How Did the Female Lead in the Angst Novel Become My Ex-Wife’s Sister? - Chapter 12

“Sister…” Standing out on the veranda, Pei Linlang called out to Cen Xianyue, her heart aching.

Cen Xianyue didn’t look back, but her hand silently slipped from Linlang’s grasp.

Linlang looked down, watching that pale, slender hand drift further and further away. A strange sensation welled up in her chest again, a dull discomfort that made her gaze linger on Xianyue’s back during the heavy silence.

The wind continued to howl. This night was simply too cold, so cold that it turned Xianyue’s skin a delicate, near-transparent shade of pink.

“Didn’t you say you have to see your benefactor? You must wake up early tomorrow.” Xianyue finally turned around to face her, her voice low.

Xianyue was slightly taller than her, yet she gave off the impression of being fragile enough to be scattered by the wind.

“Yeah…” Linlang replied muffledly, her eyes drifting upward to look directly at her. “Tomorrow…”

Somehow, Linlang couldn’t help herself. She reached out, her fingers landing on a stray, messy lock of dark hair at Xianyue’s temple.

In an instant, Xianyue stiffened. She lifted her eyes to meet Linlang’s gaze, her look intense and searching. The touch was soft and cold skin against skin, it seemed to make time stand still.

The next second, Xianyue caught Linlang’s hand, folding it into her own palm.

That strange emotion began to spread like wildfire. Linlang felt like a fledgling bird that had stumbled into a hunter’s trap. Startled, she yanked her hand back and retreated, her eyes wide with a flicker of panic.

Realizing she had lost her composure, Linlang forced a laugh. “Right, I have to wake up early, so…” She took another step back, telling herself she had to go. “Sister, get some rest. Goodnight.”

She turned and fled, her departure frantic and disorganized.

*****

In the shadows of the courtyard corner, Nanny Zhang silently watched the scene unfold.

Linlang, in her haste, nearly collided with someone. She dropped a quick “sorry,” but Nanny Zhang seemed not to hear it. The nanny’s eyes were fixed on Cen Xianyue as she swayed slowly toward her.

“Madam, your relationship with your ‘brother’ is truly… close.”

“They say ‘a grown son avoids his mother, a grown daughter avoids her father.’ You two share not a drop of blood, shouldn’t you be even more mindful of appearances?”

Xianyue had no heart for verbal sparring. She offered a faint, polite smile. “Nanny should also head to bed early.” With that, she turned toward the side room.

*****

For the first time in two years of marriage, Shen Zhao was sleeping in the bedroom she shared with Cen Xianyue.

Staring at the bedframe, Shen Zhao felt a hollow void in her heart. Her late brother’s concubine had passed away from a severe illness, leaving behind a half-grown child whom her “Sister” had insisted on raising immediately upon returning to the capital.

They had grown up together. Shen Zhao admired her talent and skill, and understood her heroic, righteous nature. But the woman was still unmarried; raising a child of unknown origin would surely invite scandal.

Shen Zhao had suggested entrusting the child to her and Xianyue. After all, she was currently living under her brother’s identity, raising his child was logical. Furthermore, Xianyue was a gentle woman who cared for her; she wouldn’t mistreat the child. But when she spoke those words, the other woman had simply scolded her, calling her heartless.

She knew the woman had always looked down on her, and that any kindness shown was likely born of ulterior motives.

“Master,” a low female voice sounded beside her.

Shen Zhao snapped back to reality. She didn’t sit up, allowing the shadow to continue.

“Regarding the Princess Regent… what are your plans?”

Ah, yes. The Princess Regent.

In recent years, the Princess had been aggressively promoting the Statutes of Female Households, aimed at supporting women in trade, labor, and officialdom. Her reasoning was that this was the late Emperor’s dying wish. With the current Emperor’s health failing, the Princess had governed as regent for a long time. Even so, the implementation of this law was fraught with difficulty, sparking fierce debate across the court.

