Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 178: Prince Ling, Please Conduct Yourself With Dignity
The teahouse across from the Medical Clinic was doing much better business, thanks to the clinic’s presence.
In a private room on the second floor, Song Lianhe poured herself some tea. "What does Prince Ling want with me?"
Across from her, Zhou Junlin wore a white shirt under a teal-colored outer robe. Though he had a handsome, gentle, and easygoing face, it turned cold whenever he looked at her.
The old Song Lianhe would have shed secret tears over this, but the woman she was now couldn’t care less.
"This morning, the Song Residence sent someone to ask you to diagnose Mrs. Song. Why didn’t you go?"
Song Lianhe grabbed a handful of melon seeds, looked up at him, and asked, amused, "Are you here to condemn me on Song Xilan’s behalf?"
Zhou Junlin continued in a cold voice, "Mrs. Song is your mother in name. She is pregnant, and General Song is away at war. As their child, you should be easing your elders’ worries."
SMACK.
She threw the handful of seeds back into the dish, and several of them scattered onto him.
"If that’s the case, what is Prince Ling doing sitting here? Aren’t you supposed to be easing your elders’ worries? Then lead your troops into battle! Go to the front lines and kill the enemy! Instead of doing what you should be doing, you have the leisure to come here and meddle in someone else’s family affairs?"
Showing him no deference, she stood up to leave.
"Stop!"
Zhou Junlin barked.
Song Lianhe stopped, turned around, and her eyes were cold. "Prince Ling, I am married to your Imperial Uncle. It’s one thing for you not to call me ’Imperial Aunt,’ but you dare to shout at me? Do you hold no regard for my husband, or do you simply ignore all rules and etiquette?"
Zhou Junlin froze, his expression gradually turning ugly.
He stood up and walked over to her, seemingly holding back his anger. "Must you speak to me this way?"
Song Lianhe sneered, her beautiful eyes glinting with a cold light. "If you came to see me on behalf of Song Xilan and her mother, then I won’t see you out."
"No!" 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺
Seeing that she was really about to leave, he grabbed her arm in a panic. "Lianhe!"
Song Lianhe flinched as if burned and quickly shook him off. "Prince Ling, please conduct yourself with dignity!" She immediately took two steps back. The love that once filled her eyes was long gone, replaced by guardedness and a desire to avoid any scandal.
"Furthermore, you should address me as Princess Qing. We wouldn’t want anyone to misunderstand and think we are familiar with each other, ruining both our reputations."
Zhou Junlin stared at his empty hand, a smirk unconsciously forming on his lips. When he looked up again, his expression was laced with malice. "Dignity? When you were constantly scheming to be alone with me, faking falls to throw yourself into my arms, or deliberately trying to seduce me, did you ever once think of the word ’dignity’?"
"..."
’Did I really do all those things?!’
Song Lianhe was at a complete loss. "That’s all in the past. Why bring it up again?"
"But I want to bring it up!"
He took a step forward, and Song Lianhe immediately took a step back. To him, it was utterly laughable that a shameless woman like her was now pretending to be a chaste and virtuous martyr.
"Is it because of my Imperial Uncle?" he sneered, staring at her without blinking.
"And shouldn’t I? King Qing is my husband. Of course I must protect my reputation for his sake!"
Her words completely enraged Zhou Junlin. Though he still had a shred of reason and had warned himself to stay away from this woman, the more he tried, the more clearly her image appeared in his mind. Especially since his marriage, every time he saw Song Xilan, he would be reminded of the other Miss Song—the one who was truly his fiancée.
Zhou Junlin clenched his fists. He would never let anyone know about this.
He stared at her and said coldly, "Mrs. Song is my mother-in-law. I came here today specifically to ask Princess Qing to go to the Song Residence for a consultation. If Princess Qing refuses..."
Song Lianhe raised an eyebrow. "Then what?"
