The Female Lead is Quite Unusual - Episode 56

When Sheng Qian appeared at Lin Wan’s doorway clutching her pillow again on the second night, Lin Wan wasn’t the least bit surprised.

How could someone who’d been frightened recover in just one night? She estimated Sheng Qian would remain fearful for several more nights.

She had initially thought Sheng Qian might relax a bit after the previous night, but reality proved she had overestimated Sheng Qian’s resilience. Sheng Qian remained like a pitiful little creature, hugging her small pillow while pressed tightly against the corner of the wall, seemingly too afraid to sleep anywhere near the middle.

Lin Wan sighed.

She employed the same tactic as before. Closing her eyes to feign sleep, then after some time pretending to be deep in slumber, she pulled Sheng Qian into her embrace.

This time, Sheng Qian didn’t struggle.

Feeling reassured, Lin Wan was about to drift back to sleep when she sensed Sheng Qian cautiously reaching out to wrap her arms around Lin Wan’s waist.

In the darkness, Lin Wan’s eyes widened briefly before her lips curved into a silent smile. Her heart felt as if it had been struck by something, filled with an unprecedented sense of fulfillment: it was like raising a shy little animal that had always been wary, refusing to let down its guard, but now finally relaxing its claws and beginning to grow close to her.

Sheng Qian had been sleeping against the wall, so her hands and feet were icy cold, yet Lin Wan’s heart burned with warmth.

She didn’t mind Sheng Qian’s condition at all, pushing the quilt more toward Sheng Qian while continuing to hold her, sharing her own warmth to counter Sheng Qian’s chill.

That night, Lin Wan slept better than ever before.

When she woke the next morning, Sheng Qian had already gotten out of bed at some point and was fully dressed.

“Don’t rush off! Let’s have breakfast together in a bit,” Lin Wan quickly said, meeting Sheng Qian’s gaze.

Sheng Qian lowered her head and murmured an “Mm.” Seeing Lin Wan push back the covers as if preparing to change clothes, she suddenly stood up and hurried out the door, closing it with a creak from the outside.

Lin Wan was momentarily puzzled, unable to understand why the usually composed Sheng Qian had suddenly become so flustered. After a moment’s thought, she didn’t dwell on it. After sharing breakfast with Sheng Qian and considering the situation, she decided after asking Sheng Qian’s opinion to take her along to participate in Squire Jiang’s relocation event.

It was the first time the security bureau had taken on a relocation job, and since Sheng Qian was meticulous, having her along might help spot any oversights.

However, given Sheng Qian’s special status, Lin Wan dressed her in men’s clothing before they set out.

As they were leaving, Lin Wan didn’t expect to run into Li Si at the estate entrance.

Li Si was chatting with a bearded man who carried an air of arrogance.

Li Si was half-bent at the waist, displaying a level of deference she had never shown before, bordering on obsequiousness.

Lin Wan only saw the man nod before getting into a sedan chair and departing, while Li Si remained in place, looking immensely pleased with herself.

“Academician Zhang is one of the examiners for this round,” Li Si said after a moment, finally noticing Lin Wan. She couldn’t help but lift her chin, her eyes openly gleaming with delight. “He’s invited me to his residence tomorrow for a small gathering and poetry session.”

Lin Wan blinked, recalling from the original world’s timeline that the emperor had been driven to spitting blood by a imperial examination fraud scandal. The emperor never imagined that examiners would deliberately leak topics to cultivate connections within the court. After severely punishing the examiners involved, the emperor remained bedridden from illness, no longer able to govern, and the nation descended into further chaos.

In the original timeline, Li Si was not implicated. Although his ranking dropped due to the examination fraud scandal, he only secured a minor official position but completely avoided this turmoil.

As an examiner, Scholar Zhang, even if not the mastermind, would likely be implicated in the future.

Therefore, after some thought, Lin Wan decided to gently remind him: “Cousin, with the imperial examinations approaching, it would be better to focus on your studies and not waste time. I think it’s best if you don’t attend this poetry gathering.”

“Such narrow-minded views!”

Li Si seemed to completely disregard Lin Wan’s words, frowning as he said, “Scholar Zhang didn’t just invite me. He also invited many renowned scholars. By attending this gathering, I can gauge the knowledge of the other scholars. How is that a waste of time?”

He then glanced at the disguises the two were wearing and frowned. “A young lady running around outside all day. What kind of behavior is that?”

Seeing that Li Si seemed determined, Lin Wan blinked and did not press further.

“Wait.”

She turned to take Sheng Qian’s hand and leave, but Li Si called out to her again, his gaze falling on Sheng Qian beside her.

“Tomorrow’s poetry gathering will surely be attended by people from prominent families. I cannot compete with them in terms of family background, so I must find another way.”

Li Si’s voice carried a hint of hope as he looked earnestly at Lin Wan. “Your sworn sister is so strikingly beautiful. Could she pretend to be my ink-attendant tomorrow. ”

“Don’t even think about it!”

Sheng Qian was a princess. Even though she had lost her memory, how could Li Si, with his meager status, dare to ask a princess to pose as his maid?

Before Li Si could finish, Lin Wan cut him off with a cold laugh. “If you want to fight for power and influence, that’s your own business. Don’t drag my dear Qianqian into it!”

Li Si actually had the audacity to make such a suggestion!

Lin Wan felt both furious and fearful. Thankfully, she had been cautious and kept Sheng Qian by her side, taking good care of her. If Sheng Qian had become infatuated with Li Si like the original host, she might have thrown a tantrum and insisted on going to the poetry gathering with him.

