Chapter 55: Flower Thief Meng
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3614052
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
"Silly girl, why are you being so polite?"
By the time Bai Shuangyan followed Young Master Meng's gaze towards the end of the road, Li Qiubai's group had already disappeared.
Bai Shuangyan did not notice the Young Master's strange reaction. Afraid that this girl would hold a grudge and refuse to let it go, she quickly pushed the Young Master towards a small path. She personally navigated through the crowd and sent the Young Master back to her place of residence.
"If anything happens to you siblings while you are here, not to mention your master, even your mother alone could tear down this shabby place of mine."
It was rare for someone to mention her mother. Young Master Meng froze for a moment.
But it was only for a brief second. Immediately after, she suppressed the complex emotions in her heart, lowered her head, and muttered, "My mother does not care whether we live or die."
Her mother was always filled with thoughts of that woman and never about the two siblings.
Recalling how her mother had missed her elder brother’s wedding just to take care of that woman, Meng Chang'an felt even more resentment in her heart.
The bitterness and gloom in the Young Master's words caused Bai Shuangyan to pause in surprise.
Even though she knew the reason behind it, Bai Shuangyan, as an outsider, did not think she had the right to lecture the Young Master on anything. She could only give a helpless hint.
"Silly girl, what nonsense are you talking about? There is no such thing as a mother who does not care about her own children!"
She did not hear the Young Master refute her. Seeing that the child just hung her head silently, holding back without saying a word, Bai Shuangyan did not say anything more either. After confirming which room the Young Master stayed in, she climbed the steps and personally escorted her to the door.
"Alright, it is getting late. Do not think too much and rest well. After your elder brother and his group leave early tomorrow morning, I will get some people to cover for you two."
With that, she shoved the Young Master into the room, closed the door, and left on her own. On the way back, she casually instructed two attendants to keep an eye out during their night patrol.
The people sitting in the main hall had also gradually dispersed after Li Qiubai's group left.
Regardless of their intentions or what schemes they had in mind, since there was no unusual movement, Shu Yao finally felt at ease and withdrew.
She tiptoed back to her room without even daring to light a lamp. But to her surprise, despite her efforts, the beauty lying on the bed, who seemed to be sound asleep, still called out clearly.
"Finally willing to come back?"
The clear and cold voice did not carry the drowsy softness of someone who had just woken up.
It was obvious that Shen Lingyun had been awake for quite some time.
Shu Yao stiffened for a moment. After recovering, she hurriedly fumbled in the dark to remove her outer clothes while walking towards the bed.
"The weather changed so quickly. It was just a rain, so why did it suddenly become this cold?"
By the time she reached the bedside, Shu Yao was only wearing her inner garments. Pretending not to catch the deeper meaning in Shen Lingyun's words, she playfully slipped under the covers as usual. She hugged Shen Lingyun's waist and asked while pressing against her, "Why did you suddenly wake up? Did I wake you?"
Her ice-cold hands, carrying the chill of the wind, slipped into the warm covers, causing Shen Lingyun to shiver uncontrollably.
There was no light in the room, so Shen Lingyun could only gaze at Shu Yao’s eyes through the faint light seeping in from the window.
When she reached out to touch the half-mask on Shu Yao’s face, her expression finally softened a little.
“You are hiding something from me.”
This time, Shen Lingyun’s voice was no longer as cold as before.
But Shu Yao neither denied it nor responded.
“Forget it, forget it.”
Unlike the Young Master Meng's absent-mindedness, Shu Yao’s unusual behavior along the way had been subtle, yet Shen Lingyun had taken note of it all.
After a barely audible sigh, Shen Lingyun finally said, "If you do not want to talk about it, then forget it. Go to sleep."
With that, she naturally removed the half-mask from Shu Yao’s face and placed it beside the pillow. As she always did, she tucked Shu Yao in properly before withdrawing her hand and wrapping it around her again.
"Are you still cold?"
Hearing this, Shu Yao finally smiled, snuggled closer to Shen Lingyun, and held her, saying, "With you holding me, how could I still feel cold?"
