I choose C!
"A hostage abandoned by the Hu Kingdom is worthy of contradicting me." A sharp voice wrapped in resentment pierced out from the palace with peeling glass, "The emperor threw you, a prodigal dog, into the cold palace. It is obvious that he is hoping that the Hu Kingdom will be destroyed one day so that you can go to meet your ancestors." The harsh insulting words came down, and Su Manyan frowned.
System 625 suddenly appeared: "Host, please note that the male protagonist's blackening value has risen to 90%. Breaking through 100% will trigger the 'world-destroying ending'. Host, please intervene immediately!"
Su Manyan coughed violently, covering her mouth with her sleeve. She'd only been dressed as a eunuch in the cold palace for half an hour, crouching against the wall to study the "plot-oriented text system"'s three-choice function. She hadn't expected to stumble upon the male protagonist being humiliated, and the system's warning had caught her off guard.
After turning the stone wall, Su Manyan jogged to the outside of the courtyard and saw a tall man being held down by two guards and kneeling on the ground. Standing in front of him was a woman in luxurious clothes.
Anyone who dares to teach this foreign hostage a lesson in the cold palace must be a concubine who still puts on airs after falling out of favor.
Xiao Lin hung his head, a few scars streaking across his slender neck, the blood-stained scars making his face appear even colder and paler. He must have suffered some pain, his dark clothes shrouding his thin frame. But his straight back and refined demeanor couldn't hide his former dignity.
As if sensing a prying gaze, Xiao Lin suddenly raised his head. That overly gorgeous face, a few strands of black hair draped over his temples, half-hiding his affectionate peach blossom eyes. A chill welled up in his eyes, startling Su Manyan so much that his breath stopped and he froze in place.
"You saw me."
The system notification sounded with a pounding heartbeat: "Ding! Achievement [First Encounter with the Male Lead] achieved, rewarded with a 'Hemostatic Pill'. Ding! Triggered the novice mission [Rescue the Male Lead], please make your choice."
Su Manyan was so frightened by the gloomy and ferocious look that her knees went weak, and she was still in shock. The system's sudden first mission caught her off guard, and a box of options appeared in her mind:
A. Rush up and hit the male protagonist
B. Rushing forward to hit the concubine
C. Rushing forward and hitting yourself
With the principle of "choose 'C' when in doubt" left over from middle school, Su Manyan resolutely chose C without even finishing the question. Her body took precedence over her mind, and she rushed forward recklessly.
It wasn't until she felt the sharp pain in her knees and cheeks that she realized what she had done.
She slumped on the ground, with the hero and the concubine staring at her blankly.
"Host, please continue. 625 can only help you so far. You have to finish the answer you chose even if you have to kneel down."
Su Manyan listened to the system's urging, lowered her head to avoid the male protagonist's fierce gaze, and raised her hands to her face without hesitation. She pretended to slap him and then threw herself to the ground, letting out an exaggerated wail.
"Your Majesty, please spare me. It's my fault for being so negligent! Your Majesty, you are a precious child, why bother getting angry with this hostage? Besides, he's imprisoned here anyway, so I can slowly humiliate him later. Your Majesty, how could you do this yourself and hurt your delicate hands?"
Su Manyan changed the subject.
"Besides, if the Emperor knew about this, wouldn't it ruin your Majesty's gentle image? It would be more trouble than it's worth."
"Where did you come from, you filthy thing? Humph! How dare you threaten me!" The woman was touched in a sore spot and was afraid of the word "Your Majesty". "Since I'm in a good mood today, I won't waste my breath with you."
With a cold snort, the concubine turned around and left. Before leaving, she kicked Su Manyan to vent her hatred.
"Hmm!" The dull pain in his waist made Su Manyan snort in his heart, you vicious woman!
"625, 625, how is it? My acting is good, right? Has the male lead's evilness decreased?" Su Manyan rubbed his numb cheeks and asked with anticipation.
"Ding! Congratulations on completing the mission [Rescue the Male Lead], with a score of 80 for plot interpretation, and receiving the reward [Lucky Bag]."
625 added with a tearful voice, "You're overthinking it, host. The protagonist's dark value hasn't decreased at all, and his alertness has increased by +5. Look at the person behind you, host."
