The Eldest Princess' Substitute Husband (Transmigration) - Chapter 38

“Consort, have you forgotten that you’re a woman?”

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The pitter-patter of rain came from outside the window, accompanied by the occasional rumble of thunder. The downpour seemed to be getting heavier.

The raindrops, like strings of beads, drummed on the roof tiles, creating a small, continuous percussion that annoyed the person on the couch so much that she couldn’t help but frown.

Wei Luoyi truly detested rainy days.

Especially rainy nights.

Even the time she took to relax and read a novel couldn’t bring her a moment of peace.

These emotions that had arisen because of a certain person were pounded on by the sound of the rain, intertwining and making her feel more and more agitated.

Normally, she would have been able to read ten lines at a glance, but now, ever since she had instructed the maid to summon that person, her gaze seemed to be fixed on this page of text. She didn’t know what she was actually looking at, but she never turned the page.

Until—

“Your Highness, the Consort is here.”

A voice came from outside the door. Wei Luoyi suddenly looked up and stared at the tightly closed door for a moment before her cold eyes returned to the novel in her hand.

But her gaze was not on the words in the book at all.

“Let her in.”

“Yes.”

The door opened.

The door closed.

A slender figure entered Wei Luoyi’s peripheral vision, but she didn’t turn her head. She finally turned the page of her novel, putting on a show of focused concentration.

She didn’t speak, and the person who came in didn’t either. An eerie silence spread throughout the room.

Song Jinsheng remained standing where she was, not daring to move and not knowing what to do. She could only look at the person on the couch. She was wearing a snow-white inner garment, half of her body was covered by the blanket, and she was holding her book, her gaze fixed on it, as if in deep thought.

“Your Highness…”

Song Jinsheng couldn’t stand this strange atmosphere anymore.

She was the one who called me here, so why is she ignoring me now that I’m here?

“Mmm.” Wei Luoyi finally spoke.

She closed her novel and put it aside. She glanced at the person who was still standing there like a block of wood. “It’s a heavy rain tonight. I didn’t expect the Consort to still come.”

Song Jinsheng was choked up by her sudden question. She remembered what the maid had told her earlier. After a moment of silence, the corner of her mouth couldn’t help but twitch into a shallow curve. She lowered her head and mumbled softly, “Since Your Highness summoned me, how would I dare not to come…”

“Hmm?”

“Ah… Since Your Highness summoned me, is there… anything urgent?” Song Jinsheng took a deep breath in her heart. She wanted to struggle one last time.

“Urgent?” Wei Luoyi propped her hand up on the couch. Her waist-length hair was spread out, and she was looking at her lazily from her side. Her eyes seemed to be filled with confusion. Then she suddenly smiled. “What business could I have with you?”

“Has the Consort become foolish again? Don’t you understand what it means for a princess to light a lamp and summon her consort at night?”

“Would you like me to explain it to you?”

Wei Luoyi’s series of questions made Song Jinsheng fall silent again. She questioned herself in her heart, why did she have to ask such a question?

Especially when she saw the teasing and playful look in Wei Luoyi’s eyes, her expression became even more awkward. But she only froze for a moment before forcing a smile. “No need… I was just asking…”

“Alright.” Wei Luoyi didn’t have the patience to argue. She lifted the blanket and moved to the inner side of the bed, turning her back to Song Jinsheng. “Blow out the lamp. I’m tired.”

“…Okay.” All the arguments she had prepared were choked back. Song Jinsheng walked to the side and took off her outer robe. She glanced at the person on the couch again before gently going to extinguish the oil lamp.

Sure enough, what needs to be faced must be faced.

Forget it. It’s not the first time they’ve slept in the same bed. It’s no different this time.

But she truly couldn’t understand why Wei Luoyi had made a special trip to light a lamp and summon her tonight. Even if she didn’t mind her getting close to Su Ran, she didn’t need someone to keep her company, right?

As Song Jinsheng thought about this, her mind went back to the scene from the afternoon.

She couldn’t fall asleep at all.

She didn’t know how much time had passed, but by the time Song Jinsheng felt her body was numb from lying flat, she finally dared to move a little.

She still couldn’t help herself. She turned her head and looked at the person beside her.

