The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat-Chapter 92: You Won
The ghastly scars on his legs were still incredibly clear.
Every time he saw them, he would remember the feeling of being injured.
Back then, his legs had been crushed by a massive boulder. He had collapsed into a pool of his own blood, the pain so excruciating it was a fate worse than death. He couldn’t get up, no matter how hard he tried.
Even after narrowly escaping death, he hadn’t felt the slightest bit of relief.
Because he knew he would never be able to stand again.
The rest of his life would be spent wasting away in a wheelchair.
A hero at his end, his future dark.
It would have been better to die and end it all.
But now, from within that deep, desperate darkness, Li Ji saw a flicker of starlight.
It was the starlight of hope.
Li Ji slowly raised his hand.
His palm came to rest on his own leg.
Beneath his palm, he could feel the solid muscle of his leg.
And through his legs, he could feel the warmth radiating from his palm.
The sensation was real.
All of this was real.
He wasn’t dreaming.
After a long moment, Li Ji finally lifted his gaze to the woman kneeling before him.
Her eyes were full of starlight.
The light made him feel as if he were being scorched, and even his heart couldn’t help but grow warm.
He spoke softly.
"You’ve won."
Hua Manman knew he was referring to their earlier wager.
She smiled and said, "Your legs haven’t fully healed yet. Perhaps you should wait a little longer..."
Li Ji cut her off, his tone firm. "No, you’ve won."
Hua Manman’s smile grew even wider. "You really do trust me."
Li Ji replied earnestly.
"I trust you."
Hua Manman grew even more pleased, her smiling eyes curving into crescents.
"According to our agreement, the loser must grant the winner one request."
Li Ji: "What do you want?"
Hua Manman: "I haven’t thought of anything yet. Let me save it for now. I’ll let you know when I need something in the future."
Li Ji agreed.
Hua Manman had originally planned to use this request to get Prince Zhao’s help if she ever ran into trouble in the future.
However, she never expected her trouble to arrive so quickly.
「That night.」
She was sound asleep when she suddenly heard frantic knocking at the door.
Startled awake, Hua Manman quickly sat up.
She looked at the bed and saw that Prince Zhao was also awake.
Hua Manman threw off the covers, got out of bed, grabbed the oil lamp from the bedside, and hurried to the door.
When she pulled the door open, she saw Chen Wangbei standing outside.
Chen Wangbei said urgently, "Lady Hua, something’s happened to your sister!"
Hua Manman’s heart skipped a beat.
’What kind of trouble has Hua Qingqing gotten into in the middle of the night?’
She quickly asked, "What’s wrong with my sister?"
Chen Wangbei spoke rapidly.
"Just now, the Saint sent someone over. He said that after getting drunk, something... happened between him and the eldest daughter of the Zhong’an Bo Mansion."
"Hua Qingqing is very distraught right now. The Saint learned you are her younger sister and wants you to go and help calm her down."
Hua Manman’s eyes widened in astonishment. "The Saint and my sister?"
Chen Wangbei felt this was an inappropriate topic to discuss openly. He looked away from Lady Hua in embarrassment and urged, "Lady Hua, the Saint is waiting. Please, hurry."
’I really have to admire the plot.’ Hua Manman thought.
’The Crown Prince had already taken an interest in Hua Qingqing, yet the plot still managed to course-correct and forcibly link her with the Emperor.’
She said to Chen Wangbei.
"Wait a moment. I need to get dressed."
Hua Manman closed the door and turned back into the room.
As she dressed, she spoke to Prince Zhao, who was sitting up in bed.
"My sister’s in a bit of trouble, so I have to go over. You should go back to sleep. I’ll be back as soon as I’m done."
This was Yuqing Palace, where the Emperor, Empress, and Empress Dowager all resided. With security being extremely tight, Li Ji wasn’t worried she would run into any danger.
But he still said.
"I’ll go with you."
