In fact, more than half of that bottle of wine had spilled onto Zhou Yunxi"s body.
Zhou Yunxi seemed not to care, waiting for Lu Qingluo to leave before rising up with a satisfied expression and lazily saying, "I"m also going to tidy up, everyone, please continue."
After his speech, Zhou Shizi left the table. Before he walked past the Third Prince"s table, he deliberately stopped mid step and looked at him with a mocking smile for a moment, letting out cold hum.
——Fight with me? The woman you"ve taken a fancy to, isn"t she still in my grasp.
The light in Third Prince Zhou Yuncheng"s eyes dimmed. He looked calm and collected on the surface but the fist hidden inside his sleeve tightened unconsciously.
This was the effect he wanted.
Zhou Yunxi saw through the man"s pretense and calmly left.
On the other side, Baoyi took Lu Qingluo to an empty room and asked her partner to pick up a brand new silk skirt. She said indifferently, "Get changed, I"ll be outside the room."
Seeing Baoyi"s cold att.i.tude, Lu Qingluo was at a loss and she subconsciously grabbed her sleeve: "Baoyi mei mei, I…"
"Guniang should call me Thirteen. This subordinate is afraid that she can"t afford to be guniang"s sister." Baoyi forced a laugh as a hint of melancholy flashed through her eyes.
Lu Qingluo felt even more guilt in her heart.
"Baoyi, I really don"t know why Shizi is like this today. He"d definitely never looked at me usually. Besides, I know that he"s the one in your heart, how could I…"
"He"s looking at you now, not just that, but he"s also pampering and doting you in every way possible. What are you going to do about it?" Bao Yi suddenly looked up, her big pair of eyes staring fixedly at Lu Qingluo with some aggressive meaning. "He is the person in my heart but if Shizi designates that he wants you, or even to take you as his wife, what will you do?"
Face with the interrogation, Lu Qingluo instinctively stepped back and immediately looked down, smiling bitterly: "What could I do…"
She was merely the daughter of a criminal who had been reduced to slavery. If she had the least bit of ability to defend herself, she wouldn"t have fallen to this point; she was now a servant girl in Duan w.a.n.gfu, one of Zhou Shizi"s people. If Zhou Shizi wanted her, how could she hide from him?
"You"ve made up your mind about this?"
Baoyi was very anxious for her to improve[1].
This female lead is good, three positive, she"s not stupid and is also considerate of others, but just one point, she"s extremely weak when it comes to her own affairs.
It wasn"t that the original story didn"t take any turn for the better, just that she kept missing the opportunities. Zhou Yunxi would fall deeper and deeper (in love with her) and it had a lot to do with her "patience". If she could display more decisiveness, with Zhou Yunxi"s character, he might not have indulged himself, leading to his fall.
When you are irresolute in situations where you should not waver, you"ll end up harming others. Kindness is a virtue but weakness is not.
“Well, even if you don"t consider yourself, or me, have you considered the Third Prince"s feelings?”
"Him?" Horror could be seen in Lu Qingluo"s huge eyes. "You…what are you saying, I don"t understand…"
"Stop acting." Baoyi said snappily. "The affair between the both of you, anyone who isn"t blind can see it. You don"t really think that you"re so charming that Shizi would change his att.i.tude towards you overnight and be infatuated with you?"
This line was really like a supporting female"s lines and was the especially vicious kind.
At least Lu Qingluo did not show a "Is that not the case?" Mary Sue[2] expression. Lu Qingluo only looked startled for a long while, narrowing her brows as she thought about it.
"You mean that he wants to use me to deal with the Third Prince?"
Baoyi smiled, "Smart girl."
Baoyi was glad that the female lead"s IQ was finally online.
"But the Third Prince and I are only…" Lu Qingluo was obviously slightly fl.u.s.tered and there were hints of disappointment in her words. "There"s nothing between us. There"s no reason for Shizi to do this."
The Third Prince and her were just strangers who met by chance, a single encounter like the night blooming cereus but unfortunately, they had no fate[3].
"You like him right?" Baoyi asked bluntly "You don"t have to deny it, we can all see it. We can also see that the Third Prince doesn"t not care about you. So, do you think that Shizi"s move has any meaning?"
“I speculate that Shizi is going to use you to stimulate the Third Prince. He and the Third Prince don"t get along, but they can"t catch each other"s handles. Now that you"re in his hands, even if it"s just adding a block for the Third Prince, it"ll be easy to accomplish. Say, do you think that he"ll let go of such a good opportunity?”
"I…" Lu Qingluo panicked. "What should I do? I can"t harm him!"
Very good.
To deal with this type of Virgin Mary female lead, it"s still necessary to take medicine from the perspective of others. As long as the female lead has the mind to save people, the later things are much easier to handle.
Baoyi gave it some thought: "It isn"t that there"s no way, unless…"
"Unless what?"
