Chapter 268

…

After great effort, Yuan Qingcheng finally managed to reconcile Zhao Yu's youthful, handsome, and naturally imposing face with the terrified, slightly greasy face of that delivery guy.

'They're really the same person!'

Even after Zhao Yu confirmed it himself, Yuan Qingcheng still found it hard to believe.

Seeing only shock, not surprise, on Yuan Qingcheng's face, Zhao Yu knew he was right—this meticulous woman had figured out he was also a transmigrator, and she'd likely guessed his original identity.

Zhao Yu sighed deeply; he never imagined a single dish of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall had exposed his twelve-year secret. 'Star Chen really did me a disservice!'

After a long while, Yuan Qingcheng silently walked up to Zhao Yu, then slowly knelt down and reached for his belt.

Yuan Qingcheng's eyes brimmed with deep grievance, utterly unmasked.

This was understandable.

All along, Yuan Qingcheng had believed her bond with Zhao Yu was love—that she gave herself to him out of affection, bore him five children over more than a decade, and tirelessly helped him develop high-yield crops and cultivate delicious, productive fruits and vegetables.

But in the end, it was all a lie. Every single thing had been Zhao Yu's calculated scheme; she had been completely deceived.

'I've wasted myself on him!'

Ask any woman as proud as Yuan Qingcheng—how could she not feel grievance and fury?

Worse, now that Zhao Yu's disguise had been exposed, he didn't apologize—he used his current imperial status to oppress and humiliate her.

Yes.

In this life, you, Zhao Yu, are Emperor; I, Yuan Qingcheng, am your concubine.

But in my last life, you were nothing but a delivery guy, while I was a mega-online celebrity with millions of fans—I earned more in a day than you made in a year. Men chasing me weren't just rich second-gen or official second-gen—they were young elites, even wealthy tycoons and top celebrities. What about you? In your last life, you rode an electric scooter through alleys, worrying whether your order was late and whether your next meal would be instant noodles or spicy hotpot. You didn't even have the right to chase me.

What's so great about you? What right do you have to act so arrogant?!

Most crucially, even though you were utterly worthless in your last life, I still got ruined by you—I bore your children, and I shared you with a whole bunch of other women.

I've suffered so much injustice, and yet you still bully me—wahhh… Do you even have a conscience?!

Yuan Qingcheng's hands trembled with fury as she undid Zhao Yu's belt, yet she persisted, determined to unfasten the strap binding his pants. Each movement seemed to voice her inner struggle and resentment, yet she stubbornly kept untying it, as if trying to unravel every thread of their years of emotional entanglement, piece by piece, to see it clearly.

Of course, this was also because she feared Zhao Yu's imperial power—she feared he'd punish her, or even kill her right here and bury her in manure.

Just as Yuan Qingcheng was about to finally unfasten Zhao Yu's belt, Zhao Yu reached out and seized her delicate, boneless hand.

Yuan Qingcheng didn't look up—she merely froze, silent tears sliding down, splashing onto Zhao Yu's robe, spreading into soft ripples.

Yuan Qingcheng didn't want this hateful man to see her weakness; she forced a calm tone: 'Does Your Majesty no longer require my service?'

Zhao Yu didn't argue with her—he reached out and helped her rise.

But Yuan Qingcheng still refused to be appeased. She turned her head away, refusing to look at Zhao Yu—or let him see her red, tear-streaked face.

Zhao Yu still didn't press her. He watched her simmering, restrained indignation, then asked: 'You feel wronged?'

Yuan Qingcheng said nothing—her silence confirmed it: 'I'm wronged. You're treating me terribly!'

But Zhao Yu said: 'You only think of your own grievance—have you ever considered that I'm wronged too?'

'What the hell? You're wronged?!'

'Did I hear that right?!'

'You ruined all five of us—you made each of us bear you multiple children, forced us to slave for you, stabilize your empire, expand your borders. Oh, and you slept with thousands of beauties like a stud stallion, sired hundreds of children, and now you're about to unify everything, becoming a legendary emperor to rival Liu Che and Li Shimin—fame, fortune, harem full of flowers. And you're still complaining? You're the one who got everything! We five were just here to transmigrate for you, weren't we?!'

Zhao Yu's shameless words nearly made Yuan Qingcheng's lungs explode.

To be honest, Zhao Yu himself felt he was acting like a man who'd already won everything and still whined about it.

But now, he had to push back—he couldn't afford to lose Yuan Qingcheng, a woman still incredibly useful to him.

So, even though he knew she'd be furious, he said it anyway—and kept going: 'From your perspective, with your help, I gained plenty…'

Yuan Qingcheng turned back, locking eyes with Zhao Yu: 'Isn't that true?'

Zhao Yu met her gaze and admitted: 'Yes. You helped me greatly—you gave me the chance to become a great emperor.'

Hearing him acknowledge their contributions, Yuan Qingcheng's anger eased slightly. She asked: 'Then why do you say you're wronged?'

Zhao Yu sat down on the field ridge, then patted the ground beside him, signaling for Yuan Qingcheng to sit too.

Yuan Qingcheng didn't move—clearly: 'I haven't forgiven you yet. Don't get so familiar!'

In his last life, Zhao Yu had spent over twenty years bombarded by romance plots while writing novels; in this life, he'd slept with thousands of women—how could he not understand women?

With some women, reasoning with them won't work—it only lets them drag you into endless arguments. Sometimes, being domineering works better. After all, many women love the domineering CEO trope.

Right now, seeing Yuan Qingcheng still resisting, Zhao Yu simply reached out, grabbed her hand, and yanked her back.

Years of Zhao Yu dominating Yuan Qingcheng in bed meant that even in fury, she dared not defy him—so when he pulled, she obediently sat beside him.

Only then did Zhao Yu speak: 'But what you see is only what happened after I succeeded. What about before? Don't forget—this throne was never meant for me.'

Hearing this, Yuan Qingcheng remembered: the throne had originally belonged to Zhao Ji. Without their transmigration, Zhao Yu would've been nothing but a carefree prince.

Yuan Qingcheng was the most level-headed of the five women.