My Story with the Villainous Male Lead
My Story with the Villainous Male Lead – Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Night.

Wen Yuan Pavilion.

At this late hour, with the world quiet, Lu Qi Huai stood by the window with his hands behind his back.

In his hand was a jade pendant, and his emotionless eyes gazed at the night outside. After a long while, he spoke faintly, “What happened today?”

As soon as he finished speaking—

A voice responded from behind, “Today, after the Madam of Rongguo returned from Baoru Zhai, she encountered the young master of Qiyun Mountain Manor. Afterward, the young master invited her to dinner, and the Madam did not refuse. They shared some food and wine together…” The voice was that of a woman, respectful and humble.

There were only a few candles lit in the room, casting a dim light.

Although it was clear the speaker was a woman, due to her position, only a vague figure in a greenish-blue robe could be seen kneeling on the ground. She kept her head slightly lowered, so her face could not be made out. Once the previous words were finished, she softly added, “From what I observed, it seems the Madam of Rongguo once had a close acquaintance who looked very similar to that young master.”

“Close acquaintance?”

Lu Qi Huai spoke at this point.

Since beginning to suspect Shen Wei, he had ordered his subordinates to carefully investigate her entire past. According to the reports, Shen Wei lost her father at a young age, and the only people she could rely on were Shen Xifeng and Lu Buwei. Furthermore, because of Shen Xifeng’s influence, the men of Bianliang City, even if they had feelings for Shen Wei, never dared approach her too closely.

As for any “close acquaintance,” it was doubtful whether Shen Wei even remembered the names of other men.

Moreover—

Even Lu Qi Huai had never met anyone who resembled Liang Lingyue, let alone a woman born into the inner chambers.

The woman who had been speaking raised her eyes slightly at the hint of confusion in his voice. The moonlight from outside just happened to fall on her lifted face, revealing her features. The woman kneeling was Shui Bi, who served Shen Wei. However, compared to her usual demeanor when facing Shen Wei, there was a noticeable air of submission and respect on her face now.

She looked at Lu Qi Huai’s back and hesitated for a moment before continuing, “I don’t know if it’s just my illusion, but it seems the Madam’s feelings for this close acquaintance… are somewhat unusual.”

Once she finished speaking—

Shui Bi paused briefly before continuing, “My lord has always been suspicious of her identity. If we can find out who this close acquaintance is, we might understand the deeper connection behind it.”

Lu Qi Huai listened but said nothing, his hand tightening around the jade pendant.

He mulled over the phrase “somewhat unusual” in his mind. Outside, the moonlight was covered by clouds, casting an even gloomier darkness over the night. The depth in his eyes was perfectly masked by the dimness… His expression remained unchanged, and his voice still had no inflection, “Leave.”

“Shall I deal with the Madam of Rongguo’s side?” Shui Bi hesitated before asking.

Before she could finish, Lu Qi Huai interrupted, “I have my own plans. Go.”

Shui Bi did not dare to say more. She quickly responded, bowed, and withdrew from the room. When there was no one else left, Lu Qi Huai looked at the dark sky and coldly repeated, “Unusual? Close acquaintance?”

His voice didn’t change, but there was a deepening darkness in his gaze.

—-

Taoran Zhai.

Shui Bi had just entered through the curtain and saw Mo Qi standing outside with a nervous expression. Seeing her, Shui Bi paused and followed her gaze forward. But in front of Mo Qi was a curtain, and with the light obscured, what could she see?

Confused by what had happened, Shui Bi suppressed her expression, changed her demeanor, and walked forward.

When she reached Mo Qi—

Shui Bi greeted her with a respectful bow, then looked curiously at the curtain, lowering her voice to ask, “Why are you standing outside, Sister?” After a pause, she asked, “Has the Madam gone to sleep?”

In the past, the Lady of Rongguo would only go to sleep around the fourth quarter of the Hai time every night, and it was always like this. But today… it’s only the first quarter of Hai time.

