Bai Xiangxiu had no intention of competing with the female lead for the male protagonist. She hoped they’d dive into their intense, love-hate relationship as soon as possible—rolling around in bed until they couldn’t get up. Just as she was about to speak on his behalf, two servants passed by from the other side of the rock garden.
They hadn’t noticed her crouching there, nor the male lead and his group who had just walked by. They carried on chatting loudly as if they were afraid no one would hear them, staying there for quite a while.
It’s true what they say: you can’t control the world. The plot really can change your thoughts and perceptions at any moment!
“I heard Xier’s family came by today. Of all days, why today? It’s like they’re trying to make trouble for the old madam.”
“Exactly, but they underestimated the prince and the old madam. Before they even got in the door, the prince ordered them to be detained. Word is, the man almost got beaten to death downstairs.”
“Ugh, poor Xier. She just wanted to climb up the social ladder, but which maid in this household doesn’t? Even the ladies and visiting noblewomen hope to get close to the prince. But she had bad luck—when she bled, she bled a lot.”
“Yeah, the prince was too harsh. How could he treat a woman so brutally?”
“That’s nothing new. I heard from someone in the military that during the war between the two nations, he ordered women from the enemy country to be seized and, well, you know…”
“Really?”
“That’s what I heard from someone in the army. How could it be false?”
As Bai Xiangxiu listened to their gossip, she watched the female lead’s face, which went from pink to pale, then completely drained of color. Once the two servants left, Bai Xiangxiu wasted no time defending the male lead.
Although the female lead would still run away and be captured later, if this part could be skipped, wouldn’t it be perfect for her to be kicked out of the palace sooner? Sure, the old madam would eventually plead for her, but if she could cozy up to a supporting male character and get him to ask for her at just the right moment, she’d be out of this terrifying palace for good.
Thinking ahead, she quickly waved her hands and said, “Don’t listen to their nonsense. That maid was beaten because she harmed the prince, and the military stuff is just rumors. The prince is indifferent to the women in this household—he doesn’t kill randomly! Kill, kill!” Huh? Why was the female lead looking up past her head, with a fearful expression?
Bai Xiangxiu turned stiffly and saw her maid, Xiaoshi, kneeling nearby, tugging at her clothes and giving her signals. She’d been so focused on explaining that she hadn’t noticed.
Her heart sank. It was true—being around the female lead never leads to anything good. Slowly turning around, she saw the male lead, the supporting male, and several young noblemen standing in a row behind her, each with different expressions—but all were looking at her.
Even someone as calm as Bai Xiangxiu felt her legs give out, and she collapsed to the ground. She looked as though she had been seriously frightened and couldn’t recover.
Long Heng frowned slightly. He had just heard her passionately defending him, which, while unnecessary, gave him a strange feeling. It seemed this woman understood and trusted him quite a bit. He didn’t mind the feeling.
Xiaoshi quickly helped her mistress up, silently praying: Please don’t get sick again—she had only just recovered.
Bai Xiangxiu, still shaken, knelt and trembled as she spoke, “My Lord.” Don’t misunderstand—this wasn’t fear; it was a mix of shock, anger, and worry for the female lead.
With so many people seeing this, would the female lead still be able to escape?
But she needn’t have worried. Before the male lead could question the female lead’s true identity, she had already jumped into the nearby pond and sunk beneath the water.
“Ah, the water’s cold…” she thought. This is the female lead—if she falls ill and the male lead gets mad at Bai Xiangxiu, what then?
Bai Xiangxiu stretched out her arms dramatically as if trying to stop this from happening. She truly didn’t want to be punished over something like this.
Well, getting beaten to death was just her fear, but it wasn’t something she could shake.
“Do you know this servant?”
Long Heng, sharp-eyed as ever, had noticed the moment the “servant” dared to glance at him and had already taken note of her face. He also saw that her figure didn’t match any of the palace staff.
His keen sense, honed in the army, allowed him to recognize unfamiliar faces among his thousand-strong personal guard in an instant. And that figure was not a servant’s.
“No, I don’t know her,” Bai Xiangxiu quickly denied, shaking her head, eager to distance herself from the female lead. From what she’d just seen, the female lead was a trouble magnet, and it made Bai Xiangxiu nervous.
“Oh? Then why were you talking to her for so long?” Long Heng wasn’t oblivious—he knew they’d overheard the servants gossiping. But why had Bai Xiangxiu felt the need to explain anything to a mere servant?
Could she know who this person really was, or was there more to the story?
“Well, I, uh, just ran into her, and we overheard those people gossiping, so we hid. I don’t know her. But… she didn’t seem like a bad person.”
It was best not to badmouth the female lead. If the situation came back to bite her, it could very well be another death sentence!
“Ahem, yes… that boy did seem frightened and ran off. Doesn’t look like a threat,” chimed in one of the young noblemen, picking up Bai Xiangxiu’s thread. Internally, though, he was pleading with the prince: Please don’t send soldiers after your fiancée!
Wait, someone was defending her? Or rather, defending the female lead? Bai Xiangxiu looked up and caught the hurried glance of that young nobleman.
In that instant, she realized—that this man, who resembled the female lead and had just spoken up for her, was none other than the female lead’s brother—the novel’s number one tragic cannon fodder!
Remembering how he’d die protecting his sister while she continued her cat-and-mouse game with the prince, Bai Xiangxiu couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. Handsome, kind, and loyal, what a waste. With a brother like that, she almost wanted to stay in this world longer. Too bad he belonged to the female lead. So unfair!
Bai Xiangxiu quickly averted her gaze, though she couldn’t help but notice that Song Jiaoyue, one of the supporting male leads, had glanced at her for a fraction of a second. Had he noticed her?
But no—when she lowered her head, she realized his gaze was already back on the pond. Her heart chilled. The female lead’s halo was too strong—it was impossible to win the hearts of these men, even for a moment.
“Oh? I believe that those who commit crimes must be punished. Guards, go capture that runaway.”
Long Heng wasn’t blind. Everything Bai Xiangxiu had figured out, he had too.
He hadn’t expected Miss Lin to be so bold as to sneak into the palace and chat with Bai Xiangxiu. But since he was in a good mood today, he decided to let her off for now.
Mouse On AVL Chapter 9