The Entire Harem has Transmigrated - Chapter 12

The thorny whip lay discarded to one side. Ruan Qingqing glanced at it, her expression complex.

“Qingqing,” Li Qianxuan apologized again, “I truly know I was wrong. Please don’t ignore me, okay?”

Ruan Qingqing pressed her lips together and sighed inwardly.

Li Qianxuan was naturally assertive, refusing to admit defeat and stubbornly independent. Back in the Qian Dynasty, she always strove to excel in everything, never backing down even when faced with insurmountable obstacles. Apologizing was unthinkable; even when ignored, she would argue her point relentlessly. Yet this same woman, with a face that could be described in modern terms as both commanding and alluring, was now humbling herself before Ruan Qingqing. It was a sight Ruan Qingqing found impossible to resist.

“Put your clothes on first,” Ruan Qingqing said, picking up Li Qianxuan’s shirt. Her hand froze when she saw the red welts on her back.

“If you’re going to apologize, do it properly. What’s with this ‘carrying thorns to beg forgiveness’ act?” Ruan Qingqing scolded, her tone reproachful. “You’re all red.”

Seeing that Ruan Qingqing was finally acknowledging her, Li Qianxuan smiled. “It’s nothing. I used to box, you know? I’m tough. A little redness is nothing.”

Ruan Qingqing looked concerned. “Are you sure it’s nothing? I was going to put some ointment on it.”

Upon hearing this, Li Qianxuan immediately stopped getting dressed, clutched her shoulder, and dramatically cried out in pain, putting on such an exaggerated display that Ruan Qingqing couldn’t bear to watch.

Still, Ruan Qingqing retrieved the first-aid kit and applied ointment to Li Qianxuan’s shoulder.

Li Qianxuan had a remarkable physique, distinct from the pale, slender ideal of beauty. Her skin was healthy and radiant, her back muscles flowed smoothly and beautifully, and even with her arms hanging loosely at her sides, their strength was evident. After applying the ointment, Ruan Qingqing pinched her own slender arms and legs, genuinely curious. “How do you train?”

Li Qianxuan: “You mean my physique?”

Ruan Qingqing nodded. “Yeah, you look completely different with your clothes on versus when you’re undressed.”

She said this casually, without any flirtatious undertones, merely stating an objective observation. Yet Li Qianxuan couldn’t help but feel her heart skip a beat.

But now wasn’t the time for teasing. Li Qianxuan suppressed the flicker of heat rising within her and answered seriously, “A lot of people say that. They say that just looking at my face, I seem like a bossy rich girl. It’s only when I wear a tank top and show my arms that I look like a boxer.”

Ruan Qingqing remained curious. “So, how do you train?”

“It was really tough before I retired,” Li Qianxuan said as she finished dressing. “I had to train intensely every day, stick to a strict diet, no fried foods, no carbonated drinks, and definitely no sweets.”

“Not even milk tea?” Ruan Qingqing asked.

Li Qianxuan shook her head.

“Then forget it,” Ruan Qingqing said, shaking her head. Eating and drinking happily is what really matters, she thought.

Li Qianxuan checked her phone and saw that their takeout order was almost here. She went to the door to wait and returned with Ruan Qingqing’s favorite taro milk tea with boba.

After taking a sip, Ruan Qingqing’s eyes curved into a satisfied smile. She generously declared that all past grievances between them were now forgiven.

Li Qianxuan breathed a sigh of relief.

“Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?” Ruan Qingqing asked, swirling her eyes as she swallowed a large mouthful of taro. “You were so fierce when we first met.”

Li Qianxuan opened another drink, poured the milk foam on top, inserted a straw, and handed it to Ruan Qingqing, her voice low. “Back then, I was being stubborn. I couldn’t understand how you could just abandon me like that, and I was angry that you wanted to cut ties. But after watching you leave with Ye Shiyu, I finally understood.”

Ruan Qingqing tasted the milk foam Li Qianxuan had given her. “Understood what?”

Li Qianxuan lowered her gaze and murmured, “Settling old scores with you isn’t important at all. What I fear most is you abandoning me again.”

