Chapter 74
Chapter 74
Shou Changxing scratched his nose and said, "No, not really." Shang Mang leaned against the tree and glanced at Shou Changxing, while Zhou Xiuqi slightly furrowed his brows. Meng Yuan asked curiously, "Why did you come out?"
Shou Changxing looked at her: "You're the one who brought me out here, Master."
Meng Yuan pointed to herself: "Me?"
Shou Changxing nodded: "I don't know the specific reason either. I thought I was going to die. But when the dead man fell, I felt myself fall asleep. Then I kept descending, and then I came here."
This explanation wasn't convincing enough. Meng Yuan wasn't in the mental capacity to analyze things; she had just experienced a massive flashback. She was unable to think clearly. Meng Yuan turned to Zhou Xiuqi and asked, "Senior brother, should we keep him?"
Zhou Xiuqi looked at Shou Changxing; the person who had suddenly appeared was suspicious.
Shang Mang snorted coldly, dissatisfied. Meng Yuan looked at him, puzzled. Shang Mang glared at him, his narrow eyes widening. Meng Yuan was even more confused; this man's temper was as unpredictable as thunder.
In the end, Zhou Xiuqi kept Shou Changxing. He had no reason to let Shou Changxing leave for the time being, but he didn't trust him, which Meng Yuan could tell. Meng Yuan also didn't let her guard down around Shou Changxing. Even though she had taught him in her previous life, after so much time, neither of them knew whether the other had changed.
They retraced their steps, exited the woods, and suddenly stopped in their tracks. Outside stood a vast, imposing mass of soldiers, who turned to face them upon seeing them.
The leading officer stepped forward and said, "This humble officer, Zhang Ji, greets Your Highness, the Princess."
Xiao Zheyu didn't speak, and Zhang Ji continued to bow his head. Meng Yuan looked at Zhang Ji's profile and suddenly had a very familiar feeling.
Xiao Zheyu didn't tell him to get up, but asked instead, "Did he send you?"
Zhang Ji lowered his head: "Your Highness, you misunderstand. He...something happened to him." He hesitated, clearly wanting to speak privately. Xiao Zheyu frowned: "What happened to him?"
Zhang Ji bowed even deeper: "He only trusts you."
After he finished speaking, the entire mass of soldiers knelt down: "Your Highness, please go back!"
Xiao Zheyu frowned even more, his gaze sweeping over the group of people.
Meng Yuan leaned against the side, her mind starting to wander again. She knew without a doubt who this "he" was. The new emperor was still young; was he already incapable? That was far too strange.
It's completely different from the original story now, all tangled up in a chaotic mess. Meng Yuan's head throbbed with pain; she decided to stop thinking about it. If Xiao Zheyu went back, Meng Yuan looked at Zhou Xiuqi, who was calmly and composedly staring at the ground, seemingly unconcerned.
His lips were as straight as chopsticks.
Meng Yuan felt a strange urge to laugh, a mix of relief and frustration in her heart.
Xiao Zheyu said, "Get up, everyone. Where is the carriage?"
Zhou Xiuqi lifted his eyelids to look at Xiao Zheyu, who turned around to look at them. "You guys," she said, then stopped, unsure how to begin.
Zhou Xiuqi asked, "Is it convenient?"
Xiao Zheyu looked at him, and Zhou Xiuqi took a step forward: "Now that Weng Xian's matter is over, we should return to Lin'an."
The atmosphere between the two was neither quite awkward nor quite intimate; it was awkward and uncomfortable to watch.
Xiao Zheyu turned his back and said, "It's on the way." Cong Rong followed behind Xiao Zheyu, and Xiao Zheyu's lack of refusal was an acceptance.
The carriage was luxurious and could easily accommodate the group of them. Xiao Zheyu sat in the middle, while Zhou Xiuqi held a tortoise shell in his palm and shook it. Two copper coins came out and fell to the ground.
Zhou Xiuqi glanced at it twice, then used magic to pick it up and put it back in his pouch.
"Very bad luck."
Xiao Zheyu asked, "Are your calculations accurate?"
Kong Fusheng stretched and said, "Senior Zhou, you have received the true teachings of our master, so don't worry."
Meng Yuan kept touching the fabric beneath her; it was smooth and cool, flowing through her hands like water. This was the first time she had ever touched such high-quality material, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
Finally, they encountered something that only the main characters could access; this carriage felt different from when they arrived. It was sturdy, spacious, and there was still room for several people.
Meng Yuan felt a sudden brush against her shoulder. She turned her head to the side, and Shang Mang crossed his arms and closed his eyes.
"Childish," Meng Yuan muttered. Why was he always rubbing against her shoulder in such a big place? Meng Yuan curled her lips and deliberately sat down to the side.
Shang Mang crossed his arms and stumbled to the side, hitting nothing and momentarily stopping. He opened his closed eyes and saw Meng Yuan's mischievous grin. Meng Yuan covered her mouth and said, "Was the bumpy ride too loud and woke you up?"
Shang Mang lowered his arm, his expression turning cold: "Are you deliberately avoiding me?"
Meng Yuan crossed her arms and said, mimicking his gesture, "With such a big spot, why did you have to bump into me?"
Shang Mang remained expressionless, gave a slight smirk, and shifted his body closer: "I'll run you over."
Meng Yuan covered her face, her shoulders trembling. Shang Mang grabbed her face and asked, "Meng Yuan, what is our relationship now?"
