《Ultimate Goddess System》 -1 Prologue In the midst of a dark, chamber-like prison, a young woman with long, lusciously flowing black hair kneeled down, enclasped with rusty chains on each of her wrists. Her body was hunched down and she was wearing a white, mourning hanfu that was dirtied on the edges and bloodied at the tips. Her head was bowed, and her hair fanned the sides of her small, flawless face. Her thin lips were tilted upwards in a mocking smile as her dark and gem-like eyes darted left and right in scrutinization. The guard outside sighed as he regarded the woman. His heart thumped when he saw her frail-like figure being forced to endure like so because of the current emperor. Speaking of the current emperor, he has sent out a decree, demanding for the woman to appear before the royal court to repent for her sins. The guard was grateful that the woman was going to finally be released from such a filthy and unfitting environment, but he knew that the only thing that awaited the woman was death. Truly, it was a pity. This living goddess of perfection, her only destination would be the yellow springs. The guard used the key to open the prison door and cleared his throat. Seeing that he had her attention, he ushered her to the main palace with her chains trailing behind her. Even with such a humiliation being seen by passersby, the woman walked confidently as though she was the empress herself. Her shameless behavior sparked plenty of jealousy and hatred from the noble concubines and royal consorts, but the woman paid them no heed as she continued to casually walk to the royal court like she was not a prisoner whatsoever. Like the game was all in her hands. Finally, when they reached the royal palace, the woman paused. The announcer was stunned at her sudden appearance, but quickly announced her arrival to their emperor. Slowly, the tall, imposing gates of the main palace opened and the woman walked inside. All eyes turned to her, but one pair of eyes in particular seemed to scorch her soul. They seemed to be yearning yet despising her simultaneously. The dark, phoenix eyes belonged to a regal and handsome face, so handsome that it seemed surreal. The face seemed sculptured to extensive lengths, almost in a teasing way. Almost like it dared the woman not to desire this man. But the woman had already given up on any type of love or desire. To her, he was her last mission before her freedom. Her freedom from the wretched, endless seduction of men. Her freedom from being so beautiful, that it brought her more harm that good. Her freedom from the Ultimate Goddess System. He was her last mission. She would succeed. "Xiao Yunhua," one of the ministers called out fervently with accusation, "temptress! You have violated palace conduct and confused the princes and the emperor!" The woman, Xiao Yunhua, silently listened with her expressionless face, her head bowed as the ministers ranted and scorned her for being a she-devil. She didn''t bother to deny their rumors because in the end, more rumors would be created. Why care to stop what''s never going to stop? The emperor raised a hand and stopped all the voices. The only sound that remained was the sound of breathing, which for Xiao Yunhua, wasn''t much. She wasn''t breathing anymore. Locked in a metaphorical and literal chain, she was forced to be and to do things that she once envied the beautiful girls did. But now, if she could go back, she would; to hell, to heaven, to the midst of purgatory... Xiao Yunhua was so close to victory. He was her last and final conquest. "Yunhua..." the emperor''s deep voice hoarsely called out, "why?" Seeing her remain quiet and ignore his question, the emperor''s phoenix eyes flashed with anger. Hurt. Rejection. He stood up from the comfort of his dragon throne and slowly descended to the kneeling woman. Seeing her head bowed and her beautiful hair blocking her face from others'' sights, he felt relieved. Already, so many yearned for her despite his constant interference. Already, she had bewitched so many men without even trying. Already, he was fuming with jealousy when he saw others vie for her. But even with his warning, she was an unstoppable force. So unstoppable that his heart was ready to leave him to be handed to her on a silver platter. Xiao Yunhua saw his internal struggle from the corner of her eye and sighed. This was not how her plan was supposed to work. He was supposed to love her artificial self like everyone else. He was supposed to be blinded by her fa?ade like everyone else. Why did he hesitate so much to give her his heart? He was one of hundreds if not thousands of conquests. She only treated them as missions for her freedom, so why was her last mission being so difficult? Indeed, he was the most handsome out of all her conquests, but Xiao Yunhua had given up on appearances as they only brought trouble and recklessness. She wanted to go back and fly with her free wings. To get her free wings, she had to do drastic measures. Xiao Yunhua''s eyes fell on a glint of a nearby sword on a guarding soldier. Before anyone could react, she quickly grabbed the sword and pierced her stomach with it as hard as she could. It did the effect that she wanted. The emperor widened his eyes in horror and quickly grabbed her falling body before it hit the floor. He didn''t mind the excessive amount of blood that constantly dripped on his yellow robes that had the embroidery of the most beautiful dragons. He didn''t mind that his golden crown had managed to smear with red. He didn''t mind the audible gasps from his brothers as they rushed to grab ahold of her body. All that mattered was that her gem-like eyes were slowing closing for an eternal slumber. Her beautiful face was contorted into pain as tears streamed down the the sides of her cheeks. Slowing, with shaking hands, the emperor wiped away the blood and her tears in a gentle-manner. He had surrendered completely. His heart was completely reassured. He loved her more than life itself. Hearing the familiar ding, Xiao Yunhua smiled as her body began to emit a golden color and she began to be lifted into the air. Her life-threatening wound healed itself and her white, mourning and plain hanfu was replaced with orange and blue robes with the embroidery of monarch butterflies. Her dress was fitted to perfection as her pale skin glowed with a surge of color. Her thin lips turned scarlet red as a cinnabar mole appeared between her dark brows. Somehow, her already unrivaled facial features enhanced as made her seem more beautiful than before. The men in the room looked at her revived form in shock. One of the ministers yelled out, "Witchcraft! She must be killed before she spreads anyone of her evil magic! Death is her only salvation!" Once again, the emperor raised his hand to silence the buzzing crowd. He looked at Xiao Yunhua and, with almost pleading eyes, asked her, "Why?" His question was repeated, but this time, she wasn''t going to ignore it. Xiao Yunhua descended onto the floor with graceful steps and a graceful landing. She looked directly into the emperor''s eyes, which was a big taboo, and began to speak. "Your Majesty," she paused. Where should she begin? From the very beginning? So that''s exactly what she decided to do. With a smile, Xiao Yunhua opened her mouth and said, "Your Majesty, let me tell you a story." Hearing her words, the emperor was going to dismiss all the men in room, leaving only them two, but Xiao Yunhua shook her head. She owed too many of the men here an explanation. Due to the Ultimate Goddess System, she had played and toyed with many hearts... since she was leaving, it would ease her conscious somewhat to finally expose this secret of hers; relieving her burdened shoulders, even if it''s a little. Using her Pretty Points, she whisked up a chair and sat before the many eyes of many people. Astonishment was evident in their eyes for her small trick, but she didn''t care. Taking a deep breath, her accessories jiggled and her beautiful jewelry''s noise rung in the quiet hall, she began to speak, "Once upon a time, there a young girl named Xiao Yunhua living in a country called China..." SHANGHAI, CHINA YEAR 20XX "Xiao Yunhua, you disgusting and ugly girl!" A woman''s voice screeched out as the sound of a slap resounded in the room. The slap was so harsh that it knocked down the person getting slapped onto the floor. "You dare to think about my daughter''s boyfriend?" The woman yelled angrily, "Trash vying for something? Xiao Yunhua, go die!" Before the woman could slap the girl again, she pitifully raised her arms in surrender and shielded her head. The woman humphed and raised a foot to kick the girl in the stomach. Before the woman could abuse the girl any longer, a soft voice stopped the woman, "Mother, let her go. It''s not her fault that Jiang Rong is exceptionally handsome. She''s not the only one that has a crush on him." "But she''s your stepsister!" The woman said angrily, "She deserves to be condemned to the depths of hell!" The soft-voiced girl, Xiao Huaxiu, softly laughed as she stared at Xiao Yunhua. Her eyes filled with scorn and mock as she reminded her mother, Meng Wan, about a fact. "Mother, do you think Jiang Rong will be seduced by this ugly and fat bitch?" An understanding smile appeared on the face of Meng Wan as she shook her head. "Xiao Xiu, forgive mother for being so silly. Indeed, this unwanted trash will never even be looked at by a normal man, nonetheless someone as handsome and talented as Jiang Rong." The mother and daughter duo glanced at the beaten and bruised body of Xiao Yunhua and chuckled. With their arms looped together, they left her room, not forgetting to remind her that she is to be punished with no food that night. Even if Jiang Rong wasn''t going to be interested in her, crushing on her perfect stepsister''s boyfriend was a big taboo that the ugly and worthless Xiao Yunhua had managed to cross. As Xiao Yunhua lied alone on her floor, her eyes filled with tears at the unjust of creation. Some were born stunning with the perfect family, yet others, like her, were born ugly and forced upon their father because their mother died at birth. Not to mention, her father already had her darling of a stepsister and had married Meng Wan, so having another child suddenly appear threatened the peacefully environment that the trio had built. Sure, her father did give her a place to stay, food, and the occasional money to spend, but compared to Xiao Huaxiu, it was nothing whatsoever. The girl had the best clothes, best shoes, best looks, best everything. It was a modern day Cinderella situation, yet not really at all. To Xiao Yunhua, Cinderella was beautiful. She was ugly. Or so she had been told all her life. Xiao Yunhua turned her attention to a nearby novel, her latest novel, and smiled. She opened the book and read the latest chapter, where the beautiful heroine had been confessed to by a handsome king, but she contemplated on whether or not she loved the king back. Which Xiao Yunhua felt was silly. The book described him to be extremely handsome and gentle, so why was the heroine hesitating? Xiao Yunhua closed her eyes and a picture appeared in her head. She was standing on a bridge, surrounded by cherry blossoms. Based on the reflection of the water, she was absolutely stunning with her pink kimono and flower hair clips. On the other side, a man stood with a kind and beautiful smile. The man''s face was oddly the same face as Jiang Rong... When Xiao Yunhua saw Jiang Rong''s face in her imagination, she quickly opened her eyes and her face turned into a rosy hue. Embarrassment filled her as well as the innocence of a crush. Even though he was the boyfriend of her wicked stepsister, he had always treated her fairly. He was one of the nicer people in her life that didn''t mock her at every point possible. Xiao Yunhua didn''t bother to think of a possibly where he liked her back, she preferred to keep it all in her fantasies. But never in a million years did she expect for Jiang Rong to appear the next day, secretly handing her a bouquet of flowers. She was so flustered that she didn''t know how to react. But seeing how he did such an action only after her sister discovered her crush, she was suspicious. Hence why she told Jiang Rong, "These flowers should be for Huaxiu''jie." Jiang Rong only gave her a look of hurt, which forced her to take the flowers and ask herself why she was skeptical of such a nice man. Jiang Rong wouldn''t hurt her, no way! Perhaps... he did like her back? The possibility was a dream come true. But she didn''t dare to make assumptions. Him, a prince-like figure, would never like her, an ugly girl. When Jiang Rong left, Xiao Yunhua leaned against her room''s wall with a smile on her face. She didn''t notice that her sister, Xiao Huaxiu, stood on the opposite side with a malicious smile on her beautiful face. Deep in her head, behind her white lotus fa?ade, she had already begun to formulate the next part of her plan. She would make sure to ruin Xiao Yunhua so much to the point that she would never think of any other man, nonetheless her man. While Xiao Yunhua happily embraced her newly-acquired flowers, she noticed a small piece of paper hidden within the flowers. Picking it out gently, the note read and asked for her to appear in Blossoms Hotel at nine o''clock in the evening, when it was currently three o''clock in the afternoon. Xiao Yunhua was confused because the Blossoms Hotel was known as a love hotel where many couples went and finalized that. Did that mean Jiang Rong wanted to do that with her? Thinking of the hidden motive, Xiao Yunhua blushed profusely as she found herself silently agreeing to give away her virginity to such a handsome man. She didn''t have false expectations that he would take responsibility afterwards, but at least she would be able to happily remember this memory that she lost her virginity to such a handsome man. But before Xiao Yunhua could think any further, she suddenly remembered that Jiang Rong was dating her stepsister. Sure, Xiao Huaxiu didn''t treat her fairly and always bullied her, but she didn''t want to make their relationship worse by sleeping with her boyfriend. It was a line that she would never cross, no matter how big her crush on Jiang Rong was. In fact, Xiao Yunhua decided to be honest with her stepsister and tell her about her boyfriend''s infidelity before it was too late and Xiao Yunhua was to be misunderstood again. Taking the flowers and the note, Xiao Yunhua knocked on Xiao Huaxiu''s door gently. When Xiao Huaxiu opened her door, she was surprised to see her ugly and fat stepsister appear with the same flowers and note that Jiang Rong gave to her. Curiously, she asked, "Yunhua, what do you want?" Xiao Yunhua sighed as she began to explain the situation to her sister. When she finished, something flashed across Xiao Huaxiu''s eyes. At Xiao Yunhua''s honesty, a small amount of guilt bloomed in her chest, but she remembered her mother''s words about how Xiao Yunhua was a liar that always wanted to take everything away from her, including Jiang Rong. Her heart hardened as she humphed and snatched the flowers, leaving the note in Xiao Yunhua''s hands. "You freaking slut!" She screamed as she slapped Xiao Yunhua harshly. "You probably did something to him! Or even better, you''re lying about everything!" "B-But Huaxiu''je¡ª" "Don''t call me your older sister!" Xiao Huaxiu interrupted angrily, "I''m not close to you nor am I your sister!" Gripping the flowers tightly, she threw them at Xiao Yunhua''s face andmarched to her mother''s room with tears in her eyes. With ferocious eyes, Meng Wan slapped Xiao Yunhua and demanded for her to get out. Not even allowed to gather her things except taking her phone, Xiao Yunhua was kicked out mercilessly on the streets without anyone to take pity on her. Her biological father was on a business trip, so all authority belonged to her stepmother. Wandering the streets, Xiao Yunhua''s cries resounded, but no one offered to help. After an hour or so of wandering, she decides to take revenge. Gripping the note with the hotel number, she arrived at the Blossoms Hotel and asked the receptionist where room 512 was. Once she stood before room 512, she took a deep breath and knocked on the door. The room opened slowly and Xiao Yunhua found herself staring into a dark, empty room. Slowly walking inside, the door shut behind her before she could react. Xiao Yunhua suddenly felt multiple arms grabbing her and pushing her downwards. Their push was so harsh that her head banged on the ground and blood began to drip everywhere. A malicious cackle echoed in the dark room. Xiao Yunhua raised her head and noticed her stepsister and Jiang Rong staring at her in a mocking manner. "You still showed up, you boyfriend-stealing slut!" Xiao Huaxiu yelled out angrily. "I hope you''re condemned to the depths of hell, you ugly and fat bitch!" Before Xiao Huaxiu could get any more aggravated, Jiang Rong placed his hand on hers and calmed her down a bit. Whispering words to her, the duo smirked as Xiao Yunhua screamed in pain suddenly. Her insides felt like they were on fire and she needed to release whatever it was that was being contained. She suddenly felt her clothes being ripped apart by unknown people. Her head pounded with a foreign throb and she felt dizzy and woozy. The clear faces became impossible for her brain to decipher. The heat in her body was so overwhelming that she passed out... The next day, Xiao Yunhua groaned like she was experiencing a bad hangover. Her body ached everywhere and as she looked around, she seemed to have been lying in a puddle of dried blood. Her bleeding head wasn''t bleeding anymore, but Xiao Yunhua had a feeling that the blood wasn''t her her head. Glancing at her naked body, she screamed and started shaking. With shaking hands, she swiped open her phone and was astounded to find thousands of messages from unknown numbers. Most of them were calling her shameless, slutty, awful, while others said that they would like a night if it was free service. Fumbling with her phone in confusion, Xiao Yunhua opened the Internet and clicked on her school''s website. The very first thing she saw was a post that had a link that led to a video. The video was posted on a newly-created social media account and it had already accumulated millions of views. Clicking the play button, Xiao Yunhua''s eyes widened in horror as she saw a figure, a familiar figure, having sex with what seemed to be multiple men. The faces of the men were blurred, but the woman was fully exposed. The face was hers, but her eyes were closed, and she seemed to be acting in a lifeless manner. The video was only five minutes long, but the captions had stated that this wild woman kept it going for hours. Comments ranged from hate, to more hate, to disgust. Some perverse comments were there as well, but there wasn''t anyone defending Xiao Yunhua. Glancing at the number of people that shared it, Xiao Yunhua''s tears fell at a rapid speed. Her phone began to ring with the ringtone that she had specifically set for her father. Picking up the phone, the very first thing he did was yell at her irresponsibility and shamelessness. "B-But f-father, I was raped¡ª" "You''re a liar now?" Her father interrupted angrily, "No wonder your mother had passed away during birth. She probably knew what a shameless and disgusting girl you''d grow up to be!" The tears in Xiao Yunhua''s eyes intensified as she felt her heart stop beating when she heard her father''s next sentence, "You''re disowned. From now on, you''re on your own. Don''t you dare to use our Xiao name as your own anymore!" And then he hung up. Xiao Yunhua threw her phone to the ground in anger and didn''t bother with it as it smashed. She gripped the sheets as she began to sob her eyes out. Why? That question repeated in her head like a mantra. It ensnarled her heart and her feelings. Why? Why her? Why anyone? Was it because she wasn''t not beautiful? Because she wasn''t perfect like her stepsister? But even if she was fat and ugly, the treatment she received was highly repulsive and base, even for her wicked stepsister! Xiao Yunhua stood with shaking legs and gripped the nearby table for support. Even with all her might, she still fell down as her legs buckled and gave out. How much did they abuse her? Xiao Yunhua took a deep breath and stood up again, and walked slowly to bathroom. Seeing the bathtub, she smiled. Maybe it would cleanse her body from the disgusting tingle that wouldn''t go away. She turned on the water and waited. After fifteen minutes, the bathtub was filled to the brim. Xiao Yunhua raised a leg and dipped it inside. The excruciatingly hot water scorched her skin, but she felt numb and didn''t mind it. She placed her body inside and felt herself floating. But even with the bath water, she still felt dirty. So she used her nails to scrub her arms and body until the bath water turned red. But even then, she still felt dirty. Finally, Xiao Yunhua decided to submerge her head completely underneath. Under the water, not only was her body numb to the pain, but her vision and thoughts were numb and hazy as well. Her eyes began to burn, but she didn''t pull up. Xiao Yunhua could feel her lungs slowly losing whatever small amount of oxygen they held, but she still didn''t pull up. Finally, her opaque and blurry vision began to turn darker and darker until she couldn''t see anything. She could feel her conscience fading away along with her life, but she felt content. At least in the afterlife, whoever gave her judgement would be able to see the truth of today. Of her life. Finally, she completely blacked out. But unlike what she was expecting, she heard something peculiar and odd. <> And then she was blinded by a white light. 1 1.1.1: The Adopted Granddaughter When Xiao Yunhua heard the ding, an immense amount of light blinded and surrounded her. Her heavy and numb body suddenly felt like vitality was rushing through it. Xiao Yunhua glanced around and noticed that she was floating in a dull, grey-like place that was covered with endless mist and fog. There wasn''t a sign of anything other than herself. Suddenly, she heard a childish cough. She turned around and noticed a small, chubby fairy with cute monarch butterfly wings giving her a stare. The fairy was wearing a blue dress that had trimmings of a golden-orange and a pair of small, black slippers. Her hair was styled into two space buns being held by orange and blue scrunchies. Her big, silver eyes were staring with a mixture of curiosity and pity. Xiao Yunhua didn''t know why this little bubble was giving her pity, but she had a feeling that it was based on her life the past few days. "Welcome!" The squeak-like voice greeted. "I have chosen you as my host for the Ultimate Goddess System." "Why?" Xiao Yunhua asked, her insecurities suddenly filling her head. Why would such a cute little thing pick her and not her perfect stepsister? She wasn''t worth anything, and her family''s constant scorn was the proof. "Because..." I pitied you and so did the Creator. But the little fairy didn''t say that. Instead, she said, "because you and your name were randomly generated instead of going on to the afterlife." Xiao Yunhua felt as though there was a lie involved, but she decided not to question it too much. After all, this is a miracle. Not only would she be able to live, but most likely, she''ll be blessed with heavenly looks like her protagonists in her novels. But despite her belief, the little fairy giggled when she heard her thoughts. "Sorry, but you''ll have to work hard to be beautiful. It''s not granted to you like your female protagonists." "You can read my thoughts!?" Xiao Yunhua exclaimed in shock, to which the little fairy nodded. "I can''t help it though. Everything that goes on in the space is immediately told to me, including your thoughts." The little fairy explained apologetically. "Anyways, my name is Xiao Taotao and I''m your assistant for this long journey!" "Why is it long?" Xiao Yunhua asked, to which Xiao Taotao sighed. "You need to accumulate one hundred million points to officially finish and live peacefully." Hearing the astonishingly large number, Xiao Yunhua gaped. And what did Xiao Taotao mean by points? "Pretty Points. They''re accumulated by pretty much anything. For a good deed, for a good plan, even for getting the respect of men or women. The more a man is impressed with you, the more points you can earn. Using those points, you can trade them in to use for anything. Either a skill, beauty product, or even an object!" Xiao Taotao explained meticulously. "When you successfully make a mission fall in love with you, you get a Beauty Boost, which is basically a large number of Pretty Points and a gift of picking a free skill." Nodding as she understood, Xiao Yunhua suddenly asked, "For each mission, how many points will I get from the Beauty Boost?" "It depends on how powerful the target is." Xiao Taotao said. "The higher the status or power, the more points. In fact, a commoner or any person without authority gets you ten points. An officer or soldier or doctor or surgeon or someone in that wavelength gets you one hundred points. A minister or someone of high authority in the military, like a general, gets you one thousand points. A marquis, baron, lawyer, or anyone of that range gets you ten thousand points. A prince or a duke gets you one hundred thousand points. A king gets you five hundred thousand points. An emperor gets you one million points..." Xiao Taotao hesitated but continued, "And finally, a god gets you ten million points." "Wow!" Xiao Yunhua exclaimed in shock. "But how will I meet a king or an emperor or even a god in today''s world?" "You''ll travel to different worlds and settings. Sometimes historical, sometimes fantasy, or sometimes even horror. Maybe even a futuristic setting, or at least considered futuristic by your time''s technology. And a king doesn''t have to be a literal king. It can be a business tycoon for example that has the authority and respect of a king." Xiao Yunhua nodded hearing Xiao Taotao''s explanation. "What happens if I fail to make them fall in love with me?" Xiao Taotao sighed as she squeaked fearfully, "Nothing good! Your soul will extinguish for good and you''ll never reincarnate! It''s a survival game set by the Creator." "Who is the Creator?" Xiao Taotao shook her head, "Restricted information. Sorry, can''t tell you." Seeing Xiao Yunhua giving up her curiosity, Xiao Taotao slowly added, "Your missions may require you to sleep with your target..." At the reminder of sex, Xiao Yunhua paled when she remembered her virginity being taken away so savagely in her previous life. She didn''t want to do anything that would remind her of that horrible experience, but if she denied, then her soul would extinguish. She had already been given this chance to relive herself to feel and be beautiful, so sacrificing a few things shouldn''t be that hard. In fact, she will probably not have to do that for a long time. She''ll cross that road when she gets there. For now, she wanted to begin to accumulate Pretty Points already. "No worries, you can start after I''m finished instructing you." Xiao Taotao''s voice interrupted her thoughts, "Sometimes, someone may fall in love with you that''s not your mission. You shouldn''t worry about that because it''ll just get you more Pretty Points." Seeing Xiao Yunhua nod again, Xiao Taotao asked, "Do you have any other questions?" Xiao Yunhua shook her head. "Are you sure? Because once you start, I can''t help you much. You will only be able to summon me for questions or to use up your Pretty Points. Everything else is determined by your skills." Xiao Yunhua pursed her lips nervously but nodded again. Xiao Taotao sighed as she snapped her small fingers and Xiao Yunhua found herself surrounded by a bunch of girls that looked to be in elementary school. They all held sneers as they regarded Xiao Yunhua with animosity. <> Xiao Taotao''s voice rung in Xiao Yunhua''s head. <> Xiao Yunhua sighed as information regarding her body filled her head. She was also called Xiao Yunhua, but in this world, she was raised as an orphan. One day, she was walking in a park near the orphanage when she saw an old man struggling in the lake. Despite only being eight years old, she tried to help the old man get out and prevent him from drowning. She succeeded, and the old man felt so grateful that he decided to adopt her from he orphanage. The young Xiao Yunhua later found out that he is the Zhou Elder, the grandfather and old man that had the entire fortune of Zhou in his hands. The Zhou family was an influential family that was considered part of the top ten best families in what is a parallel world to China. So despite constant disagreement, Xiao Yunhua became the adoptive granddaughter of the Zhou Elder. Even though she had the Zhou Elder''s support, she was still constantly harassed and hated on by the rest of the family because they called her a gold digger, despite being so young. Even though a few months have gone by since her adoption, she was still despised by the rest of the Zhou family, especially her adoptive cousins, except for a few adoptive cousins that didn''t really bother with her like Zhou Feng and his three brothers, Zhou Ming, Zhou Lu, and Zhou Lang. Out of the four boys, the order from oldest to youngest went like this: Zhou Ming, Zhou Lu, Zhou Feng, and Zhou Lang. The oldest was five years older than her, the second oldest was three years older than her, the third oldest was two year older than her, and finally, Zhou Lang was one year older than her. Zhou Elder has three sons, the oldest being Zhou Lin, Zhou Guzheng, and the youngest being Zhou Qin. He also has one daughter, Zhou Hua, who is the youngest out of all his children. She is also the most spoiled, despite being in her thirties. But out of all his children, Zhou Elder favors Zhou Qin, the youngest, the most. This also meant that Zhou Qin''s children, the four sons, including Zhou Feng, are Zhou Elder''s favorite grandsons. All his sons were given birth to by his first wife, whom he divorced and never kept in contact with, while Zhou Hua was born by his second wife, Ling Xiu. After his favored grandsons, he greatly favored Xiao Yunhua which earned her the jealousy of others and constantly got her bullied at school. She was mocked for being ugly and fat. Even at this moment, girls her age were bullying her and nobody cared enough to tell the adults around them. "Xiao Yunhua you ugly and fat girl!" One of the girls shouted, "Why are you even adopted in the Zhou family? You will forever be fat filth! Why are you even at our school? It''s only for rich people, you bad girl!" The other girls nodded as they started to push her and pull her hair. Xiao Yunhua looked around for anyone to help her, but couldn''t find anyone in the isolated park. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed Zhou Feng and Zhou Lang walking together contently. Once they noticed her, they stopped. Instead of offering her assistance, they coldly regarded her and walked off, allowing her to be almost beaten to death. Luckily, an old woman saw what was happening and scolded the elementary school girls before they could cause anymore damage. Once the girls were gone, she helped Xiao Yunhua attentively and gently. "Little girl, where are your parents?" Hearing her words, Xiao Yunhua began to get into character as her eyes filled with tears. "I''m an orphan!" The old woman''s eyes filled with sympathy as she regarded Xiao Yunhua. "Do you live with anyone or do you live at the orphanage?" Sniffing as more tears streamed down her bruised face, she answered, "I only have grandpa, but I''m not even his real granddaughter!" The old woman sighed sympathetically as she understood what the little girl meant. She was adopted, yet she was still here alone without a guardian to take care of her. Was this how she was treated in her adoptive family? "Little girl, what''s your name?" "Xiao Yunhua." She answered obediently, grabbing the old woman''s hand tightly. Seeing her behave so sweetly, the old woman couldn''t help but feel warmth for the little girl. "Do you want to come with me?" Hearing that line, Xiao Yunhua was suddenly afraid. This line is said by a stranger, meaning there was a fifty percent chance that her life could be in danger. But she felt like the old woman was not like the predators out there for children. And even if she was, Xiao Yunhua was going to take a gamble and see what is going to happen. So instead of pulling away, she nodded and the old woman patted her head. Xiao Yunhua followed the old woman to a small house that was surrounded by a small garden full of blooming flowers. She smiled when she smelled the lovely smell of the flowers, filling her lungs with fresh air. The old woman patted her head affectionately when she saw how content Xiao Yunhua was acting. Once they arrived in the cozy and small house, the old woman poured Xiao Yunhua a cup of tea for her to sip to calm down. When she saw Xiao Yunhua settle, she asked, "Yunhua, how would you like to be my granddaughter." Xiao Yunhua''s eyes filled with tears at the remembrance of her adoptive grandfather, to which the old woman quickly added, "No no, not like your adoptive grandfather. I''ll tell everyone that you''re my flesh and blood, and you''ll be treated as my flesh and blood." Xiao Yunhua flashed her a smile as she nodded happily. The old woman felt very happy with the girl and Xiao Yunhua could feel two Pretty Points going inside her dimensional space. She was confused as to why she was getting Pretty Points until she remembered that she is pleasing this old woman, so if she continued to make her happy, she could stock up on Pretty Points pretty quickly. The old woman told her that she would now change her name to Han Yunhua, giving her the old woman''s surname. Xiao Yunhua was happy to oblige and the next day, the old woman went to officially register her. The people in charge of keeping records of people were a bit skeptical that an eight year old girl popped out of nowhere. But Han Mi, the old woman, reassured them that Han Yunhua was really her granddaughter and used to lived in a really isolated and remote area. When they wanted to verify their blood relation, Han Mi used her cane to scold them for being respectful and doubting their elders. Since this parallel world seemed to deeply value filial piety and respecting elders, like some countries in Xiao Yunhua''s real world, they decided to do as the old woman wanted and enlisted the little girl. After all, their boss was never going to discover this suspicious case nor would a little girl do much harm, right? And thus, Xiao Yunhua, now Han Yunhua, lived contently with Han Grandmother with the next eight years, slowly perfecting her skills due to the constant Pretty Points she kept receiving thanks to her adoptive grandmother. She was also the smartest in her school, ranking at number one, so teachers constantly praised her intelligence. In reality, she had already gone through school in her previous life. She was in a university, so for her to fail going to school all over again would have been embarrassing. Not only that, but Xiao Yunhua had slowly begun to lose the extra weight that the eight year old had accumulated. Now, she had a slender body that shows that is paired with her chest and smooth skin that was the envy of all the other sixteen year old girls in her school. Using her Pretty Points, she spent so much on beauty products to the point that she is beautiful enough to be considered a little above average. But Xiao Yunhua wasn''t satisfied. She wanted to be beautiful enough to leave a goddess-like impression on those that saw her. Hence why she decided to begin the next part of her plan of getting her mission to fall in love with her. That way, she would get an abundance of Pretty Points and more a Beauty Boost with a free skill. So far, she had spent her Pretty Points on learning the art of cuisine, enhancing her memory to photograph measures, and she had also spent points on enhancing her senses to the point that nothing escaped her eyes and observation. Or basically her five senses in general. But just those three skills cost her eight years of acting like an angel child! She thought it would be easy and that she would get new skills frequently, but since she hadn''t even gotten close to her mission, gaining points was a bit difficult hence why it was difficult for her to learn new skills. Spending eight years building a reputation of being absolutely perfect in everything, Xiao Yunhua was ready to begin the second part of her plan: meeting her mission and making him fall in love with her! 2 1.1.2: Their So-Called Accidental Meeting "Yunhua," a voice interrupted her thoughts, "can you answer my question?" Xiao Yunhua snapped back into attention and flashed the teacher an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I wasn''t paying attention and was daydreaming." Everyone in the class gaped because the so-called perfect student never daydreamed and was always on task. Even the teacher was confused but nodded as she asked Xiao Yunhua to solve the question on the board. Xiao Yunhua stood up from her seat and walked with model-like posture to the board. Using the available chalk, she wrote down the correct answer and showed her work to meticulous lengths. The teacher nodded in approval as Xiao Yunhua flashed everyone an apologetic look, "Sorry for the earlier incident." Then she sat down in her seat and didn''t zone out anymore. Later, she heard that her mistake actually gained and made her more popular as people saw she made mistakes just like them. Xiao Yunhua didn''t bother with how the mind of people worked and focused on her plan. The high school that Zhou Feng went to was the best of the best in the country. Meanwhile, the high school that Xiao Yunhua went to, under the persona of Han Yunhua, was medicore and average at best. Although Xiao Yunhua''s grades were good enough to place her in the best university, she knew that her adoptive grandmother that she had grown to love like her flesh and blood because of her kindness, wouldn''t be able to afford the tuition. Which meant that before high school was over, she had to make her mission fall in love with her. Xiao Yunhua first used some points to discover the frequent places that Zhou Feng visited. Using that information, Xiao Yunhua dressed in a simple summer dress with the patterns of yellow lilies and a pair of flats. She decided to only wear mascara to enhance her eyes and some lip gloss to add to her beauty. Her look was simple yet still showed how beautiful she could be if she really tried. The reason that she didn''t try to showcase or flaunt her beauty was because Zhou Feng was known for hating those type of women who relied on makeup to attract attention. Xiao Yunhua was going to begin by attracting his attention by a mere accidental set up. Based on the many novels that she read in her previous life, she knew exactly how to attract a boy like him. "Meiliang, you want me to meet you at the caf¨¦? Why?" Her friend told her that she had a surprise for her, so pretending to hesitate, Xiao Yunhua agreed. Han Mi saw her putting on her shoes and closing the door, but before she could leave, she asked, "Xiao Hua, are you going out?" Xiao Yunhua nodded as her grandmother smiled, "I''m glad." Xiao Yunhua stopped and walked towards her grandmother in confusion, "Grandmother, what do you mean by that?" "I wouldn''t want for you to study all the time," her grandmother scolded gently, "Hang out with your friends and have fun." Xiao Yunhua was going to retort that she did so other things than study, but she couldn''t. Really, for the past eight years, she has focused so much on becoming perfect that she neglected her social life. Not that she was exactly sociable from her previous life. She didn''t have any friends nor did anyone want to be friends with her. She was the opposite of social; antisocial. But as Han Yunhua, people flocked to her like bees did to honey, only because of her popularity in school and her rank in school. In terms of having true friends, she still felt isolated despite being deemed as perfect in this life. She pretended to act shy when her grandmother said, "Go on and have a boyfriend! Xiao Hua, you''re a beautiful girl." "Grandmother!" She averted her gaze in embarrassment and shut the door, leaving her grandmother to smile with herself. While she was on her way, she thought about her little lie that she decided to play along for the past eight years. When Han Mi changed her surname, Xiao Yunhua pretended to wake up suddenly with amnesia and didn''t know anything about her past nor her adoption by the Zhou Elder. Han Mi was confused but then she was told that heavy trauma can cause some abnormalities, so she didn''t tell Xiao Yunhua the truth. Heavy trauma, Han Mi guessed to be the day that she found Xiao Yunhua being beaten up by the other girls. And to this day, Han Mi assumed that she hadn''t gotten her memories back, which Xiao Yunhua knew would help her in her plan. Meanwhile, Zhou Feng sat with his group of friends with his eyebrows furrowed and his mouth in a scowl. He glanced at his friend in annoyance as the girls in front of them giggled and looked at him flirtatiously. Zhou Feng was going to get up and leave, but his friend nudged him to look up. Zhou Feng glanced at the caf¨¦ doors and saw a beautiful girl that looked to be a few years younger than him appear. Her dress was simple and she barely had any makeup. Her smile was genuine as she regarded another girl which Zhou Feng noticed was one of the girls that sat in front of his friends and him. She walked in her friend''s direction but paused when she saw the group of people in front of her friends. She looked at her friend in confusion until her friend explained to her that this was a blind date. The girl blushed and turned around to leave, but her friend stopped her. "Yunhua, stop being so modest. We''re both teenage girls, yet you act like a nun!" Her friend whined as the girl, Yunhua, sighed and agreed. She looked at the empty seats and noticed there was only one. When she raised her eyes to see who the person sitting across from the seat was, her eyes met with Zhou Feng''s eyes. He stared at her intensely as she dodged his stare with an embarrassed look. She quickly sat down and ordered a vanilla capuchino. Her leg was crossed over the other and her posture was straight and correct. Zhou Feng suddenly felt very skeptical and thought that she could have been a young miss from a well-distinguished family that came here on the intent of seducing him. Otherwise, how could a commoner have such remarkable upbringing and aura? He glanced at her with sharp eyes and noticed that she was frozen and stiff in her movements. Once he pretended he wasn''t looking at her, she relaxed and sipped her drink. "So, what school do you girls go to?" He suddenly asked, quieting down the conversation amongst the others. Everyone was shocked because the cold young master of the Zhou family spoke something on his own accord! "B School in XX street." One of the girl''s answered as she stared at Zhou Feng with adoring eyes. Zhou Feng scoffed internally as he ignored the lovestruck girl and turned his attention back to the girl in front of him, who still avoided his gaze. "You included?" Before the girl could answer, one of the other girls interrupted, "Ha! Han Yunhua doesn''t just attend our school, she''s the best!" All the boys looked at a very embarrassed Xiao Yunhua in curiosity until the other girl elaborated, "Ever since primary school, she''s been ranked the best in terms of grades and exams¡ª" Xiao Yunhua nudged the girl with her arm as she whispered for her to stop. Her face was already red from embarrassment as all the boys, particularly Zhou Feng, stared at her. They except for Zhou Feng were amazed at her intelligence while Zhou Feng was trying to decipher her real identity. If she was truly a commoner girl, then Zhou Feng didn''t mind to hang out with her much more often. But if this was an act, he would make sure for her family and herself to feel the wrath of lying to him and attempting to make a fool out of him. Xiao Yunhua could sense his skepticism and internally sighed. Really, the novels made this task of hers too easy. In every book featuring this scenario, the male protagonist would immediately take interest in the girl despite her identity. Yet this man was hesitating and even thought of her as someone suspicious. Xiao Yunhua knew that she had to rely on whatever method she could think of so that he could at least leave with her phone number. Out of the corner of her eye, and thanks to her observation skill, she saw that the black coffee that he had ordered was being delivered to their table. She stood up to excuse herself to use the restaurant, but as she turned around, the coffee spilled all over her in an abrupt manner. She frowned and flinched in pain as the barista apologized profusely. She flashed the group an apologetic smile as she ran off to the restroom to clean her dress, leaving her phone and bag at the table. Once she cleaned up whatever she could, she sighed when she saw her red, burned arms. Xiao Yunhua knew that she had to go to the hospital to check them out, in case it''s a severe burn. But right as she exited the restroom, she bumped into a strong, muscular chest. A pair of strong arms stopped her from moving forward and ignoring the person that she bumped into. She looked up and saw a pair of dark, phoenix eyes attached to a handsome face that was expressionless. Yet the eyes were filled with curiosity. The face belonged to Zhou Feng that came to check up on the girl that had his coffee spill all over her. Although it wasn''t him that spilled it and she was the one that stood up, he still felt partially responsible. His eyes examined her arms and slightly narrowed when they saw how red her arms were. Her pretty face was contorted into pain that she tried to hide by averting her shy gaze, but he used his hand to lift her face. Her chocolate colored eyes made him feel something in his heart. For the first time in his life, the cold-blooded young master of the Zhou family, Zhou Feng, found something beautiful. And they were her pure eyes void of greed and corrupt. The girl, who he heard was recognized as Han Yunhua, tried to push away his arms as she said, "Please let go of my arms. This is inappropriate." "I''m taking you to the hospital." He said aloofly, still holding on. He saw her hesitance as she shook her head, "Not necessary. Please, let go." When she saw that he didn''t release her, she pushed him away. He still didn''t flinch in pain, but he did release her. He gave her the bag and phone that she had forgotten on the table and left her alone at the entrance of the restrooms. When Xiao Yunhua bid the rest of the group adieu, she noticed that Zhou Feng was no longer among them. She didn''t bother with him much more as she walked to the bus station. Suddenly, her phone buzzed with a text. It was an unknown number that said, ''Don''t forget to get your burn checked.'' Immediately, a small smirk appeared on her face. Thank goodness, her little show hadn''t gone to waste. The fish had taken the bait! 3 1.1.3: Bewitching the Young Master When she arrived home and saw her grandmother, immediately the old woman began to scold her for being so careless. Not only had she allowed the coffee to spill on her to this degree, but she hadn''t even gone to the hospital yet! Han Mi grabbed her arm and they both took a taxi to the hospital. When they arrived at the nearest hospital, Xiao Yunhua was quickly ushered by Han Mi to get her burn checked out. As they waited for the doctor to appear, Xiao Yunhua noticed that a young man was being escorted by an elder man wearing a suit. He looked to be a butler of some sort and the young man... was Zhou Lang, the youngest of the four brothers!? What a coincidence! This was a god-given moment and opportunity, so she would have been considered a fool if she didn''t take it! Using her enhanced sense of sound, she began to hear the conversation they were having. The butler, whom she found out was named Qiang Luo, was telling the young master, Zhou Lang, not to be so careless. "But you even bring me to such a low level hospital! Am I not a young master of the Zhou family?" Zhou Lang complained in annoyance. Butler Luo sighed as he shook his head, "No, young master. You were injured and this was the closest hospital available! Please try not to worry your parents too much." Zhou Lang humphed as he began muttering words of needing a private room. Butler Luo called for the nurse to bring the doctor quicker, but the nurse replied, "Sorry, our will be meeting a patient with a burn next." Butler Luo tsked, "Is our young master''s scraped arm not as important!? The Zhou family has the ability to shut down this hospital, you''d best watch what you say!" The nurse paled as she nodded. Before she could leave, Zhou Lang stopped her and asked, "Where is that old man with a burn?" The nurse wanted to laugh, but she stopped herself in time as she said, "The patient is a young woman that looks to be in high school. She is in the room right next to yours." Zhou Lang smiled mischievously as he told the butler that he wanted to see how ugly this girl was, especially with a burn. Butler Luo could only want to facepalm at their young master''s mischief as he nodded. Xiao Yunhua realized that they were going to appear at any moment, so she lied on the bed with her eyes closed. She allowed her long hair to freely occupy the bed and used a small amount of points to release a mint scent from her body. According to her internet stalking, the youngest master of the Zhou family had a tendency to love anything that smelled like mint. So if he saw her looking beautiful and smelling like his favorite thing, he would surely make sure to keep her around. Han Mi saw her granddaughter closing her eyes to take a small nap and she could only smile in nostalgia. The little girl she had picked up had grown up and looked so beautiful. Not only that, she was exceptionally talented in academics and other school activities, she couldn''t help but feel proud. But on one of the rare times that she decided to have fun, she had suffered through such an ordeal. Han Mi could only sigh and curse badly accumulated karma. But her darling granddaughter was an angel, how could she have accumulated bad karma? Han Mi turned her attention to the door when it started opening and her eyes expected to see the doctor. To her disbelief, it was a high school boy that was accompanied by an elder man behind him. "Young man, what are you doing?" Han Mi asked patiently. To her surprise, the teenager was ignoring her as he gawked at her granddaughter. His eyes were wide as he walked closer and closer to her sleeping granddaughter. "Stop!" Han Mi demanded as she stood from her chair, "What are you doing?" Before she could get near the young man, the elder man stood in front of him in a protective stance. His head was bowed as he apologized for the young man''s actions. When he raised his head, Butler Luo''s eyes met with Han Mi in shock. Recognition filled both of their eyes as Han Mi gripped her clothes in anger. She hadn''t expected to see this person! Or any person related to that family! Did that mean that the teenager was a young master of that family? If that was the case, she didn''t want her granddaughter anywhere near those bastards. Before Butler Luo could speak, Han Mi pushed him away and pulled a startled and barely awake Xiao Yunhua away. She glared at Butler Luo and Zhou Lang in hostility and they both disappeared. When the nurse asked them to wait for the doctor, Han Mi declined and they both left to go to another hospital. She didn''t want them near her, nonetheless her precious granddaughter. Meanwhile, Butler Luo was astonished. He didn''t expect for that woman to still be alive, nonetheless living in this country. How was this possible? Zhou Elder must be informed at once! But telling him was offending Zhou Eldress... Butler Luo was beginning to get a headache. Should he pretend that he didn''t see anything? But that girl was the granddaughter of that woman, did that mean that she had another child to give birth to that granddaughter? This was a serious issue and Butler Luo decided to tell Zhou Elder. Offending the head of the Zhou family was worse than offending the matron. Butler Luo glanced at Zhou Lang and noticed that he was absentmindedly staring off into space. For the first time, their mischievous young master was zoned out? "Butler Luo, don''t you think that girl was pretty?" He muttered with red ears. "She smelled like mints." Butler Luo tsked as he shook his head, "Young master, you must get that girl out of your mind. She is not suitable nor can she ever be suitable." Zhou Lang crossed his arms in annoyance as he flashed Butler Luo a glare, "Why?" His childish behavior was exactly why Butler Luo knew that he couldn''t tell him. Their youngest master was so immature, if Butler Luo''s assumption were correct and he told Zhou Lang, then only chaos would occur! The youngest master was definitely going to cause trouble for both sides and get on the wrong side of Zhou Eldress. "Because your Zhou family restricts you. Remember who you are, Zhou Lang young master." Butler Luo could only use this excuse to reason with him. After all, he may be wrong. Hopefully he is, otherwise, an internal war is inevitable, especially since she has been discovered after so long. Zhou Lang frowned as he turned around to leave, not even bothering to acknowledge Butler Luo. He was so angry because the old man was hindering him from pursuing the pretty girl that smelled like mints. Every other girl he met, they smelled like perfume or nothing at all. It was his first time to see someone smell like mints naturally without too much effort. He continued to walk around mindlessly until he saw his prepared car and a Butler Luo waiting patiently for him to get inside. Zhou Lang realized that he had been thinking so much about the girl that he didn''t even beat Butler Luo even though he left the room first! He humphed as he got into the car and began to dial his older brother, Zhou Feng. When he picked up, Zhou Lang excitedly said, "Brother! I met a beauty today!" Zhou Feng sighed in exasperation as he heard his younger brother ramble on about how pretty she was and how she smelled like mints and how it wasa fated meeting. When he couldn''t help enduring more of his younger brother''s nonsense, he interrupted, "Did you even speak with her?" Zhou Lang muttered no and told him that he didn''t even know her name. Other than her appearance with her eyes closed, he didn''t know anything about her. "But this Cinderella beauty, I will find!" Zhou Lang said fervently. Zhou Feng wanted to facepalm, but he could only fake-encourage his brother and wish him luck and end the call. In reality, he knew that their country, no, their city, was too big to discover a person purely based on appearance. Zhou Feng also knew that his brother was only treating this as another cat and mouse chase and hunt. If he found the girl, he would easily be bored of the game. If he didn''t, he would mindlessly and endlessly search for her, which is exactly what he was starting to do. But speaking of interesting girls, he had also met one today, hadn''t he? Although he was still skeptical and doubtful, he couldn''t deny that she was different than the other girls that he had met. She was simplistic, yet beautiful, exactly his type. But after that one text he sent her, she hadn''t replied. Zhou Feng was afraid that she would ignore him and block him, but she didn''t. She just kept silent, which is a way of ignoring him, but at least she didn''t completely make it to where he couldn''t text her at all. But texting her again was against his ego and pride, especially when he had a reputation of being colder than ice. Zhou Feng knew that if she was truly like other girls, she would make sure to text soon. If she didn''t, then she would unknowingly pass a test, and he would pursue her even more. But all he knew was that her name was Han Yunhua... Such a beautiful name suited for a beautiful girl, Zhou Feng couldn''t help but acknowledge. Cloud Flower, a unique name as well. It suited her pure image and hopefully personality... Xiao Yunhua could only gape as her grandmother impatiently dragged them away from the hospital in silent anger. Wasn''t she wanting for her to be checked at the hospital? So why was she so angry at the appearance of Zhou Lang and Butler Luo? Did that mean that Han Mi had a past that she wasn''t aware of? Was she connected to the Zhou family? And speaking of Zhou Lang, it was such a shame that she couldn''t introduce herself to him and make a connection with him! It was such a good opportunity, but unfortunately, wasted! Now, she had to think of other ways of meeting Zhou Feng since Zhou Lang was going to be no help. Suddenly, Xiao Yunhua felt some Pretty Points from two different sources fill up her dimensional space. She was confused and mentally asked Xiao Taotao, but the little fairy wouldn''t answer her honestly. Had she made a good impression on someone without knowing? Other than the two boys, she hadn''t interacted with them much. And it shouldn''t be them that were giving her the points, especially when she hadn''t interacted with them enough for them to think about her too much. But Xiao Yunhua hadn''t known that she was wrong. Her behavior to the two teenage boys had left a deep impression that let them think about her enough to gain Pretty Points. They were also determined to pursue her, but not in the way that she wanted. She needed love, not like. She also didn''t want lust because it was only a waste of her time. The system demanded love, meaning that the other party would sacrifice anything to make her happy. Unfortunately, she hadn''t gotten a target to that point yet, even though this is her first target. But either way, she knew that she had to work hard and continue with her plan of manipulation. Because only then, would she be a goddess-like beauty and different enough to feel as good as her protagonists from her novels... 