Transmigrated as the Villainess, She Made the General Blush - Chapter 99

Chapter 99

“General, I am merely sending people to tailor a few sets of clothes for you. How has that become a matter of forcing you?”

Xiao Wangshu looked up at him. Her bright, beautiful face radiated vitality, yet her eyes were as still as an ancient well, so deep that one could not see the bottom.

Chen Chu looked into her eyes and remained silent for a long time before finally speaking.

“Then I have misunderstood your meaning, Miss. Please forgive me. I am a coarse man and often cannot fathom your thoughts. Whatever you wish to do, or whatever you want, please speak plainly with me.”

He truly wanted to protect her.

But he did not like the excessive suspicion she carried when facing him.

Clothing was a personal matter; it wasn’t something to be gifted lightly. It wasn’t that he was overthinking, but rather that her every move today had indeed been strange.

It was like her, yet unlike the version of her that usually appeared before him.

It was more like the version of her that was currently calculating something.

Chen Chu was a straightforward speaker. Since he had laid things out so clearly, Xiao Wangshu could only give a helpless smile.

“Does the General truly want me to speak plainly?”

“Yes. Please speak plainly, Miss,” Chen Chu said, gazing at her with a hint of stubbornness.

Xiao Wangshu met his gaze, her red lips parting slightly as she spoke each word with clarity. “General, my marriage is far too beyond my control. Today it is Tuoba Yunxiao; there is no telling who it might be tomorrow.

“In this world, too many men treat women as mere appendages. I am unwilling-unwilling to live out my days in the inner courtyard, trapped in a single corner, and unwilling to give up my industries to stay home and raise children.

“I need a husband. A husband who will not interfere with my affairs, and who is willing to understand and support me.”

In her previous life, she had never married. That era was more lenient toward women’s marriage prospects, and what she could gain after marriage was no more than what she had before, so it was better to remain single.

But in this life, when it came to the matter of marriage, she truly had no choice.

After Xiao Wangshu finished speaking, the private room fell into a heavy silence.

After a long while, Chen Chu spoke. “I understand what you mean, Miss.”

He wasn’t anyone special to her; he was simply the right fit.

To be useful to her and needed by her in this way-for a moment, he couldn’t quite describe the feeling in his heart.

“And what is the General’s intent?” Xiao Wangshu asked him.

Chen Chu looked down into her eyes, unable to bring himself to refuse. He simply said, “If you need me, I am willing to cooperate.”

With the deal struck, it should have been a good result, yet Xiao Wangshu did not feel much joy at this moment.

“The General’s arrival today was sudden, and my request was also somewhat abrupt. Have you not yet recovered your senses, General?” Xiao Wangshu asked further.

Chen Chu fell silent again.

Then, he spoke to ask her: “I have heard that you were previously very passionate toward Second Young Master Mu, loving him deeply. By settling for me in this way, are you truly… willing, Miss?”

He had occasionally overheard some of the rumors in the Capital.

At the time, he hadn’t taken them to heart, merely thinking that this Fourth Miss was excessively willful and lacked a sense of the bigger picture.

But now that he had actually drawn close to her and come to know her, he found it truly difficult to imagine how a woman as calm and wise as her could chase after and sacrifice so much for a man.

To love Mu Yunze to such an extent and then marry him instead-what was that all about?

“I said the General looked a bit angry; it seems I wasn’t mistaken.”

Xiao Wangshu smiled faintly. Under Chen Chu’s complicated gaze, she continued, “Firstly, General, I do not feel that I am ‘settling’ for you.

“The General might not know, but there are many men in the Capital, and quite a few peers whose backgrounds match mine. However, the men of the great families are arrogant; few are willing to let their wives outshine them.

“In this regard, I greatly admire the General’s honesty and respect toward me.

“Secondly, to compare yourself to Mu Yunze is to belittle yourself far too much.

“‘Very passionate, loving him deeply.’ I do not know which teahouse the General was passing by when he heard such things. But I can tell the General clearly: from beginning to end, I have never felt any romantic affection for Mu Yunze.”
“As for getting close to Mu Yunze, it was only because I discovered that some businesses in the Capital have owners colluding with government officials. They were hidden quite deeply and seemed to originate from the Mu Mansion, so I spent some time investigating.

“Perhaps the methods I used weren’t very graceful, but the truth was uncovered nonetheless.”

“Who?” Chen Chu pressed.

Xiao Wangshu’s gaze was clear and her voice certain as she answered, “Mu Shuhao.”

After hearing Xiao Wangshu’s explanation, Chen Chu’s hand, which had been hanging at his side, tightened slightly. The frustration that had been stifling his chest mostly dissipated.

Compared to the rumors on the streets, he was more willing to believe her firm explanation.

Chasing after a man and sacrificing herself for him-that didn’t sound like her.

But deliberately approaching Mu Yunze and the Mu Mansion under the guise of love to uncover the truth? That sounded exactly like something she would do.

“In the future, if there is such a matter, you can leave the investigation to me.”

She was a young lady of a noble household; such things were naturally difficult for her to investigate. It must have been hard on her to have to resort to such a scheme.

“Alright,” Xiao Wangshu agreed immediately. Then, she asked with a smile, “So, is the General still angry now?”

It was that coaxing tone again, like she was talking to a child, making Chen Chu’s ears burn.

Seeing that Chen Chu didn’t answer, Xiao Wangshu continued, “Your arrival today was sudden. Perhaps I’m being self-indulgent, but I don’t quite believe you came just to look at horses.

“That is why I made an even more sudden request, once again presumptuously feeling that you wouldn’t refuse me.

“General, you and I have a bond forged in life and death. To me, you are different from everyone else.

“I trust my own judgment, and I believe that you are my best choice.

“You don’t need to feel any pressure; this is a mutual agreement. If you are unwilling, I will respect your wishes.”

Based on her understanding of Chen Chu, he always went straight to the point without any deviation. If he wanted to choose a horse, he should have appeared at the horse market, not the Jade Feast Pavilion.

Xiao Wangshu’s words were incredibly blunt. For the first time, Chen Chu realized that her being completely honest with him was actually quite overwhelming.

“Miss…” Chen Chu opened his mouth, truly not knowing how to respond.

Finally, he blurted out dryly, “I am entirely at your command.”

The smile at the corners of Xiao Wangshu’s mouth deepened as she gave a graceful curtsy. Her voice was half-polite and half-teasing as she said, “Then I must thank the General.”

The tips of Chen Chu’s ears turned a shade redder. He pursed his lips and said to her, “One more thing… in the future, if you have something to say, please just tell me directly. There’s no need to… no need to be so indirect like you were just now.”

He wasn’t used to her acting that way.

“Just now… like what?” Xiao Wangshu asked. She reached out and brushed her hand over Chen Chu’s belt, then asked him, “Like this?”

Seeing Chen Chu’s ears turn a violent red at a visible speed-a flush that traveled all the way down to his neck-Xiao Wangshu couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Chen Chu was at a complete loss. He stood there awkwardly, his body stiff, staring blankly as she laughed.

Once Xiao Wangshu had laughed her fill, she returned to the table and sat down. She raised a hand to wipe a stray tear from the corner of her eye and said to him, “The General is truly adorable. My days ahead should be quite interesting.”

She had experienced abandonment by her parents, betrayal by employees, and assassination attempts by rivals. She had seen far too many entanglements of love and hate between men and women.

She had always believed that no emotion in this world could last a lifetime.

A partnership was the strongest connection between people she could imagine.

Chen Chu’s sincerity and openness were things she had never felt from any of her previous partners.

Like warm sunlight, he radiated a fatal temptation toward her.