!!!
What the hell?!
Lu Meng was genuinely shocked, sitting astride Wu Dagou’s thighs, utterly clueless about how things had escalated to this point.
Let’s rewind and recall how this situation unfolded.
Lu Meng’s mind was a tangled mess, while Wu Dagou’s tongue moved like an unruly machine gun in the hands of an amateur, firing wildly without rhythm.
Her breathing grew uneven, her wide eyes fixed on the strikingly handsome face inches from hers.
All she could register was the surprising softness of Wu Dagou’s thin lips. But even after he momentarily pulled away, Lu Meng still couldn’t figure out what had triggered his sudden… enthusiasm.
Where was the cleanliness obsession typical of early romance novel male leads?
The aversion to women?
The disdain for physical contact?
Lu Meng winced as his grip on her waist tightened, the discomfort growing. She blinked and glanced down between their pressed-together bodies.
What she saw felt like something out of a surreal nightmare—as if Cthulhu’s tentacled minions had conquered the Earth.
And where was the famed self-control of this domineering male lead?!
She squirmed, only for his hold to tighten further.
Wu Dagou tilted his head back slightly, studying her expression before letting out a derisive snort. His gaze seemed to say, "What’s the act? Isn’t this exactly what you wanted?"
Lu Meng braced her hands on his shoulders, pausing before asking with feigned concern, "Your Highness, did someone drug you?"
Wu Linxuan didn’t answer. Instead, he wrapped one arm around her slender waist and cupped the back of her delicate neck with his other hand, pulling her into another kiss.
This time, at least, it wasn’t as frantic as a starving dog devouring its meal—but her muffled protests were swallowed whole.
Wu Linxuan’s thoughts spiraled. Why should I hold back?
No matter what, this woman was his—his concubine. After all the losses she’d caused him, wasn’t it only fair he took some pleasure in return?
Emboldened, he released her lips and buried his face against her neck, pinning her shoulders to keep her from rising.
But soon, even this wasn’t enough to ease the tension coiling inside him. In one fluid motion, he hoisted Lu Meng up with a single arm—like carrying a child—letting her dangle against him.
The sheer strength left Lu Meng stunned. She’d only seen such feats in weightlifting competitions on TV!
Hell, some male celebrities in the 21st century couldn’t even manage a proper princess carry!
With a yelp, she hastily wrapped her arms around Wu Linxuan’s neck as he carried her toward his bedroom.
Even if Lu Meng was still baffled by how things had escalated, she knew exactly what was coming next.
Or rather, what Wu Dagou intended to do.
This bastard was about to sleep with her!
Employee contracts didn’t cover this. Wasn’t this workplace harassment? This better come with a raise!
And when she glanced outside, the sun was still blazing high in the sky.
Broad daylight—was he seriously planning to indulge in such debauchery in plain sight?
Lu Meng was tossed onto a large bed—thankfully without any painful impact—but her first thought wasn’t about losing her so-called "purity" in this era. No, her outrage was directed elsewhere:
Wu Dagou’s bed was softer than hers!
Oh, hell no!
This bastard lived in a mansion while she was stuck in a shack? He got a memory foam mattress while she slept on straw? Unacceptable!
So when Wu Dagou grabbed her ankle, yanking her to the edge of the bed, and—after failing to undo the sash at her waist—simply tore it apart with brute force (nearly flipping her midair in the process), Lu Meng retaliated by sinking her teeth into his neck.
She bit down hard. No one understood the sanctity of a good bed to a lazy, comfort-loving soul like her.
If Wu Dagou dared not upgrade her mattress to match his "memory foam," she’d bankrupt him buying enough properties to drain his fortune dry!
Wu Linxuan hissed in pain, his movements freezing as veins bulged at his temples.
His darkened eyes burned with a mix of fury and desire—enough to terrify any inexperienced young woman.
A faint flush tinged his eyes, equal parts arousal and frustration.
But her biting him wasn’t entirely unexpected. After all, the bruises from her last pinch had only just faded.
This "Dream Concubine" had sharp teeth, and Wu Linxuan had learned that firsthand.
And right now, her resistance only fueled him further. Good. If she didn’t want it, the conquest would be all the sweeter. After costing him so much, she owed him this.
