My Female General Is A Villain (GL) - Chapter 8

He Jiaojiao stood still, holding her forehead, and asked the obvious question, “What are you doing here?”

She already knew why, of course, but she had to play her part.

“The Old Madam said I’m to share a room with you from now on.” Pei Ji’s voice was hoarse, her tone was impossible to read.

By the moonlight, He Jiaojiao could only make out her silhouette, so she couldn’t see her expression at all.

“Grandma said that?” He Jiaojiao feigned a look of displeasure.

In reality, she was thrilled that she could finally keep an eye on this big villain at all times. She had to complete the task from the system 19 and protect her family.

Pei Ji nodded. “Yes. I have no reason to lie.”

That much she could tell: Pei Ji’s disgust.

She led Pei Ji into the room and lit a candle, and it was as if the world instantly brightened. She could now clearly see Pei Ji’s somewhat pale and sickly face, with a faint gash on her forehead that looked fresh.

It seemed that by sticking up for her, she had only made things worse, causing the servants to retaliate even more fiercely.

They were full of jealousy and resentment, acting out when she couldn’t see them.

They had already been conditioned to think of her as a useless piece of trash who didn’t deserve any kindness, let alone to be treated as a human being.

And the one who had instilled this mindset in them was the owner of this very body.

Qingyao brought in an extra blanket for them, and seeing how they stood there in silence, she was smart enough to quietly slip away.

“You…”

“Don’t worry. I’ve already washed up. I don’t smell, I’m clean.” Pei Ji had even changed into a new, clean outfit, but her tone remained flat.

To He Jiaojiao, her words felt strange, though she couldn’t pinpoint why. It felt like… a kind of newlywed awkwardness?

He Jiaojiao sat on the edge of the bed and told her, “Come here first.”

Pei Ji paused, looking a bit dazed, but she obediently walked over and sat down.

Afraid of being too close, she deliberately sat farther away.

“Why are you sitting so far away? I’m not going to eat you,” He Jiaojiao said with a frown.

She knew she was the only one who would believe that.

Pei Ji moved a little closer, but it was hardly a change.

He Jiaojiao almost burst out laughing. This villain wasn’t a big villain yet, just a little rebel.

She gently took Pei Ji’s hand, and the other girl instinctively tried to pull it away.

“He Jiaojiao, what are you doing!”

Oh, so she dropped the act?

“No more ‘Miss’?”

Pei Ji was left speechless, her lips pressed together, no longer speaking.

He Jiaojiao wasn’t bothered. Instead, she spoke in a gentle tone. “Did you forget what I told you yesterday? If you don’t want to put on the medicine, I’ll do it myself. It’s your body. If you don’t take care of it, no one else will.”

He Jiaojiao was so focused on applying the ointment to her scarred hands that she didn’t notice the complicated look in Pei Ji’s eyes.

A faint scent of a young woman wafted over her. Pei Ji felt a moment of dizzying confusion and couldn’t speak.

He Jiaojiao also applied a little on Pei Ji’s forehead. The cut was a bit deep and would likely take some time to heal completely. Yet, Pei Ji showed no emotion, as if nothing had happened to her.

“Where did you get this wound?” He Jiaojiao asked casually.

Her question seemed to make things worse. The look in Pei Ji’s eyes turned as cold as ice, as if to say, Isn’t it because of you?

What did this have to do with her? …

Then she reconsidered. Okay, maybe it was a little related.

“The snow was too thick. I slipped,” Pei Ji said coldly.

She couldn’t even come up with a better lie.

He Jiaojiao glanced at her, accidentally applying a little more pressure on her hand. Pei Ji grunted in pain, staring at her as if she wanted to skin her alive.

He Jiaojiao didn’t mind. This little rebel was just a paper tiger right now, and when she got angry, she was actually a little cute.

“Next time, watch your step. I’m really worried you’ll hurt your brain, too.” He Jiaojiao mumbled a random thought, her voice too quiet for Pei Ji to hear.

