Chapter 2

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Chapter 2: Title

The person chuckled at her words, tying the robe before turning to face Gu Hengbo. Their gaze swept over her, eventually landing on her chest, where her drenched clothes clung tightly to her figure. A stray strand of hair seemed to deliberately slip into her collar.

Gu Hengbo felt it was eerie being stared at like that, especially since she had just come out of the water and was feeling a bit chilly. Before she could react, an arm coiled around her waist like a snake. Her eyes widened as she looked at the person leaning in close. What did they want?

Suddenly, her body was pressed against theirs. Gu Hengbo was startled; just as she was about to speak, the cool lips of the person touched hers. One hand wrapped around her waist while the other held her head firmly. Her mind went blank for a moment as their tongue explored her mouth. She and Yan Chufeng had kissed before, touched each other—but they had never gone all the way. Several times when Yan Chufeng couldn’t control himself, she would kick him into the bathroom to take a cold shower. Now, thinking back, it wasn’t surprising he didn’t want her. What man could endure the frustration of having an arrow drawn but not released, especially when he had an older sister willing to be with him every day? Why would he settle for her, his indifferent and tomboyish younger sister?

The more Gu Hengbo thought about it, the sadder she felt. Suddenly, she felt something cool against her chest. Startled, she pushed the person on top of her away. But this push left her completely stunned.

What had she just touched? Looking down at her ample cleavage, her eyes immediately filled with anger. “Who are you?”

The person was unbothered, lazily leaning against a pillar, chuckling softly. “You seemed to enjoy it just now. How about we do it again?”

“Do it again? You’re crazy!” Earlier, she had trouble discerning if the voice was male or female, and by the figure, she thought it was a man. But considering the push just now… Oh no… she was losing her mind; she had just been assaulted by a woman.

The person tilted their head, curiously regarding her. “What’s crazy?”

Gu Hengbo shot her a glare. “I’m complimenting you.” Insane.

The other person understood and smiled, their eyes crinkling under the mask. “I’m Lian. You can call me Longyang.”

Gu Hengbo twitched at the corner of her mouth. Longyang? Referring to those ambiguous men, this person was definitely strange. It made perfect sense why they acted that way with her. Oh dear, she better leave as soon as possible.

“Um, I’m new here, and I’m not familiar with the place. Sorry for causing a fuss just now. Can you please tell me how to get out of here?” If she didn’t run, she would regret it.

The person paused for a moment before pointing in a direction. Gu Hengbo glanced at the long, pale, almost translucent fingers, then followed the direction they indicated, thanking them as she pulled her damp clothes and walked that way.

“Won’t you change clothes before leaving?” the voice called from behind her.

Gu Hengbo had intended to stop and say ‘sure,’ but thinking about what just happened made her feel a chill. There was no way she would change clothes in front of that person.

“No need!” She kept walking, waving her hand behind her as if she were running from a dangerous beast.

Once outside the strange room, Gu Hengbo twisted and turned until she found her way out. Looking back, she saw the person had not followed. Breathing a huge sigh of relief, she confirmed her safety.

Taking a moment to survey her surroundings, she saw it was a large courtyard surrounded by towering ancient trees, and the buildings were tall, resembling those of an ancient temple.

As she walked out, thankfully she didn’t encounter anyone. With the trees full of green leaves and a gentle breeze, she determined it must be spring. The breeze was light, yet her clothes were still damp, and as the wind brushed past her, she couldn’t help but shiver.

She passed by what looked like a back door and curiously glanced around. Other than the women she had seen in that room, she hadn’t bumped into anyone on her way.

Not long after, hearing footsteps behind her, instinctively she hid.

She overheard two people approaching. “Hey, you know, Prince Rong really cares for our empress. She just went out to pray, and Prince Rong follows her without leaving her side.”

“Stop talking nonsense, or someone might hear you.”

“…”

Once the footsteps faded, Gu Hengbo stepped out of her hiding place. She tugged at her clothes, feeling uncomfortable. “How many layers am I wearing, anyway?” She decided, “Forget it; I’ll take them off later.”

Before long, she quickly stripped off her outer layers, leaving only her inner clothing, tossing the outer garments onto a nearby tree. She exhaled, “This feels much better. This inner wear should dry soon.”

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Gu Hengbo entered a bamboo forest. She followed the stone steps downward and soon emerged into a clearing the size of a square. Many people were moving back and forth. Gu Hengbo’s face lit up. Without a second thought, she rushed out. As soon as she entered the square, everyone turned to look at her. Each face showed surprise, followed by disdain and scorn, pointing and whispering.

Gu Hengbo was stunned, not understanding why everyone was staring at her. However, she suddenly realized one undeniable truth: she had indeed come to another time and place. Initially, she had hoped when she saw the woman in the red robe, but now it seemed there was no way out.

“Auntie, can you tell me where I am?” Gu Hengbo approached a group of women in coarse clothing and asked kindly.

“Honestly, how could a girl dress like that in broad daylight?”

“Right? What kind of parents raise her that way?”

“Goodness, if my daughter dressed like that, I would beat her to death!”

No one acknowledged Gu Hengbo’s words; instead, they continued to point and curse at her. The men on the other side also turned to look at her. In short, there were all kinds of glances cast her way.

Gu Hengbo was nearly losing her mind. She glanced at her glaringly white inner clothing, with a hint of a red bellyband visible beneath it. Rolling her eyes at the crowd of ancient onlookers who were making a fuss over nothing, she thought, *I haven’t even shown my thighs yet.* Deciding not to waste any more time on them, she turned and walked toward what looked like a big gate.

Not far away, a pair of eyes closely tracked the figure walking away, the right hand unintentionally rubbing the jade ring on the thumb, a playful smirk crossing their lips. “Gu Hengbo, so you’re Gu Hengbo.”

Gu Hengbo took her steps, feeling her way down the mountain. She ignored the whispers and stares from the crowd. After walking for a while and breaking into a sweat, she sat on a stone by the roadside, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and rolled up her sleeves. Asking the passersby for directions seemed impossible now, so she decided to figure it out herself. She didn’t even know where she was. Although she wasn’t good at history, she did know about the various countries from that era.

With the sun now overhead, Gu Hengbo looked at the city that lay ahead and gritted her teeth, continuing to walk forward.

The guards at the gate stared in disbelief at Gu Hengbo, who was swinging her arms in her inner clothing. Her soft, fair arms and the glimpse of the bellyband made their eyes nearly go blind.

“What are you staring at? Never seen a beauty before?” Gu Hengbo shot an annoyed glare at the two guards.

The men, women, and children passing by all halted to stare at Gu Hengbo.

“Whose daughter is this? Wearing such a thing in broad daylight, she really has no shame!”

“Yeah, look at that seductive look. She must be from our alley. No wonder she’s dressed like that— presumably sneaking around with some man outside the city.”

“That girl is quite pretty; I wonder what she’s like in bed.” A man’s voice chimed in, and the surrounding people began to jeer.

Gu Hengbo was furious. Were these people from ancient times? How could they speak like this? She thought, clenching her fists, and without hesitation, she took a swing at the man’s face.

Damn it! She was both exhausted and hungry, already suppressing a belly full of anger!

The man snapped back to reality when he realized this seemingly delicate girl had struck him. Without caring, he moved forward to retaliate.