Transmigrated into the body of the vicious first wife of a fallen prime minister

Qi He was awakened by the icy cold river water.

She was thrown off the pleasure boat and suddenly came to her senses, realizing that she had been left behind by the slowly moving boat.

"Help... Is anyone there...?"

"Help..." The faint cry for help spread across the river, but it didn't travel far.

Her body temperature was slowly dropping, and the alcohol had numbed her limbs. Qi He only struggled on the surface of the river for a few moments before she sank due to exhaustion.

The river water reached above my mouth and nose, and the agonizing pain of suffocation overwhelmed me.

Qi He struggled painfully.

The river water was too cold, and her rudimentary swimming skills were completely useless; her whole body was almost frozen stiff.

Is she going to die?

It looks like he's going to die.

She wasn't killed by the male protagonist after all.

Well, drowning is better than being bitten to death by a poisonous snake.

If you're lucky, you might float to the surface after death and have your body intact.

No, if it floats to the surface, it will become a giant, right?

It's so ugly, I really don't want to...

Or maybe I should just let myself get bitten to death by a snake...

Qi He's throat relaxed slightly, and a string of tiny bubbles rose from the icy river water.

On her deathbed, she was unsure if she had called out Shang Jue's name.

But when I think about myself and the world in this book, I realize that he is the only one who is connected to it.

Just as her consciousness was fading, she suddenly felt someone grab her waist.

Her survival instinct made her struggle again. She barely opened her eyes and saw a blurry figure clinging tightly to her in the dim water.

At this moment, Qi He's thirst for breath had reached its peak.

She couldn't even tell who it was, but instinctively she leaned forward, her lips finding his, and she arrogantly pried open his lips, taking a deep breath of life.

At that moment, she wondered if it was just her imagination.

Qi He felt that the other person froze like a stone for a moment.

When the two surfaced, Qi He clung to them like an octopus.

Of course, if it's loose, it'll just sink to the bottom.

I won't let go, I'd rather die than let go!

Forget about propriety, morality, and shame; who cares when it comes to survival?

She wanted to cling to him, her arms tightly wrapped around his neck, her face buried in his shoulder, coughing up water with tremendous force.

Shang Jue held her with one arm, while struggling to move forward with the other.

Qi He finally caught her breath, breathing in the night air, and the grievances of surviving the ordeal welled up all at once.

She never expected that it was Shang Jue who had saved her at the last minute.

The person who would have ruthlessly pushed her off the cliff in the future has now saved her life in the river.

The contrast was too great, and Qi He felt even more aggrieved. Taking advantage of the darkness, she secretly shed two tears.

A woman doesn't easily shed tears; after all, no one will see them if they fall into the river.

Shang Jue turned his head and saw her secretly crying.

Remembering her delicate nature—calling the doctor even for a small cut on her hand—tonight's ordeal must feel like the sky has fallen on her.

Fortunately, the rescue arrived quickly, and the small boat surrounded them in no time.

The lights flickered on the river. Qi He raised her hand to shield her eyes from the glare. She felt Shang Jue lift her up by the waist and she cooperated by climbing up the edge of the boat.

Even after leaving the icy river, the incredibly clever woman didn't forget her persona of not being able to swim.

Since she's already been rescued, she doesn't need to expose herself.

The pond in Qianjinlou has been fenced off, and even Shang Jue doesn't know that she often goes there to learn to swim with her nanny.

She acted very convincingly, perfectly embodying the image of a pampered young lady who narrowly escaped death.

Of course, half of it was acting, and the other half was genuine fear.

Under the lamplight, the beauty was soaked to the bone, her tight-fitting silk dress outlining her graceful figure. Her beautiful face, frightened, revealed a pale and fragile look that evoked pity.

Her slightly upturned almond-shaped eyes still held a lingering fear, glistening with tears, and her long, thick eyelashes trembled, adorned with tiny water droplets.

The belt was tightly tied, and the fabric of her clothes billowed slightly in the water, revealing a slender and supple waist that shimmered in the moonlight.

Having grown accustomed to Miss Qi's haughty demeanor, the sudden sight of her falling from grace and being so pitifully bullied caused everyone on the ship to stare at her intently, even lowering their breathing.

Qi He cursed inwardly as he crawled.

What are you spacing out for!

Is there no one to lend a hand?

I have to do it myself!

I am now a young lady of the Marquis's mansion!

Several breaths later, everyone came to their senses and quickly helped Qi He out of the water.

As soon as Qi He boarded the boat, she coldly pushed away the nanny who was helping her, and reverted to being the spoiled and difficult Miss Qi.

