Chapter 68 Dining with His Highness
“Has Your Highness had dinner yet, since you’ve come so late at night? Why don’t we eat together?” Qiu Shuzhi saw his face turning red with embarrassment and decided not to tease him further.
“…Mm.” Yue Guanyi seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding in agreement.
He thought to himself, having suddenly barged into Qiu Niang’s room late at night, if he rashly asked about her wound, she might become suspicious. It would be better to agree first, then apply medicine for her inconspicuously.
Ji Mei had only prepared one set of bowls and chopsticks, but fortunately, there were other utensils like soup spoons and side plates. So when she heard his movements in the room, she had already moved the unused bowls and chopsticks to his position. It seemed that after they had confessed their feelings for each other, they hadn’t had much time to be alone together. This was a good opportunity.
Yue Guanyi surveyed the dishes on the table, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly: “Why are there only four dishes?”
“Is four dishes not good enough?” Qiu Shuzhi raised an eyebrow with a hint of amusement.
“I clearly-” He was about to say something but suddenly fell silent.
The Yulin Army’s discipline was lax and had always been neglected, so the food for patrolling the imperial city was much worse than that of other armies. In the past, he could turn a blind eye to these things, after all, it wasn’t under his jurisdiction.
But now that Qiu Niang was the commander of the Yulin Army and often led the soldiers on patrol, how could he bear to let her eat cold pickles and steamed buns like those low-ranking soldiers? He wished he could directly insert the imperial kitchen’s chef into the Yulin Army.
Yet he couldn’t be too conspicuous, he could only let those low-ranking Yulin soldiers benefit from Qiu Niang’s influence and improve their meals as well.
He had clearly instructed the kitchen that the Yulin Army commander should have at least six dishes and one soup prepared, and they must be different every day, with even the ingredients being of the best quality.
He clenched his fists tightly, his fingertips turning pale. It seemed the food suppliers were lining their own pockets again, daring to skimp on his orders. A cold gleam flashed in his eyes – he would make sure to break those despicable bones when he got back.
Qiu Shuzhi placed his tightly clenched fist on her leg. The tense hand turned into a ripe peach on its own, opening up without her effort to reveal its juicy flesh.
“There were originally six dishes, but I couldn’t eat that much alone, so I gave the rest to Ji Mei and the others to share.” She gently squeezed the soft flesh of his palm, pausing for a moment: “Thank you for your thoughtfulness.”
The jade-like hand on her leg twitched twice. Yue Guanyi was silent for a moment: “You knew all along.”
Qiu Shuzhi nodded with a smile, her long hair cascading down her back and falling in front of her body. The tips of her hair fell into his palm. His eyes moved, and taking advantage of her inattention, he gently played with the ends of her hair with his fingertips, revealing a hint of satisfaction as if he had stolen a taste.
“Earlier, Ji Mei told me that since I started serving in the Yulin Army, the food gradually improved. I vaguely guessed it might have something to do with Your Highness, and it turns out to be true.”
She picked up the white jade chopsticks and pinched a piece of jade bamboo heart, bringing it to his mouth.
“Come, open your mouth,” she said, her lips curling up.
Yue Guanyi’s eyes widened slightly. The aroma of the food was right under his nose, but his eyes were filled with shock, not daring to open his mouth.
How could he let Qiu Niang feed him? It should be him serving her.
“Qiu Niang, I-”
“Is it delicious?”
Qiu Shuzhi took advantage of his open mouth to push the jade bamboo heart in. Whatever he was about to say would have been more subservient talk anyway, which she didn’t want to hear. Rather than that, she preferred to see the usually high and mighty Crown Prince being obedient and docile in front of her. Occasionally teasing him could even make him blush.
Yue Guanyi pressed his lips tightly, chewing dryly a couple of times before nodding: “It’s delicious.”
Under extreme nervousness, he could no longer taste the food. Even the most exquisite delicacies tasted like chewing wax in his mouth.
“Then have another piece of soft braised tofu.”
The soft-braised tofu was coated with a translucent, glistening sauce. Each piece of tofu was fully saturated with the juice, making one’s mouth water. However, the sauce-covered tofu was both soft and slippery – too much force would break it, too little and it would easily fall.
“Ah-” The piece of tofu she had just picked up fell onto the table.
She carefully picked up another piece, her other hand cautiously cupping underneath. Just as she was about to bring it to Yue Guanyi’s mouth, it fell again, but fortunately landed in her palm.
It was just eating tofu, not taking advantage of Yue Guanyi, why was it so difficult?
She sighed, about to switch to a soup spoon, when suddenly a cool hand covered her wrist.
The cool, lofty mountain hermit lowered his head and took the soft tofu from her palm into his mouth.
Qiu Shuzhi almost couldn’t hold her chopsticks steady.
But Yue Guanyi appeared extremely calm and normal, of course, if one ignored the redness spreading from his neck to the tips of his ears.
He took out a snow-white handkerchief from his sleeve, made of the finest soft gauze with the most exquisite Su embroidery craftsmanship. Every detail exuded elegant artistry.
Qiu Shuzhi originally thought he was going to wipe the corners of his mouth, but to her surprise, he used it to wipe her palm.
The thing that was just now an art piece in her eyes was now wiping the oil from her palm. Yue Guanyi wiped very carefully, not missing even the tiniest spot, completely unconcerned that once the soft gauze was stained with oil, it would be completely ruined and impossible to clean. It was as if her hand was the true work of art, and that hundred-gold Su embroidered handkerchief was just an ordinary rag.
I’ve
This action of his left Qiu Shuzhi at a loss.
All her actions towards Yue Guanyi were tactics she had learned from idol dramas in her previous life, formulas carefully designed under industrial society. But in the face of Yue Guanyi’s sincere actions, they all seemed insignificant.