"Unless the Third Prince is willing to help you."
Lu Qingluo was silent for a while, lowering her head: “How could I ask him?”
"……Then there"s no way." Baoyi turned to go but was suddenly caught by a small soft hand.
Baoyi turned back, pleased to see that Lu Qingluo"s eyes showed unwillingness and hesitation.
"If you want to see the Third Prince, I can create opportunities for you." Bao Yi had a well-thought-out plan.
Lu Qingluo frowned, either doubting Baoyi"s motive, or worried about the Third Prince"s comfort: "Why are you doing this? If this matter is known to Shizi, he will not let you go."
"I don"t need him to let me go." Baoyi spoke as if she were swearing with authority, "Even if it"s just an act, I don"t want to see other women around him."
Baoyi looked serious, but in her heart, she kept praising her own smart/ beautiful excuse- it"s such a legitimate reason! She is really too prescient!
The executor who was currently feeling pleased with herself, was unaware that her behaviour had already given the female lead a……subtle example!
Lu Qingluo was shocked by this heroic declaration. Looking at the girl in front of her eyes, her heart suddenly burst with some indescribable emotions.
If she could be little stronger, could she be like this girl, pursuing and defending her happiness with a courageous att.i.tude?
Creating an opportunity for the Third Prince and Lu Qingluo to meet is very simple.
Baoyi used black sesame seeds to directly spell a room number on the surface of the egg tart and placed a small piece of green radish before telling the servant that the Third Prince had recently gotten a sore throat and wanted to eat some light and easy to swallow food.
The Third Prince was cautious and would sense that there was a ruse, but with his responsible character and concern for Lu Qingluo, he"d definitely go to the room to investigate.
After doing all this, Baoyi hid outside the room and watched as the servant handed the insane mid-range items to Zhou Yuncheng. Zhou Yuncheng"s eyes darkened and he hesitated slightly before he got up and left his seat.
Baoyi quietly hid upstairs and looked down from the patio, watching as Zhou Yuncheng entered alone, into the room where Lu Qingluo was.
She handled her work properly!
For the remainder of the time, she hoped that other than mutually expressing their feelings, this pair of lovers would do something more beneficial to the development of the plot —— and not flirt! What she"s saying, is that they can discuss how to save the female lead from the mouth of this wolf cub, Zhou Yunxi.
At this moment, Zhou Yunxi should be changing his clothes in the other room and with his indecisive character, he"ll dilly dally for a while. Since Zhou Yuncheng and Lu Qingluo are together, then Second Prince is the only one left at the feast?
Baoyi suddenly had a premonition.
She seems to have missed something.
The Second Prince set up this banquet and deliberately invited Zhou Shizi and the Third Prince who were at odds with each other. He"d maybe even planned a "show" but now that they"d both left the room one by one, won"t he be “lonely”?
As if to confirm her guess, a black shadow darted past downstairs, attracting Baoyi"s attention.
She"s too familiar with this style.
The deity dragon"s head can be seen but not the tail, it"s definitely a shadow guard of the same profession!
Baoyi stooped and hid on the third floor, looking on as the man snuck close to the door and stuck his ear on it —— looks like it"s not the Third Prince"s shadow guard, then it must be the Second Prince"s.
Hey! A dragon sleeve[4] with no name that won"t live past three episodes, dares to come and ruin Laoniang"s[5] good work?!
The man in black turned around and looked in Baoyi"s direction.
Baoyi felt a wave of murderous intent close in on her and suddenly panicked.
It can"t be!
He discovered her so soon?
Baoyi didn"t think that the shadow guard would be so keen. Although she still had the skills, but without internal strength, her qinggong cannot be used and there"d be no strength in her fighting moves, so she didn"t plan to provoke him. Therefore, when she was exposed, Baoyi"s first reaction was to run.
It"s a pity that the one chasing after her is not an unskilled shadow guard like her.
The other side jumped and blocked her path in an instant.
"Who is it?"
That person stared at Baoyi with a pair of eagle-like eyes till her body turned cold.
Smiling awkwardly, she immediately straightened her waist: "I"m Duan Qinw.a.n.g Shizi"s bodyguard. This big brother, we should"ve met in the room just now."
Baoyi thought that it was nothing to be discovered. After all, her ident.i.ty was not a secret. Unexpectedly, that person sneered: "What bodyguard? You"re clearly an a.s.sa.s.sin with bad intentions for the Royal Family. I"ll take you down now!"
She instantly felt the killing intent and Baoyi"s body instinctively stepped back, dodging a hit. The man did not entangle with her, turning back and pulling out a dagger. He was indeed a tricky a.s.sa.s.sin and did not give Baoyi the chance to parry.
If she thought she was lucky at the start, at this moment, Baoyi finally understood.
