Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 232: You Sure Listen to Her

The man, however, simply stared at her without a word, his dark, unsettling gaze raking over her.

Song Lianhe felt a pang of guilt and chuckled sheepishly. "It’s fine if I don’t go back... Staying in Sui Ning City is pretty good too. I just promised Brother Kui Lang I’d help him open a Medical Clinic in Wu Qi Country... you know, my career ambitions are flaring up a bit..."

She lowered her head, not daring to look at him again.

Seeing how terrified she was of him, it was as if he had actually done something to warrant such fear.

In reality...

The dark deeds he had committed... if she heard of even one or two, she would likely be scared to death.

"Xuan Mei."

Zhou Cangyan called out suddenly.

"Yes."

The voice that seemed to materialize out of thin air behind her startled Song Lianhe so badly she nearly screamed.

"Sister Mei?!"

Xuan Mei didn’t even lift her gaze. Before Zhou Cangyan, her obedience was absolute.

"Take her back to the mansion."

"Yes."

Without another word, Xuan Mei stepped forward, grabbed the delicate beauty, and began to walk away.

"Sister Mei!!"

Song Lianhe was overjoyed to see her. She had finally seen a familiar face from home, and her confidence surged in an instant!

"Sister Mei, when did you arrive in Sui Ning City? Did you come with the Prince? Or did you get here earlier? Ah, why didn’t you come see me?"

She was truly very enthusiastic toward Xuan Mei.

She paid no mind to the cold, dark gaze from behind her.

’She’s certainly friendly with Xuan Mei, isn’t she?’

Song Lianhe didn’t notice the stare from behind, but Xuan Mei felt it like a needle in her back.

Steeling herself, Xuan Mei replied, "I returned with the Master."

"Sister Mei! Sister Mei! We haven’t seen each other in so long, can’t we hug first? You’re so calm and collected, I’ll start to think you didn’t miss me, and that will break my heart!"

"...You are overthinking, Young Madam."

"You called me Young Madam? You called me *Young Madam*? You’ve never been so formal with me before!"

"..."

Sweat beaded on Xuan Mei’s forehead. Not daring to respond, she stiffly pulled her arm from Song Lianhe’s grasp.

But Song Lianhe had just managed to relax, and seeing a friendly face made her overjoyed. She hooked her arm through Xuan Mei’s again, hugging it close. "Sister Mei, I’m telling you, there are so many fun places in Sui Ning City. Let me show you around, okay?"

"..."

Behind them, the man’s gaze grew dark and somber.

"Heh, Master, there’s no need to be jealous of Xuan Mei. The Young Madam doesn’t have any friends here and is all alone, poor thing. It’s only natural she’d be a bit overly friendly now that she’s seen Xuan Mei."

Zhou Cangyan glanced to the side and smiled faintly. "This prince... is jealous?"

"This subordinate misspoke! Please punish me, Master!"

Zhou Cangyan lowered his gaze and asked nonchalantly, "And Prince Ling?"

The Shadow Guard immediately grew serious. "His men have made contact and are now heading toward Li Zong Pass."

"Dispatch a team to protect him covertly. Ensure he enters Ling’an City safely."

"Yes, sir!" 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

—

「Prince Si Mansion, Punishment Room.」

Inside the gloomy cell, a sliver of light shone through a basin-sized hole in the roof.

Zhong Shimin was bare-chested, kneeling on the icy floor.

Behind him stood two jailers, administering the punishment.

Opposite them, Zhou Cangyan sat in the shadows, holding a teacup.

He used the lid to push aside the floating tea leaves before bringing the cup to his lips for a sip.

Thirty lashes, not one less.

The whips had been soaked in brine, and each lash burned like fire. As the salt seeped into the open wounds, it created a pain that even the most strapping man would struggle to endure.

Yet Zhong Shimin remained kneeling steadily, his hands resting casually at his sides. His back was ramrod straight, and behind a black mask, his eyes were closed.

Only when the punishment was complete did Zhou Cangyan raise his eyes, his tone laced with a raw chill.

