98: Chapter 98 Living Better Than You: The General Male Supporting Character 16

The chattering barrage comments suddenly went silent, and the trend shifted immediately.

However, Meng Zhu curled his lip inwardly.

The favor he spoke of was likely not the same one the barrage comments were imagining.

Nan Jin pulled away from Meng Zhu's embrace, her tone serious and earnest.

"What are you saying, husband? Since it is a favor you owe, it is only natural that we, as husband and wife, repay it together!"

Meng Zhu chuckled upon hearing this and patted her head.

"My wife is right, but this favor requires your husband to verify it first, so there is no rush."

Nan Jin nodded gently and instinctively snuggled back into his embrace, closing her eyes comfortably.

Leaving Nan Jin aside, let us look at Nan Li.

At this moment, many barrage viewers were still watching this side, highly concerned about the development between the main leads.

Unfortunately, some words, once spoken, are hard to take back.

Inside the carriage, Xuanyuan Zhan stole glances at Nan Li's expression from time to time.

As it happened, Nan Li had been this way since she was young; she never showed her emotions on her face.

"Li'er, are you angry?"

When this person tried to coax someone, he was quite like a puppy, cautious and careful.

Under normal circumstances, Nan Li might have softened her heart.

Unfortunately, at this juncture, what he should have done was trust her and admit his fault, rather than obsessing over whether Nan Li was angry—this was a major taboo.

Therefore, Nan Li just brushed him off casually.

"Your Highness, please do not worry; Nan Li is fine."

Nan Li was not fine; she was furious.

Prince Yu asking her if she was angry was simply adding fuel to the fire.

Should she not be angry?

Did she deserve to be wrongly accused?

Prince Yu was also a blockhead. Although he had the blessing of the male lead's halo and knew that Nan Li must still hold a grudge, he thought it best to let her calm down first, planning to coax her slowly once they returned to the mansion.

Sometimes, once the timing passes, everything becomes uncertain.

The barrage viewers were frustrated by his inability to live up to expectations, but they could only watch helplessly as Xuanyuan Zhan acted foolishly.

Two more days passed.

The morning mist had not yet fully dispersed, and in the courtyard of the Generals Mansion, the couple had already begun practicing martial arts.

"Clang—"

The two wooden spears collided, emitting a muffled sound.

Nan Jin was shaken back two steps, her wrists numb, but her eyes became increasingly focused.

"When killing the enemy, you must compose your mind. With only the opponent in your eyes, do not be swayed by external things. You must see clearly his 'form,' and even more so, discern his 'spirit.'"

Nan Jin listened, understanding only half of it, but she firmly kept every word Meng Zhu said in her heart.

After the morning practice ended, the two had breakfast and spent some time being affectionate before Meng Zhu finally left the mansion.

He was dressed in a tight-fitting outfit today, looking very low-key, simply because he did not intend to use the main entrance.

Prince Yus Mansion.

Xuanyuan Zhan had gone to the morning court early, leaving the vast mansion appearing empty and desolate.

Meng Zhu's figure moved like the wind; with a few leaps, he silently crossed the high wall, blending into the pavilions and towers of the mansion like a shadow.

He easily avoided all patrolling guards and headed straight for a secluded courtyard.

Under the pomegranate tree in the courtyard, Nan Li sat alone on a stone stool, holding a few chess pieces in her hand. On the stone table in front of her lay an unfinished game of chess.

Her expression was cold, and she gazed at the chessboard with hollow eyes, clearly preoccupied with heavy thoughts.

Just as she was lost in thought, a faint shadow loomed over her.

Nan Li was startled and looked up abruptly.

"Who is it?"

In front of her, a person had silently appeared at some unknown time.

The newcomer stood tall and upright, dressed in black robes as dark as ink, with his hands clasped behind his back. It was none other than Meng Zhu, who should not have been here.

"Princess Consort Yu, do not panic; I have no malicious intent."

Meng Zhu's voice was calm, revealing no emotion.

Nan Li's pupils constricted slightly, but she quickly regained her composure.

This was the first time in this life she had been this close to Meng Zhu.

"General Meng, you are quite bold. Entering Prince Yus Mansion without being announced—are you not afraid that I will call for people?"

"I am not."

Meng Zhu's tone was relaxed and casual.

"I am not doing anything shameful; I just find it troublesome, that is all."

Nan Li's heart relaxed. She knew exactly what kind of person Meng Zhu was from her previous life.

Just now, she had only been on guard instinctively because she could not gauge what Meng Zhu wanted to do.

