The Male Lead’s Backyard is on Fire [Transmigration] - Chapter 7

Liu Luoyi said nothing, standing there with a wooden expression.

“Pour another cup,” Lu Yunkui commanded.

Liu Luoyi did not wipe the water from her face. She walked to the teapot, poured another cup, and then approached Lu Yunkui.

Just as Lu Yunkui was about to take the cup from her hand, Liu Luoyi suddenly stepped back. With a swift swing of her arm, she splashed the entire contents of the cup directly onto Lu Yunkui’s face.

Lu Yunkui never expected Liu Luoyi to possess such courage. He froze in place, even forgetting to wipe the tea leaves stuck to his face.

Yu Chi Li, who had been watching from the sidelines, nearly choked on her pastry at the sight. This was the complete opposite of the submissive female lead described in the book.

Yu Chi Li took another sip of tea to swallow the pastry. She studied Liu Luoyi; this display of spirit truly made her look at the girl in a new light. It was so satisfying that she felt like jumping up and shouting, “Well done!”

Liu Luoyi held her hands behind her back and looked Lu Yunkui straight in the eye without retreating. However, Yu Chi Li noticed that the hands hidden behind her back were trembling slightly.

Lu Yunkui had never suffered such an insult, especially in front of his two women. Seething with rage, he suddenly grabbed Liu Luoyi’s soft, slender neck and raised his hand to strike her.

Liu Luoyi did not dodge; she simply closed her eyes.

Seeing this, Yu Chi Li dropped her half-eaten pastry. At the critical moment, she rushed forward and firmly grabbed Lu Yunkui’s hand.

Liu Luoyi felt a gust of wind by her ear, but the expected pain did not come. Instead, a familiar scent of fresh grass surrounded her. Surprised, she slowly opened her eyes and froze. Yu Chi Li had somehow stepped in front of her, gripping Lu Yunkui’s wrist with one hand while the other hand rested lightly around Liu Luoyi’s waist.

The hand at her waist was soft yet seemingly very powerful. For some reason, Liu Luoyi felt her cheeks flush.

“Yu Chi Li, what are you doing?” Lu Yunkui frowned. He tried to shake off her grip but found that Yu Chi Li’s strength was immense. He could not break free no matter how hard he tried.

“Hitting people at the drop of a hat, and a young girl at that. Are you not afraid of becoming a laughingstock?” Yu Chi Li raised an eyebrow.

Lu Yunkui exerted all his strength to pull away. Just then, Yu Chi Li intentionally let go. He staggered back, tripped over the corner of a table, and fell clumsily into a chair.

Lu Yunkui had never been so humiliated. Infuriated, he stood up and roared, “I am disciplining my servant! As my wife, mind your own business!”

Yu Chi Li looked around innocently and smiled. “Husband, please calm down. Since she is a servant of the Lu household, she is naturally my business as well.”

Lu Yunkui was speechless, his face turning red with anger. Being a vindictive man, he could not swallow this grievance. Since Yu Chi Li still had strategic value, he did not dare act against her, so he turned his target back to Liu Luoyi.

Lu Yunkui forced himself to calm down. He elegantly smoothed the wrinkles on his sleeves and forced a smile. “Fine. Since the Madam wants justice, then this lowly servant, having dared to defy her superior, should be punished with the rod! According to the laws of our dynasty, a master has the right to punish a servant who harms them.”

“Men! Drag her out and give her twenty strokes!”

Upon hearing this, Liu Luoyi’s heart sank. She had been sheltered since childhood; twenty strokes would likely kill her. Moreover, she was very afraid of pain. She clenched her fists and stubbornly held back her tears. If I die like this, it might be for the best. It will only hurt for a while, and I can endure it, she thought to herself.

Several servants entered to grab Liu Luoyi. Yu Chi Li could not stand by and watch. She pulled Liu Luoyi behind her and shouted sharply, “I dare any of you to touch her!”

The servants were startled and stood frozen, unsure whether to stay or leave.

Liu Luoyi stared blankly at Yu Chi Li’s back. It was slender but stood very tall and straight. It felt safe. She did not know why she suddenly had such a feeling. Why was Yu Chi Li helping her over and over again? She could not figure it out.

“Li Er, are you determined to oppose me today?” Lu Yunkui’s face darkened.