Not recognising people? How could he not recognise her?
This person has a sharp knife, his purpose is clear, and if a shadow guard acts this way, he"s obviously under his owner"s orders. If she died here under suspicious circ.u.mstances, the Second Prince could blame the whole matter on the Third Prince, causing the enmity between Duan w.a.n.gfu and the Third Prince to bear fruit again with just one strike.
Baoyi didn"t know if the Second Prince had planned this from the start. It seems to her that the Second Prince"s target may not be her, it"s very likely the female lead Lu Qingluo, but now that Lu Qingluo and the Third Prince have already met, she has warded off a disaster for Lu Qingluo.
Nima[6]!
If she still possessed unique skills like before, she"d naturally be unafraid of such things. The problem is that she had no martial art skill, she"ll die in minutes without an intact corpse!
"Preposterous!" Baoyi was furious. Drawing her sleeve arrow, she tried her best to block the other party"s knife.
The other party was slightly fearful and seeing her make a move, he involuntarily stepped back, his muscles tight, like a leopard ready to bite the hunter.
As expected, the people around the Second Prince are ruthless characters.
Baoyi knew that she wouldn"t be able to keep up the bluff for long, she sneered: "If that"s the case, Gu Nainai[7] will play with you."
Spinning her sleeve arrow in a circle and exhibiting a beautiful and powerful start, a dazzling gleam flashed in her eyes.
"Shizi!"
Baoyi suddenly shouted with genuine concern and the other person subconsciously turned to look. Baoyi seized the opportunity and desperately ran towards the stairs, screaming loudly.
"Help! There"s a killer!"
The shadow guard was tricked by her and was suddenly aware that he"d been played. He"d originally been afraid of Baoyi"s martial arts skill and had kept his attacks measured. Now that he"d been provoked, anger rose in his heart and he raised his hand, flicking his hidden weapon and accurately hitting Baoyi"s back as she was running up the stairs.
Baoyi didn"t have the skill to protect her body, only feeling the pain in her back. At first she didn"t feel anything, then the burning pain immediately spread, as if being slap in the face by the cold steel. Her figure softened and fell down. At the same time, the dagger was heading straight for her back.
Baoyi knew the danger but couldn"t do anything about it.
Suddenly, the sound of metal striking each other sounded behind her. From where did another weapon fly in to deflect the dagger. There wasn"t enough time to see what had happened behind her, Baoyi took the opportunity to jump forward and roll down the stairs.
After a moment of dizziness, Baoyi fixed her line of vision and felt like she had hit a door. She was about to yell but felt a churning in the pit of her stomach, and the head of the monkey was sweet, abruptly vomited a mouthful of red.
Suddenly, the door panel opened.
"Who"s making such a racket here —— "
Upon leaving the room, Zhou Shizi saw such a scene.
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The author has something to say:
Baoyi: I"m the most outstanding shadow guard in the w.a.n.gfu!
Zhou Shizi: My shadow guard got beaten to the point of running and shouting for her master to save her life……
Old master: I think I"ve found the reason why I"ve always failed in my attempts to rescue the mother and child those years ago……
This translation is brought to you by:
Iluska & Maelani Translations
Translator: Iluska
Editor: Sugakookie
1. 恨铁不成钢 (hèn tiě bù chéng gāng) Literal translation – to hate iron for not becoming steel. Meaning – to feel resentful towards someone for failing to meet expectations and to be impatient to see improvement. (Baoyi already knew Lu Qingluo"s (iron) character but she wanted her to stand up for herself (steel), instead of just resigning herself to her fate)↩
2. 玛丽苏 (mǎ lì sū) Literal translation – Mary Sue. Meaning – Mary Sue is a fictional character who plays a prominent role in the story and is usually perfect. Basically, everyones loves the character.↩
3. 昙花一遇的缘，可惜无分 (tán huā yī yù de yuán, kě xí wú fēn)
昙花 (tán huā) Night-blooming cereus – only blooms once a year, for a single night.
缘分 (yuán fēn) Fate
Literal translation – A meeting like the night-blooming cereus, unfortunately didn"t have fate
Meaning – Their relationship "bloomed" for a single night but after that, it was over.↩
4. 龙套 (lóng tào) – Refers to an actor playing a supporting role↩
5. 老娘 (lǎo niáng) Literal translation – Old mother. Meaning – (more of a slang) It"s a way of referring to oneself when you"re slightly angry and it puts the person above (in seniority) the other person. (This isn"t the dictionary definition, just what I"ve gotten from watching chinese dramas).↩
6. 尼玛 (ní mǎ) It"s an exclamation that can mean (1) Come on! (2) G.o.d! (3) Jesus! (4) Really?↩
7. 姑奶奶 (gū nǎi nai) Literal translation – Great aunt. Meaning – Similar to 老娘 (lǎo niáng)↩
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