When the Female Lead Becomes Obsessive – Chapter 65

Volume Three: Those Years I Was a Wangye

Speaking frankly

Wen Nuan held Lin Tinghan, standing in the pavilion on the mountain pass, looking at the shoddily built Weng River Dam in the distance.

It was hard to tell if Fang Shangwei was overconfident or if she was obviously trying to fool Wen Nuan, treating her like an idiot. The Weng River Dam was repaired to a rather dilapidated state.

Seeing Wen Nuan frown, Fang Shangwei immediately stepped forward, knelt, and explained, “The flood disaster that Wangfu City has suffered this time is a once-in-a-hundred-years event. This dam has been repaired more than ten times, with considerable investment of manpower, resources, and finances, yet there’s still no improvement. This humble official is unequal to the task and can only report again to Her Majesty the Emperor that the disaster is difficult to control, imploring Her Majesty to allocate disaster relief funds once more to aid the common people of Wangfu City.”

Fang Shangwei almost knelt on the hem of Lin Tinghan’s skirt. Just as Lin Tinghan was about to step back to get away from Fang Shangwei…

Suddenly, her waist was pulled tight, and she was drawn backward, landing on Wen Nuan’s lap.

Lin Tinghan stiffened. “…”

Wen Nuan frowned and said coldly to Fang Shangwei, “Watch it. If you bump into This King’s beauty, This King will kill you.”

Fang Shangwei lowered her eyes, a strong killing intent flashing deep within them, and repeatedly replied, “This humble official knows my mistake…”

Lin Tinghan wanted to get up, but the hand on her waist tightened its grip. She leaned close to Wen Nuan’s ear. “…Let go.”

Wen Nuan saw Lin Tinghan’s earlobes turn red and chuckled, “Is Tinghan shy? Last time at your residence, you even hugged me. You can’t have such double standards, can you?”

The hand on her waist casually caressed her, and Lin Tinghan’s body went soft, collapsing entirely into Wen Nuan’s embrace.

Wen Nuan raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly.

As expected, the waist was still the most sensitive spot. One touch and she went as soft as a puddle of water.

The others couldn’t see what the two were discussing; they just assumed the two were whispering intimately and exchanging flirtatious sweet nothings.

Ji Chenwei watched their actions with a look of shock, yet felt immense admiration inwardly.

Look at the Wangye and Miss Lin! They truly understand great righteousness. To capture the villain and save the common people from dire straits¹, they could actually make such a huge sacrifice.

If she hadn’t already known Lin Tinghan was a woman, seeing her charmingly coquettish and shy appearance at this moment, Ji Chenwei would have truly mistaken her for a beautiful young man!

Moreover, the Wangye also looked at Miss Lin with such doting affection and gentleness.

Their ambiguous and intimate little interactions were simply like they were stuck together like glue², incredibly close and intimate.

“This humble official knows her mistake?” Wen Nuan said, holding Lin Tinghan with one arm and sipping tea with the other.

She gave Ji Chenwei a look, signaling her to get ready to act. “Lord Fang must be quite resentful in your heart, right?”

Fang Shangwei’s pupils trembled. She said in a low voice, “How could that be? This humble official greatly admires Her Highness Xian Wang. May the Wangye see clearly.”

Ji Chenwei walked out of the pavilion, went over to Lai Yi, and started laughing and joking with her, arm around her shoulder.

Seeing Ji Chenwei being so friendly with her, Lai Yi felt that there probably wasn’t anything serious happening over at the pavilion.

As for why Fang Shangwei was still kneeling and hadn’t gotten up, she probably figured Fang Shangwei was crying pitifully to Xian Wang about her hardships.

“Lord Ji,” Lai Yi said, feigning sorrow, “you know, with all these natural and man-made disasters, this humble official feels terrible every day, can’t sleep well, can’t eat properly.”

“Is that so?” Ji Chenwei was so close to Lai Yi that she immediately smelled the pungent scent of rouge on her clothes; it was clearly a cheap product.

“I think Commander Lai seems to be having quite a good time, though?” Ji Chenwei fanned her hand in front of her nose, a look of disdain on her face. “Afraid you had red candles, warm bed curtains, and a beauty in your arms last night³, hmm?”

Lai Yi’s expression stiffened. She gave a dry laugh. “Lord Ji, you really know how to joke. With the disaster in Wangfu City being so severe, how could this humble official only think of pleasure and not know of the people’s suffering?”

