Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play

Chapter 700 - 680: Embarrassment

Xie Jue carried the water Lan Ningzhen had prepared behind the screen to wash up. Afterward, he changed into a clean set of clothes. Lan Ningzhen was quite considerate; she had found him a new outfit from this season for physicians. The fabric was coarse and heavy but clean. Xie Jue also washed his inner garments and hung them to dry behind the screen. While he was washing, Lan Ningzhen had gone out and hadn’t returned by the time he finished. Xie Jue secretly thought that this brazenly flirtatious girl, who constantly teased him, might actually know how to feel shy and had deliberately avoided him.

The sky gradually darkened, the temperature outside dropped, and the snowstorm intensified. Nighttime snowstorms were always worse than those during the day, and the winters in Beiman had short days and long nights. He waited for a long time before he finally saw Lan Ningzhen return. Water was boiling on the stove, but it was unclear what she had been up to. When she came back, Xie Jue glanced at her and noticed her expression seemed peculiar. However, he didn’t dwell on it. Since he had resolved to act alongside her and put on a show, he softened his attitude and wasn’t overly aloof.

"The water is boiling; you can wash up now."

Lan Ningzhen seemed slightly surprised, her brows lifting as she smiled at him. "Alright, I’ll wash up now. Mr. Helian, don’t you dare peek!"

Xie Jue’s just-softened demeanor instantly grew cold. What did she take him for?

"I have absolutely no interest in you; rest assured!" Xie Jue, planning to deceive her emotionally as part of their act, swallowed the stray thought that had just crossed his mind.

Lan Ningzhen seemed genuinely wary of him peeking. "I am, after all, a beautiful young girl, and you, Mr. Helian, are a solitary man sharing one room with me. It’s hard not to feel a little shy; that’s why I’m overthinking. Don’t be mad!"

Xie Jue remained silent, which put Lan Ningzhen at ease. She took the clean clothes and went behind the screen to wash up. Xie Jue’s sharp ears could hear the sounds of her undressing and washing.

What Lan Ningzhen said was not wrong: a man and a woman alone in one room—though unlikely to erupt into uncontrollable passion—it was indeed a bit ambiguous and something to be mindful of.

Xie Jue’s upbringing and sense of propriety reminded him, "If it is not proper, do not look." So he turned his back, his mind focused instead on thinking of how to kill Lan Ningzhen. Winter was so cold, and there was only one empty room with a single kang bed. Sharing the bed with Lan Ningzhen was unavoidable; it wasn’t as if one could sleep outside in the freezing cold and risk death.

Once Lan Ningzhen fell asleep, he could kill her.

While washing earlier, Xie Jue had already placed a thin wire within the hollow section of his silver bracelet. Beiman people commonly wore ornaments, both men and women. Beaded accessories for men were quite typical. Xie Jue had specially ordered this bracelet to be made back in Ningzhou; it contained poisoned needles and blades, perfect weapons for assassination. Xie Jue concealed the wire in the hollow clasp of the bracelet and began to meditate, unwilling to believe he couldn’t kill Lan Ningzhen.

Once she was dead, this entire episode would remain unknown. His only concern was what excuse to fabricate upon returning to Fox City. How would the physician assist him in covering up the truth?

Gradually, Xie Jue calmed down, realizing how much Lan Ningzhen had influenced his emotions, leading him astray.

Why did he want to kill Lan Ningzhen? Because she had discovered his true identity, and if she accidentally revealed it, he would be doomed. Yet killing her would mean he’d also have to kill the physician’s family, abandon his mission in Beiman, and figure out how to escape safely. The arduous effort he’d put into infiltrating Beiman was for the purpose of sowing discord within the Beiman Royal Family, weakening their unity, and reducing sacrifices on the Ningzhou Battlefield. Was he really going to quit halfway?

Xie Jue touched his silver bracelet, his heart racing. Why had he become so irrational?

