Shen Qingyao is a broad-minded person, and has always believed in not caring about things that don’t concern her. In just a few days, she had buried the slight anomaly she accidentally encountered in the bookstore in her heart. No matter how Xiao Jing conspired with Princess Yonghe, it seemed that his plans were futile now, at least they had all been figured out by Lu Zhao. So, what did she have to fear?
As the intellectual ceiling of this book, Shen Qingyao completely believed in Lu Zhao’s abilities.
The night was dark, and the chambers were draped in red silk, with candles flickering, casting a warm red glow. Shen Qingyao sat alone in front of the dressing table, staring blankly at the bronze mirror. In the low clarity of the bronze mirror, a distorted shadow was reflected. Shen Qingyao snapped out of it, feeling as if she was in a scene from a horror movie…
[Host, are you nervous?] Suddenly, the system spoke again with a meaningless question.
Shen Qingyao was startled by it, her heart pounding, but surprisingly she didn’t retort. She whispered, “A little bit…”
After all, in this life and the previous one, this was her first marriage.
Yes, time passed quickly. Two months had passed since the preparations for the wedding began, and Mother Shen had just left. Tomorrow was the day of Shen Qingyao’s wedding to Lu Zhao.
Shen Qingyao got up and sat down by the bed, her fingers reaching into the covers and touching a hard corner. She pulled it out and saw that it was the fire prevention chart1 that Mother Shen had mysteriously given her…
…Shen Qingyao’s fingers stiffened, undecided whether to open the book or not. As a newcomer from the 21st century who had crossed over, Shen Qingyao felt that there was nothing she hadn’t seen before, so this level of content didn’t make her shy. But just thinking that she was going to marry someone inexplicably, even if it was Lu Zhao, made her feel a bit strange.
Thinking of the number above Lu Zhao’s head, it was [20] when they last met. What would it be next time? She basically had lost hope for it to decrease. She only hoped that this blackening value wouldn’t increase too quickly. But now, as the two of them were about to get married, she still hadn’t grasped the pattern of this number’s changes…
There was a slight pain in her heart, and Shen Qingyao pressed down harder. She couldn’t help but feel a bit pessimistic. Could she really successfully conquer Lu Zhao? Could she really continue to live well?
*Knock, knock, knock—* There was a knock on the window.
Shen Qingyao hurried over and pushed open the window, only to see Shen Qingli smiling outside, not the person she had expected. There was a hint of disappointment in Shen Qingyao’s eyes.
“What? Disappointed to see me?” Shen Qingli was so sharp that she immediately noticed.
Shen Qingyao smiled and shook her head, quickly pulling Shen Qingli inside, and said with a smile, “How could it be! I’m so happy to see Eldest Sister! But why did Eldest Sister come over at this time?”
Shen Qingli let Shen Qingyao hold onto her arm, unable to resist reaching out to pinch Shen Qingyao’s nose when she heard Shen Qingyao’s words. She deliberately said in a fierce tone, “You heartless little thing! My little sister is about to get married, and you won’t allow me to feel sad and sleepless at night? I’m not even allowed to come and see her?”
Shen Qingyao wrinkled her nose, feeling warm inside, she leaned against Shen Qingli’s shoulder like a spoiled child, softly calling out, “Eldest Sister~~”
Shen Qingyao’s eyes were slightly moist, and the reluctant emotions slowly welled up. Since transmigrating, apart from Lu Zhao, her Eldest Sister had been the best to her.
Seeing her sister snuggling up to her like a little animal, Shen Qingli couldn’t bear to be harsh with her sister anymore. She patted Shen Qingyao’s head and said softly, “I saw your lamp still lit from afar, so I came to see you.”
The two sat down by the bedside, and Shen Qingli looked closely at Shen Qingyao’s features in the candlelight, smiling gently after a while.
“Our Yaoyao has grown up, and we’re both getting married…” Shen Qingli said, with a hint of tears in her eyes.
Shen Qingyao couldn’t bear it. She hadn’t felt family affection in her previous life. Rarely did someone treat her like this. Her eyes reddened, and she threw herself into Shen Qingli’s arms.
Shen Qingli didn’t push her away, but embraced her, gently patting her back, her gaze distant, as if recalling something, “Do you remember the year we first came to the capital?”
The Shen family had moved to the capital ten years ago, after living in Yunyang before that.
“What?” Shen Qingyao was stunned. At that time, she hadn’t transmigrated yet, so naturally, she didn’t know.
Shen Qingli thought Shen Qingyao had forgotten and patted her waist to soothe her, then continued, “Back then, your condition wasn’t that serious yet. You were very curious when you just arrived in the capital and wanted to go everywhere. Eldest Brother doted on you, so he secretly took you to the academy that time. What was a little girl like you doing at the academy with him?”
Shen Qingyao lay quietly on her Eldest Sister’s shoulder, not saying a word, listening to her Eldest Sister reminisce about these events that didn’t belong to her. It was strange. Although she hadn’t experienced them, she could already visualize those scenes in her mind…
Was it the memory of this body? Shen Qingyao wondered dully. It all felt too real.
“He took you to the academy and didn’t take care of you well. He said that he lost sight of you. It frightened us so much!”
“Lost sight?” Shen Qingyao moved slightly, revealing one eye to look at Shen Qingli’s beautiful chin, her expression filled with confusion, wanting to hear more.
“Yes, luckily Lu Zhao found you.” Shen Qingli said softly, “It was almost evening, and the whole family was frantic, but Lu Zhao came back carrying you, all dirty. You were fast asleep on his back.”
