Chapter 4
The moment those words were spoken, Ji Yan’an finally realized there was a strange warmth beneath her nose.
“W-What?!”
She touched it with her fingers and froze.
Blood.
It was actually blood.
“I-I-I…” She panicked. “It must be because I fell into the water and got shocked!”
Unable to find a handkerchief, she hurriedly raised her sleeve to wipe it away. Before she could, Song Yi stepped forward.
Without a word, Song Yi pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and gently pressed it beneath Ji Yan’an’s nose, carefully wiping away the blood.
They stood incredibly close.
Close enough for Ji Yan’an to see every detail of her face.
Yet the only thing that hadn’t changed was Song Yi’s expression.
It remained calm, distant, and unreadable.
While Song Yi focused on wiping away the blood, Ji Yan’an focused entirely on admiring her face.
No wonder she had once been hailed alongside the original owner of this body as one of the capital’s beauties.
Song Yi wore no makeup.
No expensive powders or rouge.
Even dressed in a worn, faded skirt, she was still a thousand—ten thousand—times more beautiful than any of the women in the Ji residence.
“If you ever dressed up properly…” Ji Yan’an murmured absentmindedly. “Just how stunning would you be…?”
Song Yi’s fingers trembled.
Only for an instant.
Then her expression settled back into its usual stillness, and she continued wiping away the blood.
“I’m not beautiful.”
Her voice was flat.
“And I’m not moving in with you.”
“Why not?”
The question burst from Ji Yan’an before she could stop herself.
Song Yi lifted her eyes.
Those phoenix-shaped eyes were cold and clear, devoid of any visible emotion.
The nosebleed had finally stopped.
And with it, Ji Yan’an lost her excuse to stay.
So, on a snowy winter night, the dignified young miss of the Ji family was unceremoniously thrown out and left standing alone in the snow, looking utterly defeated.
“Miss!”
Jinxi came running over, nearly in tears. She hurriedly wrapped layers of clothing around Ji Yan’an and raised an umbrella over her head, fussing over her with meticulous care.
The attention made Ji Yan’an feel less like a person and more like a fragile porcelain doll.
“Miss! You only just woke up after falling into the water yesterday! How could you come out on a snowy night like this? If the Master asks about it, how am I supposed to explain myself?”
Jinxi wiped her eyes as she spoke.
Ji Yan’an felt a headache coming on.
She took the umbrella herself and dismissed everyone except Le Yan.
Now only the two of them remained standing before Song Yi’s courtyard gate.
The snow showed no sign of stopping.
White flakes drifted down endlessly, blurring the world before her eyes.
“I completely forgot…” Ji Yan’an stared at the tips of her shoes. “Song Yi spent her entire life proud and solitary. She never accepted anyone’s pity or charity.”
A warm tear rolled down her cheek and landed on her exquisitely embroidered shoe.
“It was my approach that was wrong.”
Simple-minded Le Yan didn’t notice she was crying.
She merely assumed Song Yi’s attitude had hurt her feelings.
“Miss…” Le Yan said softly. “Miss Song has always been like this. Please don’t stand here in the cold because of her.”
Ji Yan’an quietly wiped away the moisture gathering at the corners of her eyes.
She couldn’t help grumbling inwardly.
When had she become such a crybaby?
She had only met Song Yi a handful of times, yet every word and action from the girl seemed capable of stirring her emotions.
Song Yi was only seventeen.
By mental age, Ji Yan’an should have been much older.
So why was it that whenever she faced Song Yi, she found herself unable to say what she wanted?
The questions spun endlessly through her mind.
Ignoring Le Yan’s attempts to comfort her, she kept her eyes fixed on the tightly closed gate.
Behind that door was Song Yi.
Alone.
Without even a maid to accompany her.
Only after her entire body had gone numb from the cold did Ji Yan’an finally stumble back toward her own residence.
The snow fell through the entire night.
When Ji Yan’an woke the next morning, her head felt heavy and muddled.
The imperial physician whom Madam Ji had summoned yesterday had not yet left the estate. Hearing that Ji Yan’an was feeling unwell again, he hurried over to examine her pulse.
“Madam need not worry excessively,” the elderly physician said after a moment. “Miss Ji simply caught a chill after falling into the water yesterday. I’ll prescribe several doses of medicine. As long as she takes them and rests properly, she should recover soon.”
His beard was completely white, and he carried himself with the composure of a highly respected court physician.
Even while suffering through her fever, Ji Yan’an couldn’t help analyzing the situation.
The fact that Madam Ji could summon someone of this rank so casually meant her status was far from ordinary.
