Film and Television: The Villain's Life Begins with Joy of Life

The wind whistled past her ears, and the lights in front of Zhan Yuanyuan rushed past like shooting stars.

"It's really...it's really flying!" she screamed inwardly. "Am I dreaming?!"

Zhou Cheng put his arm around her waist, and with a light tap of his toes, he leaped dozens of feet. The towering palace walls were no more than a small threshold beneath his feet.

He flew out of the palace and landed with Zhan Yuanyuan in a secluded alley.

"They're out."

He released her grip. Zhan Yuanyuan's legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground. She leaned against the wall, panting heavily, and it took her several breaths to recover.

Then she looked up and saw that Zhou Cheng was facing away from her. He had changed out of his night clothes at some point, revealing an ordinary white scholar's robe underneath.

Zhan Yuanyuan blinked, not yet reacting, when she saw Zhou Cheng raise his hand and wipe his face, and the monkey mask disappeared into thin air.

"You can even do magic tricks?!"

Zhan Yuanyuan's eyes shone brightly as she looked left and right, but she couldn't see where the mask was hidden.

At that moment, Zhou Cheng turned around.

The moonlight slanted in from the alley entrance, outlining a well-proportioned and slender silhouette on him.

Zhan Yuanyuan wanted to ask more questions, but she suddenly froze.

It was an extremely young face. Sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, a high nose bridge, and lips slightly upturned, carrying a faint, almost imperceptible smile. She didn't know how to describe this face; anyway, it was simply beautiful! Especially…beautiful.

He was more handsome than any of the sons of noble families she had ever seen.

Zhan Yuanyuan stared blankly at him, forgetting even to breathe.

Zhou Cheng tilted his head and waved in front of her: "Hey, are you stupid?"

Zhan Yuanyuan snapped back to reality, and in the dim light, her cheeks flushed red at a visible speed.

"Who, who's stupid!" she retorted, trying to appear calm. "I, I'm just... just a little surprised! Yes, surprised! You assassin, you actually... you actually look quite human!"

As soon as she said it, she turned her back abruptly and twisted her hands into a knot.

Zhou Cheng didn't seem to mind, and just smiled: "Let's go, I'll take you out to have some fun."

He turned and walked towards the alley entrance.

Zhan Yuanyuan turned her head to look at his back, secretly patted her burning cheeks, and jogged after him.

After running a couple of steps, she couldn't help but look up from behind and secretly peek at his profile.

Under the moonlight, the outline was so clear it looked as if it had been carved with a knife.

Zhan Yuanyuan's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly looked away, pretending to look at the wall by the roadside.

But after a few breaths, she couldn't help but steal a glance over.

"What are you looking at?" Zhou Cheng asked without turning his head.

"N-nothing!" Zhan Yuanyuan was so startled she almost bit her tongue. "I just... I was just looking around to see where I am! It's my first time leaving the palace, I don't know the way!"

"Oh." Zhou Cheng didn't press further. After all, he didn't recognize him.

Zhan Yuanyuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but felt inexplicably disappointed.

He seems...completely indifferent to her?

The night market is not far from the palace; it's just two streets away.

The night was growing late, but there was still some time before curfew, and the streets of the capital were still bustling.

Lanterns hung along both sides of the street, illuminating the entire street as bright as day. Vendors selling sugar figurines, dough figurines, wontons, and pastries crowded the area. The crowd thronged shoulder to shoulder, the shouts of vendors, the sounds of bargaining, and the laughter of children blending together in a lively, bustling atmosphere.

Zhan Yuanyuan stood at the street corner, completely stunned.

Having grown up in the inner palace, the grandest scenes she had ever witnessed were the palace's festive banquets. While those banquets were lavish, they were governed by strict rules, with everyone watching every move. How could they compare to the vibrant and lively atmosphere before her?

"What are you daydreaming about?" Zhou Cheng's voice came from the side. "Let's go."

Zhan Yuanyuan snapped out of her daze, said "Oh," and subconsciously reached out to pinch the hem of his clothes.

She followed Zhou Cheng into the night market, but her eyes couldn't take it all in.