Shang Jue came up from the river and shook the water off his hair.

Looking up, one could see Qi He sitting alone in the darkest corner at the stern of the boat, exuding an aura that said "keep away."

The old women, holding dry cloaks, dared not approach and could only turn to Shang Jue for help.

Qi He looked truly disheveled at that moment—her lips were pursed, her eyes were red, she was hugging her knees with both hands, and staring intently at the tips of her shoes.

Were you scared?

Shang Jue thought to himself without making a sound.

For a moment, two completely different emotions surged alternately in his heart.

A sense of vengeful satisfaction washed over him; seeing Qi He suffer this fate was truly a matter of karma.

But another thing made him inexplicably irritated, feeling that she shouldn't be in such a sorry state.

Especially seeing that the guards' eyes were still fixed on Qi He, Shang Jue's impatience increased even more.

He stood up and walked to Qi He's side, the small boat swaying slightly with his movement.

Qi He instinctively gripped the rope along the edge of the boat, fearing he would fall into the water again.

She turned her face away, seemingly unwilling to let those around her see her disheveled appearance.

Shang Jue lowered his eyelashes, holding a dry cloak in his hand, and knelt down.

Qi He looked at him with red eyes.

In his seemingly casual gaze, Shang Jue inexplicably sensed a hint of grievance.

Only then did he belatedly realize his responsibilities as Qi He's fiancé.

Should he say something to comfort her?

Then he heard his frail, helpless fiancée, her eyes red and her face turned away, ask with great concern, "Is my makeup smudged?"

Business Strategies: "..."

So that's why you were hiding from everyone at the stern of the boat?

"Please take a look at me quickly!" Qi He hurriedly brought her face closer.

She applied makeup and painted her eyebrows before going out today.

Although it is common for women to dress up, tonight is her birthday banquet, and the nanny who combed her hair did not tell her whether these cosmetics would dissolve in water.

"Is this the first question you asked after you escaped death?" Shang Jue asked expressionlessly, looking down at her.

Qi He retorted confidently, "Isn't that important enough?"

Then she muttered to herself, "It was so dark just now, they probably didn't see me, right? And shouldn't the indigo be water-resistant? If anyone sees that I've smeared my makeup on, I'd rather sink to the bottom of the river!"

Business Strategies: "..."

He seemed to need time to process Qi He's whimsical idea before finally letting out a long breath: "No money spent."

"Really?" Qi He clearly didn't believe it.

"No." Shang Jue simply covered her head with the entire dry cloak.

Qi He was already in a sorry state; if she were to become a complete mess, she would be too ashamed to live.

She breathed a sigh of relief after receiving Shang Jue's confirmation.

But then, an even more serious question arose in her mind: had she just pressed her lips against Shang Jue's underwater lips?

Oh my god...

Qi He gripped her cloak tightly, her face expressionless.

Her toes curled up silently inside the embroidered shoe.

Help!

What was she doing just now?

Do people become bolder when they are about to die?

She just wanted to live, wouldn't Shang Jue think she was taking advantage of him?

She can explain it.

She was truly an innocent woman, and had no improper thoughts about Shang Jue whatsoever!

What should I do... This is so embarrassing!

Qi He wrapped her cloak tighter around herself and secretly glanced at Shang Jue.

Very well, Shang Jue sat there motionless, it seemed he wouldn't settle this score with her anytime soon.

It's okay. As long as Shang Jue doesn't mention it, she'll act as if nothing happened.

If Shang Jue insisted on bringing it up, she would pretend to be dead and deny it, saying that she was out of her mind and didn't remember.

She understood that tonight's events had to be suppressed, otherwise, if they alerted the enemy, they would lose the chance to catch those two rats on the boat.

After getting ashore, Qi He suddenly stopped.

Shang Jue cast an inquiring glance at Qi He, who leaned against the railing and mumbled, "My legs hurt."

Shang Jue looked down and saw that she was indeed putting all her weight on her left foot.

He walked to her side, raised his arm, and gestured for her to help him walk.

They tried to lift it for a few breaths, but Qi He didn't budge.

"I'll help you up," Shang Jue said.

"don't want."

Qi He thought to herself, "Her leg is injured and she's still only walking with support. Doesn't she know that hopping back on one leg would be even more strenuous?"

That bastard has no sense of propriety at all.

Shang Jue remained silent for a while before struggling to understand her meaning and finally asked, "Do you want me to carry you?"

Qi He held her head high with an air of nobility, like a pampered canary.

She still didn't move.

Shang Jue paused again, then changed his approach, asking casually, "Then... may I have you on my back?"

Hmph, that's more like it.