Marrying the Sweet Story’s Melodramatic Villainess [Transmigration] - Chapter 27

“Are you angry?”

Cui Yi answered Pei Mingjiao directly and affirmatively: “Yes, I am angry.”

She spoke with a calm and indifferent expression, yet it caused Pei Mingjiao’s heart to skip a beat inexplicably. Her usually high-flying eyebrows drooped, making her look a bit pitiful. “I’ll listen to you. Don’t be angry anymore.”

Seeing her like this, Cui Yi let out a sigh and tried to reason with her: “Princess, we are not yet married. You must mind your manners in public.”

Hearing this, it was clear that Cui Yi had softened. Pei Mingjiao scooted closer to her, pressing against her side. “I’ll listen to you.”

Cui Yi glanced at her. “Lady Meng is my friend.”

“Oh.” Pei Mingjiao wasn’t particularly interested in Meng Yishu. She reached out and touched the tooth marks on Cui Yi’s neck; on the snow-white skin, the marks looked decadent and vivid. Her fingertips felt as if they were being scorched—both hot and numb. “Does it hurt?”

The sound of carriage wheels crushing against the stone slabs filled the air. Cui Yi’s eyelashes lowered gently. “It hurts.”

It was a fine, stinging pain.

Pei Mingjiao’s chest felt a tingle, like the itch of ants crawling over her. She tilted her head up slightly, her face fair and rosy, her bright black eyes looking a bit innocently at her fiancée. “Next time, I’ll be gentler.”

Cui Yi’s eyes darkened slightly, and she looked away. “I don’t like it.”

“You’ll have to get used to it,” Pei Mingjiao said, feeling a bit bashful, but she desperately wanted to be close to her fiancée. “In the future, we will do even more intimate things.”

Cui Yi raised her eyelashes and looked at the blushing Pei Mingjiao. The tooth marks on her neck still left a lingering, tingling itch. She said calmly, “You must have my consent first, otherwise I will be angry.”

Pei Mingjiao didn’t want Cui Yi to be angry, so she agreed with a hint of reluctance. “Then you must be good to me in the future as well, or I will be angry too.”

Cui Yi glanced at the opportunistic Pei Mingjiao and gave a faint nod of agreement.

Pei Mingjiao was delighted.

Pei Mingjiao followed Cui Yi to the Cui residence, where they happened to run into Du Wenyu on his way out. Seeing the two of them arriving together, Du Wenyu offered a greeting: “Princess, Cousin.”

As soon as Pei Mingjiao saw this “pretty boy,” she clung even tighter to Cui Yi. Cui Yi had a good impression of her cousin and nodded, exchanging a few polite pleasantries.

Seeing Cui Yi and this pretty boy chatting so happily, Pei Mingjiao unhappily tugged at Cui Yi’s sleeve, letting out a deliberate huff. “I’m so thirsty.”

Du Wenyu was now certain that Pei Mingjiao held a grudge against him. Being a sensible person, he took his leave quickly.

Once he was gone, Cui Yi pursed her lips. “Princess, he is my cousin.”

“I know,” Pei Mingjiao said, looking a bit dazed.

Cui Yi said seriously, “You don’t have to like him, but you cannot be rude.”

Pei Mingjiao had yielded time and again, but now her fiancée was lecturing her for the sake of an outsider. She couldn’t take it anymore. “You’re actually getting angry at me again because of an outsider. You don’t care about me at all.”

Her face, as vivid as a flower, was full of rage. Her eyes slanted upward, looking noble and arrogant. “He’s nothing to me; why should I care about him?”

Cui Yi’s tone deepened as she spoke the plain facts: “I am not angry. After we marry, my cousin will be your relative as well. At the very least, we should maintain surface-level politeness.”

Pei Mingjiao knew this logic perfectly well, but she simply didn’t like Du Wenyu staying at the Cui house; no matter what, she couldn’t bring herself to give him a good face. She gave a huff and stopped talking.

Cui Yi ignored the pouting Pei Mingjiao and walked straight ahead.

Pei Mingjiao was stunned for a moment, her eyes turning red with frustration. She followed Cui Yi huffily without saying a word.

Upon reaching the small courtyard, Cui Yi personally poured a cup of tea for her. “Weren’t you thirsty?”

It was just something she had said casually, but she hadn’t expected Cui Yi to take it to heart. Pei Mingjiao suppressed the urge to curl her lips into a smile. Her features became bright and radiant. “I’m not actually that thirsty now, but since Yi-niang poured it, I’ll take a sip—barely.”

With that, she took a large gulp, her vivid lips becoming moist and plump.

Thinking that since Cui Yi was trying to please her, she should give her fiancée some face, she added, “I’ll be a bit more polite to your cousin in the future, but that’s as far as it goes.”

Cui Yi gave a soft laugh. “Fine.”

