Forbidden to Bully the Storybook’s Heroine – Chapter 41

Murong Qing Is Here Again

Jiang Yao woke from her sleep to find herself completely entangled in Song Muyun’s long arms and legs.

Song Muyun was practically hanging on her, her fluffy head buried in Jiang Yao’s chest, crying softly with lingering fear, begging to be held and not to be abandoned.

It took the time for a cup of tea¹ for Jiang Yao to fully wake up. Hearing the words of the person in her arms, her expression grew complicated. You were the one who said no hugging and cuddling, and you’re also the one asking me to hold you!

Damn it, but she’s crying so miserably. My heart softened.

Jiang Yao reached her hand out from under the covers and hugged Song Muyun tightly. She had probably crawled over from her own bedding. Right now, her entire body was outside the covers, and Jiang Yao’s palm felt a chill when she touched her. Jiang Yao had no choice but to hold her while trying to pull the quilt over to cover her.

This action required Song Muyun to first release the long leg that was wrapped around her over the quilt. Jiang Yao looked down. Her eyesight was excellent, and by the faint moonlight, she could see that Song Muyun’s inner trousers had been pushed up to her knees, revealing jade-white legs wrapped tightly around her.

“Let go for a second. Get under the covers, then we’ll talk.”

Her voice was hoarse from just waking up. She tried to pull Song Muyun’s leg away, but not only did she fail, it made Song Muyun wrap it even tighter. Jiang Yao frowned and called out, “Muyun?”

The person in her arms gave a muffled response, the sound of crying still obvious in her voice.

“What did you dream about to get this scared?” She wouldn’t even let go for a moment.

Song Muyun said in a small voice, “The same thing I dreamed about a few days ago. I was scared to death.”

“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t have nightmares as long as I was here?”

“You weren’t holding me. I was scared.”

She nuzzled against Jiang Yao’s chest, her voice raspy and soft.

Jiang Yao was speechless for a moment. “But yesterday, you were the one who told me not to hold you.”

Song Muyun’s body stiffened. She didn’t speak, but instead hugged her even tighter, clearly regretting her decision.

She also felt ashamed of her own actions. She had clearly thought it through long ago—she couldn’t ruin Jiang Yao’s reputation, couldn’t repay kindness with enmity². But she still couldn’t help it. When Jiang Yao treated her coldly, her heart ached as if it were being cut by a knife.³

“Just one hug is enough. I’m not asking for too much…”

Moisture misted in Song Muyun’s eyes, dampening the front of Jiang Yao’s clothes.

Having been woken in the middle of the night, Jiang Yao was still a bit sleepy. But when the dampness seeped through her thin clothes and touched her skin, the cold made her jolt, and all her drowsiness vanished, leaving only tension.

“What—what are you doing? I never said I wouldn’t hold you. What’s all this about ‘not asking for too much’? You’re making it sound so serious. Hug, hug, hug. Hug me as many times as you want. I’ll let you hold me, isn’t that enough?”

After speaking, she patted Song Muyun’s back and her legs that were still wrapped tightly around her, saying helplessly, “At least get under the covers first. Get in and then hug me. Your whole body is out in the open. Aren’t you afraid of catching a cold?”

Song Muyun’s voice was soft and hoarse, and she was sniffling. Her words landed on Jiang Yao’s heart like the scratch of a kitten. “Then you can’t kick me out.”

Jiang Yao: …

What on earth did she dream about? When have I ever kicked her out?

Aren’t I always the one getting kicked out?

Jiang Yao wanted to argue on her own behalf, but seeing Song Muyun’s slender body shivering in the cold air, she agreed first, focused only on getting her under the covers. “Okay, okay, I won’t kick you out. Just loosen your legs first so I can cover you with the quilt.”

Having gotten the promise, Song Muyun slowly, bit by bit, unwrapped the legs that were clamped around Jiang Yao’s waist. Her mane of black hair was spread casually behind her, covering the bed. Then, she lifted a pair of pitiful, watery eyes to look at Jiang Yao, as if to say, You promised, you know. You can’t just throw me out the moment I let go.

