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

Qi He nodded with a rather haughty air, like a peacock bestowing a favor, and slowly climbed onto Shang Jue's back.

If she hadn't gone to find him, she wouldn't have encountered such a thing, being thrown into the river.

Therefore, it is only natural for Shang Jue to carry her on his back now.

The guards and maids escorted them to the top floor of the painted boat. Qi Zheng had been pacing around the corridor countless times, his anxiety almost overflowing. It seemed that if he couldn't find them soon, he would have to jump into the river himself to rescue them.

Qi Zheng's brows finally relaxed when he saw that Qi He had returned safely.

Qi He slid off Shang Jue's back, lowered her head, and dared not look at him, only calling out in a muffled voice, "Big Brother..."

Qi Zheng's eyes suddenly reddened.

Ever since Qi He was kidnapped when she was young, he had never seen his spoiled little sister so disheveled.

All the doctors on the pleasure boat were summoned to the top-floor cabin. Qi He hopped into the clean room on one foot, hurriedly changed into dry clothes, took a hot bath, and only after wrapping herself in new clothes did she let out a long sigh of relief.

This feels so comfortable; this is the kind of life a human being should live...

She lingered in the clean room for a long time, repeatedly examining herself in a bronze mirror with a rhombus pattern.

The thin layer of powder on her face was washed away by the water, revealing a naturally beautiful face. Her eyes were slightly drooping, and her lips, which had been pale, slowly returned to their usual pinkish-red color.

She looked at herself with satisfaction, feeling that her face no longer showed any trace of the disarray from falling into the water, and that she could simply change her clothes and go straight to the banquet.

There was a small cut on his lower lip, caused by Shang Jue's teeth.

Qi He stared at the mirror for a moment, and perhaps because of the steam in the clean room, a thin blush slowly rose to the base of her ears.

She'd lived this long, and her first kiss had been lost so carelessly at the bottom of the river...

She then scooped up a handful of cool water and washed her face, rinsing away the heat from her cheeks.

"You bastard, you've lost a fortune!"

Qi Zheng forced her to have the doctor examine her from head to toe, but in the end, all he could come to was a conclusion—

My right leg got a cut from the edge of the boat when I fell into the water; some medicine will do the trick.

But Qi Zheng still frowned, as if Qi He had suffered a terrible injury.

Qi He had no choice but to coax him softly for a few moments until this money-making man's expression softened, and then she carefully recounted what she had overheard on the pleasure boat.

As Qi Zheng listened, his brows furrowed even more deeply.

Qi He speculated, "There are over two hundred guards on the pleasure boat tonight, and the guests' backgrounds have all been investigated. Yet someone still managed to sneak in. Perhaps it's an inside man among our own people."

Qi Zheng nodded: "That's right."

Qi He added, "I don't have many enemies. If I count them all, there's only one, Qi Cheng. But the two of them tonight didn't seem to be targeting me."

Qi Zheng pressed further, "Who is that being directed at?"

Qi He thought for a moment: "I'm afraid it's aimed at Shang Jue."

Before he could finish speaking, the door was pushed open from the outside.

Qi Lanlan stood at the door, still catching her breath, as if she had rushed over. Her delicate face was tense: "I heard that my second sister had an accident. How is she now?"

Qi Zheng's anger flared up again, and he launched into a tirade against Qi Lanlan: "If you had come any later, you would have been collecting your second sister's corpse!"

"You've come at the right time. The maids on the pleasure boat were under your supervision. Tell me, how did these villains manage to sneak in?"

Qi Lanlan's face turned pale: "Big brother, it was my oversight. I will definitely find out the truth."

Qi Zheng sneered: "Was it your negligence, or did you conspire with someone?"

Qi Lanlan trembled, her eyes immediately welling up with tears, and her voice choked with sobs: "Big brother, I didn't! Second sister is my own sister, how could I harm her?"