Pei Mingjiao was dazed for a second, feeling an inexplicable joy following along.

As her wedding approached, Pei Mingjiao’s daily life remained much the same, but Gu Yue felt a bit melancholic—she felt like she was losing her place as the constant companion.

Pei Mingjiao allowed the palace seamstresses to take her measurements. Her wedding attire was being made by the palace; her uncle, Emperor Qi, placed great importance on her marriage and had the palace handle all the arrangements.

Gu Yue propped up her chin, watching the busy Pei Mingjiao. She wondered if she should also get married, but after mentally scanning potential candidates, there wasn’t a single suitable person.

Taking a break from the chaos, Pei Mingjiao managed to eat two pieces of fruit. She said to Gu Yue, “I’m about to get married; you should keep up too.”

The words were dripping with boastfulness. Gu Yue smiled. “I also wish to find a good partner like the Princess has.”

Pei Mingjiao felt wonderful in her heart, and it showed on her face. “That depends on fate.”

“Indeed. I never expected the Princess would marry Lady Cui.” Gu Yue bit into a grape with a hint of sorrow. “The world is truly unpredictable.”

Recalling how this marriage came to be, Pei Mingjiao blinked guiltily. Gu Yue, lost in her own thoughts, didn’t notice.

At the Cui residence, Cui Yi was also being measured. After being tormented by the seamstresses for a long time, she finally found some peace.

Gu Jing and Dongzhi both laughed seeing her lazy, exhausted look. Dongzhi, ever outspoken, said, “If you’re this tired now, I can’t imagine how exhausted you’ll be on the wedding day.”

Cui Yi: “…”

Cui Yi looked at Dongzhi’s youthful face and ultimately found nothing to say.

Gu Jing noticed Cui Yi’s ears were turning red. Knowing her mistress was thin-skinned, she didn’t point it out and moved on to official business. “My Lady, I heard they are selling glass mirrors outside.”

“They show a person so clearly; if you look too long, they’ll steal your soul!” Dongzhi added.

Glass mirrors?

They must be modern mirrors. She hadn’t expected that even after the female lead left Chang’an, the mirrors would still be produced. It seemed her next business plan could proceed.

In the afternoon, Cui Yi met with her artisans. She explained the general process of making perfume; the specific details would require the artisans to research. After the success of the wine, Cui Yi had rewarded them handsomely, so their enthusiasm was high. Artisans had low social status; having a generous employer who didn’t mistreat them made them eager to work themselves to death.

Cui Yi thought that since researching perfume would take some time, she could buy the glass bottles from the factory. But this also meant potentially exposing her identity as a fellow transmigrator, which might bring a bit of trouble. However, it was within her acceptable range.

While she was thinking, Dongzhi arrived cheerfully to report: “My Lady, the Princess sent over six glass mirrors.”

“Three of them were sent to the Madam’s room.”

Cui Yi looked at the mirrors brought in—a full-length mirror, a vanity mirror, and a palm-sized touch-up mirror. They were all inlaid with precious gems and carved with intricate patterns; it was truly extravagant.

Bronze mirrors could also reflect an image, but they were always slightly distorted. Cui Yi stood before the full-length mirror and saw clearly for the first time what she looked like in this world.

A delicate face with light makeup.

It wasn’t much different from her real self; the only difference was a hint of frailty in her brow.

After staring for a while, she said, “Go to my private treasury and pick some gifts to send back to the Princess.”

Gu Jing obeyed: “Yes.”

But a second later, Cui Yi changed her mind: “Wait, I’ll go pick them myself.”

Gu Jing’s expression didn’t change, but Dongzhi looked away from the mirror and secretly winked at her.

Madam Du also received her gifts. Considering they were tributes from her future daughter-in-law, she felt a bit strange. She praised the girl for her thoughtfulness and, like Cui Yi, personally selected some items to send in return.

When Pei Mingjiao received the return gifts, she felt every single item suited her tastes perfectly. She especially loved the ones from Cui Yi.

Gu Yue was also gifted a full-length mirror. These mirrors were not cheap, costing three thousand taels each. Feeling quite happy, she flattered Pei Mingjiao: “It’s clear Lady Cui has put her heart into this for the Princess; she remembers your preferences so clearly.”

Pei Mingjiao held the dangling hairpin Cui Yi had sent and compared it in the mirror. Hearing Gu Yue’s words, the smile on her face was impossible to hide. “Is that so?”

Gu Yue continued, “Yes, Lady Cui has a reserved personality, but she truly cares about the Princess.”

Pei Mingjiao tucked the hairpin into her hair, the tassels swaying and shining. Her eyes curved into crescents. “Of course, she is my fiancée, after all.”

She looked so adorable that Gu Yue couldn’t help but laugh and agree. “Indeed. You and Lady Cui are truly a good match.”

Pei Mingjiao happily accepted Gu Yue’s blessing.