I Am The Villain In The Novel

Chapter 34: Dividing the Spoils

It was already late midnight when Wei Changtian returned.

Lan Jingyao had already gone back to her room, and it was unknown whether she was asleep or not. Qiu Yun and Yaun’er, on the other hand, had stayed up until now.

This was their usual routine. They would wait until the gong sounded at Chou time every day, and would only go to bed if Wei Changtian had not returned by then.

(Chou = 1 am to 3 am)

“Master, didn’t you go to Pingchang Alley today?”

Looking at Wei Changtian’s tiger- patterned robe, the two women were somewhat surprised.

They recognized the clothes because Wei Xianzhi occasionally wore them too.

However, the tiger patterns on their clothes were embroidered with gold thread and silver thread, respectively.

“Who told you I went to the brothel?”

Wei Changtian took a sip of tea and pulled out the few trinkets he had brought back from the Zhang Manor, smiling as he said, “I brought back some small gifts for you.”

“This is…”

In an instant, the two women’s eyes were drawn to the pile of glittering jewelry on the table.

It was as if they were like the dragons in Western fantasy stories, and women were indeed born to love these shiny things.

Moreover, the hairpins, earrings, and other trinkets on the table were far more exquisite and valuable than ordinary jewelry.

Even Wei Changtian could see that these trinkets were extraordinary, let alone Qiu Yun and Yaun’er.

The two women carefully picked up each piece of jewelry, admiring them with great relish, their eyes shining with delight.

Looking at their expressions, Wei Changtian suddenly remembered the time he had spent “studying” in his previous life, hiding under the covers.

It was the same, fully focused, with eyes shining bright, both excited and thrilled…

Although he had a girlfriend later on and didn’t need to indulge in self-pleasure, that feeling had never reappeared.

After a brief reminiscence of his past youth, Wei Changtian asked the two women, “How about it? Is there anything you like? Just take it.”

“Master…”

Qiu Yun reluctantly put down the jewelry in her hand, her expression moved, yet firm: “We’re not worthy of wearing such fine jewelry, Master. You should keep it for your wife; she’ll definitely be very happy.”

“Ah, yes!”

Yaun’er nodded in agreement beside her: “Even if Sister Qiu Yun and I added up, we wouldn’t be worth as much as this one hairpin. If we wore it, we’d be afraid our heads would be too heavy to lift!”

The two women chattered on, determined not to accept such valuable items.

As Wei Changtian listened to their various excuses, he couldn’t help but feel amused and annoyed.

“What nonsense are you talking about? Come here!”

Without warning, he pulled Yaun’er to his side and picked up the red pearl earrings from the table, which had caught her eye the most.

The silver hook and gold thread, with two red pearls and a small, three-colored butterfly, perfectly matched Yaun’er’s playful personality.

“Don’t move!”

Wei Changtian commanded with a serious expression, and Yaun’er hesitated for a moment before guessing what he was going to do.

After a brief pause, her small, red ears slowly leaned in.

The silver hook entered the ear hole, and Wei Changtian gently pinched Yaun’er’s hot, flushed earlobe.

After putting on the earrings, Wei Changtian turned to Qiu Yun.

“Do you need my help?”

“Th-this…”

Qiu Yun’s face turned red as she hesitated for a while, finally reaching out to take a nearby hairpin that seemed relatively inexpensive.

She lightly inserted the hairpin, adorned with a five-colored jade bead, into her hair, her lowered eyelids hiding a mix of excitement and nervousness.

“This is just right!”

Wei Changtian smiled at the two women: “What’s wrong with wearing them? I don’t see your necks being broken.”

“M-master, don’t tease…”

Qiu Yun lowered her head, as if the hairpin had really pressed down on her.

On the other hand, Yaun’er quickly adapted, her small face now filled with joy.

Girls, after all, would be happy when they got what they loved.

And, of course, they would want to show off.

She gently shook her head, suppressing the urge to run back to her room to admire herself in the mirror, and asked in a soft voice, “Master, Sister Qiu Yun, do I look good?”

“You must look good!”

Wei Changtian nodded seriously: “Sinking fish, falling geese; eclipsing the moon, shaming the flowers.”

Yaun’er blinked, confused: “Master, what does this mean?”

“Ah?”

Wei Changtian was taken aback, but quickly reacted.

This world didn’t have the “Four Beauties of ancient China,” so naturally, these idioms hadn’t been created.

“Ah, it means that when a fish sees you, it forgets how to swim, and when a goose sees you, it falls down…”

After explaining, Yaun’er burst out laughing like a goose.

“Hehehe! Master, where did you learn these sweet words?”

“This doesn’t need learning; with my talent, I can just make them up.”

“Then praise Sister Qiu Yun!”

“Let me think for a moment…”

The room was filled with joyful laughter and harmony.

Meanwhile, Lan Jingyao, who was hiding behind the door and eavesdropping, almost fainted from anger.

She hadn’t slept at all, waiting for Wei Changtian to return from the brothel. But the result… was not what she expected!

Why didn’t he think of her when bringing back jewelry?!

She was more beautiful than Qiu Yun and Yaun’er, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and came from a wealthy family.

But why didn’t he think of her?!

Hmph!

Lan Jingyao’s anger and resentment grew as she thought about it, and she didn’t even notice when the conversation outside stopped.

“Bastard! I hate it!”

She wiped away her tears, muttering curses under her breath, but was startled by the sudden voice behind her.

“Who are you cursing?”

“Ah!”

Looking at the person in front of her, Lan Jingyao felt like her heart had stopped beating for a few seconds, and then she sat down on the floor with a thud.

“Y-you…”

“What do you mean by ‘I’? I’ve been watching you here for quite some time.”

Wei Changtian looked at Lan Jingyao as if she were stupid, asking, “Who were you just cursing?”

“…”

Lan Jingyao didn’t respond.

She wanted to cry, but she didn’t want to show weakness in front of Wei Changtian, so she bit her lip, her eyes red and her gaze both pitiful and stubborn.

Wei Changtian ignored her and walked back into the room.

Lan Jingyao took advantage of the opportunity to get up from the floor and saw the additional jewelry on the table.

Her slender body trembled, and her eyes sparkled.

All her resentment disappeared, replaced by joy and a hint of dissatisfaction.

So he still remembered me…

But why did he let Qiu Yun and Yaun’er choose first?

“Is it because he thought I was already asleep? Ah! It must be that!”

“Oh! That hairpin is so beautiful…”

Lan Jingyao’s thoughts were a jumbled mess, and she even started to think about pretending to refuse at first.

Then she heard Wei Changtian say calmly:

“I won’t be home tomorrow. Please deliver these things to Qiaoling on my behalf.”

“All of them?”

“Yes.”

“…Not giving any to others?”

“Giving to others? Ah! Thanks for reminding me!”

Wei Changtian patted his forehead, pulling out a beautiful jade hairpin: “This one is for my mother!”

“…And what about the rest?”

“There’s none left, really none left.”

Wei Changtian counted on his fingers: “My mother, Qiaoling, Qiu Yun, Yaun’er… everyone has one.”

Lan Jingyao: “……”