Ji Chenwei sneered, “Commander Lai, these words of yours truly make one…”

She raised her eyes, a cold killing intent suddenly appearing. She drew a dagger from her waist, stabbed it fiercely into Lai Yi’s abdomen, grabbed her neck, and said cruelly, “Feel disgusted!”

Lai Yi let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Her eyes widened as she stared at Ji Chenwei in disbelief, spitting blood as she said, “You… you…”

Ji Chenwei brutally twisted the dagger in Lai Yi’s abdomen, making Lai Yi scream hoarsely and heart-wrenchingly, roaring continuously.

Fang Shangwei heard the sound and looked over, watching in horror as Ji Chenwei brutalized Lai Yi.

She turned pale with fright. Just as she was about to get up, a cold blade pressed against her neck, making her body stiffen, too scared to move.

“Wangye, what is the meaning of this?” Fang Shangwei felt a chill behind her; the originally muggy weather now made her break out in a cold sweat.

Wen Nuan stood up and gave a sarcastic smile. “Can’t you tell? This King is going to kill you.”

Fang Shangwei took a deep breath and growled, “Wangye, this humble official is an official appointed by the imperial court! You cannot kill me without reason. If Her Majesty the Emperor finds out, there will be severe punishment!”

“Without reason?” Wen Nuan looked down at Fang Shangwei condescendingly. “Whether This King is killing you without reason, doesn’t Lord Fang know the cause? This King thinks Lord Fang is very intelligent and naturally knows why This King wants to kill you.”

Cold sweat from her temples dripped into her eyes, making her eye sockets ache.

Fang Shangwei forced herself to appear calm and said doubtfully, “This humble official does not know. In Wangfu City, this humble official can be considered diligent in administration and loving the people. After the flood, I rescued the city’s people and repaired the dam to resist the floods. Even if there’s no great merit, there’s at least credit for hard work, right? Moreover, this humble official has never had any interaction with you, nor have I ever offended you. You can’t kill an imperial official based on a momentary whim or personal preference, can you?!”

Lai Yi’s painful screams seemed to be right beside her ear, each cry extremely bloodcurdling, as if she were suffering immense pain.

It was torturing Lai Yi, and also torturing her.

Wen Nuan glanced at Ji Chenwei and said lightly, “Play a bit gentler. Don’t kill her by playing around.”

Ji Chenwei looked at the blood on her hands with disgust, wiped it on Lai Yi’s clothes, and grinned, baring her teeth. “Understood, Wangye.”

“Imperial official? Diligent in administration and loving the people? Resisting floods? Merit? Hard work?” Wen Nuan laughed incessantly, her voice full of sarcasm. “Oh, so Lord Fang thinks she’s a good official, does she?”

Fang Shangwei lowered her head. The sharp blade on her neck made her breathing rapid. Her hand, hidden in her sleeve, slowly reached into her robes.

She feigned confusion. “This humble official doesn’t understand the Wangye’s meaning? I only ask that the Wangye speak more clearly.”

Wen Nuan looked at her fingertips and said languidly, “Are you planning to stall for time, waiting for people from Ji Ge to come and save you?”

Fang Shangwei’s body trembled, and she looked at Wen Nuan incredulously.

“Unfortunately, This King released some news, and those Ji Ge assassins ran off like hungry dogs that had seen food. No one is coming to save you.”

To control Fang Shangwei and Lai Yi, Wen Nuan had specifically asked Qi Hanrong to wander around Fengyong City for a few days, then leaked this information to make the Ji Ge assassins rush to Fengyong City to find him. She used this opportunity to capture Fang Shangwei and Lai Yi.

As for Fang Shangwei’s and Lai Yi’s guards, they had long since been dealt with by her own guards.

Wen Nuan walked up to Fang Shangwei, looked at her chest, and asked, “The thing hidden in your clothes, is it the tool you use to contact the leader of Ji Ge?”

Just as Fang Shangwei was about to move, she felt a pain in her neck, and warm blood trickled down her neck and along the blade.

“Move again, and your head will be separated from your body,” Lin Tinghan said in a cold voice, pressing harder with her palm.

Fang Shangwei didn’t dare to move, allowing Wen Nuan to take a bamboo tube from her robes.

Wen Nuan examined it. There was a fuse at the bottom of the bamboo tube. She pulled the fuse, and the bamboo tube shot out a puff of red smoke that exploded in the sky.

“Does this mean the leader of Ji Ge will come to save you now?”

Fang Shangwei’s gaze faltered. She hadn’t expected Xian Wang to actually contact Ji Ge proactively.

“Wangye?” Fang Shangwei looked at Lai Yi, who was already being tortured to the brink of death. “You’re keeping me alive because you want to lure out the leader of Ji Ge?”

