Unfortunately, she didn't have a preference for fair-skinned young men; she preferred muscular men with eight-pack abs.

She guessed that the original author also had this preference, which is why he made the regent the male lead and the crown prince the cannon fodder male supporting character.

Chen Mianmian withdrew her gaze, feigning ignorance, "Why has the young master come to my place? Why don't you go back to Qingfeng Courtyard to rest?"

"I heard you went to the Peony Garden? Did she give you a hard time?"

“The young mistress comes from a scholarly family, how could she possibly make things difficult for me? The young mistress wants me to be her concubine, and I have agreed.”

The young man was taken aback. "You agree to be my concubine? Didn't you always refuse to be my concubine before, and even said you wanted to be with me for life?"

"Ah, this..." Shen Mianmian was taken aback, then remembered that being a concubine could indeed help her avoid the power struggles that the female lead was about to instigate, but she couldn't explain it to Feng Chu. "This servant... has changed her mind."

The young man sat bolt upright, his porcelain-white, handsome face flushed with anger. "Who gave you permission to become a concubine? Who allowed you to act on your own? Why did you betray me?"

Shen Mianmian was incredibly frustrated—betrayed you? Big brother, I'm already miserable enough being a transmigrator in a book, and now I'm forced into a power struggle within the household? If I don't become a concubine, the female lead will definitely try every means to fight me!

In the novel, you've got your hands on one woman after another, but what about me? Oh wait, I mean, what about the time-traveling woman? I've lost all face and suffered endless misery!

To expect her to be tormented by palace intrigue like the transmigrated woman? Dream on! She wouldn't do that! She just wants to safely leave the book!

The boy grabbed his clothes and put them on, saying, "I don't care what grievances you suffered in the peony garden, I'm going to talk to my mother."

Shen Mianmian was so frightened that she almost screamed and hugged him tightly. "No, please listen to what I have to say, Your Highness! When I said I wanted monogamy before, it was just an angry outburst. Even the princess of the current dynasty wouldn't dare to force her husband not to take concubines, let alone someone of my lowly status?"

What a joke! Fengchu went to the lady for "reasoning," but in the end, she was made to take the blame for everything. Has she gone mad?

No way! That brain-dead Fengchu is out of his mind. He insists on dragging her along as a live target so the female lead can attack her at any time. She has to keep her distance from Fengchu!

The boy stared at her blankly. "You weren't like this before. This... makes me feel like a stranger."

Strange? Chen Mianmian was reminded—in the original book, the reason why the prince and the transmigrated woman drifted apart was precisely because of this "strangeness"!

The reason the prince liked the original owner was because of her various shocking remarks. Otherwise, how could they have fallen for each other?

The time-traveling woman's inappropriate and mindless remarks were interpreted by the brainless young phoenix as a declaration of challenging fate, which made him completely infatuated and deluded!

Later, because of the intervention of the reborn woman, the original owner was defeated by jealousy and greed, and became a vulgar woman who constantly sought favor and money, and was forgotten by the prince.

That's how the prince gradually came to dislike the original owner of the body!

If she used this method to prevent Fengchu from getting so carried away and constantly going to argue with the madam, wouldn't the female lead miss out on an opportunity for a power struggle within the household?

Thinking of this, Chen Mianmian smiled gently, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Your Highness. Actually, that's what I was thinking all along. I'm not a wealthy young lady from an official family with a powerful background. I'm just a lowly concubine. I should be a mistress. I can't even be a proper concubine. How could I ask for monogamy?"

The boy was shocked. "Then why did you say that before?"

"I said that before to attract the young master's attention. If I didn't stand out as a breath of fresh air among these glamorous women, how could I have successfully attracted the young master and been brought back to the Marquis's mansion?"

Watching the boy's expression shift from surprise to anger, from anger to disappointment, and then from disappointment to despair, Chen Mianmian gave herself a perfect score for her words.

But at the same time, Shen Mianmian thought of a key question—if she offended the young master all at once, would she be thrown out of the Marquis's mansion?

What if she leaves the Marquis's mansion and gets away from the main storyline of the novel, and can't travel back in time?

Thinking of this, Chen Mianmian hurriedly added, "Young Master, you have taken my virginity, you must take responsibility for me, you can't just throw me out of the Marquis's mansion!"

The boy stared intently at the woman, his clear eyes dimming, his voice trembling, "Why...why did you suddenly become like this? Why?"

Chen Mianmian continued her act, “Your Highness, this is one of our training courses for 'skinny horses': because high-ranking officials have seen many beautiful women, we must come up with some shocking remarks to attract their attention.”

The boy's voice trembled even more, "Since you know what I want to hear, why don't you continue saying that?"

Shen Mianmian looked completely innocent. "Because the official's patience is limited. Before he gets his body, he loves to listen to whatever a woman says; once he gets his body, he won't have that much patience. So I won't wait until the young master's patience runs out before telling you in advance."

"..."

The boy's skin was already as fair as a woman's, but now it was even paler, as if the bluish veins under his thin skin were showing.

He pursed his lips, then stood up blankly, grabbed his clothes, and left in a daze.

A short while later,

After the prince left, Hanrong finally asked, puzzled, "Miss Chen, why did you say those things?"

Chen Mianmian blinked her bright, watery eyes. "I'm just telling the truth. This is all what our Slim Horse Training Club taught us."

"But...but..." Hanrong ultimately didn't voice her true feelings—are all the "skinny horses" (young, attractive women) really this clumsy? Legend has it that "skinny horses" aren't like this at all!

Chen Mianmian looked at Han Rong and thought to herself—after Han Rong is bribed by the female lead, the first thing she should do is tell the female lead about today's conversation, right?

Let the female lead know that she has no chance of engaging in palace intrigue, so give up!

...

soon,

The news that the young master had stormed out of Mingyue Courtyard and returned to Qingfeng Courtyard reached Jiang Yinjin's ears.

Jiang Yinjin stood by the window, looking towards Mingyue Courtyard. "Why did the young master leave? What exactly happened at Mingyue Courtyard?"

After a moment's thought, he said in a deep voice, "Someone come here."

The maid, Chuxue, stepped forward and said, "Young Madam, this servant is here."

"Go to Mingyue Courtyard and bring Hanrong..." Jiang Yinjin paused, then said, "Never mind, the answer will be clear tomorrow."