Chapter 9 Does it hurt? It's her.

The next day, Yu Wenxue got up very early for the first time ever and went to the pharmacy to buy a packet of sleeping pills.

They drugged Gu Rongting and had Lin Qingwan perform CPR on him.

She even made up the background story: Legend has it that in a faraway land lived a prince on a white horse, and many beautiful girls were in love with him, which made him the target of the hatred of bad people.

Prince Charming has been cursed by a villain and turned into a frog spirit. He needs a kiss from someone who truly loves him to break the curse.

Yilin Qingwan's pure and kind nature will surely move her to tears, and in that case, her mission will be accomplished.

Most importantly, Lin Qingwan must not have read Grimm's Fairy Tales.

Knowing that today is Madam Lin's sixtieth birthday, Yu Wenxue specially dressed up.

She wore a light purple butterfly-patterned narrow-sleeved ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) paired with a pair of white carnelian earrings, exuding elegance and sophistication.

Before they knew it, the carriage had arrived at the Lin residence.

Lord Lin had an excellent reputation in the city and had made many friends among the dignitaries. Guests came to his mansion for banquets in an endless stream.

Although the Lin family mansion was smaller than the Marquis's mansion, its design and layout were more exquisite. Yu Wenxue followed Lin Qingwan's maid to a small courtyard, and the maid left after seeing her there.

With about half an hour to go before the music started, she pretended to take a walk in the courtyard to get some fresh air and observe how to proceed.

Not far away is a small lake, surrounded by flowers, which looks like a fairyland from a distance.

Butterflies fluttered among the flowers, and amidst the birdsong, a faint argument could be heard from across the lake.

Because of the distance, Yu Wenxue couldn't hear clearly what they were arguing about, but she could vaguely recognize the figures of the two people arguing.

Why is Gu Yun Shen here, and why is he arguing with Gu Rong Ting?

She glanced at it for a moment, then was pulled back to her senses by the voice of the maid calling her from behind.

The system did not issue any crisis warning, so it seems there should be no major issues.

The moment I turned around, the person opposite me was also looking this way.

Gu Rongting pointed at Yu Wenxue's back and said, "Xunhan, your cousin is a very innocent person. You can't let her down."

Gu Yun Shen laughed instead of getting angry: "I let her down?"

“You’ve seen too few women, so it’s easy to be misled and overlook your cousin who has always been silently watching over you.” Gu Rongting said with a pained expression, “You don’t need to hide it from me. If she didn’t like you, why would she secretly follow you to Cangwu Mountain?”

"And..." Gu Rongting lowered his voice, "I saw it all, you clearly came out of her room last night!"

Gu Yunshen twitched the corners of his mouth, unsure of what to say.

“Although the Yu family is of humble origin, what do we have to fear from gossip if we truly love each other? You should at least give her a proper status, shouldn’t you?” Gu Rongting said, reaching out to put his hand on Gu Yunshen’s shoulder again.

Gu Yunshen stopped his hand from reaching out: "I think you must be getting senile."

"What do you mean senile! That's just because he's had more experience than you!" Gu Rongting said indignantly. "Also, I won't stop you from working for the Crown Prince, but you've just started your post at the Imperial Guard. The relationships in the capital are very complex, and you don't know much about many things. If you offend Prince Pingkang, he might retaliate against you."

"Really? I'm quite curious how he'll retaliate against me." Gu Yun Shen lowered his eyes and tapped his wrist intentionally or unintentionally.

Gu Rongting: "In recent years, His Majesty has been obsessed with cultivating elixirs and has neglected state affairs. All trivial matters have been handled by the Crown Prince and the Prince of the County. Their power is evenly matched, and the court is divided into two factions. I do not want you to get involved."

Gu Yun Shen didn't answer, but a playful smile appeared at the corner of his eye as he asked him the same question he had asked earlier: "If you didn't know, you would think she was your younger sister."

"If you care about her, you should find a doctor to take a good look at her health."

"What?" Gu Rongting was stunned by this abrupt statement. By the time he realized what was happening, Gu Yunshen had already walked away.

*

Since it was a birthday celebration, it couldn't be made to sound bitter and resentful, so Yu Wenxue specially prepared a cheerful tune.

After the song ended, many people in the audience cheered and applauded for her, asking each other whose daughter she was.

[System: Danger! The male lead's life is in imminent danger, and an important female supporting character is about to appear. Please prepare yourself, host.]

Yu Wenxue stood up abruptly.

Where did this important female supporting character come from?

What does "on the verge of collapse" mean?