She patted her hands, washed them clean, and climbed back into bed, completely disregarding the bewildered Pei Ji.

Pei Ji picked up a blanket, preparing to make a bed on the floor. He Jiaojiao immediately stopped her. “Come up. You can sleep on the outside, and I’ll sleep on the inside. That pillow in the middle is the border.”

With that, she pointed to the jade pillow placed squarely in the middle of the bed, clearly marking the division.

He Jiaojiao continued, “Since it’s Grandma’s wish, I should at least show her some respect.”

Pei Ji didn’t argue and simply agreed.

Pei Ji was a very good sleeper. She didn’t talk or snore in her sleep, and she didn’t seem to turn over once. He Jiaojiao slept soundly that night.

Pei Ji, on the other hand, didn’t sleep at all. Having grown accustomed to sleeping alone, she was not used to having someone else lying beside her.

When He Jiaojiao opened her eyes, the glaring light made them sting.

After He Jiaojiao rubbed her eyes and sat up, still groggy from sleep, she looked around the room but couldn’t find a trace of Pei Ji.

Qingyao seemed to have heard the movement and pushed the door open.

The young maid didn’t seem as afraid of her as she used to be.

“Miss, you’re awake.”

“Mhm.” He Jiaojiao mumbled a syllable from her throat, her mind elsewhere.

Seeing her mistress in a daze, Qingyao added, “The young master went to work early this morning.”

“Oh.”

Hearing the clamor outside the window, He Jiaojiao nearly forgot that today was her grandmother’s birthday banquet. Many dignitaries and officials would be here. Given the He family’s status in the court, there would undoubtedly be people trying to curry favor and climb the social ladder.

She got dressed and sat down to a table full of luxurious breakfast dishes. She couldn’t help but sigh, thinking how she couldn’t possibly eat all this in a day. The rich really knew how to live. She then turned to Qingyao and asked, “Has Pei Ji eaten breakfast yet?”

Qingyao shook her head. “No.” She then stammered, “Miss… you didn’t give me instructions to let the young master eat with you…” Her face fell, and she didn’t dare to look at her directly.

He Jiaojiao nearly choked on the food in her mouth.

Right, she was a heartless, malicious villain now, not a kind-hearted person from the 21st century.

She secretly asked Number Nineteen, “What’s Pei Ji’s favorability rating right now?”

Number Nineteen yawned, his voice languid. “Hold on, let me check.”

“Excuse me, are you systems always this unprofessional?” He Jiaojiao complained.

System 19 grumbled as he searched through the data. “Come on, host, we get tired and need rest too. Who can work 24/7?”

“…”

System 19 said, “That’s strange…”

The moment those two words came out, He Jiaojiao’s heart jumped into her throat. She focused all her attention on what he would say next.

The display in her mind flipped through pages. Number Nineteen was puzzled. 

“This has never happened since I took over. I can’t pinpoint Pei Ji’s exact favorability rating right now. It’s just fluctuating between -200% and 0%, and it’s making my head spin.”

He Jiaojiao was dumbfounded. “What? -200%? It was only -100% before!”

Number Nineteen sighed. “I can’t control the target’s favorability. Host, I completely understand how you feel right now, but you can’t get discouraged or give up. The light is just ahead, and your way home is right in front of you. You have to keep going!”

Keep going, my foot…

This was clearly a case of being gaslit into working overtime.

“Wait a minute… you said it’s fluctuating between -200% and 0%…” He Jiaojiao’s eyes widened. “That means she still has some emotional reaction to me, and she doesn’t hate me as much as she did at the beginning. So my efforts weren’t for nothing, were they?”

After a moment of realization, she asked Qingyao for some wax paper and happily wrapped up a couple of the hot steamed buns from the table. The joy was evident on her face.

Number Nineteen was taken aback and muttered to himself, “Is this what they call self-motivation?”

