Chapter Thirteen: The Show Begins
Hearing Chen Jiao's accusation, which turned out to be a false accusation, Chen Qing sneered.
"Sister, you really know how to confuse the truth. You were pulling and tugging at someone in public, and that young man you were pulling and tugging at was just asking me for your name, wanting to know where you live, so he can come and propose marriage to you!"
Chen Qing retorted without backing down, reminding everyone that one should never try to prove their own innocence when arguing with others. She said hers, and Chen Qing said hers, each sticking to their own version of events, to see who was the more guilty party.
As expected, Chen Jiao's face turned pale, and she said in a panic, "You're talking nonsense! That's a lecher! I don't even know him! Why would he come to propose marriage?"
"Jiao'er!" Zhang suddenly shouted, and Chen Jiao immediately realized that she had let something slip.
Enraged, she clung to Chen Zhenyan's arm and pleaded, "Father! My sister has wronged me! If you don't believe me, call Wang Er over. Ask him; he saw my sister meeting someone in secret!"
Unable to distinguish right from wrong, Chen Zhenyan could only call out Wang Er.
"Wang Er, you tell me, what exactly happened?"
Wang Er stepped forward and said, "Yes."
He lowered his head, not daring to look at Chen Qing and Li Yi.
Li Yi looked at his former comrade-in-arms and stepped forward, saying, "Wang Er, you know the truth better than anyone. Don't disappoint the young lady."
Wang Er felt guilty and didn't dare to look at Chen Qing. He glanced at Chen Jiao and his voice became much softer.
"It's...it's because the eldest young lady was having a secret rendezvous with someone, and the third young lady was worried, so she went out to follow her and caught the eldest young lady red-handed..."
Chen Qing even suspected that Chen Jiao might have some kind of brain-depressing buff around her, as everyone who got close to her seemed to become stupid.
"Did you hear that?" Chen Jiao puffed out her chest triumphantly, her luscious red lips making people drool. No one noticed that a hint of dazedness flashed in Wang Er's eyes.
"Father, punish my sister! It's all her fault!"
Li Yi, unable to bear it any longer, spoke up: "Patriarch! Your subordinate has something to say!"
But Chen Zhenyan had no other words to say. He waved his sleeve and said, "No need for further words! I know what I'm doing!"
"This is Commander Liu's residence, Qing'er. I'm punishing you by confining you for three days without food and forbidding you from going out to be laughed at. Do you have any complaints?"
This punishment is extremely severe.
Chen Qing's eyes turned cold as he stared at these so-called family members, his smile not reaching his eyes.
Those around her were indignant on her behalf, but Chen Qing remained silent.
Chen Jiao said smugly, "Sister, don't be unconvinced. If this were in our family, Father would make you kneel in the ancestral hall for two days and two nights. You should be content."
Chen Qing smiled slightly. Yes, she should be content.
"Alright, Father, I will definitely obey your orders."
So what if she's locked up and not allowed to eat? That suits her perfectly.
Before long, Chen Zhenyan will be begging her to go out.
Chen Qing calmly led the people back to her own courtyard. There were maids prepared for her in the mansion. Fortunately, the original owner did not bring any maids with her before leaving home, otherwise she would have suffered a lot.
It was Zhang's and her daughter's idea not to bring her a maid. They said they had too much stuff to carry on the road and needed to bring fewer people, so she would have to take care of herself.
The original owner of this body was so foolish to think that the Zhang mother and daughter were good people; what a silly child.
When Chen Qing returned to the villa, attendants immediately stood guard at the entrance, preventing her from leaving.
Then two maids who were serving Zhang Shi followed her in, saying gleefully, "Miss, for the next three days, you can't even leave your room, and you can't eat a single bite. Hurry up and go inside."
Li Yi was a guard and was not allowed to enter the women's courtyard. He stood outside and watched Chen Qing being locked in a room, his eyes filled with anger after calming down.
Pei Xuan was also not allowed to enter the room. Although he was Chen Qing's slave, he was still considered an outsider and could only be left outside unwillingly.
Xiao Wu followed closely behind Chen Qing. Then, Chen Qing patted her head and said to the maids of the Liu family, "Go and fetch some hot water, give her a good bath and change her clothes, and take good care of her."
She entered the room alone, and soon the door was closed and even boarded up from the outside.
They must be terrified she'll run away.
Chen Qing sneered, completely unconcerned.
Her clothes were soaked, so she found some clothes to change into. There was a bronze mirror in the room, and this was the first time Chen Qing had ever seen her own reflection in it.
Although she was mentally prepared, she was still startled by the obese female figure in the mirror.
So fat!
Chen Qing pinched her waist with her chubby hands, but it was as big as a water bucket and she couldn't hold on to it at all.
