How To Survive as a Villain

Third Aunt was smiling from ear to ear, handing out rice cakes to the rowdy children at the door.

Xiao YuAn went to the wing room where Lin Shenling lived, knocked gently on the door, and called out: “Shenling, are you ready? Did you get dressed into your wedding dress? Zhang Baizhu should be here soon.”

“Xiao-gongzi? Come in.” The door was opened with a creak, and Lin Shenling stood behind the door wearing a red wedding dress, as red as the fiery red clouds of the sunset.

Xiao YuAn smiled: “You look really pretty. Why don’t you turn around and show me the dress?”

Lin Shenling lowered her head with a blush on her face, picked up her skirt, and turned around in place.

Xiao YuAn suddenly remembered the plot of the original book.

In the original book, after Yan HeQing took control of the Eastern Wu Kingdom, he brought Lin Shenling back to the Imperial Palace in the Northern Kingdom.

That night, Lin Shenling was helped out of the carriage by a maidservant, and her eyes were filled with the scarlet walls of the Imperial Palace.

“Guniang, follow me into the Imperial Palace.” The old maidservant with silver hair said, while bending down.

Lin Shenling gazed at the solemn Imperial City walls, the yellow tiles, the varnished doors, and the silent falling snow.

“Guniang.” The old maidservant called her again.

Lin Shenling withdrew her gaze, but remained silent. Suddenly, she reached out and twisted some of the red wax from the maidservant’s lantern and put it on her lips, then she pulled off the red curtain of the carriage and wrapped it around her body.

With the cool moonlight as makeup, and the red curtain flying on the air, Lin Shenling turned around in front of the Imperial Palace’s gates. Under the startled eyes of the crowd, she smiled gently and asked: “Does it look like I’m wearing a wedding dress?”

After that, Lin Shenling didn’t wait for anyone’s answer, turned around and stepped into the Imperial Palace.

And then, in that life, she never walked out of the scarlet Imperial City walls ever again.

In the original book, Lin Shenling had a life of glory, splendor, wealth and rank². Lacking nothing, and having everything, but no one gave her the wedding dress she had dreamed of for a lifetime.

Xiao YuAn suddenly felt that Yan HeQing was a bit scummy, so he ran back to his wing room and punched him.

Yan HeQing, who was barely sitting on the bed, received a punch for no reason: “….?”

After the beating, Xiao YuAn sat down next to Yan HeQing and asked: “The wedding reception will be held at my Shifu’s home, will you like to go?”

Yan HeQing replied: “I’ll go.”

Xiao YuAn squinted at him: “Lin Shenling is getting married.”

“Hmm.”

“She’s really getting married! In about a half an hour, she’ll get on the red sedan chair.”

Yan HeQing didn’t understand what this had to do with him, so he just hmmmed again.

Xiao YuAn touched his chin, feeling that Yan HeQing wasn’t pretending to be indifferent, but he couldn’t help lamenting that the Male Lead had to ‘be able to afford to let go’³. ‘However, even if Lin Shenling is not part of Yan HeQing’s harem anymore, his harem won’t lack in numbers.’

“What’s not lacking?” Yan HeQing raised his eyebrows and asked.

“Ah……” Xiao YuAn realized that he had accidentally said out loud what was on his mind, and waved his hands repeatedly: “Nothing, nothing.”

“Harem?” Yan HeQing stared at Xiao YuAn, narrowing his eyes slightly.

“Ha, ha, ha, did you hear that?” Xiao YuAn said while laughing awkwardly. When he was about to get up and run away, he was suddenly held down by Yan HeQing, so he had no other choice than to say: “Yan-ge, you’ve been the Monarch of the Southern Yan Kingdom for so long, so of course there will be one or two concubines. I understand, I understand, after all-….”

“No.” Yan HeQing suddenly interrupted Xiao YuAn’s words.

Xiao YuAn, who was about to speak incessantly, had his speech choked back by Yan HeQing’s denial.

“No…. No?” Xiao YuAn’s face was full of shock.

Yan HeQing stared at Xiao YuAn and replied, saying one word at a time: “I don’t have any concubines.”

Xiao YuAn thought that he might not have given the harem members the title of ‘concubine’ yet: “Oh, so you haven’t given them the title yet, then-….”

Almost gnashing his teeth, Yan HeQing interrupted him again: “I haven’t had any love affairs with anyone else.”

Ahhh I feel so bad for LSL in the original plot, not only she couldn’t get married with the red dress she always dreamt of, but she also must fight every day for her position with the other concubines (which we also know are A LOT). Al least in this life she has ZBZ all for herself, and she has the red wedding dress!!

And ohohoho XYA what will you do now that YHQ told you he doesn’t have any harem members, didn’t had any relationship with any women while you two where apart, and also doesn’t want any concubine, not now, not ever (Ŏ艸Ŏ)

Footnotes

1. 唢呐 suǒ nà; Suona, a Chinese shawm (oboe), used in festivals and processions or for military purposes. It looks like THIS.
2. 荣华富贵 róng huá fù guì; It’s a Chinese idiom, used as a metaphor for someone who’s prosperous or prominent. / Describes a person who’s conspicuously wealthy, successful, rich and powerful. / High position and great wealth. From《管子·重令》(guǎn zi·zhòng lìng) “Guanzi: An Important Order”, an essay written by (管仲 guǎn zhòng) Guan Zhong [??-645 BC], a military strategist during the Spring and Autumn Period[770-476 BC].
3. 拿得起放得下 ná de qǐ fàng de xià; It’s a Chinese idiom, refers to the ability of making bold decisions when dealing with a dilemma. / The most important thing is to be able to afford to let go, which means that when dealing with dilemmas, you have the courage to make a decision. But in the face of emotional problems, not all situations are applicable to “take it or leave it”.