She hasn't administered the drug yet...

Perhaps I got up too quickly, because my head was spinning.

Could it be Gu Yun Shen?

No, this shouldn't be the case.

If it really is him, the system will issue a notification.

Despite her discomfort, Yu Wenxue went outside and bumped into Lin Qingwan, whose eyes were bloodshot.

Gu Rongting lay on the grass by the lake, his eyes closed and his lips bloodless.

A young woman was sitting in front of him, pressing hard on his chest.

Yu Wenxue understood.

As is customary, the next step in CPR is...

All eyes turned to her.

The feeling of being top-heavy and lightheaded grew stronger. She pulled Lin Qingwan to Gu Rongting's side and said, "In my hometown, there's a custom that if a guest falls into the water at the host's house, it's best if the host rescues them, and their name should contain the character for water, otherwise it's considered unlucky."

Everyone stared in disbelief, then turned their attention to Lin Qingwan.

"Me?" Lin Qingwan pointed to herself, tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes, completely bewildered by these words.

Yu Wenxue glanced at the helpless girl beside her and thought to herself, "This is probably Jiang Lian'er, the female supporting character in the original book who was saved by Gu Rongting and then pestered him to repay her with her body."

Gu Rongting was soft-hearted and kept her by his side as a maid.

Although she was called a maid, she lived like a mistress and caused Lin Qingwan no small amount of trouble.

Jiang Lian'er was even more troublesome than those distant cousins. Even after the two got married, she kept finding opportunities to pester Gu Rongting, especially enjoying serving him tea and water late at night, which angered Lin Qingwan so much that she ran away from home while pregnant.

Now that things have come to this, the best solution is to sever her connection with Gu Rongting at the root.

"It's very simple, just do as I say." Yu Wenxue instructed Lin Qingwan on her movements, but her eyes kept glancing at Jiang Lian'er.

Jiang Lian'er feigned weakness, pretending to cover her face and cry.

She seemed to be clutching something in her hand, and then quietly slipped away.

Although Lin Qingwan was frightened, she was intelligent enough to quickly understand Yu Wenxue's meaning, and her gaze towards her became more grateful.

The guests who were watching the commotion naturally looked away and pretended to look up at the sky.

"Cough cough cough."

Soon, Gu Rongting choked on a mouthful of lake water.

[System: Congratulations, host, hidden mission complete! HE progress 20/100]

[You have received the mission reward, which can unlock any hidden storyline.]

With her mind filled with thoughts of Jiang Lian'er, Yu Wenxue bid a brief farewell and followed her toward a secluded path.

Jiang Lian'er was small, but her physical strength was exceptionally good. Like a slippery eel, she disappeared in no time.

The road ahead was getting narrower and narrower. Feeling tired, Yu Wenxue leaned against the wall and caught her breath.

The road looked abandoned for many years, the stone bricks covered with damp moss, and it was deserted, without even a maid or servant to give directions.

A faint smell of blood wafted over, and she rubbed her aching temples.

Just then, the dilapidated door opened from the inside.

In the winding alley, several guards escorted a familiar figure toward the wooden house. Some of them carried knives, others swords, and their mouths were filled with foul language.

The boy looked disheveled, his clothes were rumpled, and sweat streamed down his forehead to his chin.

How could it be him?

Yu Wenxue was stunned and instinctively ran back.

As she ran, those gloomy eyes resurfaced in her mind, and she couldn't shake them off.

Gu Yun Shen's hands looked like they had been stepped on, covered with footprints, dust and bloodstains, as he knelt on the ground in humiliation.

His left ear was covered in blood, blurring half of his face.

He tried to get up, but his shoulders and back were being pressed down hard, and he couldn't move.

Even in such a disheveled state, his back remained straight, and he even wore a faint smile on his face, as if he felt no pain...

"Is he out of his mind? He's been beaten like this and he's still laughing?" A burly man with a thick beard slapped Gu Yun Shen's face with the back of his knife: "With skills like that, I could kill him with a single pinch."

"His skill level is irrelevant; what matters is that he works for the Crown Prince, and that makes him deserve to die..."

"The prince tried to recruit them several times, but they wouldn't even give him face and instead went to the Eastern Palace. I really don't know whether to call him smart or stupid."

"His Highness instructed that we should use a branding iron first, then salt water. I'll go and start making charcoal now."

The group of people, one after another, casually described a person's life and death.

Yu Wenxue gritted her teeth and came back.

There are many hidden plot points in the original book that she doesn't know or understand.

Perhaps this is only part of the story; there are many more things that are even worse.

