Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 227: This Is No Time to Ask for Good Character

Chapter 227: Chapter 227: This Is No Time to Ask for Good Character

"Young Master."

Outside the carriage, Gu Ha lowered his voice. "Young Master, we have pursuers."

Song Lianhe understood immediately.

’It must be Zhong Shimin. He found out I’m in the carriage, so he made a last-minute adjustment and sent more men after us. He has to make the act convincing so Zhou Junlin won’t get suspicious.’

Sure enough, Zhou Junlin actually calmed down when he heard the news. If there were no pursuers and they just left unimpeded, *that* would have been suspicious.

"It’s of no concern." His expression was serene; he paid the pursuers behind them no mind.

Song Lianhe had guessed he was already prepared, but she still blamed herself. "Young Master Shen Wu, they must be after me. I told you, traveling with you would only get you into trouble. It would be better to drop me off. I can buy you time so you can get away safely!"

Zhou Junlin gave a gentle smile and said softly, "Miss Song, you needn’t worry. I have my ways."

"But..."

"If you’re tired, you should rest."

As he spoke, he lifted his gaze and glanced at Kong Yu on the other side of the carriage.

Kong Yu rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright, I’m leaving! I’ll make room for you two... uh, lovebirds! Don’t want to get a sty from watchin’ you!"

That mouth of his had always been sharp and acerbic, sparing no one’s feelings!

Zhou Junlin’s displeasure was immediate, his hands tightening on his knees.

Seeing this, Song Lianhe didn’t hesitate. She lifted her foot and kicked Kong Yu right in the ass—

"AH—Song Lianhe, you—"

"Say one more word, and I’ll stick you!"

Kong Yu had experienced Song Lianhe’s needles firsthand.

Just as she’d said, he wasn’t made of copper skin and iron bones. The few times she had stuck him, she’d made him suffer something awful!

Sure enough, once the door was closed, not another word of complaint was heard from him.

Song Lianhe smiled faintly. ’That’s more like it.’

When she looked back, she found Zhou Junlin staring at her, unblinking.

She froze. "...Why are you looking at me like that?"

He slowly lowered his gaze. "It’s just been a long time since I’ve met someone so lively and interesting."

"Hah. That’s because you’ve never been willing to take the time to look."

He pondered this, then nodded. "You are absolutely right."

Song Lianhe sat in the carriage, feeling a little lost.

’After all, this is murder. It’s my first time doing something like this, and as the mastermind, no less. I’m bound to feel some psychological pressure.’

"You don’t need to be nervous."

Zhou Junlin suddenly spoke up. "I will definitely bring you back to Ling’an, safe and sound, to see... Prince Ling."

Song Lianhe waved her hand dismissively. "I’m not seeing him."

Zhou Junlin lifted his eyes to gaze at her, his voice deep and somber. "Why not?"

"Uh... what would I see him for? He’s a married man now. If I go, am I supposed to be his mistress or his concubine? The woman he married is my older sister. How could I destroy her happiness? Besides, the court is unstable right now, and so many eyes are watching him. If someone uses this to stir up trouble between him and King Qing, wouldn’t I become a femme fatale and plunge him into peril? I’d never do something like that!"

She spoke with righteous indignation, little knowing that the man beside her was lost in a whirlwind of thoughts.

He lowered his gaze and murmured, "I never knew... you were this good."

"What did you say?"

"...It’s nothing."

Of course, Zhou Junlin wouldn’t forget his current identity: the strategist, Young Master Shen Wu.

Just then, the carriage suddenly tilted violently and began to topple over in Song Lianhe’s direction!

"Lianhe!"

Zhou Junlin reacted instantly, yanking her toward him while simultaneously switching places to cushion her fall with his own body—

The carriage overturned. Song Lianhe slammed heavily into him, and hearing a muffled groan from beneath her, she belatedly scrambled up. "Are—are you okay?"

Zhou Junlin clutched his chest. Hearing the clash of weapons outside, he ignored the pain, grasped her hand, and urged, "Stay here! Don’t come out!" Then he shot out of the carriage.

To be honest, Song Lianhe felt quite conflicted at that moment.

’I can accept the male lead’s disgust and exploitation, but I can’t handle it when people are nice to me. The more he acts like this, the more I condemn myself.’

’But what’s done is done. I’m no white lotus, and I can’t play the saint.’

’For a Villainess like me, the very existence of the male and female leads is a threat!’

’So, to survive, I have to risk it all!’

Soon, the sounds of fighting outside stopped.

Song Lianhe’s heart skipped a beat. Just then, the door was kicked open, and a hand reached in from outside. "Come on out." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Staring at the large, well-defined hand, she slowly raised her eyes to look at its owner.

Zhou Junlin reassured her, "It’s over."

"...Oh."

Song Lianhe took his hand and slowly climbed out.

Seeing the black-clad guards standing all around, she swallowed hard. "They are..."

Zhou Junlin smiled. "Just my Hidden Guards, here for my protection."

Song Lianhe looked around. "What about the pursuers?"

"They’ve likely gone back to report." He said it nonchalantly, as if everything was going according to plan.

Kong Yu jumped down from a tree. "This is a main road!" He pointed at the carriage. "Now the horses have run off and we’ve caused a scene. You’re responsible! I’m telling you, don’t even think about dragging me into this!"

Gu Ha shot him a disdainful look and snorted, "Don’t worry, we won’t let you die. After all, if something happened to you, who would drive the carriage for us?"

Kong Yu, with his explosive temper, immediately looked ready to roll up his sleeves. "You little bastard! Come on, come on! I promise I won’t beat you to death!"

"Enough."

Zhou Junlin’s voice was cool and sharp. He swept an imposing gaze in their direction, and both men fell silent.

"The Prince Si Mansion will surely send more people after us soon. We should split into two groups." He looked at Gu Ha and said, "You go with Master Kong to retrieve the horses."

Gu Ha replied, "Yes."

Kong Yu said nonchalantly, "I don’t have a problem with it, but getting away clean is what takes real skill."

"Rest assured, once you leave the horse farm, someone will be there to meet you."

"Hah. Good to hear."

Zhou Junlin looked back at Song Lianhe, his voice unconsciously softening. "You’ll come with me."

Song Lianhe looked at him, bit her lip, and nodded. "Okay!"

Gu Ha was still worried. "Young Master, it might be dangerous for you to go alone. You should take more men with you."

Zhou Junlin shook his head. "The warhorses are important. You must get them out of Sui Bei safely! Besides, the commotion you’ll cause will be big enough to draw the attention of Sui Ning City. They’ll be less likely to notice Miss Song and me."

Song Lianhe nodded emphatically. "Exactly! With you acting as targets to draw their attention, I feel much more at ease."

Gu Ha gave a cold, annoyed laugh. "Miss Song certainly treasures her life, doesn’t she!"

Song Lianhe gave a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "What else should I do? Sacrifice my own life out of some sense of duty? The help I’ve given you so far is already priceless. This isn’t the time to demand moral character from me!"

Gu Ha snorted and turned his head, refusing to look at her.

’Still, the Prince was right. If we draw their attention up ahead, the Prince will be safe.’

Without another word, Gu Ha left with the guards and Kong Yu.

Zhou Junlin slowly turned around. Song Lianhe didn’t quite dare to meet his eyes and said quickly, "Shen Wu, let’s run, too!"