She hurried to the bedside and explained hastily, "Think about it, if I really had malicious intentions, why would I choose to attack Second Sister's birthday banquet? Besides, I'm in charge of all the nannies, and if something happens, I'll be the first one held accountable. Why would I do something so foolish?"

In fact, she was not very suspicious, after all, she was in charge of the nanny, not the guard.

Qi Lanlan was pretty, and her crying made her look pitiful. Qi Zheng hadn't really intended to punish her, but her crying annoyed him, so he waved his hand and said, "I never said you did it, why are you crying!"

Qi He, who often shed tears in front of her brother, silently turned her face away.

"It's not Qi Lanlan." Shang Jue, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

Qi He glanced at him and thought to herself, "Whoa!"

Is this the kind of hero saving the damsel in distress that is often described in storybooks?

It's kind of exciting.

She quickly shook off the image of the novel "The Pretty Sister-in-Law Steals Her Brother-in-Law" from her mind, thinking that the male lead actually liked someone as pretty and charming as Qi Lanlan.

Qi He's gaze lingered subtly on the two of them.

It's no wonder that Shang Jue would be interested in Qi Lanlan, given her pitiful appearance.

Qi Zheng said coldly, "Then who do you think it is?"

Shang Jue said in a flat tone, "I will give you an explanation in two days."

Qi Zheng snorted: "I hope you keep your word!"

He was quite displeased with Shang Jue for speaking up for Qi Lanlan. Qi He was his rightful fiancée, and his own wife was still lying in bed, shaken. Yet Shang Jue was already making excuses for his sister-in-law. It was simply outrageous.

However, the matter was temporarily dropped.

Qi He's current appearance is not suitable for her to appear in public, so Qi Zheng will handle all the social engagements for her.

Suddenly, only Qi He, Qi Lanlan, and Shang Jue remained in the cabin.

The three of them sat separately, each feeling like the one who was superfluous.

Qi He thought to herself: Maybe I should just pretend to be asleep. You can have your romance and just pretend I'm dead.

Qi Lanlan pondered: Qi He and Shang Jue are still engaged, so staying now would only invite gossip. Besides, Shang Jue just helped her, so she couldn't be too hasty.

Shang Jue remained calm on the surface, but in his heart he thought that the Qi family's affairs had nothing to do with him, an outsider.

The silence was so oppressive that Qi He felt a chill run down her spine, and she wished she could call Hu Ying over and have her chatter on and on all night.

A scoundrel of a man is never as reliable as a sister.

Just as she was feeling anxious, Qi Lanlan stood up first and said gently, "Second Sister, if there's nothing else, I'll go out now."

Upon hearing this, Qi He quickly called out to her, "Wait!"

If you leave, won't she be left alone to stare at Shang Jue?

That would be incredibly embarrassing!

Qi Lanlan tilted her head, waiting for her to speak. Qi He's mind raced, and she quickly came up with an excuse: "That thief might still be on the ship. It's not appropriate for you to go out alone. Let Shang Jue escort you."

She was almost impressed with her own cleverness; she had managed to get two people away at once!

It gave the male protagonist and his white moonlight some time alone, while also allowing herself to have some peace and quiet.

Qi Lanlan naturally wouldn't refuse since Qi He had spoken, but she cursed him inwardly as an "idiot."

She was just worried about not having a reason to approach Shang Jue, and then her foolish older sister just handed her the opportunity.

The room door clicked shut, and Qi Lanlan and Shang Jue walked side by side under the corridor.

Qi Lanlan thanked her softly, with a hint of tears glistening in her eyes: "If it weren't for you just now, my brother would probably have scolded me all night."

Shang Jue simply replied with two words: "It's alright."

Qi Lanlan asked again, "I heard you're the one who rescued Second Sister. She wasn't hurt, was she?"

Shang Jue remained nonchalant: "No."

Qi Lanlan noticed that he was soaking wet and hadn't even changed his clothes. The river breeze in May was still a bit chilly, so she whispered a word of advice: "Go and change your clothes quickly, or you'll catch a cold."

