Chapter 89
Chapter 89
Shang Mang's gaze was so direct; it was the first time Meng Yuan had ever been stared at so directly by him, and her heart skipped a beat. She pursed her lips and blinked rapidly, "Really?"
Shang Mang chuckled softly in her ear: "You don't necessarily think that the person I'm talking about is you, do you?"
Meng Yuan hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at him: "Of course not."
A breeze blew in from the cave entrance. Meng Yuan raised the back of her hand and pressed it against her face. The scorching fire rose silently, crackling and popping. Both fell silent. Shang Mang looked at her hand: "Are you hot?"
Meng Yuan lowered her hand expressionlessly: "I just got bitten on the face by a mosquito."
The next second, Meng Yuan's breath caught in her throat. Warm, moist breath met her face, and her lips felt soft. Meng Yuan's heart pounded, one beat after another, faster and faster. A strange fragrance emanated from him, filling her nostrils. Meng Yuan felt his intense presence—his scent, his body.
He was so cold, yet Meng Yuan seemed so burning hot.
Shang Mang closed his eyes, his eyelashes trembling.
A moment later, he bit Meng Yuan's lower lip before pulling away, his eyebrows furrowed: "I've learned it, you little liar."
Meng Yuan gritted her teeth: "What do you take me for? Are you using me as practice?"
Shang Mang frowned: "You criticized me last time."
Meng Yuan was taken aback, suddenly remembering this matter. Their ambiguous relationship was really... Meng Yuan couldn't say anything, so she could only curse him silently in her heart.
After finishing the last bite of meat, Meng Yuan muttered, "Don't you mind getting your mouth dirty?"
Shang Mang glanced at her. Meng Yuan threw the wooden stick on the ground and stomped her shoes along the ground. The firelight made her seem like warm sunshine, drawing people closer. Her expression was so vivid that Shang Mang's gaze lingered. His mind uncontrollably began to wonder what life would be like if she stayed.
She would sit like this at the table, the candlelight illuminating her face, watching her sleep, watching her eat, watching her gaze at him like that. Shang Mang felt a chill run down his spine, and he lowered his head. It wasn't that he couldn't stand her direct gaze. It was just that he couldn't stand being stared at like that, and then her gaze lingering on him.
Shang Mang despised himself, thinking that if he stayed with her, he wouldn't feel lonely.
Meng Yuan felt his gaze, but said nothing; the two of them continued to play dumb. The atmosphere suddenly quieted down, and no one spoke.
[Host, the mission countdown has begun. Please complete the mission as soon as possible.]
Meng Yuan's expression shifted. The system was urging her on again; indeed, things had reached the finale. It was now completely unrelated to the original story. No one knew what would happen next.
As Meng Yuan was thinking this, the system notification sounded immediately: [Host, mission countdown: 15 days.]
She was shocked, almost crying out in disbelief, "Only fifteen days left!" Her second lifetime here was about to end. Meng Yuan propped her head up, lost in thought.
The hem of her dress drooped down.
Meng Yuan felt it, and looked down. A thin, tiny figure was pulling her hem down forcefully. The figure felt her gaze and looked up. The paper figure was drawn with a nose and eyes, but the nose and eyes didn't look very happy; it was rather bland.
Meng Yuan hadn't yet realized what this thing was.
The little figure suddenly raised its thin arm and pointed towards the cave entrance. This pointing motion was a bit laborious; it would lift the arm and then lower it repeatedly.
After repeating this several times, Meng Yuan laughed as she looked in the direction it was pointing. Suddenly, she was met with a pair of cold eyes. Although there was no emotion in those eyes, Meng Yuan could still see a hint of speechlessness in them.
The way he was lying at the cave entrance was so strange, Meng Yuan thought, as Zhou Xiuqi slowly reached down and beckoned to her. Such an absurd scene was utterly ridiculous.
Meng Yuan withdrew her gaze and gestured with her chin towards Shang Mang's location, pointing towards Zhou Xiuqi. As Zhou Xiuqi's gaze moved in that direction, Meng Yuan finally sensed something was amiss. She turned around and saw Shang Mang holding a bamboo skewer, his gaze indifferent as he looked at her. His face flushed, and his thin lips parted to reveal a set of teeth: "Where are you going?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Xiuqi climbed over the cave entrance and strode up to Meng Yuan in a few steps. Shang Mang didn't move, but quietly looked at her: "Are you going to go with him?"
As Meng Yuan watched the bloodlust in his eyes deepen, a thought flashed through her mind. If the original ending was that Shang Mang would slaughter everyone in the world, could that be changed? In the past, she could have said yes. But now, with Shou Changxing's death, she hesitated.
Meng Yuan was caught in the vortex and felt the ground in front of her getting closer and closer.
With her consciousness completely gone, Meng Yuan lay on the ground with her eyes closed.
Shang Mang stepped forward and picked her up, but Zhou Xiuqi grabbed his arm and said, "You've really thought it through."
Shang Mang hadn't expected him to speak up and dissuade him. In tens of thousands of reincarnations, Zhou Xiuqi and he had always been irreconcilable enemies. Even now that they had seen through the world, there was absolutely no need for Zhou Xiuqi to say these things to him.
"Do you have any other way?" He didn't answer directly; he lowered his head and asked, "Does it hurt?"
Is it painful? Zhou Xiuqi asked himself. He couldn't truly love anyone, couldn't live the life he wanted, and couldn't be himself.