4 1.1.4: Stalker!? The next day, Xiao Yunhua was swarmed by her friends that questioned her on what happened. "Yunhua, the Zhou young master followed you to see if you''re okay. What happened afterwards?" One of the girls enthusiastically asked. "He did?" Another one exclaimed, "Yunhua is so lucky!" "He''s probably smitten by our Yunhua now!" "Haha, he''s known to be a cold hearted young master." "No way! Yunhua managed to break his apathetic behavior and get a ruse out of him!" "You''re all delusional!" And thus, an argument began between the group that was surrounding Xiao Yunhua as she tried to calm things down. "Meiliang, who knew that your innocent way of calling her for the group blind date turned out like this?" Another girl whined with a pout. Zhao Meiliang crosses her arms with a similar pout. Really, she hadn''t expected for the Zhou young master to be there as well! Life truly was unfair, especially for her that was meant to be the most beautiful at the group blind date. She had meant for Han Yunhua to appear in her usual, simplistic manner and for the boys to find her boring. But as luck would have it, she looked beautiful even without looking dressed up! Zhao Meiliang clenched her fists in anger. She even pretended to be her friend because of how popular the girl was. In reality, she couldn''t stand that she was so perfect. Zhao Meiliang was sure that the girl was hiding something behind her angelic smile and full marks regarding grades. Nobody in this world could be that perfect, and she was going to expose her! She walked up to Han Yunhua with a concerned smile on her face, "How is your arm?" The rest of the girls stopped arguing and watched their conversation. They expected for the perfect student to reveal another flaw like she did yesterday when she zoned out, but she only shrugged and said, "Nothing serious. Grandmother took me to the hospital and the doctor said that it''ll heal very soon. Meiliang, thank you for your concern!" Xiao Yunhua''s perfect smile and enthusiasm was really an eyesore to Zhao Meiliang, but she didn''t allow it to show in her expression. All she did instead was sigh deeply with a relieved look in her face, "Thank goodness! We wouldn''t want for that coffee to scar you!" Xiao Yunhua nodded as the bell simultaneously rang. She bid the group of girls goodbye as she grabbed her things so that she wouldn''t be late. The remaining girls looked at Zhao Meiliang as they knew what she felt for Han Yunhua. They knew that she deeply resented the first ranked student because she was good in every aspect. In fact, deep in their hearts, they resented her as well. Who told her to always have airs of being better? When in reality, Han Yunhua was as humble as can be, and it was only a matter of jealousy that clouded their judgment. Meanwhile, once the bell rang again a few hours later and indicated the end of the school day, Xiao Yunhua didn''t know how to move forward with her plan. She had successfully managed to get her number in the phone of her target. Should she text him? She quickly dismissed the idea because Zhou Feng was the type that was annoyed easily. Instead, it was time for her sixteen-year-old self to get a job. And coincidentally, that job will belong to a business owned by the Zhou family. At the wicked idea of meeting Zhou Feng again, but as an employee, she smirked. Unfortunately, he wasn''t a boss and she wasn''t his secretary. Otherwise, she would''ve played that role of office romance like the romance novels that spouted with clich¨¦ nonsense. At her current age, it was pretty difficult for her to get a job, or at least one with a decent income. She should at least wait until she graduates. But in that case, she would have to wait two more years! Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Xiao Yunhua saw and noticed a teacher so she quickly asked, "Teacher Rong, I''d like to speak to you." Teacher Rong saw that one of her favorite students, if not her favorite, wanting to ask a question so she gently smiled and said, "Yes, Yunhua?" "I''d like to discuss a matter with you..." and she began explaining her plan of graduating early. Teacher Rong was astonished as disbelief was written all over her face. Their smartest student has decided on this? But based on the grades that she made, it shouldn''t have been a problem. It was just too sudden for her mind to process, so she asked, "Yunhua, are you sure? Have you spoken to your grandmother about this?" Before she could stop herself, Xiao Yunhua fibbed, "Yes." This lie of hers, her grandmother would understand. She was going to take care of Han Mi more, so it was beneficial for the old woman as well. Plus, it got her mission done. Teacher Rong saw that her favorite student had made up her mind, so she sighed and agreed to speak to the principal regarding this matter. She promised that she would make sure to get results, quickly. With a deep bow of gratitude, Xiao Yunhua left after saying goodbye. As she stood on the bus stop for her bus to appear, she saw that the Zhou young master, Zhou Feng, stood with his arms crossed. Xiao Yunhua froze and turned around to leave, not having expected to see him there. Such a coincidence that wasn''t planned by her, was it really possible? In romance novels, it may have seemed romantic, but in reality, she found it quite creepy. Was he really stalking her now? Zhou Feng saw that the girl he saw yesterday appear and he furrowed his eyebrows. Was there really such a coincidence? Was she stalking him to get close to him? How ridiculous! But since she was an ordinary girl, she may have taken the bus to get home. So he called out, "Han Yunhua!" She stooped and turned around with a look of caution. He walked up to her and the very first thing she said was, "Are you stalking me?" Zhou Feng choked as he wanted to cough up blood. Him, the coldblooded young master, stalk her? Even thinking such a situation was ridiculous, nonetheless doing it! "Don''t flatter yourself!" He rebuked, a little harsher than intended because he saw her flinch. He noticed that her eyes filled with tears as she mumbled something along the lines of ''rather walk today instead of taking the bus''. Before he could stop her, she turned around to walk away, but he stopped her by grabbing her arm. His subconscious act startled them both. His eyes met with hers as his heart starting thumping a little quicker than usual. Suddenly, her mouth tilted downward as she tried to pull her arm away, "What do you want?" Xiao Yunhua snapped before she could stop herself. Her white lotus behavior was going to have to wait if this guy was going to grab her arm each and every time. "To apologize for my behavior," he released her arm and suddenly shifted to a gentlemanly manner. "I would have never behaved like so if I hadn''t suspected that you were hear to bother me." Xiao Yunhua couldn''t help but burst out laughing, "Zhou young master, this is the same public bus that I ride every day. In fact, I should be suspicious of you!" Zhou Feng didn''t mind her snarky attitude as he explained, "I believe there''s been a misunderstanding between us. I''m here for a friend of mine, and I didn''t know you rode this bus." "Good that it''s now clarified!" Xiao Yunhua glanced at the bus stop, only to see that she had missed her bus. She crossed her arms and bitterly noted, "But it seems like my bus isn''t here. Thank you young master for helping me miss my bus!" When she finished with her sarcastic statement, he chuckled and his cold eyes slightly warmed without him realizing. But Xiao Yunhua noticed. And she was oh so very happy that he was slowly offering her his heart. Looks like the white lotus with an attitude behavior has and will crack down the cold hearted young master. "Let me offer you a ride." He said as he grabbed his phone and texted who Xiao Yunhua assumed was a driver. She shook her head and politely declined, "No thanks. I better get home since my grandmother will get worried. I appreciate the thought, but after all, you''re only a stranger." Xiao Yunhua hauled a taxi and quickly left, feeling a sense of accomplishment. For him to be rejected, it must sting a lot. And he would surely find her again, which is exactly what she wanted. When she left, Zhou Feng was left in a daze. Truly, he really was a stranger, at least to her. In fact, he didn''t know anything about her whatsoever. "Zhou Feng?" A teenage boy the same age as him called out, snapping him out of his thoughts. He glanced at the interrupter and noticed that it was his friend that he was waiting for, Gu Sheng. They both attended the best high school in the country and were set to graduate this year. The Gu family was very as prosperous and rich like the Zhou family, but the Zhou family was slightly more powerful. But even with the power struggles, he and Gu Sheng became good friends ever since their childhood. And his friend knew that he was never interested in unknown girls, yet his mind wandered like this. Gu Sheng knew that she was most likely someone that managed to get the cold hearted young master interested. "You made me wait." Zhou Feng said aloofly as his friend chuckled. "You seemed to have a distraction..." Gu Sheng teased, patting his friend''s back. "She''s no one." Zhou Feng answered stoically, ignoring his friend''s teasing manner. Gu Sheng knew that his friend was lying, so he bluffed, "Well, it wouldn''t be a problem if she became my girlfriend, right?" "No way!" Zhou Feng snapped in annoyance. "She''s not like those girls you constantly make your conquests!" Gu Sheng noticed his friend''s expressionless face becoming flustered and burst out laughing. Really, who knew that the aloof and cold hearted young master was interesting in a woman? It was really a miracle and he wasn''t asexual like the rumors portrayed him. For a while, rumors even circulated that Zhou Feng wasn''t interested in women because he was really interested in men! But luckily, this stranger girl appeared and saved Gu Sheng and the Zhou family from worry. "Ah, Zhou Feng, you''re really too gullible¡ª" before Gu Sheng could finish his sentence, Zhou Feng smacked his head and stopped him. "Noisy! Now let''s go, we''re already late enough. Your incompetence made her think I was stalking her!" Gu Sheng froze in astonishment. "She thought you were stalking her?" He chuckled, "Now I''m definitely interested in knowing who she is!" "No way!" And their childish argument lasted all the way until they arrived at the Gu Mansion... 5 1.1.5: Ruining Her Chances of Love The moment Xiao Yunhua walked inside the small house, her grandmother rushed to her side and her old eyes scanned for any injuries. Xiao Yunhua sighed as she said, "Grandmother, I''m fine. You''re worrying too much." "Silly child!" Han Mi scolded, "How could you be home so late!? I was so close to calling the police to search for you!" When Xiao Yunhua heard how severe the situation was, she frowned and shook her head. "Grandmother," she said gently, grasping the old woman''s hands in hers, "I just missed my bus and walked home. No worries, your Yunhua is still here, safe without worries." Han Mi squeezed the hands of her granddaughter that she had grown to adore throughout these past eight years. Truly, she wouldn''t know what to do without her. Her granddaughter, at this point, was the only reason she was living. Her own children and former husband have all abandoned her, so in this living world, she only had Han Yunhua. And Han Mi knew that to her granddaughter, Han Mi was the only one that was there for her. If there was a day that she was forced to leave to the netherworld, Han Mi promised herself to tell her granddaughter the truth about her identity, first. Maybe she would discover her birth parents in the future. For now, Han Mi would take care and indulge her to extreme lengths and measures. "Alright, alright." Han Mi said softly, still holding onto Xiao Yunhua''s hands. "Your old grandmother is getting senile and making assumptions." "Grandmother!" Xiao Yunhua exclaimed, "You''re not old! You''re forever young. Besides, you can''t be senile if your mind is more clear than anyone else''s." Her teasing tone made Han Mi chuckle as she fondly regarded her. In terms of filial piety, her granddaughter outshone everyone, which she was proud of. Suddenly, Xiao Yunhua pulled Han Mi to sit down. When they both occupied seats, she sighed as she didn''t know how to tell her grandmother the truth about her decisions. "Grandmother..." despite her hesitance, Xiao Yunhua decided to tell her the truth. "I want to graduate early and get a job." Han Mi froze in shock. Her sweet granddaughter, why on earth was she wanting toYunhu stop going to school and not want to experience a full high school experience? She even wanted to get a job? Has she been suffering due to the small amount of money that Han Mi provided her? Guilt filled Han Mi for neglecting her granddaughter enough for her to want to get a job. Xiao Yunhua was that Han Mi was silently feeling shock, disappointment and guilt. She didn''t understand why the old woman would feel disappointed because she expected for the old woman to feel happy that she was taking such an action. "Grandmother?" Xiao Yunhua spoke gently, "Are you alright?" "Yunhua, if this is because of our financial troubles, then I advice you to get this idea out of your head immediately." Han Mi said strictly, her eyes still holding a glint of guilt. Xiao Yunhua fervently shook her head, "Grandmother, it''s not because of that! I genuinely want to be done with school and get a job while starting university." "But your sixteen!" Han Mi sighed, "Is this really what you want? Or is it just a spur of actions that every young teenager takes?" "Grandmother, I thought you''d be more supportive!" Xiao Yunhua snapped in anger. Her plans were going to be ruined if this continued! She needed Zhou Feng''s heart or else her soul would be obliterated! "Han Yunhua¡ª" Han Mi''s voice was laced with worry, but Xiao Yunhua didn''t allow her to continue as she stood up to leave. "Grandmother, I''ll be spending the nights at a friend''s house until you agree!" Xiao Yunhua didn''t even bother to take anything except for her phone. Once she was walking outside, she dialed Zhao Meiliang''s phone number. "Hello?" A sleepy Zhao Meiliang mumbled as she yawned. "Meiliang, could I stay at your house for a little bit?" Zhao Meiliang''s eyes widened in surprise as she asked, with false concern, "What happened? And sure, of course!" "My grandmother and I got into an argument." Xiao Yunhua said with honesty, not bothering to lie. Zhao Meiliang smirked as she worriedly questioned, "Why?" "Because I want to graduate early and go to university already! Besides, I want to pursue the culinary arts and be a chef! By getting a job, I could afford to go to AAA University." Hearing Xiao Yunhua''s words, shock filled Zhao Meiliang''s face. She couldn''t believe that the perfect student was always one step ahead of everyone else! She was graduating early? Wasn''t this a way of showing off that she was smarter than everyone else? Especially when she was going to the best university in the country. Jealousy filled Zhao Meiliang as she sighed with mock sympathy, "Really? Well, I support you and am telling you to do what you want! You can stay for as long as you like!" "Great! Thank you!" With that, Xiao Yunhua hung up and left Zhao Meiliang to ponder. Why did she suddenly decide to do this, especially when she hadn''t consulted with her? Zhao Meiliang knew that Xiao Yunhua considered Zhao Meiliang as her closest friend. There wasn''t a single secret that the angelic student kept from her. Such ideas, has she been harboring them for a while? Or was she wanting to get a job to go to the university for someone? Zhao Meiliang thought long and hard until she realized that Zhou Feng was also graduating this year and going to AAA University. She burst out laughing when she realized Xiao Yunhua''s intentions. The angelic student was such a fake bitch! She wanted to seduce the Zhou young master in this way? She was so pathetic. Zhao Meiliang was so happy that she finally found a way to destroy the image that the perfect student had worked so hard for. She knew that Han Yunhua was going to leave, but she would be remembered as a slutty stain who dropped school because she wanted to seduce someone that was out of her range and reach. She smiled as she thought of more ways of humiliating the bitch until she only thought of suicide. But Zhao Meiliang wasn''t able to think anymore as her mother suddenly called out that her friend was here. When she arrived and saw a dejected Xiao Yunhua, she discreetly smiled but quickly put on a look of concern. She noticed that her mother was happily chatting with Xiao Yunhua and they had an air of harmony. More jealousy filled Zhao Meiliang because her mother never treated her that way. Anytime that they were to have a conversation, her mother would make sure to remind her that she needed to work harder to be like her friend. Always being compared, Zhao Meiliang slowly grew bitter towards Han Yunhua, hence hating her to this day. Otherwise, once upon a time, they were good friends. But if her so-called friend hadn''t always been better at everything, then maybe they could''ve still been genuine friends. For now, Zhao Meiliang wanted to prove to her mother than her living definition that she would use to compare Zhao Meiliang to wasn''t perfect at all. She was fake and schemed to no ends! "Yunhua, you''re here!" She said with fake enthusiasm. "It''s pretty late, do you want to sleep?" "Yes, Poor Yunhua told me what happened." Mrs. Zhao said with sympathy as she regarded Xiao Yunhua. "She''ll be sleeping in your bed while she is staying here." "But mother, where will I sleep?" Zhao Meiliang said with annoyance. Her mother flashed her a look to stop and respect their guest, so Zhao Meiliang gritted her teeth and nodded. "You know what, I''ll sleep on the floor! Yunhua, we wouldn''t want your beauty to be affected by sleeping on the cold, hard floor." Her sarcasm was noticed by her mother, but the na?ve Yunhua giggled at her friend''s joke and thanked her for her care. Both girls bid Mrs. Zhao goodnight and went to sleep. Before sleeping, Zhao Meiliang wanted to confirm one thing. "Yunhua, do you like Zhou Feng?" Xiao Yunhua pretended to ponder over the question as she finally blushed and shrugged her shoulders. "I''m not sure. I have seen him frequently, pretty much everywhere that I''ve been to." "Really? Where?" "At the bus stop, the blind date, his text¡ª" "You have his number!?" Zhao Meiliang interrupted in shock. "Yeah, but I didn''t reply when he texted me to go to the hospital." "But why? He''s known to be cold hearted, yet he showed you concern!" Zhao Meiliang couldn''t help but feel envy yet again. She didn''t understand why Han Yunhua was so lucky. At first, she assumed that it was her delusional self that was chasing the Zhou young master all the way to AAA University. Now, she feels as though the feelings between them are neutral and that she would be soon seeing a new couple. Both girls said goodnight and didn''t bother to say anything else. Soon, the sound of Xiao Yunhua''s soft breathing filled the room and Zhao Meiliang knew that she was asleep. Her eyes fell on Xiao Yunhua''s phone as an idea filled her head. A malicious smile found its way on her lips as she quickly swiped the phone and hid under her blanket. She saw that Han Yunhua had been telling the truth; they really hadn''t texted much. Wanting to ruin the idea that she was pure, Zhao Yunhua texted the number very bad things that were incredibly inappropriate and made her sound like she was craving attention. Once she finished, she deleted the text and smirked. She placed the phone back to where it was and slept smoothly without troubles. Meanwhile Zhou Feng received a text from the number of the Han Yunhua girl. His eyes widened at the content he was seeing and he felt sick. So he was right. The girl was only pretending to be pure; in reality, she was such a girl that did things like this! He felt sick and immediately blocked her number. He didn''t want to have anything to do with Han Yunhua ever again! 6 1.1.6: Painstakingly Losing All Her Points <> Xiao Taotao''s voice ringing in her head was the very first thing Xiao Yunhua heard the next day. She paled and quickly asked to be summoned in the dimensional space. "Why?" She immediately asked when she saw the little fairy. Xiao Taotao shook her head and said, "I can''t tell you. You can use one hundred Pretty Points to find out." Xiao Yunhua sighed as she didn''t know if she should or not. It was very hard for her to earn points so giving away nearly half of her points was going to be hard to gain back. "Do I really have to?" Xiao Yunhua muttered in annoyance. How did her progress start over if she had been so careful? Zhou Feng was definitely interested in her, that much she was sure about. "Yeah! Sorry, but rules are rules!" Xiao Taotao''s adorable expression was apologetic yet dutiful. For the first time since her transmigration into the body of this Han Yunhua, she was lost. She didn''t know what to do. Finally, after a few seconds of somewhat careful consideration, Xiao Yunhua unwilling mumbled, "I''ll give away points. Let me see what happened." Xiao Taotao nodded as snapped her fingers. Xiao Yunhua could feel Points being drained away and she shuddered. Getting points taken away for something other than skills was so different. "Yes, for skills, it''s mandatory. But since your using your points for an explanation, it''s a little different." Xiao Taotao explained meticulously after hearing her thoughts. Xiao Yunhua awkwardly smiled when she remembered that the little fairy could hear her thoughts. She''d best be careful about what she thought, due to the violation of privacy. "I can''t help it though!" The little fairy muttered as she snapped her fingers again. Suddenly, a large, swirling violet appeared before both fairy and human. The swirling violet was vibrant and rapidly swirling nonstop. Xiao Taotao whispered incoherent words and the swirl began to turn into a dull color. Not only in color, but the swirl began to lose speed and slowly lost its former rapidness and vibrancy. Instead, a dully lavender circular screen appeared and memories began to play. It was shown from a third perspective and portrayed the moment when Xiao Yunhua appeared in Zhao Meiliang''s house. But it also showed Zhao Meiliang''s hypocritical smiles and her eyes full of malice. Xiao Yunhua gaped in surprise as she saw that the person she considered as a friend was behaving in such a way. They had grown up together, yet who was this monster that she considered as a friend? She covered her mouth to prevent her gasp from being audible when she saw Zhao Meiliang tamper with her phone and text messages. Seeing the message that the teenager girl sent to Zhou Feng, Xiao Yunhua paled and felt her knees buckle. No wonder her progress was over! Such a vulgar side was shown to Zhou Feng, why would he still be interested? Xiao Yunhua felt all hope leave her. Her soul was going to perish on her first mission! "Is there anyway of restarting? Please." Xiao Yunhua didn''t care that she sounded desperate; her only goal was to save herself from ultimate demise. Xiao Taotao shook her head, "Restarting a mission costs one hundred thousand points." Hearing the enormous number, Xiao Yunhua felt even more helpless, hopeless and doomed. "What can I do? Please tell me." Tears started streaming down her face because she didn''t want her soul to be extinguished. Suicide, she could do, for she still had a chance of reincarnation. But permanently disappearing? Xiao Yunhua didn''t want to even think of the possibility. Xiao Taotao sighed and her eyes suddenly glazed. Even though Xiao Yunhua could not see, Xiao Taotao was speaking with the Creator. Xiao Taotao mental conversation with the Creator lasted approximately five or so minutes before her glazed eyes returned to normal. In these five minutes, Xiao Yunhua nearly started having a mental breakdown. This was her first ever mission, yet why was she so foolish to trust in people? "Host," Xiao Taotao''s voice snapped her attention back away from her thoughts and back into the dimensional space, "the Creator is willing to show you a way." "What? So there''s a way of salvation without restarting?" Xiao Yunhua was amazed. She had raked her brain to find a solution yet couldn''t find any. To think a five minute conversation could get her a way out; this so-called Creator was amazing. Xiao Taotao nodded, "But it''ll cost you another fifty points!" Xiao Yunhua wanted to cough up blood. Shameless! They offered to help, but their help was going to cost her another fifty points! She would only have approximately fifty points left afterwards! She spent eight years to earn such an amount, why was she forced to spend them so soon! It would take her so long to earn them again. But in the end, she really had no choice. She nodded and felt the familiar, cold chill fleeting through her body. Xiao Taotao snapped her fingers and the same swirl began to rapidly spin and become vibrant in color; completely the opposite of its earlier behavior. The swirl began to show her and Zhou Lang smiling happily together and behaving like a couple. Xiao Yunhua was obfuscated as she watched her seducing someone that wasn''t her target. But as she continued to watch, she saw that Zhou Lang would introduce her as his girlfriend to his family, and that''s where Zhou Feng would remember her once again. Xiao Yunhua wanted to continue watching what seemed to be a future prediction, but Xiao Taotao snapped her fingers and the scene disappeared. Xiao Yunhua was disappointed, but she knew that the little fairy had shown her as much as needed to amend her mistake. "Is it clear on what you need to do?" Xiao Taotao asked. When the little fairy saw Xiao Yunhua modding, she smiled, pleased, and said, "I wish you luck!" Before the little fairy could send her away, Xiao Yunhua shouted, "Wait!" The little fairy was surprised and paused. She listened to Xiao Yunhua explain her final request. "Can you make me a false voice recording of the timeline of last night. I want it to be Zhao Meiliang bragging about what she did to another friend, and for that anonymous friend to send the voice recording to me." Such a request, Xiao Yunhua hoped it was not impossible. But looking at her scrunched eyes of Xiao Taotao, she had a feeling it was. But wasn''t this the almighty Ultimate Goddess System? Such a trivial task, surely it wouldn''t be hard for it to achieve and complete? Xiao Taotao''s eyes glazed again and Xiao Yunhua was left to wait for a few minutes before the little fairy regained her senses again. She apologetically said, "I can do your request, but it''ll cost you your remaining points!" Holy mother! Xiao Yunhua felt all energy leave her and she felt slightly faint. Who knew in a short span of about an hour, she would be losing all her points? She wanted to curl up into a ball and cry at the injustice of wasting eight years, but she decided to be mature about it. She nodded as she felt that familiar chill sweep across her body one last time. The little fairy nodded and said, "When you open your phone, it should be in your text messages. I will also save it to a USB flash drive and keep it here in the dimensional space in case you change your phone or something happens to your phone in the future." "Little fairy, you''re so thoughtful!" Xiao Yunhua praised with a joyful smile, her earlier sorrow of getting her points taken away almost completely gone. "Anything else?" Xiao Yunhua shook her head and with that, the little fairy snapped her fingers and she found herself slowly waking up in the bed of Zhao Meiliang. Recalling what the vicious girl did and how she really felt about her, Xiao Yunhua couldn''t help but feel disgusted. Such a horrible person, it was best to cut all contact immediately! She stood up and saw that Zhao Meiliang had already woken up like her. When Zhao Meiliang saw her, she smiled and enthusiastically said, "Good morning!" But Xiao Yunhua saw that her eyes narrowed. Really, she had been a fool not to notice it all this time that this person was so wicked and hated her this much! She had been letting Zhao Meiliang know everything about her, mostly everything, and in exchange, she would get her hypocritical and false sympathy. Xiao Yunhua felt ashamed for believing that she could finally have a friend. It seems like no matter if she was the old her or the new her, she was destined to be alone. Friendship was something that she was cursed to never have, unfortunately. Xiao Yunhua didn''t know if it was bad accumulated karma, but this was her fate. And she would stop hoping that it would change... Xiao Yunhua ignores her greeting and picked up her phone. Seeing the text from an anonymous number with the voice recording of what Zhao Meiliang did, she smiled momentarily before gripping her phone with silent anger. Zhao Meiliang noticed that something was off and she saw that the dumb girl that regarded her as a friend didn''t have that optimistic attitude that she usually did. "Zhao Meiliang," Xiao Yunhua said coldly, stunning Zhao Meiliang, "from this moment on, you and I are no longer friends." Before Xiao Yunhua could leave, her so-called friend anxiously called out, "Wait!" With her unshed tears, Zhao Meiliang was in full-actress mode, "Why? Yunhua, your my best friend!" "Liar!" Xiao Yunhua felt her eyes fill with even more tears than Zhao Meiliang. If she was going to act fake, then Xiao Yunhua would show her how a professional acts even more fake than her. How did Xiao Yunhua know about such excelled acting? It was all thanks to her lovely stepsister, Xiao Huaxiu. If there was one thing that Xiao Yunhua was grateful for, it was the fact that her stepsister was fake the the utmost extreme. And seeing such fake-ness, who wouldn''t learn from it? Especially living with it for so long. Seeing Xiao Yunhua''s pained expression, Zhao Meiliang was stunned and momentarily stopped her act. Seeing her behave like this, Xiao Yunhua released more tears and pointed with an accusing finger, "You did such an awful thing, you disgust me Zhao Meiliang!" "What did I do?" Zhao Meiliang paled at the thought that Xiao Yunhua found out about what she did last night. There was no way; she was hiding underneath her blanket! "Shameless! You don''t even admit your sins! You are truly a..." Xiao Yunhua hesitated before blurting out, "a bitch!" Using such vocabulary was a big no-no for her, especially with her angelic reputation. This was just to prove that she was angry, mostly anger because thanks to this white lotus, she lost all her damn points! Zhao Meiliang was shocked still when she heard the angelic student using such a word. Before she could retort, Xiao Yunhua slammed her door closed and left a pondering Zhao Meiliang to realize what she did wrong. Mrs. Zhao saw that Xiao Yunhua was leaving, so she quickly asked, "Yunhua, dear, why don''t you stay a bit longer?" "No way! From this moment on, your daughter and I have nothing to do with each other!" Xiao Yunhua huffed and left, not bothering with the Zhao family any longer. She wanted revenge, but she also didn''t want to stray from her main purpose. Getting back at a high school girl just wasn''t her style, no matter how angry she was because of those precious two hundred points. So she could only use such a method to get rid of her. Now that Xiao Yunhua thought about it, Zhao Meiliang must''ve sensed that she would become quite popular when she befriended her. So unfriending her would definitely do more damage than revenge, especially for such a vain girl that loved being popular. As the somewhat official most popular girl in school, unfriending Zhao Meiliang would definitely cause her so-called popularity to suffer. Even though it was dumb, but Xiao Yunhua knew it was because of how high school is. If it was anywhere else, such ideology would have been considered ridiculous. But high school had a category all by itself. For now, she is to focus on where to find Zhou Lang and quickly be his girlfriend! 7 1.1.7: Hospital With hesitant and light knocks, Xiao Yunhua stood before the door to the small house that she shared with her grandmother. Silence greeted her despite her constant knocking. Suddenly, Xiao Yunhua had a very bad feeling. She looked around the house and finally found the small, potted daisy. Digging around in the dirt, she didn''t care that her fingers were getting dirty. After a few minutes, she finally found the spare key to the house, albeit a bit dirtied. Xiao Yunhua quickly unlocked the house door and fervently glanced everywhere. When she couldn''t find a trace of her grandmother, her eyes widened in fear. She took off her shoes and meticulously searched in the living room and kitchen, but she couldn''t find her. She decided to go search in the bedrooms, but she couldn''t find her there either. Finally, she decided to check the bathroom. Surprisingly, the light was turned on and the door was slightly open. With furrowed eyebrows, Xiao Yunhua pushed the door open slowly and paled at what she saw. Her old grandmother was passed out with barely any color visible on her face. With shaking hands, she quickly dialed the emergency services. She felt tears streaming down her face as she regarded the old woman who took care of her despite not having any relations to her. Ironically, those that did have blood relations to her actually didn''t bother with her. Her birth mother passed away giving birth to her, her stepmother despised the very ground she walked on, and her father... Her father was a whole new story. Recalling his final words to her, Xiao Yunhua sighed and shook her head. Her eyes fell to the old woman again. A new wave of tears filled her eyes as she watched the only person who genuinely cared for her and raised her, keep her eyes closed. Xiao Yunhua''s shaking hands gripped the frail hands of the old woman until she finally heard the familiar sirens and her grandmother was quickly stationed into an ambulance. Xiao Yunhua was immediately questioned on what happened and she could only sigh as she told them the truth. When she told them that she stayed at a friend''s house yesterday and only just came back, she immediately saw that disappointment filled their eyes. This was a country that deeply valued filial piety so her behavior of abandoning this frail and old woman due to their argument was a big showcase of being unfilial. Even she felt guilt and shame fill her. If she hadn''t argued with her grandmother and listened to her words, then none of the misfortunes that have happened would have happened. Zhao Meiliang would have never had access to her phone. She would have never had to waste all her Pretty Points. She and Zhao Meiliang would still be friends. Deep in her heart, she was still hurting because she really and truly treated the other girl as her friend. She was disappointed. But this also showed that Zhao Meiliang was against her before the malicious girl could cause any further damage. Like a mindless zombie, Xiao Yunhua and her puffy eyes took a taxi and followed the ambulance to the hospital. When she arrived, she quickly asked where her grandmother was resting in. After a few minutes, she quickly was told the room number, which coincidentally, was room 512. When Xiao Yunhua heard the room number, she paled even more and started to visibly shake as memories poured inside of her head. These memories she wanted to forget, yet fate was so cruel to remind her. The number 512 was her curse and her most brutal experience. But even though she could barely feel blood circulating, her heart was thumping at a rapid pace, and she felt like throwing up, Xiao Yunhua dragged her feet to stand before the room 512. Her hand was shaking and goosebumps were evident on her arms as she gripped the doorknob. "Are you alright?" Xiao Yunhua turned around and her brown eyes were met with a handsome face that looked to be in his mid-to-late twenties. The man had a pair of kind, chocolate brown eyes and glasses which gave him a vibe of intelligence, especially with his white coat and the stethoscope hanging around his neck. "I-I..." Xiao Yunhua didn''t realize that her voice was so hoarse. Her dry lips should''ve been an indication, yet her mind had been so occupied with the horrors of room 512 that she hadn''t bothered with her dry throat and chapped mouth. As though she finally realized the predicament of how her body was, a sudden pain erupted in her head and she found her vision slowly getting more and more blurry. She could feel a pair of strong arms preventing her body from falling to the ground, but she couldn''t tell who it was because she passed out. A while later, her eyelids started to slowly flutter and she found herself in a hospital room, lying on a bed. She tried to tilt her head, but a dull ache immediately filled her head. She cringed from the pain until her line of sight fell on a nurse with a name tag that read ''Ling Qiu''. The nurse seemed to be in her early twenties had had a pair of sparkling eyes that were filled with positive energy. "You''re awake!" The nurse, Ling Qiu, said, snapping Xiao Yunhua out of her thoughts. Xiao Yunhua tried to nod, but her the same pain from earlier was still there and prevented her from doing so. "I wouldn''t do that if I were you," Ling Qiu sighed, "it''ll cause you to feel more pain." "What happened to me?" Xiao Yunhua''s hoarse voice asked. Her usual voice was soprano-like and pleasant to the ears, yet her current voice was rough and it sounded like she hadn''t drank water in a long time. "Ah, you blacked out and basically strained your brain." Ling Qiu said as she tried to summarize the medical report to the high school student. "Blacked out? Why¡ªOh my goodness! My grandmother!" Xiao Yunhua exclaimed in horror as her eyes frantically darted everywhere trying to find the old woman. Long Qiu immediately told her to relax or else her head would hurt even more. But currently, to Xiao Yunhua, her headache didn''t matter. Her precious grandmother was in the hospital and she hadn''t even gone to see her nor does she know what happened to her. "Miss Han, you''ll see your grandmother soon." Ling Qiu reassured and consoled. But Xiao Yunhua didn''t believe her as she attempted to get up; fortunately, Ling Qiu immediately held her down. The teenager shot a glare in the direction of the nurse, to which the nurse only chuckled. After a silent contest of constant staring and glaring, Xiao Yunhua finally gave up and leaned back on the bed. Long Qiu flashed her a playfully victorious smile and stood back. A few seconds later, a man knocked and opened the door. What came into sight was the same man that Xiao Yunhua had seen when she blacked out. His appearance immediately caused Ling Qiu to playfully salute him as she said, "The patient is ready for examination, sir." "Ling Qiu," "Yes sir?" "Please go and check on the patient in room 346." Ling Qiu pouted but she agreed. She waved Xiao Yunhua goodbye before closing the door. Xiao Yunhua was confused as to why such a playful person was even a nurse when she seemed to not even take her job that serious. "She''s an assistant doctor." The man said as though he heard her thoughts, "It''s her first year dealing with patients, so don''t mind her unruly ways too much." The man walked closer to Xiao Yunhua and she saw the name tag that was attached to his white coat. It read as Qiang Yue. The name was oddly familiar to Xiao Yunhua, so she closed her eyes and quickly reminisced in her photographic memories until she finally remembered where she saw the surname Qiang. Qiang was also the surname of the butler that was with Zhou Lang, Butler Qiang Luo! Was there such a coincidence of surnames, or were they related? She wanted to ask, but she couldn''t expose herself so soon. If Qiang Yue was really related to Qiang Luo, then she just found her way of getting close to the youngest master of the Zhou household, Zhou Lang. "Miss Han Yunhua?" "How did you know that I''m Han Yunhua?" She didn''t have her school ID with her nor has she been to this hospital before, so how did they know her identity when she passed out? "Well, we didn''t. Not until the receptionist said that you were looking for your grandmother, Han Mi, and from there, it was only a matter of putting the puzzle pieces together." Qiang Yue explained. Xiao Yunhua nodded as she immediately asked, "Where is my grandmother? How is she?" "Coincidentally, I''m the doctor that''s assigned to her. That''s why you saw me before you passed out. As for your grandmother..." Qiang Yue''s voice faltered and his gaze turned a bit sympathetic. "Your grandmother is awake at this moment." There was something that he hadn''t told her yet and Xiao Yunhua felt like it was something that could cause her an endless amount of tears. Her grandmother was okay, right? Nothing could happen to her, right? 8 1.1.8: Her Grandmother’s Condition "Why did she faint? Is there anything I should be worried about?" Xiao Yunhua guy''s feeling told her that whatever her grandmother had, it was serious. And her guess was correct when Qiang Yue''s sympathetic face turned serious and solemn. He deeply sighed and murmured, "I can''t make assumptions, but from our medical records and her symptoms, there are a few reasons. She''ll have to see a specialist before any further notice." "What kind of specialist?" "A hematologist; someone who specializes in blood and such." He explained. Xiao Yunhua could feel another headache when he said. "What do you think she has?" Qiang Yue eyes filled with even more before he finally admitted, "Her symptoms are very similar to those with leukemia." When she heard him utter his last word, all returning color quickly drained away from her face. Xiao Yunhua ignored her headache and instead, her heart clenched with an unrecognizable pain. She felt her cheeks turning wet as her red eyes continued to cry for what seemed to be nonstop. "Hey..." Qiang Yue had seen a lot of patients or patients'' relatives crying, but it was the first time he truly felt sympathy for one of them. Sure, he did feel bad and tried to break the news to them gently, but this young girl here looked truly heartbroken and hurt. He hadn''t encountered such a person in so long, the last time was when Zhou Yaoyao, the daughter of Zhou Hua, pretended to be heartbroken when he rejected her. Thinking about the spoiled girl, he couldn''t help but internally chuckle. She had wanted to marry him ever since she first saw him, which was a few years ago. He did not see her as anything more than the young miss of the Zhou family that his father served, but to her, she interpreted it much differently. After the last scandal, Zhou Hua had sent away the girl to a school abroad where she would not cause any more trouble. But according to the time, she would probably be back in a few months. Qiang Yue hoped that she was stabilized and didn''t hold onto anymore delusions. Her tears when he rejected her were only her act of getting him to change his mind, meanwhile the girl here, actually was crying. Since he told her such awful news, he assumed that she wasn''t pretending like Zhou Yaoyao. Qiang Yue was snapped out of his thoughts when he saw that she was bawling at this point. She felt murmuring words that sounded like everything is falling apart and she no longer had anything left. Her eyes were dull yet tears continued to pour down her face. Qiang Yue could only use one hand to pat her head in a comforting way. When they tried to find out who she was, her file indicated that she had no other family other than her grandmother. She was even brought from a rural area to the city as an orphan; both her parents dead, leaving a frail, old woman to take care of her. When Xiao Yunhua felt his hand on her head, she froze. Her dull eyes turned to the handsome doctor in confusion, but she didn''t say anything. Her silence indicated that she didn''t care nor have the energy to tell him to stop. Even though she didn''t like others touching her, the doctor''s hand was gentle and she didn''t mind that much. "Don''t worry, it''s just my assumption. Your grandmother will be fine." He hesitantly said. Even though he said such words, she was positive that he wouldn''t have made such an assumption if the symptoms were not serious. But throughout all these years, her grandmother was fine and didn''t show a single sign of discomfort. But has Han Mi been silently suffering? Has she, Xiao Yunhua, been too absorbed in her route of becoming so-called perfection? Becoming a goddess? Suddenly, a memory played in her head automatically. The memory was about the first year that her grandmother adopted her. Xiao Yunhua, at that point, didn''t feel really comfortable or uncomfortable with Han Mi, but either way, she appreciated that the old woman was starting to take care of her. Even after one year, she had yet to lose the body fat that the previous Xiao Yunhua had accumulated, so her situation wasn''t looking too bright. In fact, she was starting to look like her previous life; a complete loser. The desire to become beautiful ate away inside her heart every day and staring at the mirror didn''t help, either. This particular memory, her younger self was running, nonstop. She was breathless and completely sweaty, but she didn''t stop. Her breathing was coming out in huffs and her face was red, but she didn''t stop. Her body ached, but she didn''t stop. Finally, she tripped and fell. Her ankle immediately became swollen and her eyes unintentionally filled with tears from the pain. "It hurts." Xiao Yunhua unintentionally whined. "It really hurts." "Yunhua?" A voice startled her as she subconsciously looked up. A kind, wrinkled face appeared before her, surprising her. The face belonged to Han Mi, the woman that she had somewhat avoided due to her awkwardness of interacting with people, a trait that she inherited from her previous life. "Are you alright?" Han Mi asked with concern, her arms immediately attempting to help the nine year old up. Xiao Yunhua shook her head and mumbled, embarrassedly, "I fell." "Aiya, you little girl." Han Mi sighed as she hunched down, her back in front of the young Xiao Yunhua. "Get on." "Get on?" Xiao Yunhua didn''t understand what Han Mi meant until the old woman explained that she would give her a piggyback ride. "No way!" Xiao Yunhua would never want for an old woman to be bothered like this. Han Mi was frail enough to fall by the slightest howl of wind nonetheless pick her up! Her pride didn''t matter with the old woman as Han Mi continued to be stubborn and immediately told her to get on. "But... Grandmother..." Han Mi''s eyes glistened in happiness. Xiao Yunhua was confused until she heard Han Mi mutter, "She finally, genuinely, called me grandmother." Xiao Yunhua didn''t understand why calling this stranger in such a familiar way made her happy. In fact, she didn''t understand why this stranger even bothered with her. But even after trying to reason with Han Mi that it was bad for an elderly to do such a thing, Xiao Yunhua could not persuade her. Han Mi was determined to give her granddaughter a piggyback ride because of her painful ankle. So with reluctance, Xiao Yunhua agreed. But on her way to their little home, a warm feeling spread in her chest. Despite being mentally nineteen years old, she couldn''t help but be happy that someone cared for this much. So even though she had originally planned on keeping a distance with the old woman despite her adoption, she found herself slowly opening up to her. She, Xiao Yunhua, began to slowly grow to love the old woman more than she expected. In fact, Han Mi was more of a parental figure than anyone in both her lives. Han Mi was the only figure who cared about her. In the past eight years, Xiao Yunhua allowed her affection for the old woman to grown until she genuinely started believing that Han Mi was her grandmother. Yet fate was so cruel. Han Mi was going to leave her so soon. Glancing at the solemn face of Qiang Yue, Xiao Yunhua knew that her grandmother most likely had chronic leukemia that wasn''t able to be cured, as compared to acute leukemia, which can be cured. She had been too absorbed in her greed to even notice that she was suffering. More tears pooled in her eyes as she glanced at Qiang Yue. "Can I see her?" Qiang Yue nodded and motioned for her to follow him. Xiao Yunhua tried to stand up, but a new wave of dizziness immediately hit her. Her head clenched with pain as her vision blurred. "Why don''t you wait a little bit?" Qiang Yue said gently. Xiao Yunhua shook her head stubbornly and stood up, ignoring her headache. She had not visited her grandmother for long enough. Even though her head was throbbing, she would still attempt to go see her. Qiang Yue saw her stubborn nature and sighed. "Alright, as you wish." They both left the hospital room and walked to the fifth floor. Room 512 appeared before her eyes again, and she suddenly felt like throwing up at the sight of the number. But she clenched her teeth, bit her lip, and stride forward. With hesitant knocks, she and Qiang Yue opened the door, only to find Han Mi with her eyes closed. Her frail grandmother was pale and almost lifeless. Xiao Yunhua Quickly gripped one of her wrinkled hands with hers and closed her eyes. Qiang Yue realized that privacy was needed, so he quietly shut the door and left the grandmother and granddaughter duo alone. "Grandmother?" Xiao Yunhua mumbled, her hand still holding her grandmother''s. Slowly, Han Mi''s eyelids fluttered open and her face contorted into a smile, "Is that you, Yunhua?" "Yes! Grandmother, it''s me. It''s your little flower." Xiao Yunhua exclaimed with new tears streaming down her face. Han Mi frowned and used her other hand to gently wipe away her granddaughter''s tears. "Little girl, don''t cry. It''s your grandmother''s fault." she comforted, but it only made Xiao Yunhua cry even harder. "Grandmother, it''s my fault! I shouldn''t have said that I want to graduate early, I shouldn''t have gone to Zhao Meiliang''s home. Grandmother, forgive me please." Han Mi shook her head and gently smiled, "Yunhua, I shouldn''t have stopped you. You''re growing up, no longer a child. I''ll be leaving you¡ª" "No!" Xiao Yunhua gripped her grandmother''s hand even harder, "You''ll be fine, you''ll be fine. You just fainted because you''re tired." "Yunhua..." "You''ll be fine!" Xiao Yunhua said with as much hope and enthusiasm she could muster, "Really, you''ll be fine!" "Yunhua!" Han Mi couldn''t help but raise her voice, trying to snap her granddaughter out of whatever haze she was in, "Do not delude yourself only to get hurt much later. I have spoken to the..." Han Mi hesitated but continued, "To the doctor, and he told me everything. My situation isn''t looking too bright, I know." "We''ll get you treatment! We''ll cure you!" "Silly child..." Han Mi murmured, "You know that..." "It''s only a guess! It may not even be accurate." "Yunhua!" Han Mi tried to sit up, but she cringed from an erupted pain. She lied down and said, "It''s right... I have gone to the hospital a few times without you knowing to get it diagnosed." What? Her grandmother had known about this? For how long? "For a few years." Han Mi answered, as though she heard her question. "Why didn''t you tell me?" Xiao Yunhua asked with shock, "Why did you keep it to yourself?" "I didn''t want you to worry like you''re worrying now, silly child." "Grandmother!" Xiao Yunhua was disappointed and shocked. "You couldn''t have done anything anyways. Yunhua, you''ve been here for a while, I think you should go and rest. Take a break." "No way!" Once again, Xiao Yunhua stubbornly sat at the nearby chair and didn''t have any plans of moving. "You''ll be my guard dog?" Han Mi joked, to which Xiao Yunhua shrugged her shoulders and continued to stay. "I won''t take any of my medication!" Han Mi could only use such a method for Xiao Yunhua to take a break. It worked as the young woman hesitantly stood up and reminded Han Mi that she would be back in fifteen minutes. Han Mi didn''t mind her excessive worry and shooed her away. Once Xiao Yunhua closed the door, Han Mi heaved a deep breath and her facetious manner immediately disappeared. Her eyes dulled and a sickly demeanor took over her body. Her forced, energized state had taken a toll on her overall health. But Han Mi didn''t want for her granddaughter to worry, so she could only use such a method. Her granddaughter deserved to see her at her best before Han Mi went on to the afterlife... 