Without the mask’s cover, the scars on that half of her face appeared particularly fierce and hideous.
Shen Lingyun became slightly dazed. As she gently caressed those scars, she murmured softly, “I will try a different remedy for you when we get back.”
Unlike Shen Lingyun, who took things to heart, Shu Yao was rather casual. She allowed Shen Lingyun to touch her as she pleased and replied with a smile, “Alright, I will listen to you.”
The pouring rain outside had gradually subsided, leaving only a drizzle.
As the rain began to ease, Meng Chang’an had already changed into night clothes and quietly leaped out of the window, vanishing into the darkness.
By the fourth watch, Li Qiubai and her party had settled in one after another.
Just as Yuechu stepped outside to pour some water, a dark figure took the opportunity to slip past the patrolling guards outside and quietly entered the Princess' room through the unclosed window.
Unfortunately, just as she had barely landed, she was met with the cold edge of the Princess’s sword.
Young Master Meng dared not act recklessly. As she gripped the sword’s edge in front of her neck with empty hands, she quickly forced a smile before the Princess could strike again.
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3614052
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
“Your Highness has great skill!”
Even though her beloved’s voice came through the barrier of a veil, Li Qiubai could still recognize it.
With that, she finally withdrew her sword and raised her gaze to look at the shadow before her, who was clad in night clothes. She directly pulled off the black veil that covered her face.
“The dignified Young Master of the Demonic Sect, when did you start doing such thieves’ work?”
As she spoke, the Princess reached out to cover the Young Master's cheek and gently pinched it.
“This little thief is quite courageous, huh.”
The tenderness in the Princess’s words unexpectedly infused her soft reprimand with a hint of coquettishness. a
Meng Chang'an let out a dry cough, speaking guiltily, “Who is the thief here? I only came because I heard you were in need of a close bodyguard, and since someone asked, I came over to lend a hand…”
Seeing the Young Master’s evasive gaze, the Princess's smile deepened.
She did not press further, nor did she expose her, only raising an eyebrow as she casually remarked, “Oh? I thought with this outfit of yours, you were planning on being a flower thief.”
Flower thief…?
Thinking about what a flower thief would do, Meng Chang'an’s face immediately flushed red.
Before the Young Master could respond, the Princess finished speaking and had already withdrawn her hand. She turned around and walked to the bedside, placing the sword back into its sheath as she continued, “Rest assured, I am not in need of guards here. You may return and get some rest.”
The Young Master could not discern the emotions within the Princess's tone. She only felt that today, the Princess seemed much colder than usual. After thinking it over, she hurriedly followed and carefully tugged at the sleeve of the Princess’ robe.
“Are you…mad at me?”
Only then did Li Qiubai turn around to look at the Young Master. With a slight smile, she asked back, “Why would I be mad at you?”
This time, Young Master Meng was quite self-aware.
She had seen many trivial matters left unresolved because of misunderstandings between elders. Recalling the Princess' expression that was half a smile and half not, Young Master Meng could not feel at ease no matter how much she thought about it.
Before the Princess could speak clearly, Young Master Meng already took the initiative to explain, “The woman standing beside me today is actually a friend of my mother and master. She is considered my aunt. Please do not misunderstand.”
Young Master Meng’s serious demeanor still carried a hint of cautious probing, which made the Princess unable to hold back her smile anymore.
“Are you afraid that I will misunderstand?”
Following along Young Master Meng’s hand, Li Qiubai easily wrapped her arms around Young Master Meng’s waist.
“So you are not sleeping in the middle of the night, and you specifically sneaked into my room just to explain this matter to me?”
Facing the Princess’ scorching gaze, Young Master Meng’s face turned even redder.
The beauty pressed closely against her, with that soft body, gentle expression, and tender tone. It made Young Master Meng’s heart soften even more.
Her heart beat faster and faster. She quickly turned her head away to avoid the Princess’ captivating gaze. Forcing herself to reply, she said, “No, I just happened to run into Lin Xingyang when I was looking for my elder brother. At his request, I came to check on you along the way.”