Unfortunately, the novel had barely mentioned Madam Ji.
Any conclusions would have to be her own speculation.
After thinking for a while, however, Ji Yan’an gave up.
She was a patient.
Patients weren’t supposed to be brainstorming.
After escorting the physician out, Madam Ji and the others quickly returned to check on her.
The bedroom, which had finally become quiet, filled with people again.
Ji Yongning had gone to court, so the concubines and daughters from the inner residence all took the opportunity to crowd around Ji Yan’an, eager to ingratiate themselves.
The noise only made her pounding headache worse.
“Madam! Someone has arrived from the palace!”
Jinxi’s voice rang out above the chatter.
The room instantly fell silent.
Everyone turned toward Madam Ji.
At that moment, Third Concubine—Ji Tong’an’s mother—spoke up hesitantly.
“Madam… yesterday’s incident already caused quite a stir. There really wasn’t any need to summon an imperial physician. Now that word has reached the palace…”
She stopped halfway through her sentence.
Madam Ji’s gaze alone was enough to frighten her into silence.
“What?”
Madam Ji’s voice turned cold.
“My daughter nearly lost her life after falling into the water. I used my own command token to summon a physician, and you dare object?”
Third Concubine’s face immediately flushed red.
To be honest, even Ji Yan’an was annoyed.
She had nearly died.
And this woman was still worried about political appearances?
“Since Third Aunt has so much free time,” Ji Yan’an said coolly, “perhaps you should spend it teaching your daughter some manners. Yesterday, Ji Tong’an’s loose tongue nearly harmed the person who saved my life.”
Her eyes were icy.
She might have ended up in an ancient world, but that didn’t mean she intended to let herself be bullied by ancient people.
Third Concubine looked ready to argue.
Before she could, however, Jinxi hurriedly urged everyone outside.
Madam Ji led the way.
Several older servants followed behind her.
But before they could leave Ji Yan’an’s courtyard, a group of women entered and blocked their path.
“There’s no need for Madam to come greet us.”
The leading woman smiled.
“We’ll simply go visit Yan’an ourselves.”
Her clothing and jewelry rivaled Madam Ji’s, and her every gesture carried an air of arrogance and entitlement.
After discreetly questioning Jinxi, Ji Yan’an finally learned the woman’s identity.
She was the mother of the current Third Prince.
The only Dowager Consort in the empire.
“The Third Prince…”
Ji Yan’an’s hands clenched into fists beneath the blanket.
“The Third Prince…”
Liang Jingcheng.
The male protagonist of the original novel.
The scumbag who would eventually betray Song Yi.
Jinxi stood nearby, confused by her sudden anger.
Before she could ask, Madam Ji was already escorting the Dowager Consort inside.
With no other choice, Jinxi tucked the blankets around Ji Yan’an before hurrying to the doorway to kneel in greeting.
Ji Yan’an watched everything coldly.
Privately, she made up her mind.
No matter what happened, she absolutely would not kneel to this old witch.
The old witch entered the room wearing a broad smile.
The sight alone nearly startled Ji Yan’an.
Clutching her blanket, she watched as the woman sat intimately beside her bed, first stroking her hair and then patting her soft little hand.
The mere sight of that face made Ji Yan’an feel sick.
Being touched by her only made it worse.
Still, no matter how disgusted she felt, she had to endure it.
Desperate, she pretended to be weak and exhausted, hoping the woman would take the hint and leave.
Unfortunately, the old witch had no intention of going anywhere.
She barely paid attention to Madam Ji, yet seemed determined to keep fussing over Ji Yan’an.
Inside her head, Ji Yan’an screamed:
Is this entire family of protagonists insane?!
The moment she finished ranting internally, the Dowager Consort glanced toward Madam Ji and spoke.
“My son came as well.”
“He is currently speaking with your son in the main hall.”
“On the way here, I heard that the girl you adopted—Song Yi—was responsible for Yan’an’s fall into the water.”
She smiled faintly.
“I believe the matter deserves a proper resolution. Otherwise, I won’t be able to explain it to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager.”
Her gaze sharpened.
“Bring Song Yi with us.”
“We’ll all go to the main hall together.”
Ji Yan’an had nearly drifted off from her fever.
The moment she heard those words, her eyes snapped open.
Song Yi?
That scumbag wanted to see Song Yi?
“No!”
The previously weak and sickly Ji Yan’an suddenly sat upright.
Her chest tightened with anger.
Before Madam Ji could even respond, she shouted at full volume.
The sudden outburst was so loud that it nearly frightened the Dowager Consort right off her chair.
And for one glorious moment, Ji Yan’an felt considerably better.