9 1.1.9: Zhou Elder’s Orders When Xiao Yunhua closed the door, she took a deep breath and clenched her fists. Whisking her body to the dimensional space, she immediately saw Xiao Taotao appear with a smile on her face. "Need anything?" Xiao Taotao asked, to which Xiao Yunhua nodded fervently. "Is there anything that can cure Han Mi?" Xiao Taotao nodded, "There is." "Where is it? Show me please!" Xiao Taotao snapped her fingers and a vial of clear elixir appeared before Xiao Yunhua. When Xiao Yunhua tried to reach for it, her hand went right through the vial. Her eyes widened in shock until Xiao Taotao explained, "The Infinity Cure can cure anything and everything. Unfortunately..." Xiao Taotao sighed, "unfortunately, it costs one thousand points for each vial." "B-But I don''t have any points!" Xiao Yunhua stuttered, "Can I have it anyway?" "Sorry," Xiao Taotao shook her head and snapped her fingers again, making the vial disappear. "it''s against the rules to give away things that require points." Xiao Yunhua felt helplessness filling her chest as she began to beg the little fairy for the vial. But no matter how much she pleaded, the little fairy was firm when it came to the rules. "Could I get a loan of points? Or a negative? Something, please! Han Mi cant die yet!" Xiao Yunhua pleads were met with a shaking of the little fairy''s head. "Host, please listen to this little one''s advice," Xiao Taotao had never had a host that actually became attached to a person in a world; this host was peculiar in many ways, including this one. "do not get attached to any person in your travels... it is very pointless as they''ll fall into the cycle of reincarnation and you," Xiao Taotao hesitated but continued, "you''ve got a long journey ahead." Xiao Yunhua paled and averted her gaze. Even the little fairy was telling her to let go, but how could she be so detached regarding the only person that has cared for her? "No way!" Her stubbornness wasn''t going to change, but Xiao Taotao had seen stubbornness in other hosts, too, even though they all end up losing that trait. So the little fairy only sighed as she regarded Xiao Yunhua in hidden pity. "Then host must find a different way to save Han Mi, for this little one will ruthlessly have to decline your request." Xiao Taotao snapped her fingers again, but this time, it caused Xiao Yunhua to forcefully exit the dimensional space. Due to that, Xiao Yunhua found herself in the exact same spot as before, the hospital. She glanced around and saw that Qiang Yue was quickly striding somewhere. Wanting to ask him if there was a way that her life could be extended, even by a few years, she opened her mouth to call out his name, but she paused. In the room that he entered, he saw Qiang Luo impatiently walking back in forth in what seemed like anticipation. She immediately felt like something fishy was going on, so she summoned her body to the dimensional space again. When Xiao Taotao saw her, she widened her eyes. "Host¡ª" "I''m not here to request again, I just need for my physical body to be here. My soul needs to do something out in the real world." Xiao Taotao nodded as Xiao Yunhua''s soul immediately appeared in the hospital again. When she stood in front of people, they couldn''t see her at all, like she was some kind of ghost! Xiao Yunhua quickly went through the walls and began eavesdropping on Qiang Luo and Qiang Yue''s conversation. "Is that woman your patient?" Qiang Luo asked with impatience. Qiang Yue was a bit skeptical, but he nodded. "Yes, Han Mi is assigned to me while we get a specialist to confirm what I think she has." "And what do you think she has?" "Most likely, it''s leukemia. And the old woman didn''t look surprised when I told her what I''m guessing, meaning she knew it as well." Qiang Yue explained to his father. Qiang Luo''s eyes narrowed as he questioned, "Any way of saving her?" "There isn''t any cure for her chronic leukemia, but there is a way of controlling it to expand her lifespan by a bit longer." When Qiang Luo''s heard those words, he harshly looked at Qiang Yue and demanded, "You must not tell her granddaughter! Or the patient herself!" "Why?" Qiang Yue was confused. Shouldn''t he be telling such news to the patient? News like they had the opportunity to live for a few more years if they began treatment of controlling the cancer cells? "Because as your father, I demand it. You must not save that woman." Qiang Luo didn''t elaborate much further, but even with such unclear words, Xiao Yunhua was beginning to turn angry. This man, his reaction to Han Mi the other day was odd as well. He seemed shock that she was alive, and Han Mi didn''t want for him to even see or recognize her. Just what is the secret connection that the old woman has to the Zhou family? "I cannot." Qiang Yue was righteous and would never do such an unethical thing to his patient or any patient. Qiang Luo frowned and raised his hand to slap his son. With a disappointed look, he reminded, "Zhou Elder demands it." When Qiang Yue heard that the Zhou Elder had demanded it, he paled. Not only him, but Xiao Yunhua as well. Her eyes hardened and she thought, very well, it seems like it''s a conspiracy against Han Mi. But who knew that old man from the eight year old Xiao Yunhua''s memories was this vicious? This debt, she would make sure to repay thoroughly. "Why would he do such a thing? What connection does that old woman have with him?" Surprisingly, it was Qiang Yue who voiced out these questions. They were the questions that Xiao Yunhua had as well. "Do not ask, just do as the Zhou Elder demands. The Zhou family authority is not something that our small Qiang family can afford to offend." Despite the clear reluctance and hesitation on his face, the guilt in his heart, Qiang Yue nodded. He would do such an awful thing and the guilt would probably haunt him for life. But he would bear it, for he doesn''t want his family to be in trouble. Xiao Yunhua clenched her fists when she saw him agreeing. But she didn''t need for him to tell her about the treatment, she had already found out about this. She would make sure to get her grandmother treated elsewhere. Xiao Yunhua slipped away from the room and returned to her physical body. She quickly ran up to the same room and opened the door, surprising both father and son duo. Qiang Luo immediately recognized her from the other day when he saw Han Mi with her. His eyes filled with disgust as he regarded her, like she was a sinner. Xiao Yunhua ignored him and asked Qiang Yue, "My grandmother isn''t feeling that well, can you come and see what''s going on with her?" "You could''ve buzzed for a nurse." Qiang Luo growled in annoyance. Xiao Yunhua narrowed her eyes at the old man and harshly rebuked, "Who are you? A doctor? If you are, then you''d value a person''s life and wouldn''t treat it as such a casual manner! Besides, you''d expect for elders to have a bit more respect and not interrupt when someone was talking, but then again, there''s always an abnormality among every category." Hearing her words, Qiang Luo reddened and opened his mouth to yell at her, but Qiang Yue stopped him, "Father, I believe that it''s time for you to return." Qiang Luo closes his mouth and glared at Xiao Yunhua. With a humph, he left as he slammed the door. Xiao Yunhua was tempted to stick out her tongue in his direction, but she stopped herself as Qiang Yue began to walk in her grandmother''s room. As they walked, she couldn''t help but ask, "That''s your father?" Qiang Yue nodded. "They say that the apple doesn''t fall far from the tree, but luckily, this apple seemed to have fallen much further than that rotten tree." Xiao Yunhua murmured, making Qiang Yue chuckle at her meaning. When they opened the door, they found Han Mi sickly with her eyes closed. Xiao Yunhua gasped as Qiang Yue immediately summoned for nurses to come help him stabilize her condition. About ten minutes later, when she started looking a bit healthier, Qiang Yue and Xiao Yunhua both sighed in relief. "Since there''s no permanent cure, is there any way of treating her to extend her life by a few years?" When Xiao Yunhua asked him that question, he froze. Qiang Yue paused and didn''t know how to answer her. He wanted to lie, but he couldn''t since he had always been an upright and just man. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity of silence, he nodded. He began to explain to her what he told his father. He even listed a few places that had treatments for the blood cancer. Xiao Yunhua was shocked that he admitted it and didn''t lie like he originally planned, but she was grateful. His honesty was like a breath of fresh air after being lied to by people around her. His honesty was also the reason that she would make sure to leave him unharmed when she begins her retaliation. "But I have to warn you," Qiang Yue said, "treatment is very expensive." Xiao Yunhua nodded her head, "I know, but that doesn''t mean that I''ll give up." Qiang Yue flashed her a smile and left the room, leaving her to plot on how to afford the treatment... 10 1.1.10: Seeing Him Again For some odd reason, no matter how much she went around for the treatment, none of the clinics or hospitals would agree. First, they''d give her an astonishingly large number for the cost, which was completely unreasonable and different than the actual cost that she would see online due to research. Then, they would shoo her away if she agreed to their ridiculous price. Even though a week has gone by, her grandmother was still in the hospital and she was still going around, looking for a way to save her. During this week, she hadn''t bothered to go to school and ignored seeing her classmates. Her grandmother had been her number one priority in this situation. But Xiao Yunhua didn''t have any idea that Zhao Meiliang had been spreading rumors about her in school. The rumors were so drastic that even the teacher were beginning to believe it. The rumors were that Han Yunhua had dropped out of school to mess around with boys. Such awful rumors shattered the good girl reputation that Xiao Yunhua spent over eight years building. And thanks to Han Yunhua completely disappearing, Zhao Meiliang had automatically occupied her seat as the smartest and most popular student. In her heart, she deeply wished for Han Yunhua to never return and for her to just die! Zhao Meiliang sincerely hoped that Han Yunhua was gone forever. But Xiao Yunhua didn''t have time to deal with her childish behavior as she continued to look for a place that would offer treatment. Unfortunately, it was immediately decline and rejection. Whether it was money, lack of resources, or even lack of health insurance, the hospital or clinic would always find a way to make Xiao Yunhua leave. With such constant rejections, she began to realize that something was odd about this situation. She once again placed her physical body in the dimensional space and allowed her soul to travel and wander around. She finally stopped at the main Zhou Mansion where Zhou Elder resided with Zhou Eldress. She went through the walls and saw that Zhou Feng and his brother, Zhou Lang, arguing about something. Seeing her mission after a while, Xiao Yunhua immediately had an urge to make him hers. She shook her head and the feeling, immediately pinpointing it as the effects Ultimate Goddess System. A warning that she had been too distracted! But saving her grandmother wasn''t a bad distraction, besides, she still hadn''t given up on seducing Zhou Lang. She glanced at the two brothers and overheard Zhou Lang telling his brother that he would be hanging out in Riverside, one of the hottest night clubs on Saturday night. Currently, Zhou Lang was trying to convince his brother to join him, but Zhou Feng was never a fan of being surrounded by too many people, so he was declining, despite Zhou Lang''s persistence. Hearing that Zhou Lang was going to Riverside, a calculative smile appeared on Xiao Yunhua''s face. She would make sure that the young master would be entrapped in her plans! Before she could go and eavesdrop oh Zhou Elder and Butler Luo, she paused when she heard Zhou Feng ask, "Did you ever find that girl that you kept rambling about on the phone?" "No," Zhou Lang sighed but his playful demeanor didn''t disappear, "I didn''t. But oh well, she was just like any other chick. There are plenty of fish in the sea, don''t you agree brother?" Zhou Feng only shot him a glare after his youngest brother uttered his last words. Seeing Zhou Feng''s silent anger, Zhou Lang mischievously shrugged, "My bad. You don''t want a reminder of that immoral girl." Immoral? Xiao Yunhua glowered at the pair of brothers and decided to make them eat their words later in the future. The fact that Zhou Feng didn''t even bother to investigate was also annoying. Why was her mission so gullible? Then again, she''s mentally twenty six, so she''s had a lot more experience than a high school boy that just recently turned eighteen. But thanks to the fake conversation that Xiao Taotao managed to get for her, she would be able to prove her innocence very soon. At that moment, she would make sure that he remembers these days and his heart would fill with guilt. It would be her ultimate KO! Just that she would need to be patient until that day. She ignored the duo and her body continued to roam around until she found herself in the study of Zhou Elder. How did she know where his study was? It was thanks to the original eight year old Xiao Yunhua. If it was normal, then Xiao Yunhua wouldn''t remember anything from nearly a decade ago, but her photographic memory was very useful in such cases. She saw that Zhou Elder was sitting an old woman. Her features were strict and aloof. Her eyes were dark and wrinkled. Despite her grey hair and wrinkles, she was very beautiful. Xiao Yunhua assumed that she was even more beautiful when she was younger. Currently, the woman and Zhou Elder were patiently listening to Butler Luo explain the situation. As Xiao Yunhua tuned in their conversation, she was shocked to find that it was about Han Mi. When Butler Luo finished telling them about Han Mi and her condition, the woman''s hands clenched into fists yet her face remained expressionless. "She is still alive?" The woman spoke for the first time. Hearing her voice, Xiao Yunhua felt a shiver up her spine. It was so cold and void of emotions. Despite not being like her stepmother in her previous life, Xiao Yunhua felt like this woman was even scarier with her aloof behavior. But why was she saying that Han Mi was alive? What was the conspiracy between her frail grandmother and this Zhou family? "Zhou Eldress..." Butler Luo anxiously murmured, "our sources told us that she died ten years ago." Hearing Butler Luo call her Zhou Eldress, Xiao Yunhua finally understood that this was the infamous Ling Xiu, the second wife of Zhou Elder. "Then how did she suddenly appear?" Zhou Eldress flared at Butler Luo. The anger that radiated off of her body terrified Butler Luo as he stuttered his reply, "We don''t know. We believe that she survived and lived outside for two years before she appeared with her..." Butler Luo paused before he finally mentioned, "with her granddaughter." Xiao Yunhua finally noticed that there was some emotion on Zhou Elder''s face when Butler Luo mentioned granddaughter. His expression showed his anger and his hurt, almost like he was remembering a painful memory. "Looks like her infidelity has bore a fruit." Zhou Eldress added coldly, her eyes following Zhou Elder''s face for any changes. Once she noticed that his eyes hardened in irritation, her cold eyes gleamed with a spark of joy and victory. Her eyes reminded Xiao Yunhua of eyes of a snake, enjoying the misfortune of its preys. "Enough. We speak of that woman no longer." Zhou Elder said harshly, "For her treatment..." "No worries, Zhou Elder." Butler Luo reassured, "We''ve made sure that no one in the country would help her. Her... granddaughter has been everywhere, asking for treatment for her grandmother." Zhou Eldress'' eyes narrowed as she tsked, "How persistent of the pest." Xiao Yunhua''s soul stood before the three sinners as she embedded their actions today in her mind. She would make sure to repay this debt fully and one hundred percent. For now, she had to go and find out what Han Mi''s relations to the Zhou family was. She summoned her soul to the dimensional space and took over her physical body again. As she took over her physical body, the small gears in her mind began to turn as she thought of a possibility. "Xiao Taotao, if my soul can take over my physical body, does that mean that it can do the same thing to other soulless bodies? Take them over?" Xiao Taotao hesitated for a little bit before she finally nodded, "But it''s very dangerous to stay in the body for a while. You''ll take the risk of never returning to your original body granted in the world, which means that your points will be void. In fact, if your targets fall for your newly possessed body, it''ll cause your mission to be void altogether." "So when do you recommend for me to do such a thing?" "Only in cases of emergency or when you think that it''ll help you win your mission''s heart." Xiao Taotao paused and reassured, "If you do occupy the soulless body, then I''ll tell you what your time limit is in that body." Xiao Yunhua nodded in appreciation until she couldn''t help but ask, "Those soulless bodies... where are their souls?" "Sometimes, their soul is just having a hard time returning to their body, which is why a person can be in a coma. Other times, they don''t want to return at all and wish to be reincarnated altogether, which is how death happens to each physical body." Xiao Taotao explained. Xiao Yunhua nodded again and snapped her fingers, leaving the dimensional space. She found herself in the hospital room with Han Mi again. Her grandmother had her eyes closed, but as though she could sense that Xiao Yunhua was in the room, she quietly sighed and greeted, "Yunhua." "Grandmother..." Xiao Yunhua didn''t know how to confront the old woman and ask her the truth. "Where have you been?" "Grandmother," Xiao Yunhua heaved a deep sigh, "I''ve been going everywhere for your treatment. Even though chronic leukemia cannot be cured permanently, there is still a possibility to extend your lifespan by a few years." Han Mi ignored her and gently asked, "How are your studies at school?" Xiao Yunhua, not wanting to worry her, quickly bluffed, "They''re excellent, as always." "Yunhua..." Han Mi immediately recognized the signs that her granddaughter was lying to her. "Have you been skipping school?" Xiao Yunhua paled and shook her head fervently, "Grandmother... how could you even say such a thing?" Xiao Yunhua didn''t want for the old woman to worry, so she couldn''t help but add onto her lie. "I can only pray that my assumptions are only assumptions. Only you know the truth." Han Mi''s words were like a dagger to Xiao Yunhua''s heart, but she didn''t have time to worry about school right now. "Grandmother, there isn''t a single place that is willing to treat you... I found out that it''s all thanks to the influence of the Zhou family." Hearing Xiao Yunhua''s last words, Han Mi paled and took a deep breath. By her grandmother''s reaction, Xiao Yunhua knew that Han Mi really did have a connection to the rich and powerful family. "Grandmother, how are you related to the Zhou family...?" 11 1.1.11: Exposed and Expelled When Xiao Yunhua asked her question, she expected for Han Mi to immediately get flustered or to deny anything related to the Zhou family. To her surprise and astonishment, Han Mi calmly shook her head and waved the question off. "Grandmother, be honest with me!" Xiao Yunhua said in exasperation, "I know there''s a connection with you and the Zhou family!" "Yunhua..." Han Mi''s voice strictly warned, "Do not poke your nose in places that it doesn''t belong." "But grandmother¡ª" "Enough!" Han Mi harshly interrupted and closed her eyes, "I''m tired, I want to rest." Xiao Yunhua could feel tears pooling in her eyes. How was she supposed to save her grandmother if Han Mi wasn''t willing to tell her what she was saving her from? "Grandmother, I thought... you trusted me." Han Mi''s eyes shot open and she couldn''t help but accuse, "Really? Let''s start with the fact that you''ve been pretending that you''ve lost your memories." Han Mi saw Xiao Yunhua''s gape, but she continued, "I may be old, but my mind is sharper than yours will ever be." "P-Pretending?" This old woman, how did she know? Xiao Yunhua was amazed and thought about all the times in her memories. None of her memories showed even a little bit where she gave herself away. "Yes, pretending. I could tell a few months after your doctor''s appointment regarding your amnesia. Although it was only a speculation, so I didn''t say anything and decided to raise you anyway. Who knew that my guess was right by your reaction now?" Xiao Yunhua''s pale face didn''t cease as she found herself staring shamefully in the face of Han Mi. Finally, no longer about to bear the shame, she turned around and sprinted out despite the yells of Han Mi for her to stop. All these years she thought she was fooling Han Mi with her so-called perfect act. Yet this was her first mission, she had expected too much. From now on, she would need to be more heartless to make it more believable. Xiao Taotao was right. She shouldn''t have gotten attached to someone in one of her missions. It was dangerous and her heart wouldn''t be aching like it was at the moment. Unbeknownst to her, Han Mi had also felt pain when she saw her granddaughter''s hurt expression. Her granddaughter hadn''t allowed her to finish her words: no matter if she was pretending or not, Han Mi loved her all the same. Her filial self was better than Han Mi''s actual grandchildren who don''t even know of her existence. Han Mi could feel herself growing weaker and weaker when she thought about hurting her granddaughter with her words. She sensed people frantically going in and out of her room, but she didn''t bother. Her vision was starting to get hazy until she finally blacked out. The monitor that showed the stability of Han Mi''s heart suddenly turned into a straight line, and the nurses and Qiang Yue knew that they could no longer save the old woman. Silently wishing her their condolences, they heaved a deep breath as they saw the lifeless old woman. Thinking of her young granddaughter, sympathy filled their hearts. All this happened when Xiao Yunhua had no clue. She was surrounded by a depressed bubble as she found herself in front of her school. Realizing that she wasn''t wearing her uniform, she sighed and made a mental note to apologize and to be honest for not coming to school for the past week. As she went inside and walked around in the school, she could hear whispers and accusations made about her. She noticed that people glared at her and couldn''t help but wonder about what she did wrong. She saw a familiar face and wanted to greet that person, but paused. She had severed any ties with Zhao Meiliang, so her act would have been considered inappropriate. But she also saw a victorious smirk on the face of Zhao Meiliang when the girl regarded her. Xiao Yunhua frowned and went to the office. Teachers also looked at her with hostility, which was a first. Usually, teachers loved her and spoiled her because she always had the perfect demeanor. Now, they looked at her like they couldn''t believe that she was so bad which made Xiao Yunhua even more confused. She saw a familiar teacher and yelled out, "Teacher Rong!" To get her attention. Teacher Rong saw one of her former favorite students and quickly tried to sneak off, but Xiao Yunhua was quicker and stopped her. "Teacher Rong, I apologize for not coming to school. My grandmother¡ª" "Does your grandmother know of the awful things you''ve been doing recently?" Teacher Rong harshly interrupted as she eyed the former bright student-turned-immoral. "Awful things? What do you mean?" "Don''t bother to lie. Zhao Meiliang has told us everything." Hearing the familiar name, Xiao Yunhua could get a gist of what the malicious girl had told them. It must have been the same thing that she texted Zhou Feng. Teacher Rong saw the shocked expression on Xiao Yunhua and continued, "As of the moment, you''re officially expelled for multiple reasons. We tried to contact your guardian, but since they never replied, instead of suspension, the principal has deemed you as an expelled case." "Teacher Rong, what is this unfairness!?" Xiao Yunhua couldn''t help but shout in anger. Hearing the former calmly-spoken student behave in such a disgraceful and crude manner, Teacher Rong began to fully believe Zhao Meiliang. Han Yunhua is now too corrupted to save! Her hooligan ways are a disgrace to the school! "Han Yunhua, out of the respect I had for you before, I will forgive you for yelling at a teacher. Otherwise, if you don''t get out in the next five minutes, I won''t mind calling security to escort you out." Xiao Yunhua bit her retort and turned around to leave. Her fists were clenched as she strode out of the office with unshed tears. Her former classmates that surrounded her like bees surrounding honey now shot her looks of hate. Someone in the crowd threw a piece of paper at her. She picked it up and saw the word ''slut'' on there. Like something had been triggered, more people threw trash at her as she left. Xiao Yunhua didn''t bother to evade the trash because she knew that it would never end. This harsh reality was exactly like her previous life. No matter where she went, who she trusted, she would be the loser in the end. Ultimate Goddess System... what a joke. It couldn''t save her from her current dilemmas, and she didn''t have an overpowered male lead to help her out of every situation like in her novels. Even Han Mi hated her for being too noisy and a big, fat liar. She was alone... Truly alone. This situation, it was exactly like her previous life. But this time, Xiao Yunhua didn''t want to drown herself in a bathtub nor slit her wrists. She didn''t feel hopeless because a new emotion bloomed in her chest. This emotion was vicious. This emotion was foreign yet felt so right. This emotion was revenge. And revenge against who? All of those that made her suffer, she would make sure that they would pay. Who said that she can''t have a little bit of side fun while completing her main mission? Xiao Yunhua gripped the piece of paper that said ''slut'' on it with a wicked glint in her eyes. She scanned the crowd that disappointed her with a harsh chuckle. Indeed, she would have her revenge. And if slut is what they called her in either life, then she would make them choke their words. Mercy? She has lost it all... 12 1.1.12: The Wheel of Wonders When Xiao Yunhua returned to the hospital, she immediately felt dread fill her heart. She glanced around, looking for Qiang Yue, but couldn''t find him anywhere. Furrowing her eyebrows, she quickly appeared at room 512, her grandmother''s room, and slowly grew frantic when she saw the empty bed. She noticed the same nurse that was there when she woke up from her blackout, Ling Qiu, and quickly rushed up to her. The former eyes filled with positivity were now filled with sympathy and pity. Her expression shocked Xiao Yunhua as she felt even more dread fill her heart. "Ms. Ling Qiu," she politely called out, attracting Ling Qiu''s attention. "where is my grandmother?" Ling Qiu sighed, not knowing how to break it to this fragile child. She remembered how Han Yunhua blacked out just at the thought of her grandmother being ill; Ling Qiu didn''t want to know how she''d react if she was told that her grandmother was dead. In the end, she could only answer Han Yunhua with silence. Luckily, Dr. Qiang Yue appeared and saved her from an uncomfortable and sad conversation. Ling Qiu motioned for the doctor to break the news to the girl as she stood behind the girl, in case she blacked out. "Miss Han..." Qiang Yue glared at Ling Qiu for putting such a heavy responsibility on his shoulders, but the young nurse only playful shrugged and left him to fend for himself. Her expression changed to urgency as she was mentally telling him to tell Han Yunhua the truth. "Miss Han, unfortunately, your grandmother suffered a huge shock and couldn''t withstand it..." Qiang Yue firmly held her gaze with his and continued despite his earlier hesitation, "Unfortunately, Elder Han passed away this morning." Her grandmother was gone. That exploded in her mind until she felt her eyes stinging with unshed tears. But Xiao Yunhua didn''t allow them to fall. She was sick and tired of crying and feeling hurt. She was sick and tired of depending on other people. She realized that there wasn''t anybody there for her except herself and this bitter truth wasn''t going to change no matter how many times she reincarnated or found herself in different worlds. Such a discovery was too painful, especially on her first mission. Xiao Yunhua expected to experience such a heartbreaking pain at least a few worlds in, but reality wasn''t always the best when it came to gently enforcing things upon people. Xiao Yunhua closed her eyes and wiped away the unshed tears from her eyes. She took a deep breath and saw that a very concerned Ling Qiu and Qiang Yue staring back at her, almost like they expected for her to blackout again. "I''m fine." She lied and reassured. Her face was expressionless and her eyes were no longer crying, albeit still red. In her mind, the blade for revenge sharpened even more, especially against the Zhou family. Really, they could''ve saved her grandmother. But by the expressions she saw the other day, they absolutely despised Han Mi and her target absolutely despised her. So she needed a better plan. Her attention has been diverted for long enough. She bowed her head in respect and quickly left room 512, leaving both nurse and doctor frozen in surprise. She had taken the news a lot better than they expected, but she hadn''t even allowed for them to finish speaking to her! In fact, now that she was an orphan that was also a minor, both felt pity for the girl that depended on the old woman. How would Xiao Yunhua survive? That was the question that was in both Ling Qiu and Qiang Yue''s heads. Unfortunately, they''d never find out because Han Yunhua had disappeared, and so has the body of the deceased Han Mi. In the middle of her dimensional space, Xiao Yunhua asked for Xiao Taotao to find a place to bury Han Mi for her to reincarnate peacefully. Xiao Yunhua clasped her hands together and prayed for the fallen woman that she had grown to love like her biological grandmother. "Xiao Taotao, I appreciate that you''re not asking for points this time." Xiao Yunhua spoke after a long period of silence. "This favor, I will never forget." Xiao Taotao looked at her host in pity. Such a peculiar host, she hadn''t been assigned to one before! But if such actions would help her host focus and be stronger, then Xiao Taotao wouldn''t mind getting in trouble for giving something for free to her host. "Host, please focus on the mission from now on." "Yes, I will." Xiao Yunhua promised, "By the way, how many points does it cost to sing and to dance?" "Both are new skills. A new, basic skill costs fifty points. If it''s something more complicated or specific, they are doubled, which is one hundred points. Host currently has zero points, please gather more." Xiao Yunhua sighed. She really had hit rock bottom. Points were a nuisance that we''re going to haunt her forever until she gathered enough not to worry about them. Almost like money; she was awfully poor at the moment, in reality and in points. "How to make points really quickly?" "Ah?" Xiao Taotao furrowed her brows as she contemplated on how her host could get plenty of points. Her eyes brightened when she remembered, "There''s the Wheel of Wonders!" But her eyes dulled when she remembered, "But it costs one point for every spin. Host currently has zero." Xiao Yunhua tsked as she whisked her body outside. Wearing her school uniform still, she saw an elderly couple that stood as they hesitantly tried to cross the road. A lightbulb clicked in her head as she put on the most gentle smile she could muster. The elderly couple were surprised when they saw a pretty and sweet-looking girl walking up to them. Politely, she asked if she could assist them across the road that had cars zooming by dangerously. The elderly couple were shocked and a bit suspicious, but they saw her genuine and pure eyes, along with her gentle smile, so they couldn''t help but say yes. Grabbing both of their hands, she cautiously and carefully guided them across, going at a slow pace, but still keeping her eyes on the road. Once they reached the other side, the elderly couple smiled as they felt exceptionally pleased with this young girl. Xiao Yunhua could feel the familiar comfortable rush in her body. Checking her points, she realized that she now had four! Two from each of the elderly! Flashing a happy smile, she snapped her fingers and appeared in the dimensional space again. Meanwhile, the elderly couple both almost had a heart attack when they saw the young girl disappearing right before their eyes. At first, they believed that it was impossible until one of them suggested that they had most likely seen an angel. The more they considered it, the more it made sense. Only an angel could appear and disappear whenever she wanted to! If Xiao Yunhua knew that her small act had managed to plant such a silly idea in the elderly couple''s heads, she would''ve banged her head for fooling innocent people! But she was too happy marveling at her four points. For too long, she had to stare at that oval of doom! Seeing something replace it made her very happy! She called for Xiao Taotao and the little fairy summoned the Wheel of Wonders again. She began to explain the wheel. The Wheel of Wonders was exactly as it sounded. The host would have to waste one point every time, except for when they''re at higher levels, then it''d be a lot more because the value of the prizes would also increase, for a chance to spin. The prizes ranged from points, to skills, to a beauty item, to even nothing! If a host was really unlucky, then he or she would land on the big skull, which meant that they would lose two times the amount they invested! Which for Xiao Yunhua, it would be two points, which she needed badly right now! And finally, there was a big question mark which was the mystery one. If a host landed on that one, then he or so would have the chance for about anything. Positive or negative, it was completely random. Xiao Yunhua gulped as she nodded for one point to be spent. Once the wheel''s lights turned on, indicating that it was available to use, then she hesitantly spun the wheel. Closing her eyes, she didn''t want to find out what she got until she finally had the guts to peek. She breathed a breath of relief and smiled happily when she saw that it landed on points! The points generator rapidly began to turn into all sorts of numbers until it finally stopped at ten. Seeing that she now had thirteen points, she confidently spun the wheel and landed on a free skill! Xiao Taotao congratulated her and asked her what skill she wanted to learn. "I''ll take singing please!" "No problem, host! Your voice will be devastatingly beautiful and cause anyone to be infatuated, like a goddess." Xiao Taotao snickered at her inserted pun, but cleared her throat embarrassedly when she realized that Xiao Yunhua didn''t laugh. "Do you want to spin again?" Getting a little more confident at her luck, Xiao Yunhua nodded and spun the wheel. Her eyes widened when she saw that it landed on the little skull and she immediately lost two points! She went from eleven to nine! Such misfortune, Xiao Yunhua wanted to cry melodramatically. "Do you want to spin again?" Xiao Yunhua nodded and spun the wheel. She almost lost her soul when she saw that it landed on the skull again. She was now at six points! But she desperately needed that other skill or else her plan wouldn''t work! "Do you want to spin again?" Xiao Yunhua nodded and Xiao Taotao shrugged her shoulders. Her host was stubborn and seemed to be quite persistent. Hopefully she wouldn''t lose points this time again! "Alright." Xiao Yunhua cracked her knuckles and took a deep breath. Giving the wheel a stink eye, she mentally begged the Creator or whoever controlled the wheel to allow her another skill! When she spun the wheel, she covered her eyes and didn''t remove her hands until a few seconds of silence. Staring at the wheel, she squealed when she saw that it was on a new skill! She mentally thanked whoever helped her as she continued to smile. "Congratulations host! What new skill would you like to learn?" "Dance." "Ah, a complicated skill... Host, there are many forms of dance, meaning that it''s not a basic skill." "But..." Xiao Yunhua frowned, "is there no way?" When she saw Xiao Taotao shake her head, she disappointedly bowed her head. A few minutes later, her eyes filled with a glint that made Xiao Taotao shiver as though she was about to get scammed. "The type of dance that is done in a nightclub." "What? Any type of dance can be done there as long as it''s the right music." Besides, what did her host mean by ''nightclub''? What was Xiao Yunhua up to? "Exactly." Seeing Xiao Taotao''s gaping mouth, Xiao Yunhua smirked at her words that trapped the little fairy. Xiao Taotao facepalmed and snapped her fingers. Xiao Yunhua could feel all types of dancing styles filling her and she deepened her smirk. Seeing her host acting so victorious for her cleverness, Xiao Taotao grumbled, "Would you like to spin again?" "Nope!" Xiao Taotao happily said. Xiao Taotao snapped her fingers and the wheel disappeared. Xiao Yunhua glanced at the sky and whispered, "Grandmother, rest in peace. Those people that wronged us, your Yunhua will make them pay. The real fun is about to begin..." 13 1.1.13: New Job When Xiao Yunhua counted the number of skills she had used her points over, she realized that she had a photographic memory, her five senses sharpened to the maximum, the best culinary skills, the voice of an angel, all the types of dancing... She also realized that although her looks were considered above average, they were still not goddess-like. But Xiao Yunhua didn''t worry too much about her looks because she knew that her skills would definitely earn her plenty of points, especially with her upcoming plan. Oh Leaving the dimensional space, she quickly walked to Riverside, the nightclub that Zhou Lang was speaking about in his conversation with Zhou Feng. It was currently Thursday, two days before the day that Zhou Lang would hang out in the nightclub. Although it required one to be twenty-one to enter, the young master could get it at anytime. This was mainly due to his family name''s influence, but also because the Zhou family was known to have connections to be military as well. She took a deep breath and saw the humongous bouncer that stood in front of the doors. His gruff face didn''t cease but his frown lines deepened when he realized how young she was. Her uniform was dirtied a little bit, especially when she changed into it after being expelled from the school and didn''t change into anything else anything after. This was the only clean clothes she had, but since she had no home, she couldn''t really wear other clean clothes at the moment. Han Mi''s small home was being sold off without her permission because Xiao Yunhua wasn''t old enough to legally inherit it from her. Everything inside belonged to Han Mi as well. Since the old woman died so suddenly, there hadn''t been any will for Xiao Yunhua anyway. She hadn''t even been allowed to get her things. In fact, Xiao Yunhua was going to make Han Yunhua disappear for a little bit until the climax of her plan. "Get lost kid." The bouncer harshly remarked and used a hand to visibly shoo her away. "How do you know I''m not twenty-one?" "You''re wearing a school uniform..." Xiao Yunhua could only stare at him for his truthful sass. Her uniform was a dead giveaway for her age. Nonetheless, she didn''t give up and persisted, "Please! Let me see the manager." "No." The bouncer said bluntly, his expression turning bored at this point. It was almost like he was getting tired of dealing with her, a kid. Xiao Yunhua began to grow impatient as she childishly demanded, "Let me see your manager." "No." "Manager!" "No." "Fuck you!" The bouncer paused. Then he stoically shook his head and said, "No underaged sex for you." Xiao Yunhua felt her cheeks warming when he took her words in a literal way. She felt like smacking his head for being so dense, but she couldn''t find anything to refute him. "That''s not what I meant." "Does that mean that you''ve been using words that you don''t know the meaning of?" Once again, Xiao Yunhua was rendered speechless and couldn''t retort his words. "Just let me see your manager, please." She asked more politely this time, but she was still given the same reply. "No." "Ugh! You are really infuriating, did anyone ever tell you that?" Xiao Yunhua pouted childishly with her arms crossed. The bouncer remained silent and Xiao Yunhua declared, "I will stay here for as long as possible to see the manager." The bouncer harshly chuckled, "Suit yourself. But you must stand away from Riverside or its reputation will be soiled and will be known as the place where the little duckies hang out." Little duckies? Did he mean her as well? "Little ducky your sister! Little ducky your family!" The bouncer ignored her and focused on his job. Despite his belief, the little ducky was true to her words and quite persistent when it came to waiting. Nonstop, she would stand until her legs finally gave out and she sat on the ground, not caring if it besmirched her clothes. Her shitty school uniform didn''t really matter to her anyway. Xiao Yunhua started at the sky and noticed that it was getting dark and darker, meaning that she had been hanging around the nightclub for a while. The bouncer noticed this as well as he grumbled, "Listen kid, if you don''t leave this instant, I''ll call the cops for you trespassing." Trespassing? He made it sound like she was some type of thief! Xiao Yunhua stood up and walked in front of the bouncer. Her legs were a bit numb and asleep for sitting for so long, but she didn''t worry about that at the moment and really wanted to bash the bouncer''s face. "Let. Me. See. The. Manager." Her teeth were gritted and her fists were clenched. The bouncer raised an eyebrow as he saw the little ducky trying to be intimidating; it wasn''t working at all. "No¡ª" The bouncer was interrupted when he heard a voice calmly call out, "Let her in." He turned around and saw the owner of Riverside nodding to give Xiao Yunhua permission. She also noticed this, so she smirked as she walked inside the nightclub, sticking her tongue out as she walked by the bouncer. He rolled his eyes and ignored her as she walked inside, immediately seeing a tall man. He had long, silver hair and a pair of dark eyes that belonged to a handsome, regal face. His body was muscular yet not too much to be considered overwhelming like the bouncer. His eyes were cold as he regarded her with silence. He turned around and began walking towards what seemed to be his office, so Xiao Yunhua began to follow. When they both got inside, immediately, the scent of sandalwood surrounded them. The large, dim office wasn''t decorated much, but Xiao Yunhua had a feeling that whatever decorations there were, they were worth more money that she would ever have in her life. "So, young lady, what do you want from this manager?" He wasn''t the manager himself, he was the owner, but he wanted to see what this pesky, little girl needed from his nightclub. Xiao Yunhua took a deep breath and answered, "I want a job." The man raised an eyebrow, "In a club? That''s illegal considering how young you are." "Not really," Xiao Yunhua raised her averted eyes to meet his in quasi-confidence. "It''s legal as long as I don''t serve alcohol." The man''s lips tilted upwards with his eyes full of humor and mock, "What if that''s the only job available?" Understanding his meaning, Xiao Yunhua immediately panicked. "Please! Let me have a job here. I''ll do anything." "Even if I don''t pay you?" Xiao Yunhua hesitated and mumbled, "Give me a place to stay, and I''ll not ask for money." The man couldn''t help but burst out laughing in his velvety-like voice, "Little ducky," he mocked like the bouncer had earlier, "you''re getting more and more audacious. First, it was simply a job, now it''s a home as well? Do your parents know?" "I don''t have parents." She blankly retorted, her face suddenly expressionless. "Any other relative?" Xiao Yunhua forced herself to not cry, "My last caretaker passed away this morning." The man noticed her reluctance and changed the subject, "Alright. I''ll give you a job," he saw her eyes brighten up in happiness but he quickly added, "Although not a place to stay. This is the procedure for every employee, you''ll have to figure something out." Her eyes dulled a bit, but she nodded in gratitude. "Thank you sir! Are you my manager?" "I''m technically everyone''s manager." His words were arrogant, but when they came out of his mouth, paired with his cold expression, they didn''t sound arrogant at all. "No way, the only way that''s possible is if..." her sentence faltered as her eyes widened in recognition, "Riverside owner?" The owner nodded as he used his hand to shoo her out, "Begin cleaning." "Cleaning?" "Yes. What did you expect, that I would let a twelve year old serve alcohol or provide entertainment for my guests?" Xiao Yunhua angrily retorted, "I''m not twelve, I''m sixteen!" "Same thing. Now off you go." Before he could use his hand again to shoo her away, she asked, "When can I actually do something entertainment for the guests?" The owner chuckled, "You can sing?" Xiao Yunhua nodded, "I can dance, too." The owner''s chuckles increased as he said, "Show me your singing, first." Xiao Yunhua cleared her throat and began to sing. A beautiful, angel-like voice resounded in his office, but he immediately yelled, "Stop!" Xiao Yunhua looked at him in confusion until he explained, "Mediocre, absolutely mediocre." What? Did Xiao Taotao give her the wrong gift? <> Then why on earth was he saying such a thing? It was so odd! "You have a beautiful voice, but!" He slammed his fist on his desk, making Xiao Yunhua jump, "Did you seriously think that''s all it takes?" "What?" She was so confused. What else did singing require other than a good voice? "In that case, let me show you my dancing¡ª" "Not necessary. If your dancing is anything similar to your singing, I''ll pass. Anyways, get going. You''ll have to wear your own clothes for a little bit until we get you an employee uniform." Xiao Yunhua nodded disappointedly and turned around to leave. Before she shut the door, he called out, "You''ll also have to fill out some information in an application to keep in the employee registry. By the way, what is your name?" Xiao Yunhua froze and didn''t know how to answer. Her original name? Her name in this world? Who was she? "My name is..." she took a deep breath "Xiahu Yunhua." Yet another fake surname... The day that the ones that wronged her discover that all three people are the same person, it''ll be their ultimate doom... 14 1.1.14: New Home When Xiao Yunhua left the owner''s office, she was immediately swarmed with the stench of alcohol as compared to the elegant smell of sandalwood in the owner''s office. The author followed a bunch of drunk people dancing with a DJ playing music that made her cringe. But luckily, the DJ played a variety of music and the crowd from the door seemed never-ending. Xiao Yunhua realized that she didn''t notice any of this when she followed the owner because she was too busy worrying about whether or not she would get a job here. Luckily, the owner allowed her, albeit a completely different job than she expected. When she painstakingly spun the Wheel of Wonders, she expected to use both her skills to become famous. She would have used this fame to make Zhou Lang fall in love with her. But the owner crushed her dreams the moment he said that she would be a cleaner. A cleaner!? This was so unexpected! Her voice was perfect, so what was lacking? Suddenly, her eyes fell upon a figure that was slowly making her way to a microphone. The woman was in her mid-twenties and oozed pheromones. She was wearing a black, sexy mermaid gown that clung onto her like a second layer of skin. Her makeup was stunning, especially making her pale skin and blue eyes pop. Her lips were curled into a flirtatiously wicked smile and were tinted in red. The woman was unlike any woman that Xiao Yunhua had ever seen, in both of her lifetimes. When the woman opened her mouth, her voice echoed in the club and people, including Xiao Yunhua, couldn''t help but watch her, entranced. Her voice wasn''t better than Xiao Yunhua''s, but Xiao Yunhua knew that she had completely lost. Maybe she was given the best voice, but she didn''t know how to use it like this woman. This woman''s voice was like a siren, luring men to their doom and demise. Her voice contained the one thing that Xiao Yunhua''s lacked: emotion. No wonder the owner said that her voice was mediocre! In fact, her dancing might''ve been mediocre as well. Xiao Yunhua only sang as though she was in autopilot mode. Yet this women poured out her emotions into each song that she sang, making sure that all eyes were on her scarlet lips. "That''s Ni Ming." A voice startled Xiao Yunhua out of her trance and she turned around, only to find the handsome owner with his arms crossed. His eyes never left where Ni Ming was singing as he explained who she was, "Our top entertainer. Now you