Su Niao decided to change her revenge plan. More precisely, she wanted to determine whether the strange voices she had heard while dying in her previous life were real.
If she and Su Xuan truly existed in a zero-sum relationship, where the stronger Su Xuan’s halo became, the more cannon fodder she herself turned into. Then conversely, if her own cannon-fodder fate weakened, wouldn’t Su Xuan’s halo weaken as well?
The idea seemed utterly absurd. But then again, she had already died once and come back to life. What wasn’t possible?
After much thought, Su Niao’s mind returned to Xie Chenyan.
All this time, she had been obsessed with taking revenge on him, yet every scheme had ended in stupidity and bad luck. And when she thought about it, Xie Chenyan had become Emperor in her previous life, the sovereign of all under Heaven. Who could possibly have had better fortune than him? If she stopped trying to kill him and instead latched onto his good fortune… Could her cannon-fodder fate be altered?
She thought of the lie she had improvised during her failed assassination attempt.
Maybe…
Maybe she could actually make use of it.
Once the idea took root, she acted immediately. There was nothing to lose by trying. The very next day, she sent a large number of items to Xie Chenyan at the Yunzhou army camp: A suit of soft armor, knee guards, a sword, food, and supplies.
Worried that being too attentive would seem suspicious and make him doubt her intentions, she deliberately included no letter.
She sent only gifts. Not a single word. A few days later, she sent another batch.
Chen Yan was teaching several soldiers he had become friendly with how to shoot when someone informed him that something had been delivered from home.
Thinking of how Su Niao had repeatedly sent large quantities of gifts without even the briefest note, he paused slightly. The arrow he released veered off target and buried itself in a wooden post with a sharp thud. Half an hour later, he had already left the Yunzhou camp on a lone horse and was racing toward Jianning County.
“Does Miss Su truly not like me in the slightest?”
“Do you really not like me at all, Miss Su?”
On Jianning’s bustling main street, lanterns lit the night.
Li Lingzhen wiped at the corner of his eye. His eyes were actually a little red. Over the past few weeks, he had appeared almost every day. To make his courtship more convenient, he had even bought a house not far from the Su Residence.
One could say he had spared no effort.
Su Niao could tell he had truly developed genuine feelings for her. But people falling for her face was hardly rare. She had seen far too much of that throughout her life.
Recently, she had exhausted herself sending gifts to Xie Chenyan, only for them to disappear like stones sinking into the sea without a single response. She was irritated and bored.
When she heard that Jianning County’s Lantern Festival had arrived, she brought Lichun out to enjoy the festivities. Yet no sooner had she stepped out than Li Lingzhen appeared behind her. Naturally, she could hardly forbid someone else from attending the lantern festival. Besides, the brilliant displays lining the street had already improved her mood considerably. So when Li Lingzhen approached, she did not chase him away.
What she had not expected, however, was that the scenery would stir his emotions so deeply that he would start tearing up in front of her.
Thinking back to their first meeting, when he had been flamboyant and carefree, then looking at the man before her now with reddened eyes and a sorrowful expression, Su Niao clicked her tongue silently.
“What exactly do you like about me?” she asked. “This face?”
Li Lingzhen looked at her and sniffed. “I know what you’re trying to say, Miss Su.”
“But don’t feelings between men and women always begin for some reason? Perhaps someone’s bearing, their talent, their family background, or something else.”
“If that’s true, then what’s wrong with liking someone because of their appearance?”
Su Niao thought about it.
“That actually doesn’t seem wrong.”
“With beauty like mine, it’s only natural for people to like me.”
“You make a very reasonable point.”
Li Lingzhen could not help laughing. The melancholy in his heart was instantly dispelled.
The young nobleman became unusually serious. “But I’d also like to tell you something, Miss Su.”
“Being attracted to your appearance isn’t strange.”
“But beyond that, your personality is lively and genuine. You’re straightforward and passionate.”
