Transmigrated into a Scummy Alpha Playboy in Ancient Times (GL) - Chapter 6

The glaring -210 above Su Muyu’s head was impossible to ignore. It practically stabbed at Shen Xingyue’s eyes, and she couldn’t tear her gaze away. Every time that number dropped even a little, it felt like her own health bar lost a few more chunks. She had taken care of Su Muyu all night out of kindness—how had the affection score gone down instead of up?

If they weren’t still sitting at the table and she didn’t have to worry about Su Muyu and the others noticing something strange, Shen Xingyue would’ve burst into tears. All her efforts had been in vain.

The system quickly sensed the shift in her mood, afraid she might give up completely, and rushed to brainwash her in her mind:
“Don’t be discouraged, darling! After everything Su Muyu’s been through, it’s only natural she doesn’t like the original host. But I believe that with your continued effort, she’ll definitely be moved. Keep going, darling!”

“Shut up,” Shen Xingyue muttered. The system’s so-called comfort did nothing to console her, but for the sake of her own life, she had no choice but to keep going.

While she was bickering with the system, a few maidservants had already finished setting the breakfast table.

Su Muyu’s gaze fell upon the exquisite dishes laid out before her—most of them unfamiliar. Due to its harsh climate, Beichuan had always been lacking in food supplies. However, it was rich in mineral resources, and many ingredients were traded from the neighboring Daxia and Nanqi kingdoms.

Even though she held the title of the third young lady in the Su household, neither she nor her mother were favored. Their courtyard only had one maid, Cuizhu, and an old matron. Most matters had to be handled personally by her and her mother. The food they received was always the most basic—sometimes even worse than what the favored servants enjoyed.

As she sat in thought, her stomach let out a loud growl, echoing embarrassingly in the quiet room. Despite her usual calm and composed demeanor, her ears turned a faint shade of red. But it couldn’t be helped—she had been forced to kneel for most of the day yesterday by Shen Xingyue and then fainted afterward. In essence, she hadn’t eaten anything the whole day. Of course she was hungry now, and naturally, she felt weak.

“Let’s eat first—I’ve been starving,” Shen Xingyue said quickly, having heard Su Muyu’s stomach rumble too. She reached out and handed a bowl of pork rib congee to Su Muyu.
“You didn’t eat much at all yesterday. Have some warm food to settle your stomach,” she said gently.

“Thank you, Your Highness.” Shen Xingyue’s actions were so natural that Su Muyu hesitated to eat it. She worried that Shen Xingyue might have put something in the food, perhaps hoping to make her look foolish.

Shen Xingyue served herself a bowl as well. She had expended a lot of energy yesterday and was also quite hungry.

She picked up a porcelain spoon and took a few sips. The congee was just to her taste—thick and silky with rice that melted in her mouth, soft pork ribs, and a sprinkling of chopped scallions. It was light yet flavorful, not greasy in the slightest. She quickly finished nearly half a bowl, then looked up and noticed Su Muyu hadn’t moved her chopsticks.

“Why aren’t you eating? Are you still feeling unwell?” she asked, concerned, especially since Su Muyu’s stomach had clearly been protesting just moments ago.

“No, I’m eating now.” Su Muyu glanced at Shen Xingyue’s bowl and, seeing that she had eaten from it too, finally felt a little more at ease. Right now, she had no choice but to endure. She was like meat on the butcher’s block—resistance was pointless. Better to fill her stomach while she could.

Even so, Su Muyu remained cautious as she ate. She only picked up dishes or pastries after she saw Shen Xingyue try them first.

As Shen Xingyue ate, she began to understand Su Muyu’s hesitation. Clearly, Su Muyu still didn’t trust her—worried she might tamper with the food. How many awful things had the original host done to cause this level of trauma? The poor girl probably had PTSD.

After some thought, Shen Xingyue waved for the maidservants to leave. Eating under others’ watchful eyes wasn’t exactly appetizing, and she couldn’t understand how people in ancient times found that acceptable.

Once the room was quiet again, she turned to Su Muyu and said,
“You don’t have to worry about the food—it’s clean. And I won’t treat you the way I used to.”

Su Muyu was stunned for a moment, caught off guard by how direct she was.
“You must be joking, Your Highness. I never meant to imply such a thing,” she replied quickly.

“Good. Then just eat in peace. Later, I’ll have someone pack your things from Tinglan Pavilion. You’ll be moving here. That place is too remote—not suitable for recovering from illness.” Shen Xingyue smiled as she spoke.

Su Muyu’s hand stiffened around her chopsticks. They slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor. Her face turned pale as she stared at Shen Xingyue. It was a long moment before she finally replied,
“Alright.”

Shen Xingyue’s intentions to humiliate her were impossible to avoid. No matter what Su Muyu did, there was no escaping it. All she could do was hope that once Shen Xingyue had taken what she wanted, she wouldn’t hand her off to someone else. She had no way out. Behind her stood her mother and her young sister—she couldn’t afford to go down fighting.

