Chapter 2

In the original story, after Xiao Changyuan and the young palace maid fell off a cliff, both lost their memories.
They became siblings and lived in Jiangjia Village for three years.
Their relationship was as stagnant as a pool of dead water.
To complete her mission, Yun Pianpian decided to set that dead water ablaze.
Burn it dry.
Let love boil over.
Yun Pianpian bit her crimson, cherry, like lips, her almond, shaped eyes misty as she gazed tenderly at Xiao Changyuan.
“Husband, I am your wife. Don't you recognize me?”
The young emperor's face was exquisitely handsome yet cold, his eyes dark and unfathomable like an icy abyss, indescribably aloof, dangerous, and profound.
He looked at her, his thin lips pressed together, saying nothing.
Yun Pianpian's clear, sparkling almond eyes were filled with sincerity.
But inwardly, she was uncertain.
Just last night, she had stayed up late finishing the book's finale, weeping bitterly over the twisted, horrifying love between the male and female leads until her eyes were swollen. She never imagined she would wake up transmigrated into the very book.
And lying right beside the ultimate villain.
The mere thought sent shivers down her spine.
Other female protagonists who transmigrated at least received the original host's memories to adapt to the world. But she had none of the young palace maid's memories. Not only did she lack those memories, but she also had to face the most evil tyrant in this world head, on.
It was truly tragic.
Would this tyrant even fall for her deception?
How long could a lie last?
In the original story, Xiao Changyuan was so violent and ruthless, killing as easily as cutting grass.
She had no idea if her lies would be exposed, and whether he would skin her alive, tear her apart, and feed her to the tigers.
Thinking of this, Yun Pianpian suddenly regretted the impulsive lies she had just told him.
His eyes were terrifyingly dark.
Meeting his gaze felt like confronting an abyss.
She felt as though she were being watched by monstrous beasts lurking in the depths of a bottomless chasm.
Every hair on her body stood on end.
Scenes of the tyrant from the original story flashed through Yun Pianpian’s mind.
The bloody heads thrown from the city walls, the countless souls who had died under Xiao Changyuan’s blade, Ye Suxin’s sorrowful, blood, stained singing…
The more Yun Pianpian thought about it, the more frightened she became. She even wanted to avoid his dangerous, icy gaze.
But when it came to a staring contest,
Whoever looked away first would be the one to admit defeat.
Yun Pianpian’s life could only end in failure; she absolutely could not admit defeat.
So, gritting her teeth, she continued to play the role of a delicate, distressed young woman, stubbornly holding the tyrant’s gaze.
Time passed slowly.
Xiao Changyuan watched Yun Pianpian expressionlessly.
His deep, dark eyes stared at her for a long time before he finally spoke in a hoarse voice.
“Wife.”
Hearing his words, Yun Pianpian finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Great.
Who would have thought this tyrant, who appeared cold, dangerous, and inscrutable, would actually be so easy to fool?
(︶︿︶)
All that worry for nothing.
Yun Pianpian’s biggest flaw was that she forgot the pain as soon as the wound healed, and her emotions shifted with lightning speed.
But at the same time, this was also her greatest strength.
Having narrowly escaped disaster, Yun Pianpian immediately slipped into actress mode, cheerfully beginning her sorrowful performance.
“Husband, are you in pain? Is there anywhere you feel unwell?”
Although she was just an ordinary office worker, she had watched at least eight hundred films and TV shows, so her acting skills were passable.
Xiao Changyuan looked into Yun Pianpian’s eyes, his expression indifferent, and said slowly, “Wife, I’ve lost my memory.”
“What? Husband, you’ve lost your memory?”
Yun Pianpian feigned surprise, her clear, almond, shaped eyes widening, her small face filled with worry.
“Then, husband, do you still remember who I am?”
Xiao Changyuan shook his head, his thin lips pressed together, his gaze dark and unreadable.
“I don’t remember.”
