Big Boss – Chapter 2

Meeting Ci Ke again

With a loud bang of the closing door, Ci Ke stumbled and knelt on the polished stone bricks, her clothes stained with a thin layer of dust, slightly disheveled.

She raised her eyes, leaving only an elegant wooden door. Ci Ke’s gaze was sharp as she looked at it for a while. Then, using her palm for support, she struggled and gracefully stood up, using her fingertips to smooth out the silk on her shoulders.

“So, you’ve become smarter with your guesses. Turns out you’re still as stupid as before,” she said softly, her waist straightened. “The dog bit Lu Dongbin, since you don’t believe me, then even if you die, it’s well-deserved.”

Meanwhile, inside the wooden door.

Ye Youqing had already turned her back almost in the instant the door closed, sliding down along the door frame to the ground. She clenched her teeth, enduring the excruciating pain of her brain being torn apart, as shattered scenes leaked out.

She, like an indifferent observer, watched Ye Youqing happily marry into the Qin Household, only to spend the wedding night alone in an empty room.

She saw Qin Wang take her dowry, surrounded by beauty and joy, yet not even a single silver tael was given. She saw the woman called mother wither away in the cold winter, finally freezing to death. She saw dead bodies scattered across the Duke’s residence, as the flames slowly died down.

At the end of the scene, Zhou Ci Ke faced her, smiling through tears, then resolutely turned and leapt into the raging, fiery inferno.

……

From nowhere, a shout sounded, and Ye Youqing suddenly opened her eyes, staring blankly at the dust tray carved like clouds on the canopy bed.

She just fainted on the ground, but how did she end up on the bed?

And the scene before her eyes hasn’t changed; she is still here, the thought of waking up in the modern era came to nothing.

She had to make herself fully believe she had traveled through time.

“Eldest Miss!” A shout came to her ears, Ye Youqing turned her head and saw a young girl about 18 years old kneeling beside the bed, with a thin face, double buns on her head, and a string of pearl flowers on each bun.

Before Ye Youqing could speak, the young girl suddenly exclaimed in surprise, “Eldest Miss, what happened to your forehead… I will go look for a doctor!”

As she was about to get up, Ye Youqing quickly extended her hand to hold her down, saying, “It’s nothing, I just bumped it a moment ago, it won’t be visible once covered by hair.”

“But…”

“I said it’s fine,” Ye Youqing added, giving the girl a glance before sitting up.

Caught by her gaze, the girl was momentarily stunned, and she dared not object further, only secretly wondering when her Eldest Miss had acquired such a presence that made people hesitant to speak up.

Maybe she’s too happy about marrying General Qin, she thought.

“Luckily, miss, you woke up. Today is the day of the betrothal gifts. If you were absent, you would surely be punished by the Duke!” The girl said with concern, holding a pile of clothes in her arms, “This dress was just hurriedly made by the seamstress, hurry up and change, or it will be too late!”

Betrothal gifts? According to the laws of the Qi Dynasty, once the betrothal gifts are delivered, one must marry Qin Wang no matter what. Ye Youqing felt even more scared, her expression becoming more solemn.

“Mirror.” Ye Youqing said softly.

“What?” The girl was stunned, her eyes slightly wide.

“Mirror.” Ye Youqing repeated.

The girl quickly got up, dragged the bronze mirror from the makeup box, and stuffed it into Ye Youqing’s hands.

The surface of the bronze mirror was somewhat mottled, but one could still clearly see the face within it. The eyebrows were narrow and long, extending into the temples, with phoenix eyes half-closed. The pupils were a deep brown, hidden under the eyelashes. The browbones were slightly high, the eye sockets deep, and the vermillion lips were tightly pursed, as if bearing a smile, but in fact, it was cold.

It was the same as before, yet with some minor differences.

Accepting that she had become another person didn’t seem too difficult, especially after witnessing such a real and long life, Ye Youqing thought as she looked at herself in the mirror.

It’s just that the circumstances of this body were really in deep water and fierce fire.