know why I said that you''re mediocre. You may sound nice, but you don''t express your sound nicely." Xiao Yunhua nodded in admiration, "How to learn from her?" The owner burst out chuckling as he coldly regarded her, "Little girl, first off, she doesn''t take any pupils under her. Second, you''re only sixteen. Being an entertainer here requires being eighteen." "Says who¡ª" "Says the owner himself." He continued after interrupting her, "Besides, you should do the job you''re assigned first before wanting anything else." Xiao Yunhua remained silent but heeded his words. She needed to first complete this job of hers and get their approval before continuing with her mission. She glanced at Ni Ming with a glint of determination in her eye. She vowed to be like her one day. For now, she had no way of appearing in front of the Zhou family without putting her life in danger. Remembering the hatred that the Zhou Elder, Butler Luo, and Zhou Eldress held for Han Mi and how theywere shocked upon hearing that she, Han Yunhua, was her granddaughter, Xiao Yunhua knew that her life would have been in danger. Keeping her identity to herself for a while was good. Xiao Yunhua originally planned on attracting Zhou Lang''s attention in a few days when he came, but realized that she was so simple and foolish. What would he be attracted to? Her fake minty scent along with her cleaning uniform? Or her dull voice? She sighed as she followed the owner to the back, where she was introduced to the rest of the staff there. They all were amazed how such a young girl was hired, but when they realized that it was only a cleaning job, they snickered. They looked at her dirtied uniform and immediately, a prejudice of some type filled their hearts against Xiahu Yunhua. When Xiao Yunhua filled out her information to keep in the employee registry, she was given a uniform along with a pair of shoes and was told to go home. Xiao Yunhua nodded in appreciation when she saw the new clothes, but her eyes saddened when she remembered that she had no home to return to. She didn''t realize it, but the handsome owner was watching her out of the corner of his eye and remembered their conversation from earlier. He furrowed his eyebrows at the thought that the girl really didn''t have a home to return to, but brushed off the idea. There was no way. Maybe she was really an orphan, but she definitely had a home, right? The owner didn''t ponder over the idea and forgot about it until much later, when all the employees had gone home. He started his car and drove by, not seeing the girl anywhere. He sighed and assumed that she was bluffing, but suddenly, he hit his breaks in his car. He saw a young girl with a bag that was sleeping on the park''s bench near the Riverside nightclub. If he hadn''t looked again, he wouldn''t have recognized the girl except for the fact that she was wearing a dirtied school uniform and had the same bag that he saw the girl have. As he got out of his car, walked towards the park bench, he realized that his speculation was correct. It was Xiahu Yunhua! Why was a sixteen year old homeless like this? He nudged her awake and her eyelids fluttered open in shock. Recognition filled them as she tried to stand up, but her legs were both asleep and somewhat numb. "Mister Owner!" She saluted respectfully in shock, making the man crack a small smile at her serious greeting. "I have a name, you know." He said, but she shook her head, "It''s disrespectful to refer to my boss by his name." Her excuse seemed legitimate, except the man paused, "You don''t know my name, do you?" A rosy blush spread on her skin as she averted her eyes in embarrassment. The man''s cold eyes softened and he introduced himself. "Wang Yaowan." "Wang Yaowan... I''ll remember next time!" Xiao Yunhua politely said. After all, he allowed her, a random girl, to get a job at such an exclusive nightclub. Sure it wasn''t the job she wanted, but it was a start. "Where are you staying?" Wang Yaowan ignored her words and asked. Embarrassment filled her as she murmured, "Somewhere, here and there. No worries, I''ll still get to work tomorrow on time." "Silly girl!" Wang Yaowan harshly scolded, "I literally saw you lying on a public park bench. What if someone tried to do something?" Xiao Yunhua realized that maybe he was right. She didn''t have any martial art skills, currently completely defenseless. The fact that she thought to sleep here just showed how exhausted she was with whatever reality threw at her. "I..." She hesitated because she didn''t know what to say. Unexpectedly, Wang Yaowan demanded for her to get in his car. Xiao Yunhua''s eyes widened as she crossed her arms, protecting her body, "No way! I just met you today! Why would an underaged girl go with you?" Wang Yaowan rolled his eyes at her dramatic behavior and sarcastically asked, "For the same reason that an underaged girl decides to work in a nightclub. If you want to be in danger in the middle of nowhere, then stay." If he was being honest, Wang Yaowan didn''t know why he was doing so much for a stranger. He would call it sympathy and maybe it was because she was so young and on her own. She reminded him of his former self, but for him, nobody was there to offer a hand of support. For her, he would offer her the hand, only if he finds her worthy. If she was weak, then she would drag him down. If she was strong, then he would support. This was the ideology that was stuck in Wang Yaowan''s head. "You..." Xiao Yunhua sighed and grabbed his offered hand, "I will trust you this once because my situation is this desperate." Together, they drove in silence until a mansion appeared before them. It was elegant and non-excessively extravagant, giving it a homely yet aristocratic vibe. Xiao Yunhua, in either lifetimes, had never seen such a large mansion except for the Zhou mansion. "This is where you live?" Xiao Yunhua asked in awe. Wang Yaowan chuckled at her expression and lead her inside. An elderly housekeeper appeared with a kind smile on her face. "Mr. Wang, welcome back. Should I heat up a light snack?" "Mrs. Bao," Wang Yaowan respectfully answered to the housekeeper, "there''s no need." He suddenly turned around and asked Xiao Yunhua, "Do you want any food?" Before she could shake her head no, her stomach growled loudly and her face reddened in embarrassment. Wang Yaowan chuckled and told Mrs. Bao to take care and prepare a bath for her as well. The elderly Mrs. Bao was surprised to see a newcomer at the large mansion, but she didn''t question anything. She ushered for Xiao Yunhua to follow her, and that''s exactly what the teenager did. When Wang Yaowan saw that Xiahu Yunhua was following Mrs. Bao, he turned around and headed to his room to clean up as well... 15 1.1.15: Unexpected Surprise When Mrs. Bao showed Xiao Yunhua a guest room, the elderly woman watched the young woman''s reaction to see how she would react above being told to stay in such a room. But Mrs. Bao was astonished when she saw her eyes glittering with amazement. In Mrs. Bao''s heart, the young lady had passed a test of some sort. So it seems like the young girl wasn''t here for the money. In fact, Mrs. Bao purposely gave her one of the smallest guest rooms to test her, and the girl had unknowingly passed the test. "I''ll cook something for you to eat after your bath¡ª" "You don''t need to prepare my bath. It''s okay, I''ll take a shower instead." Xiao Yunhua interrupted. The old woman frowned but continued, "Alright. Your clothes will be prepared on the bed to be worn afterwards. But before you wear anything, make sure to dry your hair so you don''t catch a cold." Mrs. Bao''s attitude made Xiao Yunhua feel warm but she quickly shook her head. She couldn''t afford to get attached to anyone else here, nonetheless her own boss'' housekeeper. Her eyes glanced at the guest room she was provided with and she felt her gaze harden. This was a temporary living situation, after all. She didn''t plan on depending on Wang Yaowan forever. Her dependence on the handsome man was only because she didn''t have any money, home, and she couldn''t get much of a job anyway due to her age. Sure, she may she get some money from her new job, but it wouldn''t be enough unless she got a second job just to pay for the bills and such. So thus, Xiao Yunhua didn''t feel shameful when grabbing onto the hand that was offered. But that didn''t mean that she was going to take advantage of the hand offered. It was only temporary. Her last sentence, Xiao Yunhua chanted like a mantra in her head as she stripped down her dirty uniform. Ever since her bath incident in her previous life, she had never agreed on taking a bath. Even when her grandmother insisted, she always took showers instead. Why? It was such a traumatic experience, she didn''t want the possibility of drowning again. Sure she did it herself, as it was a suicide, but she wasn''t in the right state of mind at that point. So no matter what, for Xiao Yunhua, she would take showers instead. Once she finished taking a shower, she plugged in the hairdryer and used the comb to clean her former, greasy hair. Now, it was smooth and luxurious as before, although having lost a bit of its volume due to her lack of care. Xiao Yunhua glanced at the large, stretched mirror in front of her. She saw a pretty face staring back at her, but the pretty face had some problems. First off, it was excessively pale and dark circles were around the eyes, and the face wasn''t perfect, like a goddess was destined to be. Her body wasn''t overweight like her previous life, but it wasn''t amazing either. Xiao Yunhua felt ugly. In either lifetime, was she destined to be like this? She glanced at the pretty face and saw that the eyes were gleaming with a hunger of some sort. A desire. She wanted to be beautiful. A twist personification of beauty was forming in her head. Xiao Yunhua felt as though beauty would solve all her problems right now. Her eyes subconsciously dulled and she found her hand touching the mirror. How she longed to be beautiful... <> Xiao Taotao''s voice urgently rung in her head. Xiao Yunhua''s glazed eyes snapped back into life and were no longer dull. She blinked a few times and mentally asked Xiao Taotao what happened. All she could remember was drying her hair. Everything afterwards was completely blank in her photographic memory. <> Xiao Taotao''s hesitance made Xiao Yunhua assume there was more than what the little fairy was telling her. But she also knew that she didn''t have the power right now to find out what the secret behind this so-called attaining of goddess beauty? Why was it free? What was the hidden price? As much as Xiao Yunhua wanted to interrogate Xiao Taotao, the little fairy disappeared and she could no longer summon her soul to the dimensional space. This caused her to panic for a bit, but Xiao Yunhua had faith in the little fairy and knew that Xiao Taotao would find a solution somehow. She looked at the clothes on the bed and saw that surprisingly, they were clothes of a woman. Although they were slightly bigger than her own clothing size, it was odd for Wang Yaowan to even have such clothes in his home unless a woman lived here. But she hadn''t seen anyone while coming it, so maybe the woman hadn''t arrived yet? Or maybe she was asleep? Whatever the case, Xiao Yunhua stood up and left the guest room, using her photographic memory to go back to the entrance. She glanced around and saw that nobody was there, not even Mrs. Bao. All alone, she began to explore the large mansion. She noticed that although it wasn''t decorated to the brim with extravagance, it was still simple yet elegant, just like the exterior of the mansion. Just like his office, Wang Yaowan kept it simple and clean, but used pricey furniture for whatever he did have. Maybe it was a way to signify his status and money, maybe it was because he enjoyed subtly using his money... Whatever the case, Xiao Yunhua didn''t care. To her, he was the owner of Riverside, her boss, and her savior from being jobless, moneyless, and homeless. There were many ''lesses'' attached to her name at the moment, but Xiao Yunhua didn''t care. She would slowly grow, like a butterfly from his cocoon. Thinking of the butterfly, she realized that it was very similar to her. Considered ugly until it showed its true beauty and strength when least expected. In fact, it considered its time as a caterpillar simply a passing period before its true domination of the sky began. And that''s how she would consider this time. Simply a passing period of mourning for her granddaughter, and learning just how cruel humanity can be when it comes to greed and desire. Xiao Yunhua would make sure to take that greed and desire and shove it done their throats very soon. How soon? She wasn''t sure yet. But even the greatest inventor spent years of planning and preparing before their counterattack with their investment and invention. Xiao Yunhua''s wandering led her to the kitchen, where she found ingredients laid out to be chopped and cooked. She assumed that Mrs. Bao was going to use these to make something, but the old woman must''ve been caught up with something for her to forget like this. Suddenly, it was like recipes burst into her head and she felt a subconscious pull to use her culinary skills. She did use them before, but it was only for her grandmother. Other than the deceased old woman, nobody knows about her peerless culinary skills. Since the old woman wasn''t here anymore, and she needed a way to repay Wang Yaowan, she decided to get started and make him a meal that he''d never forget. Xiao Yunhua expertly held and used a knife to rapidly chop the ingredients for the meal. Her speed was so fast that it was almost impossible for the human eye to see. Her culinary skills and enhanced five senses were the only skills that actually worked in her favor. Even her proudest skill, her photographic memory, failed her when she needed it, nonetheless her emotionless singing and dancing. Xiao Yunhua was so immersed in her cooking that she failed to see a figure watching her. Only when the figure moved and accidentally made a sound did Xiao Yunhua pause whatever she was doing to look up. Her eyes met with a pair of brown eyes staring at her with curiosity. "Who are you?" Xiao Yunhua and the woman said simultaneously. The woman chuckled and stepped forward, making Xiao Yunhua gasp. "It''s you!" "It''s me? Do you know me?" The woman was wearing an oversized t-shirt and a pair of leggings that clung onto her legs, making them seem especially long. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, and she looked especially comfortable without any makeup on her face. "You''re from the club! The entertainer!" Hearing Xiao Yunhua''s words, the woman, Ni Ming, was amazed. "Wow! Nobody has ever been able to tell that this side of me and that side of me are connected! You''re a clever girl!" In fact, Xiao Yunhua would''ve never guessed that both women were the same woman if it hadn''t been for her sharpened senses that made her see the small details of similarity. "You''re Ni Ming?" Ni Ming nodded, but Xiao Yunhua wasn''t convinced, "But you had blue eyes..." "Contacts." "Really pale skin!" "All thanks to makeup!" Hearing Ni Ming''s refutes, Xiao Yunhua was speechless. The seductive woman from earlier and this comfortable girl with sass were the same people! Suddenly, as though she remembered something, Xiao Yunhua grabbed Ni Ming''s hands with hers, startling the woman. "Please teach me!" Ni Ming was even more shocked and confused until Xiao Yunhua elaborated, "Teach me on how to make someone fall in love with me like you did in the nightclub!" "But how do you know if anyone in the audience is in love with that side of me?" "Simple. It''s because they were entranced by you. I was too, when I heard you." It was also because of her system. Xiao Yunhua could feel love pouring for this woman and she kind of felt jealous. If only it was this easy for her to gain what this woman gained everyday, she would have an unlimited amount of points! Ni Ming remained silent for a few minutes before she finally opened her mouth to speak, "Why?" Xiao Yunhua debated on the answer, but in the end, she could only honestly reply, "Revenge." Saying that, she didn''t realize that her eyes had taken a different glint that made her seem wicked, exactly what startled Ni Ming again... 16 1.1.16: The Music Room Ni Ming shook her head and glanced at Xiao Yunhua like one would glance at a child. "Revenge? Little girl, do you even know what that means? You''re so young, how could your heart desire vengeance? Besides, beauty comes with a price." A glint of determination flashed in Xiao Yunhua''s eyes. This glint surprised Ni Ming even more than it did before. "Revenge for those who wronged my only family." Ni Ming paused and a brief silence loomed over the two women. Finally, Ni Ming couldn''t help but ask, "Really? Your heart doesn''t desire revenge for yourself as well?" Thinking of her life for the past few weeks, Xiao Yunhua couldn''t help but honestly answer, "Yes. I want revenge for myself too." Memories of being defamed flashed through her head. The same classmates that once fawned and swooned over her as the number one student threw paper and whatever trash they had in their hands because she was a so-called slut. Even her best friend turned out to be a shrew that destroyed her reputation and threw her away, even going as far as ruining whatever relationship she was building with her current target. Of course, if the Zhou family hadn''t abandoned the eight year old, previous Xiao Yunhua, then none of this would''ve happened! They abandoned Han Mi as well when she was in her final moments. They could''ve saved her, but instead, they made it impossible for the old woman to even receive treatment! Just why did they despise Han Mi so much? She could only accumulate points to find out later on! "Little girl, I''ve never necessarily ''trained'' anyone. What makes you think you''re so special? I''ve become the woman I am today by undergoing hard work on my own, so I won''t help you. You need to grow on your own." Ni Ming''s words shattered Xiao Yunhua''s expectations and she couldn''t help but panic. "Please, Miss Ni! I will do anything! You''re my last chance." "Being an entertainer... do you really want that career? Why not continue going to school and become a good doctor or something?" Ni Ming could only use such words to try to appease the young girl. Yet the young girl firmly stood on her guard and begged her even more. The young girl even admitted that she was expelled! Just what did the girl do to be expelled? Before any of the two could speak, Wang Yaowan appeared with Mrs. Bao behind him. They were surprised to see the Ni Ming and Xiahu Yunhua in the kitchen. "What are you two doing here?" Wang Yaowan paused and his eyes widened in delight, "And what is that heavenly smell?" Even Mrs. Bao, who knew she was an excellent chef, couldn''t help but marvel at the delicious smell that drifted in the kitchen air. Both she and Wang Yaowan knew that Ni Ming couldn''t cook, so they looked at Xiahu Yunhua, only to see her shrug. "I will cook whenever you want as a way of appreciation for letting me stay here." She admitted, surprising Ni Ming. "She is staying here?" Wang Yaowan nodded at Ni Ming''s question and explained to her about Xiahu Yunhua''s predicament. Hearing her conditions, Ni Ming''s heart softened towards the young girl and sympathy filled her gaze. All alone on her own, she was happy that Wang Yaowan decided to allow her to stay here. "What is your relationship to Wang Yaowan?" Xiao Yunhua asked Ni Ming, earning her a chuckle from the duo. Ni Ming flashed a ring and stunned Xiao Yunhua. Wang Yaowan walked over and wrapped an arm around Ni Ming, proudly announcing, "We''re engaged!" "But nobody knows about this at Riverside?" Ni Ming shook her head, "Nobody knows for now. This is to prevent trouble and rumors from floating around." "How can I learn from you?" Xiao Yunhua was persistent, but it was because she had no choice! Desperation could cause anyone to panic and do crazy things, including something like this! Ni Ming sighed and looked at Wang Yaowan. They shared a mutual look and seemed to communicate without speaking until Ni Ming turned around and acknowledged Xiao Yunhua again. "When you''re eighteen, I''ll take you in as my student." "But that''s two years¡ª" Xiao Yunhua paused. She had forgotten about a very important fact. She would turn seventeen in two weeks! Every year, she would spend her birthday with her grandmother, and they would have tons of memorable fun. But this year, she was on her own. In fact, with everything recent that was going on, she didn''t even realize that her birthday was an upcoming event. "That''s a whole year after I turn seventeen in two weeks." Ni Ming''s eyes glinted with mischief, "Exactly! In this year, prove yourself to me! If I find you acceptable, I''ll allow you to train under me! I promise that by the time you''re twenty one, you''ll be as good as me!" "No." Xiao Yunhua''s cold voice startled the couple and stunned them with her next sentence, "I''ll be even better." Ni Ming couldn''t help but chuckle out loud as she leaned forward and patted the head of Xiao Yunhua in an affectionate manner. "That''s the spirit! Confidence is key to being an entertainer, so keep it up little girl!" After their intense conversation, the four decided to eat whatever Xiao Yunhua made. Even Mrs. Bao, who would''ve been gone and at her own home at this time, stayed to eat with them. This was because Xiao Yunhua''s food was too delicious and tasty to resist! Hence the trio couldn''t help but dive in as soon as Xiao Yunhua placed the food on their plates. Seeing them enjoying her food, Xiao Yunhua promised to be in charge of the food from now on. Not only did it allow her to enhance her skills and practice, but it allowed her mind some peace knowing that she was helping her benefactors in some way. After all, they provided her a roof on top of her head and food to eat. This was the least that she could do. They even provided her with a job! "Little girl, how come you are such a good chef? Even the best chefs we''ve had to serve us do not compare to you!" Ni Ming exclaimed in admiration after they finished eating. Xiao Yunhua couldn''t tell the truth about the skill gained from the Ultimate Goddess System, so she could only bluff, "My grandmother taught me." "Really? Where is she?" Seeing Xiahu Yunhua''s dejected face, Ni Ming''s excited eyes and tone simmered down and she couldn''t help big pity the girl even more. Subconsciously, she knew answer. "Watching me from above." Her four words were vague, but Ni Ming understood them well. "Little girl, I won''t start training you until your eighteenth birthday, but can you show me your singing? I heard from Yaowan that you''re quite talented but sound mediocre." Ni Ming abruptly changed the topic as to prevent Xiao Yunhua from feeling uncomfortable. Xiao Yunhua opened her mouth and a heaven-defying voice ring in front of Ni Ming. Unfortunately, the woman only had a beautiful-sounding voice, but it sounded too dull and robotic; stiff. "Little girl, such a beautiful voice and yet you don''t know how to use it to it''s full extent." Hearing Ni Ming''s words, Xiao Yunhua nodded. "You sounded so nice when you sang in Riverside." "That''s because I pour my emotions into each song, like a siren luring a sailor to their doom." Ni Ming explained. "Try thinking of a particular memory to trigger a particular emotion. That particular emotion will allow you to express the meaning of the song." Xiao Yunhua was confused until Ni Ming grabbed her hand and pulled her into what Ni Ming called ''the music room'' due to the abundance of musical instruments and musical supplies. Ni Ming showed her a song and told her that it was supposed to be tragic love. Xiao Yunhua took a deep breath and opened her mouth, but before she could even finish the first verse, Ni Ming stopped her. Gently, she said, "Just keep practicing and remember what I told you. You do have one year to impress me. In this one year, do not let it go to waste! I believe that an intelligent girl like you can understand the concept that I speak of." Xiao Yunhua was still confused, but she appreciated the kindness that Ni Ming showed her. Ni Ming left, and Xiao Yunhua was left to practice on her own. Surrounded by the peacefulness and the musical instruments, Xiao Yunhua began to practice all types of songs, but she still couldn''t understand what Ni Ming meant. How could one represent joy, sadness, hate, love merely by using their voice to convey? It was impossible! <> Xiao Taotao was back! <> What was it about? <> Hearing Xiao Taotao''s reply, Xiao Yunhua wasn''t surprised. The little fairy wasn''t exposing everything to her, but she will admit sooner or later! Xiao Taotao sighed when she heard her host''s thoughts and couldn''t help but encourage cheerfully, <> She didn''t need luck because luck wasn''t going to help her at all! She needed perseverance and needed to put effort to overcome her obstacles! 17 1.1.17: Hiding By Saturday night, Xiao Yunhua has already worked in Riverside for a few days. She had already gotten used to wearing the uniform given and cleaning the required places. Her shift was consistent, so she didn''t have to worry about being placed somewhere new where she had no clue what to do. She had also settled in nicely with Wang Yaowan and Ni Ming. Even though the latter was stubborn and told her that she would have to wait until her eighteenth birthday, Ni Ming still, occasionally, dropped a hint or some type of advice for Xiao Yunhua. Which the sixteen year old girl didn''t mind. Today was the dreaded day. Originally, she thought that she could begin her plans on this day. But oh how na?ve she had been. Life is truly harsh and cannot be manipulated the way that one wants. This was the lesson that she learned the hard way. Subconsciously, she had been treating the last eight years as a joke, or basically like one of her novels that she used to read about in her first world. She expected that the people here would be flat and unrealistic, which wasn''t true at all. This wasn''t some two dimensional world... This was a three dimensional reality. She wasn''t the protagonist with her protagonist aura and halo, she was a living girl who only had herself to rely on. Even though she had a little helper, it didn''t help her at all, especially since she was poor when it came to Pretty Points! Sure, the reactions were a bit extreme and unrealistic, but Xiao Yunhua knew that there was a deeper story behind that. She just didn''t have the power nor the authority to find out what. How could a teacher believe rumors without verification? How could someone just jump to conclusions via only a single text? The reasoning was maddening. The reasoning wasn''t something that was to be discovered this day, but Xiao Yunhua promised herself that she would reveal it one day. Whether it was to interrogate Xiao Taotao or the Creator themself, she''ll do it. Suddenly, her line of vision fell on the group of people entering. Even though they were clearly younger than twenty-one, the bouncer didn''t bother with them too much and allowed them to go in. The person in front, a familiar, teenage boy had a smirk on his face while the teenage boy next to him had a expressionless face with cold eyes. There were a few other youths and a few young girls that were all dressed up. The one with cold eyes, Zhou Feng, scanned the nightclub with chilly arrogance and displeasure. If his brother, Zhou Lang, hadn''t bothered him constantly and promised to leave him alone, then he would''ve never stepped in such an awful place. He was startled when his eyes clashed with another pair of dark eyes. They were attached to a familiar face, the same face that had almost managed to get him tricked. He narrowed his eyes harshly as he concluded that the girl was most likely there because she was exactly as lewd as she portrayed herself to be via her text. And she was here because she wanted his attention again. He was surprised to see her quickly avert her eyes and scurry away. He felt disgust building in his chest. She was still pretending to be shy and innocent? Just being in a nightclub showed what kind of a girl she was. Although Zhou Feng felt that way, he didn''t voice anything out because he felt as though he was being a bit hypocritical because he and his brother''s friends were there. But nonetheless, his prejudice had already clouded his logical judgement. He felt his brother nudge him and whisper, "No worries brother. The girls here will definitely get your mind off of that girl. She who shall not be named." Zhou Feng only scoffed coldly and the group were escorted to the private, VIP area, indulging themselves with alcoholic drinks. Meanwhile Xiao Yunhua''s heart was beating fast. Not because of how amazing Zhou Feng was, it was because she hadn''t expected to see him so soon. It was mostly due to fear. She didn''t fear the boy himself, but she feared the system. She could metaphorically see the hate vibrating off of him. Her target was supposed to love her, not despise the very sight of her. She whisked her body to the dimensional space and startled Xiao Taotao. "Host, what are you doing here?" "Is there any way of changing targets?" Xiao Taotao hesitated, but nodded. Seeing Xiao Yunhua''s eyes filled with joy, she quickly added, "Only in the extremely hard missions. And they require five hundred thousand points." Hearing the insanely large number, Xiao Yunhua''s eyes widened. She didn''t even have 1/10th of that number. Heck, not even 1/50th of that number! It was so hard and impossible. Almost like the host shouldn''t even think of changing targets. But at least Xiao Yunhua knew that it was possible for future missions. But she didn''t even want to think about future missions and their difficulty. It was her first mission and already such a chaotic one, who knew how bad her futures ones would be? She exited the dimensional space and didn''t really want to expose her identity so soon. So even though there was a risk that she''d be fired, she snuck inside of Wang Yaowan''s office and waited for night to be over. She was taking a gamble. Whether or not Wang Yaowan would fire her all depended on his mood and how severe what she was doing was considered. Fifteen minutes later, Wang Yaowan entered and paused in surprise when he saw her nervously and anxiously sitting in his office. Although he didn''t like the invasion of privacy, he deemed that there must have been a reason for this. The logical girl would never behave so atrociously like so. "Can I help you?" He asked her politely. Even though she was currently staying at his home and he felt sympathetic towards her, there was still a limit. She was, after all, only a stranger that he''d met a few days ago. "Boss... I..." Xiao Yunhua hesitated and pinched her thigh to allow a few tears to fill her eyes. "Can I stay here?" Unsurprisingly, Wang Yaowan wasn''t fooled and maintained an indifferent face with his cold eyes, "Is there a reason?" "Please... I-I can''t reveal it." Hearing her stutter, Wang Yaowan furrowed his eyebrows and realized that indeed, it was serious. But who could have this young girl offended? "Why not?" He crosses his arms and impatiently asked. With a domineering attitude, he walked towards his chair and sat down, still maintaining his aura of intimidation. He was releasing a cold aura, the one that a new boss would use against a new employee; a stranger speaking to another stranger. "Because..." Xiao Yunhua pauses and tried to rake her brain to think of an excuse. When she realized that she couldn''t really think of any excuse, she could only bow in shame. "Just this once. I need to breathe." Hearing her response, Wang Yaowan''s tense eyes finally relaxed as he contemplated on whether or not he had given her too much work. He suddenly remembered that he was talking to a sixteen year old girl, not some experienced cleaner. It was expected for her to get tired like this! "My apologies. Remember to take a short break everyday from now on. You''re welcome to take a... break in here." Even though he was polite about it, he still hesitated. After all, his office was his sacred, private area. He didn''t like anyone intruding in on it, but if it helped this young girl, then he wouldn''t mind the small sacrifice. Hearing his reply, Xiao Yunhua''s dulled eyes finally lit up in joy and appreciation for this angel of a boss. "Thank you!" Seeing her glee, Wang Yaowan''s stiff and expressionless face cracked a smile. She was getting happy for no reason, but it was mostly because she was still young. From then on, anytime that Zhou Lang appeared or anyone from the Zhou family, Xiao Yunhua would make sure to sneak inside her boss'' office and stay there for as long as necessary. She would compensate by working twice as hard the next day, but this pattern was something that both Wang Yaowan and Ni Ming realized, albeit neither could find it in their hearts to confront her about it. In the blink of an eye, Xiao Yunhua was already celebrating her eighteenth birthday... 18 1.1.18: Heart-Wrenching Song "Happy birthday!" Three voices echoed in simultaneous union. They were filled with joy and meant it as they glanced at the girl that sat before the birthday cake. The girl''s face was expressionless, yet the smallest glint of joy could be seen in her eyes. "Thank you." Her voice was mature and melodious, very pleasant to the ears. "Ah, Yunhua dear." An elderly woman, Mrs. Bao, stepped forward and hugged her. "You''re finally eighteen; a mature adult." "Yes, Mrs. Bao, I''m finally eighteen." Even though Xiao Yunhua had known these three people for so long, she had yet to lose her formal and stiff manner. The reason? She just didn''t want another ''Han Mi'' incident to happen. Being close to people in her mission... This was a mistake that she would never make again! Xiao Yunhua glanced at Ni Ming, her eyes reminding the woman of a promise made when she was sixteen and first met them. "Yes, yes, I haven''t forgotten. But have you been practicing?" Hearing Ni Ming''s voice, Xiao Yunhua nodded. "I have." Xiao Yunhua cleared her throat and walked towards the piano. The grand, large piano glimmered in the music room. Flashbacks of the seventeenth birthday filled her mind. She had poured her blood, sweat, and tears to learn majority of the instruments in the music room. Of course, to learn so many made her a prodigy above prodigies, but only she knew the truth: the more admiration that she gathered, the more Pretty Points she earned! To which she exchanged those Pretty Points for more skills! Of course, she had adjusted to her job while learning. Unsurprisingly, she had seen the young master of the Zhou family, Zhou Lang, visit Riverside many times throughout the year. His untamable, playboy ways were truly too unruly. But surprisingly, Zhou Feng hadn''t shown up to Riverside ever again after that one night that she saw him. The brothers'' personalities were really too different. But to Xiao Yunhua, it was only a matter of taming them in different ways. Snapping out of her thoughts, she sat on the small bench in front of the piano and took a deep breath. She placed her fingers on the piano keys and felt their cool, smooth texture. She took a deep breath and firmly pressed on the first keys. A soft yet heart-wrenching melody exploded in the air. Xiao Yunhua closed her eyes and opened her mouth. An entrancing voice laced with sadness filled the air. It was so beautiful that it brought tears to the eyes, especially Ni Ming. She was proud of the little girl because she had finally discovered the key of making a song sound beautiful, especially with her already peerless, soprano voice. The little girl was pushing every sad emotion she felt into the heart-wrenching song, like a maelstrom calamity. It was beautiful and enchanting, like one couldn''t help but be lulled in, but the content of her song and her sad voice was so painful to hear. Ni Ming, along with the other two, felt an indescribable pain fill their hearts. It was as though Xiahu Yunhua was trying to tell them something via her song. They assumed that she was only improvising to make the song more mellifluous, but they had no idea that Xiao Yunhua was just incorporating all the hidden pain into the song. Starting from the memories of her previous life to seeing a lifeless Han Mi. Even with her eyes closed, she played the keys efficiently and peerlessly. This was because her photographic memory had memorized the positions of each and every key. Even with her eyes closed, nightmare-like memories caused tears to stream down both her cheeks. Grandmother, are you living well? She couldn''t help but think with heartache. Your Yunhua is living only to avenge against wrongdoers. This was how playing the piano affected her. It consumed her to release all her pent-up frustration and sadness. When she finished, a hushed silence loomed over all of them. They couldn''t find words to express how lovely yet melancholic the sound they just listened to was. In fact, this was the first time the trio heard a complete performance from Xiahu Yunhua. The young woman would only allow them to listen to snippets and mini-performances to keep them in a suspense for the past year. Now that they''ve heard her, they couldn''t help but get addicted. "Little Yunhua, you''ve certainly grown! I can metaphorically feel my heartstrings being pulled by your performance." Wang Yaowan praised as he used a hand to pat Xiao Yunhua''s shoulder affectionately. He had grown to care for her as a younger sister, and so had his fianc¨¦e, Ni Ming. Speaking of Ni Ming, she was awestruck and frozen. Suddenly, as though she snapped out of her trance, she leaned forward and captured the eighteen-year-old in her arms. "I''m so proud of you! I don''t even think it''ll take until your twenty-first birthday to get ready, dear! I''ll let you join me one day as an assistant." Ni Ming couldn''t help but gush. Xiao Yunhua blushed at her praise and bowed her head shyly. If she didn''t have a cheat, then there was no possibility of her even getting so far! Xiao Yunhua smiled meekly and politely, but her eyes flashed with a wicked glint. The game was going to finally start after nearly a decade... 19 1.1.19: sWow†"Alright, so I''m going to ask you to follow me." Ni Ming said as she grabbed Xiao Yunhua''s hand in hers. The eighteen year old girl was startled and nodded as she allowed herself to be pulled along with Ni Ming. The older woman and she walked in the dim nightclub until they finally reached a room with a silver star on it. The star was kinda dull and didn''t hold any type of luster at all. It was almost like the star was attempting to remain inconspicuous and out of sight if someone where to pass by the room. But even with the dull decoration, Xiao Yunhua was stunned to see Ni Ming press a hidden button to expose a lock. This intricate lock was particularly special and it seemed like only Ni Ming was capable of opening it. Because in what was apparently a speed faster than the human mind could register, Ni Ming was already pushing the door open. Luckily for Xiao Yunhua, she had her five senses heightened to abnormal lengths. This included the sense of sight, so she didn''t have too much trouble seeing what Ni Ming did. "Wow." Xiao Yunhua mumbled when they walked inside. Her eyes fell to the door, and it seemed like Ni Ming noticed her gaze. The woman giggled childishly and explained, "Blame that dumb man for being so possessive." Suddenly, her expression turned serious and she murmured, "Just precautions may seem ridiculous, but in all honesty, they are necessary. You never know who''s a psychopath and who isn''t." "Wow." And that''s all that Xiao Yunhua could say. Repeating something wasn''t her style, but hearing Ni Ming''s words, she couldn''t help but feel dread. Maybe what she was going was dangerous? But she brushed off her thoughts. Mentally, she died at eighteen and has been in this world for approximately ten years. So if one were to do the math, she''d be nearly twenty-eight years old! She didn''t need to worry about something silly like this! Xiao Yunhua glanced around the room and found an abundance number of dresses, costumes, and such lying everywhere. There was a large vanity set with lights framing the mirror, giving it a ''diva'' effect. "Wow." She repeated for a third time. She couldn''t help but want to smack her head. Did her vocabulary not extend beyond the word ''wow''? It was quite embarrassing, really, but she couldn''t help it this time. She was genuinely awestruck and amazed by practically everything there. Ni Ming chuckled and rolled her eyes, "Silly girl. I swear, I haven''t met someone as unique as you." Hearing her words, Xiao Yunhua genuinely blushed. She didn''t expect to appear as a goofball in front of her mentor and one of her benefactors. But even with her rosy cheeks, she cleared her throat and stepped aside, letting Ni Ming walk to the vanity. Even though she had never been here, she figured that Ni Ming used this room to completely change her looks and persona to a devilish temptress. Staring at her rapid hands that were multitasking, Xiao Yunhua saw Ni Ming change to a completely different person. About an hour or two later, the woman that Xiao Yunhua saw on her first night at Riverside stood before her. With her strikingly beautiful blue eyes, red lips, and pale skin, it was as though Snow White was brought to life. Xiao Yunhua opened her mouth, but Ni Ming interrupted her, "If you say ''wow'' one more time..." Xiao Yunhua embarrassedly laughed and remained silent because she was caught. Suddenly, Ni Ming pulled her hand and made Xiao Yunhua sit on the chair in front of the vanity. "What are you doing?" Ni Ming flashed her a mischievous smile, "Why, you''re joining me, of course." Xiao Yunhua frowned but flinched when she felt a pinch. "Don''t frown or else you''ll get wrinkles early!" Ni Ming scolded as she began her role as a fairy god mother. She told Xiao Yunhua to keep her eyes closed and wait for the surprise. Xiao Yunhua didn''t mind as she used that time to think about all sorts of things. Her daydreaming came to an end when Ni Ming cleated her throat, "You can open your eyes now!" Xiao Yunhua opened her eyes and saw a stunning woman staring right back at her in the mirror. The woman had a small face, beautiful, doe-like eyes, a thin, ruby mouth, and her hair was straightened to perfection. She looked like a living porcelain doll. Unexpectedly, that woman was Xiao Yunhua!? "W-What..." Xiao Yunhua was so stunned and frozen that she couldn''t help but stutter. Ni Ming smirked at her masterpiece proudly and pulled out a black qipao dress with red rose designs blooming everywhere. When Xiao Yunhua wore the dress, it fit her smoothly like a glove and accented every one of her curves. "Wow!" Surprisingly, it wasn''t Xiao Yunhua that said the word this time, it was Ni Ming. In all her years of doing the job of an entertainer, she had never seen such a beauty. In fact, Ni Ming did think that Xiao Yunhua was beautiful, but she never expected her beauty to be to such lengths. As they were both ready, Ni Ming ushered for Xiao Yunhua to follow her, but the young woman paused in hesitation. "Ni Ming, is it really okay for me to go like this?" Hearing her unconfident tone, Ni Ming''s features softened. "My dear, you''ll be fine. Besides, you won''t be in the limelight... not too much, at least!" But Xiao Yunhua still froze in her spot and didn''t move. Ni Ming really wanted for the young woman to perform her heavenly voice with her on that night, especially when the performance was due to start soon. Unfortunately, Xiahu Yunhua didn''t seem to want to even move, nonetheless perform. Her eyes fell to a silver object. Walking towards the object, Ni Ming realized that it was a silver half-mask with intricate designs using white lace. She smirked as she grabbed the mask and let Xiao Yunhua wear it. "There. Now nobody will know it''s you." Even though the young woman wasn''t recognizable in the first place, Ni Ming still spoke such words to reassure Xiao Yunhua. Seeing something that would deeply contribute to her plans, Xiao Yunhua smiled in appreciation. But behind her smile, there hid the smile of a demoness waiting to lure her prey. "Alright, let''s go, dear!" Ni Ming looped their arms together and they walked towards the front of the nightclub. Once they arrived, Xiao Yunhua immediately felt numerous eyes on them, especially her. She felt nervous, especially since she had never been in the sight of people like this ever before, unless it was her former schoolmates. Ni Ming must''ve sensed her nervous state because she motioned for her to stand besides her, and the music for the song that she sang for her birthday happen to play. But she wasn''t playing the piano this time, all she had to do was focus on singing. And that''s exactly what she did when it was her part of the song. The whole incident was a big surprise her her, but once Ni Ming motioned at which parts she was supposed to sing, Xiao Yunhua got the hang of it. She poured everything she had into the song and sang with every fiber of her being. When the song ended, a silence loomed over the nightclub until people clapped with astonishment filling their faces. They had expected her to be mediocre as they''ve never heard of this entertainer before. But surprisingly, she was even more talented than Ni Ming, if possible! Ni Ming made eye contact with Wang Yaowan and flashed him an inconspicuous thumbs up. She announced that the young woman with her preferred to stay anonymous for now, and the audience had managed to get a special performance. While this was happening, Xiao Yunhua glanced around and her eyes met with a pair of cold eyes. Even though half of her face was covered, she had never felt so exposed. She had never expected to see Zhou Feng here, especially when she was first performing! This was completely against her plans. Even though it seemed like minutes, it was only a few seconds before Ni Ming turned away. She quickly disappeared before anyone of the crowd could catch up to her. Her heart thumped loudly and she felt her palms sweaty. Even though she stopped for a few seconds, she never expected for someone to tap her shoulders... 20 1.1.20: Rejection "Brother, did you see that woman?" Zhou Lang whistled as he kept looking at the beautiful person on stage. For the amount of time he had been going to Riverside, he never expected to see someone more talented that Ni Ming. Someone more beautiful than Ni Ming. And he felt a desire to add her to his list of conquests. His brother, Zhou Feng, coldly sipped on the whiskey in his hands. Surprisingly, his brother had agreed on going with him this time. He didn''t understand why, but he had a feeling that it must have been because of his brother''s newly arranged fianc¨¦e. Even though his brother was cold, he still was a person at heart. Who wanted to get arranged to marry a complete stranger? Especially when the person arranged is said to be the infamous Kang Yiyi, the bratty second granddaughter of the Kang family? Zhou Lang didn''t understand why his grandfather thought that it was a good idea to arrange such a marriage. But even when he pitied his brother, he was still relieved that it wasn''t him suffering through his ordeal. His eyes fell to the beautiful woman again but was shocked to notice that she disappeared! He noticed a swift figure trying to get away from the crowds, so before he could think about it, he chased after the girl. He didn''t notice that his brother''s usual cold eyes held a predatory glint in them. In fact, even Zhou Feng himself blamed the alcohol for making him surge with a new feeling as he glanced at the gorgeous woman. He felt like her voice and she herself intoxicated him more than the alcohol he kept on drinking nonstop. For the first time in his life, Zhou Feng decided to be impulsive and drink away his sorrows. Hearing the news of his sudden marriage, he couldn''t help but feel helpless. Even though the marriage wasn''t going to happen until a few years later, he still didn''t like the idea of him being bound to someone; a stranger nonetheless. Speaking of impulses, he had a spark of desire to find that woman again. So like his brother, he stood up and followed where she sneaked off. He paused and hid when he heard his brother''s voice, "Miss, wouldn''t you accompany me to drink this night away?" Hearing his brother''s cringey pickup lines, Zhou Feng didn''t know whether to laugh, to feel sorry for woman or feel embarrassed on behalf of his brother. But Zhou Feng knew that it was these dumb words that tricked women into his brother''s bed and added themselves to his brother''s long list of conquests. Zhou Feng felt like this woman was going to be like every other, especially when everyone in his family, including his brother and him, were born exceptionally handsome. But to his shock and surprise, the woman coldly uttered, "No." Zhou Feng peeked and saw that his brother''s eyes widened and it seemed like he was in a daze. It seems like his brother had never gotten rejected before. Suddenly, as though a fire is lit inside of him, he smirked and said, "Miss, playing hard-to-get is one of my pet peeves. I assure you that I''m interested without you having to pretend and drag this on. Let me accompany you like a gentleman." "No, who said I''m playing hard-to-get?" The woman harshly rebuked, "Being a gentleman makes you lose your brain and have crazy delusions? Stop following me and acting creepy or else I''ll call security." When Zhou Feng heard her harsh response, his lips tilted upwards and he heard a foreign sound. Surprisingly, this sound was the sound of his laughter! Both the woman and Zhou Lang froze and turned their attention to him. When Zhou Lang saw his brother, his face paled. He didn''t think his brother would see and hear his embarrassment! But such a stubborn woman who dared to insult him, he never expected it! Zhou Feng cleared his throat and pretended that he wasn''t embarrassed from being caught peeking at their conversation. He strode forward and apologized, "Miss, I hope you don''t mind my brother too much. He''s genuinely confused as no woman has rejected him before." "His ego is hurt? Poor man!" The woman''s tone was supposed to be sympathetic, but the sarcasm was evident to all three of their ears. Zhou Feng ignored her snark and he, for the first time in his life, decided to invite a woman, "Now I politely ask you if you want to join us?" Zhou Lang turned even more dumbfounded. His brother was inviting a woman out of his own accord? Goodness, how drunk was he!? But what surprised him even more that the woman rejected his brother as well! Seeing both of the men frozen, the woman quickly scurried away and disappeared. They couldn''t locate her no matter how much they tried to look for her. "I can''t believe that just happened." Zhou Lang mumbled a few hours later. He turned to his brother, only to see his usual cold eyes even colder. One could metaphorically see three black lines on his forehead because of his disappointment mixed with his anger. Seeing his brother''s silent brooding, Zhou Lang couldn''t help but chuckle. "You know, I''m the one who is supposed to be offended. After all, this is the only woman out of many women who rejected my advances. On the other hand, you shouldn''t fret too much. There are many fish in the sea." Zhou Feng didn''t say anything and only furrowed his eyebrows. His chest still felt heavy¡ªa result of the excessive drinking of alcohol¡ªbut Zhou Feng had a feeling that it wasn''t because of the alcohol no matter how much he tried to pin it on there. Seeing that woman, he felt a sense of familiarity. In fact, he felt somewhat disgusted for a few seconds yet suddenly attracted. The disgust was most likely the result of him not courting women for so long and finding them slightly repulsive. The attraction was completely justified because the woman was so charming. Now the familiarity? It was odd and he couldn''t discover why. Thoughts about the woman consumed his mind as he allowed his driver to drive home. Zhou Lang sat besides him, staring out the window in silence. Seeing his brother so quiet, Zhou Feng was surprised but didn''t try to interrupt the quiet atmosphere. Meanwhile Xiao Yunhua was pleased with herself. So pleased that she couldn''t help but keep a smile everywhere that she went. She smiled because: she was no longer a cleaner, she had successfully performed her first performance in front of an audience, and she managed to reject two of the Zhou brothers. It was a good way to dose down their arrogance. But even if she did it to be petty, she still remembered her goal. She knew that one of the brothers would crack. Which brother? This was a question that would need to wait to be answered. She strode forward and sat on a chair by Wang Yaowan and Ni Ming. Both were startled but didn''t push her away. "Can I perform often?" She asked with sparkling eyes. It seemed like a kid was asking this, but a newly-turned adult. "Really? I expected for you to want to maintain that mysterious fa?ade, but who knew..." Ni Ming paused and looked at Wang Yaowan, silently asking him permission for something. When he nodded, she smiled and said, "Alright dear. Looks like you can. The owner just confirmed." Her teasing yet lightheaded tone made all of them chuckle. From that moment on, Xiao Yunhua would appear with Ni Ming occasionally. In a way of profit, and knowing how much the people enjoyed seeing Xiao Yunhua perform her first time, Wang Yaowan made sure to advertise that there was going to be the mysterious temptress performing. On those days, the nightclub would be packed with endless people and business would explode. Xiao Yunhua purposely asked for Wang Yaowan and Ni Ming to not expose her and keep her identity a secret. To her disappointment, Zhou Feng didn''t show his face after that day. The one that showed his face was Zhou Lang. And every time, he would persistently pursue her and ask if she would give him her number. Of course, her reply was a ''no'' each and every time. 21 1.1.21: Wickedly Starting the Game A few years have passed and Xiao Yunhua was already a regular performer at Riverside. In fact, she was the most popular entertainer at the nightclub and one of the best in the country. But even after being so popular, she didn''t reveal her name. At this point, she was already twenty-one years old. Throughout the past two years, many people have confessed to her. Some out of lust, but a few out of love. And by manipulating their love, she was able to gain herself plenty of Pretty Points to use to for beauty products. Now, when she took off her mask¡ªthat she still wore to every performance¡ªa face that seemed sculptured to perfection stared right back at her. Luckily, her facial features had gradually become more enhanced, so she didn''t draw suspicion from Wang Yaowan, Ni Ming or Mrs. Bao. They only assumed that she was only having the effects of growing older. But even with that decision, they couldn''t help but be astonished at her beauty every time they saw her. It was a face that no modern plastic surgery could ever hope to create. Even though Xiao Yunhua had told them to keep her identity as anonymous, she did promise that when she turned twenty-one, then she would reveal a name. Surprisingly, Zhou Lang had persisted even after being constantly rejected. Now, thanks to her little cheat, she was actually able to tell that he was borderline in love with her. Or at least the persona that she had created. Her real self, no one knew. Her real self was buried deep inside and was fragile. Speaking of Zhou Lang, he strode towards her after she finished with her performance of the night. Like always. "Little Beauty¡ª" "No." Zhou Lang sighed and crossed his arms in exasperation. "At least, for once, tell me why do you reject me?" He expected for the mysterious beauty to ignore him as always, but she actually answered for once. "Well, I wouldn''t be interested in a man that changes girls almost every day." Zhou Lang widened his eyes in shock. Even she noticed this about him? In fact, everyone realized this about him but only took it as a youth that was experimenting with the many fish in the sea. But ever since he met the Little Beauty, he hadn''t bothered to be with any other woman. The reason was simple: nobody held an aura like her. Though she only showed half of her face, she was already beautiful enough to shake the world. Zhou Lang felt like she had some type of scar, hence wanting to remain anonymous. But even with whatever scar she had, he was sure that she was ethereal. In fact, Zhou Lang didn''t know when he had gotten so obsessed with her. He had only gone back to refute her, but this habit didn''t seem to cease over the years. While Zhou Lang was lost in his thoughts, he saw that Little Beauty was swiftly walking away. He cleared his throat and chased after her. As though she sensed him, she paused and turned around. "Don''t act so childish." Zhou Lang flashed her a mischievous smile, "Little Beauty, ever since I met you, I have yet to find any other woman." He excepted her to be thechange. Her cold eyes were different than his brother. His brother''s eyes were cold in a sense of despising to get near people. Her eyes were cold in a sense of not feeling any emotion. But Zhou Lang knew that she did feel emotions. He remembered, with a sense of jealousy, of how she smiled when she saw Ni Ming or the nightclub''s owner. "How should I believe you?" She murmured softly, averting her eyes. Her action tickled Zhou Lang''s heart and he refuted with eyes full of passion, "How should you believe me if you don''t give me a chance to prove myself?" Xiao Yunhua was speechless and finally looked up. Her eyes met his and she slowly nodded. Even though she held a look of innocence, her heart was darkly chuckling. In her mind, she didn''t mind allowing her plans to start already. She had dragged the game on for too long. The Zhou adopted granddaughter is alive and well... because she crawled and found her way from Hell. And this time, she was a sight to behold. 