After Transmigrating into a Book, I Was Entangled by the Paranoid Eldest Princess - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Wen Chenqing was pushed back two small steps by the impact, instinctively reaching out to steady the other’s shoulders.

“You dreamed of it?” Recalling what she had said earlier, Wen Chenqing felt a twinge of regret. “I shouldn’t have brought those things up to you today.”

Some people have weaker psychological resilience, but Wen Chenqing hadn’t expected that after being perfectly fine for the past two days, Ajin would have nightmares the moment the subject was mentioned.

She tilted her head to listen to the sounds outside; the rustling rain was continuous, and she could faintly hear a sound akin to muffled thunder.

“It’s likely that rainy nights make people overthink,” Wen Chenqing said. She welcomed the trembling Ajin into the room, then released her at the right moment to turn and pour a cup of tea.

Cradling the cup with both hands, the icy touch reminded Wen Chenqing once again that this was no longer an era with water dispensers and constant-temperature kettles.

She set down a cup of cold tea.

Finding a garment to drape over Ajin’s shoulders, Wen Chenqing took a seat across from her.

“Do you feel a bit better now?”

Si Jinghua shook her head listlessly.

Wen Chenqing, having never dealt with such an experience, found it a bit tricky and tried to speak with facts: “We were both there that day, didn’t we see it? When she was knocked down by the horse, there weren’t many external injuries. So the so-called ‘covered in blood’ is just your imagination at work.”

Ajin was draped in Wen Chenqing’s outer robe. Her long hair was a bit messy from just coming out of the quilt, making her look like a pitiful kitten in need of grooming. “But I did dream of it.”

Wen Chenqing said patiently, “Then I’ll stay and talk with you. Let’s stop thinking about this, alright?”

Only after seeing Ajin nod did she pick out some interesting things that had happened recently to chat about.

Things like the interesting lives of characters she encountered while reading, her attempt to plant vegetables despite knowing nothing and being teased by Yinxing, and the anxious yet expectant feeling of waiting for her grades…

Because Si Jinghua was preoccupied with other things, she only listened perfunctorily at first.

But when she saw Wen Chenqing imperceptibly let out a few yawns, her gaze began to focus intently on her.

After a long stretch of dry talking, Ajin showed no signs of sleepiness; her beautiful phoenix eyes were locked firmly on Wen Chenqing.

Wen Chenqing was out of tricks. She said, “I’ll go find a travelogue to read to you.”

As she stood up, she drained the cup of cold tea in one gulp. Immediately, her mouth wasn’t dry and her eyes weren’t sleepy; she felt energized enough to talk to the spirited Ajin for another half hour.

She picked a travelogue she usually found interesting and began reading. At first, her voice was clear and strong, but gradually, it began to falter.

“…Therefore, silk was used to bind that place, to make the feet take a straight path.”

Si Jinghua rested her chin on her hand, listening to Wen Chenqing mumble nonsensical words. Her phoenix eyes held a trace of a smile she hadn’t even noticed herself as she corrected her.

Wen Chenqing could hardly lift her eyelids. She looked blankly at the person who had suddenly spoken. “Ah? Oh.”

She re-read: “…Therefore, silk was used to bind the feet to take a straight path. When the people look at taro, they see cotton…”

Silly, Si Jinghua thought. The next line was clearly “The people see taro as cotton.”

Si Jinghua reached out and pressed down on the hand about to turn the page. “No need to read anymore.”

Wen Chenqing caught herself just before falling into a dream, pulling together a bit of spirit: “Is Ajin sleepy? It’s late; then let’s go to sleep.”

Finally, she could be liberated.

Wen Chenqing put down the travelogue and rubbed her eyes. Ever since transmigrating, her biological clock had adjusted; she hadn’t experienced the feeling of staying up late for a long time.

But the person before her didn’t move.

Wen Chenqing was so sleepy her vision was blurred with tears. Seeing Ajin looking around, she couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong?”

To be honest, she had never seen such a demanding adult. She really wanted to ask: What is it now, my eldest lady?!

Si Jinghua had lingered here for a long time, and finally, she showed her cards.

“I want to sleep with you tonight.”

“?” Wen Chenqing’s sleepiness dissipated quite a bit. “Ah? There’s no need for that, right?”

Ajin remained in that same state: “But I’m afraid. As soon as I close my eyes, the images from the dream appear.”

So, even though she had almost hypnotized herself to sleep just now, she still hadn’t dispelled Ajin’s imagination?

Realizing her efforts were in vain, even the good-tempered Wen Chenqing couldn’t help but ask: “Then why didn’t you say so earlier?” It must be nearly midnight by now.

Si Jinghua, who had started out being perfunctory but later wanted to see exactly when Wen Chenqing’s patience would run out, finally couldn’t help but interrupt her upon realizing that as long as she didn’t speak, Wen Chenqing might even talk herself to sleep.

Naturally, she wouldn’t tell Wen Chenqing the truth.

“Because I wanted to try.” She looked a bit like she was afraid Wen Chenqing would lose her temper, peeking at her secretly. “In the end, it was completely useless.”

Would sleeping with her be useful?

Not necessarily.

Wen Chenqing opened her mouth to continue refusing. Exactly at that moment, the thunder that had been brewing finally broke—a resounding boom that sounded as if it would crash through the roof and land on their heads.

Ajin’s body shuddered. Without a word, she scurried to Wen Chenqing’s side and grabbed her sleeve, her whole body nearly leaning into her embrace.

Wen Chenqing’s arm moved, but she didn’t break away. Instead, she looked miserably at the pitch-black window outside.

