She Is Such A Jerk, And Yet She’s The One Crying! - Chapter 33

Qiang Ning was practically pleading with her: “Sister, I feel so uncomfortable, I’m so hot.”

Lin Dongruan said calmly: “A quiet heart naturally keeps one cool. If A-Ning feels uncomfortable, you can listen to this passage from the Book of Wei: Annals of the Emperors. ‘Emperor Taiwen, whose taboo name was Cou… in the first year of his ascension, Nanxu encountered a disaster, and the Emperor ordered the granaries to be opened to relieve the poor and destitute…'”

Qiang Ning couldn’t take in a single word. She pressed her lips together in distress, a layer of fine sweat forming on her forehead. Her chin was slightly tilted up and her chest heaved incessantly, like a fish that had accidentally swum ashore.

“In the third year of the Emperor’s reign…” As Lin Dongruan was reading, she couldn’t help but look away toward Qiang Ning’s profile. With just one glance, she noticed the other’s exquisite bridge of the nose and jawline.

“In the first month of spring, on the day of Xin-Si, King Longzhou raised an army in rebellion…”

Lin Dongruan followed the text mechanically while thinking to herself. Her A-Ning was indeed delicate and beautiful. Her dark hair was silky and smooth, and her eyes were as bright as stars; even in such a state, she remained lovely.

“Don’t do this.” Qiang Ning closed her eyes tightly, her breathing waxing and waning. “Sister, do you really… not want to go out…”

Lin Dongruan gave a soft hum of affirmation, saying she definitely wouldn’t leave.

Qiang Ning suddenly snapped her eyes open and stared at her intently: “Then don’t you regret it.”

“What is there to regret?” Lin Dongruan didn’t take these words to heart; she even had the mood to continue reading a passage of the imperial annals to her. “A-Ning, you must listen to this part carefully. Reading history allows one to examine the past to know the present and gain wisdom…”

Qiang Ning suddenly spoke: “Sister, can you help me take off the shackles? I am a bit inconvenienced.”

While holding the book scroll, Lin Dongruan easily removed the shackles from her hands.

Qiang Ning said again: “The blanket, it’s hot.”

“It is easy to catch a cold after sweating.” Although Lin Dongruan said this, she still pulled the blanket back slightly for her, while adding, “A-Ning, after half a stick of incense, the blanket must be covered again.”

Qiang Ning’s throat moved slightly, saying that this would suffice.

Lin Dongruan suspected nothing and continued to sit by her side reading the annals. Until…

She heard some unfamiliar noises.

A-Ning’s breathing was slightly heavy, even labored, as if she were in extreme distress, yet also as if she had obtained a brief moment of pleasure.

This time, Lin Dongruan couldn’t help but glance over.

The corners of Qiang Ning’s eyes were tinged with red. Aside from the shackles being gone, her body was still bound by long chains, but at least her hands were no longer restrained. She reached down, looking at Lin Dongruan with a grievance in her eyes while taking matters into her own hands.

Lin Dongruan almost failed to hold the book scroll steady.

She averted her eyes to avoid seeing what was improper. Her gaze seemingly fell upon the scroll, but she could no longer process a single word.

For the nth time she was distracted, her gaze unconsciously lingered longer on A-Ning’s body, and she was even caught by the other.

Lin Dongruan put down the scroll and comforted her: “It is no matter. I will always stay with you.”

Qiang Ning asked her to come over and sit by the edge of the bed to accompany her.

“Very well.” Since Lin Dongruan had promised to accompany her, she certainly would not let her feel lonely.

Qiang Ning hadn’t expected the other to actually submissively sit by the bed and look at her without even blinking. Her fingers paused, and she finally felt a hint of embarrassment.

Lin Dongruan waited for her quietly.

“Forget it, Sister, you should just leave.” Qiang Ning took her hand away, unsure of what to do. Under the influence of that wine, she truly couldn’t stay calm, and the things she was doing were very absurd.

Lin Dongruan asked: “Will A-Ning feel inconvenienced if I am here?”