“Those qualities are no less remarkable than your beauty.”
Su Niao clicked her tongue again.
“All right, enough flattering me.”
“I know exactly what sort of person I am.”
“No matter how beautifully you dress it up, I don’t like you.”
“So you can stop wasting your effort.”
Li Lingzhen smiled bitterly. “The truth is, I already know that.”
“I just haven’t been able to give up.”
Su Niao waved a hand. “Then now that I’ve told you I don’t like you, you can give up.”
Li Lingzhen: “…”
“Then… thank you, Miss Su, for speaking so frankly.”
Su Niao smiled and waved him off. “No need to thank me. I wish you the best of luck finding your destined match.”
In the distance, Chen Yan, clad in soft armor, stood hidden in the shadows.
Watching Su Niao chatting and laughing with the finely dressed young nobleman, clearly in an excellent mood, he let out a self-mocking laugh. Then he turned and headed back to his home in Ping’an Lane. He had returned because the imperial examination results would be posted the next day, and he wanted to be with his family when they arrived. It had nothing to do with that pampered young lady. Absolutely nothing.
Only after returning from the Lantern Festival did Su Niao learn that Chen Yan had come back. Thinking there was no harm in trying again, and that all it would cost her was a few insincere sweet words, she immediately headed for the Chen residence.
By the time the festival ended, night had already deepened.
Leaving her guards more than ten paces behind, Su Niao walked up and knocked on the Chen family’s gate.
A moment later, the gate creaked open.
Chen Yan stood inside, expression indifferent. “It’s late. Does Miss Su need something?”
Since she had come specifically to coax him, her smile was especially bright. “Nothing in particular. I only just learned you’d returned, so I came to see you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back?”
Chen Yan simply looked at her without speaking.
Su Niao felt a little guilty, but it didn’t affect her performance.
Seeing him remain silent, she pouted. “While you were away, I missed you terribly. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep. I’ve even lost weight…”
“Miss Su, be careful with your words.” Chen Yan drew a slow breath.
“There should be proper boundaries between men and women.” Yet even as he spoke, he could not resist glancing at her.
His gaze swept over her pointed chin and the healthy fullness of her cheeks.
Then he remarked dryly: “Besides, from what I can see, after several days apart, Miss Su appears radiant and healthier than before.”
“There isn’t the slightest sign that you’ve grown thinner.”
“I imagine you’ve been doing quite well.”
Su Niao immediately brightened. “So you think I’m radiant? You think I’m beautiful too, right?”
Chen Yan responded with silence.
Su Niao paid no attention and continued cheerfully: “You’re handsome too. Don’t we look rather well matched together?”
Chen Yan cut her off. “It’s late. If there’s nothing important, please return home.”
“There is something important.”
Su Niao hurriedly said, “The moon is full tonight. How about we go admire it together?”
To her surprise, the calm and composed expression Xie Chenyan had maintained until now suddenly turned a little colder.
“I imagine Miss Su has no shortage of people willing to accompany her in admiring the moon.”
“I still need to rest. Please leave.” As soon as he finished speaking, he stepped back and shut the courtyard gate.
The door nearly hit Su Niao in the nose. She almost kicked it on the spot. Somehow, she restrained herself. Instead, she deliberately raised her voice and called out: “Chen Yan, then I’ll come see you again tomorrow!”
By that hour, most of the neighborhood was already preparing for bed. The moment they heard the commotion outside, ears immediately perked up throughout the surrounding houses.
Inside the courtyard, Chen Yan turned and saw Chen Xu emerging after hearing the noise. For a moment, he stood there in complete silence.
The first thing Su Niao did after returning to the Su Residence was ask Lichun: “Have I gotten fat?”
Standing before a mirror, she turned around several times as if facing a great enemy.
After studying her carefully, Lichun shook her head. “No.”
Only then did Su Niao breathe a sigh of relief. Then she angrily declared: “Chen Yan’s eyesight must be terrible…”