Wen Nuan clapped and praised, “Lord Fang is indeed intelligent. You could even guess that?”

Fang Shangwei sneered repeatedly. “Then the Wangye has miscalculated. The effect of this bamboo tube isn’t enough to make the Ji Ge leader come and save me. It’s just a communication tool.”

“You mean this signaling device can’t lure out the Ji Ge leader, only some shrimp soldiers and crab generals?” Wen Nuan said, feigning distress. “That’s a bit of a pity. But…”

Wen Nuan squatted down, met Fang Shangwei’s gaze, and smiled. “If the Ji Ge leader knew you leaked her secret, do you think she would come to save you, or to kill you?”

Fang Shangwei’s brows furrowed deeply, her face contorting. “What is the Wangye talking about? This humble official doesn’t understand.”

“Still being stubborn when death is at your door. This King respects Lord Fang as a fine woman!” Wen Nuan’s eyes were indifferent and cold as she said softly, “But have you ever thought that the secret you thought would save your life might actually become your execution block?”

Fang Shangwei’s expression stiffened, and she remained silent.

“This King’s purpose is very simple: to lure out the Ji Ge leader. Whether the Ji Ge leader comes to save you or to kill you, This King’s ultimate goal will be achieved.”

“Why don’t you guess what kind of news This King will use to force the Ji Ge leader out?” Wen Nuan pondered for a moment, then asked, “Do you think the news that the Ji Ge leader is actually the Third Princess of Zhangqing Kingdom⁴, Qiao Zhimo⁵, can lure her out?”

Fang Shangwei looked at Wen Nuan in horror and stammered, “You… you…?”

How could Xian Wang know the true identity of the Ji Ge leader?

Seeing Fang Shangwei’s frightened expression, Wen Nuan smiled faintly. “It seems Lord Fang is quite satisfied with this news This King fabricated, hmm?”

Lin Tinghan hadn’t expected the leader of Ji Ge to actually be Qiao Zhimo, the Third Princess of Zhangqing Kingdom.

She looked at Wen Nuan, suddenly feeling that the person before her was unfathomable and incredibly resourceful.

The distance between them seemed to be widening. A sudden feeling of helplessness welled up inside her, abruptly making Lin Tinghan feel dazed for a moment.

Wen Nuan clapped her hands, and two hidden guards suddenly appeared behind her.

“Guard Lord Fang well, and wait quietly for good news.”

The hidden guards replied, “Yes, Wangye.”

“Everyone else, lie in wait⁶. However many Ji Ge assassins come, capture them all. Remember to keep them alive,” Wen Nuan ordered in a low voice, her eyes narrowing.

“Yes.” A low voice assented from the void.

Lin Tinghan watched Wen Nuan devising strategies with a calm and unhurried demeanor, and the agitation in her heart grew more and more intense.

She felt that this Wen Nuan before her was too perfect—so perfect that she didn’t dare to vainly hope to possess her, so perfect that she didn’t dare to get close and touch her.

Even the thoughts she had about Wen Nuan in her mind seemed exceptionally sordid and dirty.

How could she be worthy of such a wonderful person?

If she were a man, she could still use some base methods to stay by Wen Nuan’s side. But she was a woman, a woman just like Wen Nuan.

She harbored thoughts not accepted by the world, had wicked ideas she dared not let grow, and developed feelings that were nauseating.

The System said in surprise: 【Ya! The female lead’s blackening value has increased!】

Wen Nuan paused. “Why did it increase again?”

She hadn’t provoked Lin Tinghan, had she?

Could it be that hugging Lin Tinghan just now made her unhappy?!

【It’s increased to 5.8! And it’s still continuously increasing by decimal increments!】 the System said, astonished.

Wen Nuan looked at Lin Tinghan and immediately apologized, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have hugged you so casually. Are you angry?”

Lin Tinghan asked, puzzled, “What?”

Wen Nuan explained, “When I suddenly hugged you just now, did it make you unhappy?”

Otherwise, why would the blackening value rise so quickly?!

“I wasn’t unhappy.”

On the contrary, she was very content to be so close to Wen Nuan.

Seeing Wen Nuan’s worried expression, Lin Tinghan smiled faintly. “Really, I’m not unhappy. Do I look like someone who can hide things?”

Wen Nuan: “…”

Mm.

System: 【…】

You do.

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The author has something to say:

Wen Nuan: You not only hide things, you can even freaking increase your blackening value!

Female Lead (smiling faintly): Is that so?

System (exclaims): The blackening value increased again!

Wen Nuan: ……

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