Her voice was low, conveying a sense of intimacy.

But she only said this one sentence and then said nothing more. She also vaguely sensed that Shang Jue's mind was not on this. He seemed absent-minded and didn't know what he was thinking.

During this time, she also realized that she couldn't be too hasty in dealing with business strategies.

It's okay, she can take her time. When Shang Jue returns to the capital, she will be able to provide him with even greater assistance.

There will be plenty of opportunities then.

......

Qi He was finally the only one left in the cabin, and she immediately sent someone to call Hu Ying over.

Hu Ying had been anxiously pacing around, but there were too many people around to get close enough. As soon as she received the news, she lifted her skirt and ran over.

Upon entering, he first looked her up and down, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she was alright.

Qi He pulled Hu Ying to the edge of the bed, her ears turning red as she stammered for a long time before finally managing to say, "I have something I want to ask you."

Hu Ying was taken aback. Qi He had always been fearless and daring. When had she ever been so hesitant?

There are ghosts!

Sure enough, after hesitating for a while, Qi He whispered, "I have a close female friend..."

Hu Ying: "..."

Is this close friend yourself?

Qi He's ears turned even redder, and she glared at her: "Do you still want to hear it?"

Hu Ying nodded hurriedly.

Qi He twisted her sleeves, her voice growing softer and softer: "It was my close friend who accidentally fell into the water one time, and then, by accident... kissed a man."

After saying that, he quickly added, "Of course, it's just for transferring energy!"

Hu Ying gasped, nearly jumping off the couch. She covered her mouth tightly to stifle a scream, paced around the cabin several times before sitting down again, her eyes gleaming as she asked, "And then?"

Seeing her reaction, Qi He was even more unable to speak, but since she had already started, she could only bite the bullet and continue: "She was afraid that person would misunderstand and think she was deliberately taking advantage of him..."

Hu Ying said firmly, "How could that be! Being kissed is his blessing. How many people in the world have such a good fortune?"

Qi He was skeptical: "Really? She's afraid that person will think she's not a respectable woman and might develop bad intentions towards her..."

Hu Ying stated unequivocally, "Absolutely not!"

"Don't worry, your close friend is definitely innocent. In that situation, who could care about anything else? At most, he was just trying to save someone's life."

Qi He said "Oh" and nodded thoughtfully.

Just as Hu Ying was about to say something more, she heard Qi He ask quietly, "Then... when you use your breath to save someone, will you stick out your tongue?"

Hu Ying was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, lying on the couch clutching her stomach, tears streaming down her face.

Qi He, embarrassed and angry, shoved her: "What are you laughing at!"

Hu Ying wiped away her tears and said, "No, it's nothing. I just think your close friend is just too lucky..."

Qi He blushed even more angrily: "If you laugh at me again, I'm not talking to you anymore!"

Hu Ying quickly stopped laughing, but the corners of her mouth still couldn't help but turn up.

Qi He vaguely recounted the rest of the story, omitting only the details of his embarrassing fall into the water, and twisted the story to present it as someone else's affair to Hu Ying.

After hearing this, Hu Ying was quite certain that this close friend was Qi He herself.

"So what do you plan to do about your close friend?" Hu Ying asked her.

Qi He was stunned for a moment: "What? What do we do?"

Hu Ying said, "She can't just pretend nothing happened, can she? Won't that person come and ask her?"

Qi He's face flushed even more: "She...she wants to play dead. As long as the other party doesn't mention it, she'll pretend it never happened."

Hu Ying gave a meaningful "hmm," drawing out the last syllable.

Qi He felt a little guilty after hearing her "hmm," and turned her face away from her.

She buried herself in the blankets and sighed softly.

Well, things will work themselves out eventually. As long as she stubbornly refuses to admit it, Shang Jue can't pry her out of her mouth.

Seeing her like this, Hu Ying covered her mouth, which she couldn't close, and quietly retreated.

What right does she, an outsider, have to meddle in the young couple's romance?