Chapter 132 - 132 It would have been better if you were fickle. At least there will be some hope left for benwang Part II
132 It would have been better if you were fickle. At least there will be some hope left for benwang Part II
“Please let me go.”
Bai Yu pressed the tip of her dagger against the base of the neck of a man who always tried to eat her tofu. Though she had not been able to evade his arm, she had used that as a chance to take out her self-defense dagger and point it at the spot on his nape, the place where she had learned from her former world that had a cluster of nerves there.
And Chu Zhaoran seemed to know that too because his hold seemed to have finally loosened.
“What is Wangye’s business with me?” She moved away, putting more distance between them to prevent the other person from trying to eat her tofu again. At the same time, her hands adjusted her clothes to better protect her body from his leering eyes.
“Benwang had come to spectate your competition. Congratulations, Yu-er.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.” Bai Yu slightly bowed her head. “But I am sure Wangye did not come here only to congratulate me.”
“Heh.” Chu Zhaoran laughed, still relaxed. “Benwang came to collect the debt.”
“Wangye means that hare.”
“Correct.”
.....
“Isn’t that debt being settled through the war?”
“Benwang came here for a first-hand experience to see if there is something benwang can do with this debt collection process to take you back.”
“What does Wangye mean?”
“You refused benwang, even though benwang has been coveting you for years. That’s all because of a man...a man from the Ouyang dynasty...”
Please let it not be what she thinks. “Ouyang Feilong, right?”
Her hands under her long sleeves were gripped so tight her nails dug into her white, unblemished palms. She hated that he seemed to know something and that he came here to threaten her, but she had to act unbothered. She knew the reason behind Ouyang Feilong’s capture, but in the series, it was not the same as this! In this life, she was the one who put him in danger!
“If you’re tired of the spectacle of war...” On his handsome face was an ugly, evil smile. “...You can bring this to benwang anytime.”
A golden imperial seal was suspended in the air in front of her. “If you do not accept it, then benwang can’t confirm he’ll be the only one eliminated.”
Bai Yu said nothing. Her whole body did not budge from its place.
She kept still until Chu Zhaoran finally left. And even to the last moment, he still had that smile that she was starting to hate.
He did not come here to flirt.
He did not come only to see her.
He did not come to threaten.
He came to give her a choice and to tell her… He was playing with human lives!
——————
“Miss? Miss?”
“...”
“Miss Bai Yu. Miss!”
Bai Yu blinked.
“What is it, Xiao Chang?”
“Miss, are you alright?” Xiao Chang came back to report the work she had been ordered to do. However, when she stepped into the room, she found her young lady sitting and staring at a golden jade in her hands in silence. She remained in that same position for so long that the maid had to call her before she continued until dawn.
“No, nothing...” Bai Yu waved, then handed her the jade. “Keep this.”
“Yes, miss.” Xiao Chang was not like Xiao Xi. She followed the order without commenting or questioning a single word.
“What about my father? What did he say?”
“Master is not interested in that maid. He hurried out of the room. It seemed there was something requiring his attention. I told the male servants who like her that the one who can spend the night with her will marry her. Right now, they are all fighting over her.”
“Mm.”
“I have also ordered another group of male servants to supervise so that what happened tonight won’t leak to someone else.”
“Very well.”
Xiao Chang was not happy with the praise. She glanced at the wide-open window that she was sure she had already closed, then she turned back to her miss. “Are you really fine, miss?”
“There’s a little something I need to consider.”
“Then I will bring some warm tea.”
“Go.”
After her maid was gone, Bai Yu sighed again. She did not think Chu Zhaoran would return, because it seemed her father’s men had noticed his presence. What bothered her was the question of what he wanted to tell her.
That man seemed to believe that she refused him because of Ouyang Mingxian, the man that all Da Yang knew was her only love. However, Ouyang Feilong’s name that came out of Chu Zhaoran’s mouth almost made her lose control. Was it possible that he knew about her relationship with Ouyang Feilong? And if her assumption was correct, was this the reason Ouyang Feilong was captured?
If the answer was yes, then the only way for her to stop it was to bring this jade to Chu Zhaoran, which would also mean she would essentially become his first consort.
What should she do? She could easily warn him, but if he still slipped up...
What should she do?! If she had her brother, then she could be at ease. But right now, Ouyang Feilong only had Yue Huiling beside him.
“I’m just...” She knocked her head multiple times.
“Why didn’t you read the war partly in the script, Yoknapha?” If she had done so, then at least she would have known how Ouyang Feilong had escaped, and she could have prepared accordingly. Although everything was going on according to the dictated fate, if she just sat here and waited for the pre-determined help, then that would mean she could do nothing. Another possibility was that if the current reality was different from the story, then she would have to handle it herself. Someone like her would never bow down to fate!
“Miss.” This time it was Xiao Xi’s voice from the other side of the door. Bai Yu sighed, resigned. “What is it?”
“Third miss would like to see you.”
Bai Hua? Since her first day back home, she had met Bai Hua only once when she had come to greet her as the older sister and the new mistress of the house. After that, she disappeared from her sight, which was good.
What was the reason for her coming here late at night...?
“What business does she have with me?” Don’t tell me it’s about that maid she has punished? If she came to ask for justice, then Bai Yu would chase the heroine away.
“She said it’s about Xili, miss.”
Bai Yu frowned. “A what?”
“About...uh...Xili, miss.” Bai Yu tried to interpret the strange word from Xiao Xi but could not understand it at all until Bai Hua’s voice came. “I mean the series, sister.”
Hm?
“‘This Life, the villainess will win against all odds’ series”
Series?... Bai Hua had told her she did not know it.
She did not know Song Lianhua.
She did not know Yoknapha.
Then how could she be saying that series’ name?!