Blame the Villain – Chapter 223

Villainous Emperor (23)

After seeing these story books, Song Xuyi once again became convinced that Jiang Ruoyu liked rebellious girls, which was why she treated her differently. She decided to act increasingly submissive and flattering in their future interactions.

When Song Xuyi was previously at the inn with the girls selected for the palace by Yinyue Sect, the most common topic of discussion was about Jiang Ruoyu:

It was said that Jiang Ruoyu greatly preferred peace and quiet, disliking noisy crowds around her; she was extremely picky and didn’t like eating much, especially greasy food; she also deeply despised flatterers. Once, an official who liked to curry favor wanted to become her menke [door guest/retainer], but she had her servants throw him out of the mansion. That menke thought it was Jiang Ruoyu’s subordinates acting on their own initiative and angrily wept and shouted at her door, but unexpectedly, Jiang Ruoyu came out herself and ordered her servants to tie him up and gag him…

This Jiang Ruoyu that others described was different from the one Song Xuyi had encountered, but since more than one girl said the same thing, Song Xuyi somewhat believed their words.

To make Jiang Ruoyu dislike her, Song Xuyi decided to do the opposite: whatever Jiang Ruoyu disliked, Song Xuyi would do exactly that!

Therefore, after Jiang Ruoyu finished writing the imperial edict, Song Xuyi took a deep breath and squeezed Jiang Ruoyu’s shoulder. Song Xuyi forced out a coquettish voice and, fighting back nausea, began flattering: “Your Majesty, thank you for helping me repay my past debt to Miss Lin Zhu. Your Majesty treats servants so kindly, this servant is extremely grateful and, though I have nothing else to offer, wishes to cook personally to express my gratitude to Your Majesty…”

Hearing Song Xuyi’s coquettish voice, Jiang Ruoyu’s ears immediately turned red. She coughed dryly and her voice mysteriously began to stutter—

“If-if you’re happy with that,” Jiang Ruoyu couldn’t look at Song Xuyi, but Song Xuyi thought Jiang Ruoyu must be extremely pleased because her lips couldn’t help but curl upward. She seemed to want to reluctantly refuse Song Xuyi’s cooking offer, saying: “As for the cooking—” but in the end, she followed her true feelings and said with avoiding eyes: “Just make a couple of simple dishes as you like, don’t tire yourself too much.”

Song Xuyi looked at Jiang Ruoyu who was trying hard to suppress her happiness, and somehow found this version of Jiang Ruoyu oddly cute. Happiness seemed contagious, causing Song Xuyi’s face to involuntarily redden as well.

Although Jiang Ruoyu had said that, Song Xuyi had no intention of making just a couple of dishes.

Since Jiang Ruoyu disliked greasy food, Song Xuyi planned to prove in every way that she and Jiang Ruoyu were incompatible, so naturally, she would make the dishes as greasy as possible!

Song Xuyi made braised pork belly, fried some meatballs, prepared a roast chicken, stewed a pot of pork trotters, and deliberately delayed for a while. By the time she finished, it was already midnight.

Song Xuyi was somewhat afraid to face a potentially angry Jiang Ruoyu, so she first served the dishes and then lingered in the kitchen for a while before finally coming out.

After such a long delay, and with all these greasy dishes that Jiang Ruoyu disliked, Song Xuyi thought Jiang Ruoyu would surely be displeased. However, when Song Xuyi came out, she found Jiang Ruoyu still waiting at the table, keeping the dishes warm with her divine power, not having touched a single bite.

“Why did you make so many dishes?” When she saw Song Xuyi come out, Jiang Ruoyu’s gaze remained incredibly bright. She softened her voice, and though her tone was reproachful, her eyes were full of joy: “I can’t finish all this food alone, come sit down and eat with me!”

Although being a divine spirit meant she didn’t need to eat, Song Xuyi had been pretending to be a mortal eating regular meals during this time. After working hard for half a day, she actually felt hungry, but eating at the same table with Jiang Ruoyu felt somehow intimate, and her first instinct was to refuse.