22 1.1.22: A Movie Date I Zhou Lang was clearly astonished at her reply. But even if he was shocked, he quickly smiled in joy. "Are you serious?" He actually expected for her to just reject him as always. She nodded again and blushed. Although only half of her face was visible, Zhou Lang still felt like she was adorable because of her shy demeanor, especially with her rosy cheeks. "That''s great." Clearly, he was a bit flustered since he didn''t expect this outcome. Even though she was manipulating him, Xiao Yunhua couldn''t help but giggle at his na?vety. Seeing her laugh for the first time, Zhou Lang chuckled and grabbed her hand. He managed to snag her phone number and then made her promise to meet him to see a movie together. It was a very normal date, so it surprised Xiao Yunhua. She expected for the spoiled young master to attempt something extravagant. This time, she wasn''t going to be foolish and try to smell like mint or anything. She would keep the persona that she had kept these past years¡ªcold, yet approachable only by those she preferred. They parted until the next day, where Xiao Yunhua woke up early to get ready. She curled her long, silky hair in loose curls. Putting on minimal makeup, she had a nature look, completely different than her look at the nightclub. She looked like a typical college young woman that was just overwhelmingly beautiful. But of course, she kept her mask. At first, she only did so because it was truly part of her plan to entice them with her mystery. Now, it gave her a sense of security and comfort. She decided to wear a navy, shift-dress and a pair of white sneakers. She wore a silver charm bracelet that dangled every time she moved her hand, giving her an elegant yet childish effect. She was nervous. In either lifetime, she hadn''t gone on a date before. Although she didn''t know whether or not this would be considered as a date as she was only using Zhou Lang to be one step closer to the Zhou family. Once she stepped out of her room, Ni Ming, who was sipping tea, choked. "Why, you''re looking..." she paused. "Looking normal for my age and not like a seductress? Yeah, it''s a new look for me too." Xiao Yunhua finished sarcastically. But behind her sarcasm, there was a semi-insecure girl who had never tried anything like this before. Hearing her bluntness, Mrs. Bao stopped making breakfast and chuckled at how adorable the young woman was. Wang Yaowan and Ni Ming rolled their eyes and took it as the young woman being nervous, which is exactly what it was. "Anyways, what is this for?" Ni Ming asked despite the slightly awkward pause in the beginning. Xiao Yunhua mumbled incoherent words while averting her eyes. Ni Ming cleared her throat and asked if she could repeat her words, so she did. Although, again, they were indiscernible. Seeing no reaction, Xiao Yunhua said in exasperation, "A date. I''m going on a date." Ni Ming squealed childishly and leaped from her seat to examine Xiao Yunhua. After getting a complete eye-scan, Xiao Yunhua saw Ni Ming give her a thumbs up in appreciation. "Perfect dear! It''s exactly what you''d need to wear if you didn''t want to go for the ''totally extra and desperate'' look. It''s exactly the ''I''m prepared for an innocent date, no one night stand'' look." "Ni Ming!" Xiao Yunhua blushed hearing her words. One night stand? She planned on avoiding that for as long as possible because her last experience left her traumatized. Ni Ming shrugged her shoulders and watched as Xiao Yunhua pulled out a black half-mask. It was very simplistic as compared to the one she used at Riverside, but Ni Ming didn''t understand why she was even wearing a mask in the first place. At Riverside, it was understandable because she wanted to maintain her privacy. But on a date? Ni Ming swiftly grabbed the mask while Xiao Yunhua kept trying to grab it back. She saw her tall fianc¨¦ and quickly told him to aim the mask as far up as he could stretch his arm to not allow Xiahu Yunhua to get it. Xiao Yunhua huffed and stood on her tiptoes, trying to grab her mask. She didn''t realize that she was so close to Wang Yaowan until they both quieted down and stared at each other. Their height difference was obvious, but his cold eyes that was semi-warm seemed to confuse Xiao Yunhua. She could feel her heart start to thump until they both heard a loud cough. "Sorry to interrupt your little romantic moment," Ni Ming muttered dryly yet non-apologetically, "but I think you two were a bit too close." Her cheeks were puffed and she couldn''t help but drink vinegar. Xiahu Yunhua was really beautiful and her fianc¨¦ was exceptionally handsome. Her judgement was clouded by some jealousy, so she couldn''t help but pout. Wang Yaowan sensed that his fianc¨¦e was a bit angry and quickly walked over to her to appease her. The woman crossed her arms and humphed, leaving. Wang Yaowan sighed as he followed her like a puppy. Xiao Yunhua felt embarrassed that she had allowed the moment to confuse her. She only brushed it off as having never been so close to any man, ever. She glanced at the clock and was startled to see the time. Frantically looking for her black, simplistic mask, she couldn''t find it anywhere. She guessed that after fighting over the mask for so long, it ended up being misplaced. Since she didn''t have time to go look for another one, she decided to not wear a mask at all. She had only wanted to maintain a sense of privacy and to keep her ''mysteriousness'', but it looks like she couldn''t even do that! Grabbing a small, Herm¨¨s messenger bag, she tied her shoelaces and strode out the door, hailing a taxi. 23 1.1.23: A Movie Date II When she arrived at the destination, she was surprised to find Zhou Lang standing in front of the movie theater, looking like a model. Many people were whispering and pointing at him, but luckily, none recognized him as the spoiled Zhou young master. Thanks to her enhanced sense of sound, she even heard a few girls asking him if he was alone and wanted to hang out with them. Of course, he declined, and stared at the watch on his wrist. He didn''t know whether or not Little Beauty would be late to their date, or not show up at all. But he had a feeling that Little Beauty was one to keep her words and promises. But what if she didn''t this time? What if she wanted to retain her sense of mystery and completely stand him up? Before Zhou Lang could panic any longer, he, and practically everyone else''s eyes, flittered to the beautiful young woman that was walking in his direction. She had minimum makeup on, but she was easily the prettiest person there with her natural beauty. Some people speculated that it was plastic surgery, while others took out their phones to share on their social media about this beauty. They assumed that she was a model of some type, but they have never seen her on any social media. They were surprised to see the woman walking over to the handsome man because even the handsome man was confused as to why this person was standing in front of him. "Zhou Lang¡ª" Once she opened her mouth to speak, Zhou Lang interrupted, "Little Beauty!?" He was so shocked to know that his Little Beauty was so beautiful! He expected some type of scar or injury of the usually-hidden half of her face, but seeing her mask-less, he realized that he was wrong! She was the attention of everyone there, including him. Suddenly, Zhou Lang felt like waiting for a few years was worth it. She was worth it. Xiao Yunhua watched his reaction with a small smile. He acted so childish with his amazement, she just couldn''t help it! Abruptly, she felt his hand grab hers firmly. She frowned, but didn''t push him away. She did feel something brewing in her chest, like this was all wrong. <> Xiao Taotao complained in her head. What do you mean, Xiao Taotao? She asked in her head, earning her a sigh from the little fairy. <> But it''s all part of my plan! Xiao Yunhua tried to refute, but the little fairy scoffed. <> Xiao Taotao''s harsh, reprimanding tone made Xiao Yunhua panic. Truly, it had been a decade and she''s been completely foolish! She needed to find a way to see Zhou Feng, constantly. Her eyes glanced at Zhou Lang in thought, but the man assumed that she was shyly stealing looks from him. His heart beat in anticipation as he gave her the drink and popcorn for the movie. She smiled as they sat down and watched the movie. In the middle of the movie, Xiao Yunhua felt her hand being grabbed again. She didn''t frown this time, but instead, smiled in the direction of Zhou Lang. Seeing her obvious joy at such a small display of affection, Zhou Lang was elated. When the movie ended, Zhou Lang took her to a cozy restaurant and they chatted with a comfortable mood. Everywhere they walked, people gave them envious looks and awestruck looks. They were a picture-perfect couple that seemed to be straight out of a fairytale. Finally, at the end of the date, Zhou Lang insisted on taking her home. "No, it''s fine." She didn''t want to expose her location yet. "But..." Zhou Lang was silenced when he felt a slender finger on his lips. He saw his Little Beauty smile brilliantly and thank him. Before she could leave, he called out, "Little Beauty, you never told me your name..." She paused and hesitated. But in the end she said, "Xiahu Yunhua..." With that, her taxi left and she arrived at the mansion. Once she was inside, she saw Ni Ming grinning as the cold Wang Yaowan was slightly warmer. "You guys, what''s going on..." "We''re getting married!" Ni Ming excitedly said as she hugged Xiao Yunhua in ebullience. "But you guys were already engaged." "Well, we''ve decided to stop prolonging our engagement and our wedding is set for four months from now." Wang Yaowan answered as he looked at Ni Ming in affection. "Why four months?" "Why, a wedding takes a while to plan. Besides, it''ll be perfect!" Ni Ming excitement made Xiao Yunhua smile genuinely and congratulate them earnestly. Her two benefactors deserved this happiness... 24 1.1.24: Meet the Zhou Family I Over the next couple of months, three months to be exact, Zhou Lang and Xiao Yunhua went out on multiple dates. A month after their first date, Zhou Lang romantically asked her to be his girlfriend. With the bouquet of roses in his hand, his look of adoration, plus, getting closer to her goal, she couldn''t say no. So with the title of ''girlfriend'' hanging on her neck, she and Zhou Lang were nearly inseparable. They had plenty of dates, as established, but he would always make sure to be there at every performance of hers. His unspoken support was really sweet and made Xiao Yunhua feel a type of guilt for using him. But thanks to Xiao Taotao''s constant reminder that she was prolonging her mission and there''d be trouble from the system, she had no choice but to endure and continue. She understood why the system didn''t place him as her target. The more time that she spent with him, the more she realized something: he was more like the best friend that she never had. Sure she had Zhao Meiliang, but the girl had always carried a stiff aura when she was with her. The younger her assumed that it was actually her personality, but she was very na?ve to think that. It turned out that she was actually a snake that was waiting to strike¡ªand she did. Xiao Yunhua didn''t forget about the girl''s cruelty; she would still make her pay in the future. Revenge was like a cup of tea. Try to drink and absorb it too quickly, one would get scorched. Let it simmer down and then sip it when least expected allows for the best taste and result. Even though she took her mask off in front of him, she would always wear it for her performances. Zhou Lang would always teasing say, "I''m glad that you wear a mask. I already have enough pests to defend against when we''re out on dates. If you were to perform without a mask..." To which she would only roll her eyes at his silly possessiveness. But on this particular day, they were currently in a coffee shop and Xiao Yunhua almost choked and spit out her tea when she heard Zhou Lang''s words. "...Meet my family." She had not expected for their relationship to advance so quickly! It was progressing too quickly for her to absorb and process. "W-What..." that word was all that she could stutter out. "I''ve already told them that I have a surprise prepared for them." Zhou Lang grinned as he gripped her hand in his. "They''ll love you." He leaned forward to capture her lips with his, but she turned her head and he ended up kissing her cheek. Xiao Yunhua gave him an awkward smile, but Zhou Lang didn''t mind and ignored the tiny bit of hurt that he felt in his heart. He already knew that she didn''t feel what he felt for her. Over these past few months, if he tried to show her a type of affection, she would keep it vanilla and nothing excessive. She had only kissed him once and she was drunk. But even then, it had been a small peck and she missed majority of his lips. But Zhou Lang was optimistic and knew that as long that she stayed with him, then there''d be a day where she reciprocated his feelings. "I..." With hesitant eyes, Xiao Yunhua was speechless. Finally, she meekly nodded. "I hope it is as you say." "Of course! You have to have confidence in my words." But even with his reassurance, Xiao Yunhua knew that the Zhou family would hate her. Which family would be happy to let their son be with such a woman like her? Not that she had done anything in this body, but in their eyes, it didn''t matter. She was still an entertainer. He was a young master of the Zhou family. Sure he wasn''t the heir, but his bloodline was noble. Or at least noble in this modern timeline. Xiao Yunhua assumed that he would be a prince in she was in a historical setting, and in either timeline, she would be that commoner that wasn''t accepted in their family. When she bid him adieu and went home, she saw a furious Ni Ming talking in the phone. When she eavesdropped, Xiao Yunhua heard bits and pieces and knew that it had something to do with Wang Yaowan and her wedding. When she ended the call, Ni Ming''s stressfully sighed. Seeing Xiao Yunhua giving her a look of amusement, she playfully warned, "Don''t ever get married. It''s too much work and I haven''t even gone through with it." "Ha. Why have such an extravagant wedding?" Ni Ming''s eyes turned solemn and she whispered, "There are many who think that the rich and handsome Wang Yaowan deserves someone of his own status. I don''t belong in his world¡ª" "On the contrary, there would be no world without you." Wang Yaowan''s words interrupted her. She turned around and the couple embraced, making Xiao Yunhua feel awkward. "Get a room!" She called out teasingly as she left the living room. She got a text from Zhou Lang stating the address and the time where his entire family was gathered. He told her that next week was the perfect time to let every Zhou know who she was. Seeing his text, she smiled wickedly. Time to begin to wreck havoc... 25 1.1.25: Meet the Zhou Family II The week surprisingly went by fast. Faster than Xiao Yunhua expected, anyway. She currently wore a pastel-pink, long sleeved wrap dress. Paired with a pair of white pumps, her straightened hair and her minimal makeup, she was gorgeous. She gulped and decided to take a taxi to the destination since she had continued to keep her location a secret. Zhou Lang didn''t mind too much as he knew that she values privacy deeply. When she arrived, she stood before the same mansion that she was already in before. The first time, it was from the memories of the original Xiao Yunhua. The second time, she saw the conversation between the Zhou Elder and Eldress with Butler Luo as Han Yunhua, a vulnerable girl who was crazed because she didn''t want to lose her grandmother. Now, she stepped inside as Xiahu Yunhua, the woman who would make them pay. Not only for preventing Han Mi from getting treated, but because she was going to find out Han Mi''s connection with the Zhou household once she captured her first target''s heart. This was the condition that Xiao Taotao set with her via the dimensional space during these past few years. She was sure that whatever connection Han Mi had with the Zhou household, it wasn''t anything good. She remembered the way that the trio talked about Han Mi like she was a sinner. She even remembered the way that Zhou Elder grew angry when Butler Luo mentioned that Han Mi had a granddaughter¡ªwhich was her, Han Yunhua. Even though she wanted to contemplate for a little longer, Xiao Yunhua took a deep breath and walked closer to the mansion. A large, buff man stopped her and crossed his arms. "What do you want here? You''re trespassing on private property." Xiao Yunhua raised her eyebrow, "I''m not on the mansion property, am I? So how am I trespassing? Also, is there a doorbell to ring around here?" The security guard didn''t crack a smile at Xiao Yunhua''s attempted humor, and he told her to leave. Xiao Yunhua could only whip out her phone and send a text to Zhou Lang. He immediately replied and a few minutes later, he greeted her. He glared at the security guard for being so rude as he grabbed her hand in his. "They''re excited for my surprise." He told her as they walked inside the mansion. Xiao Yunhua pursed her lips as she wickedly anticipated their reaction. This surprise was a calamity in the waiting. This surprise would surely make things more interesting. Once they stood before the entrance door, Zhou Lang and she took a deep breath. Zhou Lang twisted the doorknob with his hand and they were immediately greeted with a maid. The maid guided them to the living room, where the entire family was gathered. From the three sons of the first wife, to the only daughter of Zhou Eldress, to even their children, they all were inside for this family meeting. Even the Zhou Elder and Eldress were sitting and waiting. They didn''t understand what Zhou Lang wanted to surprise them with. The boy was always the mischievous and spoiled one of the family. When Zhou Lang and Xiao Yunhua were announced and went inside, a hushed and tense silence loomed over the Zhou family. A variety of different reactions exploded. There was silence, envy, horror, admiration, and confusion from multiple people. Finally, Zhou Elder spoke up and asked, "Lang''er, who is she?" "The surprise that I told you about." Zhou Lang tightened his grip on Xiao Yunhua''s hand and continued, "This is my girlfriend, Xiahu Yunhua." Once again, astonishment met his statement. The infamous playboy that changed women often, now actually had someone like a girlfriend which required commitment!? But others, like Zhou Elder, couldn''t help but feel sadness when he heard her name. She had the same name as the girl who disappeared approximately a decade ago. The girl who saved his life and he decided to adopt as his granddaughter. To this day, he remembered her kind nature and wished her well, wherever she was. To this day¡ªon the day that she disappeared¡ªhe would go and make sure flowers laid on her grave. Though her grave was empty, Zhou Elder was sure that she was dead because even the best experts they''ve hired couldn''t find her. "She is... not fit for the role." Zhou Eldress finally spoke, her cold, snake-like eyes trying to intimidate Xiao Yunhua. But unlike the first time that Xiao Yunhua saw her, she wasn''t scared. Her soul hadn''t even come into contact with the old woman directly at that time, yet she still shivered. Now, after going through so much, this old woman''s complaints and cold nature was the least of her concerns. Instead of backing down, Xiao Yunhua shot the old woman even a colder look, startling Zhou Eldress. In all her years, Zhou Eldress had never been intimidated like so! The only time that she was intimidated was with that woman many years ago when that woman confronted her for her deeds. But that woman was already dead, so she wasn''t going to let herself fear the gaze of a young woman, no matter how cold her eyes were. "Grandmother, I don''t care what you say, I love her." Zhou Lang''s furious tone showed that he truly did not care what this old woman had to say. Usually, he respected her, but she was going too far for judging Xiahu Yunhua based on her appearance and name. A young woman, who would''ve been considered a beauty had it not been for Xiao Yunhua being in the room, fiercely glared at Xiao Yunhua. "Lang''gege, this woman is definitely the product of multiple plastic surgeries. My friend, Mu Lihua, has been in love with you for so long! And she''s a natural beauty, unlike this plastic whore!" "Zhou Yaoyao!" Zhou Lang¡ªand surprisingly, a few other people¡ªscolded. "Watch your language." "It''s true!" Zhou Yaoyao complained with her arms crossed. "I''ve seen many women like her while studying abroad." "You''re wrong because Little Beauty is a natural beauty with no work done." "False!" Zhou Yaoyao couldn''t believe and accept that there was such a beautiful woman without any type of work done. She couldn''t believe that such a woman even existed and looked better than her! Zhou Lang ignored her whines and ushered for Xiao Yunhua to sit on an available seat. Surprisingly, her seat was next to Zhou Feng, who stared at her intensely with his cold eyes. Speaking of Zhou Feng, he had grown extremely handsome. Sure, he was handsome before at the age of eighteen when she first interacted with him at sixteen, but now, he excluded an aura of masculinity and his cold eyes were even sharper than before. Xiao Yunhua could smell a patchouli cologne drifting off of him. He looked ravishing as he sat there with his black suit. Thanks to the updates from Xiao Taotao, Xiao Yunhua knew that he was now in charge of a side branch of the family business. The official heir and controller of everything was Zhou Ming, who was also the oldest out of the four brothers. But, unfortunately, he had not made it to the family meeting. But as Xiao Yunhua scanned Zhou Feng from the corner of her eye while maintaining a straight face, Zhou Feng was doing the same thing. The young woman was beautiful, that he could admit, enough to shake the world. But Zhou Feng also realized something else about her¡ªshe was the entertainer from Riverside. Zhou Feng was almost one hundred percent positive that she was the entertainer because he was getting a sideway glance of her face because she was looking forward. And that sideway glance was only half of her face. And that half of the face was the half that wasn''t hidden in every show. But she was also the only woman that rejected him a few years back. She also rejected his brother, so how come she was here holding his hand? Subconsciously, Zhou Feng felt a type of jealousy towards his brother. Of course, Xiao Yunhua could feel his eyes on her. She turned her head and their eyes met. It was a clash between cold and cold, albeit different types of cold. His coldness was the type that didn''t like people getting close to him, while hers was the type of being alone. Both didn''t know that there were also a few sparks of passion and desire, courtesy of the system trying to hasten things up. Seeing their interaction was a young woman named Kang Yiyi with clenched teeth and clenched fists. She couldn''t stand that her fianc¨¦ was eyeing another girl, one with such threatening beauty, like so. So before Zhou Feng could react, she looped their arms together and shot a glare at Xiao Yunhua. "Feng''ge, you shouldn''t be looking anyone other than me." She said cutely while Zhou Feng kept trying to shake her arm off. Weirdly, he didn''t want Xiao Yunhua to misinterpret despite her being his brother''s girlfriend. "Kang Yiyi," he coldly said, "let go." "No." Kang Yiyi flashed him a mischievous smile which made everyone around them smile at the couple''s interactions. Despite the marriage being arranged, they were sure that Kang Yiyi was the only woman who could thaw Zhou Feng''s cold heart. Seeing them interact like so, Xiao Yunhua''s heart throbbed and her eyes glazed with an unfamiliar greediness and desire to destroy Kang Yiyi. But as soon as the thought entered her head, she shook her head and tried to calm down her loudly thumping heart. What was that!? 26 1.1.26: Meet the Zhou Family III Zhou Lang realized that her attention was on his brother and his fianc¨¦e, so he nudged her. Her glazed eyes blinked a few times and finally stared at him. For a flash of a second, Zhou Lang saw a type of repulse when she stared at him, but before he could contemplate, she blinked it away. And in the place of her former, dazed, face, was replaced by her usual cold eyes that were semi-warm when regarding him. Zhou Lang smiled at her as he held her hand, fully aware that majority of their eyes were on them, especially his girlfriend. Who could blame them? She was, after all, a heaven-defying beauty. After what seemed to be a few minutes of awkward silence, Zhou Elder finally cleared his throat and everyone''s attention was on him. "This family meeting was called for because of a very important reason." Even though Zhou Lang had a surprise for them, they would never call a family meeting for it. But Zhou Lang had already been notified of a family meeting hence wanting to take advantage of the opportunity, introducing Xiao Yunhua. Zhou Elder continued, "As you all know, Zhou Ming, the Zhou family heir, has been on a business trip for a year or two now." Many nodded, including Zhou Eldress even though she didn''t want to. All the Zhou grandchildren here weren''t her biological grandchildren, as they all shared blood with that evil woman. All except her precious Zhou Yaoyao, who was the daughter of her only child, Zhou Hua. Even though she didn''t want for that woman''s grandchild to be the heir to the entire Zhou fortune, she knew that she didn''t have that much authority to change the fact. Besides, her daughter had not given birth to a son; her granddaughter was too na?ve for the business world. She could only endure with letting that woman''s grandson becoming the heir. But even with such a fact, Ling Xiu¡ªor commonly known as Zhou Eldress¡ªwas overjoyed knowing that the woman would never get acknowledged by her grandchildren because they didn''t know that she existed. Everyone except for Zhou Ming. The bastard was in his tweens and clearly remembered his grandmother being chased out and her replacing that woman. Even though Zhou Eldress has tried on multiple occasions to build a better relationship with the twenty-six year old heir, he would always coldly disregard her. And even though Zhou Eldress knew why he hated her, she still blamed it on that woman. If it wasn''t for the deceased bitch, then Zhou Ming wouldn''t hate her as much as he did. Zhou Eldress'' eyes fell upon the girl that Zhou Lang brought. Her glare filled with contempt and disgust. Surprisingly, the young woman, Xiahu Yunhua, reminded her of that woman. She didn''t know why, but with such a gut feeling that they were related in some way, she knew that Xiahu Yunhua could and should not stay! She would make sure of it. "...Is coming back." Zhou Elder''s words startled Zhou Eldress. Her snake-like eyes widened in horror. Zhou Ming was coming back? "Yes, he is." Zhou Elder answered. Unknowingly, Zhou Eldress had voiced her question out loud. Zhou Eldress'' cold, snake-like eyes glazed deep in thought, as though she contemplated on things that could not be said aloud. <> Xiao Taotao''s voice suddenly echoed in Xiao Yunhua''s head. ''Why?'' What was so special about Zhou Ming? She had never interacted with the man nor did she really involve him in any of her plans. <> Xiao Yunhua didn''t answer and zoned out the conversation that the Zhou family was having about the arrival of Zhou Ming. Even though Xiao Taotao already admitted that Zhou Ming was an important character, for now, he was too insignificant for her to worry and fawn about. "Xiahu Yunhua..." An emotionless voice startled her and she snapped back into attention. Unsurprisingly, it was Zhou Eldress wanting to take advantage of her vulnerability and the fact that she was too busy lost in her thoughts. "Yes?" She answered, as calmly as she could. "So how did you and Lang''er meet?" An innocent question, but by the look in Zhou Eldress'' eyes, it was almost as though the old woman was daring her to lie because she would be caught. Knowing that she couldn''t keep it a secret forever, she could only admit the truth. "In a nightclub." Gasps echoed right after she muttered those words. A furious voice screeched, "I knew it! What a damned slut, shamelessly acting wanton and attention-seeking!" Once again, Xiao Yunhua wasn''t surprised to hear such words from yet another opposer by the name of Zhou Yaoyao. But unlike before, multiple people murmured their agreement alongside the bratty girl. Xiao Yunhua could only roll her eyes. Jumping to conclusions after she only muttered a few words? How had Zhou Yaoyao survived in the big, harsh world by acting so dumb and clich¨¦? But the truth hit her in the gut faster than she expected: Zhou Yaoyao had family to protect her, she, Xiao Yunhua, had no one. "Stop it! Yaoyao, you should let Little Beauty finish her words before jumping to conclusions!" As a good boyfriend and someone that genuinely loved Xiao Yunhua, Zhou Lang would of course defend her. Hearing the nickname for the harlot, Zhou Yaoyao clenched her fists in aggravation. She opened her mouth to retort, but Zhou Elder raised a firm hand and silenced everyone there. "Girl, to fully admit that you were in such a place unsuitable for young women to be¡ª" Xiao Yunhua almost rolled her eyes again. What double standards were these? Wasn''t he going to criticize his grandson too? Or is it because he''s a healthy, young man that''s bound to go to such places? "¡ªshows that you aren''t afraid of the consequences not really fear the Zhou family name." Before Xiao Yunhua to defend herself, Zhou Elder continued, "I will not allow the Zhou family name to be sullied because my youngest grandson decided to get distracted by that type of girl." "With all due respect," Xiao Yunhua interrupted as calmly as she could be, "making assumptions seems to also be part of the Zhou family way?" "Atrocious!" Zhou Eldress snapped with anger. "You dare to insult us!?" Xiao Yunhua ignored the old woman and continued, "We met because I work there¡ª" As though sensing that another round of disapproval was going to begin, she quickly added, "¡ªas an entertainer that doesn''t do anything except sing." "So, are you sure you''re not a prostitute? Because I wouldn''t be surprised if you were one." Zhou Yaoyao huffed quietly underneath her breath, earning her a giggle from Kang Yiyi. The two had never really gotten along, but as the saying goes: an enemy of an enemy is a friend. And that''s exactly how they saw Xiahu Yunhua... 27 1.1.27: Liar Xiao Yunhua, no longer able to tolerate these dumb people, stood up and brushed off nonexistent wrinkles on her dress. Zhou Lang tried to stop her, but she shook her head. Before she left, she said, "You mock those that do such a so-called ''dirty-job'' of prostitution, but you have no idea how small minded you are." Zhou Yaoyao''s eyes widened in anger, and before she could retort, Xiao Yunhua continued to speak. "In this time of day, people that aren''t privileged and didn''t grow up spoiled like you... resort to means of survival. And yet you foolishly mock them. Disgusting." She turned to Zhou Lang, who was stunned by her words along with everyone else, and bid him adieu. When she closed the living room door, a heavy atmosphere filled the former, joyous Zhou family. For such a young girl to mock them like so, had they truly been too arrogant and ignorant. "Lang''er," Zhou Elder finally spoke and broke the silence, "politely invite your girlfriend back for dinner before she completely leaves." "But grandfather¡ª" Zhou Yaoyao''s shocked voice began to whine, but Zhou Elder harshly interrupted and rebuked, "Yao''er, enough. To be reprimanded by a stranger has already make me disappointed in you for today." "Then why are you inviting that whore back to disrupt our dinner?" She angrily fired back, not realizing that she was digging a deeper hole for herself. Zhou Elder looked at Zhou Eldress in disappointment for letting their grandchild behave like so. Not withstanding such a look from her husband, Zhou Eldress frowned and glared at her daughter, Zhou Hua, for spoiling Zhou Yaoyao to such lengths. Zhou Hua flinched from receiving such a harsh look from her mother and averted her eyes in embarrassment. At that moment, Zhou Feng''s phone rang with an incoming call. Shooting an apologetic call to everyone there, he stood up to go outside, but Kang Yiyi stopped him. "Feng''ge, you shouldn''t go outside." She gripped on his arm childishly. In reality, she knew that Xiahu Yunhua was still roaming outside, hence not wanting her fianc¨¦ to find her. She, along with everyone else that wasn''t blind, had seen the way that the two eyed each other when they saw each other. And for the first time since Kang Yiyi first knew Zhou Feng, she saw that his cold eyes flashed with a new emotion. Curiosity and something else that she didn''t recognize. But that something else had made her heart thump wildly, as though the organ sensed danger. And that danger was pointed at the flawless beauty, Xiahu Yunhua. Zhou Feng''s eyes were cold enough to freeze Hell over when he felt her tightly gripping his arm. Releasing her grip harshly, he left, mercilessly ignoring her cries for him to stop and wait. Now left in the scrutinization of the entire Zhou family, minus a few, Kang Yiyi''s cheeks warmed with embarrassment. She, the young miss of the Kang family, had never been embarrassed like so. Seeing her fianc¨¦ treat her so harshly only made her harden her resolution to make him fall for her. After all, he wasn''t going to be cold forever. They had an eternity to spend together once they tied the knot, so sooner or later, Kang Yiyi was sure that he would accept her. Meanwhile Xiao Yunhua didn''t know that Zhou Lang was looking for her nor that Zhou Feng was no longer with the rest of the family. She had been too busy trying to find her way out of the gigantic mansion. Even though she had seen the mansion before, she had never expected for the mansion to be so large. Even worse, there were security guards, most hidden, everywhere. If it weren''t for her enhanced senses, she would''ve never known about any of them. The sheer authority that the Zhou family portrayed astonished her. It seemed like they weren''t the top family for no reason. Xiao Yunhua cursed those movies that made dramatic exits easy. In reality, once a dramatic speech was given to someone, it was hard to find one''s way out. And that was exactly her situation at the moment. Finally, a few minutes later, she saw the door that they had used to enter the mansion. She remembered that it was this door because of her photographic memory. Speaking of her photographic memory, she wanted to facepalm because she could''ve paid attention when the maid brought them in to memorize the directions. Unfortunately, she had been too busy doing who knows what, hence the current dilemma. Luckily, it was almost over as she reached for the door¡ªshe paused. It seemed like a hand had beat her to it. The hand belonged to a muscular, similar man with gorgeous features. The hand belonged to her current target, Zhou Feng, who was assessing her like she was assessing him. It was like the previous scene all over again, yet missing the Zhou family members. It was just the two of them. Xiao Yunhua gulped and saw that his eyes had followed that movement. His other hand held his ringing phone, but he didn''t seem to pay any attention to it at the moment; almost like it was important enough to compare to their moment. Finally, a few seconds that felt like a century later, Xiao Yunhua cleared her throat. "I need to leave." Zhou Feng raised an eyebrow until he realized that he stood in the way of the exit. But even at that revelation, he surprisingly didn''t move. "Don''t I know you?" His deep voice finally spoke, still cold yet fringed with a hint of warmness. "No." She quickly denied, faster than she meant to. Of course, he heard her fast response and obvious sign of lie. "You''re lying." His words weren''t said as a question, but more as a statement. Like he was positive that she was. And in reality, she really was. "No, you''ve mistaken me for someone else." She answered monotonously, avoiding his eyes with a flustered expression. These signs were the obvious signs that she was denying and lying. "Riverside." One word and her face paled... 28 1.1.28: Tension "How do you know about that?" Xiao Yunhua mumbled with a pallor. "I think you know the reason." Zhou Feng said with narrowed eyes. His cold eyes flared with a foreign emotion¡ªhumor. "I don''t." She turned around to leave, but she suddenly felt a cold hand grip her hand, pulling her back. She frowned as she felt a wall behind her and a handsome man, Zhou Feng, towering before her. When she raised her head to meet his eyes, she realized that their faces were only centimeters away. She could feel his warm breath tickling her; teasing her. "Liar." He murmured softly, still holding his aura of aloofness. Xiao Yunhua''s face blushed even harder as she tried to use her hands to push him away. But, unfortunately, she was too weak and only laid her hands on his suit. Noticing her actions, he chuckled but suddenly, his already cold eyes became even colder, "You rejected not only me, but my brother as well. Tell me, how did he manage to win your heart? Or is it because the temptation of bewitching a ''Zhou young master'' is too much?" Hearing his accusatory tone, the blushing Xiao Yunhua''s expression turned angry. This man! She thought that he would change his suspicions after all these years, and yet, he still had the arrogance to assume that everyone desired to be in his position. "You are disgusting." She coldly uttered. She raised her knee to kneed him in his groin, but he caught her knee with his legs before she could do any damage. And surprisingly, he didn''t release her knee, making their position very ambiguous for any outsiders that saw them. "Let me go!" She yelled in fury, no longer able to tolerate such a man. For the system to place him as her target, she was thoroughly disappointed. Zhou Feng was too busy to drown in suspicion rather than allow himself to drown in love. This was an impossible case! Seeing her obvious contempt for him, Zhou Feng frowned and narrowed his eyes. He had seen the way she smiled at his brother earlier and felt an inexplicable sense of envy. Grabbing both her hands to rest above her head, he leaned forward for the first time in his life to claim a woman''s lips, but she dodged and he ended up kissing her cheek. Zhou Feng sensed that she disliked him deeply, but he did not know why. Was it because of his words earlier? But he had only spoken the truth. He had already been hurt by what he later realized was his first love as a teenager, hence being wary. It was a natural reaction. "Why did you avoid it?" "Because I have a sense of honor to not flirt with my boyfriend''s brother." She bluffed. Mostly because she didn''t like him right now because he was a true and thorough asshole. "Hmm, really? Blame yourself for being the first woman to make me desire to get scorched." He bemused, his cold eyes meeting hers. Xiao Yunhua shot a glare at him, "Well, unfortunately, I''m a flame you can never touch. If you really want, I''m sure your existing fianc¨¦e would be happy to oblige." With a final surge of energy, she finally released her hands from his grip and pushed him away, not forgetting to glance at him him with a look of contempt. Zhou Feng clenched his fists when he heard her words. He didn''t even realize that she was already leaving. Before he could help himself, he called out, bitterly, "He''s not going to love you. To my young brother, you''re just another one of his conquests. Besides, did you really think that you could walk into this family?" Xiao Yunhua paused and turned around. Zhou Feng''s eyes followed her graceful movements, desire filling his cold eyes. "Whether or not Zhou Lang doesn''t love me... doesn''t concern you. As for the other matter, you don''t have to worry, I wouldn''t want to be part of such a scum family anyways." she paused and smirked at him, "I''m sure Zhou Lang and I would think of something when we cross that road." Her final sentence had meant to fuel his jealousy even more¡ªand it worked. At least from what Xiao Yunhua could see on his expression before she disappeared. Unbeknownst to both of them, during this entire time, there had been one person watching their interactions¡ªZhou Lang. And deep in his heart, he felt disappointed with his brother while feeling possessive of Xiahu Yunhua. He knew that they ended on a sour note, but by all the years of flirting with women, he deeply sensed the sexual tension between the two. And he didn''t like it. He felt a deep suffocation at the thought that Xiahu Yunhua... would leave him forever. 29 1.1.29: Chatting with Some Tea When Xiao Yunhua got back, her face was ashen and her eyes blazing with anger. Despite whatever the system was making her feel for Zhou Feng, she still hated him. Reminiscing through the original body''s memories, she remembered how cold blooded he and Zhou Lang were when they saw the original being beaten up. Their indifference led the original to pass away! Not only that, she remembered how Zhou Feng simply believed a dumb text over her without any investigation. And after her conversation with the Zhou family, as well as Zhou Feng, she hated their family to the core! They were so shameless. "Little girl?" Ni Ming noticed that Xiao Yunhua was extremely angry for some reason. "How did it go?" "How did what go?" "Meeting your boyfriend''s family, you doofus!" Ni Ming joked, only to get a disappointed look from Xiao Yunhua. "Awful. They''re awful people. Honestly, I just need a cup of tea to calm my nerves." Xiao Yunhua sighed. "Lucky for you, I just made some oolong tea!" Mrs. Bao''s sweet voice resounded as she held a cup of tea for Xiao Yunhua to drink. Giving the elderly woman a grateful look, she slowly sipped the tea, finally finding some peace. She raised her head to see Ni Ming and Mrs. Bao looking at her with eyes full of expectation. Xiao Yunhua furrowed her eyebrows in confusion until she realized their motive¡ªthey wanted to know what happened! "You gossiping old ladies!" She mumbled with amusement. Mrs. Bao wasn''t offended, but Ni Ming gasped in dramatized horror. She looked like she was going to faint. "Old would not be a word to describe yours truly!" She cried, completely playful. Xiao Yunhua only chuckled and shook her head at Ni Ming''s playfulness. "So anyways, what happened?" Ni Ming asked after she had calmed down. Despite her hesitance to keep what happened to herself, she talked anyways. And when she did, she poured out everything that happened to her while there. She didn''t keep any detail and could only see the two women''s eyes widen as she revealed every detail. "Goodness..." Ni Ming sighed when Xiao Yunhua finished. "That''s a lot to take in." Mrs. Bao nodded in agreement. Both women were clearly astonished that the infamously cold young master Zhou Feng would behave in such a way. But Ni Ming suddenly smirked mischievously, "I''m not surprised though. Our Yunhua is clearly more beautiful than his bratty fianc¨¦e Kang Yiyi. Besides, I think it''s just so romantic to see you both behave so secretive." Xiao Yunhua choked and began to cough from her tea. She had almost sputtered the tea in her mouth from Ni Ming''s words. "Ni Ming, what part of any of that was... romantic?" Ni Ming shrugged her shoulders, her beautiful eyes glimmering with humor. "I mean, it''s a prime example of the clich¨¦ possessive business man." Hearing her response, Xiao Yunhua rolled her eyes. Ni Ming was too busy being absorbed into silly little fantasies to see the bigger picture: reality wasn''t just simply being in her position and falling in love at first sight. It was much crueler. Much harsher. Personally, she, didn''t believe in ''love at first sight'' because it made her too superficial. She did believe in ''lust at first sight'' which is exactly what her situation with Zhou Feng was¡ªhim simply being interested in her appearance. Unfortunately, the system always demanded for love, hence why this target was so tough. "At least he doesn''t hate you..." Ni Ming added sheepishly, not knowing how accurate her words were. Years ago, he despised her without any investigation. Now, albeit not hating her, he still harbored the wrong emotion for her. "Yeah... But I''m not interest in him anyways. I am, after all, dating Zhou Lang. This whole scenario may have confused me for a bit, but I won''t stray at all!" Ni Ming rolled her eyes when she heard Xiao Yunhua''s words of virtue. "Little girl, don''t think we don''t see it. The only relationship between you and Zhou Lang is the relationship two friends. Every single time that I see you both together, I just see two best friends. There is no chemistry, passion, nothing." Xiao Yunhua glanced at Mrs. Bao, only to see her nodding with Ni Ming''s words. Had it really been that obvious? She thought it was only her, but apparently, everyone else was too kind to tell her. Then again, they probably respected her decisions on who she was dating. But as they were giving her advice now, it meant that it was pretty clear that Xiao Yunhua didn''t really exhibit the glow of being in ''love''. "Love is too complicated of a word." Besides, it wasn''t like she would ever fall in love. It was too much of a taboo, especially since she had multiple targets to worry about in every world. She was only a fleeting memory that they would surely forget... in fact, this identity of hers, eventually, she''d forget too. "Goodness, let''s forget about all this and get you ready for your performance tonight!" Ni Ming exclaimed when she saw the time. Xiao Yunhua stood up and bid Mrs. Bao goodbye, following Ni Ming to drive to Riverside. When they arrived, Xiao Yunhua quickly got ready and walked out. Ni Ming hadn''t gotten prepared because she hadn''t done a performance in a month or so. It was all because she was planning her wedding with Wang Yaowan. Ni Ming patted her back in encouragement as Xiao Yunhua took a deep breath. She walked forward with a smile as her usual fans shot smiles at her. Like usual, half of her face was covered and she extruded an aura of mystery. She opened her mouth and sang to her heart''s content. While singing, her eyes wandered but paused in alarm when she saw someone that didn''t ever come to her performances ever since that one time. What was he doing here!? 30 1.1.30: With Him I She didn''t expect to see Zhou Feng appear at a performance at all! Especially after their last argument, being here was odd. Her eyes looked around even more and widened when she didn''t see Zhou Lang. The man had always managed to come to a performance, so why was it that he wasn''t here? Despite the questions roaming in her head, Xiao Yunhua didn''t get distracted and let them affect her performance. Once she finished and bid everyone adieu, she slowly sneaked off but bumped into a hard chest. Looking up, it was Zhou Feng giving her a look of amusement despite his cold eyes. His handsome face was contorted into a playful smile, completely the opposite of his usual, expressionless face. "Can I help you?" She asked sarcastically, crossing her arms. "Accompany me to drink away my sorrows." Xiao Yunhua scoffed, "You''re drunk." She didn''t word it as a question, but a confirmed statement. Otherwise, how could he giving off the vibe of Zhou Lang? At least, the flirtatious Zhou Lang before they started dating. Zhou Feng didn''t even bother to answer her, instead, gripping her arm and making her follow him. Many people watched the interaction, some even recognizing who Zhou Feng was, while every one of them recognized Xiao Yunhua because she performed earlier. "Let me go!" She blurted out, annoyed at his behavior. If she didn''t have the damned mission to deal with, she would''ve never even considered such a bipolar jerk. He insults her, then finds her intriguing, then insults her, then finds her intriguing again! It was a never-ending cycle with this man and she once again, questioned the system''s sanity for giving her such a target. <> Xiao Taotao muttered in her head, in a scolding-manner. Yet it was also a warning to Xiao Yunhua to prepare. Which, truly, it made Xiao Yunhua more scared rather than prepared. How was she going to make a psychopath fall in love with her if she ever encountered one as her target? She couldn''t help but worry about the future. For now though, her attention was completely on Zhou Feng that dragged her outside. The bouncer tried to stop him because he recognized their top entertainer being taken away, but Zhou Feng shot him a cold glare and made him swallow his words before he could utter them. "Kidnapping?" She voices out dryly, clearly not amused when she saw that they were edging closer and closer to his car. Or what she assumed was his car. He stopped, finally, and turned around. Maintaining his cold eyes, he chuckled. But his chuckle didn''t resound with warmth, but even more coldness. "You know, I''ve always wondered about those one night stands that my brother always has..." Zhou Feng saw her pale when she understood his meaning. She tried to struggle away, but to no avail. "No worries, I won''t let anything happen to you." "Xiao Yunhua frowned at the attempted, romantic words. She suddenly couldn''t help but remember Jiang Rong, her first love. He had always uttered such words to her ''amazing'' stepsister while she watched from the sidelines, clutching her romantic novels with envy. She couldn''t help but remember her past life as it hit her like a wrecking ball. Subconsciously, her eyes filled with tears. Seeing that Xiahu Yunhua was suddenly crying, Zhou Feng stopped with widened eyes full of worry. "Hey, I''m sorry; I was only teasing you!" Zhou Feng muttered awkwardly, but it only made her cry harder. It was like all the emotions of her past life being released at the same time. Slowly, and gently, he wrapped his arms around her to coax and ease her. She shivered at the contact but remained quiet with small whimpers. Zhou Feng suddenly lifted her and started carrying her princess-style. She didn''t struggle and just blankly stared at him with her glistening eyes, full of unshed tears. He placed her in the passenger seat and he himself sat on the driver''s seat seat. He began to drive when he saw that she didn''t express any negativity or discomfort against going with him. ''Why am I so emotional?'' She asked Xiao Taotao in her mind. Surprisingly, the little fairy didn''t reply immediately and she didn''t get her question answered. She remained silent on the way while he was driving, preferring to keep her eyes closed, in a way to escape from her wretched reality. At this point, she was a mess. She was sure that her makeup was also a mess because she cried earlier, so she probably looked like some raccoon''s long lost cousin. When he stopped, she finally opened her eyes and saw that they were in front of Magnolia, the area with the most expensive penthouses in the country. With her blank expression, she followed him to the top floor, which was also the best penthouse that Magnolia had to offer. Once there, she saw that the place was extravagant without a single speck of dust. He walked forward and then stopped in front of a closed door. Turning around, he commanded, "Undress..." 