The Female Lead is Quite Unusual - Episode 55

It was the first time Lin Wan had seen Sheng Qian show weakness and openly express fear.

 

Come to think of it, witnessing such a scene would be hard for a child to process alone, so feeling afraid was understandable.

 

But given the proud princess’s nature, speaking those words was likely her limit.

 

“Qianqian, I was just about to ask you!”

 

“Honestly, after seeing that scene during the day, I’m a bit scared to sleep alone too. But I thought you might already be asleep and didn’t want to disturb you.”

 

Meeting Sheng Qian’s lifted gaze, Lin Wan hid the pity in her eyes, instead blooming into a bright, seemingly delighted smile as she stepped aside to let Sheng Qian into the room.

 

Sheng Qian’s lips clearly curved upward.

 

She lowered her head, entered Lin Wan’s room, placed her small pillow on the edge of Lin Wan’s bed, and lay down properly.

 

Sheng Qian was slender, and when she slept under the covers, she looked like a tiny figure. Lying so close to the edge, one could hardly tell there was someone in the bed if not looking carefully.

 

She was so close to the edge that Lin Wan was genuinely worried she might fall off.

 

“Qianqian, move to the inside!” Lin Wan walked to the bedside and couldn’t help calling out.

 

Sheng Qian tilted her head to look at her, her eyes clear and distinct, but she didn’t move.

 

Lin Wan knew the proud princess too well. If she bluntly said she was afraid Sheng Qian would fall, Sheng Qian probably wouldn’t agree to move inward.

 

Lin Wan blinked, thought of an excuse, and spoke softly as if embarrassed: “I often get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom and worry I might disturb your sleep.”

 

As she spoke, Lin Wan lowered her voice further, gave a small yawn, and her gaze carried a hint of weariness: “Qianqian, I’m so sleepy. Be good and move to the inside, okay.”

 

Sheng Qian stared steadily at Lin Wan for a moment, then lowered her eyes and murmured an “Mm,” finally moving to the inner side of the bed.

 

However, whether out of restraint or some other reason, the young girl pressed close to the wall, her back always turned to Lin Wan.

 

If this continued, Sheng Qian would likely catch a chill.

 

But the little princess was delicate and adhered to rules; if spoken to directly, she might overthink it.

 

Lin Wan bit her lip and came up with a compromise.

 

She blew out the lamp, got into bed, and tried to relax her body, pretending to be asleep even faking soft snores.

 

After a while, seizing the right moment, Lin Wan simply reached out, swiftly scooping Sheng Qian into her arms.

 

Sheng Qian struggled slightly, but Lin Wan refused to let go, even restraining Sheng Qian’s hands and murmuring as if talking in her sleep.

 

“Stop fussing, I’m so sleepy!”

 

Just as Lin Wan had anticipated, Sheng Qian’s body stiffened, and she stopped moving.

 

Lin Wan silently smiled in the darkness: As expected of the kind-hearted female lead. In this situation, Sheng Qian surely wouldn’t want to disturb her sleep and definitely wouldn’t struggle anymore.

 

The young girl’s body was bony and rigid, like a stick. Resolving to fatten her up in the future, Lin Wan finally set aside her worries and truly fell asleep…

 

Some time later, in a daze, it seemed someone cupped her face and spoke discontentedly: “You lied to me!”

 

But after a moment, that person nuzzled into her embrace and wrapped their arms around her waist.

 

“But I lied to you too, so we’re even.”

 

When Lin Wan woke up the next day, Sheng Qian was still asleep.

 

Sunlight filtered through the foliage outside the window, scattering lazily across Sheng Qian’s face, dancing upon her long, delicate eyelashes. Her skin took on a translucent glow, making her appear ethereally vibrant.

 

Sheng Qian was bound to grow into a stunning, peerless beauty.

 

Lin Wan held her breath involuntarily.

 

Not wanting to wake Sheng Qian, she prepared to slip out of bed. But before she could move, Sheng Qian’s eyes fluttered open.

 

The gaze that met her was sharp and cold, like a finely-honed sword hidden in its sheath. So unfamiliar at first glance that it gave Lin Wan pause.

 

But when Lin Wan looked again, Sheng Qian had already lowered her head, quietly retracting the arm that had been wrapped around Lin Wan’s waist.

 

The little princess was feeling shy!

 

She might even feel guilty later, worried that she had disturbed Lin Wan’s sleep. In the future, even if she was scared, she might hesitate to ask for help.