Why?

Ever since he encountered Lan Ningzhen, it seemed she easily provoked his anger, rendering him less composed.

Now, as calmness returned, he recognized he’d chosen the worst possible course of action. The best approach would be to feign affection for Lan Ningzhen, win her over, and persuade her to conceal his true identity. Then, once his mission was complete, he could return to Ningzhou.

Pretending to fall for Lan Ningzhen was not just less risky than killing her—it was also safer.

Xie Jue cursed inwardly: he really was sacrificing himself for the nation!

That realization filled Xie Jue with frustration. In his mind flashed the image of a young boy, and he shut his eyes forcefully, quickly making up his mind.

What was he here in Beiman to accomplish?

He must never forget the answer to that question.

If the mission failed and he abandoned it midway, what was the point of coming here? For the sake of saving even one soldier’s life on the battlefield, for the sake of securing victory in this war, for the sake of ensuring Beiman would never violate the borders of Yanyang—what did personal loss or humiliation matter?

Before coming to Beiman, he had prepared himself for discovery and death in Beiman. Fearless of death, why would he fear acting out romantic sentiment with a Beiman girl?

Once he’d thought things through, his mindset experienced a drastic shift.

Yet how was he supposed to feign affection for someone?

To Xie Jue, it was a skill that felt utterly foreign. He knew very well what it was like to hate someone—but what did it feel like to like someone? Could feelings really be faked?

Xie Jue had always been intelligent; apart from martial arts, he excelled effortlessly in learning all else. Yet he’d never learned how to deceive someone emotionally. Whether in ethics or conduct, Marquis Zhenbei Mansion strictly prohibited such matters.

How should he proceed? Should he directly tell Lan Ningzhen he liked her as well?

Wouldn’t that seem too forced?

How was he supposed to look at Lan Ningzhen? Should his gaze be softer? Should he practice his expressions in front of a mirror first?

The sound of running water from behind the screen gradually ceased. Lan Ningzhen finished washing and emerged, dressed in a coarse cloth dress, smiling brightly at Xie Jue. Initially, she seemed a bit flustered. As the kang bed stove was fully heated, the room was warm enough that wearing heavy coats felt unnecessary. Hence, both Xie Jue and Lan Ningzhen wore relatively thin long dresses.

The coarse fabric couldn’t conceal her figure. Without the bulky coats and cloaks, Lan Ningzhen’s shapely figure became apparent—ample chest, slender waist, long legs. Her well-defined curves were highlighted, with even her chest visibly accentuated, making her waist look even more delicate. Lan Ningzhen seemed slightly awkward, placing her hands on her chest as if to press it down.

Xie Jue: "...?"

This bewildering action left Xie Jue utterly baffled. Then, as a thought crossed his mind, his face flushed red. Whether he liked the person before him or not, the young lady’s gesture was undeniably suggestive.

Xie Jue quickly averted his gaze. Lan Ningzhen lowered her head to look at her chest again, moving her arms uncomfortably. Then, remembering not to make too large movements, she pursed her lips, even her steps becoming distinctly feminine. She delicately shifted closer to him, her lotus steps light, sitting at the far right of the kang bed while Xie Jue sat at the far left.

Xie Jue silently pondered: Is she feeling shy?

As soon as Lan Ningzhen sat down, she stood up again, restless and uneasy. Seeing Xie Jue glance at her, she forced a smile. "Mr. Helian, do you think my figure is good?"

Xie Jue, for some reason, let his gaze fall briefly upon her excessively ample chest, before hurriedly turning his head away. An awkward silence settled over the room.

Lan Ningzhen, too, for reasons unknown, uncomfortably stared out the window, as though focusing on a flower.

For a moment, silence reigned, and outside, the swirling snowstorm only grew fiercer, howling past.

Damn it!

Lan Ningzhen cursed inwardly—too exaggerated!!!

Even breathing felt suffocating!