Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 289: No Man Can Tolerate This

"Zhou Junlin? What about him?"

The man sneered, "Hugging in public. You tell me what’s wrong."

"I did no such thing! Stop falsely accusing me!"

"No? Do you take me for a blind man?"

Song Lianhe was furious. "Even if there was something between us, what does that have to do with you?"

The man stared at her intently, closing in. His lips curved into a strange, unsettling smile. "Fine. Then I’ll show you." He suddenly swept her up by the waist and strode toward the bed.

Song Lianhe’s heart went cold. As she struggled and tried to call for help, she only saw Chun Hua craning its neck to peek in her direction.

"Chun Hua!"

She yelled, "Go find Sister Mei! Have her come save me!!"

Chun Hua seemed hesitant, pacing back and forth anxiously. It would tentatively take a step past the table, only to helplessly pull its foot back, then step out again, and pull back again.

"Chun Hua?!"

Song Lianhe was incredulous. ’Is it actually struggling with the decision?’

’Is that really necessary? You’re a bird, isn’t your inner drama a little too rich?!’

WHOOSH—

A dart flew straight toward Chun Hua!

"CHIRP—"

Chun Hua flapped its wings, hastily dodging the dart.

"Get lost."

The man didn’t even turn his head.

This time, Chun Hua didn’t hesitate for a second, flapping its wings and flying away.

’You damn traitor!!’

The sash at her waist suddenly came loose.

Song Lianhe’s eyes flew wide open, her mind buzzing as if it had exploded.

A sudden panic seized her. In that instant, she felt lost and helpless, and the image of one person filled her mind.

"No... you can’t..."

Her voice trembled.

The man looked down at her. "It’s not like it’s the first time."

Song Lianhe’s body stiffened. She came from modern society and didn’t view her virginity as everything. Besides, in desperate times, one had to be pragmatic. She was clear on which was more important: her life or her chastity.

However, hearing those words from this man’s mouth, they dripped with sarcasm.

Song Lianhe suddenly felt indignant. ’So what? Didn’t I just sleep with him out of desperation?’

’What right does he have to humiliate me over it?’

’If anyone’s to blame, it’s him for dressing so austerely and attractively! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have given in! In the end, he’s the one who should be drowned in a pig cage!’

"So what if it’s not my first time? Don’t you have any clue what the circumstances were that first time? We’re two of a kind, so who are you to judge? If you think this is enough to make me die of shame, you’re dead wrong! By your male logic, the one who slept with you was me. The one who took liberties with you was me. The one who lost their innocence was you! Compared to me, you’re the one who should be scorned by the world!"

The man’s expression shifted imperceptibly. It wasn’t anger, but rather a hint of amusement.

He had only ever heard such a strange line of reasoning from her.

The man pinched her chin, drawing closer and closer. His voice was husky. "Since you’ve already ruined my innocence once, why not ruin it a few more times?"

He lowered his head to kiss her.

Song Lianhe, with a strength she didn’t know she had, shoved the man away. "Don’t touch me!"

The disgust in her voice made the man’s gaze turn grim in an instant.

Perhaps because her reaction was so fierce, the man didn’t want to hurt her, so he went with the momentum and stepped back, tilting his head to watch her coldly.

Song Lianhe clutched the front of her robes tightly, her eyes practically shooting fire at him.

He scoffed. "Heh. What, is only Zhou Junlin allowed?"

"Shut up!"

She enunciated each word furiously, "You listen to me clearly. I am married to King Qing, which makes me his Princess Consort. Besides my husband, none of you are allowed! Not you, and especially not Zhou Junlin!"

’I’m a married woman now. Whether it’s this man or Zhou Junlin, what do they take me for?’

The man opposite her was suddenly taken aback.

Song Lianhe was so angry her eyes were red.

’Seriously, if I thought I could beat him, I would’ve already attacked!’

The man lowered his gaze and let out a choked laugh.

After a moment, he asked playfully, "Then does he know that you are no longer a virgin? What if he minds? You might as well be with me. I certainly wouldn’t mind."

Without a second thought, Song Lianhe blurted out, "That’s a matter between my husband and me. It has nothing to do with you."

