Chapter 464 – The First Winter (11)
Wei Ci fell silent. He certainly knew how willful the person before him was; reputation meant little to her.
“You will eventually need to restore your original identity. If tonight’s events get out, it won’t reflect well on your reputation.”
Wei Ci struggled to suppress the urge to tremble, biting his tongue in secret to quell the instinctual fear that threatened to surface.
Why was he afraid?
Not just because of the shadows from his past life, but this time, he was even more afraid of being discovered by her and branded as a monster.
Jiang Pengji pretended she didn’t understand. “Isn’t it nice to sleep next to your own subject?”
Wei Ci took a deep breath. He had interacted with this person for many years; rationality told him that the more emotionally charged he became, the easier it was to fall into her trap. This so-called “sleeping next to each other” was either a whim of hers or a more nefarious scheme.
He had to be extraordinarily careful.
“Lady, you jest.” Wei Ci pointed out her gender directly. “You can’t dress as a man forever; someday you must reclaim your identity. Even if our relationship is pure tonight, it can still be used as gossip, tarnishing your reputation. Why won’t you take this seriously?”
Jiang Pengji clicked her tongue.
“I don’t care about such intangible things. Do you care? To the Common People, whoever benefits them is the good person; that’s who they will praise. Conversely, if someone infringes upon their interests, no matter how well they’ve performed in the past, they’ll turn their backs without hesitation. Do you think I need the ‘reputation’ bestowed by these foolish people? Tsk, I don’t want it.”
What good reputation? What bad reputation?
In Jiang Pengji’s view, they were more like invisible shackles imposed upon her.
Wei Ci sighed internally. He had to realize that even if things began differently, the essence of the Emperor remained the same.
“Cai doesn’t care about these empty titles either. Life is but a hundred years; in the end, only a skeleton will remain.” Wei Ci found it somewhat miraculous that he could have such a calm conversation with her, only the setting was less than ideal. “…But… I care about your reputation…”
Almost as if possessed, Wei Ci uttered the unspoken truth buried deep within his heart.
However, as soon as those words escaped his lips, an inexplicable sense of crisis surged from his feet to his brain.
Feeling that slender, pale hand on his neck, a bitter smile tugged at Wei Ci’s lips.
Is this… realizing something’s off about him, thinking he’s a monster, and now wanting to kill him?
At that moment, Wei Ci actually felt his fear dissipate, and his racing heart returned to its normal rhythm.
Jiang Pengji spoke in her usual calm manner, “You really are Wei Ci, Zixiao?”
Wei Ci replied, “Indeed, true as ever.”
After a pause, Jiang Pengji didn’t snap his neck; instead, she expressed interest, saying, “Interesting.”
Initially, she had merely suspected, but now she was fully certain.
Interesting?
Wei Ci felt a chill run down his spine, only to recognize that this was how the Emperor ought to react.
If an ordinary person learned someone had been reincarnated and knew their future trajectory, their first reaction would be fear, perhaps even a desire to eliminate them.
But for the Emperor, this matter seemed to ignite her curiosity.
“You already know about me…” Wei Ci felt his tongue slip out of control, “…What do you want to know?”
Jiang Pengji glanced at him and said, “No need, I’m not interested.”
If at first, it was just suspicion, tonight it was a complete affirmation.
“Why?” Wei Ci asked.
Jiang Pengji scoffed, “It’s like reading a novel — you only got to the beginning, and just when you’re getting interested, someone jumps in to spoil the ending, revealing that the nice guy is actually the disguised villain… Would you thank that blabbermouth or want to smack him?”
Wei Ci: “…”
That makes so much sense; he was speechless.
Jiang Pengji removed her hand and turned over, lying down. “For example, you used your pocket money to buy that game you’ve been longing for, and some idiot pops out to tell you all the hidden secrets and strategies to win every level, turning the unknown into the known. Will you thank him for the handy guide or grab a kitchen knife and chop him up? No matter how others choose, I would definitely pick the latter…”
“Don’t you think… Cai is a monster?”
Wei Ci understood the first analogy but didn’t get the second. However, both metaphors’ essence was the same.
Jiang Pengji smirked, “Even if I’m a monster, I’m an interesting one.”
Wei Ci was momentarily stunned, his cheeks flushing slightly.
After regaining his calm, a hint of sadness reflected in his eyes as he entertained the thought, “Just as I expected.”
No matter how interesting… it was still just a pet, not love, not even liking at that.
Jiang Pengji added meaningfully, “People aren’t stones; they can change.”
What advantage does reincarnation give?
For smart people, success can still be achieved, even without reincarnation.
For fools, avoiding one pit after reincarnation will only lead them into another due to their stupidity.
Reincarnation isn’t remolding; it’s definitely not paying for intelligence.
Over-relying on memories of the so-called past life will only land oneself in a bloody mess.
She believed someone as perceptive as Wei Ci couldn’t possibly miss this point.
She also hoped he wouldn’t let the memories of his so-called previous life muddle his steps and affect his present life.
Compared to Wei Ci’s orderly sleeping posture, Jiang Pengji’s was rather carefree.
Yawning, she couldn’t help but stretch her feet, her soles brushing against Wei Ci’s calf.
A chill shot up her feet, and she instantly jolted awake, losing all drowsiness.
She frowned. “Trust me, you’ll be quite endearing in summer, but in winter, you’re just annoying.”
Jiang Pengji disliked Wei Ci’s low body temperature, while Wei Ci thought she was like a little furnace, instinctively wanting to get closer.
If not for his rational restraint, his body would have betrayed him long ago.
As the night grew deeper, Wei Ci couldn’t hold out much longer, combined with his illness; he dozed off in a daze.
Then—
“Damn, is tonight a no-sleep festival?”
Jiang Pengji tried to push Wei Ci away, though she wasn’t afraid of the cold or heat, who would enjoy having an ice block in the warm bed?
What happened to his good sleeping posture?
Was this how he carried on?
In the end, she gritted her teeth, feeling a bit soft-hearted, allowing him to draw closer unconsciously.
Bored, Jiang Pengji secretly poked the System.
She asked, “Is the anomaly I triggered when I started streaming due to Wei Ci?”
The System wanted to play dead but found itself in Jiang Pengji’s mind domain, where one must bow under the eaves.
It could only begrudgingly respond, “So what if it’s him? If you’re uneasy, just kill him.”
For the suspicious person, knowing someone familiar with their future was indeed dangerous; it kept them from sleeping soundly.
Jiang Pengji scoffed, “You think everyone is like you? That’s why you ended up locked up by me, not the other way around.”
System: “…”
This Jiang Pengji is simply too infuriating; the very worst!