“Not exactly.” Qiang Ning looked up at her, her eyelashes wet with tears. “Sister, I know shame too. If it weren’t for such a desperate situation, I wouldn’t have… right in front of you.”

Lin Dongruan said it was her fault.

Qiang Ning looked at her and saw the meaning of heartache in the other’s eyes, so she took the opportunity to ask: “Sister, do you actually know how to feel heartache for someone? You were so cold-hearted just now, why come to comfort me now?”

Lin Dongruan paused for a moment before answering: “That wine nourishes the body but also warms the emotions and desires. It was a lapse in my consideration that caused A-Ning distress.”

“But I have already lost face before you.” Qiang Ning felt aggrieved. “You’ve seen my body; you must compensate me, or… take responsibility for me.”

Lin Dongruan fell into a longer silence and asked: “What compensation does A-Ning want?”

“Naturally, an equal compensation.” Qiang Ning said, “Sister, you must do the same.”

“I… don’t know how.” Lin Dongruan sat by the bed with her head lowered, feeling somewhat powerless. “Ever since I learned I had a condition of heavy desires; I have never touched anything that could easily arouse them. A-Ning, it is not that I am unwilling to keep a promise, it is just…”

Qiang Ning thought for a moment and asked: “Then is it okay if I do it?”

For Lin Dongruan, this could be considered a predicament.

But Lin Dongruan didn’t want the other to be disappointed, so she could only remain silent in her inner conflict.

“Never mind.” Seeing how difficult it was for her, Qiang Ning was the first to let go. “Sister, I don’t blame you. We’ll act as if nothing happened today. You should go out.”

Lin Dongruan stood up to cover her with the blanket, turned around, but didn’t leave.

Qiang Ning: “…”

She thought to herself that she would eventually be driven to death by this person’s exasperating behavior.

Lin Dongruan asked: “A-Ning, have you committed the imperial annals from just now to heart?”

“Sister—” Qiang Ning didn’t even know what to say to her anymore. “You know my current situation. Don’t expect me to remember them. It goes in one ear and out the other; I won’t hear a thing.”

Lin Dongruan: “Then I shall read it once more, and this time A-Ning must listen earnestly.”

Qiang Ning’s entire body of desire was practically snuffed out by Lin Dongruan’s repeated readings of the annals. It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head. Forget interest—even if Lin Dongruan offered herself naked now, she would be unmoved… well, her interest would probably return, but that didn’t count.

“Sister, I don’t want to listen, I can’t take it in.” As dawn approached, Qiang Ning interrupted the other, unable to bear it any longer.

Lin Dongruan asked again: “Then did A-Ning remember it?”

Qiang Ning: “No.”

Lin Dongruan fell silent.

Seeing the stern look on the other’s face, Qiang Ning quickly changed her tune: “But I can remember it.”

“Then what will it take for you to remember?” Lin Dongruan said, “A-Ning worked hard last night; you shouldn’t have to suffer the ruler on your palm this morning.”

Qiang Ning heard the subtext: if she didn’t memorize the book well, her palm would be struck.

Qiang Ning bargained with her: “Sister, give me a kiss, and I’ll memorize it well.”

“Really?” Lin Dongruan asked.

“Yes.” Qiang Ning nodded. “I keep my word.”

Lin Dongruan thought it was feasible, so she approached without any guard. But Qiang Ning said the chains were a bit heavy and asked if they could be unlocked.

“Alright.” Lin Dongruan sat by the bed and helped her unlock the chains.

Qiang Ning relaxed for a moment and lowered her hands, waiting for her to approach: “Sister, I am ready. Be a bit more serious.”

“Mhm.” Because the other had said so, Lin Dongruan adopted the serious attitude she used for ancient texts. With one hand gathering her sleeve and the other propping herself on the bed, she carefully leaned in…

Qiang Ning lured her into the trap. Instantly, she retracted her arms, pulled the person in front of her close, turned over, and pressed her down, pinning her.

“Caught you.” Qiang Ning laughed recklessly. “Sister, do you know that ‘war is based on deception, first plan then deceives’?”

Lin Dongruan, being underneath her, couldn’t help but smile: “A-Ning has actually read military strategy.”