 

A flicker of amusement crossed Lin Wan’s eyes. She understood all too well the thoughts of a kind-hearted female lead like Sheng Qian!

 

Naturally, Lin Wan wouldn’t let Sheng Qian fall into self-blame. As soon as Sheng Qian withdrew her hand, Lin Wan unexpectedly reached out and began tickling her.

 

If she disrupted Sheng Qian’s train of thought, she wouldn’t overthink things!

 

Sure enough, her decision was right: in the future, she would keep Sheng Qian by her side, show her more of the world, and Sheng Qian would surely become less sensitive and prone to overthinking.

 

But to Lin Wan’s surprise, Sheng Qian wasn’t ticklish at all!

 

Lin Wan tickled her a few times, but Sheng Qian’s expression remained perfectly calm, her eyes even holding a hint of obvious confusion as she looked at Lin Wan.

 

Had no one ever tickled her before?

 

Lin Wan refused to believe it, thinking Sheng Qian must be pretending to maintain her princessly dignity. She was about to try again when Sheng Qian blinked and suddenly turned the tables. Imitating Lin Wan, she reached out and began tickling her in return.

 

Lin Wan was extremely ticklish!

 

She nearly leaped off the bed, scrambling backward in a panic. Seeing Lin Wan’s reaction, Sheng Qian seemed to understand something, a clear smile lighting up her eyes. Somehow, despite her small, soft appearance, Sheng Qian had surprising strength, and Lin Wan couldn’t escape her grasp.

 

After a few tickles, Lin Wan’s face flushed bright red, tears clinging to her lashes, making her look utterly pitiful.

 

In her struggle, she leaned back too far and tumbled off the bed. Sheng Qian, who was still holding onto her, was caught off guard and fell with her.

 

Lin Wan was startled and instinctively wrapped her arms around Sheng Qian’s head to protect her, but her own head hit the edge of the bed with a loud thud!

 

For a moment, everything fell silent.

 

“Enough playing around. Let’s get up and wash up.”

 

It took Lin Wan a while to recover from the pain.

 

Glancing over, she saw Sheng Qian looking up at her, unharmed. Relieved, Lin Wan withdrew her hand, rubbed the large bump forming on her forehead, and climbed up from the floor.

 

“Aren’t you angry with me, Sister?” Sheng Qian asked softly, biting her lip.

 

“Why would I be angry with you?”

 

Lin Wan sighed, fully understanding Sheng Qian’s feelings. Someone as kind-hearted as Sheng Qian would surely blame herself for Lin Wan falling off the bed.

 

“But I was the one who tickled you first.”

 

Although Lin Wan admired Sheng Qian’s virtuous nature and wanted to protect her kindness, she didn’t want Sheng Qian to always endure and yield.

 

“Since I chose to tickle you, I should have been prepared for you to retaliate.”

 

In this world where the strong prey on the weak, constant yielding will only lead to becoming another’s meal.

 

“Qianqian, I know you’re kind-hearted, but sometimes, I wish you would think more of yourself.”

 

Lin Wan gazed at Sheng Qian, trying her best to make her eyes appear utterly sincere.

 

Her face still carried the flush from their earlier playfulness, her eyes shimmering with moisture, her hair slightly disheveled. When her damp eyes looked at someone, their expression was less of sincerity and more of a silent invitation as if anyone could do anything to her.

 

Sheng Qian didn’t know why, but it felt as though something had struck her chest, and suddenly her throat felt dry.

 

Sheng Qian lowered her gaze.

 

Lin Wan in this state must never be seen by Li Si!

 

She had come to find Lin Wan because the spies she had planted around Li Si overheard his servant suggesting that, with the moonlight so beautiful lately, Li Si should invite Lin Wan out for moon-viewing.

 

Although Li Si had refused the servant, saying he needed to focus on his studies, his tone didn’t sound entirely firm.

 

As Sheng Qian listened to the spy’s report, she grew increasingly restless. After all, Lin Wan had once been so infatuated with Li Si that a little coaxing might rekindle her old feelings.

 

After much thought, Sheng Qian decided to take her pillow and seek out Lin Wan.

 

Now, it seemed like the right decision.

 

Sheng Qian bit her lower lip slightly.

 

Li Si still had too much free time; she needed to find a way to keep him busy.

 

But before that, she had to keep a close watch on Lin Wan day and night to prevent her from being deceived by Li Si.

