Help! The Villainess Trapped in the Beast World's Drama!

Chapter 298: Chapter 290: ”Victory” Hotpot

Yun Han returned to his usual study, where various documents to be processed were piled up on the desk, but he seemed a bit distracted.

Moments later, he propped his right elbow on the desk, rubbing his brow wearily, a look of concern flashing across his features.

After this incident, Shen Tang would surely bear some grudge in her heart, and once she takes office, Qingli’s days will definitely be tough—there might even be a lot of pressure on the Yun Family.

With long fingers lightly tapping the table, Yun Han sighed and called over his most trusted aide, Lin Yu, saying, ”Go help me find out what gifts would be suitable for apologizing to someone.”

Lin Yu stood at the door, a look of shock crossing his face—heaven knows, after following the Young Master for many years, he had never seen the proud Young Master of the Yun Family apologize to anyone!

However, he was clever and quickly understood the reason, ”The Young Master wants to apologize to Her Highness Shen Tang, right?”

Although Lin Yu wasn’t qualified to attend the council, he knew about the recent widespread rumors. Fortunately, the truth was finally revealed, and the injustice was cleared.

He also heard that the Young Master and Shen Qingli had a fierce argument at the meeting, resulting in great unpleasantness, and the two were still in a cold war, forcing the Young Master to avoid going back to the hotel and spending the night here.

Privately, many people were even speculating that the mastermind behind it all was Princess Shen Qingli. Originally, he was somewhat skeptical, but after hearing what the Young Master said today, it became clear to him.

Lin Yu furtively observed the man’s somber expression, for a moment not knowing what to say.

Alas, he had thought Princess Shen Qingli would be a perfect match for the Young Master, but now things have come to this, making his feelings extremely mixed.

Thinking further about Shen Tang’s currently radiant and dazzling image, with her coronation ceremony coming soon, her five Beast Husbands would naturally rise along with her.

The Lu Family, which originally rivaled the Yun Family, naturally would see its status elevated, inevitably overshadowing the Yun Family in the future.

Yet these honors could have originally belonged solely to the Young Master.

If the Young Master hadn’t annulled the engagement back then, the person standing beside this future Monarch today would have been the Young Master!

But it was Yun Han who voluntarily gave up everything.

Yun Han never brought up the past again, but Lin Yu, having been beside him for many years, could discern some of Yun Han’s emotions.

He guessed that the Young Master must have some regrets now.

But what’s done is done, the die is cast, and nothing can change it.

At the coronation ceremony a month from now, the Young Master would still have to attend in person, witnessing Shen Tang and her five Beast Husbands harmoniously together, without knowing what to feel.

Lin Yu hid his myriad thoughts, not wanting to make the Young Master feel even worse, and thoughtfully offered, ”The family affairs are busy; it’s just sending a gift. No need for the Young Master to make the trip personally. I can help the Young Master send it.”

Yun Han lowered his gaze onto the increasingly chaotic handwriting on the paper, and after a pause, he said in a low voice, ”After all, it’s an apology, not delivering good news. Personally going to ask for forgiveness shows sincerity.”

Lin Yu thus said no more and went to prepare.

...

A few days earlier, Shen Tang and her party had separated from the main group, returning to the city quite late.

Most of the houses in the good parts of the city had been rented or sold.

Later, someone took into account the Empire Princess’s position, and sold them a small, somewhat old villa near the city outskirts.

This place was originally occupied by an elder in the landlord’s family, but after the elder passed away a few years ago, it had been left empty for several years.

With no one living here for so long, a thick layer of dust had settled over the rooms and courtyard. Coupled with the heavy snow from recent days that no one had cleared, the yard was piled high, and when it melted, there was a lot of standing water.

The living conditions couldn’t compare to a hotel, but the place was spacious, there were many rooms, and the scenery around was quite nice, with a small garden that was rather tranquil and pleasant.

On the first day of moving in, Lu Xiao and the others all got to work cleaning up the courtyard.

Shen Li was responsible for clearing the snow from the yard.

He dawdled, using a broom to sweep briefly, and when Shen Tang went out on an errand, he used a blast of Fox Fire to burn away all the snow and water in the courtyard, almost setting the yard on fire.

Fortunately, he controlled the flames well, and it was just a scare.

Xiao Jin, being strong, was suited for heavy labor.

Shen Tang had him carry out the old furniture in the house to throw away.

The house was perpetually dark and damp, and most of the old wooden furniture had been eaten away by bugs and ants, leaving just empty shells, so they needed new furniture.

Lu Xiao was responsible for acquiring furniture and furnishings, and after consulting Shen Tang’s preferences, he drove over the newly purchased furniture and appliances.

Jia Lan and Xue Yinzhou, having no other tasks, went to clean the house.

Jia Lan, being a royal Sea Clan Prince, had never done such menial labor.

Upon entering the house, he immediately smelled the damp, dusty odor and gave a distracted glance at the cobwebs laden with dust in the corners of the room.

”This is filthy! There’s not even a place to rest.” Jia Lan pinched his nose, his expression troubled, nearly turning on his heels to leave.

However, since he had Water Ability, he was best suited for cleaning jobs.

At least, this job was lighter than Xiao Jin’s.

He could only grit his teeth and get on with it, working briskly to ensure the house was quickly tidied—a single moment longer he didn’t want to linger!

Xue Yinzhou, however, said little, picking up the mop and cloth to clean the rooms.

The five Beast Husbands took care of all the household chores, leaving Shen Tang with nothing to do, leaving her only to occasionally lend a hand.

In just half a day, the six of them had tidied the property thoroughly, with new furniture and appliances all installed, making it finally possible to enjoy a proper rest.

Lu Xiao saw how empty the yard was and thought about dividing it into several sections, preserving some space for a garden or vegetable plot, installing a swing nearby.

The center of the yard was left open to allow for dining and gatherings.

On this particular day, Shen Tang planned to celebrate the victorious counterattack with an outdoor hotpot.

Winter was the perfect time for hotpot.

Thinking back to the last time they had hotpot, on that old, defective ship heading from the polluted zone to the Empire, that taste lingered vividly on their tongues, leaving them longing!

But as the weather got hotter, Shen Tang became too lazy for hotpot.

In the heart of winter, setting tables in the courtyard for a family to enjoy a steaming hotpot was a delightful experience!

”If you’d said earlier, I would have gone to prepare the ingredients sooner.” Jia Lan was quite the gourmand, generally too lazy to hunt, but unusually motivated now.

Shen Tang knew that compared to terrestrial food, Jia Lan preferred seafood, and she also quite liked it, licking her lips with a smile, ”It’s not too late yet; if you hurry, it’ll take at most an hour for a round trip. Go ahead; if it gets later, it’ll really get dark. Catch more fish and shrimp—I want to make fish balls and shrimp paste!”

Jia Lan didn’t know what she meant by fish balls and shrimp paste, but was sure it’d be delicious, so he didn’t hesitate and headed out for the hunt.

Kongdu City was a port city with many rivers and waterways nearby. Along the moat, one could swim directly into the sea area.

Outside the city, in a secluded forest, there was a clear river where Jia Lan dove in, and after a few trips, caught several fresh fish to throw into a bucket he brought.

However, during the winter, the fish weren’t very fatty, barely containing any meat.

Jia Lan shook his wet hair and dove deeper into the sea area with a flick of his tail.