Ruan Qingqing’s grip tightened on her milk tea cup.

Her departure hadn’t been her choice, but it had undoubtedly left a shadow on Li Qianxuan and the others. She couldn’t deny that.

“I’m sorry,” Ruan Qingqing said after a moment’s thought. She set aside her beloved milk tea, stepped forward, and gently embraced Li Qianxuan, apologizing, “It was my fault for making you suffer. Even though I’m no longer the Emperor here and my current abilities are limited, I’ll still do everything I can to help you.”

“Qingqing…”

Li Qianxuan knew she should restrain herself, but with the warm, soft body in her arms and those tender words whispered in her ear, even her iron will finally crumbled. She couldn’t resist reaching out, pulling Ruan Qingqing’s slender waist closer, and slowly tightening her embrace.

“Qianxuan?” Ruan Qingqing struggled slightly to pull away. When she couldn’t break free, she placed her hands on Li Qianxuan’s shoulders and, with her clear, innocent eyes, told her, “Don’t misunderstand. I meant I can help you with practical matters. I’m truly incapable of handling romantic feelings. I’ve always seen you as a dear older sister.”

“You’re calling me ‘elder sister’ so quickly?” Li Qianxuan said, between laughter and tears, deliberately pulling Ruan Qingqing closer. “Since you’ve already said I’m your good elder sister, there’s nothing wrong with letting your good elder sister hold you for a while, right?”

“No hugs for you,” Ruan Qingqing retorted, tickling her playfully. “I, the Emperor, command you to release me at once.”

Li Qianxuan let go, her fingers lingering as if still feeling the girl’s warmth.

Ruan Qingqing packed up her medicine kit and returned to drawing talismans. When Li Qianxuan asked if she wanted to go back to her residence, Ruan Qingqing flatly refused.

Having learned her lesson from their previous encounter, Li Qianxuan didn’t press the matter. She quietly kept Ruan Qingqing company, remembering the books Ruan Qingqing hadn’t finished reading. She casually asked if she should have them brought over.

Ruan Qingqing’s hand paused mid-stroke.

She hadn’t yet read about the end of the Great Qian Dynasty. She didn’t know how history would record that era. Before meeting the Imperial Preceptor, she had been curious, but after their encounter, a strange sense of apprehension had taken root.

Yet Ruan Qingqing couldn’t pinpoint what she was afraid of.

“Qingqing?”

Li Qianxuan’s voice snapped Ruan Qingqing out of her reverie. Composing herself, she replied casually, “Don’t bother moving it here. A-Yun’s place is small. Just keep it at yours for now.”

I’ll go check on it after I’ve taken care of things here with Yu Yunfei, she thought.

Yu Yunfei returned late that night, wearing a dazzling silver dress that shimmered like a starry sky. The deep V-neck and voluminous double-layered tulle sleeves revealed porcelain-white arms and a generous expanse of bare skin. Under the dim lighting, she exuded an alluring and seductive aura. Her cheeks flushed with wine, and her words slurred slightly, “Qingqing, look at me! Am I beautiful?”

Ruan Qingqing watched her teeter on her high heels and quickly offered her slippers, helping her change before finally complimenting, “A-Yun, you look stunning.”

Yu Yunfei giggled, lifted her skirt to reveal her slender legs, struck a provocative pose, and asked, “Your Majesty, do I look both pure and alluring right now?”

“Huh?” Ruan Qingqing looked bewildered. “Shouldn’t it just be purely alluring?”

Yu Yunfei draped an arm over her shoulder, shaking her head. “You don’t understand. Being both pure and alluring is the trend now. Just being alluring isn’t enough—you need the purity too.”

Ruan Qingqing genuinely didn’t understand, but she replied earnestly, “Your face just isn’t the kind that looks pure.”

Yu Yunfei leaned her head against Ruan Qingqing’s shoulder, whining, “But it’s the innocent first-love look that’s trending! Just look at Bai Qiaoying!”

