The Supporting Female Character Enters the Game, the Crazy Crown Prince Slowly Falls Deeply in Love - Chapter 73

Dusk was settling, and the wind chimes on the eaves swayed gently in the evening breeze.

In the Xie Manor study.

“Master, the news from the palace is that after the Regent King accepted the Imperial Decree, he secretly mobilized the troops from the Imperial Guard camp outside the capital,” Qiyin reported in a low voice.

“This subordinate believes he is determined to succeed at the Ancestral Rites this time.”

Xie Yunian gave a distracted “Hmm,” his fingertip gently tapping the tabletop.

This was his unconscious habit when deep in thought.

“Do we need to take any further action?”

Qiyin saw that he hadn’t responded for a while and couldn’t help but look up.

“Master?”

Xie Yunian snapped back to attention. “No need. It’s more interesting to watch them fight among themselves.”

“Understood.” Qiyin nodded and withdrew.

“Yuan Zheng,” Xie Yunian remembered something and called out.

Yuan Zheng, who was waiting by the door, quickly walked in when he heard the call. “What is it, Young Master?”

“Tomorrow, go to the bookshop and buy some…” Xie Yunian paused. “The current popular storybooks.”

Yuan Zheng was puzzled. “Since when did you enjoy reading those, Young Master?”

Xie Yunian cleared his throat. “Just go when I tell you to. Where does all this nonsense come from?”

After Yuan Zheng left, Xie Yunian stood up and walked to the window, gazing at the wind chimes under the eaves, a smile unconsciously curving on his lips.

He recalled the afternoon at the Jiang Manor, how Jiang Yao had acted like a thief, hiding the storybook behind her desk when she saw him enter.

Why must she be so secretive about reading a storybook?

Does she think he would forbid her from reading?

Xie Yunian shook his head, a warmth rising in his heart.

Never mind. I’ll buy her plenty and send them over. Let her read to her heart’s content.

The next afternoon, Yuan Zheng returned with the storybooks.

“Young Master, the books have been purchased,” Yuan Zheng entered, holding a stack of brand-new storybooks, and placed them on the desk. “The bookshop owner said these are the most popular ones lately.”

“Alright,” Xie Yunian nodded. “Find a box and pack them up. Send them all to the Jiang Manor.”

Yuan Zheng nodded, about to pick up the books, but Xie Yunian stopped him again.

“Wait,” his gaze fell on one of the books. “This one is a duplicate.”

Xie Yunian pulled that book out and placed it casually to the side. “Leave this one here. Pack the rest.”

The one on Jiang Yao’s desk that afternoon was this very book.

Yuan Zheng nodded, picking up the remaining books to leave.

…

The candlelight flickered. Xie Yunian sat at the desk, stopped writing, and raised a hand to rub his sore temples.

He placed the papers in his hand into a box for safekeeping and rose to walk towards the bed, but accidentally knocked over a stack of books on the corner of the desk.

With a clatter, several books slid off the desk and scattered onto the floor.

The storybook he had casually placed on the desk that afternoon also fell down.

He bent down to pick up the books, his gaze inadvertently falling on the cover of the storybook.

The cover depicted a scholar and a beauty, accompanied by a few verses of passionate, lingering poetry.

She likes reading this kind of thing?

On a sudden impulse, he took the book and climbed onto the bed.

The candlelight was dim, making the text on the pages slightly blurry. Xie Yunian leaned against the bed, casually flipping through the book, his eyes wandering disinterestedly over the lines.

He reached a section describing the hero and heroine expressing their deep affection for each other, finding it a bit cliché. He wondered why Jiang Yao found it so captivating.

Suddenly, Xie Yunian’s hand paused, stopping on one particular page.

The hero and heroine in the book, under the cover of night, quietly climbed onto the roof and sat side-by-side on the eaves, gazing up at the sky full of stars.

“The night wind gently caressed them, and the moonlight spilled onto the couple, seeming to coat them in a soft halo.”

“The two embraced under the moon. Starlight sprinkled upon them, and for a moment, only each other remained in the world.”

The description was quite detailed.

If only he hadn’t heard similar sentences this afternoon.

The candle sputtered with a “snap,” but Xie Yunian seemed not to notice.

He stared intently at that line of text, and images of Jiang Yao’s every gesture and smile during this time flooded his mind.

Those scenes that had made him feel somewhat distracted were now like sharp thorns, stabbing his heart, preventing him from finding peace.

It turned out that all of it was fake.

She hadn’t merely harbored no doubts about him; she had been acting the entire time, from beginning to end.

Xie Yunian tightly clenched the storybook in his hand, his fingertips turning white.

He recalled the first time he saw Jiang Yao, when she stood before his bed and embraced him without any restraint.

He also remembered the strange question she asked, seemingly drunk, in front of the Jiang Manor gate that night.

At the time, he only thought she was drunk and asking nonsense, and was afraid of frightening her.

Looking back now, that question clearly held a deeper meaning.

Everything made sense.

Xie Yunian closed his eyes, a self-mocking smile pulling at his lips.

He finally understood his father’s words: in the capital, everyone’s smiles hide daggers.

“Yuan Zheng,” Xie Yunian called out in a low voice.

Yuan Zheng walked in, yawning, but his heart clenched when he saw Xie Yunian’s expression. “What is it, Young Master?”

Has something gone wrong?

Xie Yunian spoke softly. “No need to send them.”

“What?” Yuan Zheng didn’t understand.

Xie Yunian tossed the storybook onto the floor. “Burn all these storybooks.”

Yuan Zheng was stunned for a moment. “But Young Master, didn’t you say you would send them tomorrow…”

“Get out.”

Xie Yunian interrupted him, his voice thoroughly cold.

After Yuan Zheng picked up the storybooks and left, Xie Yunian lay down, fully clothed.

“Jiang Yao…” he whispered the name, scoffing, finding it utterly ridiculous.

High fever.

Admires him.

Mistook fantasy for reality.

Now it seemed she was more astute than anyone else—so astute that she led him, completely off guard, into her lie.

Xie Yunian rested his head on the pillow, staring blankly at the bed curtains.

Now, he realized that he was the one who had developed hysteria.

The candlelight flickered lightly outside the bed curtains, casting his shadow onto the wall, making him look somewhat desolate.

The next morning.

Just as Yuan Zheng approached the door, it was pushed open from the inside by Xie Yunian.

“Y-Young Master?” Yuan Zheng was startled and looked at Xie Yunian in confusion. “Why are you up so early?”

As soon as he spoke, his eyes caught sight of the room.

The bed was neatly made, the quilt still at the foot of the bed, not looking as if anyone had slept in it.

Yuan Zheng then realized that Xie Yunian was still wearing the same brocade robe as yesterday, and there were dark circles under his eyes.

“You… you didn’t sleep all night, did you?”

Xie Yunian rubbed his temples and glanced at him. “What is it, so early in the morning?”

“…”

Yuan Zheng cautiously looked up at Xie Yunian and whispered, “The Jiang Manor sent a message, saying that the Third Young Miss will visit our manor on your birthday…”

“Young Master… do you want to see her?”

“Heh.” Xie Yunian’s expression was cold, a suppressed chill emanating from his brow.

Yuan Zheng’s heart trembled at the sound. He couldn’t help but look up at him, but his Young Master’s expression was frighteningly calm.

“Then this servant will refuse on your behalf…”

Before he could turn around, he heard Xie Yunian suddenly speak.

“See her. Why wouldn’t I see her?”