He Jiaojiao was wearing a peach-pink dress today with a fluffy white fur coat. The hairpins in her hair jingled with every step. Her pace was quick and light as she walked.

******

The entire General’s manor was filled with laughter and cheerful chatter, servants bustling about, and congratulatory gifts from imperial relatives and officials. The festive atmosphere highlighted the He family’s immense power and status.

The officials she passed all knew that He Jiaojiao was not to be trifled with, and no matter what they thought of her, they all respectfully addressed her as “Miss He.”

He Jiaojiao simply ignored them, giving a brief flutter of her sleeve as a reply. Her eyes searched the crowd for a certain slender figure.

She finally spotted Pei Ji at a pavilion in the backyard, seemingly having a pleasant conversation with He Yushu. He Jiaojiao was surprised. According to the plot, these two shouldn’t have any connection. Had she missed something?

As she hesitated, she saw He Yushu’s alluring eyes fixed on her from afar. He Yushu smiled and said something, then walked directly toward her without any hesitation.

“Since you’re here, Second Sister, I won’t bother you anymore, so as not to spoil the fun for you and your husband.” He Yushu curtsied, her voice was soft and sweet. To an outsider, it would have seemed like they were the couple, and He Jiaojiao was the one intruding.

Everyone in the manor knew how much He Jiaojiao resented and mistreated Pei Ji. He Yushu’s words were clearly meant to provoke He Jiaojiao and drive a wedge between them.

But her motive was unclear.

He Jiaojiao, however, refused to fall into her trap. “Have you recovered from your injured knee, Third Sister? You’re already so frail; you should move around less. If you stumble and fall again, you might not be so lucky.”

She mimicked He Yushu’s humble and gentle demeanor, but her words were sharp as needles.

They both understood each other perfectly.

After He Yushu left, she turned to Pei Ji and asked, “Are you close with her?”

Seeing that Pei Ji didn’t respond, she warned her again. “Stay away from her in the future. She’s not a good person.”

She even blinked her eyes at her in a sincere gesture, as if to say her honesty was as pure as the heavens.

But Pei Ji’s reaction suggested she was thinking, You’re the one who seems least like a good person.

He Jiaojiao was at a loss for words. The warmth from the buns in her hand reminded her of her purpose. She pulled the tightly wrapped, still-warm buns from her grasp and handed them to Pei Ji. “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I couldn’t finish it all, so I brought some for you.”

Pei Ji stared at the warm buns in her hands, neatly wrapped in wax paper, her heart a mix of emotions. She looked up and her gaze lingered on He Jiaojiao.

He Jiaojiao saw her blank expression and almost laughed. She waved a hand in front of her. “Hello? Are you starving yourself senseless?”

Pei Ji was probably so hungry her brain was a little sluggish.

He Jiaojiao didn’t think much of it. She took the bun, peeled back the wax paper, and held it to her mouth. “Here, try it. This is a rare opportunity that won’t come again—to be personally fed by me, the miss of this house.”

The warm steam filled her nostrils and went straight to her head. The sight of He Jiaojiao’s porcelain-like face and her small, cinnabar-red lips was dizzying. Pei Ji obediently took a small bite.

The bun was filled with a generous portion of meat. Halfway through, Pei Ji said flatly, “He Jiaojiao, are you sick?”

Pei Ji was raised by her mother’s closest maid, Aunt Qiuyue, who had always told her that people only come to a realization when their life is about to end, so one must never do anything they would regret.

Therefore, she thought He Jiaojiao must have a terminal illness and was having a sudden change of heart, or perhaps she was possessed by some ghost. In any case, it couldn’t be a good thing.

He Jiaojiao was speechless.

He Jiaojiao sat on the stone steps, propping her chin on her hands and pouting. “Just assume I’m sick, then.”

At that moment, System Nineteen suddenly exclaimed, 

“Host! Host! Pei Ji’s favorability rating is rising!”