Chapter 231: Chapter 231: My Identity Has Not Been Exposed

Why was Song Xilan here?!

Song Lianhe’s mind was in chaos!

She glanced at Zhou Cangyan, her little hand still pointing inside—

’Song Xilan! Look, it’s Song Xilan!’

’It’s the love of your life!’

Zhou Cangyan watched her with cold eyes. Why was it that, aside from shock, her face held a faint, inexplicable excitement?

Perhaps it was because her trembling hand kept pointing inside, reminding him again and again that the person was Song Xilan! Song Xilan!!

Zhou Cangyan found it an eyesore. He grabbed her wrist and pushed it down.

He lowered his voice. “I’m not blind.”

’You’re not blind? You see her and you’re not excited?!’

Song Lianhe was now certain that the book’s main plot was real. In other words, as the villain, Zhou Cangyan was highly likely to fall in love with the female lead!

And then he would go crazy for her, lose his mind for her, and run headfirst into a brick wall for her sake!

Zhou Cangyan: “…”

Inside the dilapidated temple, Zhou Junlin kept his head down, watching the physician bandage his wounds. A cold, murderous aura enveloped him.

These injuries must have been from the sounds of fighting they had heard just now.

Gu Ha was also wounded.

Unlike ordinary cuts from blades or swords, his were peck marks.

His face, neck, and the backs of his hands—any exposed skin—had been pecked into bloody holes by the eagles.

They looked terrifying and the wounds were deep, but thankfully, they were only superficial and not fatal.

No matter how depraved Kong Yu was, he wouldn’t go so far as to coat the eagles’ beaks with poison.

“I warned you from the start, Your Highness, not to trust that Song Lianhe! And yet you… SIGH! This woman is nothing but a honey-tongued backstabber, two-faced and treacherous, a beast in human skin, utterly depraved, a venomous viper, completely irredeemable…”

With every phrase Gu Ha uttered, it was as if a small knife was stabbing Song Lianhe.

He used every vicious word he could think of, nearly “stabbing” her until she was full of holes like a sieve.

But he wasn’t wrong to curse her. From their perspective, she truly was the villain on the opposing side.

Zhou Cangyan watched with cold eyes, taking in her every guilty reaction.

“That’s enough.”

The one who spoke up to stop him was Song Xilan. She glanced at Gu Ha and said in a soft, gentle voice, “Lianhe is young and didn’t know your identities. It’s only natural for her to be eager to prove herself to the Sui Bei Rongzhu and to want to please King Qing. After all, she is married to King Qing. It’s perfectly understandable that she would want to rely on her husband’s family after marriage.”

Song Lianhe, standing behind Zhou Cangyan, felt that something was off about those words.

It was as if she was trying to help solidify her image as “cruel, ruthless, and harboring malicious intentions” even more firmly in everyone’s minds.

But in front of Zhou Cangyan, Song Lianhe still felt awkward.

She wanted to explain that she truly had no intention of pleasing him, but the situation forced her to stay silent. She could only blink her innocent, beautiful eyes, hoping he would understand: ’I’m really not that kind of person!’

Zhou Cangyan lowered his gaze, concealing the deep emotions in his eyes.

He didn’t respond to her.

“Lianhe must have made a mistake because she didn’t know the Prince’s identity. I hope Your Highness will forgive my little sister for my sake.”

Song Xilan’s words were sincere, and with the female lead’s halo above her head, this sacred aura was so powerful that even Song Lianhe was almost convinced!

Song Lianhe stole another glance at Zhou Cangyan. He remained a detached spectator, watching coldly from the sidelines. He showed not the slightest hint of favor toward Song Xilan, treating her as a complete stranger.

Song Lianhe was actually unsure. If the villain didn’t have the emotional plotline with the female lead to push him forward, would he still walk the path to madness and destruction? And if he didn’t, would the framework of the book collapse? Would the world within the book disappear?

This chain of questions made her head ache.

Just then, she heard Zhou Junlin slowly speak, “She did not know my identity.”

The words sounded like a statement of fact, but they were more like an attempt to excuse Song Lianhe.

Since she didn’t know who he was, anything vicious she did to him could be excused.

In other words, if she had known, she certainly wouldn’t have acted this way!

The unwillingness and stubbornness unintentionally revealed in his words were not just noticed by Zhou Cangyan; even Song Xilan could hear it.

Her heart trembled, and her face turned pale for a moment.

She lowered her head, pursed her lips, and said softly, “Yes. My little sister has always been infatuated with you, Your Highness. If she had truly known your identity, how could she have joined forces with bandits to frame you?”

Song Lianhe rolled her eyes. This inexplicable trust was putting an immense amount of pressure on her.

Zhou Cangyan and Song Lianhe were hidden behind a Buddha statue. The dilapidated golden figure, less than ten feet tall, provided just enough space for the two of them to shelter.

Song Lianhe felt awkward again.

’Is the fact that I used to like Zhou Junlin really such a fun topic for everyone to talk about?’

At the same time, Zhou Cangyan also looked over at her. His eyes were a light, pale shade, a smile of unknown depth in their depths. His eyelids were half-closed, giving him a somewhat lazy look.

Song Lianhe offered an apologetic smile. ’It was all because I was young and naive!’

Zhou Junlin’s injuries were also superficial. After a simple bandaging, he was able to get up.

“Xilan, I owe you a great deal for this.”

Zhou Junlin said solemnly, “I never imagined that a delicate woman like you would have such courage, disregarding your own safety to come and help me…”

Song Xilan smiled gently. “Your Highness, you are being too formal. I am your consort; we are like intertwined branches on the same tree. Never mind venturing into Sui Bei alone—if my life could be of use to you, Your Highness, you could take it as well.”

“Xilan…”

Zhou Junlin was deeply moved. The frustration that had built up because of Song Lianhe was slowly soothed by her words.

Watching this devoted couple, ready to face life and death together, their combined halo as a man and woman was now so brilliant it was blinding!

But her “inability to watch” was interpreted by a certain someone’s eyes as disappointment, sorrow, and melancholy.

The surging atmosphere around them seemed to freeze.

Realizing it a moment too late, Song Lianhe subconsciously raised a hand to rub her arms. She felt as if a sinister wind had blown from somewhere, chilling her to the bone.

Gu Ha suddenly said, “But, Your Highness, if your identity wasn’t exposed, then this assassination attempt was clearly aimed at you. That doesn’t make sense.”

Song Xilan draped an outer robe over Zhou Junlin’s shoulders as he said slowly, “On the contrary, this proves my identity has not been exposed.”

“Oh?”

Zhou Junlin said, “If my Royal Uncle intended to kill me, he’s had plenty of opportunities in Ling’an City. Doing it here would make the other princes suspected of vying for the throne prime suspects. Why would he kill me in his own territory? That would just hand Father Emperor an excuse to crush Sui Bei.”

Gu Ha frowned. “I see.”

At the same time, Song Lianhe also lowered her head, not daring to look at the man beside her.

’No wonder he said Zhou Junlin couldn’t be killed yet. I almost got him implicated because of my own selfish desires.’

“Forget about killing me. If my Royal Uncle knew I was here, he would have to do everything in his power to send people to escort me back to Ling’an City!”

Song Lianhe buried her head even lower.

She finally understood now why Zhou Cangyan, who had been out fighting a war, had suddenly returned just like that.

Song Lianhe looked at him with self-reproach. In the end, she was the one who had caused this disaster, and he was the one shouldering all of it!

After hearing this, Gu Ha asked, “Your Highness, are we to return to Ling’an City next?”

Song Lianhe held her breath, terrified he would say the word “no”!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep