Chapter 4: Now that I’ve got the second chance...I won’t be the villainess who loses again! Part II
“Empress Dowager!” Before she could be sent off on a platter to the poker face Qin Wang, Bai Yu suddenly kneeled before the Empress Dowager. Her knees hit the floor with a loud thump. Pain shot up through her legs and thighs, but Bai Yu endured in order to make her intended request.
“I have something would like to ask from you, Your Majesty.” With those words, she bowed down until her head touched the floor while asking for pity from the Empress Dowager, which she promptly received when the Empress Dowager Wei came to help her sit up.
“Alright, tell me.”
Bai Yu did not hesitate to add beguiling charms to her words, already forgetting about a man who was staring at her intently.
“Yu-er would like to ask for Your Majesty’s permission to let third sister...I mean... Bai Hua’s punishment be handled within the Bai family.” She lifted her eyes to look at the woman in front of her. Empress Dowager slowly shook her head and sighed.
“Yu-er, you are too kind...” Gentle hands touched her cheeks. “...That girl hurt you, accused you, and you still try to protect her?”
“What happened today is my fault that I could not teach and discipline her properly. Your Majesty, please have mercy for Hua-er.”
.....
“Fine, fine. Aijia will release her and let the Bai family handle the matter.”
“You are most gracious, Your Majesty. May you live and reign for a thousand years, thousand years, thousands of thousand years.” Bai Yu faked a big smile to show her gladness. Her repeated blessing made Empress Dowager laughed with affection.
I was indeed the reason why you were punished in the first place. But since this new Bai Yu had no grudge against Bai Hua, this is the most I can do to help.
“Alright. Now rise, and return already, child. Before it gets dark.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Giddiness made her careless. Bai Yu hurried to stand up but, not realizing that her legs had fallen asleep because of the kneeling position, lost her balance and staggered backward.
Her back hit a wide, firm chest. Then a hand came to hold her waist, preventing her from falling.
This kind of newbie-level villainess’ trick...what a disgrace to the pride of an international villainess!
“Shit!” Surprise and panic made her exclaim in her own world’s word. Her slender arms hugged the muscular arm as an anchor. A silence followed after her strange exclamation.
“Thank...Thank you so much, Wangye.” She hastily pushed herself and immediately curtsied to thank him. Internally, she wanted to slap her own face for slipping out language from her mother tongue. Even worse, it was a curse word!
“Ha ha ha, you have broadened aijia’s view!” Another laugh sounded, to Bai Yu’s embarrassment. Empress Dowager must have known that what she exclaimed was never heard of within the imperial palace.
“Your Majesty, I beg your leave.” Even if it might seem rude, she still made a quick curtsey before walking away in a hurry. Her face turned even hotter when she heard a low laugh from the tall figure that she passed.
Arghhh! Shit!
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“It’s snowing. Wear this.” A deep voice called from behind her, then followed by the warmth that covers her shoulders.
One of the royal servants must have prepared this for him to give to her. Bai Yu quietly thanked him as she adjusted the white fur cloak, the same color as the falling snow.
Since Empress Dowager Wei gave an order for Qin Wang to escort her home, coupled with the fact that she herself also did not know how to go back, Bai Yu had to stand and watch the snow while waiting for him no matter how much she was embarrassed by what just happened.
But it was also good that things turned out like this...If she did not accidentally curse out loud and make a fool of herself, then she would have to act shy. Because she just had an opportunity of an intimate moment between her and the man that the original body loved.
In the high-budget Chinese TV series ‘This Life, the villainess will win against all odds’, Bai Yu who was the villainess had a one-sided love for Qin Wang or ‘Ouyang Mingxian’. Both of them were childhood friends, and at one point the young Ouyang Mingxian even asked to marry her in front of his father the Emperor and Bai Han, her father. Even though it was not made an official arrangement, both Yue Mei and Bai Yu believed that she would surely become Qin Wangfei*.
About this...she must admit that it truly was a one-sided insistence on Bai Yu and her mother’s part.
During all those times Bai Yu was expecting to become Ouyang Mingxian’s first wife, she did not receive any special treatment or interest from him, though he also was not entirely cold. Compared to other ladies in the capital, it could be said that she was the one closest to Qin Wang. And especially when Empress Dowager was also trying to tie their knots, Bai Yu became even more obsessed, not sparing even one bit of thought for disappointment.
But when the new Bai Hua transmigrated here, things started to change. When the brilliant female lead and the cold male lead met, they went through twists and turns in the story. All the while Bai Yu used various schemes to force them apart, not relenting until she, herself, died.
But! That was the original script!