But then she thought, if she refused, it would surely make her stand out again, and Jiang Ruoyu might think she was “refreshingly unpretentious and different from other girls,” making her like Song Xuyi even more… Thinking this, Song Xuyi reluctantly sat down.

Since she was already seated, Song Xuyi naturally wouldn’t miss the chance to flatter, continuously piling dishes into Jiang Ruoyu’s bowl while presumptuously advising: “Your Majesty, you look too thin, you’d look even better with some more weight…”

“Am I too thin now?” Jiang Ruoyu frowned, rolling up her sleeves to reveal her fair, slender arms. At first, Song Xuyi was just flattering mindlessly, but seeing the nearly visible bones on Jiang Ruoyu’s arms, she genuinely felt concerned: “Your Majesty is truly very thin. You’re so much taller than me, yet you might weigh even less. Although you look beautiful now, you’d surely look even more beautiful if you were a bit more plump…”

To Song Xuyi’s surprise, Jiang Ruoyu lowered her head thoughtfully, remembering something that made her ears turn red again. For a moment, Song Xuyi felt like she was the one possessed by evil spirits, because Jiang Ruoyu looked as pure as a white flower, blushing so easily, and whenever Jiang Ruoyu blushed, Song Xuyi somehow couldn’t help but be influenced and blush along—

Actually, certain parts of Jiang Ruoyu’s figure already looked quite plump…

“I can’t gain weight,” Jiang Ruoyu lowered her head, taking small bites of the port trotters Song Xuyi passed her. “When I was young, I went through some hard times. Goddess… I had a very kind older sister who felt sorry for me and would encourage me to eat all kinds of nutritious foods. I ate a lot then, but still couldn’t gain weight…”

“But that sister said that although I was thin, I wasn’t… wasn’t bony to touch.”

“You’re just like that sister, both caring so much about me.” After saying this, Jiang Ruoyu’s face seemed to redden even more. She glanced at Song Xuyi’s expression and hastily added, trying to cover up: “But you’re just a young girl, you’re not that sister…”

“That’s right! How could I possibly become Your Majesty’s sister—” Song Xuyi forced a smile and hurriedly denied it, but guilt grew heavier in her heart because she remembered that those words were her own.

When Jiang Ruoyu was young, Song Xuyi, wanting her to get proper nutrition, made her eat large amounts of food every day and instilled in her the idea that being plumper would look better. Jiang Ruoyu was very obedient then, silently eating all the food Song Xuyi gave her…

But Jiang Ruoyu truly couldn’t gain weight. She seemed to feel guilty about not getting plumper and was very distressed about it. Song Xuyi had to comfort her, pinching her little cheeks and telling her: “Though you’re thin, you’re not bony—you’re just right.”

Perhaps from that time on, Jiang Ruoyu had been accommodating her: she never once said she disliked any food Song Xuyi gave her.

And now, Jiang Ruoyu seemed to be accommodating her again.

In some ways, Jiang Ruoyu was like a vigilant kitten—perhaps to outsiders she seemed bristling with defensive spines, but once she accepted someone, she would unreservedly lay down and completely expose her belly…

Song Xuyi didn’t understand how things had reached this point, and her guilt grew deeper. For a moment, she even wanted to frankly tell Jiang Ruoyu her true identity, but once revealed, it would mean they might never maintain their former relationship as both teacher and friend: Song Xuyi realized she couldn’t bear becoming strangers with Jiang Ruoyu.

Better to stick to the original plan!

Song Xuyi finally resolved to follow the original plan to make Jiang Ruoyu reject this body called ‘Liu Yi’. Then she could return to her Goddess identity, and their relationship would remain the pure one between elder and younger…

Jiang Ruoyu was unaware of Song Xuyi’s emotional turmoil. She finished eating all the food Song Xuyi had piled in her bowl, taking small bites. In return, she also put food in Song Xuyi’s bowl. Song Xuyi took a few bites before feeling queasy and put down her chopsticks, making the excuse of being too tired to finish. Jiang Ruoyu wasn’t upset and instead led Song Xuyi to the courtyard to appreciate the moon and aid digestion.

