Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 355: As Expected, It’s Still Impossible
Song Lianhe kept her eyes lowered, perfectly composed.
Zhou Cangyan’s eyes narrowed dangerously. "I ordered you to bring the man. Why are you looking at her!"
The Shadow Guard faltered, "I..."
An ominous premonition grew in Song Xilan as she took in the scene.
"Alright, stop giving him a hard time. I’ve already taken the man away."
Song Lianhe lifted her gaze, her clear, bright eyes fixed on him. "I was the one who found him, and I almost died at his hands. I just want to vent a little. That’s not too much to ask, is it?"
Zhou Cangyan’s expression suddenly turned frigid. A storm brewed in the depths of his eyes, and a heavy, oppressive aura emanated from him.
Song Xilan could no longer hold back and snapped at her, "Song Lianhe, what is the meaning of this? You know exactly why I’m here, yet you deliberately took him away!"
Song Lianhe didn’t even spare her a glance. She kept her chin up, facing Zhou Cangyan, her expression clearly saying, ’I took the man. Do what you want about it; I don’t care.’
The Shadow Guard behind them broke out in a cold sweat. ’No one has ever dared to defy the Master like this!’
Housekeeper Pang also looked at Song Lianhe worriedly. He wanted to speak up for her but knew it would be futile, as she had crossed the Prince’s line.
Hearing this, Nanny Tian grew anxious. "Princess Qing, are you trying to drive my mistress to her death?"
Kong Qing was even more indignant. "You’re dragging our Princess Consort down with you so she can’t even face the world! They say healers should have a benevolent heart, but how can you be so cruel and heartless!"
Song Lianhe couldn’t care less what anyone else said. Her eyes remained fixed on Zhou Cangyan.
It was as if she had placed a massive wager, stubbornly demanding a resolution from Zhou Cangyan.
Song Lianhe didn’t much care for the likes of Zhang Yu, but letting Song Xilan take him away, looking so pristine and triumphant—that was out of the question!
Zhou Cangyan narrowed his eyes and took two steps forward, his gaze cold enough to make one tremble.
But Song Lianhe was fearless, craning her neck to glare right back at him.
’She’d give him her life before she gave him Zhang Yu!’
This time, it wasn’t just Housekeeper Pang; even the Shadow Guards couldn’t resist retorting.
"Listen to you! Did our Princess Consort tell your mistress to go out and have an affair?"
Housekeeper Pang added angrily, "Shouldn’t you be mending your own disastrous mess at home? How dare you have the gall to come to someone else’s mansion and raise a ruckus? Then again, for people capable of such a scandal, this behavior isn’t surprising at all!"
Xuan Mei: "...Hmph!"
"You..."
Nanny Tian had no time to squabble with them. She quickly went to Song Xilan’s side and whispered, "My lady! We can’t let him get away!"
Song Xilan was both furious and frantic. But the man had been taken from within the Prince Qing Mansion; her only option was to beg Zhou Cangyan to find him.
She rushed to Zhou Cangyan’s side and said urgently, "Your Highness, I beg you to order your men to capture him and bring him back!"
’If Zhang Yu gets out, who knows what he might say!’
’Her mother’s reputation was lost, but she, the Princess Consort Ling, still had her own honor to protect!’
Zhou Cangyan lowered his gaze, his lips parting slightly...
"Don’t you dare go!"
Song Lianhe’s voice suddenly boomed with authority as she glared at him. "Zhou Cangyan, if you go, I’ll never speak to you again! And I mean what I say!"
Perhaps it was the sheer determination in her eyes that startled Zhou Cangyan, but he only gave her a cool glance. A cold sneer played on his lips as he enunciated each word, "What I hate most is being threatened!"
Seeing this turn of events, Nanny Tian and Kong Qing were ecstatic. They shot Song Lianhe looks filled with triumph and disdain, as if they had just reclaimed every ounce of dignity they had lost moments before.
Song Lianhe froze for a moment, and the light in her eyes as she stared at him began to change.
A watery sheen veiled the light in her gaze. She lowered her eyes and chuckled humorlessly.