Over here, someone is blowing sugar figurines; with a blow and a pinch, they create a lifelike little rabbit. Over there, someone is selling masks; a whole shelf is covered in colorful ones, but the materials and patterns are completely different from Zhou Cheng's.

There were also people performing acrobatics, spinning around on a stack of bowls on their heads, surrounded by cheering crowds...

"Wow--"

Zhan Yuanyuan couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, but she quickly covered her mouth as soon as she spoke, afraid of being laughed at.

She glanced at Zhou Cheng secretly and saw that he wasn't paying any attention to her at all, just walking forward at a leisurely pace. She breathed a sigh of relief, but was also a little disappointed.

"What do you want to eat?" Zhou Cheng suddenly stopped and turned to look at her.

Zhan Yuanyuan paused for a moment, her gaze sweeping over the surrounding stalls before finally settling on a vendor selling candied hawthorns.

The bright red hawthorns, coated in a glistening sugar glaze, gleamed enticingly under the lanterns.

"Um..." she pointed, her voice soft, "Can I eat that?"

Zhou Cheng glanced at it and nodded: "Okay. Buy it yourself."

Zhan Yuanyuan: "..."

She pouted, took a silver note from her sleeve, and handed it to the vendor.

The vendor took it and was completely dumbfounded: "Miss...this...this is one hundred taels...it's a small business, I don't have change..."

Zhan Yuanyuan blinked: "Is one hundred taels a lot?"

Vendor: "..."

Zhou Cheng sighed, walked over, took the silver note from her hand, and then took out a few copper coins from his sleeve, handing them to the vendor: "Two strings, please."

The vendor, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, quickly accepted the coins and handed over two of the largest strings of candied hawthorns.

Zhou Cheng shoved a candied hawthorn into Zhan Yuanyuan's hand: "Take it."

Zhan Yuanyuan took the candied hawthorn and took a bite.

The sweet and sour taste exploded on her tongue, and her eyes instantly curved into crescent moons.

"Delicious!" she mumbled, taking another bite.

Zhou Cheng looked at her and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

He then took a bite himself, and the familiar yet unfamiliar taste made him feel a little dazed.

Different worlds, different eras, but this candied hawthorn tastes the same.

Zhan Yuanyuan continued shopping while eating. Everything seemed new and exciting to her, and she wanted to buy everything she saw. However, Zhou Cheng stopped her every time she reached for her money. In the end, the silver notes went into Zhou Cheng's hands, and he then took out copper coins to pay the bill.

"Didn't you say you wouldn't care about my expenses?" Zhan Yuanyuan pouted and muttered softly.

Zhou Cheng glanced at her: "If you pull out that banknote, nine and a half out of ten stall owners won't be able to break it. The one who won't give change will have to go to the yamen to turn himself in tomorrow. I'm paying for you; I just don't like trouble!"

Zhan Yuanyuan blinked, then thought about it and realized it made sense.

At this moment, she had already forgotten about the silver notes that Zhou Cheng had put away; she was only thinking about how Zhou Cheng had paid for everything she bought, which made her feel very happy.

She couldn't help but whisper, "You're so kind, thank you."

Zhou Cheng glanced at her speechlessly, sighed inwardly, and remained silent.

Zhan Yuanyuan ate candied hawthorn, tasted osmanthus cake, and drank almond tea. Her mouth was almost constantly moving the whole way.

Soon, she clutched her stomach and couldn't eat anymore. Looking at the street stalls and the things she'd never tried before, she felt for the first time how disobedient her stomach was.

However, her anger came and went quickly. As she strolled around, she spotted a ring toss stall.

One bamboo hoop after another flew out, but she missed a single one. Zhou Cheng couldn't stand it anymore, so he casually tossed one over, and it landed squarely on the head of a rag doll.

Zhan Yuanyuan hugged the simply made rag doll and was so happy she almost jumped for joy.

"I want that one too!" she said, pointing to the biggest cloth tiger.

Zhou Cheng took another ring from her hand, tossed it gently, and caught it easily.

The stall owner's face turned green, and Zhou Cheng decided to quit while he was ahead.

