I'm Competing With The Male Lead For A Woman - Chapter 22

Xiao Jin looked at the snow-colored robe in Chu Shao’s hands. Her face was expressionless, but she had a feeling that the other person was giving her a shroud to wear.

It was true that the white peony was beautiful, but it was absolutely not a good match for her.

Not to mention that the original owner’s temperament had nothing to do with this flower. Even she herself didn’t want to wear such a magnificent and snow-white robe.

To put it nicely, it was ethereal. To put it bluntly, it was no different from wearing mourning clothes.

“This dress suits Your Highness’s figure very well. If it’s inconvenient for you to change, I can stay and help you.”

Chu Shao didn’t seem to mind Xiao Jin’s cold expression. A gentle smile hung on her face, revealing a hint of anticipation.

Xiao Jin felt a little creeped out. She refused. “Do you have any black clothes prepared? I don’t usually wear white.”

“Your Highness, you don’t know this, but the people all know that you prefer black. If you sit in a wheelchair wearing black, you will inevitably attract attention. But if you wear a white robe and wrap this around yourself…”

Chu Shao took out a thin white silk scarf from the side. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her eyes still held a gentle smile. “At that time, the people will definitely not be suspicious.”

Xiao Jin looked at the white silk scarf, and her heart skipped a beat.

At first, she thought this was a belt that Chu Shao had found for her. But then she remembered that the other person was already holding a jade belt in her hand. Therefore, this was probably not a belt.

She stared at the narrow and thin white scarf for a long time. In a daze, Xiao Jin recalled some plots from xianxia novels where the female protagonist jumped off the Immortal-Slaying Platform.

If there were no surprises, was this scarf…

Used to cover her eyes?

Xiao Jin looked up at Chu Shao and didn’t say anything. After all, she wasn’t sure if the other person meant that.

What if she was just overthinking? It would be so awkward.

Chu Shao didn’t let Xiao Jin stay in uncertainty for too long. She looked at Xiao Jin’s eyes gently and explained, “If you don’t cover them with a white scarf, Your Highness’s eyes will be too conspicuous.”

“Too conspicuous?”

Xiao Jin was silent. Eyes were on a person’s face. If they weren’t for being conspicuous, then what were they for?

If they weren’t conspicuous, should her nose, ears, and mouth be?

Just as Xiao Jin was in a daze, Chu Shao actually gave a serious answer. “Yes, because your eyes are very beautiful.”

A smile was on her lips. She didn’t seem to think that “beautiful eyes” was an unfitting compliment for the Prince of Yan of Northern Qi.

In fact, Xiao Jin’s eyes were indeed very beautiful, like a cold incense burner that had been lit, cool and indifferent to the bone.

If these eyes were on a woman, they would probably bring disaster to the country. If they were on a man, they would be too feminine and not very masculine.

If Xiao Jin’s status wasn’t high enough now, people would probably gossip behind her back, asking why the dignified Northern Qi Killing God had a pair of beautiful, indifferent, and feminine eyes.
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However, Xiao Jin didn’t take Chu Shao’s praise seriously.

Because she believed that the reason Chu Shao had given her a white silk scarf was definitely not to help her with her disguise.

If it was to satisfy some kind of special fetish, Xiao Jin would believe it. After all, Chu Shao seemed like a person with many interests.

After staring at Chu Shao for a long time, Xiao Jin considered the limited time and chose to give in.

She took the white silk scarf and said calmly, “Thank you, Princess Consort, for thinking of everything.”

When Chu Shao saw Xiao Jin take the white silk scarf, the smile on her face deepened.

Her heart was beating a little fast.

It seemed that she was indeed looking forward to the blooming of the white peony.

She believed that if it were Xiao Jin, the blooming color would not be too vulgar. Perhaps it would be a different kind of strange sight.

Chu Shao stood there smiling. She wanted to witness the moment the white peony bloomed, but she found that Xiao Jin was looking up and staring at her indifferently, seemingly not planning to change.