Of course, Jiang Yao wasn’t that kind of person. Seeing that Song Muyun had released her legs, she quickly lifted the quilt and wrapped her inside.

A warm, fragrant scent enveloped Song Muyun’s senses. She hugged Jiang Yao even tighter, her legs immediately wrapping around Jiang Yao’s again as she relentlessly nuzzled her head against her chest.

“What exactly did you dream about? Was it all the same as before?”

Jiang Yao asked, one arm around her, gently rubbing her back.

Hearing her question, Song Muyun’s eyes filled with tears. She shook her head. “There was… there was one thing that was different.”

“What was different?”

Jiang Yao asked in a soft, gentle voice, as if afraid of scaring her.

“I dreamed you made better friends and stopped coming to Yueshang House. I went to the Jiang Residence to find you, and you ordered your people to drive me away.”

That was what truly frightened her and made her feel wronged.

In the pitch-black room, being whipped again and again hadn’t woken her up. She was startled awake by Jiang Yao coldly and heartlessly ordering people to drive her away.

She had only wanted to protect Jiang Yao’s reputation, to prevent people from slandering her, which was why she’d told her not to hold her. She never thought Jiang Yao would become close with someone else, and she certainly never thought the day would come when Jiang Yao would look at her as a stranger.

Thankfully, it was just a long dream. Now that she was awake, Jiang Yao was still coaxing her and being good to her, just like always.

Song Muyun thought, her eyes brimming with tears.

Jiang Yao was too speechless to talk. After a long while, she finally said, “In all the time I’ve known you, have you ever seen me make any friends? And driving you away? That sounds impossible from the get-go. How could you believe it? And get so scared?”

She felt that although the little fairy was ethereal, she was also a bit dense.

Song Muyun didn’t look up, only using her pitiful voice to say, “But you were so mean to me in the dream. I was scared to death.”

She was one of the few women who could be so terrified by a nightmare.

But what could Jiang Yao do?

She could only coax her. Who could blame her, when this person would start crying at the slightest disagreement, looking unbearably pitiful? Her friends from the military barracks all said she had a sharp tongue but a soft heart⁴. She hadn’t thought so before, but now she realized it was true. She was always soft-hearted when it came to Song Muyun.

Jiang Yao gently patted Song Muyun’s back, coaxing her, “Alright, alright, don’t cry anymore. Dreams are the opposite of reality⁵. I won’t have any better friends, and I won’t drive you away. If you come to the Jiang Residence, I’d be too busy welcoming you. How could I possibly drive you away?”

Song Muyun looked up, her long eyelashes already damp with tears, clumped together in little tufts.

“Jiang Yao, am I your best friend, then?”

She asked, her eyes shimmering with a fine, fragile light, as if she would be incredibly sad if Jiang Yao said no.

Jiang Yao paused. She didn’t want to just say anything, so she thought about it carefully, even muttering a few names aloud. But the more names she recited, the colder Song Muyun’s heart grew. Why are there so many people? Am I ranked behind them? But Jiang Yao is willing to sleep in the same bed with me. Would she be willing to do that with those people?

Just as Song Muyun’s mood hit rock bottom and her eyes were about to well up with tears, Jiang Yao finally finished her count. She seemed a little embarrassed, clearing her throat and forcing a calm tone as she said, “I just thought through all my friends. If you all fell off a cliff at the same time, who would I save? Hmm… I’d save you. It would always be you. They aren’t as important as you. And I like you the most.”

Having spent so much time with Song Muyun, protecting her had already become a habit. She also found it a bit unacceptable to imagine herself being close with someone else, not visiting Song Muyun, and even treating her fiercely.

Driving her away was something that would absolutely never happen. Driving Murong Qing away, on the other hand, was more like it.

After speaking, Jiang Yao looked down at Song Muyun, but she couldn’t see her face, only a fluffy, jet-black head—the same one that had burrowed into her chest in the middle of the night.