Mo Qi had been lost in thought earlier and hadn’t noticed Shui Bi’s footsteps. It wasn’t until she heard Shui Bi speak that she snapped back to her senses and looked at her. Seeing Shui Bi standing behind her, Mo Qi first observed her, noticing that her complexion was no longer as pale as before, then asked, “Why aren’t you resting? Weren’t you feeling unwell earlier?”

Today, Shui Bi was supposed to be on night watch, but she had gotten a stomach ache earlier, so Mo Qi took over in her place.

Hearing Mo Qi’s question, Shui Bi smiled warmly and gently replied, “Thank you for your concern, sister. I rested for a while earlier, and I feel much better now…”

She glanced at the curtain before continuing, “And the Lady?”

“The Lady…”

Mo Qi sighed deeply upon hearing her question. She followed Shui Bi’s gaze toward the curtain and lowered her voice, speaking softly, “I don’t know what’s wrong with the Lady, but something doesn’t seem right with her tonight. Earlier, she asked me to bring two pots of wine from the small kitchen and told me not to get too close.”

Mo Qi furrowed her brow as she continued, “The Lady never used to drink wine…”

After saying this, she remembered that Shui Bi had accompanied the Lady out earlier, so she asked, “Did you encounter anything unusual while you were out with the Lady today?”

Shui Bi had an inkling of what might be troubling the Lady, suspecting it might be related to the old acquaintance Mo Qi had mentioned, but she couldn’t possibly tell Mo Qi this.

Thus, when Mo Qi asked, Shui Bi simply frowned slightly and softly said, “The Lady seemed fine when we were out. I didn’t notice anything unusual.”

She then added tentatively, “Perhaps the Lady went to the temple to pay respects to the Duke and, upon returning home, began recalling the past.”

Seeing Mo Qi’s concern, Shui Bi spoke again in a gentle tone, “Sister, don’t worry. I’ll take good care of the Lady. The night is already deep. You should return to rest. You’ll need to serve the Lady tomorrow. You shouldn’t stay up too late. Moreover, the Lady is in a bad mood and needs some peace and quiet. Our presence here might make her feel uncomfortable.”

Mo Qi had intended to stay. She didn’t understand how she could leave when the Lady was in such a state, but after hearing Shui Bi’s words, she bit her lip and didn’t say anything more.

If the Lady was upset because of the Duke, she would naturally prefer to be left alone.

Thinking this, Mo Qi gave Shui Bi a few more instructions and then added, “I’ve had someone prepare some hangover soup outside. Make sure to give the Lady a bowl before she sleeps, or she might have a headache tomorrow.”

After Mo Qi said this, she saw Shui Bi acknowledge her and didn’t say anything more. Before leaving, she glanced at the curtain again, sighed, and then walked out.

Once Mo Qi had left—

Shui Bi pulled back the curtain and walked inside. Though the room was lit with many candles, they had burned for a long time, and the light had dimmed. She scanned the room before seeing Shen Wei lying on the couch, leaning against a pillow, fast asleep.

On the tea table beside the couch were two empty pots of wine.

Shui Bi, with her sharp sense of smell, immediately recognized the type of wine. It seemed that Mo Qi had been worried about the Lady drinking too much, so she had brought the least intoxicating fruit wine…

But even with such a wine, Shen Wei had still gotten drunk. Now, she was asleep, eyes closed, leaning against the pillow. The window beside the couch had several shutters open. Though it wasn’t as cold as in spring, a drunk person would naturally feel chilly.

Shui Bi saw that Shen Wei had curled up her legs and furrowed her brows from the cold.

She didn’t say anything but walked toward Shen Wei, intending to help her to bed. Just as her hand was about to touch Shen Wei, she heard a voice behind her: “I’ll do it.”

That voice?

Shui Bi’s face turned pale. Her hand hung in the air as she turned to look. Seeing a man dressed in black and with a refined face, she quickly withdrew her hand and took a step back, speaking respectfully, “How did you get here?”

Lu Qi Huai didn’t respond immediately. He continued walking toward the couch.

When he reached the couch, he looked down at Shen Wei, who was curled up on the couch, hugging her arms. Seeing her like this, he furrowed his brow involuntarily. His voice, colder than before, echoed as he said, “You should leave.”