Meng Yuan was forced to look into his eyes. In the past, she was the one who looked directly into Shang Mang's eyes, but this time it was Shang Mang who looked directly into hers. Shang Mang's eyes weren't as clear, but they weren't as confused either.
Shang Mang looked at her, his heart felt empty, and he felt unsteady on his feet. He vaguely felt that she still did not agree with him.
Meng Yuan's eyes flickered: "A friend."
Shang Mang chuckled: "Friends?"
Shang Mang had long since let his thoughts wander and clearly understood what kind of person Meng Yuan truly was. She would constantly try to convince herself otherwise, just to avoid becoming obsessed.
Late at night, they stopped the carriage and rested at an inn. Meng Yuan went to the couch, took off her shoes, and put her feet in hot water. Feeling relaxed for a moment, she let out a comfortable sigh.
A thin red thread drifted past her eyes. The moment Meng Yuan reached out, she was enveloped by two hands. His hands gripped her waist, and their noses collided with each other with a thud.
Meng Yuan cried out in pain.
She opened her eyes and saw that it was Shang Mang. She didn't know when it had started, but Shang Mang's squinty-eyed appearance had changed to this. She seemed not to have even realized it.
Shang Mang pressed his forehead against hers and said, "I'm going to kill you."
Meng Yuan didn't understand what was going on, so she simply raised her chin and said, "Come on, kill me." Her eyes lit up, and Shang Mang lay down beside her, saying, "This is boring."
Meng Yuan had gotten used to him suddenly coming to her side, and it was quite strange. Now, even if he said he was going to kill her, it didn't seem so believable anymore.
"Shang Mang," Meng Yuan called out to him from her lying position.
Shang Mang responded, and Meng Yuan suddenly became curious about him, so she asked, "When did you find out that you were like this?"
The air was quiet, and Shang Mang's breathing was still. Meng Yuan even suspected he was gone, so she turned her head to the side. She saw him staring at the ceiling, seemingly lost in thought.
Shang Mang said, "I've always known."
Meng Yuan asked in surprise, "You knew all along?"
Shang Mang chuckled, his voice rising: "I'm smarter than everyone here."
Meng Yuan initially thought she had awakened his consciousness, but she hadn't expected that Shang Mang already possessed his own consciousness. She wanted to ask, but couldn't bring herself to. She could only blink from the side.
Shang Mang began to speak: "No matter what I know, or how much I know, I have no emotions, no feelings, and I can never remember other people's faces."
Looking at his profile, Meng Yuan suddenly realized that he had never imagined that such a persona was hidden beneath his appearance. Shang Mang's eyes suddenly met hers, but Meng Yuan did not look away. Shang Mang said, "You are the first face I remember."
Meng Yuan was stunned: "Why?"
When Shang Mang squinted, he couldn't see anything except the shadow cast by Shang Mang's eyelashes: "Before you, there was another person who tried to go home, but ultimately failed."
"Some people don't do it, and you know what happens to them in the end. That's how the world is, it goes on and on. It turns people who were originally here into wooden figures, and people who come here into puppets."
“Zhou Xiuqi will never fall in love with anyone other than Xiao Zheyu, so you were all here to die anyway.” Shang Mang’s voice was calm, a side of her that she had never encountered before.
Transmigrating into a book to seduce someone else, specifically someone with the "buff" of never being able to fall in love with anyone else. This world never intended for them to return, so Meng Yuan said, "I'm not afraid of death, nor am I afraid of life."
The candlelight flickered, and a gentle breeze stirred outside the window, ruffling the hair of the woman standing by the door. Xiao Zheyu looked outside, rubbing her forehead. She heard footsteps behind her, but didn't turn around, continuing to rub her head quietly.
"When did you find out?" Zhou Xiuqi asked.
Xiao Zheyu lowered his hand and said, "Outside the window." Zhou Xiuqi didn't know what to say after asking. Xiao Zheyu chuckled briefly, "Zhou Xiuqi, do you think you're the savior of the world?"
"Zhou Xiuqi, what's your choice this time?" Xiao Zheyu asked.
Zhou Xiuqi stepped forward and leaned on her shoulder: "This time, neither of us needs to choose."
Xiao Zheyu sneered: "As long as I am still Xiao Zheyu, I will never be at peace."
Zhou Xiuqi moved his head slightly: "I know I was wrong."
Xiao Zheyu stopped speaking and lowered his eyes.
The next morning, Meng Yuan stretched and walked out the door. They were already waiting for her outside. The plot had been disrupted anyway, and everything would never be the same again. No matter what happened next, she would keep her promise.
Meng Yuan walked up and asked, "You all got up so early?"
Kong Fusheng rubbed his eyes: "Senior Meng, sometimes I really admire how long you can sleep. I get a headache if I sleep too long."
Meng Yuan chuckled twice: "I really don't know if you're praising me or insulting me."
Kong Fusheng blinked his right eye: "That goes without saying, of course it's to praise you, the most awesome senior Meng in the whole world."
Meng Yuan raised her hand: "You flatter me too much, thank you."
Cong Rong followed behind Xiao Zheyu. Meng Yuan looked at Cong Rong, then at Kong Fusheng, and slowly asked, "What happened between you and her?"
Kong Fusheng was stunned for a moment: "No, things that aren't meant to be can't be forced."
Meng Yuan had nothing to say and could only shrug.
Is fate predetermined, or is it something we decide ourselves?
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