“Sleepy?”

She reached out and stroked that head again, completely unaware that the other person had heard her say she liked her the most, and that the corners of her lips were curling higher and higher. She had only buried her head in Jiang Yao’s embrace because she couldn’t hold back her smile, afraid that Jiang Yao would see such an unreserved expression.

Jiang Yao just assumed she was physically and mentally exhausted from being startled awake and was now sleepy. She no longer held it against her for going back on her word about not wanting to be held. She stroked her head and told her to go to sleep quickly and not to worry about anything else.

Once everything was quiet again, sleepiness slowly returned. Jiang Yao rested her head in the hollow of Song Muyun’s shoulder, holding her tightly. She was about to fall asleep when she seemed to faintly hear someone say, “You are my best friend, too.”

For some reason, the word “friend” didn’t sound quite right to Jiang Yao’s ears, but she only mumbled something in response before falling into a deep sleep, still holding the other person.

Because of the nightmare in the middle of the night, neither Jiang Yao nor Song Muyun woke up the next day. They slept past the chen hour⁶ and were still asleep when someone knocked on the door to Song Muyun’s room.

The knocking came again and again. Jiang Yao’s five senses were sharp, and her hearing was excellent, so she had heard the faint sound from the very beginning. But she didn’t want to get up. She just wanted the person outside to go away on their own, so as not to disturb her deep drowsiness. She figured if she didn’t make a peep, they would get the message. So she ignored it completely, turning over with Song Muyun to continue sleeping. Who would have thought the knocking outside would get louder and louder? And, though she wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, Jiang Yao felt the bed begin to vibrate slightly.

With the incessant banging in her ears and the soft, sleepy whimper from the person in her arms who had been woken up, Jiang Yao couldn’t sleep anymore. She snapped her eyes open, looked toward the door, and roared, “WHICH BLIND IDIOT IS BOTHERING YOUR MOTHER THIS EARLY IN THE MORNING? IT’S NOT LIKE YOUR MOTHER DIDN’T PAY!!! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU KNOCKING FOR?!”

Song Muyun trembled at the roar and also groggily opened her eyes. At that moment, the knocking stopped.

Jiang Yao’s hearing was very good; she could tell the person outside hadn’t left.

Her drowsiness completely gone, she snorted coldly and patted Song Muyun. “Get up. I’m going to see just who is so damn annoying this early in the morning.”

Just as she was about to get up, change, and go see, her lips were pressed by two jade-like fingers. The other person could barely open her eyes as she propped up her slender body, wrapped in a snow-white undergarment, and groggily demanded, “You’re not allowed to use vulgar language.”

Jiang Yao froze. You’re not even awake yet and you’re already trying to manage me? And besides, she felt wronged. “When did I use vulgar language? Don’t you dare frame me just because I like you!”

That word, “like,” was enough to wake Song Muyun completely and make her lower her head, blushing. Her voice also held a trace of gentleness as she lightly tugged on her sleeve and said, “Don’t say those things about ‘your mother.’ It’s not good if people hear you. It’s very ill-mannered.”

She was the most observant of etiquette.

Damn it. Now that she pointed it out, I realize it really is a bit vulgar. On this matter, Jiang Yao saw no need to go against her. She had picked up quite a few bad habits back on the frontier. If changing them would make the little fairy happy, then she might as well change them.

Jiang Yao mumbled a couple of vague assents, then sat on the bed and said helplessly, “Alright, alright, I’ll listen to you. I’ll listen to whatever you say, okay?”

The young woman had been terrified by her dream of being driven out of the residence last night, yet this morning she was being treated with such extreme indulgence and had even been promised affection. She couldn’t suppress the upward curve of her lips. Too embarrassed for Jiang Yao to see, she quietly turned her head aside, a light red blush spreading to its deepest shade on her cheek. She shyly tugged Jiang Yao’s sleeve. “Didn’t you say we were getting up? Let’s hurry and change.”

