Blame the Villain – Chapter 68

Villainous Crown Prince (11)

The next day, Song Xuyi woke up feeling like her head was about to explode.

She vaguely remembered doing something really bad, but when she tried to recall it, her mind was completely blank, and she couldn’t remember anything.

“System, did I do anything bad last night after getting drunk?” Luckily, she still had her system.

“Which aspect do you mean?” The system’s voice sounded unusually gentle. “After you got drunk yesterday, you came back without getting lost, then went to sleep…”

The system’s voice was calm, but inside, it was far from peaceful: Who would have thought that Nie Qianyu was actually a woman! The system spent that night in utter turmoil.

Fortunately, at this moment, Song Xuyi’s reaction gave the system hope once again.

Even though the system’s settings prohibited deceiving the host, Song Xuyi’s interaction with Nie Qianyu last night was classified by the main god as “friendly communication with the villain,” which did not fall under Song Xuyi’s definition of “bad things.” Therefore, the system naturally concealed this part.

Song Xuyi didn’t question it, thinking that the strange feeling in her heart was probably just a drunken illusion, reinforcing her belief that drinking causes trouble, silently resolving never to drink again.

With a splitting headache and cold weather outside, Song Xuyi decided to stay at home all day and had no plans to go out.

However, in a grand mansion like the Wang Family’s, secrets could not be kept hidden.

Not long after, almost the entire Wang Family knew about Song Xuyi feeling unwell. Knowing that Song Xuyi needed rest, the Wang family members did not visit but instead various kinds of supplements flowed into Song Xuyi’s separate courtyard like a steady stream.

Song Xuyi spent the morning receiving gifts until her hands were sore. At noon, she took a nap and had a strange dream. In the dream, Song Xuyi turned into a tyrant who forcibly took Nie Qianyu, a commoner girl, and insisted on marrying her. Suddenly, the commoner girl, Nie Qianyu, turned into an emperor, holding a knife and coldly saying she would slice Song Xuyi into pieces…

Song Xuyi was startled awake.

She saw the swaying bead curtain and realized she had been dreaming. Breathing a sigh of relief, she calmed down her racing heart and was about to get up to drink some water. Just then, a slender, exquisite hand appeared through the bead curtain, holding a glass of water—

Thinking it was her maid taking care of her, Song Xuyi took the water, drank it in one gulp, thanked the person casually, and handed the cup back to them. When she finally looked up at the person, she noticed:

Seeing the expressionless Nie Qianyu standing in front of the bed, Song Xuyi remembered his appearance in her dream when he threatened to harm her. Already suffering from a headache, Song Xuyi was so scared that she almost fell off the bed—

Once again, Song Xuyi fell into an embrace.

This embrace seemed somewhat familiar, carrying a faint fragrance. From Song Xuyi’s perspective, she could see the handsome jawline of Nie Qianyu—

Song Xuyi locked eyes with Nie Qianyu.

Those eyes were as cold as ever, but this time, there seemed to be a hint of curiosity in them…

Certain scenes naturally popped into Song Xuyi’s mind:

The audacious and flirtatious version of herself who teased Nie Qianyu;

The version of herself who tripped and was saved by Nie Qianyu, unintentionally offending him;

The shameless version of herself who even held Nie Qianyu’s hand and touched him somewhere inappropriate…

As these memories came flooding back, Song Xuyi’s face instantly flushed red. She dared not meet Nie Qianyu’s gaze anymore, so she tightly hugged the blanket and rolled to the farthest corner of the bed—

“Nie… Nie,” Song Xuyi stammered, recalling her impulsive behavior while drunk the previous night, wishing she could disappear into the floor in embarrassment. She struggled to decide whether to address Nie Qianyu as “Brother Nie” or “Sister Nie.”

“It seems you still remember what happened last night,” Nie Qianyu said, her gaze deepening as she quietly looked at Song Xuyi.

Her voice, originally clear and youthful, underwent a change in this moment, turning into a slightly hoarse female voice. Her demeanor also shifted, with a touch of gentleness added to her expression. Anyone hearing her current voice or seeing her appearance at this moment would no longer mistake her for a boy.

“Um,” Song Xuyi bit her lip and hung her head low, feeling the weight of her sins heavy on her. She couldn’t bear to meet Nie Qianyu’s eyes at this moment.

