Chapter 236: The Original Female Lead
The woman coughed hard the moment Jiang Zhaoyuan pulled her out of the water, her body trembling as she struggled to catch her breath. Water dripped from her soaked clothes and hair as she clung to the Eighth Prince’s arm, still coughing repeatedly.
"Slowly," Jiang Zhaoyuan said, supporting her carefully. "Take a deep breath."
Wang Gege stood at the edge of the hot spring, staring at the two of them.
Her eyes slowly widened.
’It really is her...’
She had finally remembered the scene.
The female lead’s first meeting with the Eighth Prince had happened exactly like this.
As the memory came rushing back, Wang Gege began to remember every bit of the plot that followed this incident. The details that had once been buried deep within her memories slowly connected together, and she suddenly realized what was about to happen next.
Almost instinctively, Wang Gege turned her head toward the back.
Sure enough, Yun Ning was staring sharply at the Eighth Prince and the woman he had just rescued, her expression completely different from the gentle smile she had worn at the dining table.
"She will come running..." Wang Gege muttered under her breath.
Hearing his wife’s words, Xie Rong turned and followed her gaze, only to see Yun Ning already rushing toward them.
"What happened?!" Yun Ning exclaimed as she hurried over, her eyes immediately fixed on the woman in Jiang Zhaoyuan’s arms.
"Oh my—" She covered her mouth in surprise. "Su Lian, what happened? Your Highness, I apologize. I brought her here because she said she was bored staying in her own residence, but just now, she wanted to find the washroom and somehow ended up here..."
The woman named Su Lian coughed weakly, still trying to catch her breath as she leaned against Jiang Zhaoyuan.
Wang Gege’s eyes slowly widened.
’Su Lian...?’ She remembered that name. ’But bored staying in her own residence...’
Her gaze shifted toward Jiang Zhaoyuan, then back to Su Lian.
Su Lian finally managed to steady her breathing. The moment she realized she was still leaning against Jiang Zhaoyuan, she quickly moved away and knelt before him.
"Your Highness, this consort did not mean to disturb Your Highness. Please forgive this consort for causing trouble."
Su Lian kept her head lowered, her body tense as she knelt before Jiang Zhaoyuan. Even after he had just rescued her from the water, there was an unmistakable fear in her eyes whenever she looked at him.
Jiang Zhaoyuan frowned slightly. "Get up first. You have only just recovered, and now you have fallen into the water. Kneeling will only make you more uncomfortable."
Before Su Lian could respond, Yun Ning stepped forward with a gentle smile.
"This one already told you earlier that we were going to His Highness’s resting place, didn’t I?" she said softly, her tone carrying a faint hint of reproach. "If you had listened and stayed with me, you wouldn’t have wandered off and frightened everyone like this."
Su Lian’s fingers tightened against her sleeves.
"I..." She lowered her head even further. "I’m sorry."
Wang Gege quietly watched Yun Ning.
The words sounded gentle enough, but something about them made her uncomfortable.
Yun Ning had just made it sound as though Su Lian were the one who had deliberately wandered away and caused trouble, while conveniently leaving out the fact that she was the one who had brought Su Lian here in the first place.
"Never mind, let’s go back inside first..." Jiang Zhaoyuan tried to pull out his outer layer robe but Su Lian instantly stopped him from doing it.
"Your Highness..." She said and blinked.
And as they understood each other, Jiang Zhaoyuan stopped his hand. "Then, let’s hurry up to go inside..."
The group slowly turned and Su Lian had just risen to her feet when Yun Ning suddenly stumbled beside her.
"Ah!"
It looked as though Yun Ning had accidentally twisted her ankle. She staggered sideways, and her shoulder bumped directly into Su Lian.
Su Lian had barely regained her balance when the unexpected impact sent her stumbling backward.
"Ah—!"
In the blink of an eye, she lost her footing and fell straight back into the hot spring. Water erupted around her as her body disappeared beneath the surface once again.
"Su Lian!"
Jiang Zhaoyuan’s expression changed instantly. He stepped forward without hesitation and reached into the hot spring, grabbing her arm and pulling her back up before she could sink any deeper.
Su Lian coughed violently the moment her head emerged from the water, her soaked hair clinging to her face as she struggled to breathe. However, after a few breaths, her expression suddenly changed. Her chest tightened, and she instinctively grabbed Jiang Zhaoyuan’s sleeve.
"Your Highness..." Her voice came out weakly. "I... I can’t breathe..."
Jiang Zhaoyuan’s expression immediately changed.
"Su Lian!"
Her breathing became increasingly shallow, and her body began to weaken in his arms. Without giving himself time to think, Jiang Zhaoyuan pulled her closer and pressed his lips against hers, giving her a form of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Wang Gege’s eyes widened.
She stared at the scene before her, her mind instantly connecting the memory she had been desperately trying to recall. She slowly turned toward Xie Rong and leaned closer to his ear, lowering her voice so only he could hear.
"That’s when he started to hear her inner thoughts..."
Xie Rong’s gaze sharpened as he looked toward Jiang Zhaoyuan and Su Lian.
A moment later, Jiang Zhaoyuan finally pulled away after giving her several breaths. Su Lian was still breathing heavily, but her condition seemed to have improved as she stared at him in confusion.
’Why is the Eighth Prince kissing me?!’
Jiang Zhaoyuan’s eyes widened in shock.
But before he could react, Xie Rong suddenly turned toward Wang Gege, and the two of them stared at each other in disbelief.
Because at that very moment, they had heard it too.
Not only could the Eighth Prince hear Su Lian’s inner thoughts...
They could hear them as well!