Chapter 4: 004 You Are Not Xiao Zhiyan

The Crown Prince was indeed very handsome. Xiao Zhiyan looked Huangfu Lanxi up and down; although he was handsome, Xiao Zhiyan felt no goodwill toward him at all, because she felt he was always targeting her, as if he enjoyed seeing her in distress.

Huangfu Lanxi also looked at Xiao Zhiyan with some confusion. When Consort Ling was alive, she left no offspring, and thus doted immensely on this sole niece. His Imperial Father was completely submissive to Consort Ling, and out of his love for her, he treated Xiao Zhiyan as his own child, even frequently letting the princes of the palace play with her. Therefore, he was very familiar with Xiao Zhiyan, knowing even her temperament and personality inside out.

However, he held no goodwill toward Xiao Zhiyan. Although she had been a beauty since childhood, she was Consort Ling's niece, and this identity was enough to make her beauty loathsome. His Imperial Father had exclusively favored Consort Ling, yet had so neglected his own biological mother, the Empress of the Feng Kingdom. Thus, he had liked to bully Xiao Zhiyan since they were young. What was tedious was that Xiao Zhiyan never fought back; once, he had wanted to scare her, but accidentally slashed her arm with a wound neither shallow nor deep, causing blood to flow. Yet, to everyone's surprise, Xiao Zhiyan merely wiped away her tears in secret. When Consort Ling asked, she only lowered her head and never mentioned it. At that time, he had been somewhat surprised and even a little moved, but ultimately he merely let out a disdainful snort: "Weakling."

Later, as he and Xiao Zhiyan grew older, Xiao Zhiyan blossomed into an even greater beauty. Consort Ling actually wanted him to marry Xiao Zhiyan, and even more unexpectedly, his Imperial Father loved Consort Ling to such an extent that he agreed without hesitation. He had long been aware that he had no say in his own marriage, but no matter what, he did not want to marry a descendant of a fallen nation—to marry a fellow who possessed only a beautiful exterior but was weak and useless! Consequently, he detested Xiao Zhiyan even more.

On the day of Consort Ling's burial, Xiao Zhiyan's eyes were red. He said to her with a hint of schadenfreude, "Now that you have no protective umbrella, let's see how you continue to throw tantrums in the imperial palace by relying on Consort Ling's prestige." But Xiao Zhiyan only looked at him weakly, and after a long pause, she said softly, "From childhood until now, I have never used Aunt Consort Ling's prestige to... throw tantrums... especially toward you, Your Highness the Crown Prince... I wouldn't..." In an instant, he thought of the cut on Xiao Zhiyan's arm from when they were children, and thought of her enduring expression... He had long known Xiao Zhiyan's feelings for him; or rather, he had been guiding her to feel this way toward him. Because he hated her, he wanted to crush her heart ruthlessly. A woman who only knew how to cry like this—no matter how beautiful—how could she ever be his woman, Huangfu Lanxi!

"You're about to fly up to a branch and become a phoenix; are you very happy?" Huangfu Lanxi leaned casually against his ornate chair, the corners of his mouth curling into a mocking smirk. This was his habitual way of speaking to Xiao Zhiyan.

Xiao Zhiyan naturally did not know she had such a complicated history with Huangfu Lanxi. She only knew that the original Xiao Zhiyan liked Huangfu Lanxi, and now this heartless fellow was using cold words and sarcasm; it seemed he truly had no interest in the original Xiao Zhiyan at all.

"To be able to leave Your Highness the Crown Prince far away, of course I am so happy I wish I could leave right now! As for you, Your Highness, you are about to marry the daughter of the Prime Minister whom you haven't even met; your mood must be quite good as well." Before her transmigration, Xiao Zhiyan was a famous "poison-tongued queen." Now that she had learned from Jing Man that Huangfu Lanxi was to marry the Prime Minister's daughter as a side consort, she naturally would not miss this good opportunity to strike back.

Huangfu Lanxi was stunned. He looked up at Xiao Zhiyan in disbelief. Xiao Zhiyan was still as beautiful as before, still looking as fragile as a gust of wind could blow her over, but why had her temperament suddenly changed?

"Do you truly feel happy leaving this place?" Huangfu Lanxi frowned. He didn't know why he was asking this question; he only felt an unusual irritability upon hearing her answer. Was it because he could no longer bully her at will like before?

"Does my happiness matter much to you, Imperial Brother?" Xiao Zhiyan gave Huangfu Lanxi a mocking glance. A trace of imperceptible disappointment flashed in Huangfu Lanxi's eyes, but he quickly returned to his original state. "Naturally not!"

"Then that settles it." Xiao Zhiyan stretched her limbs and said, "When you all made this decision, you didn't consider my feelings at all. Why are you asking so hypocritically now?"

Huangfu Lanxi stopped speaking, merely frowning as he scrutinized Xiao Zhiyan. Who exactly was this woman? She was not like Xiao Zhiyan. Although she looked identical to Xiao Zhiyan, the original Xiao Zhiyan would not dare to look him in the eye, would not dare to speak loudly, and certainly would not stretch her limbs as if no one else were around. She definitely was not Xiao Zhiyan!

As if possessed, Huangfu Lanxi suddenly leaped up. He grabbed Xiao Zhiyan's arm and shouted sternly, "You are not Xiao Zhiyan! Who are you?!"

This was the first time since arriving in this world that Xiao Zhiyan had been questioned. Although she was somewhat nervous, she met Huangfu Lanxi's eyes directly. "Imperial Brother, your question is truly ridiculous. I grew up with you since childhood; if I am not Xiao Zhiyan, then who else could I be?"

Huangfu Lanxi's handsome face grew increasingly solemn. He suddenly gave a forceful tug, and the sound of Xiao Zhiyan's sleeve tearing mingled with her gasp, becoming particularly piercing.

Exposed to the air was Xiao Zhiyan's smooth and fair arm, but upon that snow-white skin, which was like flawless jade, there was a pale pink scar, neither shallow nor deep. It was as eye-catching as a flaw on a perfect piece of jade, causing Huangfu Lanxi to involuntarily take several steps back.