Only then did Jiang Yao get up and change her clothes. Song Muyun’s long, ink-black hair cascaded to her waist. She gave it a light shake and stood up as well, but instead of hurrying to dress, she stood in front of Jiang Yao and helped straighten her clothes.

The woman’s long, thick eyelashes, her rosy lips, and her fair, beautiful fingers—all were extremely close to Jiang Yao, and extremely eye-catching.

Jiang Yao’s face grew inexplicably hot. She glanced around nervously. Neither of them spoke. The soft, clean breaths washed over Jiang Yao’s body. Unable to bear this strange atmosphere, she gave an awkward laugh and said, “So, uh, you’re… you’re quite the virtuous type. Whoever marries you will be a lucky man, hahaha.”

Song Muyun’s hands, which were adjusting her collar, paused. The next second, she not only abruptly let go but nearly pushed Jiang Yao over. The smile vanished from her face, and she looked at Jiang Yao with a cold expression.

Jiang Yao was dumbfounded and didn’t dare say a word. She heard the other’s faint voice, “Muyun has fallen to a pleasure house and is now but a lowly woman. Who would be willing to marry Muyun? Miss Jiang had best not joke about such things.”

Seeing she was displeased, how could Jiang Yao dare to speak? She knew her compliment had likely missed the mark again.

She silently tied her own hair into a ponytail and secured it with a jade coronet. Seeing that Song Muyun was still dressing by herself on the side with a cold face, she hesitated before speaking in a coaxing tone, “It’s okay. In my eyes, you’re not some lowly woman. You’re so beautiful, you should be a fairy from the Moon Palace in the clouds. You… I will definitely find someone for you to whom you can entrust your life. Trust me, hmm?”

She grasped Song Muyun’s slender shoulders with both hands, her gaze firm.

Song Muyun was furious inside. Who wants to hear this? Who said anything about getting married?

She glared at Jiang Yao, her cold composure breaking. In a rare fit of pique, she snapped, “Shut up! I don’t want to listen to you anymore!”

Jiang Yao froze and pointed out instinctively, “You’re cursing at me?”

Song Muyun’s snow-white teeth bit down on her red lip, as if she were embarrassed. A moment later, as if smashing an already cracked pot⁷, she said, “Yes, I’m cursing. So what if I’m cursing? Don’t you tell me what to do!”

She was so fierce today, with none of last night’s soft, alluring sweetness.

It actually startled Jiang Yao. She had never seen Song Muyun this fierce. Usually, the most she did was give her the cold shoulder. When had she ever told her to shut up or not to meddle?

Jiang Yao was truly at a loss. After a moment, she took a step back and said, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to tell you what to do. I just wanted to make you happy. If I said something I shouldn’t have, please don’t be angry. Can you just pretend I was talking nonsense?”

She raised a hand to touch Song Muyun’s face. The pleasure from having someone burrow into her arms yesterday had carried over to today, putting her in a rather good mood and making her willing to indulge her.

Song Muyun bit her lip lightly. She couldn’t understand what was wrong with her either. Jiang Yao had only said a perfectly ordinary thing, yet a sudden surge of anger had risen in her, as if Jiang Yao wanting her to marry was something completely unacceptable.

But wasn’t that normal?

In the eyes of the world, all women were meant to marry. If anyone else had said that to her, she would never have gotten angry, only smiled and let it pass. Why was it different when Jiang Yao said it?

Song Muyun lowered her head, hiding the obscure, unspoken feelings in her eyes.

A moment later, she spoke again, her voice somewhat hoarse. “Don’t say things like that anymore. I don’t like to hear it.”

Her thoughts were a tangled mess. She couldn’t figure it out. Why was it okay for others to say the same thing, but not Jiang Yao?

She vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but she didn’t dare to think about it too deeply.

Jiang Yao had no intention of angering her. She gave a dry reply, finished dressing, and opened the door to go out.

