The Eldest Princess' Substitute Husband (Transmigration) - Chapter 40

Hidden Agenda

*******

Song Jinsheng’s eyes snapped open. She was wide awake.

What was she doing?

Was she crazy?

For a moment there, it was as if she had lost her mind…

“I…” Song Jinsheng’s voice was a little shaky. Her body felt hot, her cheeks were burning, and the pounding in her chest was so violent she was afraid someone would hear it.

She quickly let go, turned her face to the window, and, fighting off her embarrassment, stammered, “It seems… it seems the thunder has… has stopped?”

“Oh, it really has.”

A stiff smile appeared on Song Jinsheng’s lips. She quickly glanced at Wei Luoyi. “I’m tired, so you should go back to sleep too.”

With that, she immediately turned her back to her, moving even farther away.

Song Jinsheng closed her eyes, curled up her body, and tightly clutched the blanket. The single sheet of top-grade silk was almost getting pulled into knots by her.

Good grief.

The little person in her heart had already run dozens of laps in a frenzy, but her mind was still in a turmoil.

It was as if she had been possessed just now… Otherwise, how could she…

Dammit! That damn system!

It’s all because of that cursed punishment!

Song Jinsheng secretly cursed the system again.

But even as she complained, her mind kept going back to that nearly-kiss.

Although their lips didn’t actually touch… she could feel that the fleeting touch on her lips was also soft…

Was it… her face? Or…

Even though Song Jinsheng had her eyes closed, her eyebrows furrowed. The more she thought, the faster her left chest pounded. It was beating so fast she could barely breathe.

This is going to kill me.

If she could, she would dig a hole and crawl into it right now.

“Hush, hush, hush—” The rain outside had already lessened. It was no longer pouring down. Now, the sound of the rain was gentle and soft.

And so, the silence in the room became even more apparent.

“Song…” Wei Luoyi stared at Song Jinsheng’s back for a long time before finally speaking. But seeing the person’s motionless body, she swallowed the words back.

Her eyelashes slowly lowered. Her eyes were unfocused, and she unconsciously thought of the scene where Song Jinsheng lowered her head to get closer to her.

She couldn’t see clearly, but the intertwining of their breaths and the fleeting touch of their lips were real.

Yet, it also didn’t feel real because it happened too fast.

After a moment of a daze, Wei Luoyi looked up again, her eyes as deep as a thick fog, making it impossible to see what emotions were in them.

Only her slightly furrowed brows betrayed her current state of mind.

She had always been shrewd, but this time, she was also a little confused…

******

The next morning, at dawn.

The sky had just begun to show a hint of white light when Song Jinsheng woke up.

She had rarely woken up earlier than Wei Luoyi, but in reality, she hadn’t slept at all.

This was good. While Wei Luoyi was still asleep, she could avoid another awkward greeting. After telling Dongyang, who was waiting outside the door, she quickly returned to her own room.

The moment she entered, she startled Guzi, who was still cleaning up her room.

“Mas… Master?” Guzi stared at her face in surprise.

“Yeah.” Song Jinsheng hadn’t slept well all night. She looked like her soul had left her body. Her face was solemn as she walked to the bed and lay down.

Guzi’s eyes followed her. After putting the novels she was holding away, he couldn’t help but walk over and ask, “Master, why did you wake up so early today? And… Master, why… why do you look so pale?”

Duh. She hadn’t slept all night. It would be a miracle if she looked good.

Song Jinsheng lay flat like a board. Her eyes were empty as she looked at him, her face filled with exhaustion. “It’s nothing. It’s not a big problem.”

“Oh, has breakfast been made yet? I’m a little hungry.”

Guzi glanced out the window. “Right now… it’s just past the hour of Mao. The people in the kitchen should be there now, right?”

“Then wait a moment, Master. I’ll go and see.”

“Mmm. No need for anything fancy. I just want some porridge.” Song Jinsheng answered weakly.

After leaving Wei Luoyi’s bedroom, the sleepiness that had been gone all night suddenly came rushing back. The moment she lay down, she was incredibly tired.

There was no coffee or energy drinks in this era, so she could only have a bowl of hot porridge to wake herself up.