 

Ever since witnessing a palace maid being silently assassinated in bed and disappearing without a trace in the deep palace as a child, Sheng Qian had developed the habit of sleeping on the edge of the bed to detect danger and escape in time, waking multiple times each night.

 

That night, she slept on the inner side and initially thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep. Yet, surrounded by Lin Wan’s scent, before she knew it, she had enjoyed the most restful sleep she’d ever had.

 

She had to admit that Lin Wan was the most important person she had encountered so far.

 

She didn’t know exactly what Lin Wan meant to her, but instinctively, she didn’t want to leave her.

 

After all, protecting Lin Wan wasn’t difficult for her.

 

She actually had some influence. After her uncle, Hu Hai, inherited the position of tribal chief, he worked diligently to strengthen the tribe, which had grown so powerful that even the emperor had to show him some respect.

 

Unfortunately, due to an accident, Hu Hai could no longer have descendants. Regretting his past arguments with his sister that led to her entering the palace as a consort, he treated Sheng Qian as his own daughter, eager for her to go to the tribe and inherit the chieftainship.

 

Sheng Qian had no desire to go to the tribe. She wanted to stay in the capital, slowly tightening her net.

 

She knew of Prince Yunyang’s ambitious schemes and that Huang Fu would inevitably contact Gu Ze, since Huang Fu had once mistaken her for a naive child and privately muttered that Gu Ze was the protagonist of this world, destined to inherit the throne.

 

Even the Taoist the emperor now devoutly believed in was someone she had deliberately arranged through Hu Hai.

 

According to the Taoist’s feedback, although he openly told Huang Fu he was harming the emperor, he was actually trying to sustain the emperor’s life. Yet, the emperor was beyond cure and wouldn’t live much longer.

 

Gu Ze and Huang Fu had already reached an agreement: once Gu Ze ascended the throne, Huang Fu would be arranged to fake her death, and then he would welcome her into the palace as a consort.

 

Huang Fu was Gu Ze’s distant cousin. In their youth, she had once been deeply infatuated with him, and Gu Ze had always believed she was hopelessly devoted to him. That was why she had dared to defy the world, becoming a treacherous consort in an attempt to help him seize the empire. Little did he know that Huang Fu’s soul had long been replaced. The current Huang Fu was approaching him solely for the so-called “fortune.”

 

The Daoist claimed he had a way to expel the dark, malevolent soul possessing Huang Fu, but Sheng Qian stopped him.

 

Sheng Qian wanted to watch a drama unfold.

 

What expression would the emperor wear when he discovered that the consort he trusted and doted on was secretly involved with the Yunyang Prince Manor, which he also trusted?

 

How long could the notoriously violent and arrogant Yunyang Prince Manor endure and feign loyalty for the sake of the throne?

 

And what fate would befall Huang Fu if she failed to gather the fortune she so desperately sought?

 

In this bustling world, everyone comes for profit, scheming and fighting, each believing themselves clever. What an ugly spectacle of humanity.

 

The Daoist was a man of genuine ability. The reason he was willing to align himself with Sheng Qian and assist her, as he mysteriously put it, was because Sheng Qian’s displayed intelligence did not seem like that of a twelve-year-old.

 

He had once used his heavenly eye to glimpse the future and saw that Sheng Qian would bring about a calamity that would destroy the world. By siding with her, he hoped to prevent that outcome even to the point of having entertained thoughts of killing her.

 

Sheng Qian, however, was unaware of the Daoist’s inner turmoil. She only did what she wanted to do.

 

Now, all the nets were slowly tightening.

 

Sheng Qian thought she would feel excitement.

 

Yet, to her surprise, her heart was extremely calm, even somewhat bored. Everything was unfolding as expected, far less interesting than teasing Lin Wan.

 

At this thought, Sheng Qian lifted her gaze and couldn’t help but glance at Lin Wan again, only to find that Lin Wan had turned her back, completely unbothered by her presence, and was already changing her clothes!

 

Beneath the white undergarments, faintly visible, was Lin Wan’s skin, as smooth and tender as fresh milk.

 

Sheng Qian’s eyelids twitched, and she quickly lowered her gaze, her cheeks flushing with warmth once again.

 

She… really…

 

The pounding of her heart showed no signs of calming down; instead, it beat faster and faster.

 

Sheng Qian couldn’t help but bite her lower lip in frustration.

 

She had been mistaken. In this profit-driven world, there were still fools like Lin Wan, who acted not for gain but for conscience.

 

And what infuriated her even more was that she found herself increasingly unable to let go of this fool!