Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 243: Of Course, I’ll Be the One to Serve You, Madam
The carriage was moving.
Song Lianhe, full and satisfied, slumped onto the bench.
In a daze, she felt someone board the carriage and cover her with a thin blanket. They seemed to stay for a while before leaving.
It wasn’t until she heard Xuan Mei call out to her that she realized they had passed through the gates.
Once inside Li Zong Pass, they were in the territory of Da Cheng. The merchant caravan had to proceed with caution at every step.
Song Lianhe stepped down from the carriage. The sky was already bright. She stretched lazily, but before she could fully limber up, a veiled hat was placed over her head.
Then, an arm was extended before her.
She lifted her gaze, and her eyes widened in a momentary stun.
Zhou Cangyan had changed out of his previous guard uniform. He was now dressed in an elegant and pleasant Jade Fall Straight Skirt, with a dancing belt at his waist from which hung an Exotic Beast Jade Pendant. Red silk cords flanked his waist.
Such a flamboyant color, yet on him, it didn’t look the least bit gaudy.
Although his features were still exquisite and striking, perhaps due to the natural, warm smile on his face or the elegant ribbons trailing from his hair, his entire persona had transformed. He exuded a youthful air. No one would ever connect this stunning young man with the infamous "Heavenly Kill Slash," Zhou Cangyan!
Song Lianhe couldn’t resist. She reached out and pinched his cheek.
’What kind of sorcery is this? How did he manage it? He looks like himself, yet not. He is himself, yet... he isn’t?’
The man lowered his eyes, the smile never leaving his lips. He neither dodged nor avoided her touch, instead murmuring softly, "Madam... must we do this here?"
"Huh?"
Song Lianhe was a little dazed.
’Does he have to sound so provocative?’
Just then, Xuan Mei, who was disguised as a man, came forward to remind her to go inside the inn and rest.
Zhou Cangyan looked up at her. "Madam, please watch your step~"
That magnetic, bone-tingling, low voice seemed to pluck right at Song Lianhe’s heartstrings!
While she was frozen in a daze, Zhou Cangyan grabbed her hand, wrapped an arm around her waist, and lifted her straight down from the carriage.
Song Lianhe lost her footing for a moment and subconsciously clutched his lapels, stumbling right into his arms.
"Madam~" he murmured again in that low voice, his tone breathy and coy.
Song Lianhe looked up at him in astonishment. Her face instantly flushed red, and her heart pounded violently.
She finally understood. This was all part of the disguise, a complete change of identity.
’But does he have to go this far?’
’Who could possibly resist this?!’
She immediately pushed him away. "You... you just stand over there and behave!"
Then, as if fleeing, she hurried into the inn, with Xuan Mei following close behind.
"Young Madam, the Young Master..."
"I get it, I get it! Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to cooperate!"
’As long as he doesn’t try to seduce me, everything will be fine.’
Song Lianhe quickly adapted to her new identity: a wealthy widow from Chuzhou whose family was in the spice trade. This time, she had brought her "new favorite" out to travel and enjoy the sights.
"...I think there’s a problem with this setup!"
Song Lianhe voiced her differing opinion while taking some small notes.
"My identity is fine, but for your Young Master to be a Concubine with his looks... isn’t that a bit too conspicuous?!"
Zhou Cangyan was, without a doubt, the most stunning character in the entire book.
So, one could imagine what it was like with him as a Concubine. Just on the way into the inn, he had already attracted countless gazes from both men and women.
’Being this flashy, it’s like you’re afraid the authorities won’t find you!’
The Shadow Guard chuckled. "This is something you might not know, Young Madam."
He said, "The ’Heavenly Kill Slash’ has always appeared in public with a mask. Aside from a few people in Ling’an City, very, very few have actually seen our Young Master’s face. We are simply doing the opposite of what’s expected—the more conspicuous we are, the less likely we are to be suspected."
"Oh~ I get it."
Song Lianhe felt she had been taught a lesson.
In fact, when dealing with suspicious people, any concealment will have its flaws. It was better to shed all pretense and deliberately parade right under their noses. By exploiting their suspicious nature, one was less likely to run into trouble.
The Shadow Guard added, "We will stay in Li Zong City for two days. This is both to rest and to fulfill our duties as merchants."
"Understood. The play must be performed in full!"
The Shadow Guard smiled. "Young Madam is truly intelligent."
Compared to Sui Ning City, Li Zong City was truly bustling. Merchants from all nations entered the country here, and it was a melting pot of people from all walks of life, both respectable and disreputable. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
Song Lianhe sat alone on the first floor of the inn. Xuan Mei and the Shadow Guard were a short distance away, but they were keeping a constant watch on her.
"Heh heh, a lady all alone? Aren’t you a bit lonely!"
A flamboyantly dressed man invited himself to her table, lifting the hem of his robe and sitting down opposite her.
Song Lianhe looked at him in surprise. "Do I know you?"
The man wore a lotus-pink long robe, his face was caked with thick powder and rouge, his lips were painted, and a red flower was stuck jauntily in his hair.
"I am..."
Before the man could even announce his name, he was grabbed by the collar and thrown straight out the inn’s main doors.
Stunned, Song Lianhe raised her head. Backlit by the sun, Zhou Cangyan appeared in her slowly focusing line of sight.
The man’s cold eyes fixed on her as he handed over an oil-paper package.
"This is..."
"For you, Madam. Malt candy."
She looked at the candy, then back at him, and accepted it woodenly. "Th-thank you..."
’I can’t even remember the last time someone bought candy for me.’
Suddenly, her hand was seized.
She looked up, and her heart skipped a beat.
Still exuding an icy aura, the man leaned in close, his lips brushing past her ear. "Why must you say ’thank you’ to me, Madam? Such formality is truly heartbreaking~"
Song Lianhe swallowed hard. She really couldn’t see a trace of heartbreak in him, but her cheeks still betrayed her and flushed red.
"Then I won’t say it anymore... I won’t."
She quickly lowered her head and grabbed her chopsticks. "Let’s eat, let’s eat."
But to her surprise, he pressed her hand down. "Such things are for me to serve you, Madam."
With that, he picked up some food with his chopsticks and personally brought it to her lips.
Song Lianhe froze, unsure how to react.
’Letting Zhou Cangyan serve me food... isn’t that a bit treasonous?’
’I wonder if he’ll settle the score with me later.’
"Open your mouth."
The man was losing his patience. When he lowered his gaze to glance at her, it seemed to carry an innate authority.
Song Lianhe opened her mouth almost instinctively.
Only then did he lift the corner of his lip in a satisfied smirk.
The young woman before him looked like she was fuming but didn’t dare to speak out. She mumbled in a hushed voice, "Prince, you don’t have to go this far, do you?"
Seeing the resistance radiating from her entire body, the man used the pretext of wiping the corner of her lips to say, "Be good. Someone over there is watching."
Song Lianhe was startled. "Where?!"
He gave her a cool glance. "Don’t fidget. You’ll give us away."
That one sentence made her immediately sit still. He chuckled. "Such an obedient Madam~"
Song Lianhe rolled her eyes, then asked doubtfully, "Oh, right, who was that man just now? Did he know me?"
As she spoke, she touched her face. The makeup was so heavy that even her own mother might not recognize her, so she figured her identity couldn’t have been exposed.
At the same time, Zhou Cangyan also looked over at the beauty who, despite the heavy, gaudy makeup, was still captivating enough to steal one’s soul. "Just someone who’s tired of living."