She was a little confused, but because she couldn’t suppress the excitement in her heart, she asked softly, “Your Highness, are you looking at me because you think something is wrong, or does this dress not fit well?”

Xiao Jin looked at Chu Shao and felt that the female lead really didn’t treat her as an outsider.

After thinking for a moment, she managed to organize her words. “No, but I need to change my clothes now. The Princess Consort should probably wait outside.”

Chu Shao’s lips still held a smile. The word “avoidance” had never appeared in her dictionary.

However, Xiao Jin’s attitude seemed very firm. There wasn’t even a hint of a smile on her face. So Chu Shao became even more curious while being confused.

It was just putting on a robe. It was nothing. But Xiao Jin was ruthlessly asking her to leave. What was hidden in there?

Exploring other people’s secrets was the thing that made Chu Shao the happiest.

Although Chu Shao had never had much patience, if a person had many secrets, like a gift wrapped in layers, she would enjoy being tantalized.

This would make Chu Shao full of anticipation during the waiting process.

Unwrapping the gift little by little would make the final result unforgettable.

Thinking of this, Chu Shao smiled. “Then I’ll wait for you outside.”

But when Chu Shao reached the threshold, she heard Xiao Jin’s indifferent voice. “The Princess Consort has the beauty to topple cities. You should also disguise yourself, or you’ll be easily recognized by others.”

Chu Shao stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Xiao Jin.

That face was still indifferent. Even while sitting in a wheelchair, she was like a person standing alone on a bridge, looking at the distant mountains with a layer of snow on her eyebrows.

If someone else had complimented her on having the beauty to topple cities, Chu Shao would probably feel disgusted. But if it was Xiao Jin, it didn’t sound like there was any obvious malice.

Although there was a hint of teasing and revenge, Xiao Jin’s tone was calm, more like she was stating a fact.

Her mood became even more pleasant.

Chu Shao didn’t understand why she was happy, but she still gave a faint smile. “I understand.”

••••

Fengyang City was located in a secluded area. Most of the houses inside were simple. Few were as magnificent as the residence that Old Zhang had found.

It was winter now, and the colors of all things had mostly withered.

Even the courtyard was devoid of greenery. There was only a pond of withered lotuses and a few koi swimming slowly under the thin ice.

The weather was freezing, and the pond water was cold.

The koi were not swimming freely, as if they were being frozen by the water. They swam very slowly.

Su Tan stood by the bridge, looking at the fish swimming around below. She felt that time was also passing very slowly.

In fact, this was not Su Tan’s imagination. It had been an hour since Chu Shao pushed Xiao Jin into the main courtyard.

According to the original plan, it was only supposed to be a matter of changing clothes. But for some reason, the two had been dawdling for so long.

It was very boring for Su Tan, a “nameless” physician who didn’t need to disguise herself, to stand in the courtyard and wait.

Su Tan looked at the coarse blue clothes she was wearing. She felt that even if she didn’t disguise herself, no one would recognize who she was.

After all, she had traveled for many years and hadn’t been involved in worldly affairs for a long time. If the Yao Kingdom hadn’t been suddenly destroyed and she hadn’t met Chu Shao, she would have almost forgotten the old matters and the sins she carried.

Before long, the koi went into the bottom of the pond and wagged their tails. They went somewhere unknown.

Su Tan sighed softly. She turned around, only to see a corner of a snow-colored robe by the bamboo wheelchair.

For a moment, Su Tan was stunned.

Because that white peony was blooming too brightly, and the desolation in the courtyard was immediately swept away.

As far as her eyes could see, there was only a splash of pure white and a face that was like carved jade.

The woman’s black hair was all tied up with a jade hairpin. With her eyes covered by the silk scarf, she looked as fragile as a precious pearl kept in a magnificent house.