“Is your wound better?” Yue Guanyi suddenly asked after finishing wiping her hand.
Qiu Shuzhi put down her chopsticks and touched the arm that had been cut by the assassin. “The wound has scabbed over, it’s just that new flesh is growing, and it occasionally feels a bit itchy.”
“May I take a look?” Yue Guanyi’s gaze seemed to pierce through her clothing.
The wound had almost healed, and Qiu Shuzhi originally didn’t want to show him, but feeling Yue Guanyi’s gaze, she felt a warmth in her heart.
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If you’re like me…
Too tired of reading stories where the female lead is often foolish, weak, feeble both physically and mentally, usually in a subservient and oppressed role in society such as a maid, secretary, concubine… or to put it bluntly, typically the one who has to serve and please the male lead, always needing protection and rescue from male leads, while the male lead is often described as talented, strikingly handsome, powerful,…
Then please continue reading.
Hi there, girls!
I’m Yuushi L.
Every day, movies and comics continuously reinforce the notion that women are weak, that they can only handle trivial matters in the background, that women are petty-minded and constantly jealous, mocking, and laughing at other women, while men are strong, wealthy, and solely focused on conquering the world, with countless mindless women ready to fall into their arms.
Believe me, once you read Female-dominant (FEDO) novels, your mindset will change significantly.
I am deeply inspired by strong, independent, and rational women who have the power to take control of their lives, and I am fascinated by the way society’s gender roles are reversed in this genre compared to real life.
So I have created this web with the noble purpose of promoting the “Female-dominant (FEDO)” genre of novels.
In my country, there was a rare renowned female poet in ancient times who wrote the following about the fate of women in that era:
“Damn this life of sharing a husband,
One wrapped in warmth, the other left cold.
I’d rather have stayed single from the start,
Than to endure a life so torn apart.”
Perhaps my penchant for reading female-dominant stories is partly a way of rebelling against the realities of life.
On my site, there will be stories that are not only female-dominant novels, as long as they align with my taste, featuring strong female protagonists and fresh, captivating storylines. Usually, they will be modern or fantasy novels.
I rarely read ancient novels that aren’t female-dominant because they often contain details that easily trigger me. These include the portrayal of men having multiple wives and concubines, which was considered utterly normal in ancient society, and the frequent disdain towards women.
I cannot change the world, as the societal structure that discriminates against women and elevates men has existed for thousands of years. Changing it to truly give women an equal role in society is not something that can happen overnight. If you want gender equality now, it’s laughable. It will never happen when over 90% of national and business leaders are men.
But I can start by changing the mindset of women, sisters, and young girls. Don’t just read dull slogans urging women to be strong and independent; it’s hard to imagine. Read Female-dominant (FEDO) novels to see clearly what true female empowerment looks like.
I believe there will be more and more independent and strong women who prioritize their careers and personal stability over seeking a man to rely on.
In the future, there will be more successful female entrepreneurs, politicians, and thought leaders.
As for me, I will start by making this website grow stronger day by day.
I especially like the concept of “the male lead falls in love first, the female lead is the cold-hearted and rational one, and the male lead suffers because the female lead doesn’t reciprocate his feelings.”
Therefore, you’ll see that most of the novels on my website will belong to this trope. Of course, there will be exceptions.
In the future, I also plan to write my own novels following this concept, where the female lead in my stories will never be the weaker party. I hope I can do it soon.
The novels I highly recommend will be listed under the category:
There will be exceptionally brilliant stories, but there will also be mediocre ones. As the Female-dominant (FEDO) genre has fewer authors and readers, the number of high-quality novels is limited.
Therefore, I want to promote this genre to reach a wider audience, which will encourage more talented authors to choose to write in this style, leading to the birth of more outstanding Female-dominant (FEDO) novels.
The Chinese versions of the novels I use for translation are all sourced from various websites on the internet. You know, I don’t have much budget to purchase so many novels.
Therefore, if your financial situation allows, please support the authors by purchasing the original works. You can find the original works using the Chinese titles of the novels.
*
WARNING:
In some novels, there are certain unhealthy ideologies and illegal actions held by the main characters (for example, treating human lives as worthless, or casually deciding to kill someone, forcing others to do things they don’t want to do, arbitrarily imprisoning others, plotting to harm others, using violence to retaliate against violence,…).
This may be because the authors are still young and inexperienced, unaware that what they’re writing goes beyond moral standards and can negatively influence young readers.
It’s important that readers under 18 years old need to recognize these are illegal actions, not permitted to be carried out in real life, always keep a clear head while reading, treat these works only as entertainment, and don’t let yourself be influenced by those plot points.
*
If you want to join me, support me, recommend novels, or simply want to connect with me privately, please contact me via email: yuushi.l.me@gmail.com
Or join my Discord to connect with others who share the same taste for novels:
With love and appreciation,
YUUSHI L
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*Spotlight on Finished Novel Translations*
The Male Lead’s Obsessive (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: She is his lifelong obsession, to the point where he was willing to be a third wheel, scorned by society, just to wedge his way into her relationship with her fiancé.
Synopsis:
Cold-hearted and indifferent female lead + Scheming and subservient CEO male lead
Summary:
Rong Xiu’s biggest regret in life was missing out on Fan Xia.
He secretly loved Fan Xia for 7 years.
Watched her go public with her boyfriend.
Watched her kiss her boyfriend at their wedding.
Until that man blissfully nestled in Fan Xia’s arms, obtaining everything he could only dream of.
The crazy jealousy stripped away his hidden secret love, layer by layer, burning like wildfire.
Fan Xia, how can I have you!
【Reading and Trigger Warning Guide】
1. Female dominant, male submissive, male pregnancy
2. Male lead schemes his way to the top, male competition
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Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
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