Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 224: You’re Nothing But His Aunt

Midnight. The west side of the city.

Gu Ha, dressed in tight-fitting black clothes, silently approached the carriage parked in the alley and said in a low voice, "Prince, Second Miss Song has arrived."

The person inside was silent for a moment. Then, the carriage door pushed open, and out stepped "Young Master Shen Wu."

Two people stood at the mouth of the alley.

Kong Yu stared at the woman beside him with a look of utter contempt.

Song Lianhe ignored him at first, but his stare was truly infuriating. She turned and glared at him. "What are you looking at?"

"Heh, I just want to get a good look at a promiscuous woman like you." He crossed his arms, casually chewing on a piece of straw. "To think Zhou Cangyan still treats a woman like you as some kind of treasure," he scoffed. "He must be fucking blind!"

Hearing him curse Zhou Cangyan like that, Song Lianhe felt a wave of irritation.

"Hehe, why should Master Kong concern himself with this? No matter how promiscuous I am, I’d never fall for you!"

"Bah! As if I’d ever fall for you!"

"If you wouldn’t fall for me, then why do you keep staring? Or is it that Master Kong just enjoys saying one thing and meaning another?"

"You... you... don’t you dare slander me!"

"Heh, so you’re allowed to ruin my reputation, but I can’t give you a taste of your own medicine? I suppose I overestimated you, the great Overlord of the Genosa River. To think you’re nothing but a narrow-minded man who only argues about gender, not reason!"

"You sharp-tongued little wench..."

Seeing Kong Yu roll up his sleeves, Song Lianhe showed no fear. With her hands on her hips, she jutted out her chin. "What? You want to fight?"

"Who... who wants to fight? Don’t you slander me! I’m just hot!"

As the two bickered, Kong Yu’s gaze suddenly sharpened. He lowered his voice. "They’re here."

Song Lianhe’s expression shifted. Her heart couldn’t help but pound, and her palms grew sweaty.

’Her future was uncertain. Her worry wasn’t about whether she could kill the male lead. It was about what would happen after she killed him. Would this world collapse? What would become of her, a wandering soul transmigrated into a book? Or would every trace of her existence ultimately be erased...?’

’But no matter what happens, it’s better than being led by the nose!’

’Instead of being controlled at every turn, I’d rather risk it all in one bold gamble!’

A low snort from beside her seemed to mock her cowardice.

Song Lianhe shot Kong Yu a look. ’You ignorant fool, what the hell do you know!’

She steadied herself again, her gaze firming with resolve.

At that moment, Zhou Junlin and Gu Ha were already walking over.

Song Lianhe turned and smiled at him.

’He showed up. Perfect.’

Meanwhile, Gu Ha sounded his disapproval. "Prince, why must you come to see her yourself? What if it’s an ambush?"

Zhou Junlin looked at the woman at the mouth of the alley, who was giving him a gentle smile, and said calmly, "She wouldn’t."

"You can’t be sure! You have to remember, Song Lianhe is..."

"Gu Ha."

"...This subordinate is here."

"I do not want to hear another bad word about her from you."

"...This subordinate was wrong."

Though Gu Ha was still filled with dissatisfaction, he answered respectfully.

Seeing them approach, Song Lianhe took the initiative to step forward. "Young Master Shen Wu."

She turned to make an introduction. "This is..."

"I recognize him. The famous master of the Fengming Gang."

Kong Yu glanced at him from the corner of his eye. "Guess you’ve got sharp eyes."

Zhou Junlin merely swept a glance over him and gave a slight nod. His gaze then fell upon Song Lianhe and never left, the heat in his eyes growing more intense.

’He knew Kong Yu had remained in Sui Ning City for Taming Horses. The fact that she could persuade him gave them a greater chance of success.’

’It was clear Song Lianhe had truly put her heart into this.’

’In other words, she really did want to return to Ling’an, to be with him...’

A flame suddenly shot up in his heart, burning ceaselessly and tormenting him.

This long-absent throb in his heart was sudden and fierce, unlike anything he had ever encountered before. It was different from the gentle, placid emotions he felt with Song Xilan; the woman before him was like a raging fire, so hot it felt as if it would melt him completely.

In contrast to his slowly dawning emotional shift, Song Lianhe was so nervous her palms were sweating.

’Although Zhong Shimin had laid out a meticulous plan, Zhou Junlin was no mediocre man. He was the male lead, after all. With his plot armor, he wouldn’t die so easily.’