There was no candle lit in the room, only the light from the window. Song Jinsheng’s eyes hurt after staring for a while, so she raised her arm to cover them.

“Sigh… tsk.” Song Jinsheng sighed deeply.

The moment she closed her eyes, her thoughts became jumbled again.

Or rather, her mind had never been at peace.

System: Host, a warm reminder, according to my analysis, the more a person tries to forget a certain image, the more they stimulate their brain, and the easier it is to remember it.

The system, which had been silent all night, suddenly “revived,” startling Song Jinsheng.

Song Jinsheng was not in a good mood. “Thanks a lot. If it weren’t for your punishments that require physical contact, I wouldn’t be like this…”

Song Jinsheng: Seriously… you won’t even give me a cheat, and you’re just making things worse… You and your name are a perfect match, you idiot.

System: …

System: Host, according to my analysis of your words, there is no causal relationship between these two events.

System: The punishment only required you to complete the physical contact action within the time limit, but it did not require you to maintain the action.

System: Furthermore, the second physical contact after that was your own doing…

Hearing this, Song Jinsheng’s temper flared up. She angrily slammed a pillow beside her. “Enough! I don’t need your analysis!”

Song Jinsheng: I called you hundreds of times last night, and you didn’t answer.

System: Host, although I am just a virtual machine, I have a standby time. I am not online during standby time.

“Song Jinsheng was so speechless she choked. She silently rolled her eyes at the system in her heart.

If this system had a human form, she would definitely have a good rant about it.

System: And…

Song Jinsheng: Shut up!

Song Jinsheng couldn’t take it anymore. She grabbed the blanket and covered her head, burying her face in the bed, as if covering herself could help her escape the things that had already happened.

******

After the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, Guzi’s voice finally came from outside the door.

“Master, the porridge is ready. I’ll bring it in for you.”

There was no response from inside the room.

“Master?”

Guzi called out a few more times, but he still didn’t hear Song Jinsheng’s voice. He couldn’t help but feel suspicious and cautiously pushed the door open.

“…Master?”

“…”

Guzi quietly walked in, carrying the tray with the porridge and some small dishes. He looked at the person curled up on the bed and saw that Song Jinsheng was already fast asleep.

Guzi: “…”

Guzi raised his eyebrows and shook his head. He had no choice but to place the breakfast on the table and look back at the sleeping person with a confused expression.

Hey… He remembered that Master was supposed to have stayed in Her Highness’s room last night? How could she not have slept well?

Could it be…

Guzi thought of Wei Luoyi’s cold, icy face and shivered. He shook his head to clear his mind and quickly walked out, closing the door behind him.

Song Jinsheng’s exhaustion from staying up all night finally hit her.

So, she slept until the afternoon, missing her lunch time. Thinking she still needed to go to the shop, Song Jinsheng just ate a few pastries and prepared to leave.

When she got to the front gate, she happened to see A’jun walking by. Song Jinsheng immediately called out to her.

“A’jun.”

A’jun stopped at the sound. She slowly turned around, glanced at Song Jinsheng, and then quickly lowered her head. “A’jun… um… this servant greets the Consort.”

Song Jinsheng slightly frowned. She walked closer to her and looked at the maid’s uniform she was wearing. Then she looked at Guzi behind her. “Guzi, didn’t I tell you to take good care of A’jun? She should be treated like a guest.”

Guzi was also helpless and stammered, “This… Sister Dongyang was the one who took A’jun to her room last night. She said that since she’s living here, she can’t just eat and live for free, so doing some chores would be good… and it’s not tiring.”

Song Jinsheng was a little displeased. “Then why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Guzi looked wronged. “Guzi only found out this morning… But you were still sleeping…”

Song Jinsheng was at a loss for words. After a sigh in her heart, she turned to A’jun, who was still looking down. “A’jun?”

A’jun looked up, still a little hesitant to meet Song Jinsheng’s eyes.

And Song Jinsheng, looking at a face that was identical to the “Junjun” from the 21st century, was filled with emotion.

It was difficult for her to treat A’jun as a complete stranger. In her eyes, she could always see Junjun’s shadow in A’jun.

