Transmigrated into a Scummy Alpha Playboy in Ancient Times (GL) - Chapter 7

“It’s true, Miss,” Cui Zhu said, finally letting out a breath she’d held for a long time. “Yesterday, Hexiang said something disrespectful about you. The Princess got really angry and ordered the guards to throw Hexiang and the other two out of the manor.”

Cui Zhu’s face was glowing with satisfaction. Ever since she and Su Muyu had arrived at the prince’s residence, they had endured no small amount of bullying from Hexiang.

Su Muyu frowned slightly. She didn’t believe for a second that Shen Xingyue was suddenly being kind. The only explanation that made any sense was that Shen Xingyue had mistaken her for Su Muqiu. Why else would she go this far for her?

Still, it didn’t matter much to Su Muyu. She had no affection for Shen Xingyue—only a deep-rooted disgust. If she could use this brief period of attention to secure a way out for her mother and younger sister, then even if Shen Xingyue eventually turned on her, she’d have no regrets or attachments.

That thought actually gave her some peace of mind. If Shen Xingyue wanted to play games—then fine. She would play along to the very end.

While the two were talking, Yiliu knocked politely from outside.
“Your Highness, Imperial Physician Zhou is waiting outside. Should I bring her in to examine you?”

“Let her in,” Su Muyu replied, looking up.

The servants in the residence had never taken her seriously before because Shen Xingyue had openly disliked her. Now, things had taken a strange turn. Shen Xingyue’s change in attitude had caused the other servants’ behavior toward her to shift drastically.

“Yes, Your Highness.” Yiliu opened the door and stepped inside with Zhou Miao and a few maids. They all bowed respectfully.

“That’s enough. You may rise,” Su Muyu said calmly, looking over them.

“The Princess asked me to check your pulse,” Zhou Miao said, stepping forward. Seeing Su Muyu looking much better than the day before, she felt a little more at ease.

“Go ahead,” Su Muyu replied, lifting her wrist and placing it on the table.

Yiliu, ever observant, quickly had the breakfast dishes cleared from the table to make space for the examination.

“Your fever has mostly gone down,” Zhou Miao said after a moment. “But the cold has settled in your system. You’ll still need to take medicine for a few more days.”

She hesitated to say more. Right now, she wasn’t sure how much Shen Xingyue actually cared about Su Muyu, and didn’t know whether further suggestions would be welcomed or not.

“Alright. Thank you for your help, Doctor Zhou,” Su Muyu said with a nod. She couldn’t afford to be sick—not until her mother and sister were taken care of. As long as Shen Xingyue still mistook her for her older sister, Su Muyu would use that to recover and prepare.

“You’re too kind, Your Highness. I’ll adjust the prescription and send the medicine over shortly,” Zhou Miao responded, then left to return to the medicine hall.

A little while later, Yiliu brought over a tailor, who carefully took Su Muyu’s measurements. As instructed, they planned to make her several sets of winter clothes.

Once everything had been handled, Su Muyu felt exhausted again. Her cold hadn’t fully passed, and she was starting to feel lightheaded. She returned to bed to rest and told Cui Zhu to go get some rest too.

Meanwhile, Zhou Miao headed to the study to change Shen Xingyue’s bandage. When she arrived, Shen Xingyue was sitting at her desk, dazedly staring at a book filled with classical Chinese characters. Beichuan’s script was almost identical to the traditional Chinese she’d studied in her past life. Since she’d majored in Chinese, she could recognize most of the characters. But writing them was a completely different story—it left her totally stumped.

“Your Highness, I’m here to change your bandage,” Zhou Miao said respectfully, watching her carefully.

Shen Xingyue snapped out of her daze and nodded.
“Go ahead. How is the consort doing?”

As she carefully removed the gauze from Shen Xingyue’s forehead, Zhou Miao answered,
“She’s doing much better. I’ll make a few adjustments to her prescription. With two more days of medicine, her condition should stabilize. It’s just…”

“Just what? Speak clearly.”

“It’s just that the consort’s body is very weak. Aside from medicine, it would be helpful to supplement her diet with something nourishing, like bird’s nest soup. That would speed up her recovery,” Zhou Miao said as she finished applying the new dressing.

The wound on Shen Xingyue’s forehead was only the size of a fingernail, and new skin had already started forming. In a few days, it would probably scab over completely.

“Alright, I’ll make arrangements. For now, have your people deliver her medicine directly—don’t let anyone else handle it,” Shen Xingyue instructed.

“Understood. I’ll be careful,” Zhou Miao replied, bowing. After paying her respects, she quickly returned to the medicine hall to prepare the revised herbal mixture.

Shen Xingyue guessed that by now, Su Muyu and Cui Zhu had likely finished talking. She left the study and gave Yiliu instructions to prepare some bird’s nest for later. Then she returned to her bedroom.

As she stepped inside, she saw Su Muyu had already fallen asleep.

Shen Xingyue leaned over and gently touched Su Muyu’s forehead. Once she was sure there was no fever, she finally relaxed a little. Since there wasn’t much else to do, she figured she might as well hold Su Muyu while they slept—it’d even help warm her up a bit.

