Chapter 416: Chapter 416: She Appeared in Their Memories Again

Seeing her so serious, he let out another enigmatic laugh. "Ziyin is a clever man. He knows he can’t afford to lose his composure right now."

’Judging by his tone, he must be the one who understands Zhou Junlin best.’

Song Lianhe stared at him and suddenly said, "You helped Zhou Gaosuo become Crown Prince to intensify the conflict between him and Zhou Junlin, balancing their power."

Zhou Cangyan pursed his lips, a hint of an appreciative smile on his face. He lowered his gaze and said unhurriedly, "After doing so many wicked things, he thinks he can just retreat unscathed and live out his days in peace? I don’t recall him asking for my permission."

’That’s true,’ she thought. ’Compared to confronting Emperor Cheng Xiao head-on, there’s nothing more vexing than domestic turmoil and fraternal strife.’

Song Lianhe turned to look at him again. ’A villain is a villain, after all. So deviously wicked.’

Amused, Zhou Cangyan reached out and pinched her chin. "What’s with that look?"

"Adoration, reverence, and admiration."

He nodded with great seriousness. "As it should be."

She then asked, "Then our entry into Ling’an won’t be peaceful, I take it."

"Don’t worry. Someone will protect us."

"Who?"

Just as they were speaking, the sound of approaching horse hooves reached them.

A short while later, a horse trotted up to them.

A man dismounted. "You could’ve just come back on your own. Why put on such airs and insist on an escort?"

The man sat down and had the shopkeeper bring another pot of tea. After downing a few cups, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve, then unfolded his fan with a sharp SNAP.

Song Lianhe stared at him, momentarily at a loss for words.

But when his gaze fell upon her, he said with a smirk, "Well now, is our Boss Song pretending not to know me? Why so distant?"

Song Lianhe was taken aback. "You..."

With another SNAP, the man closed his fan. "Let me make one thing clear! I do indeed adore that girl Shuang Ye’s cooking and would take time out of my busy schedule to have a meal or some tea at the Medical Clinic, but I absolutely do not freeload! I go over to help as soon as Court is dismissed. If you don’t believe me, ask Yan Rongbai! He’s the Shopkeeper of the Medical Clinic; he can vouch for me!"

Then he sighed. "And speaking of Rongbai, I have no idea what sort of spell you’ve cast on him. He’s the new top scholar, yet he still insists on managing the Medical Clinic himself every single day, never delegating the work. He keeps saying you’ll be back for sure, and that he must return the clinic to you in one piece..."

Listening to him ramble on, Song Lianhe felt her eyes well up and her nose tingle. Suppressing the surge of emotion in her heart, she called out his name, "Su Huaqing."

Su Huaqing paused at hearing his name, then said with an amused laugh, "What, you’re only just now recognizing me?"

He snapped his fan open. "Second Miss Song went from being ’Boss Song’ to ’Princess Qing.’ It seems that high status truly makes one forgetful!"

Song Lianhe lowered her gaze, breaking into a wry smile.

’Although she didn’t know why, she knew she had reappeared in the memories of these characters from the book!’

’If she wasn’t mistaken, the timeline had reset to when she first transmigrated into the book.’

’Back then, she had just married Zhou Cangyan. That very night, he had received an imperial edict to leave the city and suppress a rebellion, while she had been "kidnapped" by Zhong Shimin’s men and taken to Sui Ning City.’

’She couldn’t help but look at Zhou Cangyan with joyful surprise, but then she had a sudden realization. The others had "recovered" their memories, but what about him? Had his timeline also returned to its proper course? Would he have forgotten everything that had happened in between?’

"What’s wrong?"

Noticing her distress, he leaned close to her ear and whispered.

"Do you... do you still remember what happened in Sishui City?"

Zhou Cangyan gave her a puzzled look and reached up to feel her forehead. "Are you not feeling well?"

She immediately grabbed his hand. "You remember?"

Zhou Cangyan paused for a moment before speaking slowly. "Every single detail."

’He remembers!’

’This is great!’

Song Lianhe patted her chest in relief. She couldn’t bear the thought of him forgetting her again.

"AHEM!"

The man across from them cleared his throat twice.

She turned her head to meet Su Huaqing’s somewhat disdainful gaze. "I know you two are deeply in love, but do you have to be so affectionate right in front of a lonely bachelor like me?"

Now that she knew he was an old acquaintance, Song Lianhe let go of all her worries and instantly brightened up. She turned to Zhou Cangyan and asked, "So, Mr. Wanzhang has been your man all along?"

’When I read the original novel, I only knew that Su Huaqing was part of Zhou Junlin’s faction; he even had a hand in the death of the original ’me’. I’d always thought of him as a smiling tiger, and I rarely treated him well after I transmigrated. Thinking about it now, I was the one who was being superficial.’

It was Su Huaqing who answered her. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Heh, there’s something you may not know, Second Miss Song. If it weren’t for Prince Qing, I would no longer be in this world."

He spoke in a nonchalant, casual tone, but Song Lianhe could see a flicker of deep emotion in his eyes.

Zhou Cangyan said lightly, "It was just a small, coincidental favor. He’s the one who’s been dwelling on it." He then glanced at Su Huaqing. "I didn’t realize he was so sentimental as to remember it for this long."

Su Huaqing let out a laugh. "Yes, yes, I am a sentimental man. But it can’t be helped. I’m afraid I’ll remember this for the rest of my life. And not just me, but my son, my grandson... all my descendants will be taught to be grateful for His Highness’s kindness."

’For such words to come from the proud and lofty Su Huaqing, it must have been no simple act of kindness.’

The two men returned to business. Su Huaqing said, "After the new Crown Prince was invested, the antics of the various factions at Court have been quite the spectacle..."

Song Lianhe didn’t interrupt them, instead going to check on Ah Jun.

Ah Jun was sitting at another table, already fast asleep.

Worried he might catch a chill, she draped a cloak over him.

Ah Jun’s body trembled slightly. He snapped his head up, his eyes a little dazed as he looked at her, but they quickly cleared.

"Sister... Where are we...?"

He saw Su Huaqing.

"Huh? Why is Mr. Su here?"

Hearing him call out the two words "Mr. Su," Song Lianhe’s eyes narrowed slightly. She said tentatively, "He came from the Medical Clinic."

"Oh, he must have heard we were coming back and made a special trip to meet us. Speaking of the Medical Clinic, I really miss Sister Shuang Ye’s pastries. I can’t wait to get back and have some..."

Song Lianhe’s gaze softened as she watched Ah Jun.

’She didn’t know how Ah Jun’s memories had been restructured, but at least he had turned back into the Ah Jun she used to know.’

She lifted her gaze again, looking toward Ling’an City.

’Is it because we’ve returned to this place? Has everything reverted to the main plotline?’

She turned her head to look at Zhou Cangyan again and saw a faint, auspicious aura hovering above his head. It was... a protagonist’s halo.

For the rest of the journey back to the city, Song Lianhe was somewhat distracted.

’At this rate, it looks like we’re heading back to the original main plot. The villain has become the protagonist, so what about Zhou Junlin? Will Song Xilan still be the female lead? If she is, doesn’t that mean she and Zhou Cangyan will get a happy ending together?’

*Hmph.*

Song Lianhe’s expression instantly soured. She crossed her arms and sat there, sulking.

"What’s wrong?"

Zhou Cangyan noticed her change in mood at once and immediately asked.

Without looking at him, she snapped, "Nothing!"

Zhou Cangyan was speechless.

As if he believed that.