With a humorless chuckle, he braced one arm beside her and trailed his other hand along her face, stopping to grip her jaw firmly.
"Biting me?" His voice was icy. "Such sharp teeth. Let’s see which one needs pulling out."
The threat dripped with menace, perfectly matching his barely restrained frenzy.
Any real spy or sheltered maiden from this world would’ve crumbled under such intensity.
And thus began the classic early-novel trope of "forced possession," a cycle of physical and emotional torment.
Oh, I love him, but he’s heartless.
Oh, I don’t love him, but I’m addicted to his touch.
But Lu Meng wasn’t some naive ingénue. In her past life, she’d been a bubble tea shop owner—young but no stranger to relationships. She’d dated (and dumped) several men and had even considered hiring a sweet, docile boy-toy after a friend did the same.
Money might not buy love, but it could certainly rent a convincing substitute.
So in this battle of experience? Wu Dagou was the amateur.
After savoring her revenge, Lu Meng remembered—oh right, this guy’s her boss. Her livelihood depended on him.
Sure, Wu Dagou was childish, but he was also the male lead—the future ruler of this world.
With her lips still squished into a duck-like pout by his grip, she managed, "Your Highness, such nonsense. Biting is just a bit of bedroom fun. Doesn’t it excite you more?"
She shifted her leg deliberately, pressing closer. Wu Linxuan’s neck tensed, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard.
Lu Meng mentally tsked. Damn, Wu Dagou’s unfairly perfect. Flawless features, save for that seductive red mole near his lip. And that throat? She could play with it for a year.
If he were for hire, her entire bubble tea empire wouldn’t cover the cost.
She didn’t resist. Wu Dagou’s behavior screamed inexperienced.
This male lead’s the real deal.
So much for aversion to women, cleanliness obsession, or personal space issues.
Bathed in the raw magnetism radiating off him, Lu Meng wasn’t opposed to a little fun—even without an immediate raise.
But…
But.
She needed a moment to think.
Reaching up, she brushed her fingers over his Adam’s apple. He swallowed again, and Lu Meng laughed—spraying his hand with spit in the process.
Wu Linxuan instantly released her.
She pinched his ear and purred, "Your Highness, this concubine adores spending time with you like this."
Wu Linxuan discreetly wiped the saliva from his hand onto Lu Meng's clothes.
Lu Meng caught it out of the corner of her eye and thought, Tsk, still a clean freak?
But he’d already swallowed about a pound of her spit earlier.
Lu Meng said, "But Your Highness, today isn’t the best timing."
She hooked her arm around Wu Dagou’s neck, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "This concubine’s monthly courses haven’t ended yet… It’s inconvenient today…"
Then, still pressed against his ear, she giggled softly.
Wu Linxuan broke out in goosebumps, his breath hitching. His expression shifted several times after hearing her words before he abruptly stood up, dragging Lu Meng to her feet as well.
And just like that—Lu Meng was unceremoniously shoved out of the room by the fickle Wu Dagou.
Standing outside the door, she heard a loud bang from inside—probably something else being smashed.
The sun hit her square in the face as she stepped out, her waist sash hanging around her neck. She couldn’t help but laugh.
Seriously, what a little brat.
Lu Meng’s robes were wide open, her sash dangling. Chen Yuan, standing guard at the door, got an eyeful and nearly wished he could stab his own eyes out.
Her maids immediately swarmed around her—some draping a robe over her shoulders, others fixing her disheveled hair.
With that settled, Lu Meng leisurely made her way back to Lishu Court.
She wasn’t actually on her period—just using it as an excuse.
In ancient times, a woman’s menstruation was considered inauspicious. And since everything was inauspicious, Wu Dagou might’ve pushed through otherwise, but a man with ambitions of becoming emperor wouldn’t risk defying such a taboo.
Why should Wu Dagou get whatever he wants whenever he wants it? She hadn’t even mentally prepared herself.
No matter how handsome he is, that’s not how this works.
But after lunch, while lazing in bed, Lu Meng did give serious thought to the idea of becoming Wu Dagou’s casual lover.
