Chen Yuanyuan suddenly blushed, because she recalled the position she’d been in just moments ago…lying across his lap. Though it had only been a few unintentional touches, that heart-pounding feeling of hardness had seared itself into her memory. If a man like that didn’t count as a man, then no one in the world did.
Seeing Chen Yuanyuan suddenly looking so shy, Song Qingshu said wryly, “Madam, if you’re going to seduce me, at least pick a better time. You’re badly injured right now…even if I’m tempted, I can’t do anything about it.”
Hearing his absurd words, Chen Yuanyuan spat lightly: “Madam? In your eyes, am I really that old?” The melancholy and sorrow in her voice were enough to break anyone’s heart, yet the coquettish tone was even stronger…as if she were flirting with a lover.
She clearly realized she was acting out of character, and her face grew warm. *He did such things to me and Ah Ke…why don’t I hate him deep down? Is it just because he risked injury to save me?*
Chen Yuanyuan pondered for a long while without finding an answer. How could she know that in later generations, there was a term for this psychological phenomenon called the “anchoring effect”? Simply put, if a person does a hundred good deeds and then one bad one, people will think he’s a hypocrite. But if a person does a hundred bad deeds and then one good one, people will think he’s not so bad after all.
It’s all about expectations. When someone does a hundred good deeds, people unconsciously raise their standards for him, so one bad deed becomes unacceptable. When someone does a hundred bad deeds, people’s expectations are very low, so one good deed comes as a pleasant surprise.
That was Chen Yuanyuan’s case. Initially, she believed the man that night was a despicable, lecherous scoundrel. But today, seeing Song Qingshu…though masked, clearly a refined and handsome gentleman…so different from her imagined image, she felt a glimmer of relief and goodwill. Then, in that life-or-death moment, he’d risked injury to save her, and she could no longer bring herself to hate him.
Another important reason was that Chen Yuanyuan believed she was about to die; otherwise, she wouldn’t have felt such a girlish flutter.
“Eh, who’s this pretty little sister that’s appeared out of nowhere?” Song Qingshu said with exaggerated flair.
“Tch, smooth talker.” Having come from a life of pleasure, Chen Yuanyuan had encountered far too many smooth talkers and usually despised them. Yet today, she couldn’t muster even a trace of revulsion.
“I’m about to die…won’t you grant me even this last request?” Seeing his face beneath the mask had become an obsession. She even put on a pitiful look to achieve it.
Song Qingshu shook his head, still refusing without hesitation: “If you see my face, madam, you’ll definitely regret using every trick to do so.”
“I swear I won’t regret it.” Hearing his tone soften, Chen Yuanyuan’s eyes lit up.
“No. You’ve managed to cling to life because of this obsession…I can’t let that fade away.” By now, his true qi had thoroughly explored her injuries, and he’d roughly formulated a plan for treatment.
Just as they were at an impasse, an anxious young woman’s voice came from outside: “Brother Song? Brother Song?”
It was Li Yuanzhi, worried about Song Qingshu. After comforting Ah Ke, she’d returned, thinking Song Qingshu might have gone back to her quarters, and ran back in a panic.
Especially recalling the sight of him wounded, she was frantic…calling out from far away. The Cold Palace was sparsely populated, with no one within dozens of zhang, so she wasn’t afraid of being overheard.
Pushing open the door and seeing her lover there, she finally relaxed, throwing herself into his arms and pouring out her worries: “Brother Song, Brother Song…huhuhu…I thought something had happened to you…huhu…”
Suddenly she noticed the bloodstains on his chest and panicked, looking up and cupping his face: “Brother Song, are you alright? Don’t scare me…” The mask was awkward to hold, so she casually pulled it off.
Song Qingshu was inwardly face-palming. *This silly girl keeps calling me ‘Brother Song’…won’t that expose me?* He was trying to figure out how to cover it up when she yanked the mask off before he could stop her.
“It’s you!” Chen Yuanyuan was both shocked and furious. She’d been stunned when Li Yuanzhi burst in, and hearing her call out “Brother Song” brought a name to mind. When the mask came off, her suspicions were confirmed.
“Ah?” Startled by the sudden voice, Li Yuanzhi then noticed there was someone else in the bed. She turned back to see Song Qingshu’s exasperated expression and blinked innocently: “Brother Song, would you believe me if I said I didn’t do it on purpose?”
Song Qingshu let out a frustrated breath: “At this point, does it even matter?” (G: I really don’t like Li Yuanzhi, she’s annoying.)
Li Yuanzhi grabbed his arm and shook it, coquettishly: “Brother Song, don’t be mad at me! I only had eyes for you…how was I supposed to know you’d brought another woman back?”
Catching the barb in her words, Song Qingshu knew the girl’s jealousy was slightly piqued. After all, this had been their “love nest” to some extent, and bringing another woman here was bound to bother her.
“Alright, alright…I’m not mad.” After soothing Li Yuanzhi, Song Qingshu turned back to find Chen Yuanyuan staring at him with wide, furious eyes. He couldn’t help but feel awkward.
Strangely enough, with the mask on, he’d felt free to tease and control the situation. But with it off, he suddenly found himself at a loss.
“So it’s you, Song Qingshu…the Golden Serpent King himself. I never imagined you’d be such a shameless scoundrel, sneaking around and violating women. If this spreads through the martial world, your reputation will be ruined.” She’d been developing some goodwill toward him, and if the face beneath the mask had been anyone else, she wouldn’t have reacted so strongly. But of all people, it had to be Song Qingshu.
First, when he’d gone to Shanhai Pass, he’d promised that taking Ah Ke back to Yanjing was just for show…yet his daughter had been put under house arrest immediately. As a mother, she naturally harbored no goodwill toward him.
Second, a mother knows her daughter. She knew Ah Ke had a complicated love-hate relationship with Song Qingshu. Though she privately disapproved, compared to figures like Fukang’an or Zhao Gou, Song Qingshu wasn’t so unacceptable.
Subconsciously, she’d viewed him as a junior…a potential son-in-law. Now, learning that her daughter’s candidate was the very scoundrel who’d done *that* to her…such a violation of propriety sent her emotions into an explosion.
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