She saw A’jun’s unease and understood what she was afraid of. She took a small step back and smiled, trying to look as kind as possible. “A’jun, go back and rest. You don’t have to do any work anymore. I’ll be going to the market later, and I’ll see if I can buy you some fun little things.”

A’jun shook her head like a rattle. “No, no. Sister Dongyang is right. This servant is very grateful for your help, Consort, but I can’t just live here for free.”

“What ‘living here for free’…” Song Jinsheng sighed. “From today on, you are my sworn sister. You don’t have to call yourself a servant anymore…”

“Huh?” A’jun was stunned, confused, and a little dazed.

Even Guzi, who was standing beside them, was wide-eyed. After all, A’jun was just a child she had taken in from the streets. They had no relation to each other. How could they suddenly become sworn siblings?

Seeing their reactions, Song Jinsheng knew her words were a little sudden. She couldn’t help but let out a long sigh and pretended to explain with a deep tone. “Sigh… It’s fine to tell you. I once had a sister, but she got very sick when she was very young and passed away… Although she was still small then, her face was very similar to A’jun’s, which is why I couldn’t help but help you that day…”

“So…” Song Jinsheng took a deep breath, forcing a tear to appear in her eye. “A’jun, since you’ve come to live here, you should treat me as your family from now on. There’s no need for such formalities. I will naturally treat you as my sister.”

“If you insist on doing something… you don’t have to do chores here. Come to the shop with us. You can help out there, and you can even have some delicious tea.”

Guzi agreed. “Yes, yes. That bubble tea is very sweet.”

A’jun was captivated by Song Jinsheng’s sincere words. She also thought of her mother who had taken care of her. Her watery eyes filled with tears, and she thanked her, choking up. “Consort, you are so good to A’jun. I am so grateful. I don’t know what I can do to repay you…”

Song Jinsheng smiled and couldn’t help but pat her head. “Still calling me ‘Consort’? From now on, call me… call me ‘sister’… brother.”

“Let’s go. You don’t have to do chores here. I’ll tell someone later. We need to go to the shop and help out. It’s probably getting busy there now.”

“Mmm!” A’jun finally let down her guard and gave a shy smile.

Song Jinsheng looked at her smiling face and felt a little dazed again.

It was as if… she hadn’t transmigrated at all, but…

…had returned to her past life for a short while…

On the wooden corridor leading to the front gate, Wei Luoyi stood still. She calmly watched the three of them meet, and then the three of them turned their backs on her and walked away together.

Only after they were completely out of sight did Wei Luoyi glance at Dongyang behind her. “Have you found out about that girl’s identity?”

Dongyang stepped forward and answered, “Yes. This A’jun was born in the Southern Chi Kingdom. Both of her parents were commoners, and they were very poor. Her father disappeared years ago, leaving her and her mother behind. Her mother passed away a while ago…”

“You know what I’m looking for.” Wei Luoyi interrupted her halfway through.

“Yes…” Dongyang quickly lowered her head. “But… Your Highness, this A’jun is indeed just a commoner. We even checked her ancestors. She truly has no connection to the Consort. You could say they were complete strangers before this.”

“Complete strangers?” Wei Luoyi repeated the words. Then, her eyes held a smile as she looked at Dongyang. “Dongyang, you have a kind heart. But would you go to such great lengths for a complete stranger?”

Dongyang was speechless, her face also showing confusion. “This… perhaps there’s a hidden agenda…”

“A hidden agenda… What kind of hidden agenda could there be?” Wei Luoyi turned around and looked back at the place where the three of them had been. Her eyes were deep and unreadable.

What kind of hidden agenda could make Song Jinsheng go to such great lengths to keep her in the residence, even lying to her to do so?

“Your Highness.” Dongyang’s eyebrows rose, as if she had suddenly remembered something. She smiled. “Someone is coming to the residence to see you tomorrow. Does Your Highness know who it is?”

Hearing this, Wei Luoyi was only stunned for a moment before she gave a faint smile. “There are not many people whom I allow to come to the residence.”

“Since they’re coming, they must be treated with the etiquette of an honored guest. We must not be negligent.”

[Author’s Note]

A little spoiler: A’jun is a very special character.

And, in the next chapter, a love rival will appear~~ Little Song is going to get jealous in silence~

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