At an event like a poetry gathering, with Sheng Qian’s exceptional beauty, it would be easy for others to recognize her. Even if no one did, sending such a beautiful young girl into a gathering full of men vying for fame and fortune. Who could guarantee there wouldn’t be beasts among them?

If anything were to happen, given Li Si’s character, he would certainly not protect Sheng Qian.

So, what if Li Si would later rise to a high position?

At this moment, Lin Wan didn’t care about offending him. Her face turned cold.

“Cousin, if you want to attend the poetry gathering, I can’t stop you. But if you try to involve my dear Qianqian,” Lin Wan cast a cold glance at Li Si, “our Lin family is too small to accommodate someone of your stature. I suggest you return home as soon as possible!”

Li Si widened his eyes, clearly never expecting Lin Wan to speak to him like this. Her words were unmistakable: if Li Si continued to target Sheng Qian, the Lin family would send him back to the Li family.

Was this the same Lin Wan who used to flatter him and fear displeasing him?

Humiliated, Li Si’s face flushed red as he glared at Lin Wan, but he did not say a word about leaving the Lin family.

Lin Wan paid no attention to his expression and turned to leave, holding Sheng Qian’s hand.

As for Sheng Qian, she seemed never to have imagined that the always cheerful Lin Wan could be so stern. She looked at Lin Wan with a strange expression in her eyes.

“Sister,” Sheng Qian lowered her head after walking a few steps and cautiously asked, “Young Master Li was so angry his face turned green. Won’t you speak with him a little more? You used to care so much about him before. Why strain your relationship over me?”

“Qianqian, listen,” Lin Wan looked at Sheng Qian’s expression, her heart skipping a beat with worry. Given Sheng Qian’s kind-hearted nature, to prevent any conflict between her and Li Si, she might actually go seek out Li Si in secret and agree to his demands.

“This was an utterly unreasonable request from the start,” Lin Wan turned to face Sheng Qian, speaking each word deliberately. “I know you have a gentle heart, but you are my sworn sister. You represent my dignity.”

“I, Lin Wan, would never compromise my sister’s well-being just to please a man.” She grasped Sheng Qian’s hand, her gaze earnest and sincere. “Qianqian, you are my bottom line.”

Sheng Qian’s eyes curved into a smile, sparkling like fireworks suddenly bursting into brilliance, dazzling and radiant.

Lin Wan wasn’t sure which of her words had made Sheng Qian so happy, but it was clear that Sheng Qian was in extremely high spirits.

Seeing Sheng Qian’s beaming smile, Lin Wan couldn’t help but curve her lips as well.

“I know, Sister.”

After a long moment, Sheng Qian finally tightened her grip on Lin Wan’s hand and whispered almost inaudibly, “It’s the same for me, Sister. You are my bottom line too.”

With so many refugees outside the city detained by the emperor and not allowed to enter, moving from outside the city to inside on a large scale could easily provoke envy and resentment.

Thus, for Squire Jiang’s relocation, Lin Wan mobilized all the guards who remained in the capital.

Hu Yi was very experienced: if they transported Squire Jiang’s belongings into the city all at once, it would surely attract the refugees’ attention. So, he borrowed uniforms from some friendly shops outside the city, had the guards change into them, and disguised the various guards as shop assistants. This way, they could deceive the refugees and enter the city.

That day, the refugees noticed an unusually high number of shop assistants coming and going.

However, these merchants were scattered across various trades—silk, cloth, jade, and more. To the refugees, silk, cloth, and jade were far less essential than grain. Moreover, the merchants had all hired escort guards to stand by. The refugees, thinking that the imperial exams were approaching and city merchants were aiming to make a fortune during this time, didn’t suspect anything.

The guards moved in batches and continuously, not finishing until late at night.

Lin Wan was so exhausted she could barely keep her eyes open. After returning home, she hurriedly bathed and wanted to go straight to sleep.

But Sheng Qian, who was usually very gentle, stopped her, insisting on taking a cloth towel to dry her still-damp hair.

While her hair was being dried, Lin Wan couldn’t fight off sleep and dozed off.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when someone gently pinched her cheek, lifted her up, and laid her on the bed.

Sheng Qian must have called a maid otherwise, how could such a delicate princess carry her.

Lin Wan thought hazily.

She was utterly exhausted, her eyelids too heavy to open. Once in bed, she habitually reached toward the corner of the wall but found no one there. Just as she was about to reach again, a soft laugh sounded beside her. A soft, slightly cool body drew near, embracing Lin Wan proactively, and whispered, “Sister, I’m here.”

Lin Wan hummed in response, subconsciously reassured, and finally drifted into a peaceful sleep.

In the following days, Lin Wan stayed at home, handling matters related to the security bureau.

Li Si, still reluctant to leave the excellent study environment provided by the Lin family, did not bring up taking Sheng Qian to poetry gatherings again. Instead, he spent his days running around outside, attending various poetry events organized by Imperial Academy Scholar Zhang.

Could Li Si possibly do well in the exams if he continued like this?

But Li Si seemed dead set on his ways. Lin Wan didn’t want to invite further annoyance and simply ignored him.

Time flew by, and soon it was the day of the imperial examinations.

The day before the exams, Li Si finally decided to leave the Lin family.

“Cousin, I will make you deeply regret what you said!” Before entering the examination hall, Li Si was full of confidence, his expression dark and menacing.

Lin Wan’s eyes widened not because she was frightened by his words, but because she noticed the fortune value above his head fluctuating wildly. It dropped from “5%” to “2%”.

Could something go wrong with this imperial exam?

Lin Wan had a bad feeling about it.

And as it turned out, her intuition was absolutely right: during the exams, cheat sheets were found on several candidates, as if they had known the questions in advance!