With the spring plowing approaching, the Princess had recently led a group of female officials to the Imperial Ancestral Temple, performing the “three prostrations and nine kowtows” to pray for the state’s prosperity. That night, a sudden rain fell across the city, yet the sky above the temple remained a brilliant sea of stars, with Regulus, the star of the Xuanyuan constellation that’s shining brightest. The city claimed it was a miracle from the late Emperor, but the Princess simply kowtowed to her brother, declaring it was “His Majesty’s virtue that touched the heavens.”

Shen Zhao had been secretly relieved, thinking that despite the Princess’s sharp methods, she was carving a path for women. However, during today’s court session, the Princess had used this “heavenly omen” to nominate a female official for the position of Vice Magistrate of the Court of Judicial Review.

This meant the opportunity Shen Zhao had waited five years for might be handed to someone else.

Her heart was a mess of conflicting emotions. Had she made a mistake? Years ago, when she was nothing, she had wanted to kneel at the Princess’s feet. If the Princess hadn’t ignored the child of her old acquaintance, would Shen Zhao have spent four or five years dressed as a man?

Now that she was here…

Shen Zhao looked toward the window, her eyes sharp. “No matter what, I must secure the Vice Magistrate post. Not just that, I must eventually be the Chief Magistrate. Xuanmiao.”

“Present.”

“Send more people to infiltrate the Luofuchun Banquet hosted by the Princess.”

“The Princess is cautious, and the banquet is filled with noblewomen. Will it be…?”

“If there is no chaos, create it. Use whatever means necessary to ensure that banquet ends in disaster!”

“Understood.”

*****

Pei Linlang slept poorly.

Despite knowing she had to wake up early, her mind was filled with Cen Xianyue the moment she closed her eyes.

Cen Xianyue…

Perhaps because her thoughts were so consumed by her, Xianyue appeared in her dreams as well. In the dream, Xianyue hadn’t married yet. In a courtyard of the Cen Estate, she was supervising Linlang’s studies. Linlang was clearly unwilling, using every trick and tantrum in the book to slack off.

Xianyue had been helpless. Though she let Linlang off the hook, she worried: “You have the identity of a man now, yet you refuse to study. What will become of you in the future?”

“That’s why Sister has to study hard! In the future, you can become a female official under the Princess Regent, and I’ll count on you to support me.”

Linlang had clung to Xianyue’s arm, and Xianyue had tapped her forehead with a sigh. It felt so real, like a dusty memory suddenly unlocked.

When the dream ended, Linlang woke up. Unable to return to sleep, she used a basin of cold water for a makeshift bath.

As the Lunar New Year approached, it grew colder by the day. Under a grey sun, snow began to fall again.

Linlang rose early, but likely due to the cold bath, her head felt heavy and dizzy. She rubbed her temples and joined Xianyue for a light breakfast. She heard that Shen Zhao was on a break and resting inside to recover from her hangover. To look after her, the nanny had ordered the kitchen to brew several tonics, and Linlang managed to snag a bowl.

The hot soup revived her spirit. She remarked that the nanny cared for Brother-in-law like her own son. “But I see that Brother-in-law isn’t particularly close to her.” It was ironic. Shen Zhao had been replaced by another person, and the nanny hadn’t even noticed.

Xianyue seemed to understand her confusion. “It’s normal for them not to be close. When Shen Zhao’s family was caught in the succession struggle, she, her mother, and her brother stayed in the North. Others were exiled or sent back to Jinan. They only reunited recently as things improved.”

Linlang knew this, of course. Shen Zhao’s family had backed the Princess Regent. When the current Emperor ascended, many were purged under the guise of “clearing the palace,” and Shen Zhao’s father was among them. Shen Zhao and her brother were twins and escaped the worst of it. The three of them had stayed with a family friend in the military. This was why Shen Zhao looked down on the original Linlang—she had grown up as a guest too, but she had studied tirelessly and eventually took her brother’s place to earn a title. Her ambition was far greater than that of most women.