31 1.1.31: With Him II "Undress." Hearing that one command, Xiao Yunhua expressionlessly and monotonously began to unzip her dress before his eyes. "What are you doing!?" He called out in shock, stopping her. "Isn''t this what you wanted?" She dryly said, continuing to unzip her dress. Zhou Feng could see her flawless, pale skin slowly starting to unravel from behind the dress. He raised his hand and she paused again, not bothering to fix her dress. He turned his head, and despite the heat beginning to overwhelm his body, demanded for her to go to inside the room. "Keeping it classy..." she muttered. When she opened the door, she paused in astonishment. It wasn''t a bedroom like she expected, but a bathroom! "Go and take a shower." His cold voice resounded from behind her. "I''ll put pajamas by the door when you''re finished." Even though she was pale from crying earlier, her face turned rosy red at his words. So he hadn''t said ''undress'' for any type of pleasure, but meant for her to take a shower. In fact, if she hadn''t been hasty, then she would''ve have misinterpreted his words! She hadn''t this embarrassed in so long! Not bothering to look behind her, she quickly went inside and closed the door. Her face was still flustered, but it had eased. Looking around, she found a large bathroom that was as big as her room in Wang Yaowan''s mansion. Everything was prepared already: towels, hairdryer, etcetera. She didn''t know why he needed so many things, but she assumed that they were already prepared for him. He, the infamously coldhearted Zhou young master, would clearly have everything done for him. She decided to stop thinking and turned on the warm water to pour on her. Standing underneath the shower, her tense muscles relaxed and she sighed in relief. A hot shower was exactly what she needed after the stressful day. Seeing the shampoo and other hygiene products, she used them without much thought. But when the smell wafted through the air, she was shocked. It was his scent surrounding her. Xiao Yunhua didn''t think her moment of impulse would lead to something that would be considered so scandalous. She bit her lips nervously at the image of Zhou Lang recognizing his brother''s particular scent all over her. No matter the reaction, Xiao Yunhua knew that it wouldn''t be anything good. Fervently attempting to scrub it off, it was too late. It seemed like she couldn''t get away from him or his sandalwood smell no matter what! The masculinity of it all made her cheeks flustered. Xiao Yunhua sighed and shut the water. Grabbing the towel, she wrapped it around her body and hesitantly peaked out of the bathroom door. Xiao Yunhua saw that nobody, not even Zhou Feng, was in sight, but she saw that he heeded his promise and pajamas were on the floor. Swiftly grabbing them, she wore the oversized clothes and his scent overwhelmed her again. Immediately, she was sure that these were his. But, unfortunately, she didn''t have any undergarments to wear! Even though it made her uncomfortable, she had to endure for a while until she got home. Even though the clothes were too big for her to wear, Xiao Yunhua luckily found a clip of some sort and used it to keep her pants from falling off. The whole action made her feel like she was a little kid, but she knew it would have been way more embarrassing if they fell off and flashed the poor man. With her hair somewhat wet, she slowly tiptoed outside of the bathroom and decided to sneak around. "Finished?" A voice startled her and she jumped, stumbling on her way. Fortunately, a pair of arms caught her immediately. She looked up and saw that Zhou Feng was intensely staring at her. Clearing her throat, she nodded and he released her from his grip. She quietly thanked him for helping her and then sat down on an available sofa. An awkward silence loomed over and she suddenly began to panic. "Oh my goodness! I forgot to tell Ni Ming or Wang Yaowan about my location! They''re probably worried sick!" She frantically looked for her phone before she realized that she didn''t have it with her. Indeed, she had come to the Magnolia penthouse without any of her belongings. She asked to borrow Zhou Feng''s phone and quickly dialed Ni Ming''s number. "Hello?" Ni Ming answered, to which Xiao Yunhua sighed in relief when she didn''t hear the woman''s tone to be panicky. "Ni Ming, it''s me." "Little girl! Where are you!" Ni Ming exploded in anger. "We were worried sick! If the bouncer didn''t tell us that you disappeared with your boyfriend, then we would''ve been worried sick!" "Boyfriend?" Xiao Yunhua was surprised. She clearly did not leave with Zhou Lang? "Yes, the bouncer said the Zhou young master, so we assumed¡ª" "You''re right!" Xiao Yunhua interrupted anxiously. "I''m with Zhou Lang." Peeking at the side, she saw Zhou Feng''s expression turn into confusion before resuming his cold expression. "I''ll be home soon!" "Little girl, the weather isn''t looking so good!" Ni Ming''s tone suddenly turned mischievously, "Why don''t you stay over? I''m sure you''re boyfriend wouldn''t mind! And besides, it''d be fun to seal the deal!" "I¡ª" "It''s settled then!" Ni Ming cheerfully responded before Xiao Yunhua could reply, "We''ll see you tomorrow!" Then she hung up, leaving Xiao Yunhua and Zhou Feng to stare at each other. Clearly, by the look on his face, he had overheard their conversation. He had heard Ni Ming utter the words ''seal the deal!'' "You know," Zhou Feng smirked as his cold eyes warmed, "if it''s you, I wouldn''t mind sealing the deal..." 32 1.1.32: With Him III Hearing his words, Xiao Yunhua scoffed but one couldn''t deny that she was embarrassed because of her face turning red. "What seal the deal? Remember, I''m dating Zhou Lang!" At that mention, Zhou Feng''s face turned cold and ugly. Of course, how could he forget that she was his youngest brother''s girlfriend? His younger brother, that didn''t even know the word ''commitment'', now had the title of ''boyfriend'' glued on him. Not that he minded. Zhou Feng realized that Zhou Lang used every moment to flaunt their relationship. Furthermore, he could see that Zhou Lang was genuinely in love with Xiao Yunhua. As for the latter, he wasn''t sure if Xiao Yunhua reciprocated his brother''s feelings. He genuinely hoped not. Otherwise, he would have to give up on his curiosity that he held for the beautiful woman. "Why did you bring me here?" Xiao Yunhua blurted out. A momental silence followed before Zhou Feng decided to be honest. "I was just teasing you, originally, but when I saw you cry, I knew that I had to bring you somewhere peaceful." "How gentlemanly..." Xiao Yunhua sarcastically noted, "To your penthouse, for both of us to be alone, clearly, no misunderstandings are to happen." Zhou Feng chuckled at her words. "At that time, I didn''t think of that. At that time, I just wanted you to stop your tears." "Why?" Xiao Yunhua gripped the oversized pajamas, anxious. This target of hers, when will he fall in love with her? "I don''t know." Smoothly, she joked, "I hope it''s not because of some silly emotion or anything of that sort." Hearing her response, Zhou Feng''s face darkened. "No worries, I don''t plan on falling in love. Especially with you." An indescribable pain filled her heart when he uttered those words. The system was running rampant in anger. A chosen target was not supposed to say such cruel words. This fact, Xiao Yunhua understood. To prevent any more pain and to prevent Zhou Feng from saying any more words that could harm her, unknowingly, she asked, "Did you ever love anyone before?" Zhou Feng''s cold eyes warmed for a few seconds before turning into a bone-chilling cold. "I did, when I was younger." "Really? Who was she?" "When I was eighteen, I met this girl..." He began to tell her a story. "The girl was pretty, not really extraordinarily beautiful, but qualified to be called above average." An ominous feeling filled her as he told her this story that sounded oddly familiar. "She and I met at the most bizarre place; a group blind date of some sort! And, unfortunately, she spilled the coffee that I had ordered all over her, so at first, I felt a sense of responsibility." He sighed, "Then, it was only a matter of getting to know each other. Unfortunately, she ruined the chance when she exposed her wanton demeanor and I never wanted to do anything with her again!" "You!" Xiao Yunhua''s eyebrows were furrowed in anger and she couldn''t help but shout, startling Zhou Feng. "You are stupid! Gullible! Na?ve!" She bit her bottom lip to stop herself from hurling anymore insults at the idiotic man. "Why do you say that?" Zhou Feng asked her in confusion. For the second time in life, he was getting insulted. The first time was that girl when she called him a ''stalker'', the second time was this woman who oddly shared the same name as that girl. "You didn''t bother to investigate? You just assumed everything just because of a measly text? I''m disappointed." Xiao Yunhua muttered. "I did." Two words and Xiao Yunhua froze. This wasn''t something that she knew! She looked at Zhou Feng to elaborate and he did. "A while after, I realized that I was being too hasty and should properly confront the girl. After all, she was the first girl that I was truly in love with. But, unfortunately, I found out that she was expelled from school and that she disappeared from the face of the earth. I gave up and decided to forget her." Silence followed when he finished with his story. Xiao Yunhua didn''t know how to process this new information. So her target hadn''t completely given up on her identity as ''Han Yunhua''... The evidence that she created all those years ago, was it too late to use now? "You both have the same name." Xiao Yunhua heard him mumble with nostalgia. "But she was too... superficially perfect." Xiao Yunhua was shocked again. Was this really how the world perceived her? As someone who was artificially perfect at everything... It was no wonder that they believed rumors and she managed to get expelled. Those times were her hardest times in this life. Losing Han Mi was even harder... "What about me? Do I carry that superficial perfection like this other Yunhua?" Zhou Feng stared at her intensely before he finally opened his mouth to answer. "Truly... you are one I cannot fathom. Mystery shrouds you; shields you like an aegis. Reading you is no open book. Tell me, can I describe you as superficial beauty?" Xiao Yunhua didn''t know how to answer him. Her words were stuck in her throat and she felt them suffocate her. Everything he said, how was she supposed to refute? Outside, the rain had begun to pour. Thunder hailed as the only sound between the two. Xiao Yunhua shivered from the cold that suddenly filled the house. Giving her a look of worry, Zhou Feng disappeared and reappeared with a blanket. He wrapped it around her, gently, and watched as she cutely snuggled in. "Want to watch a movie?" He asked, but she shook her head and faked a yawn. "No, I think it''s about time that I had some rest. Do you have a guest bedroom for me to sleep in?" Zhou Feng nodded. As Xiao Yunhua stood up to follow him, her legs got tangled in with the blanket. Suddenly, she tripped and found herself in his arms for the second time. "Apologies, I don''t know why I''m so clumsy¡ª" Both of the froze. Turning their eyes, they both saw that the clip on her pajama pants had come undone... and her perky, white butt was full on display for anyone to see. Including Zhou Feng. 33 1.1.33: Frenemies Xiao Yunhua screamed. "Close your eyes!" She was so very embarrassed. How could such a thing happen? Life sucked. Immediately, Zhou Feng closed his eyes, like the gentleman he was, and Xiao Yunhua quickly stood up and used the clip again. With a red face, she bowed her head with embarrassment. Tonight was not a good night. "Follow me." Zhou Feng''s cold eyes opened again when she said that he could. Even though his face was apathetic, he felt heat rushing through his body. She was his brother''s woman even if he was sure that she did not hold feelings for him; nonetheless, she was a forbidden fruit that reeked temptation. She was the only thing that he, as a Zhou young master, could not touch. Xiao Yunhua obediently followed him to a guest room. When they arrived and stopped at the door, he turned around and stared at her. His cold eyes made her shiver, involuntarily, so she couldn''t help but avert her gaze. "I guess this is goodnight. You know, this wouldn''t have been a problem if you weren''t an asshole." Although she grumbled the last part, he still heard her perfectly clear. "Ha. I''ve never met anyone like you." "Bullshit." Xiao Yunhua rolled her eyes. "That line is so... sappy and clich¨¦." She expected for Zhou Feng to get angry, but on the contrary, he cracked a smile on his eternally cold face. "Since I cannot steal my brother''s woman away, I can only want to be your friend. Purely platonic." "Purely platonic yet your eyes suggest the desires of a wolf." Her blunt statement was met with a surge of confidence. Zhou Feng really found it interesting that she changed her personality from an embarrassed woman to one with spitfire so quickly. In fact, he was also astonished about how the woman who had to use a clip to keep the pajamas given to from falling off, managed to become a living temptress when she gave performances. "Besides, I don''t want to be your friend." Zhou Feng raised an eyebrow at how ambiguous her words sounded. "The most we could be is probably... frenemies." "What a childish term," Zhou Feng''s smile widened. "but if that''s what you prefer, then by all means, use it." Xiao Yunhua narrowed her eyes at his mocking look and humphed, going inside and shutting the door. A wave of dizziness slammed her in the head. What''s going on? <> ''Xiao Taotao, I''m doing my best. Love is not something that can forced. If I force it, then it''ll will shatter and I will start from the beginning.'' Xiao Taotao sighed in exasperation and disappeared from her thoughts. Nonetheless, the dizziness didn''t cease to exist and seemed to enhance, almost like the system was warning her. "Alright! Please, stop!" Xiao Yunhua breathed in pain. "Please, I''m begging you. Stop this pain." It was almost as bad as the pain in her traumatic experience, but a different type of pain. The dizziness seemed to make her head want to explode into smithereens. The pain was so overwhelming that she suddenly blacked out. When she woke up, she realized that it was the next morning and the chirping of birds rung outside. The sunlight streamed through the window and would''ve blinded her, had it not been for the curtains. Xiao Yunhua yawned, but panicked when she realized that she wasn''t by the door, where she originally blacked out. Looking at her clothes, she was relieved to see that she was wearing the same thing that she was wearing the night before. Did she picture her headache and dizziness from before? She didn''t understand what happened. Xiao Yunhua contemplated on whether or not she would ask Zhou Feng, but decided against it. She found her dress, along with the rest of her clothes, and held them in her arms. She opened the door and smelled the scent of mouthwatering food in the air. Glancing at the table, she saw an already dressed in a suit Zhou Feng sitting and drinking coffee. As though he sensed her, he turned around and his cold eyes met with hers. "Good morning; slept well?" His voice held no mirth, but was still somewhat warm, only if one listened carefully. "Your ambiguous words make it seem like I''d be tired from doing a vigorous activity." Xiao Yunhua mused dryly. Zhou Feng pretended to not understand the meaning behind her words and smirked, "Couldn''t I ask my dear friend¡ªno, frenemy?" Xiao Yunhua only shot him a glare and took the seat opposite to him. Seeing the rice and stuffed buns, she quickly gobbled down the food and calmed down her growling stomach. Zhou Feng''s eyes looked as though he was watching a very interesting scenario unfold before him. "It''s thanks to you that I skipped dinner." Xiao Yunhua childishly blamed and continued to eat more food. "You''re being blamed for everything." "If it helps you clear your mind, then I''ll carry and burden that you want." His gentle, flirtatious words shocked Xiao Yunhua. An awkward silence followed his words. Xiao Yunhua almost choked on the food that she was eating. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the same phone that she used the night before. Quickly calling for a taxi, Xiao Yunhua decided that their ''adventure'' would come to an end today. "I don''t need to tell you, right?" Even though Zhou Feng was annoyed at her words, he still nodded. "No one will know that you were with me." Hearing his confirmation, Xiao Yunhua sighed in relief. Ten or so minutes later, Xiao Yunhua saw that the taxi was outside of the Magnolia penthouse. She sighed in relief, but before she could leave, Zhou Feng stopped her. "Your number?" Seeing her narrowed eyes, he added, "I have to make sure that I can contact my frenemy, remember?" Xiao Yunhua rolled her eyes at his antics and added her number to his phone. Afterwards when she was done, she bid him goodbye and quickly left with the taxi. Zhou Feng watched her leave with clenched fists. His heart fumed with jealousy, especially against his own younger brother... 34 1.1.34: Wedding I A few weeks later, it was finally time for the wedding. Ni Ming''s anxiety could be spotted from miles away, much to her dismay. Her white wedding dress was mermaid-style with lace, flower-like designs stitched all over. The beautiful dress was made up of silk and fully accented Ni Ming''s loveliness. "Little girl, I''m so n-nervous!" Ni Ming stuttered. "What if he changes his mind at the last second? What if¡ª" "Ni Ming, please take a deep breath." Xiao Yunhua tried to soothe. Currently, Xiao Yunhua wore a simplistic, lavender short dress and her long hair was curled in lose waves. Her makeup was natural, yet her pinkish-purple lips added a hint of unruliness. "I can''t! You know, after today, I''ll never be working as an entertainer at Riverside or anywhere else ever again!" "Wow... Does Wang Yaowan know?" Ni Ming nodded at her question. "At first, he insisted for me to continue to do whatever. His pampering ways are truly unexpected, especially with his status and wealth." Ni Ming smiled, "But I have decided to quit and take care of our children... if we were to have any." "Of course you will!" Unexpectedly, this statement didn''t come form Xiao Yunhua. Both women looked in the direction of the voice and immediately noticed a dressed-up Mrs. Bao. "Mrs. Bao, so happy to see you!" Ni Ming exclaimed. She tried to hug Mrs. Bao, but the old lady shook her head. "Ni Ming, you wouldn''t want to ruin anything. Think of your poor stylists. They''ve worked so hard that they wouldn''t want anything to ruin your perfect look." Mrs. Bao gently scolded. Ni Ming nodded and continued to walk around, anxiously. Suddenly, her eyes glinted with mischief. "Little girl, you did invite Zhou Lang, right?" Xiao Yunhua nodded and Ni Ming squealed. "Oh my goodness! You know, I still remember our discussion with the tea. Even if you don''t harbor much feelings for him now, I''m sure you''ll grow to love him eventually. Besides, you''ve tamed the infamous playboy! And after that night¡ª" "Ni Ming!" Xiao Yunhua interrupted, her eyes full of distress. "I told you to not talk about that night." "Oh yes, you and your lover boy don''t wish to expose your naughty rendezvous." Seeing Ni Ming drop the topic, Xiao Yunhua sighed in relief. To this day, they thought that she was with Zhou Lang. But luckily, she had managed to convince them to stay quiet about it. Xiao Yunhua knew they''d be so many problems if the exposure of her night with Zhou Feng was revealed. Suddenly, Xiao Yunhua got a phone call. Excusing herself from the room, she went outside and answered. "Hello?" "Little Beauty!" Zhou Lang''s cheerful voice greeted her on the other end. "I was just wondering, between lavender and pink. And before you ask ''why'', just know that it''s a surprise." Xiao Yunhua furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Alright, then I choose lavender." After that extremely brief conversation, Zhou Lang told her that he''ll see her soon and hung up. Xiao Yunhua rolled her eyes at his antics and walked in the direction of the previous room again. But before she could step into the room, her phone rang again. Not bothering to look at the name, she facetiously said, "Zhou Lang, why are you calling again?" Silence followed her words. Xiao Yunhua thought that he hung up before a cold voice uttered, "Zhou Feng; not my brother." Xiao Yunhua widened her eyes. How awkward! She should''ve expected this! After all, the man would constantly text or call her, almost like he was telling her to not forget him. "Meet me at the penthouse again." "No!" Xiao Yunhua immediately disagreed. "Once was scandalous enough. Did you ever think that it would be harmful to my relationship if we were to keep seeing each other?" Xiao Yunhua sighed and gently said, "Zhou Feng, simply texting or calling is alright, but if it were to progress any further, then..." her sentence faltered, but Zhou Feng knew exactly what she meant. Once again, the ugly feeling of envy clawed at his heart. Nonetheless, he agreed. "Alright fine." And then hung up without saying goodbye. Xiao Yunhua felt the infamous heartache and headache coming forward, courtesy of the system. It''s constant warnings were a pain that she could never forget. What she thought was her imagination wasn''t really her imagination as the pain was chronic and constant. Xiao Yunhua went back inside and looked at the time. Thirty or so minutes later, Wang Yaowan appeared and embraced his wife-to-be. He greeted Mrs. Bao and Xiao Yunhua, although his cold gaze lingered on the latter a few seconds more than necessary. Xiao Yunhua turned her head away from his intense gaze and looked at the time one last time. It seems like it was time for both of benefactors to get married. The happy couple deserved all the happiness they could get. 35 1.1.35: Wedding II Meanwhile, Zhou Feng had received a call from his younger brother to meet him. Since the former was angry at Xiahu Yunhua''s rejection, he told his brother to come over himself at his Magnolia penthouse. His brother told him that he couldn''t at the moment and that he would tell him later. Unexpectedly, he heard someone knock on his door. Thinking that it was his brother changing his mind, he opened the door to see Kang Yiyi. "Surprise!" She smiled as she tried to use her arms to wrap around his neck. He dodged and shot her a cold glare. "Kang Yiyi, what are you doing here?" Kang Yiyi pouted at his cold words. Crossing her arms and walking inside, she looked around and saw that nobody was there except for him. "You''re so cold, Feng''ge! Aren''t you happy to see me? Your fianc¨¦e?" She purposely accented her last two words to remind him of their connection. A connection that he could not break for it was set by his family; stronger than iron. Kang Yiyi saw his silence and her eyes flashed with victory. She twirled childishly and showed off her long-sleeved, pastel pink dress. "Feng''ge, what do you think?" Zhou Feng narrowed his eyes at the familiar dress. He had seen a similar style, but where? Suddenly, his eyes turned cold when he remembered. "Kang Yiyi, do you really feel that threatened by Xiahu Yunhua?" Kang Yiyi''s eyes widened with panic. She didn''t expect for him to remember such a small detail about that woman! She scoffed and arrogantly reminded, "Threatened by a whore? Zhou Feng, don''t forget, I''m from the Kang family and she is just some entertainer that probably opens her legs for just about anything." "Kang Yiyi! Enough!" Zhou Feng angrily raised his voice, but to Kang Yiyi, it was all because of that woman! If it weren''t for Zhou Yaoyao telling her about seeing the two in multiple places, she would''ve never known about their affair. The woman was dating already, yet she dared to seduce someone else. And that someone else was her fianc¨¦! "It''s true! Humph, stay blind and be betrayed!" Kang Yiyi sensed that the atmosphere was beginning to turn cold, so she said, "So anyways, I''m here because I want you to accompany me as my date! I heard that the owner of Riverside is getting married! You know, before I was engaged to you, Riverside used to be my favorite nightclub along with the rest of the socialites! Of course I have to be there to support Wang Yaowan." Kang Yiyi suddenly frowned. "But I heard that his wife is an... entertainer." Her eyes filled with pity for the gorgeous man that would no longer be an available bachelor. He was marrying a woman that probably was as shameless as Xiahu Yunhua. Nonetheless, she wouldn''t intercept and stop the disastrous wedding because she already had her Feng''ge and none of her friends really liked the man. Besides, the wedding was so grand that everyone was sure to be there. Zhou Feng suddenly remembered that Xiahu Yunhua was an entertainer at Riverside, so she would probably be there as well. At the thought of seeing his brother and the woman together, his heart clenched in pain. Zhou Feng didn''t understand why he would be envious anytime he heard of the duo and his heart would be in pain. To Zhou Feng, he only desired her. Yet what was this unfamiliar, budding emotion? "No, I can''t." "Feng''ge, you better come with me or else I''ll tell Zhou Elder that you''re bullying me!" Kang Yiyi whined. In reality, she cursed Xiahu Yunhua for bewitching her fianc¨¦ to such a point. She had used Zhou Elder because she knew that Zhou Feng would not have listened to Zhou Eldress; only the true elder and owner of the Zhou fortune would make his grandson obey him. The only one who could probably disobey Zhou Elder and get away with it would be Zhou Ming. But the man was set to return next week, or at least that is what he told the Zhou family. "Besides, your cousin Zhou Yaoyao is also going with Gu Sheng, your friend." Hearing Gu Sheng''s name, Zhou Feng was astonished. He didn''t expect for his Casanova friend to actually be interested in his cousin. If he were close to his cousin, then he would''ve warned her that he was probably toying with her. But, unfortunately, he found his cousin annoying and didn''t bother with her too much, so he planned on keeping quiet. Zhou Feng knew that it was partially because of the way she treated Xiahu Yunhua, but he would never admit that. And even if he did tell her, she wouldn''t listen. The woman was stubborn and bratty to the extreme. "Fine." One word uttered coldly from Zhou Feng made Kang Yiyi smirk discreetly. She hooked her arm with his and they both left... 36 1.1.36: Wedding III When they had arrived, they noticed that the rest of the guests had also arrived as well. Majority were influential people that Wang Yaowan had some type of connection with, while others were close friends. Xiao Yunhua was already there, wearing her mask as usual. Neither Zhou Feng nor Xiao Yunhua had seen each other yet, but Zhou Feng had a feeling that the girl was already there. Kang Yiyi gripped Zhou Feng''s arms tightly as though she sensed that his thoughts was not on her. Zhou Feng''s cold eyes flashed her a warning, but she only smiled mischievously and pulled him along. As they walked inside the venue, they suddenly saw Zhou Lang holding a bouquet of lavender roses. He walked over in their direction with an anxious look on his face. "Lang''ge!" Kang Yiyi called out happily. "What are you doing here?" Her eyes followed the bouquet of roses curiously. Suddenly, her eyes hardened as realization filled them. "They are for the..." Zhou Lang nodded, pretending to not notice his older brother''s cold eyes turn a shade colder. He pulled out a ring that was hidden in the midst of the bouquet of the flowers. Kang Yiyi eyes widened in shock. A sliver of victory could be seen in her eyes before she blinked it away and smiled excitedly. "Lang''ge, is that for..." Zhou Lang nodded and Zhou Feng finally snapped, "You''ve only been dating for a little bit! Don''t you think that you''re rushing things a bit?" "I''ve known her for a few years and we''ve been dating for about half of a year. Although we may not marry right now, at least this could considered as a promise." Zhou Lang clutched the ring in his hand tightly, "I feel like she could slip from my hands at any moment." Zhou Feng silently and frigidly eyed the ring. If he could crush it the ring, then he would. Goddammit, who knew that this brother would pull such a stunt? Kang Yiyi''s smile widened and she gripped on Zhou Feng''s arm even tighter. Luckily, this man was still hers! Kang Yiyi had even considered lowering herself to befriend Zhou Yaoyao to defend against that woman, yet Lady Luck was on her side! She was blessed and so was this relationship. "Lang''ge, why lavender?" Kang Yiyi asked, pretending to be innocent regarding that question. Of course she knew what lavender stood for in the language of rose flowers. She just wanted Zhou Feng to hear his brother''s reply to crush whatever thoughts he had about that vixen. "Love at first sight." Zhou Lang studied his brother''s reaction and saw that he maintained his usual, aloof expression. What Zhou Lang couldn''t see was the burning frustration that was ready to pour out at any second from Zhou Feng. Four words had completely crushed Zhou Feng. Zhou Feng meant to release Kang Yiyi''s grip on his arm, but the young woman wouldn''t let go. Eventually, the trio walked over to their seats to wait for the wedding couple to appear. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a beautiful young woman with a half-mask appearing with the guests. She wore a lovely dress that was coincidentally the same color as the lavender roses from earlier. He immediately recognized her as Xiahu Yunhua in her disguise that she usually wore when she was performing. Other than him and his brother, it seemed like nobody else recognized her. Kang Yiyi''s rolled her eyes at the girl. "It''s the really popular entertainer. She''s probably similar to that bitch in terms of their awful and immoral ways. You know, I''m surprised that they even let trash come in here." Her reference was to Xiahu Yunhua and the popular entertainer. Zhou Feng''s eyes narrowed at her in a warning-stance and she only huffed. She didn''t understand why Feng''ge would bother to silently warn her to stop. She was speaking the truth, was she not? Zhou Lang saw Xiahu Yunhua and immediately wanted to give her the flowers, but he paused. She was in her disguise and it wouldn''t be fair to her if he exposed her identity. In the end, he decided to send the flowers back to his car to give to her later when they were alone. Even if Zhou Lang couldn''t approach her, it didn''t mean that Xiao Yunhua didn''t sit next to him. They casually chatted and ignored the stares of the people surrounding them. One stare in particular seemed was so frigid that Xiao Yunhua felt a chilly presence on her back. She turned around and her eyes met with Zhou Feng''s intense gaze. Even though he didn''t recognize it, there was jealousy swarming inside of his eyes. Xiao Yunhua turned around to ignore him, but she suddenly received a text. Opening her phone''s messages, she saw that it was from Zhou Feng. ''Meet me outside.'' She quickly replied ''no'' and turned off her phone before Zhou Lang could notice the name. Her phone buzzed again but she ignored it. Zhou Feng saw that she didn''t even bother to check her phone so he called instead. Xiao Yunhua saw his name flashing on her phone''s screen and, with panic, declined. She sent him an angry message of ''leave me alone!'' ''Not unless you meet me outside.'' Realizing that she didn''t have a choice, Xiao Yunhua took a deep breath and excused herself. Outside of the venue, she saw Zhou Feng waiting by his car... 37 1.1.37: Finally "Goddamnit, you idiot!" She angrily snapped when she stood next to him. "What do you think you''re doing?" Zhou Feng saw her anger and subconsciously found it cute. He wanted to embrace her after seeing her interact with Zhou Lang. "Xiahu Yunhua, sit next to me in the venue." He coldly demanded, reaching for her hand. Swiftly dodging, Xiao Yunhua wondered if he had gone mad. "Zhou Lang recognizes me with this mask! Besides, your fianc¨¦e is there! Zhou Feng, what do you mean of this?" What answered her was silence. Zhou Feng''s frigid eyes held no emotion other than the spark of jealousy that the system kept reminding her of. He crossed his arms and said, "Let''s leave then." "You are crazy! How could I miss the wedding of my employer!" The rest of the world didn''t know the true relationship between Wang Yaowan and her. They didn''t know that she currently resided in his mansion with Ni Ming. Hence, for Xiao Yunhua to call him an employer was proper and for her to be at his wedding wasn''t too misguided. "Xiahu Yunhua... I won''t repeat myself, go with me. I can''t stand¡ª" Zhou Feng paused. He didn''t dare finish his sentence. That was still a boundary that his heart wasn''t willing to cross. "Can''t stand what?" Xiao Yunhua''s eyes were filled with mockery. "Young master Zhou Feng, don''t forget to keep appropriate distance." Neither of the two noticed a young woman watching their interaction with clenched fists. Kang Yiyi never expected for the popular entertainer to be Xiahu Yunhua. No wonder Zhou Feng couldn''t keep his eyes off of her. This was simply seduction to a mad level! Jealousy scratched at Kang Yiyi''s heart as she saw the infamously cold man''s interaction with Xiahu Yunhua. What part of Xiahu Yunhua was better than her? She was the granddaughter of the rich and powerful Kang family! This woman was nothing; absolutely nothing. Kang Yiyi reached for her phone and dialed a number that she had hidden deeply in her contacts. "Hello?" A deep voice greeted in false cheerfulness. "I want her dead." Kang Yiyi harshly screeched. "Right now! Send your people or else I will¡ª" "Alright, alright!" The voice was no longer teasing, but was now full of fear. "Where?" "XX Wedding Venue! In less than five minutes, I want this bitch gone! She''s wearing a lavender dress and a mask." Kang Yiyi whispered angrily. "Hurry up!" The man''s gruff voice muttered a response and hung up. If it weren''t for the evidence that she had against them, then he would have never bothered with this bratty bitch! He immediately sent out a message to knock out the girl. Meanwhile, Xiao Yunhua didn''t want to speak to Zhou Feng any longer. She turned around to leave, luckily this time, not being stopped by Zhou Feng. The sound of her heels echoed on the street that she crossed. "Xiahu Yunhua, I will expose your identity if you leave." He suddenly called out. Xiao Yunhua stopped in horror. "You wouldn''t dare¡ª" She didn''t have the chance to complete her words. A car, driving at an impossible speed, slammed into her. Pain immediately erupted all over her body and her dress began to soak with scarlet. She heard a horrified voice yell her name, her false name, but she didn''t know who. Her vision was slowly blurring and her conscience slowly fading. It was exactly like the scenario in her first life. And exactly like her first life, she heard the same childish voice. <> And then she completely passed out. 38 1.2.1: The Tragedy of Han Mi ''Where am I?'' That was the first thing that Xiao Yunhua asked herself when she woke up. Did she dream the whole thing? Was there no system and was it all just her imagination? How tragic would it be if she were stuck in her previous life. How tragic would it be if she were to have no chance at change. She glanced around and saw that she was surrounded by sepia. Out of the corner of her eye, Xiao Yunhua saw a woman holding the hands of a man. The woman was familiar, but Xiao Yunhua didn''t know from where. The couple looked really happy and in love as they both walked inside of a small mansion. The scene shifted to another woman. This woman was beautiful, but not as beautiful as the previous woman. But unlike the previous woman with her kind features, this woman had the cold eyes of a snake and her face was contorted into jealousy. The previous woman had long, glossy black hair and a pair of gem-like black eyes. This woman... albeit beautiful, it was more like poison. A poison that could cause suffocation, a poison that would ruin all. And that''s exactly what she did. Xiao Yunhua watched as she framed the previous woman into having an affair; she watched as she continued to fill the mind of the man with lies. The injustice towards the previous woman was too overwhelming to the point that Xiao Yunhua wanted to help her. She sensed a feeling of comfort for the woman, as though they were close. Subconsciously, her eyes filled with tears of sympathy. This poor woman, why was she so mistreated? All through what seemed to be a movie-type-of scenario, there was no sound. But finally, Xiao Yunhua could hear the man shoo the woman away. "Han Mi, you... have ruined my trust in you." Han Mi? This was what happened to her adoptive grandmother? "Zhou Wulong, do you not trust me this much?" Han Mi''s tears kept falling. They''ve already had four children together, even grandchildren, yet he didn''t believe her. He believed fabricated rumors and evidence, he believed a snake. "What am I supposed to trust?" Zhou Wulong sighed with clenched fists. "I saw you with a man." Hearing his confirmation, Han Mi body shook and her eyes glimmered with desperation. This last strand of hope, has she lost it completely? The scene shifted again and Xiao Yunhua saw that a young version of Butler Luo informing Ling Xiu and Zhou Wulong about the demise of Han Mi. In reality, the scene shifted again to Butler Luo telling Ling Xiu that her planned worked and that Han Mi was dead. The devious woman was indeed overjoyed, but she never expected for Han Mi to survive the accident she planned for her. After surviving the incident, Han Mi had gone outside to a small village. Two years later, after fainting, the woman had gone to the doctor to found out that she was ill, but this was not an illness that they could cure. So, despite the awful memories, she still decided to go back to the capital, where she found out that she was suffering from early stages of leukemia. And by fate, Xiao Yunhua saw the scene of when she first met Han Mi. Her tears were continuous at this point. She didn''t stop crying because her precious grandmother had suffered so much. Even though she discovered her leukemia at an early point, Han Mi didn''t treat herself because treatment was so expensive and she preferred to raise Xiao Yunhua. Reminiscing about the past, Xiao Yunhua remembered that there were times where her grandmother easily got sick. Of course, she brushed it off as her grandmother being overly frail, but was she really? Was Han Mi suffering in silence? How awful was Karma to ignore this hardworking woman and to allow Ling Xiu, now Zhou Eldress, live in luxury? No, Karma didn''t seem to exist. Instead, Xiao Yunhua clenched her fists and reminded herself of her original goal: avenging Han Mi. The poor woman had suffered so much, it was only fair to let her rest peacefully knowing her wrongdoers were suffering. 39 1.2.2: New Target I The sepia disappeared and Xiao Taotao''s small frame popped before her. "Host!" She greeted with her childish voice, her silver eyes were vibrant with joy, "You''ve finally finished your first target!" "But how?" That moment was so unexpected. She didn''t plan for such an event at all! "Well, it triggered his emotions when you lied on the road soaked in blood, lifeless." "That''s... a descriptive image." Xiao Yunhua cringed and changed the topic, "So, will I move on to a new world now?" Xiao Taotao giggled and shook her head. "Of course not Host! A mission has multiple targets. You''ll be required to move to target number two! You know, you''re pretty lucky to get this target''s heart without any intimacy." "How many points will I get?" Xiao Taotao hesitated. "Well, you see, since Zhou Feng is basically on the same level as a prince because his family''s status is so high, it would be one hundred thousand points." Hearing the large number, Xiao Yunhua''s eyes glimmered with glee. But Xiao Taotao''s next words shattered her expectations, "But deducting tax¡ª" "Are you serious?" Xiao Taotao snickered, "Just joking! No tax¡ª" Xiao Yunhua was growing happy again until her expectations were shattered once more, "¡ªbut, many points will be deducted for taking so long." "How many?" Xiao Yunhua sighed. For her first target, she expected to get many points for the difficulty, but then again, so took so long to capture his heart. "Ah," Xiao Taotao pretended to ponder until her big, silver eyes widened in realization. "Half. The system wanted to deduct more, but luckily, I convinced it to have mercy!" Have mercy my ass. This was clearly a ripoff. "Hehe, Host, forgive me!" Xiao Yunhua blushed at her thoughts being exposed. She had forgotten that her thoughts could be heard in the grey, dimensional space. "So, adding on to your points you already had, you would total to 55,500 points!" Xiao Taotao explained meticulously. "Your Beauty Boost also allows for you to pick one free skill! Unfortunately, it''s limited from a list." Hey! You didn''t tell me that in the beginning!" Xiao Yunhua grumbled. "Whoops!" Xiao Taotao''s monarch butterfly wings fluttered around and she snapped her fingers. A short list of selections appeared before Xiao Yunhua. There was martial arts, hacking, playing every instrument, and mastering games. "What kind of instruments or games?" Xiao Yunhua pondered aloud. "From the popular instruments like piano to even the hard-to-learn guqin. For games, it could be a simple game of chess or go, to electronic games. Both are major cheats." Xiao Taotao explained. "Even though you''ve played the piano before, you''ve never really been a ''master'' necessarily." "I see..." Xiao Yunhua looked at the skills looming over her head and contemplated deeply. She couldn''t understand which one was most beneficial. In the end, she decided to go with martial arts. After all, she could''ve avoided the accident ordeal if she hadn''t been so weak. With martial arts, surely she''d be able to avoid any problems concerning physical movement. "Martial arts is a nice skill!" Xiao Taotao cheered with a thumbs up. "Unfortunately, it comes in three levels because it''s that good of a skill." "What a rip-off..." Xiao Yunhua grumbled underneath her breath. "Will I have to pay to upgrade?" "Of course! But, you can''t pay right now as neither of the upgrades are ready. When you truly need an upgrade, you''ll be notified!" Xiao Yunhua sighed deeply. "But..." It was like Xiao Taotao could hear her thoughts before Xiao Yunhua could voice them aloud, and the little fairy could, hence replying immediately. "No worries, level one is sufficient enough to defend yourself against people in this world!" Xiao Yunhua nodded. "Alright, now who caused my accident?" Xiao Taotao stared cheekily at Xiao Yunhua until the latter finally huffed. "Yes, I''ll pay with Pretty Points." Even without voicing her concern out loud, Xiao Yunhua knew what was going on in the thoughts of the little fairy. "That''ll be five hundred Pretty Points!" And Xiao Taotao snapped her fingers before Xiao Yunhua could change her mind. Even though she didn''t want to, Xiao Yunhua was still forced to pay such a ridiculously large amount of points. "The higher you go, the more points you''ll spend!" Xiao Taotao''s voice rung in the grey dimensional space. "But in that case, wouldn''t I never be allowed to leave this system?" Xiao Yunhua murmured with suspicion. Hearing her accusation, a brief flash of panic was seen in Xiao Taotao''s silver eyes before she blinked it away, ignoring the comment. Xiao Yunhua suddenly saw the scene of Kang Yiyi making a phone call to get her knocked out... literally. How the bratty granddaughter of the aristocratic Kang family knew what seemed to be a hooligan gang was a mystery... a mystery that she was going to have to solve later on, Xiao Yunhua was sure. 40 1.2.3: New Target II "Alright, so who''s my target now?" Xiao Yunhua asked Xiao Taotao once she finished seeing the scene of Kang Yiyi. "That..." Xiao Taotao''s sentence faltered and a mischievous glint bloomed in her eyes. "You''ll find out when you meet him!" Hearing the little fairy''s reply, Xiao Yunhua rolled her eyes. "If it''s anything like giving me a hard target again, especially on my first world, I''ll literally curse you and the system to death!" A loud thunderous rumble struck in the dimensional space, startling both the fairy and Xiao Yunhua. Awkwardly smiling at the sky, Xiao Yunhua bowed, "Sorry, sorry!" Clearly, the system didn''t like her words. But who could blame her? Such a difficult target for her first mission! Xiao Taotao snickered but suddenly, her eyes glazed. What seemed like eternity yet was only a few minutes passed and the little fairy returned to her normal sanity. "Alright, you''ve been granted an easy target this time. At least easy in the eyes of the system." "Who?" "You''ll see! By the way, you''re in the hospital right now, at least your physical form." Xiao Taotao reminded. "Your target is closer than you''d expect. As well as you''ve been in a coma for three months." "What the heck!?" Xiao Yunhua blurted out in shock. "Three months? It''s literally been a few hours at most!" Xiao Taotao shrugged her shoulders. "You see, the system works in mysterious ways. As well as we''ve taken the liberty to transfer you to a different hospital to make you meet your target easier." Xiao Yunhua once again questioned the logic behind suddenly whisking her out of a hospital and placing her in another one. But she didn''t question her concerns as Xiao Taotao answered them diligently. "No worries. We''ve added a ''scene'' in their heads where your guardians, Wang Yaowan and Ni Ming, have privately transferred you elsewhere. Despite the numerous resources of the powerful Zhou family, we''ve limited it to not be able to find you." "How..." Xiao Yunhua couldn''t find it in her to say ''how mortifying'' since the system manipulated everyone like little puppets. Even though Xiao Yunhua knew that Xiao Taotao could hear her thoughts, that didn''t prevent her from being afraid. To change the time, to change their memory, to change her physical body''s location... how did she manage to get herself tangled with such a dangerous thing? "Host," Xiao Taotao''s voice interrupted her thoughts, "would you like to buy any beauty upgrade materials?" "Couldn''t I just max the beauty right now?" Xiao Yunhua sighed. "It''s frustrating to pay for every individual piece of enhancer." "Not yet, but on your final target in every world, you can. For now, you could get a 50% enhance added for 1,000 points!" "You really enjoy ripping me off, right?" "Hehe, I''ll take that as confirmation!" A surge filled Xiao Yunhua and she could feel her features becoming more and more inhumanely beautiful. She didn''t have the chance to even stare at a mirror as Xiao Taotao said, "Host, you''ll be transferred right... now!" And Xiao Taotao snapped her fingers again. All of a sudden, pain erupted all over Xiao Yunhua''s body. This pain numbed, yet was still a consist buzz that could be ignored, albeit there. Slowly fluttering her eyelids, her blurred vision began to become more clear as seconds went by. She tried to turn her neck to see where she was, but the numbing pain became intolerable, hence she decided to not move. She opened her mouth to speak, but realized that her lips were very chapped and her throat was abnormally dry. Even if she couldn''t move her head or her neck, Xiao Yunhua still used her eyes to analyze where she was. Just like the system had promised, she was in an unfamiliar hospital. From all the hospitals she had been to, this one was very different. The scent of medicine was evident, but it surprisingly didn''t bother her as it was mixed with something herbal, immediately soothing her body. Even though she despised hospitals because of what happened to Han Mi, she wasn''t uncomfortable in this room. Speaking of the room, it seemed like it was a private room as it brimmed with extravagant equipment and she was alone. The bed she rested on was soft yet comfy, the perfect combination for a healing patient. Suddenly, the door opened and a woman walked in. The woman wore a white and clean uniform and held a clipboard as she took Xiao Yunhua''s vitals from the machines. When she turned around, the woman was surprised to see Xiao Yunhua staring at her. Fumbling with her clipboard, the woman immediately dialed the main office to inform the doctor that the patient was awake. Xiao Yunhua watched in amusement as the woman seemed a bit clumsy. The woman was familiar and Xiao Yunhua was sure they had met before. Reminiscing through her memories, she remembered the woman as Ling Qiu, the nurse that helped her when she blacked out as she met her grandmother in the hospital. But if Ling Qiu was here then... Xiao Yunhua''s eyes followed the movement of the doorknob and she saw a familiar face entering. The familiar face belonged to Dr. Qiang Yue, the good man that didn''t lie regarding Han Mi''s condition. All of a sudden, the same childish voice rung in Xiao Yunhua''s head. <> 41 1.2.4: Ruined Wedding ''Isn''t it kind of awkward to make someone older than me fall in love with me?'' Xiao Yunhua mentally asked Xiao Taotao. ''Besides, I''m sure that the nurse likes him. And she''s so nice, how could I do such an awful thing?'' <> Remembering the astonishingly large number of points needed to use to change targets, Xiao Yunhua paled. When Qiang Yue saw this, he assumed it was because she was feeling pain. Immediately Ling Qiu fed her a pill and helped her drink some water. Feeling a bit better, Xiao Yunhua''s hoarse voice asked, "Where am I?" "Miss Xiahu." Qiang Yue politely answered as he looked at the frail woman. Even though she looked extremely frail and fragile enough to break with a small push, she was easily the most beautiful woman he had ever seen with her lusciously flowing ebony hair, honey colored eyes, and pale skin. Even though she looked quite different than what was in her profile, Qiang Yue knew that she was still the same patient. Being comatose for three months had a tendency to change appearance via growing much skinner, paler, etcetera. But to change this much was truly a miracle. If she were to gain back a little weight, then her beauty would easily be on the same level as the international supermodels. "You are currently in SX Hospital." He explained, "After your accident involving the hit-and-run, you were comatose for three months. Your guardians have been informed and are on the way." Even though Xiao Yunhua had heard Xiao Taotao explain this to her already, but to hear that she was comatose for so long was overwhelming. She tried to sit up, but once again, she was very weak as pain erupted inside of her body. "Miss Xiahu, you most likely need physical therapy to regain your physical movement. Nurse Ling will help you by massaging your legs and arms every day to help the process. I believe after a few weeks, you should be good to go." He indicated for Ling Qiu to adjust the patient''s bed to sit up, no longer flat. "Thank you." Despite her voice being hoarse, Xiao Yunhua''s vulnerable soft voice tugged a heartstring of Qiang Yue''s heart. For someone who was in her early twenties, it was so tragic for such a thing to happen to her. Qiang Yue nodded and turned around to leave along with Ling Qiu. When they opened the door, they were startled to see a handsome man with long, silver hair and a regal face with cold eyes walk in. The man was Wang Yaowan, one of her guardians. Qiang Yue nodded in greeting and the man did the same thing. Qiang Yue turned around to look at Xiahu Yunhua one last time, but then closed the door to give them their privacy. "Are you feeling alright?" Was the first thing Wang Yaowan murmured when he saw Xiao Yunhua. "I''ve had worse days." Xiao Yunhua joked despite her hoarse voice. "Where is Ni Ming?" "She''s on her way, I decided to come first. Little girl, you really did scare us." Xiao Yunhua sighed, the movement causing her chest to hurt. "I''m sorry, it wasn''t anything on my agenda... How did the wedding go?" At her question, Wang Yaowan averted his eyes. "Don''t tell me..." Xiao Yunhua was stupid. She could clearly see what the man was indicating by her silence. "You guys stopped the wedding?" He nodded and Xiao Yunhua immediately began to cry. "I can''t believe I ruined your wedding. I feel so awful! The wedding that you and Ni Ming had been looking forward to, the wedding that had been planned for months... I know an apology can''t suffice, but I''m sorry." As she emotionally bawled her eyes out, she felt a strong pair of arms wrap themselves around her. Wang Yaowan patted her head and reassured, "It wasn''t your fault. You''re very dear, to both of us. Nobody expected that incident." "But only if I didn''t go outside!" She deeply regretted going to meet Zhou Feng. The familiar sense of resentment that had been hidden since her teenage years was beginning to resurface once again. But surprisingly, the system didn''t try to stop it like always. Xiao Yunhua realized that since Zhou Feng wasn''t a target anymore, she could resent him all she wanted! And that''s how she felt. If it wasn''t because he decided to take her outside, conjuring Kang Yiyi''s jealousy, then none of this nonsense would''ve happened! Her tears seemed nonstop and Wang Yaowan kept trying to comfort her. Thanks to her enhanced senses, she immediately realized that someone had quietly opened the door and was watching them. Immediately recognizing that person as Ni Ming and not wanting her to misinterpret the situation, Xiao Yunhua smiled and said, "Wang Yaowan, thank you. You, Ni Ming, and Mrs. Bao are the only family I have in this world." Wang Yaowan didn''t react much and only nodded. Suddenly, the door opened even further and Ni Ming walked in. 42 1.2.5: Must Qui "Little girl!" Ni Ming''s dramatically gasped. Her playful eyes were still evident despite her dramatized behavior. "You''re awake!" Wang Yaowan released Xiao Yunhua from his hug and Ni Ming immediately replaced him with hugging her. Her nature was more gentle than Wang Yaowan. "Ni Ming..." Xiao Yunhua whispered with fresh tears filling her eyes, "I''m so sorry. I deeply feel remorseful because I ruined your wedding..." "Unintentionally!" Ni Ming interrupted. One of her hands clenched into a fist and she raised it in the air. "Why, if I find out who had the gall to try to murder you, I''ll¡ª" "Murder?" This was only a fact that she knew, how they did find out? "Yes! The entire area was reserved for the wedding, but suddenly, a car directly aimed for you!" Ni Ming explained. "In fact, the car didn''t even have a license plate either, at least according to the surveillance cameras." What kind of a gang had Kang Yiyi gotten herself into? She shivered for in sympathy for the girl, but Ni Ming interpreted her shiver as her own fear. "There, there. Yaowan and I have talked... Yunhua, it''s best if you don''t do any performances any more." "Why!?" Once she felt better, she could continue. Even though she originally the job started as a way of getting the attention of her target, over the years, it grew to be something she enjoyed. Not many would say her profession was exactly ''clean'', but only Xiao Yunhua knew that she wasn''t doing anything unethical. All she did was sing and look beautiful. Yes, that was mainly the reason she was so disappointed. She looked beautifully glamorous on her platform. "Because we have deducted that it was most likely due to being the popular entertainer that someone wanted to murder you. Quitting is the only way to keep you safe." "But they don''t know¡ª" her mask. That was a big giveaway as she wore it at the wedding. Since the two didn''t see the truth like she did, of course they would assume that it was most likely that case. In fact, if Xiao Yunhua hadn''t seen that scene, then she would believe that as well. "I... understand." Hesitantly, all Xiao Yunhua could do was agree. Even if she did go back, Kang Yiyi would''ve most likely exposed her identity. Her element of ''mystery'' would''ve no longer been retained and she would''ve been just another entertainer, meaning her mask would''ve become completely unnecessary. "Good girl!" Ni Ming complimented, almost like she was treating Xiao Yunhua like a child. Which for as long as they''ve known each other, the woman had. And even though Xiao Yunhua didn''t like it when others did so, she didn''t mind if Ni Ming was doing it. The woman was one of her benefactors. Suddenly, Ni Ming released Xiao Yunhua from her hug and walked towards Wang Yaowan. She whispered something in his ear and they both began to scrutinize her deeply. A few seconds later, Wang Yaowan nodded. "I told you!" Ni Ming exclaimed, "She looks so different! It''s impossible yet in her case, completely possible." "Yunhua, are you our Yunhua? Or did aliens take over?" Seeing the cold Wang Yaowan try to crack a joke, both women rolled their eyes and his ears turned red. "I''m definitely Yunhua." Xiao Yunhua stated confidently. The two looked relieved until she uttered her next words, "But I''ve lied about one thing..." 