TCN: Mei Gongqing

Chapter 1: For what?

It was another full moon night.

Behind the silk screens in the storied loft, candle wax slowly dripped, highlighting a pair of shadows that were joining as one.

Chen Rong stood dazedly under a banyan tree as she motionlessly watched the couple clinging to each other, her lips pressing into a tight line unknowingly.

In the burning lamplight, a sound of laughter unbrokenly came her way. It was jubilant and bright, as if pain never existed in this world, as if it were the brilliance of spring flowers themselves.

A soft voice unexpectedly rose behind her: "So it's you? Hadn't His Lordship abandoned you? Why are you still here? Oh, that's right, at your tearful request, he had agreed to let you stay a few more days."

With these vicious words came a burst of fragrance. A dainty figure was now standing next to Chen Rong's side. She followed Chen Rong's gaze, and when she saw the pair of joined shadows on the storied loft, her lips drew into a hard line.

Nevertheless, though her eyes were filled with jealousy, she became delighted at the sight of Chen Rong standing in a daze. Her soft laughter sounded again: "Dear me, is that not your cousin? You did everything possible to get rid of her so that His Lordship would take you as his wife. You must not have thought that what isn't yours would never belong to you and that one day your cousin would still come back to take what was her."

The dainty woman clucked her tongue and smiled. "Scheming all sorts of calculations only to get discarded. Ah Rong of the Chen house, if I were you, I'd set myself on fire to erase it all!"

She offered one line after another, aggressive and vicious. But no matter how taunting and sarcastic she may be, the rival in front of her never spoke a word. At this moment, Chen Rong who had always been contentiously insidious seemed to have become a whole other person. She was just staring away at the entwining shadows behind the screens, motionlessly and with an ashen face.

Not receiving a response, the dainty woman gave a laugher. "Oh that's right, I heard that after His Lordship married you, he had not touched you once. Tsk, tsk, tsk, how regrettable for the famed beautiful and talented Ah Rong of the Chen house. His Lordship had always looked down on you!"

Her words were like a sword that drew blood from Chen Rong's heart.

This translation belongs to hamster428.

With a rustle, Chen Yong who had been standing in a daze suddenly turned around.

In her lifeless eyes was a frightening dreariness. The moment she saw her glare, the dainty woman could not help herself from retreating backward.

Chen Rong took a step toward her.

Stunned, she retreated while hastily demanding: "You... what do you want to do?"

Chen Rong faced the panicking woman with a cold smile. Unknowingly, she had forced her to press back against the banyan tree.

At the time the woman's scream was heard, only a cold light flashed by. "Thud," a dagger had flown past her hair and firmly drove into the trunk, three inches deep.

The dainty woman gave a frightful scream.

"Shut up!" Chen Rong growled a growl full of murderous intent. The woman shuddered and actually closed her mouth.

Chen Rong stared at her. Under the moonlight, her eyes were as dark and deep as wolves'.

"Originally," she coldly began, "I was going to kill you. But after thinking about it, you are quite adept at pretending that you've always managed to draw his attention. If I keep you alive, I can still give that cousin of mine some heartaches."