“How could I be opposing you? It is just that the laws of the land forbid the abuse of private punishment. There is a great difference between discipline and illegal torture. I simply do not want my husband’s reputation to be affected, especially with the triennial evaluation approaching. If rumors reach the superiors, you will be the one to suffer,” Yu Chi Li said with a smile.

She felt quite impressed with herself. Having been in the ancient world for only a few days, she had already mastered their indirect way of speaking.

Although Lu Yunkui was a villain, he was clever enough to catch the threat in Yu Chi Li’s words. He nodded heavily, maintaining his habitual smile. “Fine. I was impulsive. Li Er is the thoughtful one.”

“All of you, get out,” he said through gritted teeth while smiling. The servants scurried out in a confused swarm.

Yu Chi Li felt a sense of relief. Although punishing Liu Luoyi might not have changed the main plot, she could not bear to see such a beauty tortured. For now, she had done what she could. Even though Liu Luoyi was cold and unapproachable when conscious, Yu Chi Li still felt for her.

She turned around and met Liu Luoyi’s gaze. Liu Luoyi quickly looked down, but her heart was racing. It must be because I am scared, she guessed.

The girl’s fair, elegant neck was exposed before Yu Chi Li. When she looked down, her eyelashes trembled delicately. Yu Chi Li reached out, gently lifted the girl’s chin, and used her sleeve to wipe the tea from her face.

“It is fine to hit people, but make sure you time it for when I am around,” she whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear.

Liu Luoyi felt as if her heart were about to jump out of her chest. Yu Chi Li’s breath seemed to brush against her face, and that grassy scent from the plains enveloped her. The atmosphere felt fleeting and intimate.

However, before she could react, Yu Chi Li had already pulled away. She walked past Lu Yunkui, rolling her eyes at him as she left. Lu Yunkui nearly fainted from anger.

The scent of Yu Chi Li remained in the air, and the warmth on Liu Luoyi’s chin lingered. It was a warmth she had not felt in a long time. Liu Luoyi felt dazed. Can a person really change so much in such a short time? She did not know.

The Plan and the Night Out

Yu Chi Li strode out of the room. Once she was far from Lu Yunkui’s study, she let out a breath. Whenever she was near the male lead, she felt an irresistible urge to hit him. In her twenty years of her previous life, she had never met someone so deserving of a beating. To think the book had him live happily ever after with the female lead! Was the female lead a masochist?

She walked back to her room along the garden path. The birds sang sweetly, and the early summer sunlight filtered through the trees, casting dappled shadows on the walls. It was a peaceful scene. Tiny white flowers bloomed on the lush green grass, swaying in the breeze.

As she walked, she considered her next move. According to the original plot, after the tea cup incident, the male lead would lock the female lead in a small courtyard and deprive her of food and water. Then, the male lead would wear a mask and dress as a man in black to secretly care for the sick female lead at night. They would develop feelings this way, and the female lead would fall for the mysterious man in black, giving her a reason to forgive him later.

Yu Chi Li would certainly not let that happen!

As she pondered, she jumped onto a tall rock formation. She nearly lost her balance and grabbed a nearby stone, looking down. Qing Gong was truly a wonderful thing! If she had known this in her past life, she would not have died falling off a cliff. She wondered if anyone had found her body or if she had simply become one with the earth.

Thinking of her family in the modern world, she felt a bit low. She sat down and said to a colorful bird nearby, “I miss home a little.” The bird simply twitched its tail. Yu Chi Li shook her head; she was going crazy talking to a bird.

Wait, poison? A spark of inspiration hit her. She was in ancient times; it should be easy to find a sedative. If Lu Yunkui slept soundly every night and was busy during the day, he would have no time to bother the female lead.

Determined, Yu Chi Li jumped down, landed steadily, and started running.

Three days later.

It was late at night. The courtyards were dark, and the sky was as black as ink. Yu Chi Li got out of bed and took the night-traveling outfit Xin Ran had prepared.

“Princess, where are you going?” Xin Ran asked, unable to keep up with her mistress’s unpredictable behavior.

Yu Chi Li placed a finger to her lips and winked. “To let off some steam.”

Before Xin Ran could reply, Yu Chi Li flipped through the window and vanished into the darkness. She did not use the door because she felt this was more stylish.

Yu Chi Li moved through the night like a graceful cat. She leaped onto the rooftops and looked down. Below the eaves, the maidservants on night watch were sound asleep. This was Lu Yunkui’s courtyard.

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