Chapter Forty-Two: A Shift in State of Mind

I knew it—Brother Jing must have feelings for me too!

As Yan Hemiao thought this to herself, a rosy blush crept unconsciously across her cheeks.

Jing Cheng walked over and saw Yan Hemiao standing there, her face shy and demure. A surge of irritation rose in his heart, but he ruthlessly suppressed it.

“Eighth Miss Yan, it’s so late—what brings you here?” Jing Cheng tried to make his voice as gentle as possible.

Hearing his tender tone, Yan Hemiao felt dizzy, almost intoxicated. “I—I wanted to tell Brother Jing not to mind what happened tonight. Grandmother is old, so she tends to be confused.”

Jing Cheng narrowed his eyes, but Yan Hemiao was too bashful to look up and missed the change in his expression. She went on, lost in her own thoughts. “I was worried Brother Jing would be upset, so I hurried after you. And... I also wanted to ask—does Brother Jing have someone in his heart~”

Yan Hemiao hadn’t meant to say this at all. She’d only wanted to catch up and gain some favor in front of Jing Cheng. But seeing his smile, she lost herself completely, forgetting what she’d intended to say. She ended up blurting out whatever came to mind. In fact, she’d already restrained herself—otherwise, she might have asked outright, “Will you marry me?”

“Yes... I do.” Jing Cheng gave Yan Hemiao a small smile, his gaze so captivating it seemed to draw out her very soul.

Under his gaze, Yan Hemiao’s face turned as red as a ripe tomato. “Brother Jing... I’ll wait for you!”

With that, she turned and ran away.

She didn’t notice Jing Cheng standing behind her, watching her leave. The moment she turned her back, the warmth on his face vanished, replaced by a cold indifference.

Tonight’s events had been a great humiliation. How could he ever like someone from the Yan family? Even if he did, it would never be this foolish Eighth Miss.

“Let’s go home,” Jing Cheng said, turning back to his own residence.

...

“Moyi! Was it you who planted that last piece of evidence?” As soon as Yan Hueru returned to her room, she eagerly sought out Moyi.

Moyi stood obediently before her, a gentle smile on her face. “Yes, Princess. Didn’t you want to take revenge on those people? So I took the liberty of adding some extra evidence.”

“But it was all in black and white! Was that really the old madam’s own handwriting?” Yan Hueru was skeptical.

After all, the old lady was always cautious. How could she have left behind such incriminating evidence?

“It’s true. I found it by accident in Madam Lin’s room, so I put it in the wooden box as well,” Moyi replied.

“Excellent! Ha! The old lady never dreamed her own evidence would be used against her. Still, though I’ve gained the upper hand for now, that rumor needs to be dealt with.”

Yan Hueru paced the room, thinking aloud. “We have to act before they do. Moyi, tonight’s matter—spread it before they get a chance.”

“Don’t worry, Princess.” Moyi bowed and left.

Yan Hueru lay quietly on her bed, reflecting on everything that had happened that day, and let out a helpless sigh.

Coming here had never been her choice, and she hadn’t expected so much scheming and intrigue. If that plane explosion back then had simply killed her, perhaps it would have been more merciful than living through this.

The next morning, Yan Hueru woke groggily to find a man sitting at her bedside.

She startled instantly, but a closer look revealed it was Shen Heye.

Yan Hueru sat up at once and moved cautiously away, eyeing him warily. “Your Highness, what brings you to my room so early in the morning?”

Shen Heye smiled faintly. “Naturally, I’m here to help the Ninth Princess deal with that rumor. It’s about to spread, and we can’t let that happen.”

No sooner had he spoken than he lunged at Yan Hueru. But she remained perfectly calm, showing not a trace of panic. Shen Heye sensed something was off, but before he could react, he felt a sharp pain in his neck.

He immediately pulled away and touched his neck. “What did you do?”

Facing his anger, Yan Hueru only smiled slightly, raising the silver needle in her hand. “Just making sure Your Highness gets a proper rest.”

Shen Heye tried to seize her in fury, but he barely managed to stretch out his hand before collapsing unconscious onto the bed.

Yan Hueru nudged him to confirm he was truly out, then got up and called Shen Yi inside.

Shen Yi entered and was shocked to see Shen Heye lying unconscious on the bed.

“This... this...” He pointed at Shen Heye, unable to form a complete sentence.

Yan Hueru rolled her eyes and sat down casually, pouring herself a cup of tea. “I’d like to ask you—weren’t you supposed to be protecting me in secret? How could someone this important get into my room without you knowing? Or did you let him in on purpose?”

Though her tone was calm, it made Shen Yi nervous. He’d only ever felt this kind of pressure from his master, the Ninth Prince.

“No... It was my mistake, Princess. I failed to notice the Sixth Prince entering in time...” Shen Yi dropped to his knees.

Yan Hueru still wasn’t used to people kneeling at the slightest mistake, but Shen Yi had indeed blundered.

“Fortunately, I always carry a few silver needles with me. Since you know you’ve erred, I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself. Take Shen Heye and dump him in Yan Heqi’s room,” she instructed coolly.

Shen Yi nodded without question, taking the unconscious Shen Heye away at once.

When only Yan Hueru remained in the room, her expression dimmed.

Originally, after being reborn here, she simply wanted to live a quiet life and care for the younger brother the original owner cherished. Yet now, trouble kept coming to her door. If she didn’t deal with it, there’d be no peace—much less a good life for her and her brother.

If everyone thought she was easy prey, if they all sought to slander and entrap her, then there was no point in living passively.

Only by standing at the pinnacle of power would she earn the right to live as she wished!

She didn’t even realize that her mindset had changed dramatically. Where once she only wanted peace, now she yearned for power and status, determined never to be bullied again.

Even in her modern life, she had never possessed such resolve.