Chapter 235: The Drowning Incident
About ten minutes later, a beautiful young woman with a hint of cuteness in the way she carried herself entered the chamber. She approached the dining table and bowed slightly.
"Greetings, Your Highness..."
Jiang Zhaoyuan looked up at her.
For a moment, he simply stared before rolling his eyes.
"What’s with the sudden politeness?" he asked, sounding completely unimpressed. "Did your sickness cause you to become so humble?"
The young woman blinked at him before a soft laugh escaped her lips. "Your Highness is still the same as ever. I was merely trying to show you some proper respect after being away for so long."
"Proper respect?" Jiang Zhaoyuan scoffed. "You used to climb over the palace wall just to sneak out with this prince. Now you’re acting as though we have never met before."
The young woman covered her lips as she laughed again, her eyes curving into crescents. "That was a long time ago. People change."
Wang Gege quietly watched the exchange from across the table, while Xie Rong remained beside her, his expression calm as he observed the two childhood friends. The young woman seemed comfortable around Jiang Zhaoyuan, and he clearly did not treat her like an ordinary guest. Their conversation flowed naturally, filled with the familiarity of people who had known each other for many years.
After watching them for a while, Wang Gege slowly turned toward Xie Rong.
Xie Rong happened to look at her at the same time.
Their eyes met. Neither of them said anything, but both of them wore the same slightly furrowed expression.
’Is she really the female lead?’
Wang Gege looked back at the young woman, then discreetly glanced at Jiang Zhaoyuan.
She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but something felt off.
If this woman were truly the female lead of a story centered around the Eighth Prince, wouldn’t she have something that made her stand out?
She certainly wasn’t unpleasant. She was pretty, gentle, and seemed to have a good relationship with Jiang Zhaoyuan.
But...
’Would this kind of female lead attract readers?’
The young woman was about to take the empty seat beside Jiang Zhaoyuan when she suddenly noticed the two people sitting across the table. Her eyes widened slightly, and she immediately stopped in her tracks.
"Oh..." She looked between Wang Gege and Xie Rong before quickly bowing her head. "I’m sorry. I didn’t realize Your Highness had guests. Am I interrupting?"
"No, no," Wang Gege quickly shook her head. "You’re not interrupting at all. His Highness invited us to join him for dinner."
The young woman seemed relieved, and a small smile returned to her face. "I see. Then I apologize for my earlier rudeness."
"There’s no need to apologize," Wang Gege said with a smile.
The young woman nodded before finally taking her seat. She then turned toward Wang Gege and Xie Rong, her expression becoming more polite.
"Since we are dining together, I should introduce myself." She placed her hands neatly together and smiled. "My name is Yun Ning..."
"Ah... Shen Taotao..." Wang Gege instantly stood up and politely returned the greeting. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Yun."
Yun Ning blinked a few times before smiling brightly. "So... this is the Young Madam Xie that so many people in the capital have been talking about..." Her eyes lit up with excitement. "Nice to meet you!"
"Ah..." Wang Gege nodded awkwardly, a polite smile appearing on her face.
At the same time, however, her mind was racing as she desperately searched through every memory of the novels she had read, trying to recall whether she had ever come across the name Yun Ning before.
Taking her seat again, Wang Gege lowered her gaze for a few seconds, her mind searching frantically through every possible memory. Then, suddenly, her eyes widened, and she shot to her feet in shock.
Everyone at the table looked at her in surprise.
"What happened, Furen?" Xie Rong asked softly, reaching out to take her hand.
Wang Gege looked around before her gaze finally landed on Yun Ning. She immediately bowed her head slightly.
"I’m sorry for the sudden interruption." She then turned toward Xie Rong and leaned closer to his ear. "Can we leave? I suddenly feel a little unwell..."
Xie Rong looked at her for a few moments, noticing the unusual expression on her face, before giving a slight nod.
"Your Highness, forgive our rudeness, but my wife isn’t feeling well. I’m afraid we will have to excuse ourselves first."
"Oh... really?" Jiang Zhaoyuan blinked before nodding in understanding. "Then I won’t keep both of you any longer. You should return and let Young Madam Xie rest."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Xie Rong nodded politely.
Wang Gege also gave Yun Ning a small apologetic smile before following Xie Rong out of the chamber. However, the moment they stepped outside and the door closed behind them, her expression immediately became serious.
"Husband..." she whispered, tugging lightly at his sleeve. "I remember her."
Xie Rong instantly turned toward her, but he carefully glanced around first before leaning closer and lowering his voice. "Not the female lead?"
Wang Gege shook her head. "No. I think we’ll be able to find the female lead soon..."
But the moment Wang Gege finished speaking, a terrified scream suddenly came from the hot spring on the eastern side of the estate.
"Help! Some—body help!"
Wang Gege and Xie Rong immediately exchanged a glance before rushing toward the voice.
"Someone is in the water!" Wang Gege exclaimed as they hurried through the corridor.
The closer they got, the clearer the desperate splashing became. By the time they reached the eastern hot spring, Wang Gege’s eyes widened in shock.
A woman was struggling desperately in the water, her arms flailing as she tried to keep herself afloat. She had apparently slipped into the deeper part of the hot spring, and every time she tried to push herself upward, her body sank back beneath the steaming water.
"Help!" she cried again, her voice weakening. "Somebody—help me!"
Wang Gege and Xie Rong rushed toward the hot spring, and the moment they reached the edge, they saw a woman struggling desperately in the water.
"She’s drowning!" Wang Gege exclaimed.
Xie Rong immediately stepped forward, ready to jump into the hot spring.
But just as he was about to move, Wang Gege suddenly grabbed his arm. "Wait!"
Xie Rong turned toward her in confusion. "Furen?"
Wang Gege’s eyes widened as a memory suddenly flashed through her mind.
A scene from the novel. The female lead’s first meeting with the Eighth Prince...
She remembered it now.
’The drowning incident.’
Her heart pounded as she suddenly turned toward the sound of hurried footsteps behind them.
"Your Highness!"
Wang Gege’s eyes widened.
Jiang Zhaoyuan came rushing toward them, his expression changing the moment he saw the woman struggling in the water.
Without hesitation, he rushed past them and jumped straight into the hot spring.