Noticing the woman’s nervousness, Kong Yu shot her a contemptuous glance and scoffed.

"Stop wasting my time, Song Lianhe. Is your promise still good?"

Song Lianhe said quickly, "Of course!"

She added, "You help me bring these horses to Ling’an City, and I... er, no, Prince Ling will surely help you stage a comeback!"

Zhou Junlin glanced at her from the side, somewhat surprised.

His surprise was quickly replaced by a look of pure admiration.

’She really is clever. She not only secured the horses, but also gained him a formidable general.’

’Right now, he was in desperate need of capable people. For Kong Yu to have reigned as the Overlord of the Genosa River for so long, leaving Da Cheng, Wu Qi, and Nanchen all helpless against him, proved he had considerable skill.’

’What’s more, he was immune to all poisons and possessed a talent for taming beasts. Having him deal with Sui Bei was something Zhou Junlin couldn’t have hoped for more.’

In front of Zhou Junlin, Song Lianhe put on a solemn expression and said, "As long as you’re willing to serve Prince Ling, forget the mere Genosa River—this city of Sui Ning, even the whole of Sui Bei, will be yours for the taking! After all, this is your homeland. No one is better suited to take over than you!"

Every word she spoke struck a chord deep in Zhou Junlin’s heart. As he looked at her again, the tenderness in his eyes was about to overflow.

Kong Yu suddenly moved closer to Song Lianhe. A probing smile appeared on his handsome, roguish face, and his voice was raspy, as if ground over stone. "Heh, you’re not trying to trick me, are you? You’re just his aunt. What gives you the right to make decisions for him? Are you really in a position to call the shots?"

Song Lianhe froze and shot him a subtle glare.

’This line wasn’t in the script we rehearsed!!’

’This damn scene-stealer!’

Zhou Junlin’s face instantly turned cold.

His gaze, restrained yet glacial, swept over Kong Yu inch by inch, laced with a sharp edge.

The word "aunt" seemed to have triggered some taboo of his.

Especially seeing him standing so close to her, Zhou Junlin radiated a terrifying chill, as if wishing he could turn his gaze into a thousand arrows and pierce the man through.

"She is."

Zhou Junlin spoke suddenly, his voice low and full of menace.

"Oh?"

Kong Yu eyed him sideways. "Heh, how is it that everyone and their brother can speak for Prince Ling these days?"

Zhou Junlin raised his hand. "Bring it."

Gu Ha stepped forward and handed Zhou Junlin his fish pouch.

Zhou Junlin took out the golden fish token from within. "This is Prince Ling’s fish token."

Kong Yu narrowed his eyes, a strange glint in his sinister gaze. "He actually entrusted something so important to you?"

Zhou Junlin’s expression was unchanged. "To be honest, I came to Sui Ning on the orders of His Highness, Prince Ling. That he gave me this as a token shows his trust. If Master Kong is willing to serve His Highness, then just as Miss Song said, you will be a man of great merit. Receiving a title and high office will be just a matter of time!"

Seeing the ambition and desire spreading in Kong Yu’s eyes, Song Lianhe sneered inwardly. ’I knew this guy was unreliable and easily swayed!’

She said unhurriedly, "The hour is late. You should be leaving with Young Master Shen Wu."

Kong Yu looked at her, his smile mysterious and unsettling.

Zhou Junlin was taken aback and blurted out, "You’re not coming with me?"

Song Lianhe shook her head. "My status is... sensitive. Traveling with you would surely implicate you. That’s why I’m having Kong Yu accompany you. It’s better for me to stay behind and create a diversion. After all... these horses have earned me a bit of trust here. For now, they won’t suspect me."

Zhou Junlin’s brow was tightly furrowed. He just stared at her, silent.

Behind him, Gu Ha stepped forward and whispered in his ear, "Our scouts report that the horse farm outside the city is now under Kong Yu’s control..."

Across from them, Kong Yu stood chewing on his straw, the smile on his lips perpetually radiating a sinister, enigmatic aura.

Song Lianhe kept her eyes fixed on Zhou Junlin, her heart breaking out in a cold sweat.

’She wanted to kill him, but she couldn’t do it in Sui Ning City. As long as Sui Bei hadn’t rebelled, it was still the territory of Da Cheng Country, and Zhou Junlin couldn’t meet with a ’mishap’ here. She had to lure him outside the city!’

’The Genosa River was the best choice.’