The flying snow brushed against the peony petals, but it didn’t make her look vulgar at all. In the midst of the coldness and indifference, it added a sense of indescribable nobility.

Su Tan’s eyes widened. She saw the woman frown slightly and take out a silk handkerchief to cough.

She had only one thought: Who is this?

Just as Su Tan was questioning her life, she moved her gaze up and saw Chu Shao in a blue robe with a jade crown on her head.

According to Xiao Jin’s instructions, Chu Shao had removed the flower mark from her forehead, wore a deep blue robe, and casually held a folding fan with a landscape painting on it.

The ribs of the fan were carved from ivory. It was a good match for her slender fingers. She casually fanned herself, giving her the demeanor of a noble young master.

At this moment, Su Tan was truly stunned.

If that young man in blue was the Princess Consort, then was the one in the white robe… the Prince of Yan?

Su Tan had been a doctor for many years and had seen countless people from the martial arts world disguised as women. But no matter if they used a human skin mask or wore a skirt and hairpins, they always lacked a certain charm.

Only Xiao Jin, dressed in a snow-colored robe, looked perfectly fitting everywhere without the need for any other jewelry.

After Xiao Jin finished coughing up blood, Chu Shao picked up a fox fur coat and gently draped it over her shoulders.

Su Tan looked.

She saw Xiao Jin spread her hands in a dashing manner. Her every move had the demeanor of a high-ranking official.

In an instant, the peony under the moonlight became a pot of wine that was smashed in the snow, spilling all over the ground.

This pot of chilling wine was poured on Su Tan, and it immediately sobered her up. She realized that the Prince of Yan was, in the end, still the Prince of Yan.

Even if she disguised herself as a goddess, she was still that arrogant person, unchanged until death.

[Congratulations, player! Su Tan’s favorability +10]

Although there was a layer of white silk covering her eyes, Xiao Jin couldn’t see Su Tan’s expression at all. But at this moment, she could feel the other person’s silence.

As expected, the second female lead was also intimidated by my stunning beauty.

But her favorability only increased by 10 points. That’s a little underwhelming.

Chu Shao’s gaze was always on Xiao Jin, and her eyes were gentle, from her pursed lips to the cinnabar she had specially applied to her lips.

At that time, she was very close to Xiao Jin. So close that when she leaned down, her sleeve almost touched the other person’s waistline.

She reached out and fastened the jade belt around Xiao Jin’s waist. She could even feel the flexible waist hidden under the snow-colored robe.

It was normal for a martial artist to not have any flab on their waist.

But when Chu Shao’s fingers unintentionally poked Xiao Jin’s waist, besides the other person’s subconscious avoidance, she could also feel an unusual softness.

Chu Shao looked up and saw Xiao Jin’s frowned eyebrows. She couldn’t help but curve her lips and said apologetically, “I was too reckless.”

While she said she was reckless, her fingertips trembled slightly.

Then she turned around, picked up a cinnabar brush from the table, and once again recklessly grabbed Xiao Jin’s jaw with her hand.

The movement was very gentle but extremely offensive.

This reckless action naturally resulted in Xiao Jin’s narrowed eyes, with a very unkind look in them.

Xiao Jin grabbed Chu Shao’s wrist in return. Although she wasn’t wearing an official robe or silver armor, the sharpness in her bones hadn’t diminished at all.

“Princess Consort, you have overstepped.”

Chu Shao looked at Xiao Jin’s eyes and smiled gently. “Your Highness complimented me on having the beauty to topple cities. I believe what you said is true.”

“If an entire city can fall because of me, then it shouldn’t matter if I overstep a little in front of you.”

After she finished speaking, Chu Shao took advantage of Xiao Jin’s moment of daze. She held the brush and dabbed a drop of cinnabar on the other person’s lips.

She extended her finger, suppressing the trembling in her fingertips, and gently spread the crimson color on those thin lips. It was as beautiful as blood.

“It’s done.”