"Heh," he said, clasping his hands behind his back as he stood before the railing and looked at the Medical Clinic across the street. "Of course, I wouldn’t do anything to Princess Qing. But... if something were to happen to this Medical Clinic..."
"Zhou Junlin, you wouldn’t dare!"
Song Lianhe was so angry her eyes turned red.
It was no exaggeration to say the Medical Clinic was raking in money hand over fist, but Zhou Junlin was, after all, second only to the emperor. It would be ridiculously easy for him to ruin a single shop.
She couldn’t run the business under her title as a princess consort, partly for fear of bringing disaster upon herself, and partly because she didn’t want to cause trouble for Zhou Cangyan. This left her with even less leverage against Zhou Junlin.
"Dare I? Why don’t you test me and find out."
"It’s not that easy to make money here." Zhou Junlin turned sideways, the smile on his lips growing colder. "Song Lianhe, you don’t really think you can make all this silver and get away scot-free, do you?"
Song Lianhe stared at him furiously, but no matter how angry she was, she understood the truth of his words.
Zhou Junlin had the power to stop her.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm the rage in her chest, but her voice was even colder when she spoke. "It’s just a visit to Mrs. Liu, isn’t it? Fine. Let’s go."
Seeing her turn away with such a resolute expression, Zhou Junlin gritted his teeth, seeming to regret his earlier words.
’Why did I have to scare her?’
Song Lianhe went downstairs, gave a few instructions to Shuang Ye who was waiting below, and then accompanied Zhou Junlin to the Song Residence.
The two of them rode in the same carriage. Song Lianhe sat near the door and closed her eyes to rest the moment she got in, figuring out of sight was out of mind.
Zhou Junlin’s brow remained furrowed. He glanced in her direction, wanting to say something to break the stalemate but couldn’t find a topic.
After some thought, he said, "News just came in. Our Imperial Uncle won the first battle."
Just as he expected, Song Lianhe immediately opened her eyes. "Really? He won? Is he hurt?"
Seeing how much she cared about his Imperial Uncle, Zhou Junlin felt that unpleasant tightness in his chest again. "You only care if my Imperial Uncle is hurt. Why not ask about General Song? He’s your father."
Song Lianhe immediately became much colder. "Oh. Is he all right?"
"...He’s fine."
Zhou Junlin ground his molars.
"What about Zhou Cangyan?"
Seeing that her concern for his Imperial Uncle didn’t seem fake, Zhou Junlin’s mood soured even more. "He’s fine too."
He said that one cold sentence, then closed his eyes, not daring to say another word.
She had been having the butler and Shen Fu gather news for the past few days. The army had been on the march, and nothing major had happened.
Now, hearing that they had won the first battle, a huge weight was lifted from her heart.
"As long as he’s all right," she murmured.
Only then did she realize that her heart had been in suspense all along. As she would put it, she had been worried about her "patron’s" safety!
Zhou Junlin’s knuckles, resting on his knees, turned white from the pressure.
Soon, the carriage stopped at the Song Residence.
Zhou Junlin was just about to offer her a hand when she pushed open the door and jumped down herself.
His dark eyes fell to his empty hand, then slowly lowered as he too disembarked from the carriage.
Song Lianhe wore a veil, with Zhou Junlin following behind her. Everyone knew she was the "Miracle Doctor" from the Medical Clinic, so no one dared to stop her; they all stood respectfully to the side.
She walked to Cui Die Xuan with practiced ease. As she approached the main house, she heard a sharp curse from within.
"Aargh! It’s all that damned Song Lianhe’s fault! That little tramp, I hope she dies a horrible death!"
Her foot, about to step onto the stairs, paused.
Song Lianhe turned her head, a mocking look in her eyes as she glanced at Zhou Junlin. He stood outside the courtyard with his hands clasped, his face tense and his brows tightly furrowed.
Zhou Junlin practiced martial arts and was quite skilled. With his sharp hearing, he had undoubtedly heard every word clearly.
