After Marrying the Villain with Seven Personalities [Transmigration into a Book]) - Chapter 44

Soft lips met in a gentle touch, their breaths mingling to weave a tender web of intimacy that bound them tight. Xu Linqiu slowly slid her hand into the other’s hair, pulling her closer.

Breathing in the scent of magnolia, Linqiu pressed against her lips, deepening the kiss with a lingering, rhythmic intensity. The woman responded eagerly, wrapping her arms around Linqiu’s neck until Linqiu finally pulled back with a smile. “Alright, I’ll go with you.”

“Good. And don’t you dare forget our promise,” the woman replied. Yi Chenhuang (the Empress) gazed at her, her eyes still misty with desire. “It was only because of that promise that I, the Empress, bothered to come out at all.”

Linqiu laughed helplessly, ruffling her hair. “I won’t forget…”

At those words, the Empress beamed, her usually frost-like expression melting into warmth. Watching her, Linqiu couldn’t help but wish that “Qingqing” (the original personality) could smile at her like that.

Shi Ji and the others were drawn out of their tents by the commotion outside. Under the gaze of the livestream cameras, the woman—usually seen in sharp business suits—had transformed her formal attire into something more rugged. Her sleeves and pant legs were rolled up, revealing sleek, pale limbs.

She stood by the river, using a knife exchanged for a card to sharpen the tip of a long wooden pole. She handed the knife to Linqiu and, catching her off guard, leaned in to plant a quick kiss on Linqiu’s lips. She pulled away with a mischievous, cat-like grin, the beauty mark beneath her eye dancing with life.

“Autumn, lend me your hair tie.” Before Linqiu could recover from the shock, the Empress reached out, plucked the tie from her hair, and turned toward the river with a flamboyant laugh.

When Linqiu turned around, she faced four stunned companions. She gave an awkward smile. “She’s… going to catch fish.”

Shi Ji rushed over, bumping Linqiu’s shoulder and whispering urgently, “Which personality is this? And we’re on a livestream! Is she really being this blatant?”

Linqiu smiled toward the river. “It’s the Little Empress.”

The one who treats her like a maid and refers to herself as ‘Imperial We’? Shi Ji fell silent and joined the others in watching the river.

The Empress waded into the water and stopped near a patch of reeds. She held her breath, standing perfectly still with the spear poised, appearing as though she had merged with the flowing current. Suddenly, she lunged. With a sharp splash, she hoisted the pole—a large, flapping fish impaled on the end. Even the crew members couldn’t help but gasp in awe.

“Yes! We won’t starve!” Shi Ji nearly cried with relief. In that moment, she decided that being a “maid” wasn’t so bad after all.

While the Empress caught six fish in total, the others went to gather firewood. The atmosphere improved as they discussed their plans for after the show.

“The first episode ends tomorrow afternoon. Let’s go out together,” Shi Ji suggested. They eventually agreed on a plan to find a legendary spicy hotpot shop near their old high school.

Back at the river, the Empress had already cleaned the fish with surgical precision. She even looked at the camera and told the director, “Please blur the guts,” with a smile that made the director shiver. She then negotiated with the production team, using a single card to squeeze out oil, salt, and extra seasonings.

As the campfire crackled, the aroma of roasting fish filled the air. When the Empress gave the order to eat, everyone dug in.

“It’s delicious,” Shi Ji praised with a thumbs-up. “Sister, this is great,” Xu Judong added. Linqiu smiled warmly. “Hard work pays off. It’s wonderful.”

The Empress leaned close to Linqiu’s ear and whispered, “I expect a reward later.” “Alright,” Linqiu replied softly.

As night fell, the group grew frustrated after failing to find any more cards, despite searching under rocks and up trees. They eventually retired to their tents.

Inside, the Empress eagerly pounced on Linqiu. Before things went too far, Linqiu asked, “You mentioned a memory of us here. Tell me.”

The Empress smiled. “It was when we were young… similar to the era of private schools and imperial exams in my world. I wanted to be near you so badly. I even dreamed about you at night…” Her voice trailed off. “But I was afraid of rejection, so I restrained myself. Back then, even a simple hand-hold made my heart race for days.”

Linqiu felt a pang of sadness. The “Empress” personality had been born out of repressed love—a desire so strong it had to be locked away to avoid causing harm.

Feeling a mix of pity and a strange, lingering frustration that the Empress was seeing someone else in her, Linqiu took the lead. She kissed her with a hint of controlled madness, her fingertips unbuttoning the woman’s shirt.

“Mmm… National Preceptor… I love you so much,” the Empress whispered.

“Linqiu…”

A voice from above snapped Linqiu out of her daze. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Was I taking my revenge on her? She looked up into the misty, cold eyes of the original Yi Chenqing.

“I’m sorry…” Linqiu whispered, hugging her tight. “It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt,” Chenqing replied, ignoring her own confusion. “Did my ‘illness’ make you angry again?”

“No,” Linqiu murmured. “I’m just afraid of losing you.” “You won’t. I’ll get better, and we’ll be together forever.”

Later that night, a crew member spotted a figure wandering the woods with a flashlight. It was President Yi, looking cold and professional.

“Recording? Follow me,” she commanded. The staff member watched in disbelief as she scaled trees and dug through bushes with supernatural efficiency, uncovering card after card. “Make sure you record everything so no one says I cheated.”

Linqiu was eventually awakened by a sharp pain in her neck—someone was biting her. She sat up and turned on her flashlight to see a mountain of cards sitting on the tent floor.

“Where did these come from?” Linqiu asked, bewildered.

The woman replied nonchalantly, “I found them, obviously. Did you forget? I am a vampire. I can see everything at night; my senses are acute. You said you were hungry—what do you want to eat?”

Linqiu: “…”