The Entire Harem has Transmigrated - Chapter 32

Ruan Qingqing snatched the woman’s cigarette and stubbed it out, extinguishing the flame completely.

But the fire in Fu Yeqiu’s eyes only grew hotter, burning even brighter.

As she watched Ruan Qingqing dispose of the half-smoked cigarette, Fu Yeqiu’s lips curled into a faint smile. “No one has ever dared to take my cigarette before,” she said.

Ruan Qingqing laughed gleefully. “And what if I did?”

Fu Yeqiu moved behind her, leaning her hands on the table in front of Ruan Qingqing, half-encircling her in her arms. “I’d punish you. Are you scared?”

“What’s there to be scared of?” Ruan Qingqing replied, leading Fu Yeqiu toward the exit, completely ignoring the woman’s subtle display of danger.

In her mind, Fu Yeqiu would never actually harm her.

The two women then went to the rooftop’s open-air swimming pool.

Fu Yeqiu first ordered the pool to be cleaned and refilled. While they waited, Ye Shiyu sent a message asking where Ruan Qingqing was. Ruan Qingqing replied truthfully.

Soon, the elegantly dressed female professor arrived, her every step radiating grace. She smiled at Fu Yeqiu. “President Fu, I trust my presence here isn’t unwelcome?”

A chill flashed in Fu Yeqiu’s eyes, but her tone remained casual. “Of course not.”

Ye Shiyu removed her glasses, revealing a pair of gentle, watery eyes. Without a hint of aggression, she said, “Let’s go together. I was just thinking about going for a swim myself.”

Her demeanor remained calm and composed, but Fu Yeqiu couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being deliberately passive-aggressive.

Fu Yeqiu narrowed her eyes slightly and tightened her grip on Ruan Qingqing’s hand.

This was supposed to be their private time together.

Now, with another woman intruding, it felt like a curse.

Still, Fu Yeqiu said nothing. She led Ruan Qingqing to the changing room and asked gently what kind of swimsuit she wanted to choose.

The rack displayed a row of swimsuits: some were modest and conservative, others were daring and sexy; there were one-piece suits and two-piece sets, a dazzling array that left Ruan Qingqing overwhelmed.

Ruan Qingqing would never choose anything too revealing, but there were still plenty of ordinary-looking options.

As she struggled to decide, Fu Yeqiu handed her a light pink one-piece swimsuit with an asymmetrical shoulder.

“Wear this,” she said firmly.

Ruan Qingqing held the thin swimsuit in her hand, a hint of hesitation in her eyes. “Won’t this look too… improper?”

Fu Yeqiu chuckled and flicked her forehead. “This swimsuit doesn’t even show your waist. What’s improper about it?”

She’s right, Ruan Qingqing thought, her worries melting away.

Just as she was about to change, Ye Shiyu approached, offering another sleeveless, triangular one-piece swimsuit. The pale yellow suit featured delicate straps around the neck, radiating youthful vibrancy.

“These two styles are quite similar,” Ye Shiyu suggested with a smile. “Why not choose this one, Qingqing? I think pale yellow suits you better than pink.”

Fu Yeqiu’s gaze toward Ye Shiyu sharpened into a glacial glare.

“Really?” Fortunately, after comparing the two, Ruan Qingqing still chose the pink swimsuit Fu Yeqiu had picked out for her. “I actually prefer the pink one,” she declared. “I’ll stick with pink.”

The icy daggers in Fu Yeqiu’s eyes vanished. She turned to Ruan Qingqing, her joy barely contained, the corners of her lips curving into a smile. “Young girls should wear pink. Qingqing has such good taste.”

“You helped me pick this out! You have such good taste,” Ruan Qingqing said, glancing at herself in the mirror before ducking into a changing stall. “I’ll go change now. Take your time choosing!” she called out.

After she left, the atmosphere in the dressing room instantly turned strange. Fu Yeqiu, with one hand in her pocket, looked in Ruan Qingqing’s direction but addressed Ye Shiyu: “What’s the point?”

“A temporary victory isn’t a true victory,” Ye Shiyu said, shaking her head and letting her gathered hair fall loose. “Only the final winner is the real winner, Empress. Don’t you agree?”

Fu Yeqiu didn’t bother responding.