Thunder could have appeared at any time, but it chose this moment.

She glanced sideways; Ajin’s face was pale, looking at her with pity and nervousness, her body shaking incessantly with the peals of thunder outside.

So pitiful. How could she refuse?

The two of them stared at each other for quite a while. Perhaps Ajin saw something in her eyes, as Wen Chenqing felt the tightly gripped sleeve slowly be released.

Si Jinghua used retreat as a means of advancement: “It’s fine if Miss Wen is unwilling. I will head back now. I apologize for the disturbance tonight.”

Even though she was terrified, she let go.

Did her eyes clearly have the word “refusal” written in them?

The disappointment evident in the way she addressed her made Wen Chenqing knit her brows uncomfortably.

Bringing this on myself, she regretted once again. Had she known this would happen, she wouldn’t have told Ajin the follow-up.

She caught the Ajin who was about to leave and pursed her lips. “I’m not unwilling. Since you’re afraid, there’s nothing wrong with us staying together tonight.”

Then Wen Chenqing watched as the expression on Ajin’s face turned from disappointment to joy, her vivid look unconsciously smoothing the furrow in Wen Chenqing’s brow.

Actually, when it’s thundering and raining and one happens to have a nightmare, it’s perfectly normal to want someone nearby.

Wen Chenqing’s memory was suddenly pulled back to her childhood; she suddenly felt that two not-so-familiar people sleeping together wasn’t so unacceptable after all.

She went to Ajin’s room with her to bring the bedding back, giving it a squeeze on the way.

Strange, why does the texture feel different from before? And it feels much lighter than my own bedding.

Her rising thoughts were interrupted in an instant by the movements of the person beside her. Wen Chenqing had no time to think deeply.

“Watch your step.”

Ajin supported her shoulder and replied softly, “Alright.”

Once the bedding was laid out, they both lay down.

Wen Chenqing lay straight in her spot, hands folded over her lower abdomen, eyes closed as she tried to fall asleep.

But in the quiet rainy night, less than a meter away from her, the sound of another person’s breathing was steady and regular, asserting its presence right by her ear.

Consequently, Wen Chenqing’s breathing frequency also became strange. The effort to control her breath made her even more unable to sleep.

She had nearly met the Duke of Zhou while reading the travelogue earlier.

She kept her eyes closed, but her thoughts wandered as she listened to the pitter-patter of the rain.

At least it’s not thundering anymore. What if Ajin says she’s scared again?

They were already lying on the same bed. If she was still scared, wouldn’t they have to…

Crazy! Wen Chenqing gave herself an imaginary slap. What kind of nonsense am I thinking?

She frowned, suggesting to herself to fall asleep quickly.

Perhaps because the Duke of Zhou had waited so long for the person who was supposed to come, after a short while, Wen Chenqing’s consciousness began to blur until she sank into the long night.

After the breathing beside her became steady, Si Jinghua suddenly opened both eyes in the darkness.

She turned over, propping up her head to look sideways at the soundly sleeping Wen Chenqing.

The color of the deep night was like the thickest black ink; aside from an endless and bottomless darkness, no other color could be seen.

Listening to the breathing by her ear, Si Jinghua reached out her hand, accurately touching the person she wanted to reach.

Her slightly cool fingers traced downward from the forehead, passing the high bridge of the nose and the closed lips. Her fingertips followed the jawline, coming to rest on the warm neck.

The pulse beneath her finger was faint but clear. Strands of vibration extended through the lines of her fingertip to her entire body, reaching a mutual rhythm at a certain moment.

Under the cover of darkness, all the fake expressions usually on Si Jinghua’s face vanished, leaving only an unobservable indifference.

She spread her palm, loosely gripping Wen Chenqing’s warm neck.

Staring at this person with pitch-black pupils, Si Jinghua tilted her head.

What kind of monster are you exactly?

Originally, Si Jinghua had the intention of just playing along, but she found that she had actually developed an interest.

This person’s appearance was acceptable, and her personality was quite good.

If she were an ordinary person, it would be her honor to stay by the Princess Royal’s side and serve for a period.

But the person Si Jinghua encountered was a monster who seemingly occupied someone else’s body.

Even if she had developed the inclination to keep this person by her side to serve for a time, deep down, she still prioritized her own safety above all else.

Since she couldn’t have her, she would destroy her.

The emotions in the domineering Si Jinghua’s eyes churned like a stormy sea, obscure and difficult to decipher.

If Fuqu, who had been guarding outside lately, were to see this, she would surely be startled, thinking this was some vengeful ghost come to take a life.

But the only person who could see this appearance was fast asleep, unable to see or perceive the danger inches away.

Si Jinghua’s hand, which had been loosely draped over Wen Chenqing’s neck, suddenly grew heavy. She exerted force expressionlessly, veins bulging on the back of her hand.

Wen Chenqing, who was meeting the Duke of Zhou, suddenly felt as if a thick quilt had been pulled over her face, smothering her so she couldn’t breathe. Her throat felt dry and painful.

…Did I overwork my voice tonight? she thought fuzzily.

Plentiful oxygen was being ruthlessly extracted, the thin air making her suffocate.

“Ugh… hhh…”

Wen Chenqing, caught in the agony of suffocation, suddenly became like a person who had struck it rich, greedily seizing the suddenly abundant oxygen.

Hearing the broken sounds squeezed out by Wen Chenqing, Si Jinghua’s hand abruptly let go.

Forget it. Since she has a heart of pity and is willing to seek justice for others, then even if she is a monster or a ghost, she is a kind-hearted one.