Shen Qingli chuckled, as she was reminiscing about something amusing. “But who would’ve thought, in the end, you two would end up together…”
“Lu Zhao? How?” Shen Qingyao sat up straight, looking at Shen Qingli in astonishment, while her heart sank realizing that the original owner of this body had indeed known Lu Zhao for a long time.
Shen Qingli smiled. She often wondered herself, how? How did it end up being Lu Zhao? But then again, everything seemed to make sense. Lu Zhao was usually particular about cleanliness and didn’t allow people to get close to him, yet that day he willingly carried the dirt-covered Yaoyao back. It was already quite surprising.
After that incident at the academy, Lu Zhao quickly became acquainted with Shen Yushu. The eleven-years-old Young Master Lu, who was said to be difficult to approach, showed unprecedented kindness and tolerance to the Shen family who had just arrived in the capital. One could say that both Father Shen’s rise to prominence and Shen Yushu’s smooth journey owed something to Lu Zhao and the influence of his Duke’s family.
Initially, Shen Qingli thought it was because Lu Zhao got along well with her brother. But now she realized, it was probably because of Yaoyao.
Lu Zhao would always inquire about Yaoyao whenever he visited the Shen residence, and he would conveniently send some rare medicinal herbs when Yaoyao was seriously ill…
“No wonder…” Shen Qingli chuckled. No wonder Lu Zhao agreed to Yaoyao’s marriage proposal under such absurd circumstances. It turns out it was all planned in advance.
“Eldest Sister?” Shen Qingyao turned her head, still not understanding Shen Qingli’s implication.
Shen Qingli affectionately pulled Shen Qingyao into her arms, using one hand to tidy up the stray hair on Shen Qingyao’s temple. “Over the years, Yaoyao, your illness has often flared up, and several times it was almost unbearable. During the severe episodes, you couldn’t even recognize me when you woke up, and it’s inevitable to forget some things. Don’t worry about it. If you can’t remember, then let it be. It’s just some old memories. Right now, as long as I know Lu Zhao will treat you well, I’ll be relieved.”
Shen Qingyao lowered her eyes. Her frequent bouts of illness had caused her memories to become muddled. No wonder nobody noticed her abnormality even after she transmigrated into this world; it had become the norm. Yet she still felt like she had missed something. Those childhood memories about Lu Zhao, she had no recollection of them at all, but she had a strong intuition that they were important…
“What’s wrong?” Sensing that Shen Qingyao hadn’t spoken for a long time, Shen Qingli asked softly.
Shen Qingyao leaned against her sister’s shoulder and murmured softly, “Eldest Sister, did I really… forget many things?”
Was Lu Zhao being so good to her because of those past events? A sense of unease suddenly filled her chest, and Shen Qingyao clenched her fists.
“Why are you asking this?” Shen Qingli smiled, “They’re just trivial matters, don’t worry.”
They weren’t trivial at all. Shen Qingli remembered clearly how lively and cheerful Yaoyao was before she turned ten, even though she was seriously ill.
When they entered the capital when Yaoyao was six, she used to sneak out to play often, and every time Lu Zhao would bring her back. But when she turned ten, her heart disease suddenly flared up, almost taking her life. After that major illness, Yaoyao couldn’t remember anything before she was ten, and she didn’t enjoy going out to play anymore. She became more gloomy and introverted, as if she had changed…
Shen Qingli lowered her head to look at Shen Qingyao, who was lying against her chest, feeling that since Yaoyao had settled her marriage with Lu Zhao, she had regained some of the liveliness she had before she turned ten, which was quite nice.
“Yaoyao, don’t be nervous. If Lu Zhao ever bullies you in the future, just come to your Eldest Sister, and I’ll make sure your Brother-in-law teaches him a lesson!” Shen Qingli joked.
Shen Qingyao also laughed and teased, “Where did the Brother-in-law come from~? Eldest Sister is being shy! We’re not even married yet! How can he be my Brother-in-law already!”
The result of teasing was being gently suppressed by her Eldest Sister, who was both embarrassed and annoyed, and once again had her nose pinched. The two sisters laughed and teased for a while before it ended.
[Host?] Long after Shen Qingli had left, Shen Qingyao remained in the same position without moving, and the system called out worriedly, [Host, what’s wrong with you?]
Shen Qingyao shook her head, her face somewhat pale. “I’m just thinking, does Lu Zhao treat me well because of my Eldest Sister, or because of me, or because of the original owner? Could it be that the person he always liked was… the original owner?”
[What’s the difference?] The system didn’t understand. [Aren’t they all Shen Qingyao?]
“No, it’s not the same.” Shen Qingyao continued shaking her head, feeling tight in her heart, but she didn’t understand why she felt this way, only feeling that it was more difficult for her to accept than if Lu Zhao liked her Eldest Sister.
The original book wouldn’t provide too much explanation for a small cannon fodder character like her. Shen Qingyao had always prided herself on holding the script, but tonight she suddenly learned too many things outside the script. This feeling of being completely out of control made her feel a bit lost.
She hadn’t even figured out whether Lu Zhao liked the female lead or not, and now there was a question of whether he liked the original owner, and another… the deepest question hidden in her heart, whether Lu Zhao liked her…
On the night before her marriage, Shen Qingyao felt confused for the first time about her own strategy script…
- actually, fire prevention chart is a kind of guidebook on how to prevent fire hazards, but obviously, it wasn’t the actual one that was mentioned here. I’m guessing it’s either a guidebook on s*x education or a guidebook on how to calculate the ovulation period (as heirs are very important to the ancients) ↩︎