Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 359: What Exactly Do You Take Me For?
Yin Huan crept forward and pressed her ear to the door. After a moment’s thought, she suddenly lifted the latch.
The door swung open without warning.
The person outside stumbled in, catching their balance after a few steps. When they looked up, they saw Song Lianhe.
"Sister!"
Ah Jun came staggering toward her, lugging a bundle nearly as tall as he was.
"Ah Jun?"
Song Lianhe was taken aback. "How did you get here? I mean, how did you know I was here? And what’s with this bundle? Did you carry it all by yourself?"
Ah Jun wiped the sweat from his forehead, his heart finally calming a little now that he saw her. He said plaintively, "Sister, how could you leave without taking me with you?"
"It’s not that I didn’t want to bring you, it’s just that it all happened so suddenly..." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺
Not wanting to make things difficult for her, Ah Jun said, "Sister, I’m not blaming you. I was just worried about you."
He dragged the bundle over as he spoke. "You left in such a hurry and didn’t take anything. Look, I brought lots of things for you!"
Song Lianhe peeked inside and froze.
It was packed with her clothes, jewelry, and cosmetics, along with bedding, food, snacks, and some medicinal herbs. In a corner, a pouch was stuffed so full of silver it was practically bursting—it had to contain at least a dozen silver ingots.
She looked at Ah Jun. "Did you prepare all this by yourself?"
Ah Jun shook his head, pointing to the change of clothes. "Sister Da Xi told me to bring these. And the herbs and snacks were prepared by the steward... Oh, and Brother Ying pressed this bag of silver into my hands."
Looking at all the items, Song Lianhe’s heart warmed. ’Since I transmigrated into this book, I haven’t spent much time with the people of the Prince Qing Mansion, yet they’ve still treated me with such sincerity.’ Their kindness alone was enough to move her deeply.
’But as for *him*...’
’I can never seem to warm his heart.’
Seeing her spacing out, Ah Jun went and tugged on her arm. "Sister, let’s go inside. I’m tired."
"Alright, I’ll take you inside." His interruption made Song Lianhe forget something. It was only when a few quick-witted young attendants came forward to carry the bundle away that she remembered.
’I forgot to ask how he managed to carry all of that by himself.’
The main gate had been closed, but Yin Huan was still standing there, unmoving.
Song Lianhe looked back at her. "Yin Huan?"
Yin Huan tilted her head toward the door. "There are still people outside."
Song Lianhe’s expression tensed. ’Who is it now?’
Ah Jun, seeming not to want her to bother with it, said quickly, "I saw some curious onlookers when I arrived. It’s probably them."
After a moment’s thought, Song Lianhe decided to go to the door herself.
Yin Huan gripped her curved knife and gave her a slight nod.
Song Lianhe’s eyes narrowed. She yanked the door open—
Outside stood a line of guards in silver armor, their backs facing the gate.
Song Lianhe froze. These were Zhou Cangyan’s personal guards, the Chi Xiao.
He rarely mobilized these personal guards within Ling’an City. Emperor Cheng Xiao was well aware of the Chi Xiao’s existence but chose not to interfere, partly because he didn’t want to push Zhou Cangyan into a corner. After all, what prince didn’t have a few squads of bodyguards? Take Zhou Junlin’s Golden Feather Guards, for instance. As long as they behaved, Emperor Cheng Xiao would turn a blind eye.
But from Zhou Cangyan’s perspective, if he didn’t want to arouse the Emperor’s suspicion, he had to keep a low profile.
’But for him to mobilize so many of the Chi Xiao today... it must be to capture Zhang Yu.’
Just as Song Lianhe’s thoughts were running wild, the sound of approaching hoofbeats echoed—CLOP, CLOP, CLOP.
She looked up to see a single rider on a tall, powerful horse. It was Zhou Cangyan, holding the reins as he slowly rode toward her.
