Reborn As The Wicked Little Sister-in-Law - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: A Beauty’s Tears

Kind people are easily bullied, just as gentle horses are easily ridden.

One can be kind, but one must not be cowardly. This had always been Lü Guiyan’s motto; she was not about to let herself be trampled upon indefinitely.

She couldn’t stand watching the scene any longer and muttered under her breath, “Where on earth is that damn Jing Hongyi? No wonder he can’t win a beauty’s heart.”

The moment the words left her mouth, someone tapped her lightly on the shoulder. Irritated, Lü Guiyan snapped, “Get lost! Don’t annoy me.”

Wait… someone tapped me? Lü Guiyan turned her head stiffly. Jing Hongyi was looking down at her, his expression perplexed. “Were you actually… waiting for me to show up?”

“Ah, I…” Crap, I just spoke my mind right to the guy’s face. “I… I, yes! I was looking forward to it very much.”

Lü Guiyan had no idea what she was saying; she was so embarrassed she didn’t even know where to put her hands.

“You mentioned a ‘beauty’s heart’ just now,” Jing Hongyi said, a look of disdain and skepticism crossing his face. “Surely you weren’t referring to yourself as the beauty?”

Lü Guiyan gave two hollow laughs, though internally she was cursing his entire family tree.

“Of course not, I have self-awareness. The beauty I’m talking about is my friend, Zou Sheng-sheng. She’s being bullied by your sister. Could you… go help her?”

Jing Hongyi burst out laughing as if he’d heard the funniest joke in the world. “You said it yourself—that’s my sister. Why would I help your friend move against my own flesh and blood?”

“This…” Fine, reject the chance now. Later, you’ll be crying and begging Zou Sheng-sheng for a glance and she won’t give you the time of day. “Aren’t you the type who can’t stand seeing a beauty cry? My friend is stunning. If you help her now, who knows? She might be so moved that she falls for you… love at first sight.”

She was lying again, and her heart fluttered with nerves.

Jing Hongyi looked thoughtful. He glanced at the situation in the gazebo, then back at Lü Guiyan, a mischievous smirk forming on his lips.

“Accompany me for a day, and I’ll save your friend.”

Lü Guiyan looked at him as if he were an idiot. Didn’t he just call me ugly? And now he says this? This guy really has no standards.

“Oh~ I forgot. That sister of yours is from your stepmother. You’re probably terrified of them. Sigh… I guess I’ll just have to go find Master Mu Yan for help.”

The mention of Mu Yan instantly triggered Jing Hongyi’s competitive streak. “Ha! Using reverse psychology on me? Just you wait.”

Jing Hongyi was a sucker for that trick. He strode over to the gazebo and, with just a few sharp words, rescued Zou Sheng-sheng. He even forced his sister to apologize. Jing Ruoyun, unable to stomach such an insult, refused to apologize and stormed off with her circle of friends.

Once they were gone, Lü Guiyan emerged from the bushes and approached Zou Sheng-sheng. Seeing the girl’s eyes filled with tears, she froze.

Zou Sheng-sheng possessed a cold, ethereal beauty—like a fairy who had accidentally fallen into the mortal world. Her snow-white face was streaked with tears, creating a look of fragile, tragic beauty that would make anyone’s heart ache. Truly, the face of a female lead. A beauty’s tears were simply irresistible.

Ahem! Ahem!

Qiyun’s cough snapped Lü Guiyan back to reality. Realizing she was fan-girling over the female lead, she wanted to find a hole to crawl into. This line of thought is very dangerous.

“I… I came to apologize,” Lü Guiyan said tentatively.

Zou Sheng-sheng remembered her. She gave a faint, elegant smile. “It’s quite alright. I know you didn’t do it on purpose.”

Beside them, Jing Hongyi stood awkwardly. What are these two doing?

Lü Guiyan extended her hand and said, “Hello, my name is Lü Guiyan.”

Zou Sheng-sheng stared at the extended hand, confused by the gesture. Realizing her mistake, Lü Guiyan quickly pulled her hand back. “Sorry, it’s a custom from my… hometown. I forgot things are different here.”

