Lin Qiao thought for a while and still didn't go.
Originally, her role in the story wasn't supposed to be so prominent. Living a peaceful life, simply eating and drinking, that was supposed to be her daily routine.
On the Lantern Festival, she shouldn't have gone. Although she got drunk in the end and didn't steal the limelight or upstage the male and female leads, Lin Qiao still regretted it.
She regretted it deeply.
When you regret something, you should learn your lesson.
... If it weren't for her heartfelt confession after getting drunk that day, Luo Nanchen probably wouldn't have this strange mother - complex now.
So, she remembered that she shouldn't show up in situations where she didn't belong, or something bad would happen.
Fragrant Mountain honey peaches were a rarity in winter, yet they were continuously sent to Lin Qiao's tent.
Zou Lvrui had previously pestered her way into following, insisting that she was scared in the palace.
Now, seeing the honey peaches that were unavailable in this season, she grew even closer to Lin Qiao and lingered in her tent all day long.
Because of the talent show when they entered the palace before, Zou Lvrui could think that food - live - streaming was also a talent. Lin Qiao had suspected that Zou Lvrui was also from the 21st century.
But after many attempts to test her, Zou Lvrui showed no signs, so Lin Qiao gave up.
"Your Ladyship, you're so lucky! There were all kinds of delicious food in the Hall of Everlasting Joy, and now even after leaving the palace, there's still so much good food here."
Lin Qiao smiled. "Eat slowly. There's no need to rush."
There was a commotion outside the tent. The sound of footsteps was continuous, and from time to time, there were the clinks of weapons.
Just as Qiuyue was bringing in some snacks, Lin Qiao asked, "What's going on outside?"
Before Qiuyue could answer, Zou Lvrui wiped her mouth first. "Oh, the Emperor is missing."
"..."
Excuse me, Madam Consort, why are you so calm?
Zou Lvrui took the snacks from Qiuyue. "But the Emperor is such a powerful figure. How could something happen to him? Maybe he's on a date with Li Yingmeng."
Lin Qiao: "???"
Zou Lvrui paused for a moment. As if realizing she had said something significant, she stole a glance at Lin Qiao and subconsciously tried to run.
"Stop."
Zou Lvrui was in an awkward position, trying to get up but unable to. "Your Ladyship, I'm wrong. Please forgive me..."
Lin Qiao smiled, looking very kind. "Li... Ying... Meng?"
Zou Lvrui forced a flattering smile, showing her teeth, looking rather silly.
Lin Qiao also "kindly" smiled. "You've hidden it well, Zou Lvrui?"
Qiuyue didn't know what these two were talking about. Seeing that Lin Qiao no longer asked her about Luo Nanchen, she quickly retreated.
Zou Lvrui couldn't smile anymore. "Your Ladyship, please listen to my explanation. I really didn't dare to expose myself..."
After being the Empress Dowager for so many years, at first, she could only imitate the appearance, but now she could handle both the appearance and the essence well.
Lin Qiao assumed a majestic posture. "Confess honestly."
Zou Lvrui gave up resistance and immediately confessed. "I'm a fan of the book. I don't know how I got into the book. I don't have any grand ambitions. I'm just really fond of eating. Since I know the plot and that no one in Luo Nanchen's harem would dare to touch me and they could afford to feed me, I just quickly entered the palace."
Lin Qiao nodded. "Continue. Why didn't you tell me when I asked you before?!"
Zou Lvrui showed a gossiping look that she tried but failed to suppress. "Well, I noticed that the plot seemed a bit off. None of the heroines had appeared yet, and it seemed that the two of you were quite..."
Lin Qiao glared at Zou Lvrui. "Get to the point!"
Zou Lvrui pouted and started to argue. "I really didn't dare to expose myself at that time. After all, you seemed a bit different from your character in the book, and the Emperor seemed to care about you a lot. There was no description in the original book about the two of you having meals together... And recently, you even slept together. When something is abnormal, there must be something strange going on."
Lin Qiao pretended to hit Zou Lvrui.
Zou Lvrui smiled and leaned in. "Seriously, hey, don't many people who travel through books change the love - line? I think you must have triggered something."
Lin Qiao suddenly remembered something and asked three questions in a row. "Don't you have to complete tasks? Don't you have to gain B - points? Don't you have a system?"
"Tasks? What tasks?" Zou Lvrui scratched her head. "When I came here, besides knowing that this was the book I had read, I didn't get any other hints. Hey, you actually have to complete tasks. That's so pitiful!"
??
Why was she the only one so pitiful?
Why could Zou Lvrui just eat, drink, play, and sleep happily every day while she, Lin Qiao, had to cause a shadow in the hero's childhood in order to gain B - points?
Damn it!
Now that Zou Lvrui's only secret had been exposed, she started to speak without restraint. "Seriously, when I first knew that I had traveled through the book, I was extremely excited. When I knew that I would have a casual affair with the hero, I was even more excited."
Lin Qiao was absent - minded. "What are you so excited about?"
"Now it seems that you're really different from the vicious step - mother character in the book. I should have admitted it earlier," Zou Lvrui continued to eat. "Of course I'm excited. Don't you know the description in the original book about the hero's night - life ability?"
Lin Qiao was still absent - minded. "… Don't you have anything better to do?"
Zou Lvrui still smiled cheerfully, looking very happy. "Don't be angry. Understand a fan's feelings. After all, I'm Luo Nanchen's bed - fan."
??
Lin Qiao had a look of confusion on her face. She had heard of mother - fans, wife - fans, girlfriend - fans, daughter - fans, and even gender - bender fans, but she had never heard of bed - fans.
Seeing Lin Qiao's confusion, Zou Lvrui squinted and smiled. "Bed - fans are, hehe..., they're lusting after his body."
"..."
"That figure, that face, that..." Zou Lvrui looked dreamy. "They're all top - notch! Aren't you tempted?"
Lin Qiao sighed. "Dude, do you think I dare to be tempted?"
Tempted? The original owner was tempted by Luo Nanchen's body and repeatedly provoked the relationship between Luo Nanchen and Li Yingmeng. That was the fuse for her to be turned into a human pig!
Lin Qiao had no mood to gossip with Zou Lvrui. She looked at the chaos outside the tent. It was already dusk.
Luo Nanchen still hadn't returned.
Lin Qiao suddenly asked, "Do you remember how Luo Nanchen and Li Yingmeng met here?"
Zou Lvrui nodded. "I remember. Luo Nanchen was injured, and Li Yingmeng saved him."
Lin Qiao nodded, feeling inexplicably flustered. "I know that. How did Luo Nanchen get injured?"
"The description isn't very detailed. After all, the focus was on the ambiguity after the injury... I can't remember clearly. It seems that he was bitten by a fierce beast?" Zou Lvrui held a snack in one hand and was about to reach for the duck breast with the other, looking very gossiping. "Why do you ask this? Could it be that you've really hooked up with the hero?!"
There was a shout from outside. "The longzhi has gone to the back mountain!"
The back mountain...
The Thousand - God Temple...
Keep waiting...