Forbidden to Bully the Storybook’s Heroine – Chapter 11

Taking Her Out to Have Fun

The next day, Jiang Yao arrived at Yueshang House as scheduled. When the madam went to get Song Muyun, she was still fraught with anxiety, terrified that it would be Murong Qing who had come. Thankfully, when she walked in, she saw a woman sitting by the window, dressed in fiery-red martial attire, her long hair tied in a swaying ponytail.

“Miss Jiang.”

Song Muyun called out softly from the edge of the folding screen. Jiang Yao turned her head, her gaze meeting the woman’s features, as cold and clear as snow. Dressed in a pale blue skirt and dress, she was so beautiful she seemed otherworldly. Jiang Yao couldn’t deny she was stunned.

Even her breathing grew lighter for several moments before she dazedly came back to her senses, raising a hand to wave Song Muyun over. “Come look at the storybook.”

It was the same line as yesterday. Song Muyun pressed her thin lips together and walked over. Miss Jiang, she thought, must be very fond of storybooks¹, calling her over to read them every day.

“Today’s is a story about a rich young miss who gets revenge taken on her by a rich young master after she rejects his courtship.”

Song Muyun paused in the middle of sitting down, a ‘?’ slowly forming above her head. Why did this story sound a little familiar?

Jiang Yao was inwardly pleased with herself; this was a story she had carefully selected to closely mirror Song Muyun and Murong Qing.

In the storybook, the male lead was once again disgusting to a hair-raising degree. The female lead merely disliked him and had rejected him, yet she was tormented in countless ways, making the reader’s heart burn with anger. Although Song Muyun didn’t say anything, her red lips were pressed together tightly, her cheeks flushed crimson with indignation.

She, too, could be upset by the miserable plight of the woman in the book.

Jiang Yao glanced at her, then suddenly spoke. “Could it be that all men in this world are so cruel, heartless, and faithless? The female lead never wronged him, and even treated him quite kindly, yet just because she refused to marry him, he resorted to these nefarious methods. It’s truly shameless.”

As Jiang Yao cursed angrily, Song Muyun nodded silently, wholeheartedly agreeing in her heart. That sort of beast was indeed shameless.

The storybook’s ending was that the rich young miss, who had been tormented by the rich young master, finally agreed to marry him. But the seed of taking pleasure in harming others had already been planted in him. The young miss was never again able to leave her rooms, her body covered in new injuries every day. Within a few years, she died an early death.

Jiang Yao flipped to the last page and took a deep breath, telling herself to be calm, stay calm, it was just a storybook…

But it was so infuriating!

Just what kind of person could write a storybook like this?

What was wrong with him!

Jiang Yao tossed the storybook aside in disgust and sat there coldly. It was a good while before she managed to calm herself down and look over at Song Muyun.

Song Muyun didn’t seem to be in a good mood either. Her expression was cold, and her pale white fingers were clenched tightly as she stared blankly at a fixed spot.

“Song Muyun?”

The woman was called back to her senses and looked over at her silently.

“Let’s not read the storybook today, it’s not interesting. Can you go out? I’ll take you out.”

Jiang Yao stood up and sat on the windowsill, asking her.

Song Muyun hesitated, nodding then shaking her head. She said softly, “Other people can go out, but I don’t know if I can…”

She was the daughter of a disgraced official; she was, after all, different from the others.

Jiang Yao frowned, having clearly thought of this as well. She stood up from the windowsill and said nonchalantly, “You sit here for a bit, I’ll go have a word with your madam.”

Song Muyun nodded obediently. After the person had left the room, she rose gracefully and, holding the hem of her skirt, walked to the doorway. Her eyes shimmered with light as she watched the figure walk further and further away, heading downstairs.

She had already been rolling in the mire for too long, and it had been too long since she’d received a shred of kindness. Now, what was perhaps just Jiang Yao’s idle pity was something she cherished endlessly.

A short while later, Jiang Yao returned, whip in hand, munching on a pastry she had gotten from somewhere. Standing in the corridor, she waved at Song Muyun. “Let’s go. You can go out. I’ll take you out to have some fun.”

The way she swung the long whip in her hand made it hard not to think she had threatened the madam, but that had nothing to do with her. All she knew was that today, Miss Jiang was going to take her out to have fun.

Since her fall from grace, this was the first person who was willing to associate with her, be so good to her, and even take her out.

Song Muyun tilted her head and smiled faintly. Then, lifting her skirts, she trotted over until she was standing beside Jiang Yao and called out to her, “Miss Jiang.”

Jiang Yao brought her to the bustling city market. This was a place she, with her formerly strict family rules, had never been. The girls of the Song family were not allowed to go to crowded places with all sorts of people.

“Hey, Granny, two skewers of tanghulu.”

The tanghulu² tasted average, but its appeal was in its appearance. Each bright red hawthorn berry was coated in a layer of crystal-clear sugar, looking utterly tempting.

“Here, try it.”

Song Muyun held the tanghulu, her gentle gaze falling upon it as she said softly, “This is the first time I’ve ever eaten tanghulu.”

Jiang Yao: ?

Her first time?

Is this tanghulu so rare? Had no one ever bought it for her?

Jiang Yao was suddenly at a bit of a loss. “Then… then eat more. When you’re done, I’ll buy you another.”

Song Muyun agreed in a small voice. She lowered her head and stuck out the soft, red tip of her tongue, carefully licking the sugar coating on the tanghulu. She seemed to like it a lot.

Maybe I should bring her a skewer of tanghulu every time I go to Yueshang House from now on, Jiang Yao thought. How could someone have never even eaten tanghulu before?

She couldn’t stop her heart from softening a little.

Song Muyun was still looking down, eating her tanghulu, when a hand quietly landed on her head. It gradually grew heavier, and then… ruffled the top of her hair.

A blush slowly crept up her cheeks. The little fairy in blue bit down on a piece of candied fruit, not daring to look up.

She had blushed more in these past few days than in the entire decade-plus of her life before.

After impulsively ruffling the other girl’s hair, Jiang Yao also felt a bit embarrassed. She dropped her hand, her eyes darting about. She even wished she could slap that hand of hers. Get a grip! Is the female lead’s head something you can just touch whenever you want?

What if the female lead thinks I’m being frivolous?

For some reason, she cared a little about what kind of person she was in Song Muyun’s heart.

“So, uh, how about I take you to get something to eat?”

Jiang Yao’s gaze fell on a restaurant not far away, not daring to look at Song Muyun.

Song Muyun was feeling just as shy. A ripple moved through her watery eyes as she nodded lightly. “Okay.”

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The author has something to say:

This Author: (waving my big sleeves) Romance, romance!

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