Though Shui Bi didn’t know what he intended to do, she didn’t dare to speak up.

So, despite her confusion, she simply nodded softly and stepped back.

Lu Qi Huai stood still by the couch, his body unmoving. He lowered his eyes, staring at her without warmth. He had known her for a long time, yet he had never seen her in such a state. No matter when he had encountered Shen Wei, whether through reports or in person, she had always been composed. Even when she was momentarily distracted, it was but a brief instant.

Who was the old acquaintance who could cause her to lose her composure like this?

“Cold…”

The wind outside had grown stronger, and Shen Wei instinctively curled up more, as if to shield herself from the cold.

The room was quiet, and despite the faintness of her voice, Lu Qi Huai still heard her. He lowered his brows, watching her lips part and close, and as her complexion started to turn pale, he reached out to close the shutters. With the cold wind blocked, the temperature in the room began to rise, and Shen Wei’s previously curled-up form began to relax.

Lu Qi Huai continued to watch her silently. After some time, he finally sat down beside her on the couch.

His brows were still slightly furrowed, making it difficult to tell what his current mood was. He sat on the soft couch, looking at her, while the candlelight flickered several times, becoming even dimmer than before. After the flame flickered again, he extended his long fingers and gently brushed aside the hair that the wind had scattered on her forehead.

Perhaps afraid of waking her, his movements were gentle and slow…

After tucking Shen Wei’s hair behind her ear, Li Qi Huai did not retract his hand. He simply continued to lightly trace her brows and eyes in the dim candlelight.

Shui Bi had been standing outside ever since she left. Though her expression showed no change, she couldn’t quite understand why the master would come at this time. She knew that with his skills and the surrounding hidden guards, no one would notice, but she still couldn’t figure out what the master was trying to do.

Moreover, it had been a quarter of an hour since the master entered, yet there had been no sound from inside. Thinking about this, Shui Bi’s previously furrowed brows deepened. Just then, the corner of the curtain inexplicably lifted a little. She hesitated but couldn’t resist peeking inside.

Inside, the candlelight was still dim, but the moonlight outside was exceptionally bright.

Shui Bi saw the master sitting on the soft couch, his head slightly lowered, but his fingers were tenderly brushing the brows and eyes of the woman lying on the couch. Perhaps it was the softness of the moonlight outside, but she could sense an unusual gentleness emanating from the master. Under the moonlight, the two of them—one sitting and the other lying sideways—seemed perfectly matched, both in appearance and temperament. The sight startled Shui Bi so much that she involuntarily gasped.

Even though it was just a fleeting gesture, Li Qi Huai still noticed. He withdrew his fingers from Shen Wei’s face and looked up, meeting Shui Bi’s gaze. His expression remained unchanged, but the depth and sharpness in his eyes grew even more intense.

Shui Bi saw the look on his face and immediately felt a chill in her heart. After being by the master’s side for so many years, she knew exactly what this expression meant.

He was truly angry.

Realizing this, Shui Bi quickly withdrew her gaze. She adjusted the curtain back into place and immediately knelt outside.

Li Qi Huai watched the curtain being put back without saying a word.

He then turned his gaze back toward Shen Wei, who was still peacefully asleep on the couch. She hadn’t noticed the hidden turbulence from earlier. Perhaps because she had drunk too much earlier, she now felt thirsty and murmured softly.

Li Qi Huai watched her and stood up, walking over to the table. He checked the teapot with the back of his hand, and upon feeling that the water was still warm, he poured a cup of warm water. He then walked back to her, gently propped her up, and brought the cup to her lips.

Although Shen Wei was still in a deep sleep, she seemed to have some awareness.

As the warm water touched her lips, she drank from the cup in response to his movements. As the warmth slid down her throat, her previously furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

Just as Li Qi Huai wiped the water from her lips, Shen Wei suddenly opened her eyes. She looked at the man in front of her, who seemed startled for a moment, before she muttered, “Li Qi Huai?”

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