Wei Luoyi had already changed her sleeping position. She was no longer facing away from her. On the contrary, her body was turned toward her. But the room was too dark. Song Jinsheng could only rely on her senses to try and make out her features with her eyes.

She couldn’t see her face clearly, but her breathing was steady… She must be asleep, right?

Phew…

Song Jinsheng let out a silent, deep sigh. She stared at the person’s seemingly sleeping face, lost in a daze.

Although her eyes were still covered in a layer of black mist, it seemed that only at times like this did she dare to be a little bolder and stare at Wei Luoyi.

The roaring, chaotic sound of rain outside was still ongoing, the pitter-patter continuing.

Perhaps because of the heavy rain, it wasn’t as hot tonight as it had been the last few days. Instead, there was a hint of coolness.

Song Jinsheng had been lying there for a long time, and she belatedly realized that she didn’t even have a blanket on. She could only carefully tug on the corner of the blanket that Wei Luoyi was lying on, just barely covering half of her body.

Her gaze shifted to the window sill, and she suddenly realized something. After a moment of a daze, she looked back at the person beside her, and her eyes softened without her noticing.

So that’s why it’s raining.

She couldn’t remember when she had heard Dongyang mention it, but Wei Luoyi often had insomnia on rainy nights.

So… this is why she called me here tonight to keep her company?

She, too, has times when she needs someone?

Then why didn’t she have Chunyue and Dongyang come… but me…

When Song Jinsheng was thinking, her eyes would always subconsciously look down, just as they were now. She didn’t notice any movement from the person beside her at all.

So, when she looked up again and felt that familiar cold gaze staring at her through the hazy darkness, Song Jinsheng was truly caught off guard, and her body uncontrollably trembled.

Their eyes met.

What’s going on? Song Jinsheng asked herself in her heart.

Is she awake? Is she sleepwalking? Or… was she never asleep?

The two of them stared at each other in silence for a while. Song Jinsheng inexplicably swallowed nervously. The little person in her heart was struggling between saying hello and pretending to be asleep.

But luckily, she wasn’t left in an awkward situation for too long. Wei Luoyi spoke first.

“The Consort still isn’t asleep?” Perhaps because of dryness, her voice was a little hoarse, but it sounded less cold than usual.

“I… can’t sleep… Is Your Highness not asleep either?”

“Mmm.”

Wei Luoyi turned her head and lay flat again. Her eyes were empty as she stared into the darkness. “I… can’t sleep either.”

“On rainy nights, it’s always hard to fall asleep.”

This light-hearted sentence seemed to be said casually, but it also seemed to have a deeper meaning, causing Song Jinsheng to look at her, but she didn’t know what to say.

“Consort.” Wei Luoyi turned to her again.

“Mmm?” Song Jinsheng answered.

She suddenly had a feeling, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. She just felt that Wei Luoyi was a little different from usual at this moment.

Sure enough, after a moment of silence between them, she heard her ask softly and solemnly, “Consort, what do you think of me?”

The question was so sudden that Song Jinsheng was stunned. She secretly thought about the reason for Wei Luoyi’s question before answering truthfully, “Your Highness is, of course, very good to me… Why do you ask such a question?”

“Very good to me?” Wei Luoyi’s lips slightly touched as she repeated these words, as if she were questioning her. Then she curled her lips and turned her whole body to face Song Jinsheng.

The distance between them was shortened.

“Look into my eyes,” Wei Luoyi said.

The distance was so close, and the words were so intimate, but in Song Jinsheng’s ears, they didn’t sound romantic at all. Instead, she understood that this was an order from Wei Luoyi.

But she couldn’t resist. Or rather, she couldn’t refuse.

Song Jinsheng obediently looked up at her. Relying on her senses, she looked into her eyes. Then she heard her ask, “Tell me the truth, what kind of person do you think I am in your heart?”

Song Jinsheng was speechless. Her lips were slightly parted in surprise, but she couldn’t say a word.

She took a breath, and in an instant, all the descriptions she had once given to Wei Luoyi flashed through her mind. Just as she was about to speak, her gaze involuntarily slid down. After a brief pause on Wei Luoyi’s still slightly parted lips, she immediately looked away.

She turned her head and looked elsewhere. “Your Highness… In my eyes, Your Highness seems heartless on the surface, but…”

“But…”

But what? But she’s actually very gentle on the inside? Actually very passionate?