Zhan Yuanyuan's eyes sparkled as she hugged her doll and cloth tiger, laughing like a little mouse that had just stolen some oil.

Before we knew it, the night market stalls were starting to pack up. One by one, the lanterns were extinguished, and the crowds gradually dispersed.

Zhan Yuanyuan stood at the empty street corner, holding two rag dolls, her face full of lingering satisfaction.

"Why is curfew here so soon..." she muttered, "I haven't had enough fun yet..."

Zhou Cheng looked around: "At this time of day, there's not much to do in ordinary places."

Zhan Yuanyuan first said "Oh," and then grasped the key point in his words:

"If ordinary places aren't fun, are there any extraordinary places?"

Zhou Cheng paused in his steps.

An unusual and fun place... In the middle of the night, it's naturally a brothel and gambling den.

As for brothels, he's fine on his own, but bringing a woman, even a princess, is quite boring.

As for the other place, to be honest, he didn't go there either, not that he couldn't go and see it.

"A gambling den," Zhou Cheng said.

Zhan Yuanyuan was taken aback: "A gambling den?"

"It's... a place for gambling."

Zhan Yuanyuan's eyes lit up: "Gambling? Is that fun?"

Zhou Cheng thought for a moment and nodded: "It's alright."

Zhan Yuanyuan immediately perked up: "Then let's go, let's go!"

The gambling dens in the capital were even more bustling than the night markets. You could hear shouts, laughter, and the crisp sound of dice clashing coming from half a street away.

Zhan Yuanyuan stood at the door, staring wide-eyed at the brightly lit and bustling scene inside.

"So many people..."

Zhou Cheng ignored her and strode inside. Zhan Yuanyuan quickly followed, just as before, holding the doll in one hand and clutching his sleeve with the other, afraid of getting lost.

The gambling den was filled with smoke and all sorts of people crowded around the gambling tables. There were wealthy merchants dressed in silk, porters in coarse clothes, shifty-eyed thugs, and a few heavily made-up women.

Zhan Yuanyuan was dazzled by what she saw, yet found it all incredibly novel.

"How do you play this?" she asked softly, pointing to the dice table.

Zhou Cheng gave a brief explanation.

After listening, Zhan Yuanyuan nodded: "I understand! It's just guessing big or small!"

She pulled a silver note from her sleeve and slapped it on the "big" sign.

The dealer opens the pot – small.

The banknotes were taken away.

Zhan Yuanyuan blinked, then took out another card and slapped it on the "small" card.

Open—Big.

It's gone again.

Zhan Yuanyuan refused to believe it and kept taking pictures. One, two, three...

In less than a quarter of an hour, the stack of silver notes she had brought was all gone.

Zhan Yuanyuan stared blankly at her empty sleeve for a long while.

Zhou Cheng watched from the side without saying a word.

Then Zhan Yuanyuan suddenly smiled.

"That's interesting!" Her eyes sparkled. "That's so exciting!"

Zhou Cheng: "..."

He thought this girl would at least complain a few times if she didn't cry, but he didn't expect her to be a gambler in the making.

Zhan Yuanyuan glanced at the gambling table with lingering interest, then looked at Zhou Cheng: "Are you going to play?"

Zhou Cheng shook his head: "I don't gamble."

Why?

"I only bet on things that I'm sure to win."

"How is that possible?"

"Knowing the outcome beforehand guarantees a win."

"Huh? Isn't that cheating?"

"......almost."

Zhan Yuanyuan pouted at him: "You just can't accept defeat."

She paused, then chuckled, "For me, winning is interesting, and losing is interesting too! Next time I come, I'll bring even more money!"

Zhou Cheng no longer wanted to talk to this spendthrift woman. He tilted his head slightly, glancing at the corner of the gambling den out of the corner of his eye.

There, someone was secretly observing them.

They had their eyes on them from the moment they entered the gambling den.

As the most efficient hubs for intelligence gathering, gambling dens and brothels naturally attract the attention of various factions.

His ordinary attire was fine, but Zhan Yuanyuan's red palace dress was quite eye-catching.