’So this is how it is...’
A storm raged beneath the surface of Zhou Cangyan’s eyes, the corners of which were crinkled with detached coldness.
Though his expression and gaze were cold, his attention was fixed entirely on her from start to finish, as if he had raised impenetrable walls to shut out the entire mortal world.
Song Xilan glanced between the two. She wanted to urge him to go find the man, but she was intimidated by the desolate and absolute aura surrounding them.
Nanny Tian stomped her foot in anxiety. "My lady!"
Song Xilan suppressed her unease and murmured in a small, sweet voice, "Your Highness~"
That one sound instantly shattered the barriers around them.
Zhou Cangyan’s gaze dropped. "Shadows! Find him!"
The Shadow Guard braced himself and answered, "Yes!"
Song Lianhe slowly closed her eyes.
’As I thought... It’s no use.’
A self-mocking smile touched her lips. ’How ridiculous. What made me think I could change his decision? Where did I even get the confidence to test him?’
She suddenly turned around.
"Xuan Mei."
Zhou Cangyan’s cold voice sounded from behind her.
"Escort the Princess Consort back to her room. Don’t let her take a single step outside!"
Xuan Mei: "...Yes."
With her back to him, Song Lianhe’s hands tightened into fists.
Zhou Cangyan stared at her back, expecting her to throw another unreasonable tantrum like before. Instead, she straightened her spine and walked decisively out of his line of sight.
Zhou Cangyan frowned.
An unidentifiable flame of anger flared high in his chest.
"Your Highness..."
Song Xilan quietly approached him, her voice choked with unshed tears. "Your Highness, you promised me. You can’t go back on your word."
Zhou Cangyan clenched his jaw, struggling to suppress the blaze of anger. He slowly closed his cold eyes, and only then was the frantic emotion within them somewhat contained.
"I will naturally do as I have promised."
Song Xilan fought back tears and forced a smile. "I knew it. I knew that no matter what, you would never abandon me..."
"Prince!"
Manager Pang’s face was ashen; he simply couldn’t watch any longer. Clasping his hands in a bow, he said, "The Princess Consort was badly frightened, and Young Master Huai prescribed some medicine for her. This old servant will go to the kitchen to see if the decoction is ready."
Zhou Cangyan’s brow twitched uncontrollably.
’She was badly frightened...’
The image of what he had seen as he galloped over on his horse flashed through his mind.
She was hanging outside the window, her face deathly pale, biting her lip so hard it could have bled, looking helpless and desperate...
"Your Highness?"
Song Xilan tilted her head to look at him, her expression pure and innocent. Her eyes, gentle as water, were fixed on him, as if she were gazing at the man imprinted on the depths of her heart.
It was a gaze that held both a young girl’s shyness and the faint, budding allure of a mature woman.
But this time, it failed to stir the slightest ripple in his heart...
When his gaze fell upon her, she saw her own reflection in his light brown eyes, and her heart couldn’t help but flutter.
"Prince!!"
Just then, Manager Pang came rushing back.
The gaze that had been fixed on her instantly shifted away.
Seething with hatred, Song Xilan turned her head to glare at Manager Pang. ’These people in the Prince Mansion are always ruining my plans! They’re doing it on purpose!’
Manager Pang strode over. "Prince, the Princess Consort has disappeared!" 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
The look in Zhou Cangyan’s eyes turned instantly frigid, so cold it seemed it could freeze the air, chilling one to the bone.
"Disappeared?!"
"Xuan Mei was knocked unconscious. When this old servant went over, the Princess Consort was nowhere to be found." Manager Pang said urgently, "The wedding is tomorrow! What are we to do? Prince..."
Zhou Cangyan instantly gathered his energy, vaulted out of the courtyard, and disappeared using his Qinggong.
At the same time, he let out a sharp whistle, and a high-pitched cry answered from the sky, seeming to pierce the very heavens—
"Your Highness..."
Song Xilan stood frozen in place, staring blankly as his figure vanished.
He hadn’t even glanced back at her.