Seeing her relax, Meng Zhu did not beat around the bush.

"I have a matter recently, and I have come specially to ask Princess Consort Yu for clarification."

"Clarification? Please speak, General. If Nan Li knows, I will naturally consider it."

Nan Li considered herself to have been reborn, and she truly knew a lot of things, but she could not tell Meng Zhu everything, even if this person was her husband in her previous life.

Meng Zhu nodded gently and went straight to the point.

"Does Princess Consort Yu recognize a handkerchief with a pink gardenia embroidered on one corner, a flower not found in the capital?"

Nan Li froze upon hearing this. Of course, she recognized it, but she could not understand why Meng Zhu was asking about this.

She looked at Meng Zhu suspiciously, her eyes complex and unreadable.

Meng Zhu did not know what she was thinking and continued on his own.

"Many years ago, when I was about ten years old, I was in distress in Hulu Lane in the capital. A girl of similar age gave me two steamed buns as charity, and she wrapped them in this handkerchief."

After he finished speaking, Nan Li finally snapped back to reality. She felt a bit embarrassed at first, then suddenly realized the truth.

The embarrassment came from thinking that Meng Zhu had some connection with her mother, as the handkerchief was indeed her mother's.

The realization came because she finally understood that the little boy she had casually helped back then was actually Meng Zhu.

Come to think of it, it was not that Meng Zhu had not looked for her. Not to mention the pink gardenia, there was no such thing as a gardenia in the capital at all; it should have been very easy to find.

But the age difference was there, and the original male lead would never have thought that it could have been a woman's handkerchief.

Nan Li's mother was from Jiangnan, the daughter of a merchant family dealing in Suzhou embroidery and silk. It was only after she married Prime Minister Nan Ling that she came all the way to the capital to settle down.

Having sorted out the details, Nan Li understood the purpose of Meng Zhu's visit and immediately spoke frankly.

"I do not know how the General found out? This handkerchief indeed belongs to my mother. When I was of a similar age to the General back then, it was I who wrapped two steamed buns and gave them to the General."

Meng Zhu nodded again.

How else could he have found out? Naturally, it was by awakening his memories of his previous life.

The original male lead in his previous life only found out about this five years later, but he had awakened in an instant and directly enjoyed the fruits of that knowledge.

However, Meng Zhu fell silent afterward. He was considering whether or not to speak about the matters of his previous life.

After thinking for a long while, he decided to say it.

There were many reasons, one of which was that he was afraid of Nan Jin finding out about this; the consequences would be unpredictable, and he would regret it too late.

Nan Jin and Nan Li—one was the female lead, and the other was a main female supporting character—both were smart people.

Whatever he did in the future would inevitably reveal flaws. How would he explain it then?

If you awakened your previous life's memories and remembered the five years spent with Nan Li, regardless of whether you did anything or not, this matter should not be hidden from your wife.

If Nan Jin were to develop a grudge in her heart, it would be losing much over a small thing.

Thus, after a long silence, Meng Zhu spoke.

"I had a dream the day before yesterday. In the dream, you and I were a married couple for five years. I woke up after learning that you had suddenly died at Fahua Temple. Before you died, I had just found out the news about the handkerchief."

"I did not understand what it meant, so I came to verify it."

Now it was Nan Li's turn to be silent. She wanted to speak but hesitated, then hesitated again.

She could not just say, "That was not a dream, but memories of your previous life," could she?

She could not bring herself to say it.

Moreover, she felt that Meng Zhu might know it was a previous life, but he refused to admit it, deliberately calling it a dream.

Thinking of this, she steeled herself and said, "Then it must have been a dream. The General is now married to my sister, after all."

...

"That is also fine!"

These two words from Meng Zhu made Nan Li's heart tremble; she did not know what this "that is also fine" actually referred to.

Unexpectedly, Meng Zhu had already turned around, not intending to stay any longer.

He flipped his hand, and a cyan jade pendant fell onto the chessboard.

"Regardless of whether the dream is real or not, the kindness you showed as a young girl was real. This jade pendant is a gift for you. In the future, no matter what difficulties you encounter, I will not say I will devote my heart, but I will do my best."

He walked a few steps forward, then stopped and continued, "Regarding the upcoming flower viewing banquet, I do not suggest you use this jade pendant. You only need to wait quietly; this matter can be turned from a big issue into a small one, and from a small one into nothing. After all, in the current situation, the Emperor does not have a good expression for the Prince of Zhenbei either."

"I take my leave."

Having said this, without waiting for Nan Li's response, he leapt up, his figure disappearing beyond the high wall.