“Was it you who carried me to the bed?” suddenly asked Ye Youqing. She lifted her eyes to look at the girl, her voice gentle, yet emotionless.

The girl was startled again and hurriedly shook her head: “Eldest Miss ordered me to watch over the embroiderers to rush the work. By the time I returned, you were already asleep.”

Ye Youqing nodded, with doubts in her heart, but didn’t ask further and got out of bed.

The girl clenched her hands, wanting to help but not daring to step forward. She timidly looked at Ye Youqing’s back. Her own young lady was always naive and had never shown such an expression before, as if she was plotting something.

It was scary.

Ye Youqing didn’t care what the girl was thinking. She adapted very quickly, and it only took two steps for her to observe her surroundings clearly. Then, she casually picked up the teapot from the table, poured tea into a cup, and brought it to her lips.

Suddenly, she stopped her action.

“Did you just come?” Ye Youqing suddenly asked.

The girl hurriedly nodded.

Looking at the teacup in her hand, Ye Youqing appeared thoughtful and spoke again, “Who else can come into this room?”

“No more.” The girl answered softly, “The madam has been bedridden for years, and all household affairs have fallen into the hands of Concubine Xiao. Every time the madam asks her for someone, she sends people with ill intentions, so she dared not ask anymore.”

Ye Youqing frowned, she suddenly remembered the scenes in her dream, those that would one by one become reality – the frail woman crawling by the roadside, turning into a huddled ice sculpture in an unprecedented heavy snowstorm in Bianjing.

Ye Youqing’s mother is named Zhao Qingrou, originally the granddaughter of King Si Rong, with a distinguished background. However, due to a rebellion case seven years ago, the Emperor ordered the execution of several rebellious officials, and their families were enslaved, including King Si Rong.

Although Zhao Qingrou escaped disaster by marrying into the Duke’s household, she lost the support of her natal family. After a severe illness and the loss of all her children, Duke Liang became distant and favored his concubines more.

Concubine Xiao has one son and one daughter, while Zhao Qingrou only has one daughter, Ye Youqing. Coupled with a lingering illness and a sensitive status, they were even more looked down upon, making life very difficult for the mother and daughter.

After saying these, Ye Youqing put the tea cup back, pinching the rim with her fingertips, and said in a cold voice, “I fainted… I have slept for so long, this water, should not be hot.”

Although the girl looked young, she was not stupid. Hearing this, her face turned pale with fright, and she looked around in panic, subconsciously protecting Ye Youqing.

She had just arrived here and didn’t know the purpose of those wanting to harm her. It might be to stop her from fixing a marriage. Ye Youqing put the tea cup down and looked towards the window that had already darkened.

“Bang bang bang!”

Suddenly, the door was knocked on, startling the girl, almost screaming out loud, but fortunately, Ye Youqing covered her mouth from behind.

“Who is it?” Ye Youqing asked alertively.

“Eldest Miss, this servant is sent by Duke Liang to hurry Eldest Miss, as the time is almost upon us. Please, Eldest Miss, hurry.” A woman’s voice came from outside, after which the sound of footsteps gradually faded.

The girl let out a long sigh of relief, turned around to pick up the clothes, and shook them out urgently, saying, “Eldest Miss, hurry up. If we go late, we will definitely be blamed in public.”

Ye Youqing was helped by her to walk a few steps and had to let her help change out of her plain clothes. However, her gaze fell on the flickering candlelight in front of her, contemplating her strategy.

She must go, otherwise, not only she would be blamed. But once the betrothal gifts are sent, it’s final, and she could not back out of the marriage no matter what. Therefore, before the betrothal gifts are presented later, she must find a reason to refuse the gifts and cancel the engagement.

Her head started to hurt again faintly.

While contemplating, her clothes had already been changed into a simple and elegant silk attire, with a water-green Luo skirt wrapped around her waist, making her figure appear even more slender. The girl draped a thick coat over her, helping her to step out of the door.

