Doomed to be Cannon Fodder (Web Novel)
chapter-181

For some reason, Long Heng was actually a bit happy, though he was supposed to be in a towering fury at the moment. So it turned out that he hadn’t gone to all this effort for nothing. This woman did like him! He’d thought that she liked Song Jiaoyue, since her previous actions had expressed her good feelings towards his friend. But now she was clearly indicating that she liked him and didn’t want to give him over to Miss Lin.

And truth be told, he had absolutely no interest in Miss Lin now that he knew everything she’d done, particularly after making this kind of request. Did she take him for a fool?

Miss Lin had planned on humbling herself to beg Bai Xiangxiu, because she knew that the latter was a favored concubine of the prince. Even if she had done things to Miss Lin that went against one’s good conscience, Miss Lin still wanted to maintain good relations since she had to live in the manor in the future.

But who would’ve thought that this concubine would deny her so much face?! “Née Bai, I only came to beg you because you’re Prince Li’s favored concubine! But you seem to think too much of yourself. You’re just a concubine, do you really think you’ll be able to lock down the prince’s favor forever with a child?”

Just like mother had said, she could do whatever she wanted to this concubine once she entered the manor. But Lin Qianzi had felt that it was difficult enough being a woman and hadn’t wanted to do anything to Bai Xiangxiu. But this concubine was truly too arrogant and cocky! She wasn’t giving the official wife the proper amount of respect at all!

“And what business is it of yours? You may go now, Miss Lin!”

“I have some words to speak to you before I go.” Miss Lin paused before she spat. “How long will a tongue-waggler who likes to gossip and a woman who likes to sow discord hold someone’s favor?”

“Eh? Miss Lin, I don’t think I’ve done anything to you?” Bai Xiangxiu distinctly recalled that she’d actually helped Miss Lin a few times. Why was she now someone who waggled her tongue and liked to create drama?

“You were the one who told the prince when I ran away before and about Red Maple Mountain Manor, weren’t you? You just didn’t want me to marry into the manor! I trusted you so much before, but you’re just the same as all other women!” Lin Qianzi had indeed grown angry by the time she finished; she’d never spoken so loudly before.

Bai Xiangxiu didn’t back down either, glaring right back at Miss Lin. “I’ve never raised your issue with anyone, but don’t you treat others as fools either!”

Particularly Long Heng. He might be a man, but his mind is conscientious, and he’s a general in charge of a large army. It’s not easy to hide things from him. Is this Miss Lin treating others as idiots or thinking that they’re all brainless fools?

“You’re no fool, I was. I trusted you so much.”

“Miss Lin, I don’t recall ever begging you to believe me.”

“You…!” Lin Qianzi had been too well protected since youth and had been the female lead of a type of novel that spoiled its female leads. As a result, she had no verbal sparring abilities at all. However, she was well skilled with looking pitiful, and would always cry when she lost an argument. She sobbed heartbrokenly and turned to run off.

The hell. Wouldn’t her reputation be ruined again if she ran off crying? Bai Xiangxiu was quite conflicted. Should she faint again? But she didn’t have the time to fall down before she heard a voice come in from outside. Upon careful listening, it was Long Heng!

“Miss Lin, please stay peacefully in the Lin residence before you marry. Or are you in that much of a hurry to see this prince?” That cold tone that didn’t hide its disdain made Lin Qianzi cry even harder. She turned and ran off, while Long Heng shouted out from behind her, “Have two mamas send Miss Lin back!”

“Understood!” The servants were quick to send someone over.

Bai Xiangxiu should’ve been less angry after hearing them speak, but for some reason she was still enraged. She swept her arm across the table and sent a cup crashing onto the floor next to Long Heng’s foot. Feeling odd that her temper had become so large, Long Heng frowned. “Why are you in such a temper?”

“No reason!” Bai Xiangxiu plopped down on a chair to sulk. She too was baffled why she was suddenly in such a mood.

Long Heng didn’t know how to comfort others either. He only knew to sit by her side. The two of them sat together silently, and he looked over after a while to see Bai Xiangxiu still staring off into space. “I won’t let her bully you in the future.”

After that only resulted in an awkward silence, he shuffled to his feet and left. Long Heng didn’t easily make promises, but this was an exception. And so Bai Xiangxiu was unexpectedly not angry anymore. She rested a while and went to see her brother with Xiaoshi. Bai Xiangxiu prepared some food and daily necessities for him, then had someone send him back to the academy.

The new year was a very busy time, and it was even busier this year as Long Heng was about to marry. The old madame was quite thoughtful in this regard. She had Long Shuting take care of every aspect of the wedding in order to spare Bai Xiangxiu the irritation that would surely come. Long Heng had to offer up new year greetings at multiple places, so he was very busy during this time as well. So even though the two lived together, they had noticeably less time to talk.

However, she was likely tired by recent events, because nowadays she spent more time asleep than awake. Long Heng didn’t notice it in his preoccupation, so the day of the wedding arrived before they knew it. Bai Xiangxiu also felt quite depressed. How had she slept her way to the day her husband was to take another woman as his wife? What a tragic feeling. But she didn’t feel very energetic at the moment and didn’t want to pay attention to anything. The most baffling thing was, Long Heng still spent nights in her room, and she suspected that he would come again tonight.

This was because it was the rhythm of torturing the female lead!

This was how all the novels were written. The next thing that would happen would be that the female lead would become a transmigrator or be reborn, and then they would proceed down the path of destroying the concubine and re-seducing the male lead.

Alright, she understood that The Prince’s Escaped Consort had completely deviated from the plot line, but the real trouble wouldn’t start until after the wedding. Just as she was mystified as to what she would do that day, Shu’er came by to invite her to observe the ceremony in the front yard.

“I’m not feeling too well. Besides, a concubine isn’t appropriate for such an occasion.” Bai Xiangxiu didn’t want to participate in her own husband’s wedding, and so instantly turned Shu’er down.

Shu’er however, smiled. “The prince has said that he’ll be quite sad if you don’t attend, and that he has a present for you.”

What is this Long Heng doing? Bai Xiangxiu knew that she would hear no end of things if she didn’t go after he’d sent someone for her. She dressed herself up a bit and had Xiaoshi and her other servants accompany her to the front yard.

A veritable ocean of guests greeted her as she walked in. Prince Li and the Lin family were both notable families. When those two great families met in marriage, how could there be no guests to celebrate? Bai Xiangxiu felt that she shouldn’t push her way to the front. She was just a concubine. She didn’t want to cause trouble for the Prince Li Manor, but she soon saw that Shu’er had already arranged a seat for her. It was in the corner and none too conspicuous, but the entire ceremony hall was visible from that vantage point. She was baffled, and oddly, nervous.