Zhou Cheng withdrew his gaze and patted Zhan Yuanyuan on the shoulder: "Let's go."

Zhan Yuanyuan obediently followed him out of the gambling den.

Stepping out of the gambling den, a cool night breeze blew by. Zhan Yuanyuan shivered and hugged the two plush toys even tighter.

"Where to next?" she asked.

Zhou Cheng thought for a moment: "Let's find an inn to stay in."

The inn he originally chose as the meeting place in the letter must have been under surveillance long ago.

Zhan Yuanyuan's eyes blinked. Staying at an inn was an unprecedented experience for her.

The two went straight to an inn not far from the gambling den. The waiter, who was dozing off, heard the noise and quickly came to greet them.

"Would you two like to stay at the inn?"

Zhou Cheng nodded.

The waiter's gaze swept over the two of them.

The image of a rich young lady eloping with a poor scholar from a storybook flashed through my mind.

He smiled ambiguously: "One room or two rooms?"

Zhan Yuanyuan was stunned and hadn't reacted yet when Zhou Cheng spoke up: "One..."

"Two rooms!" Zhan Yuanyuan quickly interrupted, her face flushed. "Of course, two rooms!"

The waiter gestured to Zhou Cheng, who placed his hand naturally on the table and twirled his thumb, index finger, and middle finger twice.

Zhou Cheng understood what this meant; as long as the tip was right, the waiter would say that the inn only had one room left...

Zhou Cheng ignored the waiter and looked at Zhan Yuanyuan: "Do you still have money?"

Zhan Yuanyuan was taken aback.

She rummaged through her empty sleeve, looked at Zhou Cheng, pouted, and pitifully tugged at his sleeve, shaking it.

"I'm out of money..."

Zhou Cheng didn't move.

Zhan Yuanyuan continued swaying, her voice soft as if she were pleading, "Please get me a room... Men and women shouldn't touch each other, I won't run away, please, just one room... I'll stay by myself..."

Zhou Cheng looked into her big, watery eyes and remained silent for a moment.

Then he turned to the waiter: "The two rooms are next to each other."

The waiter wasn't disappointed and nodded repeatedly, "Alright, alright, the two adjacent superior rooms!"

Zhan Yuanyuan breathed a sigh of relief, secretly glancing at Zhou Cheng. Just as she felt a warmth in her heart, she saw Zhou Cheng pull out a very familiar silver note...

She then remembered that when they were shopping earlier, the other party had embezzled a lot of her money.

She's spending her money, yet she has to beg her...

That person is really bad... but... she seems to like him a little...

The waiter led the two upstairs and opened the doors to two adjacent rooms: "Gentlemen, these are the two rooms. Please feel free to ask if you need anything."

Zhou Cheng nodded and went into the room on the left.

Zhan Yuanyuan stood at the doorway on the right, hesitated for a moment, and then suddenly whispered, "Feed..."

Zhou Cheng turned around.

Zhan Yuanyuan pursed her lips and said softly, "Thank you... for bringing me out. Tonight... I'm very happy."

After saying that, she quickly darted into the room and slammed the door shut.

Zhou Cheng looked at the tightly closed door and shook his head slightly.

This eldest princess is quite interesting, but her biggest drawback is that she doesn't give out much emotional value.

He turned and went inside, closing the door behind him.

The room was quiet. The candlelight flickered, casting shifting shadows on the walls.

Zhou Cheng sat cross-legged on the bed, listening to rustling sounds coming from next door, then a soft creaking sound from the bed, followed by a slight thud of someone turning over every now and then.

The noise continued intermittently for a long time.

Finally, it quieted down.

The night was deep. Only the distant sound of the night watchman's clapper could be heard outside.

Zhou Cheng closed his eyes and took a short nap.

Less than an hour later, he opened his eyes and looked out the window in a certain direction.

He got up and gently pushed open the window, letting in a cool, damp night breeze.

Outside the window, on the rooftop of the building opposite, a figure appeared.

The figure was a woman, not tall, with a figure that was by no means graceful, and two short axes hanging at her waist, gleaming coldly in the moonlight.