Looking back now, all of that seems like fleeting clouds, insignificant and painless, leaving only numbness and indifference.
Zhou Xiuqi released his hand and instead pressed on his shoulder: "Time is running out."
Shang Mang carried Meng Yuan and followed Zhou Xiuqi as they left the cave. He looked back at the fleeting warmth, so brief.
With her robes fluttering in the wind, Xiao Zheyu stood in the courtyard. Cong Rong emerged from within, holding an umbrella: "Your Highness." Xiao Zheyu gazed at the sky without speaking, her lips pale. In the distance, a dark dot grew larger and larger. Two people descended from the sky, one holding Meng Yuan in her arms.
Meng Yuan's eyelids twitched slightly.
Shang Mang looked up: "Ready?"
Xiao Zheyu looked up: "Alright."
Xiao Zheyu said, "Congrong, lead the way for him."
Xiao Zheyu took the umbrella from Congrong's hand. Congrong accepted, and Shang Mang followed Congrong. The entire princess's mansion was decorated with red silk and candles, creating a festive atmosphere. All the servants in the mansion disappeared, leaving only the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the red silk.
Shang Mang said, "Help her change her clothes."
Cong Rong took Meng Yuan from his hands. Shang Mang entered the room. A bright red robe hung on the screen. He ran his fingers over it; the cut was exquisite, and the fabric was as smooth as silk. He had once owned a robe as fine as this. Shang Mang removed his clothes one by one. The flower on his chest briefly spread down to his neck before slowly receding.
A strange flower had already bloomed on the rotting flesh, and the pain spreading in my heart was almost gone.
After getting dressed, Shang Mang pushed open the door and went out. Cong Rong was already waiting outside, carrying Meng Yuan, who was also dressed. Meng Yuan had a red cloth on her head. Shang Mang reached out his hand, and Cong Rong said, "You can't take it off."
Shang Mang naturally knew, but he couldn't help being curious about what she would look like in red.
They went to the main hall, where Zhou Xiuqi and Xiao Zheyu were already waiting. There were also two other people there, Ling Daozi and Meng Yuan's mother, who were tied to chairs.
Ling Daozi, with a white cloth between his teeth, stared at Zhou Xiuqi in horror, unable to believe what shocking thing his obedient disciple had done. Meng Yuan's mother wept continuously, looking quite pitiful.
Sobbing and gasps of fear filled the air. Xiao Zheyu said, "On such a joyous day, smile." Zhou Xiuqi managed a faint smile upon hearing this.
With a slight twitch of his fingertips, Shang Mang propelled Meng Yuan up in the blood mist, allowing her to stand and walk step by step to the two elders.
Shang Mang looked at the person in the upper hall and said, "The ceremony is simple, please don't mind it."
Ling Daozi's eyes widened, his gaze sharp as needles. He'd gone mad! He was supposed to bring Meng Yuan back like this? This was utterly lawless!
Xiao Zheyu went up and removed the white cloths from the two of them. Ling Daozi shouted, "You! You two!" He finally realized something and couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.
Meng Yuan's mother looked at him and cried out, "Why did you have to harm my baby? If you want to take a life, then take mine. If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have let his father get involved in this curse and harm my son."
She muttered incessantly, "You'll only hurt yourself in the end, you monster."
Shang Mang reached out and took Meng Yuan's hand, saying, "This life belongs to me."
"I invited you two here only to be witnesses. I don't care about your blessings." Shang Mang said softly, then led Meng Yuan to kneel down in front of them, bowing to heaven and earth, and the couple bowing to each other.
The ceremony is complete.
The ceremony was shortened by half, and they returned to Shang Mang's house, where Meng Yuan sat upright. Shang Mang walked over and raised his hand to lift the red cloth.
They stood still and didn't move.
"Is it over?" Meng Yuan stared at him with wide eyes, while Shang Mang shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. "It's over."
My gaze lingered on her face; the red color truly suited her. Even without makeup, her clean-cut face resembled a gardenia blooming among peonies.
What catches the eye most is her face.
"What exactly are you planning?" Meng Yuan felt out of place; they were definitely hiding more from her than she thought. Shang Mang stroked her face: "Marriage, of course. I'll give you everything you want."
[Mission Countdown: 14]
[Mission Countdown: 13]
[Mission Countdown: 12]
[Mission Countdown: 11]
...
[Mission Countdown: 3]
[Mission Countdown: 2]
[Task Countdown: 1]
Meng Yuan's mental counter flashed rapidly, finally settling on the number one. Meng Yuan had originally thought it was an uncontrollable ending, like a dark cloud hanging over everyone's heads. But now it seemed that every step they took was not uncontrollable, but rather carefully planned. The only uncontrollable factor was her alone.
I see.
Why do I always feel that Shang Mang and Zhou Xiuqi are not as incompatible as they seem in the original book? And why does Xiao Zheyu not seem to love Zhou Xiuqi as much as he appears?
It turned out that everything was part of their plan. Meng Yuan felt unusually calm. She felt she was getting closer and closer to the truth, but she was actually less interested in finding out.
Shang Mang suddenly reached out and touched his waist. Meng Yuan swallowed hard, the scene in the water from that day flashing through her mind. Even after so long, the white expanse was still very clear.
Meng Yuan said, "What are you doing?"
Shang Mang loosened his belt: "Go to sleep."
Meng Yuan's breathing faltered, and she stammered, "Sleep, sleep, sleep, why take off your clothes?"
He tidied up Shang Mang's outer garment and hung it on the screen.
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