“No matter.”

“Ahem!” Jing Hongyi, feeling ignored, looked displeased.

Zou Sheng-sheng gave him a polite, respectful bow, her voice soft and gentle. “Thank you, Master Jing, for your intervention.”

“It was nothing. My sister is naturally overbearing; I was simply righting a wrong.”

Lü Guiyan thought: Wow, you’re usually so full of smooth talk, but in front of the female lead, you’re as well-behaved as a puppy. Pathetic!

Indeed, Jing Hongyi couldn’t bring himself to say anything crude in front of Zou Sheng-sheng. To him, she was like a goddess under the moon; using vulgar language would be a desecration.

“Wait a minute,” Jing Hongyi frowned. “Aren’t you two friends?”

Zou Sheng-sheng: “?”

Lü Guiyan laughed nervously. “Right! We’re friends now.”

“Then just now you said…”

“Just now I wanted to be her friend!”

Jing Hongyi finally realized he’d been played by a little girl. “You really are…” He wanted to scold her to vent his frustration, but with Zou Sheng-sheng there, he wanted to maintain his refined image. “…quite mischievous. Don’t go fooling me like that next time~”

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” Heh, yeah right. Admit the mistake now, repeat it later.

The three stayed in the gazebo for a while, but since Zou Sheng-sheng still had flowers to deliver, she couldn’t stay long. To prevent Jing Hongyi from making trouble for her later, Lü Guiyan spoke up quickly.

“Master Jing, could you escort Miss Zou back?”

Jing Hongyi: “That… might not be appropriate.” I knew the Marquis’s little lady wouldn’t let me help for free.

“Indeed,” Zou Sheng-sheng added. “Master Jing must have important matters to attend to. I cannot let my affairs delay him.”

Lü Guiyan understood Jing Hongyi’s character: he was generous only to the female lead and petty with everyone else. He demanded a return for every tiny favor. Since she had nothing to give him, she had to get him out of her hair.

“What ‘important matters’ could he have? Besides, you just had a conflict with those noble daughters. If they see you alone, they might come back to bully you.”

“That… I can handle it.”

Lü Guiyan stepped forward, took Zou Sheng-sheng’s hand, and persuaded her patiently. “How will you handle it? They aren’t reasonable people. You’re alone; you’ll just be bullied. With Master Jing there, they won’t dare to cross the line.”

Zou Sheng-sheng still hesitated, so Lü Guiyan shot a look at Jing Hongyi. He took the hint immediately.

“They didn’t have much against you before, but because I helped you, their resentment will be deeper now. I suppose I’ll just have to ‘risk my life’ to accompany the beau… Miss Zou.”

Since he had just helped her out of a bind, Zou Sheng-sheng found it hard to refuse. She nodded in agreement. Jing Hongyi was instantly elated.

With her goal achieved, Lü Guiyan headed back in high spirits. Upon entering her tent, she saw several dishes and a plate of pastries laid out on the wooden table.

“My cousin is so kind, she knew I was hungry.”

Xiao Tan, who was busy in the tent, heard this and corrected her. “These weren’t sent by Lady Lan.”

“Then who?” In this entire book, only Lady Lan showed her even a modicum of kindness. Who else could it be?

Xiao Tan put down the feather duster, her expression grave. “These dishes were sent by the Female Heir (Wei Chengyan). She specifically said they were for you.”

Clatter!

Lü Guiyan stood frozen, her chopsticks slipping from her hand and hitting the floor. She stammered, “You… you say… that’s impossible. How… how could she…”

She couldn’t get a full sentence out. Xiao Tan finished it for her. “I know you want to say it’s impossible, but it’s the truth. And I’ll tell you something even scarier.”

“Did she… poison the food?”

Xiao Tan shook her head vigorously. “No. She delivered them personally. She even told me to keep them warm on the stove, fearing they’d be cold and tasteless by the time you got back.”

“WHAT???”