As he spoke, his eyes never left Yun Pianpian’s.
Yun Pianpian put on a sorrowful expression, covering her face with her hands and pretending to cry mournfully.
“It must be because you were protecting me that you hit your head and lost your memory. It’s all my fault. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have been injured or lost your memory, and we wouldn’t have ended up in this place.”
Just as Yun Pianpian was thoroughly enjoying her fake crying while covering her face,
A pale, slender hand suddenly grasped her sleeve.
Slowly pulling her hand away from her face.
Revealing her large, tear, filled eyes, red, rimmed and glistening with tears.
Yun Pianpian’s heart tightened.
She thought Xiao Changyuan had noticed something.
Fortunately, she was emotionally expressive enough to produce real tears even while fake crying.
When Xiao Changyuan saw Yun Pianpian’s red, rabbit, like eyes,
He furrowed his brows slightly.
“Wife, don’t cry.”
Hearing this, Yun Pianpian froze for a moment.
She looked at Xiao Changyuan and saw that although he was frowning, his handsome face showed no sign of impatience.
.So, was the great tyrant comforting her?
It was truly a rare occurrence, the sun rising from the west. The wicked tyrant actually knew how to comfort someone.
Yun Pianpian knew when to stop. She wiped her tears with her sleeve, her eyes red, and put on the brave facade of a young wife holding back her tears.
“Alright, if my husband says not to cry, then I won't.”
Xiao Changyuan's eyes were deep and cold, like frost covering ice, as he gazed indifferently at Yun Pianpian.
“Wife, why are we in this place?”
Yun Pianpian replied with a sorrowful expression, “Because we encountered bandits on the road and accidentally fell off a cliff after being attacked by them.”
Xiao Changyuan frowned. “Why did we encounter bandits?”
“That's a long story, and it goes all the way back to when we were children.”
As long as the first lie passed the great demon king's test, the subsequent lies would be much easier to fabricate.
Yun Pianpian spun a web of lies: “You and I grew up together as childhood sweethearts. Because my mother and your mother were close friends, we were betrothed while still in their wombs. We were engaged as infants, and once I came of age, I was to marry you, my husband.”
In the short time it took to drink a cup of tea, Yun Pianpian had fallen from an honest and kind, hearted innocent girl to a little liar full of deceit.
Indeed, human potential is limitless in the face of danger.
“Do you remember any of this, husband?”
Xiao Changyuan replied indifferently, “No.”
Of course, you wouldn't remember, because you don't even know me. Yun Pianpian lowered her voice and said, “Later, my mother passed away, and my father remarried. My stepmother, for the sake of money, disregarded our engagement and tried to force me to marry the foolish son of the county magistrate.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Changyuan's brows furrowed slightly, and his handsome face grew cold as frost.
“Go on.”
It seemed he was buying into it.
Yun Pianpian, who was improvising and weaving a story on the spot, suddenly felt her confidence surge.
Her lies flowed even more smoothly and seamlessly.
“Naturally, I refused to comply with such a faithless act. Later, you took me and we eloped, escaping from home. We even secretly married in the temple of the Mountain Goddess. But on the road, we encountered bandits. They robbed us of everything and threw us off the cliff.”
While spinning her lies, Yun Pianpian inwardly marveled at what a clever and quick, witted little genius of deception she was.
Lying so naturally, smoothly, and flawlessly truly deserved praise.
After feeling proud for a moment, Yun Pianpian continued, “Heaven took pity on us, fortunately, there was a lake beneath the cliff, so we survived the disaster. I was knocked unconscious by the lake water and lost awareness, my head feeling heavy and muddled. I woke up a few times in between, only remembering that we were floating in a flowing stream, with my husband holding my hand and cradling me in his arms. It seemed like he hit something then, I suppose that’s when he struck his head and lost his memory.”
Deceiving the villain was like ridding the world of a scourge.