However, there are also advantages.
This body has large breasts and very good skin, like a peeled egg, fair and smooth, and feels like a child's skin.
And upon closer inspection, my eyes are also very beautiful, with long and thick eyelashes.
Even though she's a bit chubby, you can still tell she's got the makings of a beauty.
Chen Qing admired himself in the mirror for a while, then exclaimed, "Achoo!"
She sneezed because she was so cold.
Chen Qing then noticed that there wasn't even a charcoal stove in the house; it had obviously been moved away at Zhang's direction.
They haven't fed or drunk anything for three days, and they're not even trying to keep her warm. Are they trying to freeze her to death?
Chen Qing exchanged a piece of warm jade for himself to carry with him to ward off the cold, and then exchanged a piece of beef. After eating it, he rested for half an hour and then started exercising.
As darkness fell outside, the sounds of people talking and moving could be heard from inside the mansion.
The Feast at Hongmen, hosted by Liu Shoubei for Chen Zhenyan, is about to begin.
Chen Qing sneered, knowing full well that with Chen Zhenyan's intelligence, he would likely fall into Liu Wei's hands and be squeezed dry.
After he figured things out, he still wanted to escape Qibao Town, so he had no choice but to ask Chen Qing for help.
Chen Qing had no interest in the life or death of these "family members," but unfortunately, she was now in the same boat as them.
Chen Qing was jogging, slowly burning off the fat in her body, while thinking with her eyes closed.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of tiles being moved on the roof and immediately looked up alertly: "Who's there?"
"Shh!"
The roof tiles were removed, revealing Li Yi's handsome face. He winked at Chen Qing and lowered his voice, saying, "Miss, it's me."
"Li Yi?"
Just as Chen Qing was about to ask him how he got to the roof, he saw Li Yi make a rustling sound, and then squeeze his whole body through the narrow opening in the roof tiles.
He was hanging upside down from the roof, his handsome face lighting up the room with a smile.
"Why are you here?" Chen Qing asked, somewhat surprised.
Li Yi remained hanging upside down, took out an oil paper package from his pocket, loosened his toes, and fell vertically like a falling leaf. Just when Chen Qing thought he was going to fall, Li Yi did a neat backflip, knelt on one knee in front of her, and looked up with a bright smile.
"Young Miss, your subordinate has brought you some food."
He proudly opened the oil paper package, revealing several large, oily chicken legs and two soft, fluffy white steamed buns inside.
Chen Qing was even more surprised.
"You brought me food specifically?"
Li Yi lowered his head apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, Miss, I'm incompetent and failed to protect you."
"Get up, this is not your fault," Chen Qing chuckled, reaching out to help him up.
Li Yi looked at those soft, fair hands and hesitated for a long time before extending his own.
He said, "Don't worry, Miss, I've already given Wang Er a good beating."
"What about you? Are you hurt?"
“My subordinate is better at fighting than him and was not injured,” Li Yisheng said. He was still young, probably only in his early twenties. Although he appeared calm and collected, he would occasionally do things that revealed his age.
He was extremely pleased with himself, like a large dog that had done a good deed and wanted to be praised.
Chen Qing bent down slightly, extended an index finger, and hooked his chin. "Get up."
Her tone was soft, yet undeniable.
Li Yi gently got up, following her force.
He was taller than Chen Qing, but he always bowed slightly in front of her.
Chen Qing lifted his chin and, sure enough, found a purplish-blue bruise on his jawline.
"Because Wang Er isn't as tall as you, he can only hit you up here?" Chen Qing's eyes flickered, and his words carried a hint of unspoken intimacy.
Li Yi laughed, "I don't have any other strengths, except that I'm taller than him, better at martial arts, and... a bit more handsome."
Chen Qing was amused by him and said with a smile, "You're smarter than him."
"Speak, why are you getting close to me? You're my father's guard, not mine. You need a reason to get close to me. Just like how Wang Er betrayed my foolish sister, he must have wanted something in return..."
"Let me think, what can Chen Jiao promise him? Wealth? Power? No, no, no, she has none of those."
"The only thing she has to offer is her face."
Under the flickering candlelight, Chen Qing spoke eloquently, his eyes brimming with confidence.
She was like a tiger, staring intently at Li Yi.
"Coincidentally, men probably wouldn't like my face. On the contrary, power, wealth... whatever you want, I can probably give you."
Chen Qing desperately needs a henchman; Pei Xuan is still too inexperienced and not very useful.
Li Yi is different; he is mature, skilled, and most importantly, wise.
Chen Qing likes intelligent people.
Li Yi's eyes are beautiful. Individually, none of his features are particularly outstanding, but when they are put together on his face, they create an unexpected harmony.
