After the Affectionate Second Male Lead Reincarnated

Part 9

14

After hearing their footsteps fade away, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Court Lady Cui didn't speak, she knew a lot of information within the palace, and my words should have convinced her.

The house was in ruins, and I used the broken furniture to cut the ropes on my hands.

The rough hemp rope cut into my wrists, leaving them bloody and raw, but I couldn't worry about that—I had to save Song Yan Yu.

Once free, I quickly untied Song Yan Yu. "Luo Yu, believe me, I never..."

"You never had feelings for Pei Du, I know."

It had always been Pei Du's one-sided affection, I understood that clearly.

I met Song Yan Yu's surprised gaze and said, "I said that just now to save you. I don't care who Pei Du has in his heart."

Song Yan Yu breathed a sigh of relief at my words. "That's good. When they get tired late at night and their guard is down, we'll escape."

I nodded. "Before that, switch clothes with me." I began to undress.

Song Yan Yu seemed to understand my plan and shook her head vehemently.

"Luo Yu, we should leave together. What you're planning is too dangerous!"

"You want to make Court Lady Cui believe that Xiao Yan and Pei Du care most about me, then wear my clothes to divert their attention. Doing this could get you killed!"

She tried to grab my hand but retracted, worried about my injuries.

"It's better than us both dying. You leave first and then have Pei Du come to rescue me. That way, we both live."

"Luo Yu, Pei Du does care about you. You don't have to do so much for me..." Song Yan Yu persisted.

"Yan Yu," I took her hand, "I've told you, Pei Du's feelings don't matter to me. I care about you. I came here to save you. Do you remember when you fell into the water at the age of twelve? Someone saved you and spared you from embarrassment. And the sachet—you think it was coincidence the herbs inside repelled snakes and insects? And the year you and Xiao Yan got lost in the snow mountains and patrol soldiers conveniently found your dropped items—do you really believe it was just luck?"

I told Song Yan Yu everything I had done for her over the years. After hearing it, she was unable to recover from the shock for a long time.

"It was you all along?"

"Yes, it was me. The real Jiang Luo Yu died long ago. I came here specifically to save you. If you die, everything I've done will be for nothing."

"But I can't just watch you die. You've done so much for me. Can't it be my turn this time?"

Song Yan Yu shook her head, tears streaming down her face.

"Silly girl, if I die, I'll just return to where I belong. As long as you survive, I can go home."

I gently wiped her tears.

"Really?"

"Really. I'll even be able to see how many brothers and sisters you and Xiao Yan give Zhen'er in that world."

"Luo Yu, no... What should I call you now?"

"My name is Zhuang Qing."

Unlike when Pei Du asked, I genuinely wanted to tell Yan Yu my name.

In this world, Jiang Huai Zhi protected me because I was in Jiang Luo Yu's body, carrying the Jiang family's blood.

Pei Du married me because he believed I was the evil Jiang Luo Yu from the previous life.

Only Song Yan Yu cared about me for who I truly was.

"Zhuang Qing, thank you." Song Yan Yu hugged me.

"Alright, let's switch clothes and get you out of here. Otherwise, there won't be any hugs in the future."

15

Court Lady Cui didn't have many subordinates, so Song Yan Yu and I seized the opportunity during a guard shift change to escape from the small house where we were held.

The Prince Zhao residence had been abandoned for years, and neither of us knew the way out.

Song Yan Yu, skilled in light footwork, carried me to the rooftop to observe the residence's layout.

However, we were both injured, and the roof tiles of the residence were loose. As we moved, we inadvertently triggered the sound of breaking tiles, exposing us in the dark night.

In our panic, we fled haphazardly.

Court Lady Cui and the other remnants from the previous dynasty were as skilled as Song Yan Yu. I handed her a smoke bomb hidden in my shoe.

I had suggested to Pei Du to have the Ministry of Works create these, and I had concealed it inside my clothes today.

Fortunately, Court Lady Cui had only changed my complicated outer robe, leaving my inner garments untouched.

"We should split up. Set this off once you're far enough away. Xiao Yan and Pei Du are likely searching for us. Pei Du will understand when he sees it."

"What about you?" Song Yan Yu grabbed my sleeve.

"I'll wait here for you to bring them back to rescue me." I pried her fingers away, smiling calmly.

After we separated, as expected, Court Lady Cui mistook me for Song Yan Yu and sent most of her men after me.

At first, I managed to delay them.

But due to excessive blood loss, I gradually grew weaker and slower.

A burst of light shot up into the sky, exploding into brilliant fireworks in the dark night.

I sighed in relief; Song Yan Yu should be safe now.

But Court Lady Cui and her men were still pursuing me relentlessly, and I felt my strength ebbing away with each passing moment.

I could hear the whistle of arrows flying towards me, but I couldn't outrun them.

As an arrow pierced through my chest, I felt myself being caught by strong arms, falling into a warm embrace.

Familiar, yet unfamiliar.

I looked up and saw Pei Du.

I had rarely seen Pei Du cry. His emotions were always steady, but now tears were streaming from his eyes, dripping onto the back of my hand.

"Your Majesty," I choked out through the blood rising in my throat, my voice barely audible, "Is Yan Yu... is she safe?"

"She's safe. What about you?"

I swallowed the blood and forced a smile. "I'm so tired... I just... want to sleep..."

Pei Du's guards surged past us, attacking Court Lady Cui and her men. Amidst the clash of swords, I saw Pei Du's eyes, bloodshot with my blood.

16

When I opened my eyes again, I was in the lab pod.

A reassuring voice from above spoke, "Zhuang Qing, congratulations on completing your mission. The bonus has been credited to your account. From today, you are officially retired."

A colleague handed me a book. The title remained the same, but it had transformed from an abusive story into a sweet romance.

In it, I saw the ending for Xiao Yan and Song Yan Yu. They had another child, a daughter named Xiao Nian Qing [1].

Every year on that day, they would bring Zhen'er and Nian Qing to visit me.

By the way, the book mentioned that Xiao Yan and Jiang Huai Zhi jointly petitioned to have Pei Du depose me, preventing me from being buried in the imperial mausoleum.

Yan Yu said, this was the resting place I had wanted.

She always understood me best.

The last part of the book was an epilogue about Pei Du, but I closed the book without reading it.

"Not going to read it?" my colleague asked.

I shook my head. "No, it's irrelevant to me now."

Perhaps it detailed Pei Du finding a new love, or maybe it chronicled him spending the rest of his life mourning me, but none of that mattered anymore.

Just as I told Song Yanyu in the end, I did not care about Pei Du. What I cared about was her. She had been my close friend who had shared twenty years of my transmigration with me.

In this world, I retired honorably, with a substantial bonus ensuring a worry-free life. Why let a chapter from the mission affect my peace of mind?

Everything from that world was finished for me, but my life in this world still had a long way to go.

Rather than lingering in the past, it's better to look forward and move on.

(The End of Main Story)

Footnote:

[1] "Nian Qing (念晴)" could be interpreted as "missing Zhuang Qing," with Zhuang Qing being the MC's real name.