Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 323: You’re Worthy of King Qing, but Not of Me?

Chapter 323: Chapter 323: You’re Worthy of King Qing, but Not of Me?

Zhou Junlin looked up and saw that she was holding nothing more than a plain, unremarkable weed.

He leaned in suspiciously. "You’re saying this can cure snake venom?"

"That’s right!"

She treasured the herb, carefully placing the five-split yellow gentian into her satchel. "I have medicine to cure snake venom, but if I add this five-split yellow gentian, its efficacy will be more than doubled!"

As she spoke, she turned her head and gave him a dissatisfied look. "Prince Ling, you aren’t going to tell me you couldn’t find a single one all night, are you?"

’Is she... looking down on me?’

Zhou Junlin suddenly smiled.

He was already handsome and elegant, like a banished immortal, but his smile was especially refreshing and delightful to behold, like a cool breeze under a clear moon.

Song Lianhe found herself staring, momentarily lost in a daze.

She inwardly tutted. ’As expected of the male lead. In terms of looks, he’s top-tier!’

"It’s just some five-split yellow gentian! This Prince will dig them all up right now!" Zhou Junlin rolled up his sleeves, as if to prove his capability.

Song Lianhe couldn’t help but laugh. "Then I’ll be counting on you, Your Highness!"

After that, neither of them spoke, both focusing intently on finding the herb.

Gu Ha leaned against a tree, watching the Prince in the grass with a puzzled expression.

Zhou Junlin, the Su Wang, was always goal-oriented. He knew what he had to do, and anything meaningless was a waste of time in his eyes.

But now he was helping Song Lianhe dig for herbs, and Gu Ha truly couldn’t understand it.

"Found one!"

Zhou Junlin dug one up and immediately held it out for Song Lianhe to see. "Is this it?"

"Yes, yes! Wow, I never knew Prince Ling was so capable! Truly incredible! Keep it up, Your Highness!"

Gu Ha could only roll his eyes as he listened.

’Is she really coaxing our Prince like a child! Too bad the Prince would never fall for that! The Prince is...’

"A trivial matter like this is hardly a challenge for this Prince! Just you watch! This Prince will get every last five-split yellow gentian here for you!"

Gu Ha: "..."

Song Lianhe: "Your Highness is so amazing! Your Highness is the best!"

At that moment, Gu Ha turned his back and dug his fingers forcefully into the tree trunk.

’How dare she use such crude and childish tricks to deceive the Prince!’

’It’s an unforgivable crime!!’

It had to be said, as the male lead, even when digging up herbs, Zhou Junlin seemed to have divine assistance. The E Family’s garden wasn’t huge, but it wasn’t small either. It would have been quite exhausting for just the two of them to search it completely. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

This was especially true since the five-split yellow gentian looked extremely ordinary and required careful identification.

Despite this, Zhou Junlin managed to place a handful of the herbs in front of her in just an hour.

"They’re all here."

Song Lianhe was someone who cherished medicinal ingredients, especially an endangered species like five-split yellow gentian. It was like finding a chest full of gold!

She looked at them from the left, felt them from the right, her smile stretching nearly from ear to ear.

"Oh my... H-How can I ever thank you, Your Highness?"

Seeing her eyes gleam and her words ring hollow, Zhou Junlin raised a corner of his lip in a slight smirk. He dusted off his robes and said unhurriedly, "Yes, do tell. How should you thank me?"

Song Lianhe froze. "Uh, well... I imagine Your Highness is diligent in his duties, loves his people, and is of noble character..."

"You can save the flattery." Zhou Junlin actually cut her off, sitting down opposite her and pouring himself a cup of tea. "Why don’t you tell me how you really plan to thank me?"

Song Lianhe: "..."

’Why is he taking my pleasantries so seriously?’

She narrowed her clear eyes, and after a quick glance, she said slowly, "Well, if we’re putting it that way, Your Highness was in a bad mood tonight, but I managed to cheer you up. Shouldn’t that count as payment enough?"

Zhou Junlin faltered, slowly lifting his dark eyes to stare at her.

He didn’t speak, but Song Lianhe knew what he wanted to ask. She shrugged. "It wasn’t hard to see, as long as one paid a little attention."

’Attention...’

Zhou Junlin’s lips twitched into a derisive snort. "Was it genuine attention, or do you have ulterior motives?"

Song Lianhe couldn’t hide her look of disdain. "Even if I did have ulterior motives, I’d be better off directing them at King Qing than at you, wouldn’t I?"

At that, Zhou Junlin’s expression turned cold, and his frigid eyes stared at her fixedly. "And why not me?"

His question made Song Lianhe laugh.

’Dude, you’re a married man, don’t you know that?’

She took a deep breath and explained with a beaming smile, "It’s obviously because I’m not good enough for you!"

But Zhou Junlin wasn’t so easily fooled. He sneered, "You’re not good enough for this Prince, but you’re good enough for King Qing?"

"Of course!"

Song Lianhe was absolutely certain on this point.

"Zhou Cangyan... I mean, Prince Qing. His reputation is so-so, he doesn’t form cliques for personal gain, and he doesn’t have the trouble of inheriting the throne! Now that he’s handed over his military authority, he can only be the Commander of the Hu Jian Bureau back in Ling’an. Although that’s just a Fourth-Grade official post, it’s more than enough to support a family. And I won’t have to worry about him taking concubines... because his reputation is terrible! Who would be foolish enough to marry him?"

The more she thought about it, the happier she became, and she couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

’I’m such a genius!’

Zhou Junlin gave her a cold look. "Wipe your drool."

Song Lianhe hissed and frowned at him. "If you have a different opinion, feel free to share it, but personal attacks are uncalled for!" After saying that, she obediently raised her sleeve and wiped her mouth.

Zhou Junlin watched her and suddenly let out a soft laugh.

His earlier gloom vanished completely, and his dark eyes, as they gazed at her, finally held a trace of genuine emotion.

Song Lianhe looked at him, feeling a bit of sympathy.

’So what if he’s the chosen male lead?’

’He lives in the world of this novel. Everything he does and thinks has been predetermined by the author; he has no control over it.’

’Then again, as an interloper, maybe I’m just a character someone else wrote, too. Sigh, compared to the male lead, I, the Evil Woman, should be worrying about myself instead!’

"This Prince should indeed thank you."

Zhou Junlin spoke up suddenly.

Song Lianhe was stunned for a moment, then smiled. "I don’t know what happened to you, Prince Ling, but in life, when does anything ever go perfectly? Even the brilliant, martial protagonists in storybooks have to overcome countless obstacles and be forged through a thousand trials before they can reach the pinnacle. If these are all necessary steps on the path, then you might as well try to savor all the feelings life has to offer. I believe that whether things are good or bad, they all become memories in the end. When I look back on these moments in the future, I want to see myself as free and unrestrained in every frame, not as a weeping mess! Even if it’s a facade, I’m going to put on a grand and beautiful one!"

Zhou Junlin watched her with great interest. "From the sound of it, you have things that make you unhappy, too? Then tell me, what are they?"

Seeing the blatant anticipation in his eyes, Song Lianhe fell silent for a moment before suddenly saying, "Prince Ling, is your excitement perhaps a little too obvious?"

Realization dawned on Zhou Junlin. He nodded and changed his expression. "Is this any better?"

"Tuck in the corners of your mouth a bit more..."

"...Like this?"

"Yes, that’s it. Keep your lips pressed down. Don’t let anyone see your eagerness for drama..."