Nie Qianyu had actually prepared a lot of persuasive words and threats to make Song Xuyi keep her secret, but upon seeing Song Xuyi’s meek and pitiful appearance, all the words on the tip of her tongue suddenly became difficult to express. Instead, she had the sudden urge to touch Song Xuyi’s fluffy and slightly disheveled hair—

And so, Nie Qianyu thought it and did it.

The little girl’s hair was indeed as soft as imagined. Nie Qianyu couldn’t help but gently ruffle it a few times. Seeing the girl raise her head, blinking her eyes at her, too timid to protest, Nie Qianyu’s mood suddenly lifted.

“I am Nie Qianyu (聶千語 – Niè Qiānyǔ), and Nie Qianyu (聶千煜 – Niè Qiānqyù) is my brother.”

Nie Qianyu casually spoke, but her gaze was fixed on the girl, observing her reaction. Seeing the girl widen her eyes as expected, Nie Qianyu felt a sudden hint of nervousness, belatedly realizing it in her heart…

Nie Qianyu didn’t know what she was thinking. Logically, upon having her biggest secret discovered by Song Xuyi, she should have been afraid and made an escape. However, perhaps due to the little princess always treating her incredibly well or maybe because of the reluctance to leave behind the happiest moments she had ever experienced since birth by the princess’s side, Nie Qianyu chose to stay.

“I put poison in the drink I gave you after you fell asleep last night,” this was the solution Nie Qianyu had thought about all night. Despite the girl’s kindness towards her, all of Nie Qianyu’s past survival experiences reminded her not to trust anyone too much. “As long as you don’t reveal my secret, I will give you the antidote regularly.”

Nie Qianyu was uncertain how Song Xuyi’s attitude towards her would change after discovering she was a woman, so she decided to bluff and intimidate Song Xuyi.

However, Nie Qianyu was unaware that Song Xuyi has a cheat, the system. As soon as Nie Qianyu spoke, the system angrily warned Song Xuyi, “Xuyi, don’t believe her! She’s a big fraud and a villain. After you fainted yesterday, she carried you back to the room with a blush on her face but didn’t do anything!”

“I’d rather she had actually given me the poison.”

Upon hearing the system’s description, Song Xuyi covered her face in distress. The more the system spoke, the more guilty Song Xuyi felt inside.

“You feel heartbroken for her?” The system looked at Song Xuyi, alarms ringing in its mind. “She is still trying to deceive you. You must not be swayed by her!”

“This just shows that she has no one else to turn to,” Song Xuyi admitted to her own sense of compassion. “She’s a young girl, away from her home, having to pretend to be someone else. A slight misstep could lead to her death in a foreign land. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for her?”

“But you didn’t say that when you brought her into the academy!” The system was exasperated and worried that continuing might reveal Song Xuyi’s sexual orientation prematurely in this world. It huffed, “Just remember she’s the villain. You must stay on guard against her!” and then remained silent in frustration.

Song Xuyi acknowledged the system’s reasoning, but she knew she was at fault in this situation. She couldn’t bring herself to be wary of the victim in front of her, who was putting up a fake bold front.

While Song Xuyi spoke with the system with her face covered, Nie Qianyu interpreted this as an evasive behavior.

Was she frightened by the mention of poisoning?

Nie Qianyu felt somewhat puzzled. As time passed, her confusion and anxiety grew slightly heavier. She realized she… didn’t want Song Xuyi to distance herself.

This was a rare emotion for Nie Qianyu because her mother had always taught her to be prepared for changes in people’s hearts.

Few people knew that the Crown Prince of the Wu Country, Nie Qianyu, had a twin younger sister born just a moment after him. Even fewer knew that the birth mother of the Crown Prince Nie Qianyu was not the Empress of the Wu Country, but a maidsservant accompanying the Empress.

The maid was extremely intelligent. She had grown up with the Empress from a young age, and her greatest mistake in life was falling in love with the Empress. Even though the Empress was not favored in the depths of the palace, the maid never left her side, humbly wishing to accompany the Empress for a lifetime.

However, everything changed on a certain day.