Their voices were too low for Ruan Qingqing to hear. When she emerged, Fu Yeqiu reached out to steady her, claiming the floor was slippery.

Ruan Qingqing took her hand and stepped in front of the mirror, feeling quite pleased, though a little shy.

But aren’t all swimsuits in this era like this? she reasoned.

Having mentally prepared herself, Ruan Qingqing quickly put her shyness aside.

“Haven’t you two picked anything yet?” she asked.

“No,” Fu Yeqiu murmured, adjusting the strap on Ruan Qingqing’s right shoulder. “Why don’t you pick one out for me?”

“Me?” Ruan Qingqing pointed at herself, but before she could finish, Ye Shiyu interjected, “I’ve already chosen mine.”

Ye Shiyu held up a textured blue swimsuit, waved it in front of Ruan Qingqing, and then brazenly stripped off her long dress and bra right in front of her.

Ruan Qingqing’s eyes widened in stunned disbelief.

By the time Ruan Qingqing recovered, Fu Yeqiu had already covered her eyes with her hand, saying, “Don’t look.”

Turning to Ye Shiyu, she demanded, “Professor Ye, what do you think you’re doing?”

Ye Shiyu raised an eyebrow, feigning innocence. “President Fu, what’s with this reaction? Aren’t we all straight women here? If we’re all straight, what’s wrong with changing together? Isn’t this the women’s locker room?”

“Qingqing,” Ye Shiyu called out to Ruan Qingqing, “Come on, take a look. How’s my figure?”

Ruan Qingqing pulled Fu Yeqiu’s hand away, gazing at her former Virtuous Consort with an indescribable expression.

It was definitely a good thing, but Ruan Qingqing’s feelings were complicated.

Although Ye Shiyu spoke generously, Ruan Qingqing still found her behavior somewhat wild and unreasonable.

Back in the Qian Dynasty, how could she have ever believed that her childhood friend was a refined and elegant woman, well-versed in literature and etiquette?

“Qingqing,” Ye Shiyu pressed with a smile, “why aren’t you answering?”

“Uh… I-I might not be entirely straight either… So, you two change, and I’ll step aside.”

She tried to slip away, but Ye Shiyu quickly finished changing and caught up, tugging on her shoulder strap. “Stop right there.”

Ruan Qingqing didn’t turn around. “What is it?”

Ye Shiyu stepped in front of her, crossing her arms. “Tell me, how could you possibly not be straight? When you rejected those nice ladies before, you were so righteous, saying you only saw them as good sisters.”

Ruan Qingqing looked puzzled. “But I was telling the truth! What’s wrong with that?”

Ye Shiyu replied calmly, “Qingqing, you need to understand that if you’re attracted to women, you can’t have purely platonic friendships with them, let alone see them simply as sisters.”

“Why not?” Ruan Qingqing retorted, refusing to back down. “Why can’t women have platonic friendships with other women just because they’re attracted to them? That’s absurd.”

Ye Shiyu didn’t argue the point. Instead, she asked, “Then why did you suddenly say you might not be straight? There’s always a reason for everything. Could it be that seeing me undress earlier… stimulated you? Is that why you…”

“What nonsense are you spouting now?!” Ruan Qingqing flushed crimson, trying to explain. “I just realized I don’t like men. If I had to choose someone to spend the rest of my life with, it would have to be a girl…”

“Then I understand even less,” Ye Shiyu pressed. “Whether it’s me, Qianxuan, President Fu, or even Yu Yunfei, we’re all attractive and have good qualities. If you want a woman to spend your life with, why not choose from among us?” She laid the blunt, cutting question bare before Ruan Qingqing, then cut straight to the heart of the matter: “Your Majesty, do you already have someone in your heart? Or are you just planning to ‘fish around’ and then, like before, gather us all into your Imperial Harem?”

Ruan Qingqing nearly choked with anger.

“What is this?” she roared at Ye Shiyu, taking several deep breaths to compose herself. “I can understand others thinking that way about me, but why would you, Xiao Yu, think that too? I’ve always considered you all family, like sisters. What’s wrong with that? In the past, circumstances forced me to bring you into the palace, but now we live in an era of monogamy. We’re no longer emperor and concubines. I only want you all to be safe, happy, and find lifelong love. I’ve always believed in ‘one heart for life, never to part,’ and ‘one lifetime, one love, one true pair.’ The idea of having three wives, four concubines, or gathering you all into the Imperial Harem never even crossed my mind!”