Now that Yoknapha had transmigrated into Bai Yu’s body, she would not let the story end that way again! Of course, this new Bai Yu did not have any romantic feeling for Qin Wang like the original body, but because right now she did not have a plan to change the fate yet, so there was no need to act differently. Good thing she did not have to act shy when they were accidentally close to each other in Empress Dowager’s palace.
“Miss Bai.” A big hand was offered to help her get on the horse carriage. Bai Yu put her hand in his, feeling the rough skin and calluses from gripping swords. She compressed her lips, lowered her head, and faked a moderately shy reaction before stepping onto the elegant carriage. It was decorated with a phoenix emblem, the sign represented two women with the highest authority within the imperial palace.
“Thank you, Your Highness.” The way Ouyang Mingxian called her clearly reflected a certain distance between them. Even he acted like he cared, all of his actions were based on manners and courtesy. From the look in his eyes, the sound of his voice, it was clear that the marriage proposal had long been forgotten. But the old Bai Yu still lied to herself that his acts originated from a romantic feeling.
Sigh...
So foolish and obstinate.
Two ke passed. The atmosphere within the carriage was calm. Bai Yu admired the innovation of the people during this time. No matter how loud the outside was, no sound could penetrate through the luxurious interior. In the same way, any sound made within the carriage would not leak outside. Furthermore, there was also a small warming stove emitting warmth beside her as well.
Bai Yu looked down at her ten fingers that were neatly tied with a white cloth. She kept staring at it until she could possibly count all the threads that were used to weave this bandage. It was not that she was trying to make an observation or anything, it was just that she did not know where to look.
The male lead was silent. So the villainess was also silent.
After looking and staring until she felt bored, there was still no sign of reaching the Bai mansion. She could not look outside because of the curtain fully obscuring any chance of having a view. Even if she wanted to start a conversation, she still could not because the high and mighty Wangye had been closing his eyes while sitting very still from the moment they got on the carriage.
I understand that you are forced to do this. I understand that a male lead would never be friendly with a villainess...But at least he shouldn’t be this indifferent toward the number one beauty!
Qin Wang in the TV series was always warm and caring toward the female lead while keeping formality when he was with the villainess. Although that Qin Wang was a little distant, he still did not have an oppressing aura like this!
If Empress Dowager did not say his name, Bai Yu whose memory had not fully come back would not have known that this was the male lead. This man in front of her did not show any trace of gentleness that he had when he was with the heroine. Instead, he looked...evil!
The tall figure was in black attire with long black hair let down to the middle of his back, half of it was tied up and held by a black jade hairpin. Those dark colors were contrasted with the white fur cloak sprinkled with snow.
This man had such a great facial feature! A wide forehead would mean that he had a bright future ahead of climbing to a high status. Sharp single-eyelid eyes resembling a dragon, paired with eyebrows that were like sword’s edge made him look wild and commandeering. He had a straight, high bridge nose, a well-defined jaw, and lips that were pressed to a thin line which all added to his unfriendliness. What a beautiful but evil face.
Well, truly, his face is ‘beautiful’ true, but the aura he’s emitting...
“Is there anything on benwang’s* face?”
You asked...
Of course, it’s the word ‘Villain’!!!
“Nothing, Your Highness.” That kind of thing could only be said internally, no one would be stupid enough to voice it out loud.
Bai Yu did not know how she normally acted around Ouyang Mingxian. Her memories regarding this had yet to come back to her, so now she only acted according to her knowledge from the series. In the end, she chose to continue counting the threads in her bandage, until the silent trip finally came to an end.
Bai Yu put her hand on Ouyang Mingxian’s again when she got down from the carriage. The sky was already dark so there was no one in front of the mansion, otherwise, the news that the esteemed Qin Wang sat in the same carriage as Bai’s family first miss would probably spread and make her reputation become even more closely associated with his than before. Something that Bai Yu did not wish for at all.
“Thank you, Wangye for accompanying me home.” She curtsied, the same way as other maids who had been waiting for her in front of the mansion did.
“It’s fine,” Ouyang Mingxian said coolly. But before she could bow to send him off, Bai Yu was stopped because her white handkerchief was suddenly handed to her.
Ouyang Mingxian stepped closer. He took her wrist, turned it palm up before putting that familiar handkerchief on her hand.
Bai Yu was frozen still.
The tall figure bent down to whisper into her ear, “Miss Bai has really broadened benwang’s view today.”
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*Wangye: An honorific used as a pronoun to call a prince
*Wangfei: A title for the official first wife of a Wang, for example, Qin Wang’s wife would be called Qin Wangfei
*Benwang: A first-person honorific used by a Wang to call himself. It means “Me, who is a prince”