She had no memory of before and could only guess bits and pieces from the plot of the book. Luckily, there was this girl by her side; otherwise, she would probably not even recognize the way around this mansion. Ye Youqing thought to herself quietly, only to realize that she had forgotten the name of this girl.

Effortlessly obtained, the girl led her around a porch, coming to another, larger courtyard, and then whispered softly, “Eldest Miss, you must take Qin Xin with you after you marry into the General’s residence. You’ve always been straightforward; it’s always good to have someone to look after you.”

Oh, her name is Qin Xin. What was her outcome again? Ye Youqing couldn’t quite remember.

In the original story, almost no one survives except for the female lead.

“Alright,” Ye Youqing said.

Visibly pleased, Qin Xin’s grip on Ye Youqing’s hand became even more careful. While walking, she murmured, “It’s already April, the season when hundreds of plants grow, yet it’s still so cold.”

April, huh? Ye Youqing lifted her head to look at the pitch-dark sky, where distant clouds seemed to obscure the continuous mountains. The air was mixed with the scent of soil, and the Duke’s residence was lit up and bustling, ablaze with lights.

In modern times, her parents traveled back and forth between the company and abroad every day, so she grew up alone from a young age. After taking over the company, she became even busier, rarely looking up at the sky.

In the seconds before her death, that was probably the most beautiful sun she had ever seen.

Anyway, it’s always good to be alive, and those who were originally going to die… Ye Youqing looked at the cheerful girl beside her.

She would try to keep them alive.

The treetops in front of her were cast in orange, guqin sounds rippled through the air, swirling ahead, getting closer to the crowd, and the air became noisier, the scent of food drifted through the arches of the garden, infiltrating the nose in wisps and strands.

Ye Youqing was about to walk through the archway when she suddenly heard several shouts of reprimand and the sound of something breaking. She abruptly stopped in her tracks.

Qin Xin also stopped and looked towards the dark corner of the wall following Ye Youqing’s gaze, muttering, “Who is making noise again, don’t they know it’s the Eldest Miss’s engagement day?”

She was about to raise her voice when Ye Youqing felt the noise was somewhat familiar, so she reached out to pull her back, pressing a finger to her lips to signal her to be quiet.

The voices became clearer. Ye Youqing walked forward a few steps, and through the potted plants arranged like a low wall, she vaguely saw a slender figure being dragged by someone.

“Your temperament is quite fierce, so what if you are by General Qin’s side? I and General Qin are close friends, just a servant, it’s just a matter of words for you to come or go. Don’t be ignorant!”

“Let go!” The woman’s soft and disgusted voice rang out, followed by a scream that startled a few sparrows.

Ye Youqing’s heart skipped a beat. Born in a law-abiding society, she naturally detested such rude behavior and involuntarily stepped forward, but was quickly pulled back by Qin Xin.

“Eldest Miss, that’s the Crown Prince.” Fear was evident in Qin Xin’s words.

Crown Prince? Ye Youqing paused for a moment, searching her memory.

According to the original story, after Zhao Qingrou became seriously ill and could no longer conceive, Duke Liang petitioned the Emperor to let his illegitimate son, Ye Chengfu, inherit the position, thus becoming the Crown Prince. The former Ye Youqing had been bullied by him quite a bit, no wonder Qin Xin was afraid.

Another scream came, along with Ye Chengfu’s painful growl. Ye Youqing’s heart tightened violently. She cursed silently and, without another word, pushed aside the potted plants.

With the sound of porcelain shattering, something heavy fell to the ground, and the air filled with the smell of mud and alcohol. Ye Youqing’s eyelids slightly opened, and suddenly, a panicked shadow bumped into her full embrace.

Her heart skipped a beat, but she didn’t move, letting the scent of makeup linger in her nose, letting the dough-like soft body tremble buried in her chest.

The woman was indeed frightened, unable to control her violent gasping, grasping the clothes of the person in front of her like grabbing a lifeline, without caring who the other person was.

“Save, help me…” Zhou Ci Ke said, haltingly.