The more Ruan Qingqing thought about it, the angrier she became, her eyes rimming with red.

Ye Shiyu chuckled, reaching out to gently rub Ruan Qingqing’s cheek in reassurance. “Alright, alright, I was just teasing. Why are you getting so worked up?”

Ruan Qingqing slapped her hand away, snapping, “You were clearly pushing me! You cornered me, then dismissed it as ‘just teasing.’ Ye Shiyu, how can you be so cruel?”

Fu Yeqiu seized the moment, wrapping her arms around Ruan Qingqing and patting her shoulder to comfort her. “Don’t be angry anymore,” she said.

“Did I really do something wrong?” Ruan Qingqing sobbed, turning to Fu Yeqiu. “Even if it’s not romantic love, I still cherish the bond we share. What should I do? Should I hide myself away and stay far from you all?”

Fu Yeqiu pulled her into a warm embrace, her voice gentle. “You did nothing wrong. Ye Shiyu is just spouting nonsense. Pure sisterly affection between women is perfectly normal. If women can’t be close friends with each other, are they supposed to be best friends with men instead?”

Ruan Qingqing asked through her tears, “Really?”

“Of course,” Fu Yeqiu replied, her voice soft as she held Ruan Qingqing tightly against her. “At least, I genuinely see you as my dear little sister.”

Ruan Qingqing leaned against Fu Yeqiu’s shoulder, still sniffling slightly, but managed to say, “I knew Qiuqiu was the best.”

Ruan Qingqing was finally soothed.

Her smile returned, and the first thing she did after going outside was dive into the swimming pool.

“Stop saying such strange things to her,” Fu Yeqiu warned Ye Shiyu in a low voice.

Ye Shiyu looked at her with amusement.

As she stretched lazily, she said, “Your Majesty, you should actually be thanking me.”

Fu Yeqiu frowned. “What do you mean?”

Ye Shiyu watched Ruan Qingqing swimming happily, replying casually, “If I hadn’t said something to provoke Qingqing, when do you think she would have realized her feelings? If I hadn’t brought it up, would Qingqing have ever discovered her attraction to women on her own?”

Fu Yeqiu didn’t respond, her gaze fixed on Ruan Qingqing gliding through the water.

Ye Shiyu raised her arms, stretched languidly, and continued, “Just like you, pretending to be straight, pretending to be just sisters—it might buy you temporary peace and prevent Qingqing from running away, but it’s useless. Qingqing isn’t a frog that can be boiled slowly.”

Fu Yeqiu scoffed. “So you think the answer is to make her cry in anger, like you did?”

“How could Your Majesty ever truly be angry with me?” Ye Shiyu raised an amused eyebrow, her tone confident. “Though she may not fully understand romantic love, she values emotions above all else.”

With that, Ye Shiyu plunged into the water.

Fu Yeqiu watched as the usually composed woman approached Ruan Qingqing. First, she splashed water on her, then apologized, saying, “Qingqing, it was my fault.”

Ruan Qingqing initially ignored her.

But after Ye Shiyu performed some fancy swimming tricks that made her laugh, Ruan Qingqing finally accepted her apology.

They quickly reconciled.

Fu Yeqiu stood by the pool, her gaze dark.

She had always known that her Little Majesty was naive, kind-hearted, soft-hearted, and easily coaxed.

Perhaps Ye Shiyu was right—the “boiling frog” approach wouldn’t work on Ruan Qingqing.

To win her over, a more aggressive method was needed.

After all, she could always coax her back in the end.

Seeing Fu Yeqiu still standing by the pool, Ruan Qingqing waved from the water and called out, “Qiuqiu, why aren’t you swimming yet?”

Fu Yeqiu tossed aside the towel draped over her shoulders and slowly stepped into the pool, her voice deep, “I’m coming.”

Ruan Qingqing swam toward her, deliberately splashing a large wave in front of her.

“Naughty,” Fu Yeqiu chuckled, splashing a handful of water back at her shoulder.