The Empress’s maternal family sent a fortune-teller, intending to help the Empress alter her fate and gain favor. However, when the fortune-teller saw the maid behind the Empress, his eyes shimmered with a strange light, and he immediately declared, “This woman bears the appearance of bearing a wise and enlightened Emperor!”

The maid had no idea how everything had unfolded. That night, it was clearly the Empress who had offered her a drink, but when she woke up, she found herself lying next to the Emperor…

After that fateful night, the maid’s heart turned to ashes, desiring death with all her being. However, the Empress kept a strict watch over her, not even allowing her to seek death.

At this time, the maid discovered that she was pregnant.

Due to the fortune-teller’s prophecy, her brother, upon his birth, was adopted by the Empress and named ‘Nie Qianyu,’ signifying the brilliance shining over the Wu Country, while Nie Qianyu was raised by their birth mother.

After giving birth, their mother had a falling out with the Empress and voluntarily moved to the most remote pavilion in the palace.

Perhaps because their mother was the real mother of the Crown Prince, the palace staff did not dare to treat them too harshly.

Their mother was already frail, and her health deteriorated further after moving to the remote pavilion. Nie Qianyu took care of her mother from a young age, using every method to stretch the limited ingredients and ensure her mother had more to eat. Perhaps by some divine grace, their mother’s condition improved bit by bit. However, at that time, news arrived that the Crown Prince was to be sent as a hostage to Lishui Country.

So, the Empress turned to Nie Qianyu in the back palace. At ten years old, the child’s gender characteristics were not obvious. The Empress gave Nie Qianyu medicine to disguise her voice and taught her how to dress as a man. Although Nie Qianyu knew that this medicine would shorten her lifespan, she had no choice but to take it – because the Empress had imprisoned her mother, using her mother’s life to blackmail her.

What’s even more ridiculous is that the idea for Nie Qianyu to dress as a man and pretend to be the Crown Prince was suggested by her brother, Nie Qianyu.

Nie Qianyu had to replace Nie Qianyu and go to the Lishui Country. However, on the way, the animals passed a message to Nie Qianyu – their mother had died.

Their mother had committed suicide.

She didn’t want to be a burden to Nie Qianyu. Knowing that Nie Qianyu could communicate with the animals, she chose to end her life in the Empress’s palace.

—However, Nie Qianyu did not manage to escape as her mother had instructed in her last words.

Why should the royal family of the Wu Country have the power to do as they please? Why should those driven by greed be able to decide her fate without any constraints?

She had grown weary of this life of being controlled by others.

Wasn’t Nie Qianyu afraid of losing the throne, wanting to reclaim his position as Crown Prince by being crowned again under the identity of the sickly, hidden son born to the Empress in the deep palace?

Yet, Nie Qianyu was the one who made her lose it all!

While acting as a hostage in the Lishui Country and lulling everyone’s vigilance, Nie Qianyu used her natural abilities to gather evidence of the various ministers in the Wu Country’s illegal activities…

Everything was unfolding according to the path she had planned, yet she felt a loss of all emotion, her inner turmoil replaced only by a desire for vengeance. She dared not get close to anyone, meticulously orchestrating all her plans in an attempt to cleanse this dark and decaying world with bloodshed. Unexpectedly, she would encounter a Song Xuyi.

……

Song Xuyi was the most extraordinary person she had ever met. For some unknown reason, Nie Qianyu found herself immensely fond of the young girl’s gaze falling upon her. Yet, as she thought about how the girl would be wary of her in the future, no longer smiling warmly at her due to the lie of feeding her poison, Nie Qianyu felt inexplicably flustered…

Observing Song Xuyi covering her face in front of her, Nie Qianyu’s confused emotions intensified. Eventually, she reached out and held Song Xuyi’s wrist—

Song Xuyi lowered her hand from her face and looked up.

Faced with Song Xuyi’s puzzled gaze, Nie Qianyu suddenly didn’t know what to say. With sweaty palms and a deep breath, Nie Qianyu softly uttered, “Don’t worry, the antidote is very delicious, sweet and tasty…”

So, please don’t push me away, alright?

The author has something to say:

In the world of famous Quick Transmigration novels, the double standard of Xuyi brand Quick Transmigration, please acknowledge receipt.

LP: Re-translated on April 12, 2024