Hearing this, the Princess could not help but laugh aloud. “Really?”
With the Princess laughing like that, Young Master Meng felt even more guilty.
Afraid of being further teased, she quickly straightened her face and pushed the Princess slightly to the side. “I really just came by on my way! Besides, who cares whether you misunderstand or not!”
Unfortunately, before Young Master Meng could take a step, she was pulled back by the Princess and directly pushed onto the bed.
Before Young Master Meng could get up from the bed, the Princess pressed down on her, leaning over and gently caressing her cheek, smiling as she asked, “What is it? Do I really look that petty?”
The room was only dimly lit by a lone oil lamp. After the Princess blocked the light, Young Master Meng could no longer see her expression clearly.
“I…”
Meng Chang'an instinctively reached out to support the Princess' waist. Unfortunately, just as she began to speak, the sound of footsteps outside interrupted them at an inappropriate moment.
Moments later, the sound of the door opening followed.
The Princess held her down, refusing to let go. In this situation, dressed as a thief, Young Master Meng felt even more guilty. In a moment of desperation, she lifted the quilt and slipped inside, pulling the Princess in with her.
“Your Highness, I brought you a bowl of ginger soup.”
After closing the door, Yuechu walked into the inner chamber carrying the ginger soup, reminding gently, “Your Highness, please have some before resting, so you do not catch a cold.”
As she spoke, Yuechu belatedly noticed the Princess’ helpless smile.
Following the Princess’ gaze downward, Yuechu finally noticed her awkward posture and the slight bulge beside her under the quilt.
Seeing Yuechu’s stunned and bewildered expression, to avoid Yuechu mistaking Young Master Meng for a thief, Li Qiubai could only pat the spot beside her through the quilt and helplessly said, “It is not like Yuechu is an outsider. What are you panicking about? Are you still not coming out? Do you want to suffocate yourself?”
Young Master Meng initially thought that the Princess would help send Yuechu away. But now, being called out like this, she felt utterly embarrassed.
With no other choice, Meng Chang'an had to obediently poke her head out from under the covers. Using the quilt to hide her night clothes, she gave Yuechu an awkward smile and said politely, “Miss Yuechu is not sleeping yet?”
Seeing Young Master Meng leaning against the Princess’ shoulder, shielding herself, and noticing the blush on her face, Yuechu felt that she had inadvertently interrupted something significant between the Princess and Young Master Meng.
“Ahem, ahem, I will go to sleep now!”
After hastily placing the ginger soup on the nightstand, Yuechu excitedly retreated. As she stepped out of the inner room, she suddenly remembered that she had secretly swapped rooms with He Changping to avoid attracting attention, meaning she would be sharing a room with the Princess tonight.
Thinking of this, Yuechu quickly turned back to remind them, “Do not worry, I sleep very deeply. Once I close my eyes, I will fall asleep and hear nothing at all!”
After lowering the beaded curtain that separated the inner and outer rooms, Yuechu climbed onto the soft couch in the outer room, quickly lifted the quilt, and burrowed in.
In just a moment, the outside fell silent.
Meng Chang'an stared blankly at Yuechu's series of unusual actions. Once she realized the deeper meaning behind Yuechu's words, her face flushed instantly. She could not help but lean toward the Princess' ear and mutter in embarrassment and annoyance, “What nonsense is that girl always thinking?”
Li Qiubai's eyes smiled as she gently pinched Meng Chang'an's burning cheek and softly asked, “Is it her who is thinking nonsense, or is it you who is thinking nonsense?”
Upon hearing this, Meng Chang'an's face turned even redder. She hurriedly lifted the quilt and got up, saying, “I am not playing with you anymore. I will go outside to keep watch for you all.”
“Did I not say? This Princess does not lack guards.”
Before the Young Master could climb down from the bed, the Princess tightly wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her back once again.
“However, this kind of personal bed warmer is indeed lacking. If you want to be this kind of ‘personal’ guard, then I can reluctantly accept your self-recommendation.”
Author's Note:
Princess: You are on my bed, and you still want to get off?