After finishing this long string of lies, Yun Pianpian felt not the slightest bit of guilt. Instead, she felt as if her entire being was bathed in a holy, warm light of righteousness, a sense of justice welling up inside her.
Even her petite figure seemed to grow taller and more imposing.
From now on, this world would have one less cruel and ruthless villain and one more doting, handsome husband who cherished his wife.
No one in this book could stop Chu Yi and Ye Suxin, that twisted couple, from loving each other anymore!
Wait.
Could this be the reason Heaven had sent her into this book?
Yun Pianpian suddenly had an epiphany.
After hearing Yun Pianpian’s words, the first thing Xiao Changyuan asked was, “What about my parents?”
Yun Pianpian froze for a moment, suddenly recalling the mad dog of a father from the original story, as well as the tragic deaths of Empress Xu and Xiao Changlin.
Her mood instantly grew heavy.
Her gaze toward Xiao Changyuan held a touch of genuine pity.
“They’re all dead.”
Xiao Changyuan’s dark eyes momentarily stilled.
He pressed his thin lips together, his gaze icy and frigid as he stared at Yun Pianpian.
“How did they die?”
This time, Yun Pianpian paused to think before softly replying, “Actually, you had an older brother. When we were six, a sudden flood struck our hometown. Your parents went back to save your brother, and they all perished in that flood.”
In Yun Pianpian’s fabricated lie, Xiao Changyuan had grown up in a warm family.
His parents were loving, his brother was kind and respectful, and the family was harmonious, until a merciless flood took their lives.
In the original story, Xiao Changyuan had lived in a nightmare.
Not only did he live in that nightmare, but he forced everyone else to live in it with him.
That nightmare should end here.
Yun Pianpian hoped that from now on, all of Xiao Changyuan’s dreams would be peaceful.
Upon hearing Yun Pianpian’s words, Xiao Changyuan lowered his thick, dark eyelashes.
His black eyes were cold and deep as a frozen pond, devoid of any light, and he remained silent for a long while.
After a long time, he finally asked quietly, “What is my name?”
Yun Pianpian’s gaze drifted to the clear stream beside Xiao Changyuan.
The stream murmured softly as it flowed over quiet stones.
Yun Pianpian turned her face and looked calmly at Xiao Changyuan.
“Your surname is Shi, and your name is Shitou (Stone).”
Xiao Changyuan didn’t doubt her words.
He lifted his dark eyes and looked at Yun Pianpian.
“Wife, what is your name?”
The sky was dusky, the setting sun melting into gold.
The last rays of twilight fell upon the girl’s delicate face, casting a soft glow around her silhouette.
Yun Pianpian lifted her face and smiled at Xiao Changyuan, her clear, almond, shaped eyes sparkling with a brilliant tenderness.
“My surname is Yun, and my name is Pianpian. You can call me Pianpian, or you can call me your wife.”
When the girl smiled, two shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks.
In the distance, the scenery was bathed in radiant light, with the glow of the sunset stretching far and wide.
Yet, the brilliant sunlight could not compare to the warmth and brightness in the girl's eyes.
Xiao Changyuan's dark eyes were deep and somber as he gazed at the girl for a long while.
After a long time, he finally called out softly.
“Wife.”
This time, he did not hesitate.
Yun Pianpian felt a little uneasy under his pitch, black gaze.
“Husband, why are you staring at my eyes?”
“Because my wife's eyes are beautiful.”
Xiao Changyuan stared at Yun Pianpian as if he were gazing into his own past.
Her eyes were like lakes that had drowned the sun.
Moist, bright, and warm, they made him feel calm and familiar.
Hearing this, Yun Pianpian was momentarily stunned.
She suddenly realized that earlier, when Xiao Changyuan had moved her hand away from her face, it wasn't because he doubted her.
It was because he wanted to see her eyes.
Eyes are the windows to the soul.
What he saw was her very essence.
Thinking of this, Yun Pianpian immediately cast an appreciative look at Xiao Changyuan.
You have good taste!