The person was still standing at the door, tall and elegant, his eyes seemingly filled with boundless rage. Jiang Yao, who had been on edge after being snapped at by Song Muyun, suddenly relaxed. Both were angry with her, but when Song Muyun was angry, she was cautiously trying to figure out how to coax her. When others were angry, she couldn’t care less.

The moment Jiang Yao relaxed, she became a bit provocative. She took another step, getting extremely close to the person in front of her, before speaking with a sneer, “I was wondering who was disturbing people’s sweet dreams so early in the morning. Turns out it’s you, Your Highness the Seventh Prince. I heard you just angered the Emperor in court a few days ago and were sentenced to confinement. You’re allowed out now?”

Murong Qing’s eyes were fixed on her. After a long moment, he asked in a shrill voice, “You spent the night here with Song Muyun?!” He didn’t even acknowledge Jiang Yao’s taunt.

Jiang Yao cleaned out her ear, a mocking look on her face. “Keep your voice down, Your Highness the Seventh Prince. Otherwise, if the Emperor finds out you came here, he might punish you again.”

As she spoke, someone walked out from behind her. In her peripheral vision, she could glimpse the corner of a snow-white robe. The wind blew past, carrying the woman’s natural fragrance, which she could smell.

Song Muyun’s expression was cold. She didn’t even offer a curtsy, only calling out impassively, “Your Highness the Seventh Prince.”

Murong Qing stared at her with a venomous gaze, as if he wanted to tear her to shreds, as if she had done something to deeply humiliate him.

She had probably already dealt with her emotions inside. When facing Jiang Yao, Song Muyun was much gentler again. “Why did you come out by yourself? You didn’t even wait for me.”

Jiang Yao froze and said instinctively, “You didn’t tell me to wait for you.”

Song Muyun: …

Murong Qing couldn’t stand to watch the two of them teasing each other intimately like lovers. He interrupted through gritted teeth, “Miss Jiang may not attend court, but you seem to know the court’s affairs like the back of your hand.”

Jiang Yao looked at Murong Qing as if he were an idiot. “You were scolded by the Emperor in front of so many people. It would be hard for me not to know. Now, everyone on the street is saying that you, the Seventh Prince, have lost His Majesty’s favor⁸. Aren’t you worried?”

Murong Qing’s face paled. The moment his confinement was lifted, he had rushed over to Song Muyun’s place, not even taking the time to see his own strategists. Naturally, he had no idea what rumors were spreading about him on the streets.

But he still forced himself to remain calm, as if he weren’t flustered at all. “What does This Prince⁹ have to be worried about? My Imperial Father need only send someone to investigate to know why This Prince came to Yueshang House. As for the Chancellor, my Imperial Father has been reprimanding him in court for days, which has even affected the newly returned Longhu Grand General¹⁰, who has yet to receive a reward. You should be more concerned about your own Jiang family!”

Jiang Yao narrowed her eyes. Her father rarely spoke to her about matters of the court. If this was true, she would have to go back and ask him about it.

“No need for the Seventh Prince to trouble himself. Did you come here today just to tell me this?”

She leaned against the doorframe. Even though she was a little worried inside, her expression was perfectly composed. Murong Qing couldn’t read her at all, which made him even more furious.

He had completely dropped his disguise in front of Jiang Yao. His face was fierce and his eyes were dark as he swept his gaze over the two of them. He suddenly sneered, but instead of taunting Jiang Yao again, he turned to Song Muyun and said in a tone of utter contempt, “I thought you were so aloof, so proud. That’s why, even though I hated you and loved you to the extreme, I never touched you. But now, Jiang Yao just has to crook her finger and you give yourself to her. Does Lord Song, in the afterlife, know that he fathered such a despicable daughter?!”

He used the ugliest words he could think of to humiliate Song Muyun. The moment he finished speaking, Jiang Yao kicked him into the courtyard.

I should have fucking kicked that dumbass to death the moment he opened his mouth. The little fairy I coax and dote on every day—you think you can insult her? He must have a death wish.

