACK.
He had crushed the goblet.
Song Lianhe jumped, her lovely face turning deathly pale. "Uh... don’t get the wrong idea! I’m not some fickle woman who tosses people aside. It’s me! I’m not worthy! I’m not good enough for Prince Qing! Besides... I’m not his fated person. He already loves someone else, so there’s no reason for me to get involved."
The man looked up, watching her with suspicion. "What are you talking about?"
"I know you probably don’t understand right now, but the one he loves is the other daughter of the Song Family. It’s my older sister, Song Xilan... Sigh, never mind. You’ll find out eventually."
’Tonight is her wedding night with Zhou Cangyan, and also Song Xilan’s wedding night with Zhou Junlin. Who would believe her words now?’
The man’s eyes, dark as the night sky, remained fixed on her.
Scrutinizing her.
Suddenly, the man’s ear twitched. He then turned to her and said, "Since you have no feelings for me, I won’t seek you out again."
Before his words had even faded, he was at the window. With a single, fluid motion, he vaulted outside.
Leaving Song Lianhe to sit alone at the table in a daze.
’He said he wouldn’t come looking for me again...’
’Does he mean to just let it go like that?!’
’Then what was all that about? Was he just trying to scare me?’
Song Lianhe patted her chest, her heart still pounding with residual fear. ’It’s good that he’s gone. It’s good. Now I won’t have to agonize over this anymore!’
There was a knock on the door.
Song Lianhe went to open the door. It was Xuan Mei.
Xuan Mei still wore her hair in a high ponytail. Because it was her master’s wedding day, she had tied a red silk scarf over her black clothes as a nod to the celebration.
Song Lianhe immediately pulled her inside. Before Xuan Mei could speak, she blurted out, "Sister Mei, will you stay with me tonight?"
Xuan Mei froze, her hand on her sword. She gave Song Lianhe a look that clearly asked, ’Which one of us has lost their mind?’ Ignoring the request, she said, "The Master says he fears the mansion won’t be peaceful tonight. Some troublemakers may use the wedding as an opportunity to sneak into the Prince Mansion. He has ordered us to be on high alert. Has the Princess Consort noticed anything unusual?"
"..."
A dangerous thought suddenly struck Song Lianhe. ’Does Zhou Cangyan know something?’
She immediately shook her head. "No, nothing at all. Everything is perfectly peaceful here."
With that, she began pushing Xuan Mei out. "I need to rest now. You should get some sleep too."
Pushed clean out of the room, Xuan Mei glanced back at the tightly shut door, a rare flicker of emotion crossing her stoic face.
「On the same wedding night, over at the Ling Prince Mansion, the guests had long since been sent away.」
All the civil and military officials of the court were at Old Duke Xuan Chang’s residence, so there were only a handful of people here. It was better to send them off early and enjoy the quiet.
"Your Highness, you should return to the Princess Consort," Gu Ha reminded from the side.
Zhou Junlin didn’t move.
Staring at the room, awash in festive red, the first thought that flashed through his mind was: what were Song Lianhe and his Imperial Uncle doing right now?