The already empty courtyard was now just the two of them. The howling cold wind whipped snow foam into his collar, and Su Manyan shuddered. A sudden, chilling itch spread across the back of his neck, the intuition of being stared at by a wild animal.
Su Manyan slowly turned around and faced the male protagonist, but her head drooped down to her chest.
In the corner of his eye, the man finally moved: he stood up slowly, his bony fingers casually brushing the dust off his clothes. His movements were lazy, but carried an invisible sense of oppression. Step by step, and again, the light sound of his boots rolling over the snow was like a heavy hammer hitting Su Manyan's heart.
Su Manyan's fingertips pressed harder, her nails almost digging into her flesh. She took a deep breath and then cautiously raised her head. When her gaze met those scarlet eyes, her heart suddenly stopped.
Only when you get closer can you see how delicate the proton's facial features are: sharp brow bones, a high nose bridge, and pale lips. But the coldness in his red eyes makes this face exude a deadly danger.
She swallowed hastily, her Adam's apple rolling as she immediately leaned forward, her voice trembling slightly as she greeted him flatteringly, "Your humble servant greets the King of Mobei."
"Are you new to Fu'an Palace?" The man's breath suddenly approached, his warm breath tinged with the faint scent of blood and the cold aroma of cedar, instantly filling Su Manyan's nostrils. The next second, slender fingers suddenly grasped her chin, the force of his fingertips carrying an irresistible force, forcing her to look up again and meet his eyes.
"Eunuch?" He raised an eyebrow, the mockery in his tone almost overflowing, "Fu'an Palace is so considerate of its servants? But why do I remember it was not like this?" His eyes swept across her face, then slowly lowered, passing over her neck and shoulders, with a curious and playful look, as if he was sizing up an object for sale. "If a eunuch with such a fair complexion like you were raised as a male concubine in the inner chamber, I would believe it."
Su Manyan broke out in a cold sweat on his back: Was I discovered?
"Your Highness, you are joking. I am just a filthy little man, very vulgar." She pretended to be calm, "I am late in protecting you. Please punish me, Your Highness."
"No need." Xiao Lin suddenly loosened his grip, and the moment his fingertips left Su Manyan's chin, he almost lost his balance. He turned and walked towards the dilapidated bedroom. "Just sweep here from now on. Don't come even a step closer without my permission."
Only after hearing the footsteps fade away did Su Manyan dare to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead. Her wet robe clung to her body, and the dull pain in her knees mixed with the scratches on her palms revealed her fear just now. "625, have I been discovered? What will happen if I am discovered?"
"Host, you can trust 625's camouflage skills. I will definitely not be discovered." 625's voice was trembling.
Su Manyan supported himself on the floor, dusted himself off, and stood up. He used his consciousness to call up the storage panel in his mind. A small white pill lay quietly in the storage compartment, as white as a candy.
"This looks like a sugar pill, is it really medicine?"
"Host, how dare you question the space station's props!" 625 feigned anger, "Remember to find a chance to apply medicine to the hero."
The heavy wooden door was tightly closed, not a sound coming from inside. It was as quiet as a tomb. Su Manyan stared at the quaint and quiet house and clenched his hands.
Inside, Xiao Lin sat on the couch, unbuttoning his dark cloud-patterned collar and expertly applying medicine to himself. White powder covered the scarlet wounds, and the pain pierced his skin, yet Xiao Lin didn't even twitch his eyebrows, seemingly feeling no pain.
The behavior of the young eunuch just now was so abnormal. He was clumsy in rescuing the enemy and deliberately trying to get close to him. Whose pawn was he playing?
"Squeak..." The door was gently pushed open, and Su Manyan came in with a medicine box, lowering his head and saying, "Your Highness, let me change the dressing for you. This wound looks scary."
Xiao Lin slammed his robe shut and demanded, "Who let you in?"
"I know I was wrong, Your Highness. I just wanted to apply some medicine for you." Su Manyan apologized, but he was muttering in his heart, why is a grown man still embarrassed?
"You are so bold! Without my permission, you, a flatterer, dare to enter and leave my house at will." Xiao Lin slammed the table with his big hand and looked at her with a look full of suspicion. It was obvious that he guessed that Su Manyan's identity and background were not well-intentioned.
"No, no, I know I'm wrong."
