Su Qianqian opened the door to her room.
Perhaps it was because her mood had improved a little, or maybe because the sun had already risen.
The room, which had looked rather cold in the morning, now seemed warmer with a few rays of sunlight streaming in…
“You two come in with me. I might need your help to get ready in a bit,” Su Qianqian waved to the two sisters behind her as she spoke.
Shun and Ying immediately followed Su Qianqian into the room.
After thinking for a moment, Su Qianqian walked over and stopped in front of a large Cabinet…
She grasped the door of the finely carved wooden Cabinet and opened it, revealing all kinds of clothes hanging inside.
Some looked fairly normal, but some were very strange, and even… perverse.
Just looking at these clothes gave Su Qianqian a bad feeling.
Doing her best to ignore the bizarre, wicked outfits, she casually picked out a pale pink dress.
At least this one had a skirt long enough.
She held it in her hands and examined it for a moment, then nodded with satisfaction and placed it at the head of the bed, starting to undo the buttons on her clothes…
The moment Shun saw that Su Qianqian was about to start changing, she quickly pulled her younger sister out of the room and even thoughtfully closed the door behind them:
“Ah, please go ahead and change first, we’ll step out for now. Once you’ve changed, we’ll come back in!”
Seeing Shun’s over-the-top reaction, Su Qianqian let out a soft laugh for the first time today.
She shook her head and continued unbuttoning her clothes.
As all the buttons came undone, her clothes slid off.
Su Qianqian glanced at the Mirror by the bed.
All the marks that had appeared on her body the day before were now gone; only a few places still had faint traces, nearly invisible…
Su Qianqian’s fingers gently traced the places where marks were still barely visible.
Then she looked at the parts that once had marks but were now smooth again.
Silent, she put on the pale pink dress she had chosen.
Looking at her reflection in the Mirror, she seemed like a girl just at the age of budding youth.
Su Qianqian felt as if she saw her former self, back in that Small Town, a girl who could play with her little sister, or nap in the sun on a tree for an entire afternoon.
“Come in, I need your help with my hair,” Su Qianqian called toward the door.
The door slowly opened, but the first to enter was not the sisters Shun and Ying, but Luo Wuhen, already changed into casual clothes.
“This feels… strangely familiar, this outfit,” Su Qianqian said as she looked at Luo Wuhen in her casual wear.
Her thoughts drifted, and the innocent image of Luo Wuhen she had first met gradually overlapped with the person standing before her now.
But in the end… Su Qianqian couldn’t make the two figures fully coincide.
After all, those eyes were now filled with calculation…
“May I… may I help you with your hair?” Luo Wuhen’s gentle voice sounded in Su Qianqian’s ear.
The tone was gentle, just like when they first met.
But now, in Su Qianqian’s eyes, there was only the Empress, a woman consumed by the need for control…
“You may. Thank you, Emperor.”
“You can just call me by my name.”
“No, I understand now. You are the exalted Empress. I am just a mere Imperial Concubine, imprisoned within the Household. I should address you as such.”
“You are the Heavenly Emperor.”
“Does it make any difference…”
“…”
Su Qianqian moved onto the bed, turning her back to Luo Wuhen as she hugged her knees.
A sense of fragility and utter resignation seemed to emanate from her…
This was not what Luo Wuhen wanted.
She wished for a Heavenly Emperor whose heart would gradually fill with affection as they spent time together, not a doll who had completely abandoned resistance.
Someone she could pluck at will, but who would remain untouchable by others…
Luo Wuhen said nothing more, just quietly walked over and sat beside Su Qianqian, helping to comb her silky hair…
Time flowed in silence.
Luo Wuhen’s hands finally stopped, and a Mirror appeared before Su Qianqian, reflecting the hairstyle Luo Wuhen had arranged for her…
Su Qianqian looked at the delicate bun atop her head and gave a soft laugh, its meaning unclear: “Heh, it’s quite pretty. It suits someone who is already married…”
“If you don’t like it, I can…” Luo Wuhen hurried to speak, but Su Qianqian interrupted her:
“Why wouldn’t I like it? It’s just that I’ve never paid attention to this before. Now that I’ve become someone’s wife, I should wear my hair in a bun. It’s my fault, and I need you to remind me…”
“It’s fine…”
Su Qianqian laughed as if she was joking, but Luo Wuhen could feel no warmth.
Though she smiled and spoke lightly, it lacked the casual emotion of before…
Luo Wuhen reached out, wanting to undo the bun, but Su Qianqian stopped her: “This is my choice. I think it looks good. Can you let me make this choice, just this once?”
Staring into Su Qianqian’s moist, gentle eyes, Luo Wuhen hesitated and withdrew her hand.
Just a few days—maybe just a moment of recalling the past—was it really enough to change someone so completely…?
Seeing Luo Wuhen not move again, Su Qianqian forced a slight smile, then turned away, hugging her knees as she stared dazedly at her reflection with the newly done hair.
“Perhaps Father and Mother once imagined what I would look like with my hair like this… It’s a pity they might never see it. I wish I could show them…”
Su Qianqian stared at her own reflection in the Mirror.
In those lifeless eyes, she still saw herself.
What expression did that delicate face show? Was it anger? Was it sorrow…?
But now, there was only deep confusion…
“Why do you keep wearing that expression? I would rather see you angry at me… I would rather you showed me your hatred!”
Su Qianqian said nothing.
She just turned her head back to look at Luo Wuhen, dazed, without anger or mockery.
That look made Luo Wuhen fall silent, lost for words.
“Let’s go. I want to stroll through the lively Street for a while. Maybe it’s just that I’ve been shut in too long. Maybe if I go out, I’ll feel better…?”
Su Qianqian didn’t even know why her heart was so calm now.
She wanted to be angry, but couldn’t.
She wanted to be sad, but that sadness was buried deep in nothingness…
Luo Wuhen said nothing, slowly knelt down, and gently lifted Su Qianqian’s foot, helping her put on her shoes…
“I still owe you the grandest Wedding. When do you want it to be…?”
Su Qianqian wanted to refuse immediately, but then remembered something.
Given her situation, did refusal even matter…?
“Then let it be June 17th. That’s my Birthday, the day I was reborn.” Su Qianqian’s voice was slightly hoarse as she answered Luo Wuhen’s question.
“Three months from now… On that day, I will make up for the grandest Wedding. I will announce your status to the Nation. I will tell our people that you are the one I love most…”
“Alright. Let’s go, while it’s still early.”
With her shoes on, Su Qianqian stood up and walked toward the door, as if she hadn’t heard a word of what had just been said…
Why am I hurting myself reading these Genderbent tragedies?
Haaaaaaaa
It’s not that bad. I’ve seen worse.