"A matter... between husband and wife..."

He murmured the words, and beneath his mask, his lips slowly curved upward.

Song Lianhe stared at him, her clear eyes narrowing in suspicion.

’What’s so funny?’

The man’s smile vanished. He lifted his gaze, his dark eyes like vast abysses that no one dared to look into directly.

"In that case, stay away from Zhou Junlin."

He gave her one last look, then turned, pushed open the window, and leaped out.

’He’s... gone? Just like that?’

’He left so easily?’

Song Lianhe slumped weakly against the wall, then slowly supported herself as she moved to the window to look down.

The man was long gone.

She patted her chest, the fear hitting her after the fact. ’It seems Zhou Cangyan’s name is quite effective after all. He probably won’t come looking for trouble with me anymore.’

"Chirp?"

Chun Hua flew down to the windowsill, craning its neck to look at her.

The sight of it made Song Lianhe’s anger flare up. She grabbed its wing and lifted it. "Traitor! You dare show your face again?!"

"CHIRP! CHIRP! CHIRP!"

Chun Hua struggled desperately.

"Don’t you try to explain! An explanation is a cover-up, a cover-up implies guilt, and guilt means you did it!"

Chun Hua was still fluttering. "Chirp, chirp, chirp..."

’Ah! This is a terrible injustice!’

"I thought you were different from other birds, but I never expected this! There’s no such thing as the worst scum, only scummier scum! You abandoned me at the critical moment. Does this do justice to all the eavesdropping we’ve done together?!"

Song Lianhe narrowed her eyes and gave a sinister chuckle. Then, in a swift motion, she plucked out all the new feathers that had just started to sprout on its head.

"CHIRP—"

Chun Hua’s cry was filled with bitterness and despair.

Soon, there was a knock at the door—a banging so loud it sounded like the door panel was about to fall off.

The ones who entered were E Jintang and Jiu’er.

"Granny! Did someone bully you?" E Jintang’s voice was rough as he stood there holding his thousand-pound hammer, looking ready for a fight to the death.

Song Lianhe felt a wave of relief. ’Looks like doting on this grandnephew wasn’t a waste after all.’

Jiu’er was behind him, peeking quietly around the room after entering.

"Where is he? Where’d he go?"

E Jintang spun around but didn’t see anyone.

Song Lianhe said helplessly, "He ran off."

E Jintang bellowed in anger, "What a bastard! How dare he stir up trouble in the E Mansion! If I get my hands on him, I’ll make him pay!"

Jiu’er asked in a low voice, "Why would this person come looking for the Princess Consort?"

E Jintang froze and immediately looked at Song Lianhe.

’Right, why?’

"...He-he admires me!" she said peevishly.

"Admires... Princess Qing? And he even dared to force his way in?" Jiu’er clicked her tongue in amazement. "He certainly has some nerve."

"He sure does." Song Lianhe glanced toward the window and said hatefully, "He’s just a lecher."

「Downstairs in the pavilion.」

The Shadow Guard looked at his master in confusion. ’When he went up, he was furious. I didn’t even see a shadow before he whisked the Princess Consort away with a WHOOSH! Now he’s back in the blink of an eye, and he can’t keep the smile off his face. Did the Princess Consort feed him some kind of love potion?!’

Zhou Cangyan rested one hand casually on the edge of the table. His eyes, altered by a disguise, held a lazy pleasure as they glanced in the direction of Zhou Junlin’s courtyard.

His fingertips tapped against the stone table. His posture seemed relaxed and nonchalant, but he was like a wolf lying in wait, faintly exuding a dark and dangerous aura.

"What should one do if a member of the younger generation is disobedient?"

"Uh?"

The Shadow Guard belatedly realized what he was being asked. "They should be reprimanded."

"And if they disturb their elders and harbor inappropriate thoughts?"

The Shadow Guard understood.

’Forget about elders and juniors, the other party is about to cuckold you! No man could tolerate that!’

Zhou Cangyan’s light gaze swept over him. The Shadow Guard was startled, but before he could reproach himself for overstepping, his master smiled.

"Then I won’t tolerate it."