Su Manyan shook the small medicine box in his hand, his eyes eager, "Your Highness, let me apply the medicine to you. This wound looks quite scary."
"I said no, get out of here!"
"Can……"
"Someone, drag this ignorant eunuch away." Xiao Lin put his hands behind his back and gave orders towards the darkness.
"Your Highness, please spare my life. I only mean well..." Su Manyan was begging for mercy when he was taken away by the secret guards who appeared silently.
After Su Manyan left, a secret guard jumped down from the beam and knelt on the ground with his fists clasped together: "Your Highness, I am late."
Si Ji, Xiao Lin's confidant, heard that Xiao Lin was imprisoned in the cold palace, so he traveled all the way south to seek refuge with his master. Now when he saw him, he found that his master had lost a lot of weight.
"Nothing happened. How are you, brothers?" Xiao Lin quickly helped Si Ji up.
"Since the surprise attack that day, the brothers are now resting in a village at the foot of the mountain. The owner of that household was once a merchant from the Hu Kingdom and can be trusted."
"That's good. Keep a close eye on my second brother, Xiao Ye." Xiao Lin raised his chin and waved his hand to let Si Ji leave. Suddenly, he remembered something and ordered, "A new eunuch has arrived today. His words and actions are treacherous. I suspect he's up to something. Investigate his identity."
"As ordered by Si Ji."
After Su Manyan was dragged away, he was thrown into the woodshed.
The older palace servant saw Su Manyan's embarrassed look and squinted his eyes and said contemptuously, "You new eunuch doesn't know the rules, yet you dare to contradict His Highness. You've only been here for a day and you're already trying to get close to the master. Cleaning the courtyard is your job, don't bother His Highness."
"Hiss, it hurts." Su Manyan's palms were raw, and she forced herself to ignore the taunts. She sat cross-legged, her elbows resting on her knees, her cheeks resting on her palms. Her loose robe fell, folding over her forearms, revealing the delicate white bones of her wrists.
"This Xiao Lin is really difficult to deal with. He looks suspicious and cold. I don't even have a chance to get close to him, how can I apply medicine to him?" Su Manyan complained.
It seems that we have to find another way.
"Hey! The kid inside, the snow outside is already over your knees, why don't you come out? You're asking for a beating!" The vicious urging came from outside the door again.
Su Manyan had no choice but to drag her exhausted body outside to sweep the snow. She had never done such work before, and the broom's branches were unpolished, and the thorns pricked her hands.
The wind and snow were cold, and wet snow flakes drifted onto her hands, slowly covering them and then melting. As the cold water soaked her wounds, Su Manyan felt her nose sore.
She missed home and wanted to go back.
The panic of the other world, the difficult situation, the pain in her body. Now, in this vast, plain world, she was able to think carefully about everything that had happened today, but she felt overwhelmed and suffocated.
Tears fell heavily to the ground, mixing with the snow. Su Manyan swallowed the bitterness, wiped away the tears with her frozen hands, picked up the broom as tall as a man, and clumsily began to work.
A dark shadow quietly came to Su Manyan's room and searched for something carefully... When his fingertips ran across Su Manyan's old clothes, he paused.
The light of fire danced on the window paper of the wing room, and the people in the room lit candles. Xiao Lin looked at the unfamiliar figure cleaning the courtyard, his brows furrowed tighter, and his suspicion deepened.
The play in the afternoon, though foolish, was clearly to save him. Why was that? He had never seen this eunuch before.
But when he first met those eyes, a familiar feeling washed over him. It was so strong, he knew they must have met before somewhere.
He didn't believe that there would be anyone who would treat him sincerely in this palace where everyone was trying to retaliate against him, but it was also the first time he had heard such a lame excuse.
Whose spy is this? Is it from the Second Emperor's brother? Or is it from the Southern Kingdom's court?
He curled his lips in self-mockery. Haha, now he has ended up in such a miserable situation, and both his brothers and the enemy court want to kill him.
As Xiao Lin lost himself in thought, he felt a tearing pain in his chest. He unbuttoned his collar, and a faint black pattern appeared on his left chest. The mysterious totem resembled a coiled black snake, climbing from his chest to his collarbone.
Xiao Lin quickly meditated and adjusted his breathing. After a quarter of an hour, the black lines slowly subsided. However, he was already drenched in cold sweat and gasping for breath.
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