Transmigrated into a Historical GL Novel as the Scumbag Heroine - Chapter 31

The room was quiet.

After saying they could “chat casually,” Cheng Yu looked at the person still lying with her back turned and smiled gently.

“Have some warm water. Don’t let yourself get chilled. Please don’t do this again in the future.”

Don’t treat your health lightly.

A chill might seem minor, but in the dead of winter, many lives were lost because of it.

Some accidents can be avoided with caution. There’s no need to take risks.

Qiu Luo turned over and slowly sat up, not trying to act coy.

She knew that in this era, medical care couldn’t compare to modern standards. Even a minor illness could be life-threatening.

The tea was a little too hot, but she blew on it gently and drank it down. It warmed her body right up.

“Give me the cup.” Cheng Yu naturally reached out to take it and set it on the table.

Qiu Luo, suddenly a bit flustered, looked at her with a faint smile. “Thanks.”

Cheng Yu returned the smile gently, then went about checking the doors and windows out of habit. After confirming everything was locked, she turned back.

“Shall I put out the lamp now?”

Qiu Luo was momentarily stunned but gave a reserved nod.

That felt… awfully direct.

She really had only come to “chat casually,” after all.

But once Cheng Yu got into bed and lay down with her back turned toward Qiu Luo, she realized she’d been overthinking again.

The heroine really did just want to talk.

Otherwise, why would she lie all the way on the edge of the bed, keeping such a distance—and with her back turned?

A vague sense of disappointment welled up in Qiu Luo. She searched for a topic and asked,

“You really plan to take the provincial exams next spring?”

In the original novel, the heroine hadn’t continued down the path of imperial examinations.

Maybe it was because things had changed. With her now acting as a trusted business partner, Cheng Yu felt confident delegating part of her work and had the energy to study.

That was Qiu Luo’s guess.

Still facing away, Cheng Yu replied calmly,

“There’s no harm in trying.”

She had never been that passionate about the civil service path; she preferred commerce.

But sometimes, circumstances forced one’s hand.

Today had made one thing painfully clear to her:

Money may move the world, but some things require more than wealth.

To truly protect herself, she needed power too.

Take Shen Yanding, who constantly harassed her, or Lu Jiaojiao, who once tried to ruin her reputation.

Would Lu Jiaojiao have dared scheme against her if she didn’t have a magistrate father behind her?

Qiu Luo was surprised. “You’re really going for it? Then focus on studying—I’ll take care of the business. You can trust me.”

Talking about the exams inevitably brought Shen Yanding to mind.

In the novel, he had topped the provincial exams that spring and gained wide fame.

But what if the exceptionally gifted Cheng Yu entered the race too?

Suddenly, Qiu Luo was eager to see what would happen. Somehow, she just felt Cheng Yu would outshine him.

“Alright, I’ll leave it to you then. Oh, by the way—Shen Yanding’s been released. And he’s now engaged to Lu Jiaojiao,” Cheng Yu said, closing her eyes, voice neutral.

Qiu Luo was shocked. “They’re engaged?”

If she remembered right, though Shen Yanding later had several concubines, Lu Jiaojiao was never one of them.

Which led her to think about the whole concubine thing…

She turned her gaze toward Cheng Yu’s back, suddenly conflicted.

“Cheng Yu… what would you do if your husband wanted to take a concubine?”

Cheng Yu tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and answered with a question,

“Do you want to take a concubine?”

“Of course not. I’d never do that!” Qiu Luo replied reflexively. Why was this suddenly about her?

“Oh.” Cheng Yu gave a faint response and said nothing more.

Qiu Luo blinked, confused.

Wait, wasn’t she the one asking the question?

After a moment’s hesitation, she decided to just be direct:

“I mean, if your husband wanted to take a concubine after marrying you, would that make you happy?”

“…Happy…?” Cheng Yu repeated slowly, as if asking herself.

She thought of her father who’d changed, of the concubine Tang who had risen in status by bearing a child, and finally, of her mother—whose heart had turned to ashes.

A quiet, emotionless laugh escaped her.

“If I didn’t care about the man, it wouldn’t matter.”

After all, she had no intention of marrying anyone else.

If the man in question wasn’t important to her, then what did it matter?

But if the man were someone she did care about… like Qiu Luo… then it would be a different story.

Cheng Yu’s lashes trembled slightly, and her heart suddenly felt heavy.

Perhaps she would end up like her mother—no longer holding out hope for love.

Qiu Luo heard the unspoken meaning and drifted into thought.

So if the heroine had really married Shen Yanding in the original story, and he’d taken concubines… what did she feel?

Did she care? Or had she truly been indifferent?

There was no way to know now.

She shifted a little closer, tentatively placing a hand on Cheng Yu’s shoulder.

When Cheng Yu didn’t push her away, she slowly pulled her into a gentle hug and murmured,

“Cheng Yu, if your husband ever wanted to take a concubine, don’t ever make yourself suffer for it. You should be free.”

In the business world, she was confident and commanding.

The heroine deserved to be proud—deserved freedom.

You should be free.

Such simple words. And yet, how desperately one could yearn for them.

Cheng Yu clenched her fingers under the blanket and replied casually,

“Why are you saying this all of a sudden?”

As she spoke, she turned around. Their eyes met—and for a moment, the air stilled.

Qiu Luo withdrew her hand and chuckled lightly.

“I just think… you definitely wouldn’t want your husband to take concubines, right?”

Cheng Yu looked at her for a moment, then smiled.

“Of course not.”

She didn’t want Qiu Luo to take concubines.

This dynasty did allow same-s3x marriages between women, and it wasn’t uncommon for noblewomen who married wives to take concubines too.

Looking at Cheng Yu’s serene, smiling face, Qiu Luo suddenly said on impulse,

“Cheng Yu, I may never be extremely wealthy or powerful, but I will only ever have one wife—just you. So, will you still marry me?”

In that moment, she realized maybe the so-called destined fate between the male and female leads wasn’t so important after all.

Cheng Yu smiled. “Alright.”

She didn’t care about riches or titles. What mattered was sincerity.

Then, gazing at Qiu Luo, who seemed to have figured something out, she asked,

“Now can you tell me why you were so fixated on the topic of concubines tonight?”

She didn’t believe it was just random curiosity—Qiu Luo had looked far too serious.

Qiu Luo hesitated, then confessed,

“Well… I was just thinking that now that Shen Yanding’s engaged to Miss Lu, he probably won’t be thinking about you anymore. He can’t possibly expect you to be his concubine, right?”

As she said it, her heart whispered, Although with him, you can never be too sure.

Cheng Yu sighed with exasperation.

“If I didn’t even want to be his wife, why would I agree to be his concubine?”

What on earth was this woman thinking?

Qiu Luo blinked and finally got it.

Right. It wasn’t about Shen Yanding’s wishes—it was about Cheng Yu’s will. She would never agree to such a thing.

“You’re right. He doesn’t deserve you.”

Cheng Yu raised a brow, a teasing smile in her eyes.

“If he’s unworthy of me, then tell me—who is worthy?”