43 1.2.6: Truth "What do you mean by that?" Wang Yaowan asked with a skeptical look. "I..." Xiao Yunhua took a deep breath, once again her chest hurting because of the movement. She looked to see both of her benefactors quiet, even the playful Ni Ming. They had a serious look on their faces and were waiting for her to clarify her words. "My real name is Xiao Yunhua. Xiahu was just a surname I made up on the spot when I asked Wang Yaowan for a job." An intense silence filled the hospital room when she uttered those words. The only sound was the sound of their breathing as they tried to take that information in. "But why?" Ni Ming finally spoke, her arms crossed. She looked to be a bit disappointed because all these years, they''ve lived with a liar. "It''s a long story." These four words were all Xiao Yunhua could say. Indeed, her life in this world was truly too dramatic. So dramatic that it could have been made into some type of story. "I have time." Ni Ming didn''t allow her to dodge the explanation as she pulled Wang Yaowan to sit down. The couple glanced at Xiao Yunhua to explain everything. Even though she was still hesitant about sharing her experience ever since Han Mi''s death, in the end, these were her benefactors. She could trust them as they''ve taken care of her for all these years. She opened her mouth and everything from the moment of her adoption was revealed. She told them about how Zhou Lang and Zhou Feng watched her get bullied to death when she was eight. She told them how Han Mi took her in as her biological granddaughter. About getting misunderstood, about getting expelled, about being homeless for a little bit... every little mishap, she told them all. By the end of it, not only Xiao Yunhua, but Ni Ming had tears streaming down nonstop. Even Wang Yaowan''s usual cold eyes seemed mellowed down, filled with sympathy. "Little girl, you must''ve sinned in your previous life to get stuck with such fortune in this life!" Ni Ming sobbed as she wrapped her arms around Xiao Yunhua. Ironically, that was the most illogical answer. In her last lifetime, she had suffered too. In fact, it was because it was so awful and her trauma that she decided to cut her string of life. If committing suicide was her so-called ''sin'' to get her this awful lifetime, then she had no words... After a few minutes of comforting silence, Xiao Yunhua immediately begged them to keep it quiet. "No one must know! Absolutely no one." They both nodded. Suddenly, Wang Yaowan''s phone buzzed with a text. Checking the content, he sighed. "It''s him again." By the tone of his voice, whoever the message was from seemed to text Wang Yaowan recently. And Wang Yaowan didn''t sound too thrilled, either. "Really?" Ni Ming glanced at Xiao Yunhua as she spoke. "Maybe we should tell her?" "Tell me what?" What were they keeping from her? It obviously had something to do with the text Wang Yaowan just received. "That was Zhou Lang. He was asking about you, like he always does." Wang Yaowan answered. "Always?" "Yunhua..." Ni Ming sighed and stood up. Wang Yaowan nodded in permission as he understood what she was going to do. She swiped through the numerous texts sent by Zhou Lang in regards to Xiahu Yunhua. "Throughout these three months, we''ve arranged to privately have you recover from your accident because we didn''t want the person who attempted to murder you to get another chance." Looks like Xiao Taotao was right. The system had taken the liberty to ''insert'' a scene in their heads. "And Zhou Lang has been constantly bothering us, trying to find out where you are. The poor boy is worried to death." Xiao Yunhua closed her eyes, trying to absorb all their information. Finally, with a look of exhaustion, she reluctantly said, "Don''t tell him anything about where I am for a little bit longer. My physical therapy will last for a few weeks, so until then..." "But that''s so cruel." Ni Ming muttered. "It''s alright. He''s endured for three months, I''m sure that he can endure for a bit longer." Wang Yaowan said, making both Xiao Yunhua and Ni Ming speechless. "I''m going to break up with him." Xiao Yunhua sputtered. "When I see him, I''m going to break it off completely." The couple looked at each other, knowingly, and Ni Ming inquired, "Is it because of Zhou Feng?" Hearing Ni Ming''s words, Xiao Yunhua paled. "Absolutely not!" By the look on Ni Ming''s face, the woman clearly did not believe her. "Yunhua, I thought that your nonexistent feelings could develop slowly for Zhou Lang, but I see that''s clearly not the case. That night, you were with Zhou Feng, weren''t you..." Xiao Yunhua paled even more, not believing that Ni Ming had already figured everything out. "No, I don''t plan for anything to happen between us!" And she really didn''t. After all, he wasn''t her target anymore. Ni Ming ignored her words and continued, "Yunhua, not only Zhou Lang, but Zhou Feng has been asking about you. After all, he was with you when the incident happened..." By all these clues, Xiao Yunhua could easily see why they thought that she was dumping Zhou Lang for his brother. But she really did not plan to be around the Zhou brothers any longer! "Ni Ming, trust me, I don''t like him. I hold no emotions for either of them." By the tone of Xiao Yunhua''s words, she was completely serious. And by the look in her unwavering eyes, Ni Ming and Wang Yaowan understood that she was joking. She really didn''t feel anything for Zhou Feng and they had overthought the situation. "I hope so..." Ni Ming muttered, "Or else there''d be many problems if you were to suddenly date another Zhou family prince..." 44 1.2.7: Depression After clarifying her relationship with Zhou Feng and telling Wang Yaowan and Ni Ming that she was sticking to her decision of breaking it off with Zhou Lang, the couple left and promised to visit again soon as the sky was beginning to grow dark. Xiao Yunhua sighed and prayed that once she finished with her second target, she could leave. Revenge was still on her agenda, but she was tired. Exhausted. Broken. To have such a problematic life, it was better if she didn''t accept the system at all. A feeling of nausea hit her right as she thought that idea and she immediately buzzed for Ling Qiu to help her. "Dear, you mustn''t stress yourself." Ling Qiu patted her back and helped her by massaging her arms and legs. The muscles hadn''t been active for three months, so Xiao Yunhua felt like jelly. Or more like something heavy that prevented her from doing anything. "Nurse Ling, I..." What was she supposed to say? She was feeling deeply depressed for some odd reason. "Can I sit by the window to see the view?" "Not yet, since you just woke up and there''s a chance of getting sick. Soon, when you can move around, then yes." Hearing Ling Qiu''s reply, Xiao Yunhua''s eyes dulled. Why was she suddenly feeling so melancholic? Ling Qiu sensed the young woman feeling a bit under the weather, so she gave her a pill to help her sleep. Fortunately, over the next couple of weeks, the sudden wave of depression seemed to have lessened. But as soon as she could walk, Xiao Yunhua would always stare out the window, like she was looking for something. What she was looking for, she had no clue. She just had a feeling of claustrophobia. Maybe it was due to her dislike of hospitals, maybe it was something else. Either way, the view was nice. Wang Yaowan and Ni Ming had managed to get one of the best private rooms, so the view being nice wasn''t completely unexpected. But as she behaved quieter and quieter every day, Wang Yaowan and Ni Ming grew worried. They discussed with Dr. Qiang Yue and it seemed like letting her walk around in the park nearby was a good solution. So Ling Qiu helped Xiao Yunhua and they walked around in the park. Breathing in the fresh air, Xiao Yunhua smiled in relief. She had been smelling medicine for the past few weeks, so this was a nice change. "Miss Xiahu, we can''t stay for too long. You may get sick." But Xiao Yunhua didn''t pay Ling Qiu any mind and wandered around in the green. Sitting at a park bench, she raised her legs and wrapped her arms around them, causing her long, wavy hair to cover her face. Ling Qiu was the scene and was instantly heartbroken. This patient, she had seen it in the past few weeks... this patient was too fragile. Especially with her current physique, she could be blown away by a simple wind. "Miss Xiahu, we must go back now." Xiao Yunhua nodded and both young women went back. 45 1.2.8: Momentarily in His Embrace "Miss Xiahu, how are you feeling today?" Dr. Qiang Yue asked her like he had asked her for the past few weeks. It had become a daily habit for the man to come and check her vitals taken by Ling Qiu. "I''m better." Xiao Yunhua answered with a small smile. Qiang Yue frowned at how frail she seemed as she smiled. She had lost too much weight despite trying to recover from the coma. It''s been a few weeks, but her fragility was still present. Her face was hollowed due to the weight loss and her body was like a twig, ready to snap at any time. Qiang Yue felt deep sympathy for the woman. To suffer like so at her age, which was quite young, was too pitiful. "Well, luckily that your muscles are used to movement and you can be released at any time. Unfortunately, due to the abnormal weight loss and the sudden wave of depression that we see, you''ll have to be monitored here for a bit longer." Xiao Yunhua opened her mouth to retort in disagreement, but Qiang Yue quickly added, "Mr. Wang and Ms. Ni have arranged it already. They wish for you to be completely healthy before leaving the hospital." Xiao Yunhua sighed, her honey colored eyes looking dull. Qiang Yue saw the aura around her become thicker with woe and he quickly reassured, "Ling Qiu will still take you out to exercise your leg muscles during this time." "But it''s so boring." Xiao Yunhua childishly huffed, she tried to get up from the patient bed, but ended up slipping. Expecting for the floor to meet her face, she was surprised to find herself in a warm embrace. A whiff of cologne filled her nostrils and she blushed, like a rose blooming on her flawlessly pale face. "Miss Xiahu, are you alright?" Qiang Yue murmured, making Xiao Yunhua blush even deeper. Being so close to Qiang Yue, she could see the outline of his washboard abdominal muscles behind his maroon dress shirt and tie. Paired with his white lab coat and gentle eyes, he looked very handsome. "Y-Yes," she stuttered shyly as she tried to get up, "thank you for catching me." "No problem." Qiang Yue didn''t feel flustered in the least bit. He helped his patient get up and lie back on her bed. "Doctor, can''t I walk around for some fresh air?" Xiao Yunhua asked quietly before he left. Qiang Yue was going to nod but then remembered that Ling Qiu was already gone for the day. As Xiahu Yunhua was a special patient and her guardians requested for the utmost privacy, he couldn''t get another nurse to help her. In this end, after much contemplation, he agreed. "I''ll walk with you." After all, he didn''t have anything else planned except for reading over some reports in his office. A little walk wouldn''t hurt, and he didn''t mind the break either. He couldn''t let Xiahu Yunhua walk alone as she was still a patient that was comatose for so long. This solution was satisfactory. "Alright." Xiao Yunhua didn''t mind the opportunity of spending some time with her second target. In fact, this would help her get closer to her goal. She saw Qiang Yue extend his hand in her direction, to help her get up. With slight hesitance, Xiao Yunhua gripped his hand and stood up. Awkwardly shaking his hand off, she wobbled beside him as they walked around in the floor of private rooms. Qiang Yue''s long legs were walking very slow to allow the much-shorter woman to keep up with his pace. He wanted to chuckle aloud at how cute she was behaving. Like a duck that was beginning to swim for the first time. Even though she was already walking, it would still take a full month or so for her to return to walking normal. She had been completely inactive for three months, so it wasn''t completely unreasonable. 46 1.2.9: Their Conversation As Qiang Yue slowed down his pace, they walked side by side around. Xiao Yunhua didn''t like the awkward silence so she tried to start a conversation. "So how long have you been a doctor?" Qiang Yue glanced at the small trying to start a conversation and he gently smiled. "A decade or so. Although I don''t have as much experience as some seniors here in SX Hospital since I recently transferred over here." A decade or so? But he looked so young! "How old are you?" Xiao Yunhua blurted out loud and then immediately muttered an apology afterwards. To ask someone their age, especially since they were technically strangers, how improper was she acting!? Qiang Yue noticed the remorse in her shy eyes and his gentle smile didn''t cease. "I''m thirty-two." He wasn''t that old... was the first thought that popped inside of Xiao Yunhua''s head. He was still in his prime time and Xiao Yunhua was surprised that he didn''t have a girlfriend. How did she make that assumption? Well for one, Xiao Taotao had told her. And two, she hadn''t seen him get close to any girls thanks to her enhanced senses, including her observation skills. He was always politely reserved, keeping a fair distance between anyone of the opposite gender that he spoke with. This not only kept proper distances, but it also didn''t allow for any rumors to float around. According to the occasional times that she gossiped with Ling Qiu, Qiang Yue was immensely popular at the hospital and the dream lover of many of the single, and a few married, nurses. Many female patients would even purposely come here, just to be diagnosed by him. Thanks to this, the hospital had profited numerously. But it was just his handsome looks. He was talented in his line of work and deeply was concerned for every patient of his, making him the ideal son-in-law for many of his elderly patients. Xiao Yunhua was confused on how she was going to make such an outstanding man fall for someone like her. Despite being beautiful, her confidence was still low. This low confidence of hers was what kept her from boldly speaking to him like she would with Zhou Feng. As Zhou Feng had hurt her, she didn''t mind speaking brazenly to him. But Qiang Yue was the honest man that had admitted to her Han Mi''s condition despite going against his father''s wishes. "You''re very young..." she mumbled extremely quietly, but somehow his sharp ears picked her words up. "Miss Xiahu is young as well. Twenty-two, was it?" Twenty-two? She was twenty-one... Xiao Yunhua''s thoughts faltered. She had already had her birthday in these past three months and was already twenty-two. Wow... Time did fly, at least in her case. "I guess. I think I missed my birthday while being in the sleeping beauty trance for the past few months." Even though she was disappointed that she couldn''t celebrate her birthday with her benefactors and Mrs. Bao like always, she still joked around in front of the doctor to seem strong. But despite her joking attitude, Qiang Yue still sensed her disappointment. As he didn''t like for his patients to be sad, especially one that was suffering through depression and this instance didn''t help her case, he decided to do something. "Follow me," he suddenly said and began to stride forward. He saw that she was still rooted in the same spot, so Qiang Yue decided to be impulsive for once in his life and grabbed her hand, pulling her along... 47 1.2.10: Happy Belated Birthday Xiao Yunhua was absolutely stunned when she saw the usual reserved doctor grab her hand and pull her along. They walked with their hands clasped until they reached the elevator. Once inside, Qiang Yue still didn''t release her hand and they listened to an upbeat elevator music for a minute or two. They finally stopped at a floor that was labeled as "Staff Cafeteria". What was expected as buzzing was quiet as it was a bit late into the night. A few people were still working and cleaning some things up. Once they saw Qiang Yue, they smiled and ushered him over. Indeed, he was very popular like the rumors if smiles were the only thing that greeted him everywhere he went. An elderly cafeteria woman saw him and happily greeted him. Once she saw his hand holding hers, she immediately teased the doctor about, who actually remained unbothered. He gently released Xiao Yunhua''s hand and told her to sit at a table to wait for him. Xiao Yunhua nodded obediently and sat down at the nearest table, her fingers impatiently drumming on the table. Despite sitting here, she didn''t mind as it beat lying on her hospital bed alone any day. This large cafeteria was an open space, different from her room. But Xiao Yunhua was surprised that he brought her to the staff cafeteria for something. She hoped that he wouldn''t get in trouble for bringing a patient there; in fact, she would feel awful if he did and it was because of her. While lost in her thoughts, she didn''t see him bring a plate in her direction. On the plate was a small, pink cupcake with a single candle burning brightly on top of it. The more he brought it forward, the more he realized that his silly patient was zoned out. He placed the plate in front of her, startling her into attention. Her honey colored eyes widened in shock when she saw what was before her. "Happy belated birthday." His smile was gentle, like with everyone else, but Xiao Yunhua nevertheless was charmed. This angelic man... Such an angelic man was too good for her. Xiao Yunhua''s cheeks were warm with salty tears of joy. Her usual feeling of claustrophobia was gone at this moment, and all she could feel was gratitude. "Thank you." Even she didn''t understand why she was so emotional, but she could acknowledge that this man had thoroughly won her respect and appreciation. Why did the system pick this man? Was it because of his generosity? His kindness? His attitude could never be pegged as the same attitude as the childish Zhou family princes. The fact that he was related to Butler Luo was a mystery because Butler Luo played a role in getting rid of Han Mi. They say that the apple doesn''t fall far from the tree, but this apple... this apple has fallen all the way on the other side of the garden, away from the sinning tree. And she deeply hoped that it would stay that way. She would hate for Qiang Yue to fall on the wrong path, no matter the reason. His heart was kind and white. It would be a shame if it were to splash with any black. And, unfortunately, for the color black, once a drop is mixed in, it would spread and never return to its original state. Meanwhile Qiang Yue nodded when he saw how happy she was at his simple act of kindness. He told her to blow out the candle after making a wish. Even though her birthday was over, Qiang Yue still wanted to help her feel a little better about herself and not be so disappointed like earlier. Xiao Yunhua took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Deep, deep in her heart, her silent wish was revealed: ''I wish that I don''t end up hurting this man because of the selfishness of the system.'' And then she blew out the candle with one large blow of wind... 48 1.2.11: Let’s Be Friends After that incident, Xiao Yunhua had lost whatever layer of awkwardness she held around Qiang Yue. In fact, they became some type of friends. Well, as friendly as one could get with their target. It had been two weeks after, and she was slowly making her advances known. Today was the day that she was going to be leaving the hospital. Today was also the day that she planned on breaking up with Zhou Lang. She didn''t want to be that type of person that went confessing to someone despite dating someone else. Even though she was still very skinny, at least she held a healthy glow and she wasn''t feeling much depression like before. And she was beginning to walk completely normal, like before her accident. Her weight would slowly be filled in over the next few weeks or months, so she didn''t worry. She was currently dressed in a furry, white winter coat with a pair of fuzzy white boots and black leggings. It was currently December and Christmas was going to happen next week. Everywhere, Christmas trees had been decorated and adorned. It hadn''t snowed, but that didn''t stop the festive mood everywhere, including the hospital. Xiao Yunhua ran her fingers across her long hair that had dried out during her coma. But luckily, Ling Qiu had helped to maintain it back to its original, luscious state that it was in at the moment. Ni Ming had helped dropped these clothes off along with helping Xiao Yunhua curl her hair into beach curls. Xiao Yunhua''s pale face was flushed and her lips were a rosy red. Overall, she looked beautiful. This was the first thought that entered Qiang Yue''s mind when he saw her pacing back and forth in her hospital room. "Miss Xiahu," he greeted with his usual kind smile, "as of this moment, when you sign these documents, you should be ready and okay to go!" Xiao Yunhua nodded and her slender fingers picked up the pen readied next to the documents and paperwork. Qiang Yue watched her delicate signature on all the pages and he felt a bit disappointed that he would probably never see her again after this day. Once she stopped writing and placed the pen down, she got up and said, "I guess this is the last time that I''ll call you doctor." Her hand was stretched to shake his, in a way of thanks for all of his hard work. Qiang Yue nodded and took her hand, shaking it firmly. "Miss Xiahu, take care of yourself. Ling Qiu couldn''t be here to bid you goodbye due to having an emergency and taking the day off. But she did tell me to tell you to take care of yourself." Xiao Yunhua smiled at the thought of the sweet nurse that had taken care of her all this time. Not only did she have a great sense of humor, but she was also the sweetest person that had a heart of gold. She was disappointed that she couldn''t see Ling Qiu for one last time, but she did understand emergencies. She hoped that the woman wasn''t dealing with anything too overwhelming and could have her problems resolved soon. Xiao Yunhua and Qiang Yue didn''t say any more words and then she turned around, leaving the hospital room that she would never visit again as a patient. Or at least she hoped. Qiang Yue sighed and turned around to leave as well, but he was shocked to see Xiao Yunhua standing behind him outside of the room. She was fidgeting nervously, but paused when she saw him come out as well. "Miss Xiahu... isn''t there anything else you need?" Xiao Yunhua took a deep breath and said, "Qiang Yue," shocking the doctor because this was the first time that she uttered his name, "as I''m no longer your patient, let''s be friends." When she said those words, a brief silence followed. Qiang Yue had never been in such an awkward position, but in the end, he found himself agreeing. "That''s fine, Miss Xiahu¡ª" "Call me Yunhua." Not only would it signify their friendship but she also hated hearing her fake surname as it reminded her of her false persona that she had to adopt. "Okay Yunhua." Her name coming off of his lips sounds so sensational to Xiao Yunhua''s ears. She blamed the system for making him irresistible. She blamed him for being so irresistible and gentle. She only awkwardly nodded and asked him for his phone number. Friends had each other''s phone numbers, right? At least that''s what Qiang Yue thought to make the interaction less uncomfortable. Xiao Yunhua smiled happily and then she quickly left to wait for Wang Yaowan to pick her up. 49 1.2.12: Breaking Up I "How are you feeling?" Wang Yaowan asked her the moment that she stepped inside of the car. Xiao Yunhua smiled, "Relieved that I can finally get out of the hospital and walk freely anywhere I want." Wang Yaowan nodded and he began to drive, an awkward silence filling the car. Xiao Yunhua didn''t mind and turned her head, her eyes taking in everything they drove by from the passenger seat window. Occasionally, they would blur by, but sometimes, Wang Yaowan drove slowly and she could see and admire the gaze of the city decorated in Christmas decor. Trees, lights, everything was perfect. Xiao Yunhua saw how people walked around, still shopping at the last minute. She saw how people smiled and bundled with their winter gear. It was really a time of year that brought everyone together. Unfortunately, she hadn''t spent this time of year with Han Mi in so long. Luckily, she did have her benefactors and Mrs. Bao to spend the holidays with. Thinking of her adoptive grandmother, Xiao Yunhua felt her eyes subconsciously fill with tears. In her coma, she had missed her grandmother''s death anniversary. Every year, she would go and pay some type of respect to the grave that Xiao Taotao and the system had arranged for Han Mi. Unfortunately, she didn''t have the opportunity to do this year. Despite being late, Xiao Yunhua promised herself to go and pay her respects later. "Yunhua," Wang Yaowan suddenly said, breaking the silence in the car when he stopped at a traffic light. She turned around and glanced at the abnormally handsome man with long, silver hair. His cold eyes were filled with an unfamiliar type of warmth as he spoke with her, almost like he treated her with extra care. Like she was too fragile. He pulled something out and Xiao Yunhua immediately recognized it as her phone. The same phone that had been shut off for the past three months almost four. "I thought you''d want this." She extended her hand and took it from his, their hands brushing for a few seconds. She quickly looked away and ignored him, while he seemed mainly unaffected as well. Neither spoke much afterwards as Wang Yaowan drove, leaving Xiao Yunhua to deal with her phone. When she turned it on, she was astonished by the number of notifications, missed calls, and texts that flooded the phone. Many of them were from either Zhou Lang or Zhou Feng. But some were from other people. She opened the texts from Zhou Lang and felt so guilty when she saw how much concern he was showing. She opened Zhou Feng''s texts and saw many words that one would''ve never expected from the infamously cold young master. Throughout all the things he had sent, the last one had stood out. ''I''m sorry.'' Xiao Yunhua dryly chuckled. Her guilt that she felt earlier had dissipated and in its place was anger. All these problems, and he could only utter two words¡ªthat greatly harmed his pride¡ªand everything would be fixed. Did he really think that she would forgive him? She was no saint nor an unrealistically angelic Mary Sue. She was a human being that had gone through so much, from a picture perfect life with her grandmother to a shunned so-called ''slut''. For all these grievances, she wasn''t going to accept two words that were most likely sputtered in the heat of the moment. She ignored Zhou Feng and dialed Zhou Lang. She expected that he would pick up, but surprisingly, he didn''t answer. Seeing as her call didn''t go through, she sent a text instead. ''We need to talk.'' And then she put her phone away. Meanwhile, a young man that was passed out in an unfamiliar place slowly began to awaken when he heard his phone ring. Not bothering with the dumb device and expecting it to be his family nagging at him like always, he ignored the call and stood up. Staggering out, Zhou Lang panicked when he realized that he didn''t know where he was at. The stench of alcohol roamed in the air as well as slight vomit. He had a massive headache but was slowly returning to his senses. He looked around to see quite a lot of people passed out like him, all either waking up slowly or sleeping without a care. From what Zhou Lang could remember, he had been glumly drinking at Riverside like he had done in the past few months without Xiahu Yunhua. Then, a friend of his had asked him to come to a party, and his drunk mind had agreed. Then he was in this mess. Zhou Lang didn''t waste any more time in the place and grabbed his phone. Once he found his car, he began to drive despite being hungover. His headache was overwhelming and Zhou Lang quickly dug around in his car for some medicine. Finding some relief a few minutes later, he drove home without any more worries. As he parked his car, he finally decided to check his phone to see who was bothering him earlier. Seeing the name ''Xiahu Yunhua'' on the screen, Zhou Lang nearly dropped his phone in shock. He rubbed his eyes, fearing it was a hallucination, but no matter what he did, the name didn''t disappear. Hope bloomed in his dead heart after so long. But after seeing her text, a sense of fear filled him. What did she want to talk about? 50 1.2.13: Breaking Up II Xiao Yunhua checked her phone to see that Zhou Lang had finally replied. ''Sure, where do you want to meet? Are you alright? How are you feeling?'' Guilt filled her when she saw his concerned questions. How was she going to do this without hurting him? It was nearly impossible as the man was this attached to her already. ''Let''s meet somewhere private.'' Was all that she could answer. She ignored his other two statements and didn''t want to drag on an awkward conversation, but Xiao Yunhua didn''t realize that her blunt words had stung for Zhou Lang on the other end. Nonetheless, the man pretended that he wasn''t affected and quickly arranged for a private room in one of the best restaurants in the city. He texted her the address and time and then put his phone away. Slumping down with a sigh, Zhou Lang worried that his fear was going to come true. That it was inevitable. She was going to leave him, wasn''t she? Despite being afraid, Zhou Lang shook off his worries and assured himself that she was probably going to meet up with him to see him after so long. After all, she was in the hospital for so long. Meanwhile Xiao Yunhua saw that he wanted to meet up at 8:00 P.M. in a restaurant. Gathering her things, she quickly asked for Ni Ming to help her get ready. The older woman had immediately realized what was going to happen based on the context clue of ''meeting Zhou Lang'' and she couldn''t help but feel sympathy. "You know, you could always try harder to feel some type of emotion for the poor guy." "I don''t want to hurt him by giving him false hope." One sentence from Xiao Yunhua and Ni Ming didn''t speak any further. She helped Xiao Yunhua by curling her hair slightly and helping her pick out a simplistic outfit covered by her winter coat. Her makeup was natural and for the first time in a long time, Xiao Yunhua looked like a normal college girl. She didn''t look like the temptress that sang at Riverside nor did she look extraordinary beautiful with her features refined by the makeup, she looked normal. As normal as she could be despite her appearance. Shakingly getting up, Xiao Yunhua gripped Ni Ming''s hand in hers and whispered, "I''m an awful person." Once upon a time, she wouldn''t have dared to think that she could have a boyfriend in her previous life. Once upon a time, dating a man that was much more handsome than Jiang Rong was only a dream. Yet here she was, breaking it off with the man that cared for her the most. Zhou Lang may have coldly ignored the original body owner when she was getting bullied, but the poor man had truly redeemed himself, unbeknownst to him. But she wasn''t the one that had to forgive him, it was the original body''s owner. After all, if they had intervened, then maybe she would''ve survived and Xiao Yunhua wouldn''t have been here in the first place. Xiao Yunhua felt a warm embrace. Glancing up, she saw Ni Ming patting her head. "You know, life isn''t a straight, perfect road. There are potholes and cracks and rocks and whatever else that makes it bumpy. In your case, consider this as another bump before you reach your destination." Whatever the case, Xiao Yunhua was so grateful for Ni Ming and Wang Yaowan. Xiao Yunhua glanced at the time and panicked when she saw that it was beginning to get close to eight o''clock. Quickly grabbing her phone, she rode a taxi to the restaurant despite insistence from Wang Yaowan to drive her. She had to decline, mainly because the man had driven her around too much recently. She couldn''t depend on him forever. Xiao Yunhua paid the taxi driver and stepped out, looking at the splendor of the restaurant. It really did deserve to be called one of the best, and the fact that Zhou Lang had managed to get a private room without reservation truly demonstrated his status as a Zhou family prince. Before Xiao Yunhua could walk inside, she texted Zhou Lang, telling him that she was here. When she went inside of the restaurant, she was immediately ushered to where the private room was with smiles from the waiter. Based on the room being on the second floor that was extravagantly decorated as compared to the first floor, it was no wonder that the waiter treated her with so much respect. This showcased that only the wealthiest of the wealthiest could afford. But Xiao Yunhua glanced around to see a third floor, the floor that couldn''t be seen very well from where she stood. Seeing as it was dim, Xiao Yunhua deemed it as something for the employees and didn''t bother with it much longer. As Xiao Yunhua walked closer and closer to the room, her palms began to clam with sweat. Nervousness filled her until the waiter stopped and opened the door for her. Her vision of sight was met with something unexpected... 51 1.2.14: Breaking Up III Xiao Yunhua had to blink a few times to see if she was seeing correctly. The former, playfully arrogant Zhou young master now held dark circles around his eyes. His physique was much more lean, meaning he had lost a lot of weight like her. Not only had he grown his hair out which now reached his shoulders, but he had also the hints of a five o''clock shadow. His aura was much more mature than ever before, making Xiao Yunhua seriously contemplate on whether or not she was seeing the right person. His eyes were dull and zoned out, but once he saw Xiao Yunhua, it was like a switch was flipped and they glowed with vitality. "Yunhua..." he breathed, making sure the woman in front of him wasn''t an illusion. To his delight, she wasn''t, as she moved closer and closer in his direction. While she walked, Zhou Lang took the time to analyze her. She had definitely lost much weight and her face had become much more prominent, especially her jawline. Her former dark brown eyes were now a honey color, completely different yet surprisingly fitting. Despite her new appearance, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. "Zhou Lang..." she greeted, albeit with not as much excitement as the former. Her face was neutral and she kept polite distances. This fact, Zhou Lang immediately saw and panicked. She didn''t treat him as her boyfriend, but she treated him as an acquaintance. Zhou Lang pulled up her for her and sat at the chair across from her. A few moments of awkward silence passed between the couple as they scrutinized each other. It had been too long. No longer able to tolerate the quiet setting, Xiao Yunhua politely asked, "How have you been?" "I''ve been doing fine! You''re the one with the accident, are you okay?" Seeing Zhou Lang''s eyes that were full of adoration and concern, Xiao Yunhua felt another prick at her guilty conscience. This man had clearly not been ''fine'', yet he insisted and asked about her well-being instead. "I... I''ve been okay." Her mouth was dry and she didn''t know what to say. Her heart throbbed at an unhealthy pace and her sweaty palms became even sweatier. Anxiety dripped from every one of her movements as she raised the cup of water beside her to drink. "That''s good! I''m so happy that you''re okay. You have no idea how worried I have been. Yunhua¡ª" "We need to talk." Her voice was slightly shaking, but her gaze was firm. She was still nervous, but the more she delayed this ''talk'', the more that he would be hurt in the future. Zhou Lang''s heart skipped a beat and before Xia Yunhua could continue her words, he quickly interrupted, "Well, the waiter is here! Let''s order food." Xiao Yunhua clenched her fists underneath the table and nodded. A few seconds ago, she was absolutely resolute and now, that resolution had crumbled again. She picked up the menu and mindlessly ordered the first thing on the list. Zhou Lang saw her empty eyes and he became even more restless. He murmured for the waiter to bring what they had discussed earlier with the meals. The waiter nodded and swiftly disappeared, leaving the couple alone again. "Zhou Lang¡ª" "Yunhua, I missed you so much." Zhou Lang sighed as his dark eyes took in every detail of the woman in front of him. "Without you, life was a living Hell. Don''t leave me again okay?" His voice turned hoarse at his last sentence, desperation evident. Xiao Yunhua felt her heart thumping even harder. "Zhou Lang, we need to talk." She repeated, although much softer. It seemed like other than these words, Xiao Yunhua didn''t know what else to say. Didn''t know how else to bring it up. "Yunhua..." Of course he knew what she wanted to say. He had uttered those words to many women before he met Xiahu Yunhua. Now, he felt like the accumulated Karma was finally going to strike him at his weakest moment. "I''m sorry... but I think we have to end it. I..." Xiao Yunhua took a deep breath, her clenched fists turning white, "I''m breaking up with you, Zhou Lang." "Xiahu Yunhua!" Zhou Lang''s eyes were widened and he clutched the table with frustration. His heart was beating so quickly that the organ was beginning to hurt. "Why would you... Please don''t." His voice cracked as he searched in her eyes for a sign that she was simply jesting. That she wasn''t going to end everything after not meeting for so long. "I''m sorry." As sincere as those words, to Zhou Lang, they were the cue to his very first heartbreak, all because this woman did not love him back. "Why!? Is it because of Zhou Feng!?" Seeing Xiahu Yunhua turn pale, Zhou Lang immediately assumed that his assumptions were correct. His brother had coveted his woman and she was finally leaving him because of it. "No, there''s nothing going on between us!" Her denial was ignored as Zhou Lang began to mutter that he had seen the signs. He had seen them together on multiple occasions. "Zhou Lang, I can promise you, it''s not because of your brother. It''s not because of you either... I just..." Xiao Yunhua hesitated as tears began to fill her eyes. "I need a break." From everything. Even though she had initially planned to immediately try to make Qiang Yue fall in love with her, at this moment, with her unforeseen headache, she needed to have a vacation somewhere. "You''re welcome to hate me, no, don''t even waste your hatred on me. Just don''t think of me. Consider me an insignificant fling in your life that you''ll forget." Xiao Yunhua sadly smiled as more tears streamed down the sides of her cheeks, "From this moment on, we have nothing to do with each other." She turned around to leave, but she felt a strong pair of arms wrap themselves around her. Zhou Lang hugged her from behind and murmured, "Don''t leave me." His grip was firm, like he wanted to never let her go. But Xiao Yunhua had already come so far, she didn''t mind going a bit further. She pulled his arms away and whispered, "I''m sorry." And then leaving the room without turning back. Zhou Lang slumped back in a chair with his hands covering his face. The waiter had come back with a grin, carrying their food and the item that Zhou Lang wanted. When he walked in, he noticed the woman that he brought in was missing and Zhou Lang looking depressed, so he immediately understood the gist and sneaked out after leaving the food on the table with the item. Fifteen minutes later, Zhou Lang raised his head and his eyes fell on the item that he asked the waiter to bring earlier. He picked it up and self-mockingly smiled. He thought he could finally use this after not using it last time, but who knew that it was merely his delusions? Zhou Lang harshly gripped the item and and threw it on the floor. The small black box opened and a ring fell out. Zhou Lang stood up and walked past it, leaving for the door. Before he left, he turned around and looked at the fallen ring one last time. "Zhou Feng, I hope you''re happy..." he quietly seethed, his eyes full of hatred... 52 1.2.15: Impulsive Vacation The tears were endless. Xiao Yunhua was heartbroken as much as Zhou Lang. Such a caring man, she had taken for granted. Even though she was the one that broke up with him, that didn''t mean that she didn''t care for him. She had grown a soft spot for the man, just not in a romantic sense. Probably because Xiao Yunhua knew that he would never be a target of hers and that their relationship had always been built on lies. Manipulation. Revenge. As Xiao Yunhua got into a taxi, her phone began to ring nonstop in her hand but she ignored it. She didn''t know where she was supposed to go with this constant dull pain in her heart. She needed a place to vent or to relax her mind. If she were to go home, most likely, she''d be interrogated. If she were to go to Riverside to drink away her sorrows, she was afraid that she would end up drunk enough to commit an unforgettable and inexcusable mistake. She was lost. Physically, no, but mentally, she was lost. In the end, she decided to make her earlier idea a reality. A much-needed vacation was going to be in session. She dialed Ni Ming''s phone number, only for the call to fall on voicemail. Not wanting to delay her sudden impulse as she knew she might change her mind in her future, Xiao Yunhua decided to leave her a voicemail. "Hey..." her voice was hoarse, most likely from crying so much, "I just wanted to let you and boss know that I''ll be taking a vacation somewhere. Please don''t look for me because I need some time alone. I promise I''ll be safe and will come back soon." Xiao Yunhua held back her tears, "Love you guys." And then she hung up, asking the taxi to go to an ATM so she could withdraw some money to use in her rendezvous. She withdrew a quite a bit of cash and asked the taxi driver to drive her to Wang Yaowan''s mansion. Fifteen minutes later, she sneaked inside and grabbed her identification cards and other necessities. The luggage that she was using was full at that moment and she began to quietly go back. Luckily, it was late and everyone was asleep. There were security cameras outside so, in the end, they would find out anyway. But Xiao Yunhua hoped that by the time they discover her, she would be long gone. Even though Xiao Yunhua knew that she wasn''t doing the right thing by running away from her problems, at this moment, she was too invested to back out. Her choices were heavily depended on her emotional mood. The taxi driver that was waiting outside, impatiently, drove her to one final destination: the airport. For his services, Xiao Yunhua mindlessly paid a large amount which left the man astonished in gratitude as the beautiful woman walked away, pulling her luggage with her. As Xiao Yunhua walked in the airport this late at night, she noticed several stares but she ignored them all. She looked and saw that the soonest flight was in fifteen minutes to a nearby island. Checking with the airport for seat availability, she was relieved to see that there was a seat available despite buying a ticket so late. Approximately thirty minutes later, she was on the place to Carte Blanche Island. Never did Xiao Yunhua expect that her life would change so much after a simple getaway nor did she expect that she would meet someone that would cause her much trouble... 53 1.2.16: Vacation for the Doctor A few hours later, the plane was slowly landing and Xiao Yunhua snapped awake from her short nap. She stretched her arms and yawned, clicking her seatbelt back in place as the pilot requested. Finally, the plane was safely on the ground and the sun was slowly beginning to rise. With the slight streak of light in the sky, the passengers were carefully ushered to leave the plane. As Xiao Yunhua only had her small suitcase and nothing else, she didn''t have to wait in line to reclaim her other luggage like other passengers. She ran her hand through her hair, feeling the tangled strands. Pulling out a compact mirror and looking at her reflection, Xiao Yunhua cringed. She had dark circles prominent underneath her eyes and her usual pale skin held an even paler glow, unhealthier than it already was after her coma. Xiao Yunhua sighed, putting away the circular mirror and dragged her luggage behind her. The airport wasn''t too big, yet a sense of extravagance filled up the place. According to the brochure that she picked up, the island and all of its beauty was actually owned by a rich tycoon. By some odd reason, the tycoon had decided to open the island to the public a few years ago hence why the numerous amount of tourists each year. She checked on her phone for an available hotel nearby and found a decently clean hotel nearby the airport. Surprisingly, the hotel room was only fifteen minutes from the airport and located near the beach. Xiao Yunhua asked the taxi driver to drive her there and then she called to book the room. Even though they ended up needing a credit card number to reserve a room, with the information that Xiao Yunhua gave them, they decided to hold the room for an hour. Luckily, she had arrived and quickly checked into her room. Meanwhile Qiang Yue stressfully sighed and rubbed his temples to help his sudden wave of a headache. Ling Qiu saw his state and sighed, crossing her arms. "Qiang Yue!" The only time that she unprofessionally referred to him by his name rather than call her doctor was when she was angry at him. Which, in this case, she was. "How long has it been since you''ve taken a vacation?" Qiang Yue glanced at her, contemplating, then answered, "I believe a year or two. Why?" Ling Qiu gasped and quickly dialed the hospital director, leaving the room to explain the situation to their boss. Once the director had heard that Qiang Yue was stressed and hadn''t taken a single vacation in the past year or two, he immediately told Ling Qiu to tell him to pack his bags for two weeks. Not only would it be considered a Christmas vacation, but the doctor would also be getting a complimentary extra week as well. Ling Qiu grinned and burst inside of the room, telling Qiang Yue of his sudden vacation. "But where would I go?" Even though Ling Qiu could be considered one of his really good friends, she had been too impulsive this time! He was completely unprepared. Ling Qiu showed a picture of a beautiful, dream-like island. "Carte Blanche Island! The perfect place to be!" Before Qiang Yue could change his mind, she got him a ticket and shooed him off to pack his things. Later that day, Qiang Yue bid Ling Qiu goodbye and the nurse told him that he must make sure to take plenty of pictures. As she watched his plane take off an hour later, a feel of melancholy filled her. ''How I wish I could be with you...'' Unfortunately, Ling Qiu knew that Qiang Yue was never into her like that. In his mind, they were good friends. And she couldn''t bear to change that status for fear of scaring him off permanently, all due to her urge of selfishness... 