The Emperor’s Beloved Ugly Girl

18. Who Are You

Translator: Iris Guo

A’Chou said hurriedly: “Don’t keep your mouth open or your face will get sore. You could just open your mouth when I put the spoon near your mouth.”

It seemed that Zhong Mingwei didn’t hear her, because his mouth was still wide open and he still stared at the spoon. Therefore, A’Chou had to feed him more quickly.

Soon, Zhong Mingwei finished a large bowl of porridge, and A’Chou hastened to take aother bowl for him. In fact, this bowl of porridge should be her food, but she didn’t care anymore and only wanted him to eat his fill. Apparently, he had starved for so long that he had no table manners at all. A’Chou couldn’t stop blaming herself for starving him for another night. If she had known it, she would have cooked for him last night.

After Zhong Mingwei ate up the two bowls of porridge, A’Chou took her handkerchief to wipe his mouth and asked softly: “Do you want more? There’s more in the pot.”

Yes, there was more in the pot, but only less than half a bowl.

Zhong Mingwei shook his head. He stared at A’Chou instead of the porridge.

A’Chou felt very uneasy with his dark eyes staring at her. She didn’t know how to get on with men, not to mention with Zhong Mingwei, who had such attractive eyes. Although he had lost some of his grace, she was still so nervous and didn’t know what to do.

“Who are you?” After a while, Zhong Mingwei asked. His voice was quite hoarse, which was probably because he hadn’t said anything for a long time.

“My… My name is Duan Rulan.” said A’Chou in panic, nervously gripping the handkerchief in her hand. She had her heart in her mouth, assuming that Zhong Mingwei had seen through everything. She said with a guilty conscience: “I… I’m Duan Rulan, the eldest daughter of Duan Chenghong’s first wife. You do have an engagement to me.”

“I’ve seen the portrait of Miss Duan,” said Zhong Mingwei indifferently with eyes running down A’Chou’s face and finally fixed on the small scarlet scar on her chin, “If Duan Chenghong’s daughter is disfigured and still dares to marry the Crown Prince without telling him, she will be courting death.”

In the next moment, A’Chou dropped to her knees. Her face was ghostly pale with apparent fright and her lips were trembling constantly. She clutched at the edge of his bed and stuttered: “Your… Your Highness, I’m a maid… Not Duan Chenghong’s daughter… I’m Miss Duan’s dowry maid. Miss Duan…died of a sudden illness…when we were in Tongliao. Therefore, I was forced to come to NingGuTa and replace her to marry you. Your Highness, please show mercy! I didn’t mean to lie! Please!”

“Your Highness?” Zhong Mingwei’s mouth twisted in a sneer. He paused and snorted: “I’m afraid that Miss Duan didn’t die of a sudden illness but committed suicide because actually she didn’t want to marry a paralytic, right?”

A’Chou looked at Zhong Mingwei whose eyes were full of coldness and sarcasm, and didn’t know what to say for a moment. She bit her lips and whispered: “Your Highness, maybe you have thought too much. Miss Duan wasn’t unwilling to come to NingGuTa, but…but she had been weak. She got sick as soon as we left the capital, and it was already difficult for her to make it to Tongliao…”