Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 32: She Is Not Song Lianhe

Song Lianhe followed Xuan Mei to the main hall with Shuang Ye in tow. Xuan Mei entered first, then stood to the side, cradling her sword. Her gaze was cold and disdainful; even a casual glance felt lethal.

’Talk about a sense of security!’

Song Lianhe was really starting to like this woman.

From the moment Song Lianhe stepped into the main hall, Song Xilan had been scrutinizing her. She noticed that not only had Lianhe’s complexion improved, but her entire demeanor was more relaxed than before. She must be living quite comfortably here.

But as for the idea that King Qing had actually taken a fancy to her, Song Xilan refused to believe it.

Everyone knew King Qing was aloof toward women. Besides, even if he and Song Lianhe were having a secret affair, he would never do it with such fanfare, making sure everyone knew.

’So, after thinking it over, his intention must be to win her over to his side!’

As unwilling as she was to admit it, Song Lianhe’s family background was truly one of a kind in Ling’an City.

She was a County Princess, personally ennobled by the Holy Emperor. As the sole heir of the legendary female general, General Li Hua, she possessed immense glory. Not to mention, she was backed by both the General Mansion and the Xuan Chang Marquis Mansion. The National Guardian General and Old Marquis Xuan Chang had both earned brilliant military merits and continued to wield military power, making them highly valued by the Holy Emperor.

The powers behind her had long made many people envious, which was why the Holy Emperor had bestowed a marriage between her and Zhou Junlin, despite her arrogant and perverse nature.

It was common knowledge that the Holy Emperor greatly favored Prince Ling, so any marriage decreed for him would have been a carefully selected match.

Otherwise, a person like Song Lianhe would never have even caught Prince Ling’s eye in her entire life!

Every time she thought of this, Song Xilan felt a piercing, heart-wrenching pain. What Lianhe obtained so effortlessly was everything she had ever dreamed of.

She worked tirelessly to be worthy of the man she loved! But Song Lianhe? She didn’t have to do a thing. So what if her reputation was in tatters? In the end, she was the rightful one.

Song Lianhe had no time to ponder the female lead’s thoughts. To Mrs. Liu’s shocked gaze, she nonchalantly sat down in the host’s seat. She extended a hand, and Shuang Ye immediately served her tea.

She took a sip of tea before asking in an unhurried tone, "Aunt Liu, sister, what brings you here today?"

Mrs. Liu suppressed her simmering dissatisfaction and forced a smile, speaking softly, "Lianhe, you’ve been away from the mansion for several days. Your father and I have been terribly worried. Besides, this is the Prince Qing Mansion, after all. It’s improper for an unmarried young lady like you to stay here, and it will tarnish the Prince’s reputation. Those who don’t know any better might say that the young ladies of our General Mansion have no manners."

Song Lianhe set down her teacup. "Oh?" she said, looking up at Mrs. Liu. "It’s not like this is the first day you’ve known me, Aunt Liu. I’ve always been ill-mannered. I couldn’t care less what outsiders say."

"You can throw away your own reputation, but you should at least think of your father! He is an official in the imperial court..."

Song Lianhe suddenly laughed. "Why should I think of him? When he was whipping me, did he ever think of me as his daughter? King Qing was kind enough to save me, yet he ran to the Holy Emperor to slander him? Anyone who didn’t know better would think he hadn’t lost a daughter, but some lowly concubine who’d been fooling around with another woman’s husband!"

At her words, the expressions on both Mrs. Liu and Song Xilan’s faces changed.

Although Mrs. Liu had been promoted to the main wife, she was still overshadowed by the illustrious first wife. For the rest of her life, she would only ever be the "second wife"! Worse, some people still only saw her as a concubine! A homewrecker who had seduced Song Xingfeng while Lin Shuniang was still alive!

Her sore spot having been struck, Mrs. Liu could no longer pretend to be a loving mother. She shot to her feet, slamming her hand on the table.

"Someone, escort the Second Miss back to the mansion!"

Xuan Mei, who had been expressionless the entire time, finally reacted. She glanced at Mrs. Liu, her eyes clearly saying, ’You’re courting death.’

Song Xilan had remained silent the whole time, her gaze fixed on Song Lianhe, focused and sharp.

Even she, slow as she might be, should have realized by now that the present Song Lianhe was like a completely different person.

After more than a decade together, no one knew better than her just how foolish Song Lianhe was!

Whether it was her actions on the day of the birthday banquet, her standing up for a little beggar on the street, or her receiving King Qing’s help... all of it told her that the person before her was not Song Lianhe.

’So, who is she, really?’