The Male Lead's Harem Belongs to Me (GL) - Chapter 22
The night was dark and windy, and the mortal world was bustling with activity. The long streets of the capital were brightly lit, and people in various colored clothes mingled on the streets, by the river, or in front of places like the Seven Treasures Pavilion. Their two figures blended seamlessly into the crowd.
Jiang Han nodded with a smile, saying, “Of course it’s here. If you’re talking about the most fun place in the capital, it’s definitely the Seven Treasures Pavilion. The girls here are all beautiful, and they play the guqin wonderfully. The courtesan is even more stunning!”
Liu Shuwei looked at Jiang Han with that familiar expression, her gaze turning somewhat dark, and asked, “Is that so?”
Jiang Han nodded seriously, thinking that since it was the person Gu Hanyun had her eye on, she had to express her support. Even if Kui’er was ordinary, she would praise her.
Liu Shuwei was about to say something, but Jiang Han turned to her with a smile and said, “Of course, in my heart, you’re the most beautiful, sister.”
Liu Shuwei looked at Jiang Han’s sincere smile, and a strange warmth rose in her face, gradually evaporating her earlier emotions. Well, since she said so, then let it be.
Liu Shuwei bit her lip and allowed Jiang Han to lead her into the Seven Treasures Pavilion. Strangely, Liu Shuwei felt that Jiang Han was being very cautious and defensive tonight, as if she were afraid of running into someone.
In fact, that was indeed the case. Jiang Han had encountered the fox-like Fourth Prince twice before, and she didn’t want to run into him again.
However, things often went against her wishes. As soon as they stepped into the Seven Treasures Pavilion, she saw a tall, slender young man walking towards the entrance. What made her even more breathless was that the male lead was also there!
Jiang Han now regretted it immensely, wishing she could go back in time and strangle her past self for deciding to bring Liu Shuwei here. Was it her bad luck, or did the Fourth Prince treat the Seven Treasures Pavilion as his own home, coming here every day?
And what was up with Qi Ze? Didn’t he have time to go home and see Liu Shuwei? Why was he running to the Seven Treasures Pavilion every day? If he saw her bringing Liu Shuwei here, she’d probably meet her end faster than the original owner of the body.
In an instant, Jiang Han pulled Liu Shuwei and decisively turned to leave. Liu Shuwei had naturally seen the two of them as well. For some reason, when she saw Qi Ze walking out of the Seven Treasures Pavilion, she didn’t feel anything.
Although their turn was swift and decisive, Qi Ru still spotted them with his sharp eyes, or rather, he spotted Jiang Han. A smile curled his lips, and Qi Ru felt a bit of schadenfreude.
If he wasn’t mistaken, the person Princess was with should be his Uncle’s beloved. Interesting, very interesting.
Jiang Han led Liu Shuwei far away, and since no one was chasing after them, Jiang Han was relieved. She immediately decided to return to the mansion. She should avoid the Seven Treasures Pavilion in the future, or she wouldn’t be able to handle such situations every day.
When they returned to the mansion safely, Liu Shuwei stopped Jiang Han. “Sister, could you please go to that place less often in the future?”
Liu Shuwei bit her lip, looking somewhat aggrieved. When Jiang Han stood at the entrance and acted so familiar, Liu Shuwei felt a strange tightness in her chest, as if she didn’t want Jiang Han to get involved with the women inside.
Even if Liu Shuwei hadn’t said anything, Jiang Han had already decided to go less often. She readily agreed, saying, “Alright, since you said so, sister, I’ll definitely go less often.” Of course, accompanying Gu Hanyun on her trysts doesn’t count.
Liu Shuwei felt relieved. After having some late-night snacks with Jiang Han, they returned to their respective rooms.
In the middle of the night, it suddenly started raining heavily outside. Long, jagged lightning tore through the sky like ferocious dragons, and thunder roared, accompanied by flashes of lightning, echoing through the clouds. Rainwater poured down, washing over the ground.
The rain came suddenly, and Jiang Han was awakened by the thunder. She sat up and squinted at the sky, preparing to go back to sleep, but then she suddenly remembered that in the original story, it was mentioned that Liu Shuwei was very afraid of thunder because of her mother’s departure, and she would be unable to sleep on nights like this, spending the entire night in fear.
Jiang Han lost her sleepiness and got up to call Chun Zhu.
When Chun Zhu saw that her princess was awake, she said, “Is the thunder too loud? Did it wake you, Princess?”
Jiang Han nodded and said, “Go get my clothes.”
Chun Zhu was startled, but still fetched Jiang Han’s clothes. “Princess, where are you going in the middle of the night?”
Jiang Han quickly put on her clothes with Chun Zhu’s help and said, “I’m going to check on Liu Shuwei. I remember she’s very afraid of this kind of weather.”
The wind and rain relentlessly battered the plants and trees in the courtyard, and the sky was as bright as day under the constant flashes of lightning.
Jiang Han held a lantern, and the wind and rain soaked her clothes, causing the lantern to sway wildly. Before the lantern went out, Jiang Han reached Liu Shuwei’s door.
Shui Lu was dozing off at the door. Jiang Han didn’t wake her. She told Chun Zhu to watch outside while she opened Liu Shuwei’s door.
