Was Shen Mianmian doing this for Bai Qingzhou’s sake?
Absolutely not.
She wasn’t that kindhearted.
She didn’t care whether the little “phoenix chick” ate well, stayed healthy, or how much food he consumed.
Her only goal was to drive him away.
Bai Qingzhou had been glued to her side for three days already.
And she had been forced to keep acting for three straight days.
Who could survive that kind of nonstop, high-intensity performance?
Unfortunately, she couldn’t simply tell him to leave.
If they openly quarreled, Madam Ding would dislike her, become disappointed in Bai Qingzhou, and place even greater trust in Jiang Yinjin.
And from there, the story would smoothly return to its original plotline.
That was exactly what Shen Mianmian was trying to prevent.
Her objective was to control the household-conflict storyline.
Ideally, she wanted Jiang Yinjin to skip the entire “fighting in the inner courtyard” arc and proceed directly to the romance plot.
To put it even more plainly:
She didn’t want Madam Ding to value Jiang Yinjin too highly.
Nor did she want Jiang Yinjin influencing Madam Ding into supporting Prince Jin.
In Shen Mianmian’s view, once Jiang Yinjin realized Madam Ding was difficult to manipulate, she would have no choice but to abandon that route and focus directly on seducing the future Prince Regent.
And as long as the heroine abandoned the Marquis’ household and pursued the Prince Regent instead—
The Marquis’ household would be safe.
And so would she.
After much thought, Shen Mianmian finally decided to exploit one of Bai Qingzhou’s weaknesses.
Namely:
He hated eating.
She still remembered the first meal they shared together.
She had been utterly shocked.
Bai Qingzhou was around 175 or 176 centimeters tall by modern standards.
Not short at all.
Yet his appetite was absurdly tiny.
He practically counted individual grains of rice while eating.
That’s when inspiration struck.
Why not bully him under the banner of “doing it for your own good”?
Thus she established a new household rule:
Every meal required two full bowls of rice.
Otherwise, he wasn’t allowed to stay.
Poor Bai Qingzhou.
In order to remain in Bright Moon Courtyard, he could only force himself to shovel down rice.
He barely dared touch the dishes, afraid the food would fill him up before he finished the required rice.
The first time he managed to finish two bowls, he looked utterly miserable.
He sat stiffly in his chair, leaning sideways while his stomach bulged from overeating.
Looking at the frail little phoenix chick with his swollen belly, Shen Mianmian felt deeply satisfied.
She had assumed he would give up by the next meal.
Instead, during the following meal, he nearly rolled his eyes from discomfort yet continued stuffing rice into his mouth.
At one point she genuinely worried she might accidentally kill him.
To prevent a tragedy, she had no choice but to take him for a walk afterward.
Now it was the second day.
Shen Mianmian silently prayed that Bai Qingzhou would finally surrender.
The table held only four dishes and one soup.
Not extravagant.
But everything looked delicious.
Watching the young man frown at the rice before him, Shen Mianmian smiled smugly.
“Heir, don’t blame me.”
“I’m doing this for your own good.”
Then she continued in a coaxing tone.
“Rules are dead, but people are alive.”
“We can always adapt.”
“If you really can’t eat anymore, why don’t you return to Qingfeng Courtyard and rest for a few days?”
“Come back when you’re able to finish the rice.”
That way she could finally get some peace and quiet.
Honestly, even real married couples would go insane spending twenty-four hours a day together.
Never mind a fake couple like them.
Bai Qingzhou frowned.
“Wait.”
“Let me think.”
Then he fell silent.
Looking down at the white porcelain bowl before him and the glossy grains of rice inside, he carefully analyzed the situation.
The first time he’d eaten two bowls, it had been difficult but manageable.
The second time had been much harder.
The third was nearly impossible.
Originally he thought his stomach would gradually adjust.
Instead, it seemed to be getting worse.
Why?
Suddenly he realized the answer.
The meals were too close together.
And he wasn’t exercising enough.
The food simply wasn’t digesting properly.
The Bai family descended from military heroes who had helped found the Southern Chu Kingdom.
Their achievements had earned them noble titles.
Although Bai Qingzhou was physically weak, he had still been raised in a military household.
He understood the connection between exercise, strength, and appetite.
After all…
He had once practiced martial arts himself.
The memory surfaced unexpectedly.
And with it came a familiar ache.
His childhood.
The dark memories hidden there.
His chest tightened painfully.
Immediately he shoved those thoughts back into the depths of his heart.
