Chapter 26: She Would Rather Die Than Give In

Xiao Yinsheng’s face darkened, but upon noticing Chen Jinzhou’s gaze, he forced himself to put on a smile once more.

"Someone, bring fifty taels of silver for the Second Young Mistress."

Fifty taels—it was as if someone had peeled a layer of skin off Xiao Yinsheng.

"My daughter-in-law thanks you, Father-in-law." A flash of triumph crossed Chen Xingmiao’s eyes.

"It is getting late, so I shall return to my manor. I hope you will continue to treat Xiao Miao this way, in-law."

After saying this, Chen Jinzhou flicked his sleeves and departed. Chen Xingmiao helped Xiao Ziyu leave the front hall as well. Watching their retreating figures, Xiao Yinsheng was overcome with fury. He raised his hand and slapped Hua Liyin, who was standing beside him.

"Master, you..."

Xiao Yinsheng’s eyebrows arched in anger; he raised his hand and slapped her again.

"I am telling you, if you or that son of yours dare to act on your own again, you can both get out of this house!"

Having said that, he began to cough violently and stormed off without even sparing Hua Liyin a glance.

Back in her courtyard, Chen Xingmiao held the heavy silver, feeling exceptionally good. Truly, in ancient times, one simply had to have a powerful background.

Xiao Ziyu cast a sidelong glance at her and pulled his arm away from her grasp. "I am going to study; please make yourself comfortable, my lady."

She looked up and noticed the injuries on his face again. She had almost forgotten that she still hadn't dealt with that piece of trash, Xiao Zilin. However, since the little villain was about to start his studies soon, she decided to let the scoundrel off for now and focus on preparing his school supplies instead.

"Husband, have a candy, and study hard." She followed him and placed a milk candy in his palm.

Xiao Ziyu lowered his gaze, nodded, and entered the bedroom.

"Miss, why do I feel like the Young Master is acting strange?" Chuntao asked, scratching her head in confusion.

She felt it too; he seemed to be avoiding her again. But surely it wasn't a big deal, right? Little Six hadn't given any warnings. For now, it was more important to find the ashes of the little villain’s mother to complete the side quest.

As she was thinking this, she suddenly grabbed Chuntao’s hand. "Tell me, before I fell into the water, did I have any dealings with Hua Liyin?"

Chuntao’s eyes lit up, and her puzzled expression instantly gave way to a smile. "Miss, have you remembered something?"

Chen Xingmiao’s heart sank. Judging by her tone, had the original owner really conspired with Hua Liyin to do something detrimental to Xiao Ziyu?

"Oh, right, here are the letters between you and Hua Liyin from before."

She took the stack of letters from Chuntao and felt as if the sky were collapsing. She pressed her temples, suffering from a headache.

Original owner, you have truly ruined me! You were the protagonist, so how could you go off and do the work of a female villain? If the little villain were to find out, not only would her plan to survive be completely undone, but she would undoubtedly be doomed!

She felt a wave of helplessness, wishing she could shake some sense into her predecessor. She finally understood why, in the original script, Xiao Ziyu would eventually join forces with Concubine Zhou to destroy the Chen family, leading to the ruin of the original owner’s family. It turned out the original owner had brought it all upon herself!

No, this absolutely must not happen! Thinking of how kind Chen Jinzhou had been to her, she had to prevent these things from coming to pass. With this in mind, Chen Xingmiao jumped up and rushed into the bedroom.

Xiao Ziyu sensed her approach, his gaze shifting slowly from his book to her.

"Husband, is there anything you want to eat tonight? I’ll go make it for you!" As she spoke, she flashed a professional, fake smile she had perfected over years of acting.

Xiao Ziyu returned his gaze to his book with indifference, a flicker of malice hidden deep in his eyes. "Eat by yourself, my lady. I am not hungry."

Chen Xingmiao walked up cautiously and took the book from his hands. "Husband, did Xiao Zilin say anything to you today?"

Xiao Ziyu reached out and gently pulled her toward him, a meaningful smile flitting quickly across his eyes. "My lady, what are you nervous about?"

"Huh? Nothing, I was just curious." Chen Xingmiao forced a stiff smile.

Judging by the little villain's current anomaly, that bastard Xiao Zilin must have said something spiteful. Although Xiao Ziyu hadn't turned fully dark yet, killing her would be as easy as flipping his palm. She was betting on the fact that their interactions over the past few days might have made him slightly less cold-blooded.

"Then, is there nothing you wish to say to me, my lady?"

His voice suddenly turned cold, and even the mockery in his eyes vanished without a trace, leaving only an unfathomable depth.

Say? Say what? If Xiao Zilin hadn't mentioned the matter, wouldn't she be incriminating herself by bringing it up? And if he had mentioned it, wasn't she just playing the fool in front of an expert? It was a death trap either way!

Xiao Ziyu was in no hurry, but his intense, piercing stare made Chen Xingmiao feel a chill in her heart.

"I... what could I possibly have to say?" She chose the latter: playing dumb.

As expected, Xiao Ziyu’s expression gradually darkened. Chen Xingmiao felt a surge of dread—she had chosen wrong!

"My lady, your acting is truly excellent."

Xiao Ziyu gave her a cold look and turned to leave.

Chen Xingmiao stood alone in the room. If someone had praised her acting in the past, she would have thanked them, but now...

It was over. Everything was over. Thinking of the letters detailing how the original owner had planned to torment Xiao Ziyu, her legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the floor.

Since she had those letters, Hua Liyin must have hers as well. The little villain would likely never trust her again.

"Miss! What is wrong? Get up quickly." Chuntao rushed in and helped her onto the bed.

"It's over, it's all over," Chen Xingmiao murmured.

Whether because she felt her death was imminent or for some other reason, two lines of tears slid down her face.

"Miss, what are you saying? Please don't cry." Chuntao hurriedly took out a handkerchief to wipe her face.

Chen Xingmiao looked at her blankly and shook her head in despair. The side quest wasn't finished, the main story points weren't collected, and was she really going to die like this? Why were there so many traps in this quest? And why did the original owner have to collude with the villain? Weren't protagonists supposed to be the "good guys"?

"Miss, what is really wrong? Don't scare Chuntao."

The anxious voice continued in her ears. She took a deep breath and looked at the sky, which was gradually darkening.

"Chuntao, I want to rest for a while. Go find the Young Master. It’s cold out; don't let him stay outside too long."

Chuntao looked confused for a moment but nodded quickly. "I understand, Miss. I will go find the Young Master right now."

The room was left in silence once more. Chen Xingmiao sat on the bed, thinking that if she gave up now, it would truly be the end. Through their time together, she could feel that the little villain wasn't inherently evil; he was perhaps just suppressed for too long and had lost faith in the world.

Therefore, she absolutely could not give up. She didn't want to die! Even as a transmigrator, she had to out-compete all the other hosts.

【Congratulations to the host, the villain’s affection level has increased by ten.】

Little Six’s voice suddenly rang out, and Chen Xingmiao jolted to her feet.

???

What was going on? How could it suddenly increase by so much?