Song Muyun was trembling with rage and was about to raise her hand to slap Murong Qing when, the next moment, he was kicked away, sent flying so far. She jumped in fright and quickly grabbed Jiang Yao’s hand. “Why—why did you strike him? He’s a prince, after all. What if he dies?”

Jiang Yao craned her neck to look, thinking to herself that he was a man, at least. He probably wouldn’t die from a single kick.

Sure enough, Murong Qing quickly scrambled to his feet, a trickle of bright red blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. He looked at Jiang Yao in disbelief. “You—you dare to harm me? I am a prince! Aren’t you afraid I’ll have you punished for your crime!”

Jiang Yao looked him up and down, then turned to pat Song Muyun’s back reassuringly. “He’s not dead. It won’t implicate us. Don’t worry.”

Song Muyun didn’t even glance at Murong Qing, who was still covered in pebbles and fallen leaves. Her phoenix eyes looked gently at Jiang Yao as she replied softly, as if truly relieved, “Mm, that’s good. If something had happened, I was afraid it would be difficult for you to explain.”

She herself didn’t matter; her life was already worthless. She was only afraid of implicating Jiang Yao.

Thinking of Jiang Yao’s clean, swift, and utterly vicious kick just now, Song Muyun’s jade-white earlobes turned pink. That was to protect her. It was because Murong Qing had said those ugly things to her.

Having lived for less than twenty years, Song Muyun dared to conclude that there was no one in the world who treated her better than Jiang Yao.

She moved even closer to Jiang Yao, practically hiding behind her, making it obvious to anyone who saw them that their relationship was extremely close.

Murong Qing was a scoundrel who knew a little about everything. A cousin on his mother’s side with whom he was close practiced “mirror polishing,”¹¹ so he was very familiar with the matter. One look at the way Song Muyun was looking at Jiang Yao and he could sense something was wrong. “Song Muyun! Is this the teaching of your Song family?! You want to use Jiang Yao to leave Yueshang House? I’m telling you, DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!!!”

He looked like he was on the verge of a breakdown, roaring until his voice was hoarse, his eyes completely bloodshot.

A young male entertainer opened his window, probably wanting to see what was happening outside. When he saw Murong Qing in the courtyard, he was so frightened he hastily shut the window again.

Jiang Yao frowned tightly. She had always intended to take Song Muyun away from Yueshang House. Murong Qing was likely an obstacle, and the person behind Yueshang House was an obstacle as well.

Her father had said that the person behind Yueshang House was… the First Prince, Murong Chun.¹²

“Whether or not she can leave Yueshang House is my business. It’s not your place to meddle. If you don’t want to get beaten, then get the hell out. I’m telling you, there’s no one else here. If I hit you, you’ll have nowhere to go to complain.”

Jiang Yao didn’t want to be so arrogant, but not a single decent word came out of Murong Qing’s mouth. How could the little fairy who would stop her from even calling herself “your mother” bear to listen to such obscene language?

“Acting like this, aren’t you afraid of bringing disaster upon the Jiang Residence?!”

Bullshit. The biggest disaster for the Jiang Residence is my stupid little brother being friends with you.

“Your Highness, please don’t make me throw you out personally, okay? You’ll lose a lot of face.”

Jiang Yao reminded him. As expected, Murong Qing’s expression stiffened. It wasn’t that he wanted to leave, but based on his understanding of Jiang Yao, she really would throw him out. If he were picked up and thrown out by a woman in public, he would lose a tremendous amount of face.

Knowing that Jiang Yao was here and that he wouldn’t be able to take Song Muyun away this time, he had no choice but to leave, unwilling.

He would probably need the help of his Eldest Imperial Brother for this matter.

Murong Qing’s gaze grew even more vicious. Song Muyun, you forced my hand!

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The author has something to say:

Yaoyao will soon be able to take Yunyun home to build their relationship. The rebirth happens at Yaoyao’s home.

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