Some things were easier left buried.
Finally, he looked up.
“I understand now.”
“Let’s eat.”
Shen Mianmian blinked.
“????”
“What exactly did you understand?”
“I’ll explain later.”
For the first time in her life, Shen Mianmian experienced being left hanging by suspense.
And the culprit was Bai Qingzhou.
Half an hour later.
Bai Qingzhou finally finished the two bowls of rice.
His face had turned pale.
Watching him, Shen Mianmian asked nervously,
“Are you alright?”
“Should I have someone make sour plum soup?”
“It helps digestion.”
Bai Qingzhou weakly waved his hand.
“Tea, then?”
“Tea helps too.”
He waved again.
Hearing this, Guanshui quickly poured a cup of tea.
“Heir, please drink some.”
Bai Qingzhou accepted the cup.
He took a sip.
But even the water felt impossible to swallow.
In the end, he merely rinsed his mouth and spat it out.
Then he stood up.
“Change into lighter clothes.”
He looked at Shen Mianmian.
“I’m taking you somewhere.”
“Huh?”
“Oh.”
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, both had changed clothes.
Then they left Bright Moon Courtyard together.
Bai Qingzhou and Shen Mianmian walked in front.
Guanshui and Hanrong followed behind.
Bai Qingzhou moved quickly.
So quickly that Shen Mianmian felt pressured to keep up.
“Where are you taking me?”
Inside, she thought:
Looks like stuffing himself with rice really worked.
He’s walking with energy now.
Bai Qingzhou replied,
“You’ll know when we arrive.”
“…Fine.”
They passed through corridors.
Walked along stone paths.
Eventually they reached a remote northwestern corner of the estate.
The moment Shen Mianmian saw it, her eyes lit up.
“A training ground?”
“You have one of these?”
Bai Qingzhou nodded.
“In most noble estates, this would probably be a garden.”
“But our household isn’t large.”
“A garden requires gardeners.”
“So Father built a training ground instead.”
Seeing the excitement in her eyes, Bai Qingzhou felt pleased.
He knew she would like it.
Ever since she’d supposedly “stopped pretending” and started showing her true self, he had noticed something.
Though she appeared delicate and beautiful, she was actually energetic and active.
For three days she had constantly reminded him:
Sleep early.
Wake early.
Maintain a routine.
Eat properly.
Exercise regularly.
So naturally he assumed she’d love a place like this.
In truth, he was completely mistaken.
Before entering the novel, Shen Mianmian hadn’t been lazy.
But she certainly wasn’t hardworking either.
The reason she had become so disciplined now was simple:
Fear.
Pure fear.
Ancient times lacked modern medicine.
No antibiotics.
No advanced healthcare.
Everything depended on physical health.
She still didn’t know whether dying in this world would send her back home.
If it didn’t—
And she simply died inside this ridiculous novel—
Wouldn’t that be tragic?
So until the heroine finished the storyline and she obtained an answer, Shen Mianmian had absolutely no intention of dying.
Thinking this, she happily stretched her wrists and ankles.
“So that’s why you told me to change clothes.”
“Thank you!”
“I really like this place.”
“From now on, unless it’s raining, I’m coming here every day to run laps.”
Seeing the genuine happiness in her eyes, Bai Qingzhou secretly relaxed.
“I’m glad you like it.”
He had noticed her growing impatience over the past three days.
He knew exactly what she was feeling.
Yet he had shamelessly stayed anyway.
Shen Mianmian waved cheerfully.
“Then I’ll leave you to your business, Heir.”
“I’m going to run a few laps first.”
With that, she took off at a sprint.
Bai Qingzhou watched her running farther and farther away.
Yet the farther she went, the tighter his chest felt.
As though she might leave him behind forever.
He pressed his lips together.
Then followed after her.
Guanshui nearly died from fright.
“Heir!”
“Wait!”
“Please don’t run!”
“Your health can’t handle it!”
Very quickly, news spread through the estate:
The Heir had taken Concubine Shen to the training grounds.
Madam Ding nearly dropped what she was holding.
“What?”
“Qingzhou has started training again?”
Nanny Li nodded excitedly.
“Yes!”
“That’s what the servants reported.”
“This is wonderful!”
“The Heir is finally willing to exercise again.”
“His health will surely improve.”
At that moment, several steward matrons arrived to report estate matters.
But Madam Ding immediately waved them away.
“Come back later.”
“I’m going out.”
Where was she going?
Naturally—
To the training grounds.
To see her son with her own eyes.