The moonlight was cool like water, casting a silvery halo around Jiang Ruoyu’s figure, making her face appear even more beautiful. To achieve her goal of flattery, Song Xuyi remembered hearing rumors about ‘Jiang Ruoyu blinding the eyes of a pampered son of a noble family who coveted her beauty.’ Taking a deep breath and gathering her courage, she began shallow flattery again: “Your Majesty, you are truly exceptionally beautiful, the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen! I feel so happy just telling others that our Jiang Kingdom has such a beautiful ruler…”

She thought Jiang Ruoyu would admonish her, at least say something about how praising a ruler shouldn’t focus on looks but rather on governing strategy… However, Jiang Ruoyu graciously accepted Song Xuyi’s praise, and even looked back at her with sparkling eyes: “Yiyi is very beautiful too.”

That single “Yiyi” made Song Xuyi’s heart skip a beat again.

Being gazed at by Jiang Ruoyu’s eyes, which were so beautiful they put the moonlight to shame, Song Xuyi’s cheeks involuntarily blushed again. Her heart felt like a frolicking deer, thumping happily, and Song Xuyi suddenly had a strange feeling—it seemed as if she was dating Jiang Ruoyu!

Jiang Ruoyu was truly too charming…

Realizing what she’d thought, Song Xuyi internally cursed herself for being “shameless, an old cow trying to eat young grass,” and could no longer face Jiang Ruoyu’s enchanting beautiful face. She made an excuse of being tired and returned to the sleeping palace.

After washing up, Song Xuyi lay in bed without any trace of sleepiness. This tossing and turning gave her an idea, and she deliberately started making noises, originally planning to have Jiang Ruoyu move her somewhere else. But Jiang Ruoyu was unusually insistent about letting Song Xuyi rest in her sleeping palace and wouldn’t agree to let her move out—

Finally, Jiang Ruoyu pressed her lips together and said: “How about this! I’ll tell you a story, and if you still can’t sleep after hearing it, I’ll let you move out…”

Song Xuyi naturally agreed readily.

She had thought Jiang Ruoyu would tell one of the stories about forceful seizure and plunder that sat at her bedside, and had prepared to correct Jiang Ruoyu’s values in reverse, but unexpectedly, Jiang Ruoyu began telling the story about her and Song Xuyi.

“When I was young, I never thought about what tomorrow would be like, let alone that I would become emperor one day. Everything I have now is because of that sister I mentioned to you…”

Jiang Ruoyu didn’t reveal Song Xuyi’s identity, telling their story with a mix of truth and fiction. Song Xuyi hazily realized that Jiang Ruoyu seemed to view her through extremely rose-tinted glasses, seeing everything she did as right…

The more Song Xuyi listened, the stranger she felt—she never imagined she would have such a perfect image in Jiang Ruoyu’s heart! Moreover, reviewing their shared experiences from Jiang Ruoyu’s perspective, Song Xuyi found the viewpoint increasingly fascinating and became more alert, not feeling sleepy at all…

As the story in Jiang Ruoyu’s narration was about to reach when Jiang Ruoyu was fourteen years old, Song Xuyi didn’t expect that at this moment, an almost imperceptible flow of air would travel along her spine and into her body. Song Xuyi’s heart jolted, but she couldn’t resist the overwhelming drowsiness that swept over her, and finally fell asleep…

Song Xuyi never thought Jiang Ruoyu would fight unfairly—actually using divine power to make her fall asleep!

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The author has something to say:

After they got together, one day Jiang Ruoyu went too far with something, causing Song Xuyi’s tail to nearly lose its fur. The next morning, Song Xuyi, holding her sore waist, decided to unilaterally separate for three days.

However, that very night, Jiang Ruoyu slipped into Song Xuyi’s bedding: “I’m afraid older sister will dislike that I’ve gotten thin again,” Jiang Ruoyu said with a face on the verge of tears, her gaze earnest, as she grabbed Song Xuyi’s hand and placed it on a certain plump area: “older sister, help me check, alright?”

Song Xuyi: “…”

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LP: Re-translated on January 03, 2025

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