“Then it’s settled,” Shen Xingyue said. “Later, someone will come take your measurements for a few new sets of clothes. Eat some more—after starving all day yesterday, aren’t you hungry?” She handed Su Muyu a new pair of chopsticks and, noticing that she’d barely touched her food, encouraged her again.

Su Muyu looked up at her, her gaze direct and quiet. It made Shen Xingyue a little uneasy. After all, it was the original host who had caused Su Muyu to go hungry in the first place. Shen Xingyue cleared her throat awkwardly and continued,
“I was wrong yesterday. I won’t ever make you kneel in the snow again. From today on, you’ll stay here with me so you can recover properly.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Su Muyu replied flatly. Of course she didn’t believe her. Shen Xingyue had a history of cruelty. Forcing her to kneel in the snow to force an apology had been nothing unusual—why would she suddenly care about her health now? It was probably just a new method of torture.

From where Su Muyu stood, this situation was already checkmate. She had no real choices. All she could do was take it one day at a time. With that thought in mind, she picked up two more pieces of pastry and began eating. Knowing Shen Xingyue’s temperament, there was no telling when she might change her face again—best to eat while she could.

Seeing Su Muyu finally start to eat again, Shen Xingyue’s expression softened into a slight smile. I’ve brought the heroine to live with me… surely she’ll be touched, even just a little?

Uncertain, she had the system bring up Su Muyu’s affection score again—only to see a bright -220 floating above her head.

What? Shen Xingyue was filled with questions. She had done this all for Su Muyu’s sake—why had the score dropped even more? Just thinking about the original host’s tragic end in the novel made her limbs go cold. Clearly, this coming year was going to be a rough one.

Su Muyu drank another half bowl of pork congee and finally felt full. She glanced toward Shen Xingyue, who was still seated and watching her, with no sign of impatience or annoyance on her face. Testing the waters, Su Muyu spoke softly,
“Your Highness, may I ask where Cuizhu is now? If I’m moving in here… would it be alright for her to come with me?”

“Of course. I’ve already arranged a place for her in Feixue Courtyard. If you want to see her, I’ll have someone bring her over now,” Shen Xingyue said with a smile.

But when she remembered the injury on Cuizhu’s face, her heart tensed again. Please don’t tell me that affection score is going to drop all the way to -300…

Shen Xingyue stood and tugged on the bell rope that connected to the side room. Yiliu arrived quickly with a few maidservants behind her.

“Bring Cuizhu here. Her mistress wants to see her,” Shen Xingyue instructed.

“Right away,” Yiliu responded. She glanced cautiously at Shen Xingyue’s expression. Seeing that her mood seemed normal and Su Muyu was still calmly seated, Yiliu finally relaxed. As a head maid, being able to read the room was crucial.

Before long, Cuizhu arrived. When she saw Su Muyu sitting upright at the table, she was both relieved and emotional—her eyes turned red.
“Miss, are you alright? You scared me so badly yesterday,” she said, voice trembling.

“I’m fine. But you—what happened to your face?” Su Muyu noticed the flush on Cuizhu’s cheek and immediately guessed someone had hit her. Under the table, her hands clenched tightly, and she pressed her lips together to force down the anger rising in her chest.

But even if she knew who it was—what could she do? Her own fate hung by a thread in Shen Xingyue’s hands. How could she protect Cuizhu? She couldn’t. She had dragged her down with her.

Yet Su Muyu had always been proud. She would never bow to others for her own sake—but for the people she cared about, she would.

“It’s nothing, Miss. Don’t worry about me—I’m fine,” Cuizhu said with a reassuring smile. But when she noticed Shen Xingyue, her smile faded slightly. She immediately bowed and said,
“I was so worried about my mistress’s health that I forgot to greet Your Highness. Please punish me if necessary.”

As she spoke, she knelt before Shen Xingyue.

Startled, Shen Xingyue quickly stood up and stopped her.
“That’s enough. Speak while standing. There’s no need to kneel every time you see me.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Cuizhu replied. She glanced at Shen Xingyue’s expression once more. Seeing her still in a good mood, she finally breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

“I’ll be stepping out for a while. Zhou Miao will be by soon to bring your medicine. You’re still not fully recovered from your cold—remember to take it without fuss,” Shen Xingyue said to Su Muyu, making an excuse to give the two a moment alone. After all, the heroine’s health was now tied directly to her own future.

“Alright,” Su Muyu responded quietly. Only once Shen Xingyue had left the room did she quickly get up and move to check Cuizhu’s face.

Lowering her voice, she asked urgently,
“What happened? Was it Shen Xingyue again?”

“No, it was Hexiang and the others. But don’t worry, Miss—Her Highness already expelled the three of them from the prince’s estate. It’s just a small bruise; it’s nothing serious. What about you? You were kneeling in the snow for so long yesterday—are you still in pain?” Cuizhu asked again, now that they were alone. She hadn’t dared say much earlier.

“She actually kicked Hexiang out? How is that possible?” Su Muyu frowned slightly. She couldn’t make sense of Shen Xingyue’s behavior. Hexiang had always been one of her trusted favorites—bossy, arrogant, and full of herself. Why would Shen Xingyue suddenly turn against her?