With that in mind, Shen Xingyue casually slipped off her outer robe and stood beside the brazier for a while, letting the heat warm her body. Once she felt comfortably warm, she quietly lifted the edge of the blanket, climbed into bed, and gently pulled Su Muyu into her arms.

Maybe it was due to her constitution—or simply from years of living in the cold—but even wrapped in a thick quilt, Su Muyu’s body still felt chilly. Shen Xingyue instinctively held her closer and took one of her hands in her own, hoping to warm it up.

In truth, Su Muyu wasn’t fully asleep. She’d already noticed when Shen Xingyue came in. And when she saw her undress, she grew tense, certain that Shen Xingyue was about to do something inappropriate.

Even though she understood that sharing a bed with Shen Xingyue was inevitable sooner or later, she still couldn’t help but freeze in fear.

But to her surprise, Shen Xingyue didn’t climb into bed right away. She stood near the brazier for a while to warm herself, then quietly got into bed and carefully pulled her into an embrace.

They were close—so close she could feel Shen Xingyue’s breath. Afraid of being discovered, Su Muyu didn’t dare open her eyes. She only realized her right hand had somehow ended up in Shen Xingyue’s palm when she felt that warm grip.

Shen Xingyue’s hand was soft and warm, comforting in an unexpected way. Her body radiated a gentle heat too. Slowly, the nerves Su Muyu had held tightly for so long began to relax. Wrapped in that warmth, she finally drifted off into a deep sleep.

When she woke up again, she felt warm all over. Opening her eyes, the first thing she saw was Shen Xingyue’s smiling face.

“You’re awake. Are you feeling any better?” Shen Xingyue asked gently, reaching out to touch her forehead again.

Seeing Shen Xingyue speak to her so softly, Su Muyu’s heart stirred for a moment—but that feeling quickly faded. She reminded herself that Shen Xingyue only treated her this way because she saw her as a stand-in for her older sister. This so-called tenderness wasn’t meant for her at all.

“I’m mostly fine,” she replied quietly. “Just a little dizzy.”

Her cold still hadn’t fully passed, so the discomfort lingered. But Su Muyu had long grown used to such things. Back at the Su residence, whenever she got sick, she always endured it on her own. Only when her condition worsened beyond what she could bear would her father begrudgingly send for a physician.

Her body still felt weak and unsteady, and Shen Xingyue’s arms were so warm and secure that she didn’t bother moving. She simply stayed curled up in her embrace and continued talking. At this point, resistance would only bring her more suffering—she knew that all too well.

“I had them prepare some bird’s nest for you,” Shen Xingyue said as she held her close. “Your body’s weak. You need to eat better and build your strength.”

Holding Su Muyu, Shen Xingyue could feel how slender her waist was—so delicate it seemed like a strong breeze could blow her away. If the heroine wasted away in her arms, there’d be no saving her own skin either.

Remembering what she’d told Yiliu earlier, Shen Xingyue lightly tugged the cord by the bed.

After a short while, the door opened quietly. Yiliu entered carrying a tray with a small porcelain bowl and bowed respectfully near the bed.

“Your Highness, the bird’s nest soup with rock sugar is ready.”

“Good. Give it to me,” Shen Xingyue said, propping herself up with one hand while steadying Su Muyu with the other. She leaned against the headboard and gently let Su Muyu rest against her chest.

Yiliu shot a cautious glance at Shen Xingyue, then handed her the bowl.

“Everything’s fine here. You can go rest,” Shen Xingyue said casually. Holding the bowl, she got ready to feed Su Muyu.

Su Muyu kept her lips tightly pressed together, unsure of Shen Xingyue’s intentions. In Beichuan, snow covered the land for most of the year. Even ordinary vegetables were a luxury. Bird’s nest? That was something only nobility could afford. She didn’t believe for a second that Shen Xingyue would give her something this valuable without a reason.

Noticing Su Muyu’s hesitation, Shen Xingyue gave a small laugh. She lifted the spoon to her own lips and took a sip.

“Relax. It’s just bird’s nest. There’s nothing else in it. See? I drank it first. You believe me now?”

“That’s not what I meant…” Su Muyu replied awkwardly, glancing away. Her gaze fell on the delicate porcelain bowl. To be honest, she had never eaten anything this extravagant before. After seeing Shen Xingyue taste it without issue, she hesitated, then reached out her hand.

“I’ll feed myself,” she said softly.

“Alright. Just hold it carefully and eat slowly,” Shen Xingyue said, placing the bowl in her hands and letting her lean against her while she ate.

As Su Muyu slowly spooned the soup into her mouth, Shen Xingyue’s thoughts drifted. No matter how close they seemed right now, Su Muyu’s every action made it clear—she didn’t trust her at all.

But that wasn’t surprising. The original host had done so many horrible things. Of course Su Muyu would be guarded.

Shen Xingyue made up her mind not to check Su Muyu’s affection score for a while. What if it had dropped even further despite all her efforts? That would definitely break her spirit.

It was better to just focus on doing her best—forget the score. As long as she did right by her, the rest would work itself out.