Especially the way he looked at Chen Qing—it was affectionate and full of admiration. If it were any other woman, she would probably fall for his gaze easily.
Unfortunately, standing in front of him was Chen Qing.
“Young Miss is too modest,” Li Yi knelt on one knee, submitting to Chen Qing. “It is true that I am a guard hired by the Master, but even a stray dog has the right to choose its master. Young Miss is unparalleled in wisdom, and I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse without hesitation!”
Chen Qing patted his head and said in a relaxed tone, "Okay, don't worry, I won't treat you badly."
"Get up, there's no need to be reserved in my presence."
Li Yi stood up and looked at Chen Qing expectantly: "Miss, please eat quickly. I brought it here while it's still hot."
No wonder the oil paper package was still warm.
Just as Chen Qing was about to speak, he sneezed again.
She rubbed her nose, and the tip of her fair nose turned red from rubbing.
"I'll eat later. Tell me first, has Commander Liu's banquet started? What's it like outside?"
Li Yi hurriedly said, "Commander Liu has prepared many soldiers around the banquet. I did not go near them, but only brought some food to the young lady."
"I didn't expect them to not even prepare charcoal for the young lady. I was careless. I'll go out and get some charcoal right away."
"No, I'm not cold. I just caught a chill after being splashed with cold water this afternoon."
To prove she was telling the truth, Chen Qing reached out and grabbed Li Yi. With the warm jade against her skin, her hands and feet were warm and she wasn't cold at all.
She only held onto Li Yi for a moment before letting go, but even so, Li Yi was still somewhat stunned.
"Li Yi, could you go to the banquet and listen to what they're talking about? If you can't get close, then forget it; your safety is the priority."
Li Yi murmured, pulling the hand that Chen Qing had grabbed back into his sleeve.
"Yes, ma'am."
After saying that, he lightly touched the ground with his toes, jumped onto the table, and then leaped upwards, easily slipping through the roof.
The whole process was as smooth as flowing water, with a sci-fi transformation aesthetic.
After he left, Chen Qing couldn't contain his excitement.
"System, can I learn martial arts?"
So martial arts exist in this world! Chen Qing wished he could be like Li Yi, leaping across rooftops and scaling walls.
[Scanning host's body, scan complete. Martial arts practice is not recommended. Host is overweight, and the body's vital energy is being eroded by toxins, hindering weight loss...]
Chen Qing frowned.
How could she forget about her weight?
The idea of scaling walls and rooftops should be put on hold for now; the most urgent task is to exchange for the antidote.
Chen Qing sold the chicken leg and steamed bun to the system, gaining 15 weight loss points. After deducting the points she had just exchanged for warm jade and beef, she now has 3208 points.
However, she maintained her diet of eating less and exercising more today, so her weight should have decreased. We'll probably know how much weight she's lost when we update at midnight.
Chen Qing continued exercising. Despite it being the dead of winter, she still broke out in a sweat from her persistent jogging.
Not knowing when Li Yi would return, Chen Qing decided to change her clothes first.
Who knew that while she was changing her clothes, the roof tiles made a noise.
Li Yi's voice rang out immediately afterward: "Young Miss, your subordinate has arrived!"
Before Chen Qing had even changed her clothes, Li Yi jumped down from the roof and saw her snow-white skin on her back, which was incredibly alluring.
Li Yi didn't even have time to close his eyes; in his panic, he almost twisted his ankle when he landed.
"I'm so sorry, Miss! I didn't mean to!"
Chen Qing calmly dressed before stepping out from behind the screen.
She had just finished exercising, her face was rosy, and her damp hair clung to her cheeks, making her look like a delicate rose dampened by mist.
“It was unintentional, no need to apologize, get up,” Chen Qing didn’t take it to heart at all. She was only concerned about what Li Yi had heard. “Is the banquet over? What did Commander Liu say?”
Li Yi didn't even dare to raise his head, and poured out everything he had heard.
Upon hearing this, Chen Qing wore an expression that said, "I knew it."
Chen Zhenyan was overwhelmed by the brief relaxation and thought that Liu Shoubei was a brainless military officer. As a result, he was completely manipulated.
During the banquet, in order to squeeze every last drop of wealth from the Chen family, Commander Liu proposed a marriage alliance between the two families.
When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Chen Zhenyan had no choice but to betroth Chen Jiao to someone else.
"The Third Miss immediately stood up and said she was unwilling. Commander Liu's expression changed on the spot, and soldiers stepped forward with knives and spears. The head of the family even slapped the Third Miss to calm the situation down."
Upon hearing this, Chen Qing's lips curled up. Her foolish younger sister was determined to marry into the Zhao family of Cangcheng in her place, and would never stoop to marrying the lowly Liu Shoubei.
Looks like there's going to be a good show tomorrow.
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