Linlang was wondering where the stay-at-home heroine had heard all this gossip when Yunxiu entered. “Miss, the carriage has arrived.”

Xianyue noted the wind and snow, saying the journey was long. Not only did she provide a carriage, but she also produced a brand-new, snowy-white cloak of feather-satin to wrap around Linlang.

“It was part of my dowry, not exactly new. Just wear it for now so you don’t freeze.”

“Yes… Linlang thanks Sister.”

Xianyue kept her eyes downcast, appearing as gentle and distant as ever, yet Linlang felt more uncomfortable than she had in days.

Linlang’s mind drifted back to the warmth of Cen Xianyue’s fingertips from the night before, and the way those eyes had looked at her—slow, lingering, and tender, a stark departure from her usual composure.

Where did that feeling come from? Was it because the heroine had been wounded by that “scumbag” husband and, in a moment of vulnerability, allowed her facade to slip? After all, it was common knowledge that the original Linlang was head-over-heels for her, to the point of near-insanity when she married. Did the heroine…

No, that shouldn’t be it. If the heroine didn’t love her, why give her hope?

“Master Pei, we have arrived,” the driver’s voice called out from beyond the curtain, snapping her out of her tangled thoughts.

Linlang jerked back to reality and pulled aside the curtain. Before her stood the Shuxue Pavilion, a place of refined elegance in the south of the city.

The pavilion sat between the cultural pulse of the Imperial Academy and the bustling commerce of the East Market. Built along the water’s edge, its sweeping eaves resembled wings in flight. Surrounding it were groves of white plum trees; though their season was ending, the blossoms still clung to the branches like spring snow against the dark tiles and red walls, exuding an air of solemnity.

Linlang craned her neck to look at the blackwood plaque above the door, its gold-inlaid characters shimmering. Qin Yufeng’s warnings echoed in her mind:

“You think that’s some pleasure house? Wrong. It’s a place for brewing snow, steeping tea, and practicing the arts. Even the servant girls there can recite the ‘Songs of Chu’ from memory.”

“At first, it was just a place for noble ladies to indulge in artistic pretension. But then the Princess Regent set the rules: only thirty-six Golden Flower Invitations are issued each year. If a young lady in this capital hasn’t secured a post from Shuxue Pavilion, she’d be too embarrassed to call herself a noblewoman.”

“That jade pendant in your hand is worth six months of a third-rank official’s salary. But if you want to walk through those doors? That alone won’t be enough.”

Linlang’s throat tightened as she peeked inside. It was exactly as described—a sea of silk and embroidery. She was likely the only…

She looked down at her male attire, feeling a sudden surge of self-consciousness. Qin Yufeng’s craftsmanship was undeniably good, but with only a day’s work, there hadn’t been time for intricate patterns. Even the expensive fabric looked somewhat plain in this setting.

As she hesitated, a maid dressed in water-green silk approached gracefully. She swept her eyes over Linlang and, without asking for a name, simply said, “Are you Young Master Pei?”

Linlang blinked, nodding instinctively.

The maid gave a knowing smile and stepped aside to clear the path. “Her Highness gave orders long ago: if you arrived, you were to be invited in immediately.”

The laughter and chatter in the courtyard died down instantly. Dozens of gazes, sharp as silver needles, pierced through Linlang.

Clenching her sleeves, Linlang followed the maid through the crowd. She could clearly hear the hushed whispers behind her: “Where did that little beggar come from? Is she a kitchen hand?”

“Kitchen hands aren’t allowed through the front gate. She’s likely Her Highness’s guest. Look at the maid leading her—that’s Wanqing, the one who stays by Her Highness’s side.”

“A guest? Wanqing, you must be joking.”

The woman called Wanqing did not elaborate. She cast a quiet glance toward Cen Juexing, who stood frozen nearby. “Is she… the one?” Wanqing whispered.

Cen Juexing nodded in utter disbelief. “Yes…”

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