The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat-Chapter 14: Bowing to Circumstances

As Hua Manman slept fitfully, she was suddenly overcome by the alarming feeling of being stared at by a ferocious beast.

The fright jolted her, and she quickly opened her eyes.

Right into a pair of narrow, ink-black eyes.

Li Ji was sitting quietly in his wheelchair, staring at her without a sound. There was no telling how long he had been there.

Seeing her open her eyes, a delighted smile slowly spread across his face.

"Awake?"

The sense of crisis in Hua Manman’s heart gradually faded, but she didn’t let her guard down completely.

Clutching the blanket, she sat up and looked out the window. It was just dawn. There were no clocks here, so she didn’t know the exact time, but she guessed it was just after six in the morning.

No more than three hours had passed since she had gone to sleep.

’Only three hours!’

’Even Zhou Bapi couldn’t torment someone this much!’

Hua Manman forced the corners of her lips up into the standard, professional smile of a service worker.

"Why are you up so early, Prince?"

Li Ji was still in his snow-white under-robe, his long, dark hair unbound, giving him a lazy and casual air.

He said languidly, "Early? I always woke up at this hour when I was in the army. You’ll have to get used to waking up at this time from now on."

The smile on Hua Manman’s face froze solid at the thought of having to get up at the crack of dawn every day.

’This man is doing this on purpose, isn’t he? He is, he is, he is, isn’t he?!!’

’She had thought that by escaping the fate of entering the palace as an imperial consort, she could start a new life.’

’Who would have thought she’d just escape the tiger’s den only to enter the wolf’s lair!’

’Life is hard, Manman sighed.’

Li Ji heard her innermost thoughts as clear as day, and the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but lift even higher.

He said with a beaming smile, "Later, I’m going to the State Duke Mansion to pay my respects to my mother. You have to come with me."

Prince Zhao’s mother was Princess Rouwan, who was also the wife of Duke Zhen.

Duke Zhen had passed away five years ago.

Princess Rouwan now lived as a widow in the State Duke Mansion. It was said her health was poor and she rarely made public appearances. She hadn’t shown her face at all during the wedding at the Prince Zhao Mansion yesterday.

She was about to meet her mother-in-law; there was no time to waste.

Hua Manman hurried out of bed and called for servants to help her dress and wash up.

Li Ji refused to be attended to by the maids, his long, narrow phoenix eyes fixed on Hua Manman without blinking.

His meaning was self-evident.

Hua Manman was speechless.

’Forget it. When you’re living under someone else’s roof, you have to bow your head.’

She couldn’t very well divorce him, so she could only resign herself to her fate, walk over, and personally help Prince Zhao dress.

The maids who witnessed this were secretly astonished.

They had heard that Lady Hua had tried to kill herself by jumping into a lake to avoid marrying Prince Zhao. Given the Prince’s vengeful nature, he surely wouldn’t let Lady Hua off easy. They had been certain she would suffer after joining the household.

But judging by how the two were interacting now, Prince Zhao was clearly quite pleased with Lady Hua.

The maids had to re-evaluate this Lady Hua. To have won over the moody and unpredictable Prince Zhao in a single night—Lady Hua’s methods were truly remarkable!

Once they had both dressed and washed up, Hua Manman pushed Li Ji to the dining hall for breakfast.

If nothing else, the food at the Prince Zhao Mansion was truly excellent.

Seeing the table laden with delicacies, Hua Manman instantly forgot all her frustration, grievances, and worries.

She picked up her bowl and chopsticks, but just as she was about to dig in, the Prince Mansion’s steward, Gao Shan, walked in with a bowl of medicinal soup.

Gao Shan placed the steaming concoction before Prince Zhao and said respectfully.

"Prince, this is your medicine. The Imperial Physician said you must drink it before your meal."

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