The young man was so furious that he shouted outright,
“Are you deaf?! I came to help you copy the Great Compassion Mantra! I, the heir, came to help you copy the Great Compassion Mantra!”
Shen Mianmian rolled her eyes.
“Why are you yelling? Who asked for your help?”
Bai Qingzhou froze.
Never in his life had he imagined that the woman who had always been affectionate toward him would one day roll her eyes at him and speak with such hostility.
“Shen Mianmian, have you really become this fearless? Do you honestly think that because you’ve been elevated to a concubine, I can no longer do anything to you?”
In the corner, Hanrong secretly grew nervous.
Chuxue had specifically instructed her that if she ever witnessed the heir and Concubine Shen arguing, she was to memorize everything and report it to Peony Courtyard.
An argument…
Wasn’t this exactly that?
She knew that if she faithfully reported everything, the Young Madam would reward her with silver.
She should have been happy.
Yet somehow, she wasn’t.
Because if the heir and Concubine Shen continued fighting, the heir would stop liking her.
And then what would happen to Concubine Shen?
Meanwhile, Shen Mianmian was secretly delighted.
Wasn’t she desperately trying to destroy her own image anyway?
Wouldn’t it be even better if they simply had a huge fight and never spoke to each other again?
The thought made her almost excited.
“That’s right!”
she snapped.
“My goal has already been achieved. I’ve become a concubine, haven’t I? Of course I’m fearless now.”
Inside, she was laughing.
Come on, little darling.
Disappointed yet?
Let’s make that disappointment even stronger.
“You—”
Bai Qingzhou’s face flushed scarlet.
Suddenly he turned toward Hanrong.
“Hanrong, tell me. How many copies of the Great Compassion Mantra did Mother order Shen Mianmian to write?”
Hanrong jumped in fright.
“S-Sir… nine hundred and ninety-nine copies…”
After hearing that, Bai Qingzhou immediately turned and headed for the door.
Shen Mianmian panicked.
She rushed forward and grabbed his wrist.
“Wait! Where are you going?”
He glared at her furiously.
“Where else? To reason with Mother!”
This time, it was Shen Mianmian whose face turned deathly pale.
“Reason about what?”
“It was my decision to elevate your status. You’re innocent. If someone deserves punishment, it’s me.”
“One person acts, one person bears the consequences.”
Shen Mianmian nearly screamed.
Was he kidding?
If the heir caused trouble with Madam Ding because of her, Madam Ding would grow even more disappointed in her son and even more hostile toward the so-called dragon-and-phoenix duo.
Then she’d trust Jiang Yinjin even more.
Then Jiang Yinjin would meet Princess Rui’an.
Then she’d get close to Prince Jin.
Then she’d persuade the Marquis’s household to support Prince Jin.
Then Prince Jin would rebel.
Then the entire Marquis’s household would be executed.
Everything Shen Mianmian had done so far was to avoid that exact storyline.
If this idiot ran off now, all her efforts would have been for nothing.
No matter what happened—
she absolutely could not let him go.
“Let go.”
Bai Qingzhou tried to shake her off.
Though he wasn’t trained in martial arts, he was still a young man.
The body Shen Mianmian occupied belonged to an ordinary girl.
There was no way she could overpower him.
“No!”
She wrapped both arms around his waist and clung desperately.
“I was wrong, okay? I’ll apologize! I’ll stop throwing tantrums! Please don’t go!”
Bai Qingzhou could tell that her sudden attempt to placate him came from fear that he and his mother would clash.
His heart softened.
“Mianmian.”
“I understand now.”
Shen Mianmian blinked.
“…Understand what?”
Lowering his gaze to the arms wrapped around his waist, Bai Qingzhou spoke quietly.
“You know how difficult it is for me to stand between you and Mother.”
“You care about me.”
“And you know you can’t persuade me directly.”
“So you chose this method.”
“You’re someone who has always hated compromise.”
“But for my sake, you’ve denied everything you once believed in.”
“You’ve even deliberately ruined the image I had of you.”
“All so that I would go to Jiang Yinjin instead.”
Shen Mianmian was dumbfounded.
“What?”
“No, stop making things up in your head!”
“I never wanted you to go to Jiang Yinjin.”
“I’ve practically been terrified you’d sleep with her.”
“I’m genuinely unable to keep pretending anymore. Everything I’ve said is my true feelings.”
Bai Qingzhou laughed softly.
