After Saving The Disabled Villain, I Was Attacked In Return! - Chapter 57

Just as Jiang Yu was about to step forward and argue on Liu Xueyun’s behalf, Qi An stopped her.

“Gu Meng hasn’t actually caused any real harm yet,” Qi An explained quietly. “If you confront her now, you might be seen as targeting her unfairly. It’s better to observe the situation. With us here, Liu Xueyun won’t be pushed too far.”

Qi An continued to offer explanations, but Liu Xueyun remained with her head bowed, showing no sign of moving to polish Gu Meng’s shoes.

“I’m doing you a favor by even asking you to polish my shoes,” Gu Meng sneered, finally asserting her dominance over Liu Xueyun. “Don’t you know that a daughter of a concubine is no different from a servant girl?”

Though furious, Liu Xueyun’s voice trembled with self-doubt, ingrained by years of being treated as inferior. “But… I was raised by Madam herself… I couldn’t possibly… do something like this and embarrass her.”

Gu Meng sneered, pinching Liu Xueyun’s chin and forcing her to look up. “Do you know that even the daughters born to concubines in our Gu Residence haven’t even had a chance to curry my favor?”

Jiang Yu finally remembered that the Gu Residence did indeed have two daughters born to concubines. Although Shen Xi was favored by her husband, she was declared unfit for further childbirth after giving birth to a daughter by the Imperial Physician. Consequently, her husband was provided with several concubines.

Who knew if the Gu family was cursed and incapable of producing a son? All the concubines had borne daughters. Their mothers weren’t even recognized as official concubines, and as daughters of concubines themselves, their lives were even more wretched than Liu Xueyun’s.

It was precisely because Gu Meng had grown accustomed to being the center of attention in the Gu Residence that she spoke so recklessly now. Even when she tried to be cunning, her schemes were too petty to amount to anything.

Upon hearing Gu Meng’s words, Liu Xueyun was at a loss for words. Guided by her desire to avoid causing trouble for Shen Lian, she hesitated for a long time before finally bending down to wipe Gu Meng’s embroidered shoes.

“Miss Gu, isn’t this a bit harsh towards the daughter brought by First Madam Shen? What happened earlier already upset the Madams in the Main Hall. Perhaps you should show some mercy and spare Miss Liu…”

Having been reminded by Qi An, Jiang Yu’s earlier confidence had faded. She now spoke with a more yielding tone, but this only gave Gu Meng an opening to exploit.

Gu Meng raised an eyebrow, her tone dripping with insinuation. Though she directed her words at Liu Xueyun, her venom was clearly aimed at Jiang Yu.

Qi An stood silently, listening to Gu Meng’s venomous words. With each barb directed at Jiang Yu, her gaze grew colder.

Finally, Qi An stepped forward, blocking Gu Meng’s path. Gu Meng couldn’t explain it, but she felt an inexplicable fear of Qi An.

Perhaps this stemmed from the Qi Family’s mysterious past. No one knew their official positions, nor the reasons behind their downfall.

When the once-mysterious Qi Family fell from grace and was stripped of their wealth, rumors began to spread, leading many to look down on Qi An.

But when Qi An finally stood before them, the feeling intensified.

Gu Meng fell silent, and even Liu Xueyun stared at Qi An in surprise. She realized that some people could inspire fear simply by their presence, without saying a word, making others close their mouths.

Liu Xueyun couldn’t help but yearn for such power, her eyes burning with frenzied longing. She knew she lacked such forcefulness, but she relentlessly pushed herself to climb higher, step by step.

“Miss,” Qi An said, her smile like a tiger’s grin, “there are times when showing mercy is the wisest choice.” To Jiang Yu, Qi An’s distant yet terrifying smile seemed merely polite, but Gu Meng felt her entire body tremble.

Those peerless eyes seemed to conceal a history of bloodshed and violence, giving her gaze its overwhelming power.

Gu Meng had no doubt that if she provoked this woman, Qi An would instantly snap her neck.

Jiang Yu stood behind Qi An, looking bright and well-behaved. Her innocent demeanor wasn’t an act. Gu Meng finally realized the difference between them.

Everyone seemed to dote on Jiang Yu, even this mysterious Miss from the Qi Family, who was willing to speak up and kneel for her.

“Can you stop lecturing me?” Gu Meng thought, feeling both afraid and stubborn about saving face. Since Jiang Yu had already said she wouldn’t hold it against her, they should just let bygones be bygones.

Qi An remained unfazed, standing motionless as if waiting for Gu Meng to speak so she could start tormenting her.