She couldn’t remember most of the plot from this early-era angst novel, but the parts that had pissed her off while reading were still fresh in her mind.
The male lead had other women during the stretches where he tormented the female lead.
And he was never short of admirers—women willing to throw themselves at him, obsess over his physical needs, and even dream of bearing his children.
Sure, there was a last-minute redemption arc before the happy ending, but the fact remained.
Lu Meng had originally planned to be the perfect, dutiful employee—content to be a single feather on the male lead’s wings as he clawed his way to power. Not particularly useful, but at least not falling off.
As for marrying some "good man" or divorcing the protagonist to find love elsewhere?
Early-era novel male leads never let their women go—that was a given. But more than that, Lu Meng didn’t believe in "good men" to begin with.
Even in modern socialist society, after nine years of compulsory education and with fully developed personalities, most young people were still single and howling about it.
And when it came to family, marriage, children, money—things that were already hard to balance in a fair, lawful society—ancient times were far worse.
At least wife-killing is illegal in modern times. Here, any excuse will do—or just slap on a false charge. Who’s going to investigate?
Lu Meng’s mind was so clear it was like her brain had been pressure-washed, leaving no trace of delusion behind. Love? In this dynasty? Please.
So she had no intention of leaving Wu Dagou—because he was the center of this world.
And if she wasn’t leaving him, and couldn’t mess around with other men… then why not have some fun with him?
Lu Meng had no moral hang-ups. She was a normal woman with normal needs.
And Wu Dagou is clearly a virgin.
As long as she didn’t get pregnant, where was the harm?
Once he took other women later, it’d be easy to make him lose interest. He wouldn’t spare her a glance even if she cried and begged—no worries about being unable to shake him off.
She wouldn’t covet the male lead’s affection, but if he wanted her too, then indulging in his body was just mutual consent.
And once Wu Dagou had been intimate with her, even if he didn’t like her, he’d still see her as his property—stashing her away in his inner quarters, forgotten but secure.
Not a bad insurance policy for her lazy, carefree life.
Lu Meng spent half an hour mulling this over before dozing off until evening, waking just in time for dinner.
Meanwhile, Wu Linxuan—forced to slam on the brakes—was a tangled mess of self-loathing, frustration, and rejection.
One moment he wanted to kill this Concubine Meng.
The next, he wanted to kill this Concubine Meng.
(The two "kills" were fundamentally different, of course.)
Lu Meng hadn’t lied about her period just to leave Wu Dagou hanging.
After all, when he got worked up, he was hard to resist.
The boyfriends she’d had in her past life couldn’t compare—but then, no real man could measure up to a fictional character.
And really, who didn’t like a handsome eighteen- or nineteen-year-old?
Women of all ages could agree on that.
The main reason for her lie was that her "sister," Zhangsun Xianyun, was returning soon.
And Lu Meng knew what to expect from a virgin male lead in an early-era novel—seven rounds until dawn was basically the bare minimum.
All things considered, she didn’t want to be unable to walk. Especially since this body was also untouched.
As predicted, Lu Meng’s foresight proved correct.
On a day in August, Feng Beiyi—the South-Pacifying General who had won numerous battles in recent years—was summoned back to the capital for the Mid-Autumn Festival reunion.
Emperor Yan’an hosted a grand banquet in the palace, inviting all officials and their families.
As part of an official’s family, Lu Meng naturally had to attend.
After a day apart, she dressed in her finest, let her maids help her into the carriage she usually "wasn’t worthy of," and found Wu Linxuan already inside.
Clad in violet robes with a golden crown, he sat rigidly upright—every inch the noble, striking prince.
He didn’t so much as glance at her when she entered.
Lu Meng gave his outfit a once-over and mentally awarded it 82 points. The remaining 18? Delivered in the form of 666.
Wu Dagou’s emotions are too dangerous, but his body? Fair game.
This could work. A high-quality lover like this doesn’t come around often.
After a brief hesitation, she bypassed the side seat and instead sweetly called out, "Your Highness~"
Then, lifting her skirts, she plopped down right beside Wu Linxuan—so close that the only reason she didn’t land in his lap was her overly elaborate outfit.
Wu Linxuan’s breath hitched. He turned his head, glaring at her in outrage.