The room was pitch black, and Jiang Han couldn’t hear a sound. She was wondering if she had remembered incorrectly when she suddenly heard a faint rustling sound from the bed in the inner room.
The sound was very weak under the thunder. Jiang Han slowly approached, whispering, “Sister, it’s me. Are you asleep?”
After a moment of silence, Jiang Han heard a soft voice. Just then, a thunderclap startled them, and Jiang Han saw the person on the bed shrink back, then wrap herself in the blanket.
Seeing this, Jiang Han comforted her and turned to light the lamp in the room. Suddenly, an icy hand grabbed her, preventing her from leaving.
Jiang Han was stunned for a moment, then looked at the person huddled in the corner, feeling both heartache and pity. She took Liu Shuwei’s cold hand, then took off her shoes and socks and gently patted the person under the blanket, saying, “Don’t be afraid, sister. I’m here. I’ll protect you.”
Liu Shuwei tightened her grip on her hand. Jiang Han felt pity and wanted to put her hand back under the blanket, but Liu Shuwei wouldn’t let go, so she said, “Sister, your hand will get cold outside. Let’s warm it under the blanket.”
Liu Shuwei moved and obediently put her hand back. Jiang Han chuckled, took off her shoes, socks, and outer robe, and slipped under the blanket.
As she expected, the blanket was cold. As soon as she got in, she felt someone move into her arms. Liu Shuwei snuggled into her arms, her arms tightly around her waist. Her body trembled slightly, whether from fear or cold.
Jiang Han instinctively hugged her closer, making them press tightly together. She used her body heat to warm Liu Shuwei, while gently patting her back and humming a nursery rhyme she often heard as a child.
The nursery rhyme had a melodious tune, perfect for calming emotions. Liu Shuwei gradually relaxed in her arms. The long-term tension made her fall asleep quickly after relaxing.
While Jiang Han gently patted her back, she softened her humming. Suddenly, she heard the person in her arms mutter something. When she leaned closer, she heard it clearly.
She said, “Mother, please don’t go.”
Two lines of clear tears flowed down her cheeks. Jiang Han lowered her eyes and gently wiped them away, whispering, “Mother won’t go. Be good, Liu Shuwei, go to sleep…”
••••
The next day, when Liu Shuwei woke up, she felt warmth all over her body. This was a temperature she had never experienced on a rainy night. In a flash, Liu Shuwei remembered what happened last night.
She looked up and saw that the person was indeed sleeping peacefully beside her. She was lying in the person’s arms, her arms around the person’s slender waist. The familiar scent made her feel very safe.
Liu Shuwei’s arms stiffened for a moment, then she withdrew her hand and placed Jiang Han’s hand on her own waist. She didn’t make a sound, just quietly looked at Jiang Han, and soon fell asleep again in Jiang Han’s arms.
An hour later, it was bright outside.
Jiang Han groggily opened her eyes and saw a peaceful sleeping face in her arms. She carefully tried to pull her hand back, but halfway through, she met a pair of drowsy eyes.
“Good morning, sister.” Liu Shuwei’s drowsy eyes regained some brightness.
Seeing that she was awake, Jiang Han smiled and said, “Good morning, sister. Did you sleep well last night?”
Liu Shuwei also smiled and said, “Yes, I did. Thanks to you, sister, I slept so well last night.”
Jiang Han’s smile widened. The hand on Liu Shuwei’s waist suddenly moved. She touched Liu Shuwei’s waist, then touched her own, and sighed, “Your waist is so slender, sister.”
Liu Shuwei was clearly startled by Jiang Han’s lecherous behavior. After a moment, she blushed and bit her lip, scolding, “Sister.”
That “sister” made Jiang Han’s bones feel weak. The lecherous cells in her body were ignited. Jiang Han giggled and pretended to be a playboy, stroking her chin, “Why are you blushing, sister? Are you shy?”
Liu Shuwei didn’t want to pay attention to her, but Jiang Han didn’t let her go. She propped herself up with one hand, and the other hand mischievously pinched Liu Shuwei’s chin, “Hmm… let me see, what a handsome little lady!”
“Sister!” Liu Shuwei’s voice was tinged with shyness and annoyance.
Jiang Han giggled, hearing Liu Shuwei’s shyness and annoyance, and decided not to tease her anymore. Just as she was about to withdraw her hand, the hand supporting her suddenly went numb, and her whole body fell uncontrollably. What was worse, her other hand was still pinching Liu Shuwei’s chin.
A light touch like two cotton candies, the softness and sweetness bursting in an instant, passing between them. Jiang Han was stunned. She reacted extremely quickly, pulling her head back and muttering, “Sister, would you believe me if I said it wasn’t intentional?”
As for Liu Shuwei, looking at Jiang Han’s lowered head, she unconsciously licked her lips. Her lips tasted very similar to her scent, sweet and alluring, yet unaware of it.
Liu Shuwei’s red lips slightly curved, and the words she spoke made Jiang Han’s face flush and her heart race, “Of course I believe it wasn’t intentional, sister, but…”
Liu Shuwei paused, then said, “Even if it was intentional, what does it matter? After all, I’m yours, sister. You can do whatever you want to me.”
Author’s Note:
The author has something to say:
Jiang Han (drooling): Is this something I’m allowed to hear?