Qiang Ning: “…”

Great, now she couldn’t smile anymore.

Seeing that she made no further move, Lin Dongruan took the initiative to prop herself up with her arms behind her, gaining some height. She gently brushed the other’s face, like a dragonfly skimming the water. Combined with her previous sentence, it was very much like a strict teacher’s praise for a student.

Qiang Ning became even more speechless, merely looking down at Lin Dongruan with deep, dark eyes.

Lin Dongruan’s smile carried relief and praise, with no other emotions involved. Under such a gaze, Qiang Ning felt as though she were an untrainable mess, thinking of nothing but nonsense all day.

Qiang Ning felt stifled in her heart.

Lin Dongruan was right here, her skin like jade and bone, cool and without sweat. Her plain clothes had become slightly wrinkled during the scuffle; the posture was very evocative.

Qiang Ning felt it wasn’t enough. What just happened was completely insufficient.

Just as her greed was about to overcome her heart, Lin Dongruan finally gave her a push and asked: “A-Ning, have you memorized it yet?”

Qiang Ning: “…”

She knew Lin Dongruan would bring this up sooner or later.

Qiang Ning was indignant and dissatisfied. She immediately played foul, leaning down to bite Lin Dongruan, then quickly got up and fled out the door.

Lin Dongruan tidied her clothes and sat up: “…”

The opened imperial annals were still lying there. Lin Dongruan sighed helplessly, smoothed the scroll, and then put it away carefully.

Qiang Ning escaped outside and was surprised to find that she didn’t experience heart palpitations upon waking.

Logically… after such a heart-pounding episode, her heart should have been racing.

Qiang Ning thought back carefully and felt it really might be the effect of the deer antler wine. Perhaps what Lin Dongruan said was true—the wine really could treat her old ailment while nourishing her body.

Qiang Ning thought for a bit and used a hidden whistle to summon her shadow guards: “Go to Jiang Weilan’s place and bring back more of that wine.”

She waited for a long time after speaking, but no shadow guards appeared. She immediately looked around cautiously, only to see those useless things waiting at a considerable distance, with no intention of coming over.

She had already taken quite a bit of grief from Lin Dongruan, and now she was being infuriated by these shadow guards. Qiang Ning suddenly remembered the embarrassment of last night—it was precisely because these fools had delayed coming in that Lin Dongruan had seen her at her most undignified when overcome with desire.

If the shadow guards had come in time, she would have turned the tide long ago and taken Lin Dongruan…

Qiang Ning was so angry her head felt like it was about to burst into flames.

“What are you doing? All of you, get over here.” She glared hatefully in that direction.

The shadow guards sensed trouble but braced themselves and hurried over.

Before Qiang Ning could lose her temper, the shadow guards followed Song Luo’s instructions, knelt down, and congratulated her:

“Congratulations, Your Highness! We wish Your Highness joy! Your Highness has finally found an Imperial Preceptor; it is a match made in heaven.”

“Hahahaha.” Qiang Ning found it utterly ridiculous. God only knew how wretched and pained she was last night—and they called it a match made in heaven?

Qiang Ning pointed in a direction and told them to go run laps.

“Whose idea was it?” Qiang Ning asked through gritted teeth, “Was its Song Luo?”

The shadow guards immediately sold-out Song Luo completely.

“Very well.” Qiang Ning nodded and said, “Spread the word: all of Song Luo’s rest days for this year are canceled. His salary for this month is forfeited, and you few can take his bonus.”

The shadow guards were overjoyed and went to run their laps happily.

Inside the room, Lin Dongruan placed the scroll back on the shelf and sat at the writing desk with a heavy heart.

She lifted her pen, wanting to write, but kept getting distracted.

During the time Qiang Ning was not in the room, she could not focus her mind or quiet her spirit. The ink from her brush blurred across sheet after sheet of paper…

Ultimately, she took a new sheet of paper, closed her eyes, and painted the scene in her heart.

Soon, A-Ning’s vivid expression was presented on the paper. Lin Dongruan used an almost solemn and rigorous expression to meticulously draw the details. From the strands of hair to… everything was restored.