Holding the boy tightly, Chen Mianmian tried to struggle a few times, but to no avail. She could only resign herself to being held, and her mind began to wander.
Believe it or not, she actually thought of it!
It was a night when she hadn't changed her strategy and still wanted to distance herself from Fengchu. When Fengchu found out, he got angry and went to sleep with the female lead in the Peony Courtyard, which scared her so much that she screamed. That night, she even had a dream in which the Regent tied her and Fengchu together, and the two of them fell into lava and turned into soap.
Good heavens! She didn't let Fengchu sleep with the female lead back then to save her own life, but she was misunderstood.
Oh well, let it be a misunderstanding. I don't know how to explain it anyway.
The boy held the woman tightly, his muffled voice coming from her collar, "Mianmian, I think... I'm starting to like you..."
"???" Shen Mianmian was confused. "No, the young master didn't like me before?"
Bai Qingzhou was a little embarrassed, "...I like it too."
Chenmianmian—okay, she understands, she doesn't like it.
But... how strange! In the original story, the prince really liked the time-traveling woman, so how come in her case, he only just started liking her? Is she less charming than the time-traveling woman? Is it really like in novels, where men only like dramatic women?
Suddenly, she remembered a question she had been pondering – why was the prince, who liked the time-traveling woman, able to be manipulated by the female lead?
Looking back now, the novel seems to go something like this: The female lead stirs things up → The transmigrated woman gets angry and starts making a scene → The prince can't stand it anymore → The female lead takes advantage of the situation to introduce other women → The prince sleeps with the women → The transmigrated woman, seeing the situation is getting out of hand, tries to appease the prince → The prince is appeased and comes back → The female lead stirs things up again → The transmigrated woman gets angry again and starts making a scene → The prince can't stand it anymore → The prince encounters a courtesan who looks similar to the transmigrated woman → The transmigrated female lead, seeing the situation is getting out of hand again, tries to appease the prince...
It seems like the female lead's power struggles within the household are always going on in this cycle.
When she read the novel before, she thought the time-traveling woman and the prince were both incredibly foolish. But what if the prince hadn't liked the time-traveling woman back then? The time-traveling woman might not have liked the prince that much either, otherwise she wouldn't have eloped with someone else later.
Two people who don't truly like each other are together for various reasons, so they are often successfully manipulated.
Chen Mianmian nodded—That makes perfect sense! I'm a genius!
Bai Qingzhou released her and asked, puzzled, "Why did you nod?"
Chen Mianmian looked up, her eyes meeting the young man's. Instead of answering, she asked, "Please answer me honestly, Your Highness. Why did you bring me back? It wasn't because you liked me, was it?"
Bai Qingzhou was embarrassed, "...Of course..."
Before he could finish speaking, Chen Mianmian interrupted, "This servant only wants to hear the truth. If Your Highness wants to lie, then you should be prepared to keep it a secret for a lifetime. Don't let it slip halfway through, or it will be too embarrassing."
"..."
The woman's voice was soft and sweet, even with a hint of coquetry, but to Bai Qingzhou it was sharp and cold, sending chills down his spine. "I... I'll tell you the truth, please don't be angry, okay?"
Chen Mianmian chuckled, "I'm just a lowly concubine, what are you afraid of, Your Highness? You are my everything! What right do I have to be angry?"
Bai Qingzhou fell silent, pondered for a while, and then said, "I'm rather slow-witted, not good at socializing, and don't know how to read people's minds. I don't know what you're thinking, but I can sometimes sense that you're either making excuses for me or being sincere with me... although the sincerity is rare."
"..." Chen Mianmian—isn't this smart? How smart do you want to be?
“I… I didn’t like you before, and I don’t know when it started. Now I just want to close the door and live a good life with you. I know you thin… these special girls have had a difficult childhood and it’s hard for you to trust people again. I don’t ask you to trust me right away. Let’s take it slow.”
"..."
Chen Mianmian was shocked once again.
This...this...this is beyond her capabilities!
Why did this happen? What went wrong? She clearly didn't do anything right, did she?
Okay... she encouraged him to take the imperial examination, but that was to improve his chances with the lady of the house!
Seeing the woman's silence, Bai Qingzhou said in a panic, "Are you scared? I... I originally planned to tell you after a while, but I just blurted it out today for no reason... I'm sorry, don't be afraid, I don't ask anything of you, you can do whatever you want."
Chen Mianmian blinked. "Really?"
Bai Qingzhou: "Of course it's true."
"Then I will do whatever I want." Don't think that just because he confessed his feelings, she will stay and be willing to die for him.
Putting aside whether she liked Fengchu or not, what good would it do to keep her here?
What modern girl, with healthy parents, a stable job, and her own small apartment, would run off to ancient times where men were superior to women to become someone's concubine?
Today, Fengchu is devoted, but people's hearts change. It's not just men who change their minds; women's hearts change too. No one is inherently more noble than anyone else. How many people in modern times marry their first love and grow old together?
In modern times, men, love, and marriage are only one part of a woman's life. Besides these, there are also parents, friends, and career.
In ancient times, men, love, and marriage were probably everything in life.
Parents? Those belong to the brothers. The bride's family doesn't need their daughter to support them in their old age, nor will they leave her any inheritance other than her dowry.
Career? What career did women in ancient times have? If opening a shop counts as a career, then let's just say we have a career.
Moreover, her chances of survival are slim even if she stays.
She's currently doing everything she can to obstruct the female lead, but once the female lead and male lead reunite in victory, joining forces and becoming invincible with their combined power, this pair of cannon fodder, the Crouching Dragon and the Phoenix Chick, will be wiped out.
Thinking of this, Shen Mianmian couldn't help but shake her head—stop joking, she wouldn't accept it.
Seeing the woman shake her head, Bai Qingzhou's heart sank. "Let's not talk about it anymore! Tell me, what did you say to Jiang Yinjin?"
He secretly blamed himself—his behavior today was really inappropriate. How could he have said it so bluntly? Wasn't that forcing her to agree? The book said that these women of the night were very guarded because of their tragic pasts, so they wouldn't easily trust others in order to avoid getting hurt.
He shouldn't have said that!
But... she forced him to confess, and even threatened him, saying that if he lied, he would have to keep it a secret for the rest of his life.
He was also puzzled. The woman usually spoke softly and gently, and no matter what injustice she suffered, she accepted it all without any temper.
However, once she glared at him with sharp eyes, he felt a sudden, inexplicable fear.
It wasn't that he was afraid she would hit him, but that he was afraid... she would really ignore him from now on.
Seeing that Fengchu had changed the subject, Chenmianmian also took the opportunity to change the topic and began to talk about her experiences at the Peony Courtyard.
"After hearing this, the young mistress didn't say anything and told me to leave first."
"..."
Beneath the brocade sleeves, Bai Qingzhou stiffly tucked her fingers together. "Mianmian, help me think of a way to avoid sharing a room with Jiang Yinjin..."
"What method?" Shen Mianmian asked in confusion. "No, I'm just a lowly servant girl. How could the young master use me as Zhuge Liang? Have you ever seen such a stunningly beautiful Zhuge Liang?"
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