Ruan Qingqing helped her sit down, her forehead creased with black lines. “Bai Qiaoying? With that bland face? Innocent first-love look…?”

“Hahaha!” Yu Yunfei burst into laughter, “I think she’s bland too! She’s nowhere near as pretty as me!”

“You’re pretty, you’re pretty,” Ruan Qingqing said, pouring her a glass of water and trying to coax her to drink it. Just then, Li Qianxuan emerged from another room, drawn by the commotion.

She pulled Ruan Qingqing behind her and glared at Yu Yunfei. “What kind of drunken tantrum are you throwing?”

“Li Qianxuan!” Yu Yunfei jumped up, pointing a finger at Li Qianxuan’s nose. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see Qingqing. What’s wrong with that?”

“Of course there’s something wrong! This is my house!”

As the two women argued, the doorbell rang again. Ruan Qingqing glanced at the door and saw Shen Huan. She opened it.

“Master, you’re still here,” Shen Huan said, panting and clutching her knees. “Sister Yu drank too much and started running like the wind. I couldn’t keep up!”

Ruan Qingqing pulled her inside and poured her a glass of water, asking what had happened.

“Didn’t The Legend of the Great Qian’s Consort Shu run into trouble? Since we don’t know when filming will resume, my manager wants to find Sister Yu another project.”

In short, she couldn’t avoid the social obligations.

Ruan Qingqing asked, “Did you run into Bai Qiaoying again?”

Shen Huan didn’t try to hide it, taking a swig of her drink. “Yeah, she’s the one who egged Sister Yu on to drink so much today. Ugh, we’re even in the same company, but I don’t understand why she’s always targeting Sister Yu. She’s pulled stunts like this more than once or twice. But she has connections upstairs, so there’s nothing we can do…”

Ruan Qingqing’s expression darkened, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

If she dares to bully Yu Yunfei like this, Bai Qiaoying’s good days are numbered.

“Oh no, Sister!” Shen Huan panicked as she saw Yu Yunfei arguing with someone while tugging at her dress. She rushed over to intervene. “That dress is borrowed from the brand! You need to calm down! We have to return it! If you damage it, we’ll have to pay for it!”

Yu Yunfei and Li Qianxuan were still fighting, but thankfully the dress had been pulled off. Shen Huan hugged the garment tightly, sighing in relief and muttering, “Thank goodness, thank goodness.”

Ruan Qingqing and Shen Huan went downstairs together. Shen Huan had to return the dress, so Ruan Qingqing bought hangover medicine and forced Yu Yunfei to drink it.

Yu Yunfei’s drunkenness came on quickly and faded just as swiftly. After taking the sobering medicine, she was almost fully sober in no time, yet she remained leaning against Ruan Qingqing, clinging to her arm and refusing to let go.

Li Qianxuan rolled her eyes in exasperation.

“I’m going to the Qian Family Old Residence tomorrow,” Ruan Qingqing said.

Yu Yunfei immediately raised her hand. “This humble servant requests permission to accompany you!”

Li Qianxuan retorted, “Then I’m going too!”

“Enough,” Ruan Qingqing said, her head throbbing. “Let’s talk about this tomorrow.”

She couldn’t bear listening to their bickering any longer.

But avoiding conflict proved impossible. Yu Yunfei’s apartment had only one bed and a sofa. Originally, Yu Yunfei and Ruan Qingqing had taken turns sleeping on the sofa. Now, with Li Qianxuan added to the mix, sleeping arrangements became a real problem.

Ruan Qingqing offered, “I’ll take the sofa. You two can share the bed.” But this suggestion was met with fierce opposition from both women.

“I’d rather sleep with a wild boar than that shrew!” Yu Yunfei shouted.

Li Qianxuan retorted angrily, “And I wouldn’t touch that vixen with a ten-foot pole!”

After their argument had exhausted them, leaving them slumped on opposite ends of the sofa, Yu Yunfei spoke up. “Actually, my bed is quite large—two meters by two meters.”

“So?” Li Qianxuan asked.

Yu Yunfei cleared her throat. “We could all sleep together.”