“If all your past words and actions were really just to attract me…”
“Then was all that effort merely so you could become a lowly concubine in the Marquis’s household?”
“You said it yourself before.”
“If you were willing to be a concubine, someone with your appearance could enter any powerful family.”
“Not just a declining household like ours.”
“…Uh.”
Shen Mianmian blinked.
“Did I really say something like that?”
Apparently the original owner had.
Bai Qingzhou raised his head and looked toward the corner.
“Hanrong.”
“Leave.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
Hanrong nearly collapsed with relief.
Ever since the heir entered, she had been struggling.
If she voluntarily left, she would be disobeying the Young Madam’s orders to monitor everything.
If she stayed, she felt awkward beyond belief.
The whole time she had been desperately signaling to Shen Mianmian with her eyes, hoping to be dismissed.
Yet Shen Mianmian somehow never noticed.
Sometimes their eyes even met directly.
But just as Hanrong prepared to signal again, Shen Mianmian would turn away.
Now that the heir had spoken, she could finally leave without guilt.
Inside the room.
Bai Qingzhou gently removed Shen Mianmian’s arms from around his waist.
Seeing that he no longer intended to rush off and court disaster in the main courtyard, she readily let go.
The next moment—
he turned around and pulled her straight into his arms.
Shen Mianmian’s thoughts immediately exploded.
Damn it.
She should’ve run faster.
Now she was trapped.
Bai Qingzhou held her tightly.
“I want to tell you a secret.”
“Huh?”
“What secret?”
He hesitated.
“Actually…”
“Our Marquis’s household only appears prosperous on the surface.”
“In reality, we’ve already begun to decline.”
“That’s one of the reasons Mother insisted I marry Jiang Yinjin.”
“…Maybe it’s not quite that bad.”
Feeling the slight tremor in his body, Shen Mianmian found herself comforting him softly.
“Fifteen years ago, Father was injured during a military campaign.”
“He recovered.”
“But…”
His voice lowered.
“He can no longer father children.”
“That’s why he never took additional concubines.”
“And why our family line is so thin.”
Shen Mianmian’s eyes widened.
This information wasn’t in the novel at all.
The original story had raced from plot point to plot point, focusing on the female lead’s revenge and victories.
It had never explored the Marquis’s household in detail.
So that was the truth.
Leaning against his chest, breathing in his clean scent, and feeling how lean he was, she quietly asked,
“That must be a lot of pressure.”
His body stiffened noticeably.
After a moment, he relaxed again.
“Everyone says I’m lucky.”
“They say I’m the sole heir.”
“But honestly…”
“I’ve always wanted brothers and sisters.”
“Even half-siblings.”
“If I said that aloud, nobody would believe me.”
Something in Shen Mianmian’s heart suddenly sank.
After a pause, she deliberately changed the subject.
“Let’s stop talking about depressing things.”
“Didn’t you come to help me copy the Great Compassion Mantra?”
“We should get started.”
“Madam might send someone tomorrow to check our progress.”
“If we don’t write anything, she’ll get angry.”
“Alright.”
Reluctantly, Bai Qingzhou released her.
He would have liked to hold her a little longer.
Shen Mianmian dragged over another chair.
Soon they sat facing one another at the table, brushes in hand.
The room grew quiet.
The atmosphere was strangely warm.
Only the soft sound of sleeves brushing paper could be heard.
Actually writing properly was entirely different from doodling.
Every character had to be neat and accurate.
After writing only five characters, Shen Mianmian’s arm already ached.
She set down her brush and rubbed her wrist.
When she looked up, she discovered Bai Qingzhou had already completed more than half a page.
Under the lamplight, his expression was focused.
His posture was straight and elegant.
Whether it was the disciplined writing habits of ancient scholars or simply the unique charm of concentration, Shen Mianmian suddenly felt that the person before her was no longer the “idiot phoenix chick.”
At that moment, he truly looked like an heir of a noble house.
Just then, Bai Qingzhou finished a column and paused to dip his brush in ink.
Looking up, he caught her staring.
“Why aren’t you writing?”
“Why do you keep looking at me?”
Without changing expression, Shen Mianmian smoothly shifted her gaze from him to the paper.
Then she made up an excuse on the spot.
“I was thinking…”
“Your handwriting is so beautiful.”
“If Madam sees it, she’ll immediately know it wasn’t written by me.”
“Will it even count?”
“!!!”
Bai Qingzhou felt as though enlightenment had struck him.
That’s right!
The handwriting was completely different.
What were they supposed to do now?