Zhou Cangyan gazed down at her coldly, his face as expressionless as a god of death.
As he drew near, Song Lianhe’s heart clenched, but she never averted her resentful gaze.
When he reached her, the pressure emanating from him was palpable, intensely aggressive.
"Where is he?" he demanded.
Song Lianhe clenched her fists, lifting her chin defiantly. "Gone."
Zhou Cangyan slowly narrowed his eyes. He swung himself off his horse and strode toward her, the very air around him growing cold, as if they had been plunged into the dead of winter.
"G...one?"
His voice dropped low, and a murderous cruelty seemed to emanate from his very bones, coiling around her slender neck like a venomous snake and choking the air from her lungs.
"King Qing is a man of great power. You can order your men to investigate."
Seeing the two of them at daggers drawn, Yin Huan hesitated before forcing herself to speak up. "Zhang Yu did escape. It’s all my..."
"There’s no use blaming anyone! He’s gone, and that’s final!" Song Lianhe cut her off, not wanting to drag anyone else into it. ’If Zhou Cangyan needs to hold someone accountable, it can be me.’
Yin Huan looked at her, bit her lip, and said no more.
Zhou Cangyan’s face was like ice. ’Suddenly,’ she thought, ’I feel as if I’ve committed some unforgivable crime.’
She lowered her gaze and gave a self-mocking laugh. "If Prince Qing wishes to take out his anger on behalf of Princess Consort Ling, then look no further. I’ll take whatever you’ve got!"
An inexplicable anger flared in Zhou Cangyan. He stared at her coldly. Just when she was certain he was about to do something, he said nothing.
Instead, he ordered to the men behind him, "Escort the Princess Consort back to the mansion."
Song Lianhe was startled, then immediately refused. "I’m not going back!"
"Nonsense!"
Zhou Cangyan spun back to face her, his eyes locked on hers. "The wedding is tomorrow! By staying out here alone, are you trying to disgrace the entire Prince Qing Mansion?"
Behind him, the Shadow Guard wore a complicated expression.
’He clearly came here specifically to bring the Princess Consort home, but he has to make it sound like he’s being forced into it against his will! If I were the Princess Consort, I wouldn’t go back either, not in a million years!’
Sure enough, Song Lianhe bit her lip, took a step forward, and said, enunciating every word, "Then it’s better if we don’t get married at all!"
The air seemed to freeze in that instant. A terrible silence spread between them, like a deep ocean undercurrent, threatening to sweep away their raw emotions.
Zhou Cangyan’s features iced over, a biting chill clinging to the line of his lips as he stared at her menacingly.
"Say that again."
"I said, I am not getting married! Not now, not ever!"
’I wouldn’t mind saying it again. In fact, I could say it a few more times!’
’Since he doesn’t have me in his heart, I won’t force it. He can go live happily ever after with his female lead!’
The Shadow Guard was too scared to even breathe. Yin Huan’s legs had clearly gone weak, and she looked at Song Lianhe with pleading eyes.
’No, my lady, you have to at least resolve this issue with Zhang Yu first! If King Qing decides to hold someone accountable, E Jintang and I will both be implicated!’
Zhou Cangyan stared at her, then suddenly lowered his eyes and laughed.
Song Lianhe couldn’t help but feel a flicker of fear.
She took an involuntary step back. ’The Zhou Cangyan from before wouldn’t have dreamed of laying a finger on me, but I have no such confidence in this one.’
The laughter stopped abruptly.
The man took a step forward. Song Lianhe subconsciously took a step back.
"You were the one who said you’d marry me in Sui Ning City. You were the one who accepted the Holy Emperor’s decree. You were the one who said you were deeply in love with me, and now you’re the one saying you won’t get married! Song Lianhe, what in the world do you take me for?!"
BANG—
The man slammed his fist into the door right behind her.
Song Lianhe felt a gust of wind brush past her cheek, and she squeezed her eyes shut in terror.
