"What, you hate her so much you're grinding your teeth but you can't fight back, isn't that frustrating?!" Shen Qianmo looked down at Shen Qianxin and said mercilessly.
Can't she bear this kind of pain?! What she endured back then was a hundred times more painful. It wasn't just the humiliation of being bullied without being able to fight back, but also the fact that the one who pushed her into this abyss was the person she loved most!
"Shen Qianmo, don't be too smug! Even if Jin cooperates with you, he can't lose his father's power. His current actions are just a temporary measure. When he becomes the emperor and I become the empress, I will make sure you die a horrible death!" Shen Qianxin looked at the smile on Shen Qianmo's lips and wished she could get up and tear Shen Qianmo's face apart. Her eyes flashed with ferocity as she spoke viciously.
“Then I’ll wait,” Shen Qianmo raised an eyebrow and said slowly, word by word, “the day your beautiful dream is shattered!”
"Alright, while you still have a few days to live, you should take good care of yourself." Before Shen Qianxin could answer, Shen Qianmo smiled innocently, left with a lukewarm remark, and left Shen Qianxin's room, leaving Shen Qianxin alone on the bed, seething with resentment.
"Chen Qianmo!" Shen Qianxin roared through gritted teeth on the bed, but no one paid any attention to her. Disappointed, she leaned against the pillow, looked at the high bed curtains, and slowly shed tears.
Has she really lost to Shen Qianmo like this?! She's not reconciled! Why, why!
Chapter Seven: Past Events
Tianque Tower, the best inn in the capital.
"Mo'er is back?" A magnetic and alluring voice rang out.
Shen Qianmo looked up and was greeted by a scene that was both alluring and sinister. Situ Jingyan was dressed in a seductive red robe, the buttons of his shirt undone, revealing a large expanse of his pectoral muscles. His long, slender fingers, like white jade, held a wine pot, and a bewitching smile graced his face.
"A thousand-year-old agarwood. Fine wine." Shen Qianmo inhaled the overflowing aroma of the wine, a smile playing on her lips, a hint of interest flashing in her eyes, and praised it.
"I didn't expect Mo'er to be such a connoisseur of wine." Situ Jingyan picked up another pot of wine from the table and tossed it into Shen Qianmo's hands, his smile widening. "In that case, Mo'er, please drink with me."
Shen Qianmo gracefully accepted the wine pot, lifted her white robe, sat down at the table, fumbled with the wine pot with her fingers, poured herself a cup, and said with a smile, "The finest white jade, Jingyan, you are truly extravagant."
"How can it compare to Mo'er, who uses fine porcelain to vent her anger?" Situ Jingyan said with a wicked smile and a hint of mockery in his eyes.
Shen Qianmo was slightly taken aback upon hearing Situ Jingyan's words. She had indeed smashed a piece of high-quality porcelain from the Demon Palace to pieces, which had greatly angered the old palace master. But how did Situ Jingyan know about this? She raised an eyebrow and asked, "How did you know that?!"
"I want to know everything about Mo'er." Situ Jingyan's eyes became serious, and his slightly hazy eyes, made even more charming by the smell of alcohol, said, "Including everything about Mo'er in Qi Yue."
"Everything I have in Qi Yue?" Shen Qianmo repeated softly, raising an eyebrow as she asked, "And what else do you know?"
“I know everything I need to know. I can understand why you hate the people in the Prime Minister’s mansion so much, but I don’t understand why you hate Shangguan Che so much?” Situ Jingyan’s eyes held a question, as well as a well-concealed worry. He slowly asked, “What is your past with him?”
Can he understand why she hates the people in the Prime Minister's mansion so much? No, he can't understand. How could he possibly comprehend the pain and betrayal she endured in her previous life?
What was her past with Shangguan Che? How could she possibly tell him that she had once married Shangguan Che, that she had loved him wholeheartedly, but was cruelly abandoned by him, that she had watched her child die, and that the man she loved most had embraced another woman while being forced to drink poison?
Tell him that God took pity on her and gave her a chance to be reborn, to let everything go back to the beginning, to make her strong, and to let her personally push those who brought her pain and betrayal to their doom.
But would he believe it? Such an absurd thing, if he hadn't experienced it himself, he probably wouldn't have believed it either.
“I…” Shen Qianmo began, but didn’t know how to say it. Looking into Situ Jingyan’s eyes, she suddenly couldn’t speak. That sincere gaze blocked all her perfunctory words from her heart.
"Mo'er, if you don't want to talk about it, I won't force you," Situ Jingyan said softly, seeing Shen Qianmo's predicament.
If Shen Qianmo is unwilling to talk about it, then he will not ask. Even if he suffers day and night because of this question, even if he is always worried and afraid, he will not force her in the slightest.
