Chapter 49

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Chapter 49: Title

Lian Rong’s beautiful eyes curved into a smile, her lips slightly lifting. "Money? Gu Meisheng, you actually ask me for money. Should I praise you for being so scheming, or just say you are very worldly?"

Gu Hengbo licked her lips, watching Lian Rong smile provocatively. "Worldly? Ha! The whole world knows I love money and vanity. Since you see people so clearly, you should know I don’t have much use for you, right?" Knowing that Lian Rong was Longyang made Gu Hengbo even more carefree. Having married, a woman is just a woman. In a few days, if Lian Rong got tired of her, she would naturally let her go. After all, both are women; how much could she gain?

Something flickered in Lian Rong’s eyes as she suddenly moved closer to Gu Hengbo, who was leaning against the soft pillow. Before Gu Hengbo could react, she felt a chill on her chest and looked down to see Lian Rong holding up a pink bellyband.

"Are you crazy?" Gu Hengbo didn’t care about anything else, pulling up the blanket to reach for Lian Rong’s hand.

Lian Rong raised an eyebrow and swiftly pulled Gu Hengbo into her embrace. Gu Hengbo was caught off guard and fell right into Lian Rong’s arms. She hadn’t felt anything unusual before when being hugged, but when she suddenly tumbled forward, her hands unintentionally pressed against Lian Rong’s softness. Gu Hengbo felt a bit shy; she had hugged her before, and it seemed this woman was doing it on purpose. A jumbled mess of thoughts flooded her mind. Yes, just days ago, she had said many bad things about Lian Rong to her face. Now, looking back, wasn’t that foolish girl really herself?

Lian Rong and Longyang. No wonder she always felt like she was forgetting something. Hadn’t she already learned about the empress from some maids at Daguan Temple? A little thinking would lead her to the conclusion: Gu Hengbo, are you really that dim-witted? Can’t you tell the difference between a man and a woman?

Linking everything together, she realized that Lian Rong had been deceiving her from the start, bullying her all the way from Daguan Temple to the streets of the royal city, the palace, the restaurant, Prince Rong’s residence, and the courtyard house. She had lost her innocence.

The bloody scene in the alley, the assassination in the palace, and the events from yesterday in the small forest – was this woman, who could kill without a blink, even a woman? Should she still want her money back?

“Why do the princesses call you royal uncle?” If it weren’t for this, she might have figured it out already; yet no one mentioned it to her. After all, she was a modern person!

Lian Rong glanced at Gu Hengbo’s hand pressed against her chest. “Calling you aunt would be too disgusting.”

Gu Hengbo chuckled awkwardly, feeling Lian Rong’s slightly cold hand slipping under her clothes. “Do you have some kind of plot?”

Lian Rong lowered her head, brushing her lips against Gu Hengbo’s forehead. “I’m marrying you because I like you.”

No way! Gu Hengbo retorted firmly in her mind. Just the night before, she had gone to see the empress, and now Lian Rong was confessing?

Lian Rong’s hand had made its way into her neckline. Startled, Gu Hengbo grabbed her hand. “Lian Rong, let’s be serious. Regardless of everything, you helped me, and I truly should be grateful. I will agree to anything I can do for you.”

Here we go again! “Did I ever say I needed you to agree? I only agreed to marry you.”

Gu Hengbo was stunned. “What?”

“I mean… I just agreed to marry you at that time. Did I agree to anything else? Or do you have some written proof, my dear?” Lian Rong looked at her leisurely.

“Are you… backing out?” That left Gu Hengbo speechless. Could it be that Lian Rong had guessed something? Or was she seeking revenge for something? Goodness, she had watched too many drama series; her head was filled with plots and schemes. Lian Rong was very much a woman, someone she had never encountered in modern times. How could someone from ancient times be so open-minded?

“Actually, encountering you was entirely accidental. You don’t need to worry. Since we are already married…”

“What about the empress?” She just couldn’t believe that Lian Rong liked her. How could she explain that day at Mingluan Palace?

Lian Rong gently pulled back her hand from Gu Hengbo’s grasp and said calmly, “She is my sister-in-law.”

Gu Hengbo used all her strength to wiggle out of Lian Rong’s embrace. She had been starving for too long; after passing out yesterday, she really didn’t have the energy to argue with Lian Rong anymore. “Whatever, do what you want with me. I’m hungry, and I want to eat.” Whether it was a man or woman didn’t matter to her anymore; she was just going to accept being tricked, as she didn’t care.