"Why did you help her?"

Zhong Shimin rose slowly. A subordinate handed him an inner tunic, which he draped casually over his shoulders, ignoring the lash marks on his back. "The Young Master ordered me to ensure her safety."

Though his words were respectful, his attitude was flippant.

"Including killing Zhou Junlin?"

"The Young Madam said he was a threat to her life," he replied calmly. "And if someone is a threat to her life, then naturally, they must be killed."

A low, almost inaudible chuckle sounded. The man slowly stepped out of the shadows, revealing a face of unparalleled, radiant beauty.

"You certainly listen to her, don’t you."

Zhong Shimin shot him a sidelong glance. "Hah. You masters are impossible to please. I’m damned if I do, and damned if I don’t."

Zhou Cangyan snorted and tossed a small porcelain vial over to him.

Zhong Shimin caught it and, without even asking what it was, handed it to one of Tiger Beak’s subordinates, gesturing for the man to apply the medicine to his back.

As the medicine was being applied, he gave Zhou Cangyan a brief report.

Kong Yu had backed out at the last minute, trying to use Zhou Junlin’s men to make a run for it, but he had been captured and brought back.

Whether Zhou Junlin would grow suspicious of Song Lianhe—or even the "mastermind" behind her—remained to be seen.

"Zhou Junlin isn’t that easy to fool. Once he gets back, it won’t take him long to figure this out."

Zhong Shimin looked at him. "What about you? Leaving such a huge mess for the National Guardian General... Aren’t you afraid he’ll complain about you to the Holy Emperor?"

Zhou Cangyan was unconcerned. "It’s not like this is the first or second time I’ve been on the Holy Emperor’s bad side."

As the two of them exited the Punishment Room, they found Luo Fubang standing outside, hands on his hips. The moment he saw Zhou Cangyan, he let him have it. "What are you hitting him for? If you want to blame someone, blame that hell-raising wife of yours! What’s it got to do with him?"

Zhong Shimin automatically took a step back, yielding the prime position for the scolding.

Zhou Cangyan glanced at his grandfather and sneered. "True. But she needs someone to go along with her antics! Her plan was riddled with holes, yet someone was still happy to play along with her charade! You tell me, Grandfather, if I don’t punish Ah Zhong, who should I punish? You?"

Luo Fubang immediately put his hands on his hips again and spun around. "Well now, look how fast these sweet potatoes are growing! It’s only been a few days, and they’ve already shot up so high!"

The old steward of the Prince Si Mansion followed with a grin. "They certainly are. Why don’t you go have a look, Old Master?"

"Go have a look?"

"Have a look."

"Alright, let’s have a look!"

Zhou Cangyan paid no mind to his grandfather’s antics and followed along.

The vegetable garden was lush, its growth encouraging. The farmers were all working with great vigor, conducting research and holding discussions as they toiled.

"Excellent! Very good, very good!"

Even though they hadn’t produced any tubers yet, Luo Fubang had already given all the credit to Song Lianhe.

Listening to his grandfather’s praise for her, Zhou Cangyan merely lowered his gaze, his expression unreadable.

Just then, a gatekeeper came to report that an attendant from the Drunken Immortal named Fu Wu had come looking for the Young Madam.

"He’s here for me! For me!"

Hearing this from a distance, Song Lianhe hiked up her skirts and ran toward the gate.

"Slow down! Goodness... This child is always so reckless..."

The words had barely left Luo Fubang’s lips when he saw Song Lianhe trip over a wooden stake and pitch forward—

"Oh! What did I just say? Slow down—"

Thankfully, Xuan Mei was there to catch her by the waist, and Song Lianhe tumbled right into her arms.

She rubbed her nose, then looked up at Xuan Mei and said something with a laugh. Xuan Mei, for once, gave a slight, tight-lipped smile and nodded.

In the morning light, the scene was so beautiful it seemed to have no room for any male presence.

Zhou Cangyan’s face was a cold, stern mask, but as he watched this scene unfold, a strange, dark emotion flickered in the depths of his eyes.