She dared not think any further, her attention fixed on Gu Yun Shen's wrist, the white cloth strip stained red with blood. She remembered that there seemed to be an old wound there.

"System, I want to know about Gu Yunshen's past."

[System: You have successfully unlocked the villain's past! Note: You must hold the other person's hand tightly when using this...]

Yu Wenxue didn't hear what was said after that, her attention was entirely focused on the other burly man pressing down on Gu Yunshen.

The burly man twirled a dagger in his hand: "I must say, this kid's face is quite handsome. Wouldn't it be interesting if he got slashed?"

With that, the sharp blade sliced ​​down his neck, leaving a bloody mark on his pale skin.

His hair was loose and disheveled, and his once clean robes were now filthy and tattered. A large area of ​​red caught the eye, obscuring his bloodless face and his gloomy eyes.

Yu Wenxue paused in her steps.

Going there now would be tantamount to suicide.

Then, as if they had discovered something interesting, they made another cut on his arm.

Prince Pingkang slowly walked out of the house, and clicked his tongue: "I warned you long ago not to oppose me."

Behind him stood a young man who bowed and scraped, with a fawning smile.

"How does it feel to be betrayed by your own family? Hahahaha..." Prince Pingkang lifted his robe and sat down in a chair, asking, "Where are the account books?"

Gu Yun Shen met his gaze but did not speak.

Prince Pingkang continued, "You both have the surname Gu, and the second young master comes from the eldest branch, so how come he's not as clever as your cousin?"

Standing to the side, Gu Huaisheng grinned and said, "He might not even be surnamed Gu. He could be some random man's son."

These words greatly pleased Prince Pingkang, who laughed so hard his eyes narrowed into slits, and his fat jiggled constantly.

Gu Yun Shen remained silent, his head slightly lowered, making it impossible to discern his expression. The deeper the pain, the wider the curve of his lips, his curled fingers reaching for his sleeve.

The time has come.

Right now.

Before the poison needle was even released, a lotus-colored figure appeared in the blurry peripheral vision.

Yu Wenxue, her face veiled, covered her mouth and nose with one hand and scattered a lot of sleeping pills she had bought that morning into the air with the other. With her hands on her hips, she said, "It's so noisy, everyone shut up!"

"Who are you?"

The Prince of Pingkang clearly hadn't expected anyone to barge in like this. He immediately kicked one of his men in frustration, pointing his large finger at her and yelling, "Where did this brat come from? Get her back here..."

Before he could finish speaking, the group collapsed to the ground.

"I am your great-aunt!"

Yu Wenxue couldn't help but sigh, the expensive sleeping pills were indeed effective.

Thinking of the brutality they had committed, he kicked those men several more times in anger. After venting his anger, even his head didn't hurt as much anymore.

She pulled Gu Yun Shen up from the ground. The boy's face was covered in blood, but his dark eyes, which were unfathomable, looked exceptionally clean against his disheveled body.

The moment their eyes met, a fleeting look of surprise crossed Gu Yun Shen's eyes.

It really was her.

He staggered to his feet, his right hand silently tightening the poisoned needle hidden in his sleeve.

She always seems to be kind to everyone.

He always chose to kill those he couldn't understand, but now he had broken this rule repeatedly, even refraining from killing her over the erotic paintings...

He was very curious about what she wanted to do.

Gu Yun Shen raised his hand slightly; with a little force, he could crush her fragile neck.

She saw it...

A twisted sense of pleasure spread unchecked, and a voice deep within screamed incessantly.

Kill her.

Kill her...

Yu Wenxue didn't notice his little movements. Her mouth was covered by a handkerchief, and her speech was unclear. She saw his injured hands hanging in mid-air and her eyes were full of anxiety.

Gu Yun Shen lowered his hand and looked at her quietly.

He understood.

She asked, "Does it hurt?"

Does it hurt...?

Gu Yun Shen curled his eyelashes, blood trickling from the corner of his dry mouth: "You're going the wrong way, go to the right."

Yu Wenxue gave him a thumbs up, then grabbed his hand tightly and walked around the group of people.

The two ran a long way before reaching the clinic.

Yu Wenxue was overjoyed and was about to turn around and call him when she suddenly fainted on the ground.

[System: Congratulations, host, you have successfully unlocked hidden storyline one. You are being transported there.]

A note from the author:

Friendly reminder: Xiao Gu's thought process is a bit off; he frequently teeters on the edge of turning evil [doge emoji with rose in hand]. If you think he's sick, then he really is.