It doesn’t seem like it…

Wei Luoyi wasn’t a cold person on the outside and a warm person on the inside. She was a cold person on the outside and a cold person on the inside. If one were to delve deeper, it would be a mysterious place that no one knew about…

“But what?” Seeing her stop mid-sentence, Wei Luoyi raised an eyebrow and pressed on.

Song Jinsheng’s thoughts came back. She glanced at the person beside her. “In short, Your Highness is a very good person. That’s the truth.”

“Is that so?” Wei Luoyi half-closed her eyes. Using the faint light coming from outside the window, her gaze lingered on the curve of Song Jinsheng’s nose.

“Since I’m a very good person in your heart and the treatment I give you isn’t bad… then why are you still trying to escape?”

“Hmm?”

At her words, Song Jinsheng’s heart suddenly raced. Her eyes flickered with a hint of a probing intention as she tried to defend herself. “How could that be… Am I not still in the residence? Where would I go…”

Wei Luoyi’s smile grew a little wider.

Because she knew that since Song Jinsheng was avoiding the question, her guess was correct.

Wei Luoyi directly exposed her pretense. “Consort, you should understand what I’m talking about.”

“But I’ll say it again. Unless I’m the one who wants to divorce you, no matter what, no matter what method you use, it will be useless.”

“So don’t waste your efforts.”

Wei Luoyi was so close that Song Jinsheng could even feel her breath as she spoke.

Although her voice was gentle, Song Jinsheng felt a chill in her heart.

Her brows had unknowingly furrowed. She was surprised that Wei Luoyi could tell that she and Su Ran were putting on a show, but at the same time, she forced a smile. “What are you talking about, Your Highness? When did I ever say I wanted a divorce…”

“Hmph.” Wei Luoyi let out a cold laugh from her nose. “Consort, I’ve already made it so clear… do you still not understand?”

“Why aren’t you speaking?”

Song Jinsheng was silent. Her body was stiff, but her chest was filled with a torrent of emotions. She didn’t even have to look to know that Wei Luoyi must have a half-smile on her face right now.

Song Jinsheng was not feeling good right now.

It wasn’t just because her thoughts had been completely exposed by Wei Luoyi. It was also because she was once again feeling Wei Luoyi’s possessiveness toward her, like chains and a cage, trapping her tightly.

If only… if only a tiny bit of this possessiveness was because of genuine feelings for her, she might have been able to convince herself to not leave for now…

Unfortunately, there was none.

She knew. How could Wei Luoyi have feelings for her?

Her possessiveness was entirely due to her status as “Consort.”

After a long silence, Song Jinsheng’s heart, which had been racing from nervousness, had calmed down. She clutched the corner of the blanket, her eyes staring blankly into the darkness above. She slowly said, “Your Highness is a very good person, so you also deserve someone better, someone more obedient, don’t you think?”

Song Jinsheng turned her head to look at her. “With your status, you could easily find someone more obedient and easier to control than me, right?”

“Maybe… you could even find someone who truly likes Your Highness and is willing to do things for you from the bottom of their heart?”

Since we’re going to break the glass tonight, let’s make it clear.

“No, you can’t.” Wei Luoyi answered without hesitation. “No one is more suitable than you.”

Besides, she didn’t want to waste her energy on these things. She didn’t want to waste her energy to find another “Song Jinsheng.”

Song Jinsheng was Song Jinsheng. Song Jinsheng was her Consort. Who could replace her?

“Why?” Song Jinsheng was truly confused. This confusion had been in her heart since she first transmigrated.

“Why not? If you wanted to, I’m afraid people would be breaking down the doors to get to you, right?”

“Besides…” The words came out, but Song Jinsheng suddenly choked. But when she met Wei Luoyi’s calm and indifferent eyes again, her heart was pierced. She no longer hesitated and finally said slowly, “Do you truly not mind that I… get close to other women?”

“Get close to other women?” Wei Luoyi first repeated her words, then let out a soft laugh. “You must be joking. Why would I mind?”

Her beautiful eyes looked directly at Song Jinsheng’s hazy face in the darkness. She asked with a hint of challenge, “Perhaps you haven’t recovered from hitting your head a few days ago?”

“Consort, have you forgotten that you’re a woman?”

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