“It’s not that I’m unwilling to tell you, it’s just that you wouldn’t believe me even if I did.” Shen Qianmo blurted out when she saw the tenderness and doting in Situ Jingyan’s eyes.
Situ Jingyan smiled with relief, reached out and slowly took Shen Qianmo's hand, and said gently, "I believe everything you say."
She felt a warmth on her hand—the warmth of Situ Jingyan's body, a testament to his love and trust. Shen Qianmo looked up and saw Situ Jingyan's captivating, obsidian-like eyes gazing at her with deep affection. Perhaps she could tell him.
After all, she could never tell anyone about these things; she could only let them fester in her heart, which allowed the hatred to become even more obsessive and profound. Because, apart from herself, no one could know her pain.
"I was once used by my father to marry Shangguan Che." Shen Qianmo slowly began to speak. A hint of surprise flashed in Situ Jingyan's eyes, but he was still disappointed that Shen Qianmo continued to speak.
"Back then, I was so foolish. I thought my father truly loved me, my second sister truly doted on me, and Shangguan Che truly loved me. But when my child was aborted by Yao Ruoqin and Yao Xuekong, when I was forced to watch Shangguan Che and Yao Ruoqin make love, and when I was forced to drink poison by Shangguan Che, I finally saw the truth of it all!" Shen Qianmo's eyes were filled with bitterness and hatred.
Situ Jingyan didn't speak, but held Shen Qianmo's hand tightly, showing her with his actions that he was there.
"I was so foolish and naive! My father's love was nothing but a means to use me! My second sister's affection was nothing but a way to lower my guard, and she repeatedly schemed against me! And Shangguan Che, the man I thought was a good man, was nothing but a tool to use me to ascend the throne! He is heartless and insane; he could not only cruelly kill me, but he could also watch our child be murdered in my womb!" Shen Qianmo's eyes were deep, and a sarcastic and ruthless smile played on her lips. "Fortunately, heaven has opened its eyes and allowed me to be reborn, back to the beginning of everything, back to when I was ten years old!"
"Mo'er, it's all in the past. Just think of it as a nightmare. From now on, I'll protect you, and I will never allow anyone to hurt you in the slightest!" Situ Jingyan looked at Shen Qianmo with heartache. She was smiling, but he could see the pain behind her smile. He held the person in his arms tightly. He had never known that she had suffered so much pain.
He even claimed he could understand. He couldn't understand a thing. The excruciating pain she must have endured!
When Situ Jingyan forcefully embraced her, Shen Qianmo had no chance to resist. She pressed herself tightly against his chest, feeling his heart beating because of her. At that moment, she felt that all the grievances she had suffered had finally found an outlet.
"What if you hurt me?" Shen Qianmo raised her eyes, her dark eyes pure and clear, and asked with a slight smile.
"Do whatever you want with Mo'er, I will never fight back." Situ Jingyan gently stroked Shen Qianmo's face. At this moment, he truly confirmed that the person in his arms truly belonged to him.
Looking into Situ Jingyan's serious eyes, Shen Qianmo couldn't help but smile softly. "Jingyan, you said those words. If you really hurt me, I..." Before she could finish speaking, Shen Qianmo thought to herself, "I'm afraid I won't be able to do it either."
Situ Jingyan gently pinched the tip of Shen Qianmo's nose, "Mo'er, just go ahead and do it!"
Mo'er, in this lifetime, I will never let you suffer even the slightest grievance again.
Chapter Eight: Enemies Meet on a Narrow Road
"Miss, look, what a beautiful hairpin!" Qianqian linked arms with Shen Qianmo, completely unconcerned about the strange looks people were giving her.
Although Shen Qianmo was dressed as a man and looked exceptionally elegant, and Qianqian was also bright and pretty, the two of them were a good match. However, it was still a bit indecent for Qianqian to "actively" link arms with a "man".
"You little devil, your eyesight is getting better and better." Shen Qianmo didn't care about the stares of passersby on the street either. He affectionately pinched Qianqian's pink cheek and looked at the hairpin that Qianqian was pointing at.
The jade hairpin is of excellent quality, with an extremely elegant and refined design; Qianqian certainly has good taste. Since this little girl likes it, let's buy it for her.
She reached out to take the hairpin, but was stopped by a jeweled hand. Following the hand, she saw a person with phoenix eyes and willow-leaf eyebrows. At that moment, the willow-leaf eyebrows were slightly raised, and the phoenix eyes were smiling, looking at her provocatively.
Shen Qianmo smiled slightly. What a small world! He actually ran into Yao Ruoqin while shopping.
"What do you mean by this, Miss?" The clear and gentle neutral voice, just like Shen Qianmo's original clear and melodious voice, was very pleasant to listen to.