If Lian Rong liked her, so be it. Such a person, always acting like she was offering affection, probably liked everyone. As long as Gu Hengbo behaved herself, Lian Rong wouldn’t mind her previous bad-mouthing. But now that she thought about it, how many silly things had she done!

With such a big change happening all at once, Lian Rong’s attire was still the same, yet Gu Hengbo felt somewhat uneasy. No wonder those people had strange expressions when she decided to marry Lian Rong. After seeing Wuyang, Gu Hengbo felt even more embarrassed. This girl even knew she had slept with Lian Rong, and she was the one who tidied the bed! Although she hadn’t seen it, there was definitely a red pattern on that bed. Come to think of it, when they got married, hadn’t she rashly cut her finger and smeared it across that big bed? Ah… how embarrassing, what should she do?

“What’s wrong?” Lian Rong asked.

Gu Hengbo tugged at her lips. “You did it on purpose, didn’t you? You purposely kept me from knowing you were a woman, and your voice is so ambiguous. Congratulations, you can be yourself again now.”

Lian Rong picked up a piece of meat and put it into her bowl. “Eat more. It feels better to touch when there’s more meat.”

Gu Hengbo almost choked on her chopsticks and glared at Lian Rong. “We’re both women; can you please stop so openly teasing me?”

Lian Rong smiled warmly at her. “But that’s what I’m saying. We’re all women. Why make things hard for each other?”

Get lost, why make it hard for each other? Clearly, it was you making things difficult for me!

“Lian Rong, let’s talk seriously.”

“First, eat.”

“…I’m full. About some things, we really need to discuss properly. First, now that you’ve married me, you will never have children. Secondly, about you and the empress, don’t blame me for bringing it up; I’m thinking of you. And my mother, does that count as approval?”

Lian Rong supported her chin with one hand, smiling. “Didn’t you say you didn’t want children? Of course, if you regret it now, we can have some.”

Gu Hengbo was completely speechless. She held back the urge to slam the table. “Lian Rong, have you enjoyed messing with me enough these past few days? Is it fun to play with me?”

Lian Rong reached out and playfully rubbed her nose. “I’m just teasing you. Don’t act like a prickly hedgehog.”

Gu Hengbo suddenly stood up from her chair and said, "Lian Rong, are you ever going to stop?" Still teasing her?

"If you call me husband, then I will stop."

Gu Hengbo tiredly ignored her and without saying a word, lifted her foot to walk out the door. Lian Rong’s finger moved slightly, and the chopsticks in her hand scratched Gu Hengbo’s hair before getting stuck in the door frame.

Gu Hengbo paused, and Lian Rong slowly spoke from behind her, "This is Jiulong Villa; there are traps everywhere. Where do you think you’re going, my lady?" (Actually, there are no traps; I’m just tricking you, silly.)

"Now you are a woman, and I am also a woman. Why should I be the lady?" Gu Hengbo said angrily.

Lian Rong looked at her, "If you take advantage of me, then I am your husband."

"Despicable, shameless, rogue… ‘bad woman.’"

"Come here."

"What for? Do you want to fight? I can’t win against you."

Lian Rong chuckled, "Can’t you be a little more graceful, a little more ladylike? Have you seen any rich young women behaving like you?"

Gu Hengbo looked at her coldly, "I am not a lady, and I don’t understand what it means to be graceful. I am not some so-called rich young woman, Lian Rong. I want to go home; I want to see my mother."

"Stop fooling around. Come here obediently; I have something to say to you," Lian Rong called her with a softer tone.

Gu Hengbo would never forget how Lian Rong had once cruelly grabbed her by the neck, her pious-looking face making Gu Hengbo want to slap her (though she only thought about it).

"Do you think I’m a three-year-old child? I won’t do it; I’m going to find Wuyang," Gu Hengbo said as she turned to leave. Deep down, she was quite afraid of Lian Rong, but the more Lian Rong acted this way, the more Gu Hengbo wanted to resist. Watching Lian Rong feel helpless against her made Gu Hengbo strangely pleased.

Just as Gu Hengbo reached the door, Lian Rong quietly circled behind her. Before she could react, Lian Rong pulled her into an embrace, sealing her lips tightly with a kiss.