Adhering to the principle of “if you can’t beat them, join them,” Gu Meng dragged Liu Xueyun toward the fish pond in the Back Garden, grandly inviting Jiang Yu and Qi An to admire the Shen Residence’s prized flowers and plants.

Jiang Yu nearly rolled her eyes out of her head. The flowers and plants in the General’s Residence were immeasurably more precious than those in the Shen Residence. It wasn’t that she looked down on the Shen Residence, but why did Gu Meng always assume others were clueless country bumpkins?

Gu Meng herself was the biggest country bumpkin of them all.

Qi An glanced back and noticed Jiang Yu’s face filled with disdain. It struck him as amusing, recalling how rarely Jiang Yu displayed such emotions in his memories.

“What’s wrong, Miss Jiang? Am I amusing you?” Qi An asked with a smile, gently tucking a stray strand of hair behind Jiang Yu’s ear.

The intimate gesture made Jiang Yu blush, her disdain instantly vanishing. Clutching Qi An’s arm felt like embracing her entire world.

Feeling the soft, fragrant girl clinging to his arm, Qi An’s mood lifted. But when he looked ahead at Gu Meng, his brow inevitably furrowed, remembering her earlier snide remarks.

“You’re just a lowborn girl… How could you ever rise to become a phoenix?”

“Running around like a dog relying on its master’s strength. Your boldness is only because you’ve attached yourself to the right lord, isn’t it?”

Earlier, Qi An hadn’t been angry with Jiang Yu, focusing solely on listening for any insults directed at her. But now, watching Gu Meng’s retreating figure and Liu Xueyun’s frail presence beside her, she felt her anger simmering.

Jiang Yu’s hostility toward Gu Meng stemmed from the same source. The two gazes fixed on Gu Meng made her shiver involuntarily.

The weather was gloomy. Qi An repositioned Jiang Yu’s cloak, its fluffy collar hiding her elegant jawline, making her look like a slender, delicate, yet blessed, traditional Chinese doll.

Jiang Yu’s smile grew even brighter, like the brightest moon in the dimly lit Shen Residence.

Ahead, Gu Meng grew increasingly furious. Hearing Jiang Yu’s cheerful chatter behind her, she felt utterly cheated. In the Main Hall, Gu Meng, who had always prided herself on her cunning, had been outwitted. Her anger boiled over, and her eyes narrowed as a mischievous plan formed in her mind.

The Back Garden of the Shen Residence housed a modest lake, usually stocked with ornamental koi carp. The elderly residents kept the fish for auspicious symbolism. Now, with a thin layer of ice covering the surface, the pampered carp had been transferred to indoor tanks by the maids, to be returned to the lake when spring thawed.

The frozen lake in the street was often tapped by maids to break the ice into chunks, just to make it look more presentable.

When Jiang Yu and the others arrived, only a few scattered fragments of ice remained on the lake surface, the rest having melted into the water.

But looking out over the scene, Jiang Yu felt her heart broaden.

Qi An stood by the lake in a set of white winter clothes, looking like she had just stepped out of an ancient painting. Her hair was simply coiled up, without any adornments, a few strands spilling down.

The color scheme was monochromatic, yet the overall effect was simple and elegant.

Jiang Yu gradually forgot about moving forward, standing there staring blankly as Qi An approached the lake, her figure exuding a distinctive, self-contained style.

“I suppose this is why I love reading historical fiction so much…” Jiang Yu murmured to herself, her words unheard by anyone.

The author had designed the entire book with a grand framework, but it had been constrained by the “sweet romance” label, forcing all the plot to serve the purpose of increasing the intimacy between the male and female leads.

Now that Jiang Yu had truly entered the book, she realized that every character had their own life and thoughts. Perhaps she controlled the script, but she couldn’t control every person’s heart.

Perhaps that was why some plots still followed the original book’s path. Jiang Yu’s face fell. What about Qi An?

This woman she thought about day and night. After transmigrating into the book, Jiang Yu found that many characters’ fates stirred her sympathy. But she constantly reminded herself that being lenient with others was being cruel to herself.

Only Qi An. From the moment she started reading the book, Jiang Yu had felt a deep ache for her, even willing to protect her for a lifetime.

But… Jiang Yu sighed again, uncertain of what lay ahead.

“Why the sigh?” Qi An tilted her head slightly, a rare gesture. She had been doing everything she could to cheer Jiang Yu up. That aloof, ethereal beauty paired with such a cute expression made Jiang Yu crack a smile. She ran over to stand by Qi An’s side, gazing at the lake.

She had hoped this brief moment would clear her mind, but Gu Meng kept meddling.

Support After Saving The Disabled Villain, I Was Attacked In Return!