54 1.2.17: Beach The next morning, Xiao Yunhua woke up in her new hotel room. Her mind felt calm and she felt surprisingly relaxed, lucky enough to be able to get away from all the problems that the system forced her to endure through. Xiao Yunhua breezed through a warm shower and rummaged through her luggage and found a yellow, casual sundress and a pair of simple sandals to pair with. Her hair was styled into a long French braid that dangled at her side. With her small side bag containing sunscreen and her phone as well as other miscellaneous objects, Xiao Yunhua was ready to go. She had worn a white swimsuit underneath in case she decided to go swimming later. She opened her room door, only to bump into someone coming out from the opposite room''s direction. "My apologies¡ª" Xiao Yunhua froze and so did the person that she bumped into. Her honey-colored eyes met with a pair of kind, warm dark eyes belonging to someone very familiar. In fact, the latest name on her contact list on her phone. "Qiang Yue!?" Xiao Yunhua was going to ask him what he was doing there but realized that he was probably there for a vacation like her. After all, despite being December, the island''s warm weather and overall mood felt like a ideal summer vacation place. But to be in the same island, in the same hotel... this coincidence was too much! "Miss Xiahu¡ª" Qiang Yue paused and cleared his throat, "I mean, Yunhua, how have you been?" "Fine, I guess, it hasn''t been that long since I''ve seen you. But either way, I guess fate has brought us together again." Xiao Yunhua smiled at the handsome man, ushering him to follow her. "You know, I''m sure that the beaches are enjoyable here. Do you wish to see them together? I had only gotten here last night, so I''m not too familiar with the island." Qiang Yue wanted to tell her that he meant to rest because he had arrived only that morning, but seeing her joyful mood, he couldn''t find it in himself to ruin her happiness. Instead, he lied and told her that he had arrived the night before as well. Once again, for such a coincidence, Xiao Yunhua was stunned, but she was happy. This meant that she could get her target while on her vacation. Even though she originally took a vacation to get away from the system and its demands, she didn''t mind for Qiang Yue to be here. The man''s gentle demeanor made her feel calm, unlike with Zhou Feng. Thinking of Zhou Feng''s name, Xiao Yunhua frowned. She hadn''t seen the man in months... Remembering his final actions, she clenched her fists. She wasn''t saintly enough to forgive him based on not seeing him for a few months. In fact, she still desired to get revenge on the Zhou family, especially for Han Mi. No matter what target, her agenda was always to avenge her grandmother. If she didn''t, then Han Mi''s sacrifices for Xiao Yunhua''s happiness would be wasted. The only woman deserved to live the afterlife in peace, especially with the idea that Zhou Eldress was to suffer the consequences of her actions. The duo walked side by side together and left the hotel. Once outside, they noticed the sun shining and people spread everywhere on the beach. Qiang Yue and Xiao Yunhua wandered until they found an empty area. Xiao Yunhua didn''t bother to keep any image and immediately sat on the sand, taking off her sandals. Her exuberant attitude was completely unlike her depressed self a few weeks back which Qiang Yue immediately noticed. But to see his former patient smiling so carefree, he was relieved. Nothing was more satisfying to Qiang Yue than seeing someone he had treated living in good health. 55 1.2.18: Swimming on Top of Each Other "You know, I''m surprised that you''re taking a vacation." Xiao Yunhua said after opening her closed eyes, looking directly at Qiang Yue. The doctor smiled with nostalgia, most likely reminiscing about a certain memory. "A friend of mine was deeply concerned that I''ve been too stressed recently." "I see..." Their conversations still held some awkwardness, but it was mainly because they didn''t know each other well. "You know, I''m surprised that you were granted a vacation alone so soon after being released from hospital." This time it was Qiang Yue that had started a conversation. To see the man much more comfortable with her, she was relieved. With a sheepish smile, she shrugged her shoulders. "I kind of escaped on my own." She expected Qiang Yue to begin to judge her, but the man remained silent. "After everything that happened, I needed a break. But of course, they would be worried and try to intervene, so I snuck off in the middle of the night." Xiao Yunhua sarcastically chuckled, "But I''m sure they know where I''m at, especially with Wang Yaowan''s resources and connections." "For them to not bring you home immediately, this is their respect to you." Qiang Yue quietly muttered. Xiao Yunhua contemplated but she realized that he was right. Wang Yaowan and Ni Ming respected her, especially as she was an adult. But her recent, emotional behavior hadn''t garnered her any points on being an adult. She seemed so childish in regards to all her decisions that she made. Xiao Yunhua closes her eyes, taking in the warmth of the sun as a tranquil silence overcame them both. Ignoring the buzz of the people around them, Xiao Yunhua listened to the ocean''s soothing waves, gently going back and forth on the sand. "Yunhua..." Qiang Yue was still hesitant on calling her by her name, but since she insisted, he would act accordingly. "Do you want to go grab a snack?" It was early morning, and neither had eaten anything. Even though Qiang Yue was still tired, he didn''t mind staying with her for a bit longer if he made her happy. Xiao Yunhua nodded. When Qiang Yue stood up, he felt his previous headache strike him vulnerable and swayed a bit. Xiao Yunhua widened her eyes in alarm and quickly helped the doctor steady himself, but they ended up tumbling in the sand. Qiang Yue was beginning to see clearly and he realized that there was a very attractive woman underneath him, blushing profusely. Not only she, but Qiang Yue was flustered as well. So flustered that he accidentally called her, "Miss Xiahu, my apologies¡ª" "Mama, what are they doing?" A little kid''s voice asked innocently, using her finger to point at them. Both Qiang Yue and Xiao Yunhua turned their heads and noticed a woman holding the hands of a toddler. The woman''s face looked horrified, but the little girl was curious. The woman shook her head, "Nothing dear, they''re just... learning to swim." The woman was so flustered at seeing the beautiful duo doing it in broad daylight that she couldn''t think straight. This was the only logical answer she could blurt out. "But why are they learning on top of each other?" The more the young child spoke, the more that the two became red in shame. They weren''t doing anything wrong, yet why did it seem like they were behaving atrociously in public? "Uh, sweetie, let''s go get ice cream!" The mother uncomfortably pulled her daughter away, but the young girl pouted. "I want to learn with the prince-y man too..." Hearing the little girl say such words, Qiang Yue was stunned. The woman was horrified even more and pulled her daughter away despite her whining. At this point, it looked like a tomato had exploded on Xiao Yunhua''s face and Qiang Yue awkwardly cleared his throat, getting up from atop of Xiao Yunhua. "Yunhua..." Once again, he was interrupted, but not by some stranger nor a young child, but by the sound of Xiao Yunhua''s laughter. The beautiful woman''s carefree laughter attracted the attention of the onlookers and Qiang Yue himself. His apology seemed stuck in his throat when he saw her look so lovely. In the end, he laughed too. This experience, neither would forget... 56 1.2.19: A Brief Swim Once they finished laughing, Xiao Yunhua and Qiang Yue went to the small shack on beach to enjoy a snack-like breakfast. The two spoke more and more, getting to know each other well. They played, as suggested by Xiao Yunhua, a game of twenty questions. She got to know his favorite food, and he got to know hers. She got to know his favorite color, and he got to know hers. Then, after deciding that they''ve wasted enough silly questions, Xiao Yunhua boldly asked the man if he had a girlfriend. She knew he didn''t, but she just needed the confirmation. As expected, the man was flustered. But in the end, he shook his head. "Don''t have much time to date. On duty twenty-four-seven." Xiao Yunhua nodded. He fired the question back at her, and she honestly answered. "I did date, but he and I broke it off." Their questions seemed like they were on a first date. And by how much they both enjoyed it, their ''first date'' was going very well. Qiang Yue hesitated on asking her his next question, but he asked anyways. He asked her how long they were together. Hearing the question, Xiao Yunhua panicked on the inside. If she were to say that they were together for a long time and broke it off very recently, then he would surely assume that she was using him as a rebound. Instead, she decided on a small white lie. "For a month or so. Broke it off a long time ago." The more she lied, the more uncomfortable she felt. She despised being lied to, yet here she was, being a hypocrite. The man had chosen to be honest in regards to her grandmother''s condition, yet here she stood, lying, in return. Ignoring the hammering guilt, she smiled and their conversation continued. Finally, it was the afternoon. Qiang Yue couldn''t continue to hide his exhaustion, so he decided to tell her that he desperately needed a rest. Xiao Yunhua saw that she hindered his rest and slightly panicked, but the doctor reassured her that it was alright and no harm was done. Bidding Qiang Yue goodbye, Xiao Yunhua was sitting alone in the snack shack, sipping on a tropical smoothie. Feeling the stares of strangers and no longer able to endure, Xiao Yunhua stood up and went to the restroom. She took off her sundress and only her swimsuit remained. After enduring the hot sun for so long, it was about time that she went for a swim in the water. She left the restrooms and felt lustful eyes pricking her skin. No matter if it was her performing or her in a swimsuit, Xiao Yunhua felt uncomfortable with the constant, lustful stares being thrown at her. This problem, she never had to deal with in her past lifetime. And despite secretly enjoying the attention as she was now beautiful, deep in her heart, she was still an insecure eighteen year old girl. She may have aged, but mentally, she was too emotionally na?ve to deal with many things. Xiao Yunhua''s small side bag couldn''t contain her sundress nor could she couldn''t leave it on the sand as she swam because it could be stolen. Instead, she asked the employee running the snack shack if he could watch her things for her. As a young, hot-blooded man, he could only nod his head yes after seeing her charming smile. With the ease of knowing her things were safe, Xiao Yunhua walked towards the water. 57 1.2.20: Kiss of Life Using a single toe to test the temperature of the water, she noticed that it was warm. The warm water matched the overall tropical feel of the island, so it wasn''t much of a surprise. When she saw that the water was comfortable, Xiao Yunhua submerged herself completely. Her head popped out from amidst of the water along with the other people swimming like her. Xiao Yunhua wasn''t an expert swimmer, but she knew the basics. These basics helped her stay afloat and prevented her from drowning. Drowning was one of her worst traumatic fears as it was the reason for her death in her first life. Even though it was something that she did voluntarily, her death being a suicide, it didn''t mean that she wasn''t scarred from the event. Just the thought of being drowned gave her shivers. Drowning was also one of the reasons that she didn''t go swimming often. Swimming was a rare thing and completely based on preference. There were days, like today, where she had an urge to swim. There were other days, when she remembered her previous lifetime, where getting near water caused her nausea. Too absorbed in her thoughts, Xiao Yunhua swam further and further into the water, away from the people. The chattering was nice to hear, but it was beginning to be too bothersome. Hence why, once she was a good distance away from the hectic atmosphere, Xiao Yunhua began to relax even more. But suddenly, one of her legs cramped. Yelping from the pain, Xiao Yunhua felt herself beginning to sink into the water. She frantically splashed her arms around, realizing that swimming away from people had been a dumb choice. A really dumb one. She ignored the pain erupting from her leg and screamed for help. Her worst fear was coming true. She was going to die. She was going to die from drowning again. All because of her stupidity. Why couldn''t she be more mature? Why did she have to be so emotional? Damn her emotions and damn her desires! In her first life, she was too numb in pain to realize that she was dying. Now, as her head was going more and more underneath the water, she realized how much it hurt her lungs as they tried to squeeze the very last bit of oxygen out. As they tried to help her stay alive. Xiao Yunhua could feel her vision slowly getting darker and darker. Her heart thumped with fear. The system said that cost for not completing her mission was not something that she could afford. There would be no bright light this time. There would be no second chances. It was all over. Despite being in the water, Xiao Yunhua''s tears were endless, blending in with her suffocating surroundings. As she was slowly losing consciousness, she felt something on her lips. She had never felt the sensation before, but the sensation on her lips forced her to open her mouth and a rush of air filled her. The sensation didn''t stop as she could feel herself slowly moving above the water. Finally, her closed eyes once again felt the warmth of the sun and she snapped them awake. The sensation on her lips weren''t just any sensation, but they were a kiss. A kiss of life! Whoever was kissing her she didn''t get to see because she lost consciousness and blacked out due to the stressful fear of the current events. 58 1.2.21: Xiao Lili When Xiao Yunhua woke up the next day, she found herself in her hotel room. Glancing around in shock, she was astonished to find herself wearing her sundress in her hotel room, completely dry. What on earth... Xiao Yunhua immediately summoned herself in the grey dimensional space, startling Xiao Taotao that was sitting on a miniature table floating on the air. Sitting opposite from her was another fairy, one that she had never seen before. This other fairy was male, but looked just as adorable as Xiao Taotao. He had long black hair that was tied, resting behind his head. A pair of silver eyes, a darker shade that Xiao Taotao''s, rested on his childish face. He wore a little black suit and a cute red bowtie, fluttering all around with Xiao Taotao. The two fairies were a bit annoyed because Xiao Yunhua had unintentionally ruined... their game of poker? Xiao Taotao cleared her throat, "Host, what a pleasant surprise!" The other, new fairy only sulked behind her with his arms crossed. The playing cards in his hands were rested on the table as though he wanted for her to leave so they could continue. "Yeah, uh... who is this?" "Oh, this is Xiao Lili!" Hearing his name, Xiao Yunhua almost giggled out loud. Little Peach, Little Plum, what was next on the fairy name list? "Hey, my name is great!" Xiao Lili humphed, trying to appear tough when his small physique only made Xiao Yunhua burst out laughing. The two little fairies sighed in exasperation as they watched the host of the dimensional space laugh. Finally, Xiao Yunhua began to sober up and asked, "What is he doing here?" When Xiao Taotao was going to answer, Xiao Yunhua added, "Other than playing poker with you, of course." Xiao Taotao turned around and looked at Xiao Lili in a daring manner. "Yeah, what are you doing here? I just realized, you should be in¡ª" Xiao Lili quickly covered her mouth with his small hand, warning her to remain quiet. Xiao Taotao shrugged her shoulders and nodded. Seeing them interact so suspiciously, Xiao Yunhua was more and more curious on their relationship. "I''m just here to chill out." Xiao Lili''s voice was a bit cold, and if it weren''t for the childish tone that paired with it, she would''ve mistaken it for haughty. "I see." Xiao Yunhua didn''t dwell on the matter much longer and began to question Xiao Taotao on the matter with her appearing in her hotel room. The little fairy furrowed her eyebrows, a look of confusion filling her face. Her eyes dazed for a few minutes and then she mischievously answered, "Dunno! You''ll have to figure it out, it seems! No worries, you''re safe." Xiao Yunhua sighed in frustration at her useless assistant and could only accept this reality. She knew that if she were to push the little fairy to reveal more, it could get her in trouble. She bid the two fairies goodbye and woke up in the hotel room again. Quickly taking a short shower and picking out another casual dress, she was turning around to leave her room until she met with Qiang Yue leaving his as well. These coincidences, Xiao Yunhua was used to it already. She waved at him with a smile and quickly meant to leave, but surprisingly, the doctor took the liberty to invite her this time. He asked her if she was interested in going to sightsee around the island, to which she of course agreed. Getting closer to her target on his own accord, who would be foolish enough to decline!? Xiao Yunhua asked him if she could ask the receptionist of the hotel something first. Once the elevator dinged, indicating that they were on the main floor, Xiao Yunhua quickly rushed up to the receptionist. The young receptionist, not awake yet and yawning, was startled to suddenly see a beautiful woman appearing before her. She immediately straightened her posture and politely asked, "Can I help you?" "Yes, yes... Can you tell me who brought me in last night?" The receptionist shook her head apologetically, "Unfortunately, it wasn''t my shift. You can ask the person, that was working last night, tonight! They''ll be working from 12 PM to 7 AM." Xiao Yunhua sighed. It looked like she had to wait to find out who saved her from drowning. She thanked the receptionist for her information and ushered Qiang Yue to follow her. Only then did the receptionist realize that there was someone with the beautiful woman. And it was a handsome man! The receptionist saw them walking side by side and quietly fangirled. They both, together, looked like a picture perfect couple! 59 1.2.22: Heart Skipping a Bea When the couple finished sightseeing, they returned to their hotel a bit late into the night. They had spent a long bit together, from exploring the island''s exterior to going shopping for souvenirs. Despite her disagreement, Qing Yue had ended up purchasing a cute little palm tree keychain for her. When he had brought it to the cashier, the cashier chuckled and said that the palm tree keychain came in a pair. Qiang Yue, flustered, quickly tried to explain to Xiao Yunhua that he didn''t know, only to see her looking at him with amusement. In the end, since he told her that he was going to get her this charm no matter how much she disagreed, he ended up buying the other palm tree keychain in the pair. When both trees clicked together, it created a little heart, despite how odd it seemed. The moment that they returned, Xiao Yunhua immediately asked the new receptionist who brought her back. The receptionist, a young man, shook his head. "I apologize, but I believe that I didn''t see you enter. Maybe it was during another person''s shift?" "Could you check the security cameras? Please!?" Xiao Yunhua was desperately. And frightened. Who could avoid getting seen and get her back in her room so inconspicuously? "Apologies ma''am, I''m not authorized to show or control anything in relation to the security cameras. As well as the person in control can''t show you the camera, either, as our hotel values privacy." Xiao Yunhua sighed and clutched the keychain in her hands, looking at Qiang Yue with a deep look in her eyes. Qiang Yue didn''t know what she was thinking, but based on her frown, he knew that it wasn''t anything good. Using one hand, he waved it in front of her face, trying to get her attention. "Are you alright?" "I''m fine, it''s just that I don''t know who had the authority to bring me back to my hotel room while I was unconscious. Who could sneak past the receptionist without being seen..." She sighed again, her face downcast. "I''m worried... I''m scared." Before he could help himself, Qiang Yue''s arms were already wrapped around her in an effect to comfort her. It worked, as she looked up at his tall stature in shock. Qiang Yue avoided her questioning eyes and patted her head that was at his chest''s level. "You''ll be fine. If I were to say it was me, would you believe it?" "Ah!" Xiao Yunhua gasped in shock. "How could it be you? Didn''t you leave already to rest?" Qiang Yue was the last person she expected to have brought her back. Did that mean that he saved her as well? This unexpected twist, Xiao Yunhua did not believe it. So she suspiciously asked, "Then you must''ve saved me as well." Qiang Yue nodded, but Xiao Yunhua was still suspicious. "From what?" Qiang Yue looked at her in silence then answered, "From the water. I found your hotel key in your bag that you had with you." Hearing him answering her questions with ease and a neutral tone, as well as the man hadn''t lied to her beforehand, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and sunk into his embrace. "So happy..." she muttered, but Qiang Yue didn''t hear what she fully said. He inched closer, only to hear her mutter again, "So happy that it''s you." And for the first time in his life, in regards to a woman, Qiang Yue felt his heart skip a beat... 60 1.2.23: Memorable Picture When Xiao Yunhua realized that she was hugging Qiang Yue, and so tightly at that, she released him and moved away, her eyes avoiding his. She didn''t know what she was thinking! She muttered an apology to Qiang Yue and quickly went back to her hotel room, only to realize that she was stuck on an elevator with him. An awkward silence loomed over the two before Xiao Yunhua finally had the guts to look up. She saw him turn his head and their eyes met; his kind eyes and her blank ones. "It''s alright." He reassured, trying to make sure she didn''t feel tense for hugging him. They had a platonic relationship, so for her to do that, Qiang Yue knew she was most likely afraid that she messed up. "Thank you for saving me." Qiang Yue frowned momentarily, but nodded. "Anything for a friend." Meanwhile for the next two weeks, Qiang Yue and Xiao Yunhua were inseparable. They had spent so long together that the hotel and everyone else in the island acknowledged them as a couple and would constantly tease a blushing Xiao Yunhua over it. Qiang Yue remained neutral for the most part, but even he couldn''t deny that his heart began to beat faster when she was nearby. Even though he never expected to enjoy the company of a woman ten years younger than him, Xiahu Yunhua had surprisingly become an exception. He had acknowledged her as a friend before, yet he enjoyed her presence and was alarmingly getting used to it, like he didn''t want for it to disappear. In fact, it was so much easier for the doctor to call her ''Yunhua'' as abiding by her request now. Her name slipped off of his tongue smoothly, like they had known each other for years. Which in a way, they had, especially since Xiao Yunhua had met him in the hospital so long ago. But to reveal this fact would reveal her identity; one of her most guarded secrets. She could only endure in silence while always feeling at ease within the doctor. The first receptionist that had answered her question and fangirled about them, whose name was Xia Li, would always make sure to tell Xiao Yunhua how handsome her boyfriend was. After that incident, Xia Li and Xiao Yunhua had become good friends. Even though Xiao Yunhua would deny it, Xia Li would nonetheless not believe her. At the moment, the two were getting ready to leave and go to the beach¡ªwhere Xiao Yunhua had promised Qiang Yue she wouldn''t get near the water¡ªbut Xia Li pointed at them. "Look at the two lovebirds! Us single people could only be left behind to eat your dust!" "Xia Li¡ª" "Yes, yes, I know what you''ll say..." Xia Li rolled her eyes and imitated, "There''s no romantic relations at all." She clenched her fists, placing it where her heart was dramatically, "Can''t a fangirl ship? Can''t I dream of a relationship between you two? Can''t I wish for a relationship between you two?" "Xia Li..." Xiao Yunhua scolded gently, yet out of the corner of her eyes, she looked at Qiang Yue, trying to confirm his reaction. The man''s gentle eyes did not change nor did he hold any hostility about Xia Li''s words. Xia Li watched Xiao Yunhua discreetly looking at Qiang Yue, as though she was trying to confirm something. Seeing her friend disappointed, Xia Li snapped her fingers and asked the two to stand together. "What are you going to do?" "Well, since you both will be leaving very soon¡ªand I''m bored on my break¡ªI thought to take a picture as a memory." At first, Xiao Yunhua was going to reject Xia Li, but she saw Qiang Yue already beginning to shuffle closer in her direction. She could only shrug and move even closer until she was as close as two weeks before when she was in his embrace. Averting her eyes, she smiled at the camera, but Xia Li placed the camera down and sighed deeply. "Yunhua, you have to smile like you mean it and not like you''re having a stroke." Hearing Xia Li''s criticism, Xiao Yunhua chuckled and smiled as she remembered the good times with Han Mi. Before she could realize, a snap had already happened and the photo was printing already. Xia Li had used a Polaroid camera, meaning the image was printed. A few minutes later, when it was fully printed, Xiao Yunhua and Qiang Yue looked at photo in surprise. Xiao Yunhua because the man had smiled and his eyes were on her. And Qiang Yue because Xiao Yunhua''s smile was the most genuine smile he had ever seen her spout in the short span of time that he had known her. Seeing her so joyful, his heart thumped faster. His vacation was going to be over tomorrow, meaning that he had to return the day after. But the idea of parting with Xiao Yunhua made him feel uncomfortable. A feeling that he had never felt in regards to any woman before. "You know, since you keep claiming you''re not a couple, I''m sure when you get back, many guys would throw themselves at you." Xia Li humphed, a little bit envious at her friend''s beautiful looks. Xiao Yunhua rolled her eyes and ushered Qiang Yue to follow her, but the man had stood frozen. The idea of Xiao Yunhua spending time with other men like she did with him made the usual calm doctor a bit angry... and a little green with jealousy? 61 1.2.24: A Large Pot of Vinegar Their day at the beach had been lighthearted, as have been their other outings together. As much as Xiao Yunhua wanted to label them as dates, she couldn''t because the man had always kept a platonic view of her. Currently, she sat on a soft mat that was sprawled all over the sandy ground. Qiang Yue sat next to her and a comfortable silence loomed over them. "You know, I''m going to miss all of this when I have to get back." Xiao Yunhua murmured, her fingers tracing the outline of the sand underneath them. "This dream getaway..." she released an anxious sigh, "I just don''t want it to ever end." She turned her eyes that were a bit downcast and they met with Qiang Yue''s. "Running away from my problems and reality... would you call me a coward?" Qiang Yue quietly looked at her, as though he was trying to absorb her question. In the end, he gently shook his head. "Everyone has a breaking point, and after escaping the clutches of death twice, I believe you have rightfully reached your limit; hence why the sudden vacation was a good stress-reliever." "Qiang Yue..." she choked, her eyes filling with unshed tears. "Why are you so good to me?" This was a genuine question that had been swirling in Xiao Yunhua''s mind for a while now. Why had the man cared so much since their first meeting? Why was he so gentle to her? Qiang Yue''s face remained neutral, his eyes staying calm and unperturbed. "As a doctor, one must always carry a good mind in terms of patients." Hearing his reply, Xiao Yunhua was slightly disappointed. So all this while, she had only been treated with the same care that his kind nature would treat anyone else. All this time, she had been delirious about their relationship advancing further. How mockable did that make her? "I see." In the end, these were the only two words that she could say. What more could she blurt out. She couldn''t blame him for not growing to love her like the system demanded... Xiao Yunhua bitterly averted her gaze, looking at the water in front of them. By the pacing of how this was going, the man would never grow to love her. She would always remain as one of his patients that he cared for beforehand. They may be friends now, but Xiao Yunhua remembered that Ling Qiu was also his friend for so long yet the man remained unperplexed, keeping their relationship purely friend-wise. Meanwhile, Qiang Yue was observing Xiao Yunhua and when he saw her bitter eyes, his calm heart skipped a beat. He didn''t understand; did she expect another answer? Did she expect for him to say something else? What was he supposed to say? That he hadn''t enjoyed the company of anyone like he enjoyed the company of hers. Qiang Yue massaged his temples to prevent his confusion from creating him another one of his headaches. His eyes watched Xiao Yunhua stand up and she told him that she would be right back. She walked to the snack shack on the beach and took out her wallet to pay for a drink. The person at the shack was a young man, the same young man that Xiao Yunhua had asked to keep her bag with before. He recognized her and blushed, quickly preparing her the drink that she wanted. Suddenly, the young man spilled some of the drink, a fruit smoothie, by Xiao Yunhua and he began to apologize profusely. Xiao Yunhua, not minding it as it didn''t spill on her and she was clumsy herself, waved it off and smiled. This caused the young man to blush even harder, quickly preparing her drink again. Qiang Yue watched them interact and the same feeling he felt earlier¡ªwhen Xia Li teased Xiahu Yunhua¡ªbegan to resurrect. He didn''t recognize it as he hadn''t felt jealous before when any of his friends spoke to other people, but Xiahu Yunhua was making him feel a lot of new things. Before he could help himself, Qiang Yue had already stalked in the direction of the snack shack, where the young man was trying to tell Xiahu Yunhua that she didn''t need to pay as apology for the incident. Qiang Yue dug in his pocket and pulled out his card, slamming it in between them. "I''ll pay." Both of them looked at Qiang Yue in shock, especially the young man, but he nonetheless took the card to swipe. Not only had the young man been intimidated, but he clearly recognized the look that a guy would have when others were flirting with his girlfriend. The young man felt helpless. Sure he found the woman beautiful, but he was only trying to atone for his mistake! Simultaneously, Xiao Yunhua looked at Qiang Yue with shock. She never expected to see the usual calm man interrupt with a slam of his card. Why was he so angry? Was her plan finally beginning to work? A feeling of relief overcame her. This meant that she was closer to her goal! Suddenly, a large hand took hers and pulled her away when she grabbed her smoothie with her other hand. Qiang Yue stuffed his card in his pocket and pulled Xiao Yunhua with him away from the snack shack. They stopped at the mat and he finally turned around, his eyes caring a glint of some sort. He looked like he had reached a resolution. "Tomorrow, meet me in the hotel restaurant, I have something to say and ask..." 62 1.2.25: Stood Up The restaurant hotel was simply called the "restaurant hotel" because it was right across from the hotel and was operated by the hotel, itself. It didn''t hold any different name and was affiliated with the hotel overall. Xiao Yunhua didn''t expect for the next day to arrive so quickly, so she went out and bought a chic maroon dress that was sleeveless and was a little above her knees. She tied her long hair in a ponytail and used minimal makeup to enhance her already beautiful features. The only thing that didn''t make her seem childish was the deep red lipstick that made her seem mature, old enough to date someone ten years older than her. She had worn a pair of classic black pumps and slung a black purse around on her shoulder, allowing it to dangle freely. Checking the time on her phone, she was ready to go with thirty minutes to spare. Excited to capture the heart of her second target and because she genuinely enjoyed the company of Qiang Yue, Xiao Yunhua set out and walked to the restaurant. She attracted many onlookers'' gazes because she looked like a model as she casually walked inside of the restaurant. Xiao Yunhua finally reached the doors and the waiter asked if she had a reservation. Xiao Yunhua didn''t know if Qiang Yue reserved a table, but just by telling the waiter her name, he ushered her to one of their most private tables in the back. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that Qiang Yue had prepared after all. Sitting at the table reserved, more people stared at her before turning back and minding their business. Xiao Yunhua saw the time was ticking and there was only eight minutes left until the time of their arrangement. As it wasn''t the official time yet, Xiao Yunhua didn''t lament and ordered a small dose of wine to pass her time. She didn''t like drinking alcohol, but every once in a while, she had an urge. And today was one of those urges. Eight minutes passed and Qiang Yue had not arrived yet. Xiao Yunhua checked the time on her phone and frowned. Why hadn''t this man shown up yet? But nonetheless, she was patient. She had a gut feeling that he would confess today, so she wasn''t too concerned that he would be a little late. It was a special night after all. Another hour passed by and the waiter had refilled her cup with more wine. Xiao Yunhua closed her eyes as a sense of wooziness filled her. Why wasn''t he here yet? Two more hours left and it was 11:00 PM, the restaurant slowly getting empty. The waiter asked her if she needed to order any food since she was drinking alcohol on an empty stomach. Xiao Yunhua waved it off and drank more, her mind growing fuzzy. She would wait. Finally, it was midnight and the restaurant was officially closed. Xiao Yunhua stood up to leave, but her steps were a bit shaky. "Damn... that... Qiang... Yue..." she slurred, walking back to the hotel. When she arrived, she knocked on his door, only to see a housekeeper open his room door. "Can I help you?" The housekeeper said, a bit annoyed that her work was interrupted by a young woman. "I... wanna... talk... to... the... person..." Xiao Yunhua took a deep breath, but it didn''t help her drunk self. Luckily, the housekeeper understood and said, "Sorry, the person who occupied this room has moved out today!" And then she slammed the door on a shocked Xiao Yunhua. No way! Xiao Yunhua wiped her eyes, only to see that she was in front of the right room. Qiang Yue... really left without saying goodbye? Her eyes suddenly stung with tears. This was an unfair play on his account! But if we were going to be unfair, then she would be reckless too. Xiao Yunhua didn''t stop and think for the reason of his sudden disappearance. Her drunk self was hellbent on being impulsive, more impulsive than usual. She swayed out of the hotel and walked to Leisure, the island''s most famous bar, at midnight. 63 1.2.26: Drunk yet Powerful When she arrived at Leisure, the nightclub was empty for the most part. She had ditched the heels and the ponytail, letting her long hair fall on her shoulders. Her dress was a bit untidy, but it didn''t make her look bad, on the contrary, it made her look even better. With her red lipstick and unruly appearance, she looked like a living temptress as she walked around in the nightclub. Getting a warning for not wearing her shoes, she drunkenly slipped them on and sat on a stool, mindlessly ordering more drinks. Even the bartender was shocked to see such a beautiful yet devilish woman suddenly appear at nearly 1 AM in the morning, but he obliged and prepared her drinks. She chugged them down, loving the feeling of being numb. Being drunk made her mindless and helped clear her mind of all worries. It wasn''t necessarily good, but it also wasn''t bad. A sleazy old man sat next to her on the stool and ordered a drink, but constantly peeked at her. When she turned her head, he pretended to be shocked and turned his head to meet her honey colored eyes that were currently dull. "You don''t see to be a regular here..." the man started, shooting her a perversive smile. "Do you want me to help guide you?" "No... thanks..." When the old man saw that she was completely drunk, he realized that his goal could be achieved quicker. He ignored her words and ordered a drink for her, staring at her. Even though Xiao Yunhua was drunk, she could still feel uncomfortable by his look. He looked at her like she was a treat that he wanted to feast on. When the drink that he had ordered was prepared, he pushed it in her direction and creepily smiled. "My treat..." Xiao Yunhua ignored him and continued to quietly drink what she ordered, but the old man didn''t seem to give up. When the bartender left for a few minutes to check with his boss, the old man finally decided to make his move. He pulled out a business card and placed it in Xiao Yunhua''s drink. When she raised her alcoholic drink, her fuzzy mind realized that there was a foreign object in it. She took it out and threw it away, pushing the drink away in disgust. It was sullied, so she had to wait to order another one. The old man took out a small packet and emptied the content inside, pushing the drink he ordered in her direction. "For you." Xiao Yunhua wrinkled her nose and pushed it away, acting unintentionally like a spoiled brat. "Fuck... off..." "Listen little girl, you shouldn''t offend me. I hold quite a bit of power and serving me wouldn''t be bad because I can get you anything you want." The old man threatened yet made sure that she understood that she received benefits. Xiao Yunhua tuned his words out and slurred again, "Fuck... off..." The old man grew angry and grabbed her wrist harshly. "Come with me." Xiao Yunhua didn''t know who was pulling her along, yet by the wrinkly feel on her wrist, she didn''t like it. Raising her leg, she kicked the person straight in his crotch, sending them ten feet away. The old man clenched his private area, howling in pain. Whoever knew that this young girl could kick so fiercely? He saw her shoes and knew that they were the reason why. He stood up and grabbed her legs, raising her up. She couldn''t kick if he held down her legs... But once again, the drunk Xiao Yunhua raised a fist and punched the old man in the neck, causing him to drop her and pass out from the pain. She looked around and started walking around until she found a flight of stairs. Two bodyguards immediately tried to stop her and told her that she wasn''t allowed in the restricted area, but the drunk Xiao Yunhua had lost all rationality. She raised her fists and punched them, annoyed that they stopped her from walking around. The stairs weren''t too many and she found herself in a dim yet extravagant room underneath the bar. It was quiet except for the soft lull of music and the clinking of cups. There were soft murmurs as well as people conversed quietly, not wanting to disrupt the special person in the room. But even with their quiet conversations, they couldn''t resist looking at the entrance to the enchanting woman. She looked so tempting with her wild appearance. The men''s eyes were glued and the small percentage of women felt envious. This type of beauty, it was impossible to achieve with the plastic surgery they had now. It could only mean that she had been given extra grace by the big guy up there. They all walked in horror and some even mocked her as the extremely beautiful woman swayed and sat down on a seat. But it wasn''t just any seat. It was the seat that a particularly powerful individual occupied, meaning that she sat on his lap... 64 1.2.27: Precious Sea The moment that she sat down, a hushed silence fell over the people. The drunk Xiao Yunhua didn''t realize anything was wrong and adjusted herself on the seat to be more comfortable. Wiggling her butt and squirming caused a certain thing to poke her from underneath. She stretched her legs open and used one hand to drunkly push the thing away. When she noticed that nothing was happening, she whined, "Annoying..." "Does that make you uncomfortable?" A deep voice whispered, his voice giving her unexpected shivers. "Hard..." Hearing her reply, Xiao Yunhua felt her seat vibrating. She turned around to see that her seat was chuckling, which made her bothered. She raised her hand and placed it on his thin lips, silencing him. "Annoying..." "Girl, do you know that you''re the one that is using me as a seat?" The man said as he pulled her hand away. Feeling the calloused hand grab her wrist, Xiao Yunhua was surprisingly not disgusted like earlier. In fact, she felt slight tingles when he removed his hand. "Annoying..." The man sighed, using his hands to pull her off. But unlike what he expected, she wrapped her arms and legs around him and pouted, quietly murmuring, "Seat..." Her childish attitude made the man laugh again as he gently held her, startling the people at the table. Their apathetic and cruel boss knew how to laugh? How to be gentle? The sun must''ve risen from the west, this was the only logical answer. "Girl, you have to go now or don''t mind what I''ll do..." His deep voice faltered, a dark glint flashing across his eyes. Xiao Yunhua raised her head and looked into the eyes of her seat¡ªahem, the man. Even though her honey colored eyes were a bit glazed, they were also tinted with curiosity. She was so confused as for why her seat was talking and telling her such a weird warning. "Do... it..." She was drunk, but she could taunt all the same. The man''s eyes narrowed and he gripped harder on the beautiful woman that cling to him so desperately. He''s had so many women, yet why did this drunk bunny aroused him more than the others? Was it the helpless way that she clung onto him, thinking that she was his ''seat''? Or maybe it was the fact that her childish personality deeply contradicted her wild appearance. Or maybe it was even the man being bored, which he knew was the most likely option. He was bored and this little bunny seemed to want to play. So he would play with her. His sharp and pitch-black eyes turned to the people at the table with a dangerous gleam. They immediately understood that the man had found a new plaything and that they were being dismissed. Along with the people at the table, the entire place emptied in less than ten minutes. After all, his words were law. Xiao Yunhua buried her head in the crook of his neck, softly mumbling, "Seat..." The man pulled her off and sat her down. She looked around, confused, looking for the comfortable seat. The man glanced at her with unfathomable eyes. Slowly, he made her that she understood this one point: she was the one crossing the line into his dangerous territory. She was drunk, but she understood what her seat was saying. Since her target was being so cruel, she will be cruel too. And even if she was being impulsive, Xiao Yunhua didn''t mind much, because this was her seat. How much harm could it do with its deep, baritone voice? So with that idea in mind, Xiao Yunhua ignored his words and stood up, startling the man. Before he could react, she had already bent downwards and claimed his lips with hers... 65 1.2.28: A Night to Remember 18+ The moment that their lips met, the startled man immediately took control and picked her up. Lying her on the empty sofa, he released her lips and she breathed heavily, her look glazed yet full of lust. The man''s pitch-black eyes narrowed as he took in the unruly woman lying before him. He leaned down, taking her dry lips harshly, almost like he had wanted for her to feel pain and realize that her silly thoughts of him being a seat were all her delusions. The metallic taste of blood didn''t make the man uncomfortable, almost like he had been used to it. He began to kiss down her neck, occasionally biting teasingly, as though he wanted to leave a mark for her to remember. She flinched, causing the man to deeply chuckle. With one pull, her dress was immediately torn into two pieces, her pale and flawless skin on display. The man hungrily took in each and every detail, recapturing her lips again. He used his hand to knead one of her breasts, twisting and playing with the erect nipple that looked like it was begging for his attention. He stopped kissing her and traced kisses all the way down to her voluptuous chest. Opening his eyes to look at them, his already eyes darkened with desire. Not controlling himself, he leaned forward and bit on one of her nipples, earning himself a sudden moan from the woman shriveling from his caresses. He tenderly suckled on the puffy nub in front of him while pinching the other. Xiao Yunhua didn''t know what or who was the only giving her the unfamiliar sensation, but in the pit of her stomach, she felt something building up and she frantically needed it to be released. She subconsciously pulled grabbed his head to push him down because the sensation in her stomach was growing more and more. Her breath was ragged by the time the man had pulled her away. Her eyes were permeated with ardor. She felt disappointed that this person didn''t continue. The feeling in her stomach was so overwhelming that she had to get off somehow. The man noticed her uncomfortable yet undeniable passion and chuckled again. His calloused hands roughly fondled her breasts again and then lowered to her flat stomach, stopping at her silk panties. With an feral glint in his eyes, he ruthlessly ripped them off and for the first time in her second life, Xiao Yunhua was completely bare in front of someone. Despite being drunk, she sensed that she was in the nude and quickly wrapped her arms around herself. The man took note of her insecurity and frowned. Such a beautiful woman, why was she so shy? The only solution was that she was... The man''s thoughts faltered and he lowered his head to her flower. He took a whiff and could sense her arousal. Using a finger, he gently entered her wet entrance, only to hit something familiar. Something that he had taken from countless other woman. Her hymen was still intact, meaning that his earlier conclusion was correct. She was still a virgin... Yet with her ethereal looks, why was she vestal? The man didn''t ponder over his abrupt discovery and pushed his finger deeper, earning him a wince from the person above him. He moved his finger back and forth, and the former pain was changed to pleasure as she breathed raggedly. She didn''t feel any pain and the knot in her stomach was close to being relieved. The man could recognize that she was close to her climax, hence why he quickened his speed and his finger entered her hastily. He opened his mouth and his tongue began to teasingly started to lick the little nub in the center of her flower. The soft breaths of Xiao Yunhua turned jagged and she was beginning to moan aloud, desperate for release. Finally, she screamed in ecstasy and climaxed, causing all energy to drain away. He pulled his finger away, drenched in her release, and slipped it inside of his mouth. She tasted so sweet. He groaned, his pants already forming a conspicuous tent. He began to knead her breasts again, but didn''t hear anything.The man raised her head, surprised, but was shocked to see that she was unconscious and snoring away. He had never felt so angry and cheated in his life. Nonetheless, he picked her up to take her to somewhere more comfortable to sleep... then to take a cold shower afterwards... 66 1.2.29: Bet of One Year When Xiao Yunhua woke up the next day, she felt her head overwhelmed with a throbbing pain. Her throat felt dry and her body felt numb. She felt sore¡ªthe moment that she realized she was sore and naked, Xiao Yunhua immediately jumped in shock. She gaped in horror and shame when she realized that she had done the unthinkable when she decided to get drunk. Though she didn''t remember, from all these pieces of evidence, it was clear to see what had happened. Tears stung her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Why wasn''t she allowed to lose her womanhood in peace? The first time, she had lost it savagely and completely out of her control, and now... she had committed the unimaginable. She felt so disgusted with herself. Wrapping her arms around herself, she raised her head to see a pair of pitch black eyes staring at her, analyzing every one of her movements. She involuntarily shuddered because his gaze was like a predator looking at its prey. He was the lion... and she seemed to be the gazelle. One wrong movement and something inconceivable would happen. But despite being afraid, Xiao Yunhua did notice something that he was impeccably handsome. With his obsidian eyes, long, straight nose, a pair of thin yet perfect lips and a jawline sharp enough to cut steel, this man was definitely handsome. And by the glint in his eyes, it seemed like he knew it. To Xiao Yunhua, he was easily more handsome than Zhou Feng or Zhou Lang or even her previous life''s Jiang Rong. He was wearing a suit that looked to be in the quadruple or quintuple digits. Despite wearing the black suit, his muscles were easily discernible and he looked fiercer than any bodyguard she had seen. Was this man... Xiao Yunhua didn''t bother to complete her thought. He was the only one there, so it must have been him. The man noticed her frightened appearance and chuckled, his voice brooding and intimidating. "Last night was interesting..." His four words finally confirmed whatever doubt she had. The tears that she had stubbornly maintained poured down without any thought. Her impetuous behavior had cost her yet another lifetime of wanting to remain chaste. Not wanting to let the man see her at her weakest, she raised both of her hands and cried silently. The man, no longer able to tolerate her actions, muttered, "Is it really that difficult to spend a night with me? Many women would beg to differ." Silence greeted him and it seemed like she began to cry harder, which didn''t make the man feel any guilt as he had seen so many women pull the same stunt. He was sure that his next words would immediately stop her from crying and her true personality would be revealed. "Be my mistress." He didn''t say lover, girlfriend, or anything else that held a title of significance. To him, she was going to be someone only for his pleasure. And in return, she would be untouchable and would have infinite wealth. But contrary to his expectations again, the crying woman didn''t stop. She did look up though and her honey colored eyes shocked the man to his very core. The purest form of hatred he had ever seen was bright and evident in her eyes. She looked at him like he was the very scum of the earth. Xiao Yunhua knew that she wasn''t being fair because it wasn''t only him. She was responsible as well. But hearing his words of him casually treating her as a whore made her angry. How narcissistic was one to assume that anyone would be honored to be under them. "Absolutely not." She had many words to say, but in the end, she could only say those two words. Her eyes were beginning to turn red from crying so much, but it didn''t seem like she had any intention of stopping. "Why?" The man was curious. For someone to reject him, this was even rarer than rare. Be it appearance or status, people threw themselves at his feet. He had seen a few women play hard to get, but the look in her eyes was too much to pretend. Too much emotion and anger for any simple game of playing hard to get. "Because last night was a nightmare... and nobody wants to remember nightmares." Once again, her words left him astonished. His dark eyes narrowed until he finally chuckled, though there was no humor in his laughter. "But darling, I''m a daydream dressed as a nightmare." Xiao Yunhua didn''t say anything else and just stared at him. This was the man that she had lost her virginity to? What was she thinking? His arrogance was too untamable. She turned around and fiercely wiped away her remaining tears. She didn''t want to be here any longer. The man saw her frantically trying to get away from him and laughed again. She saw a plain white dress and a pair of white flats. There was no undergarments for her to wear, but it seemed like the man had prepared the clothes for her in a haste. Even though she didn''t want to wear unfamiliar clothes, her dress from the night before was nowhere to be seen. So instead, she was stuck with wearing the dress from the man. She felt his eyes on her as she slowly stood up from the bed. Slipping on the dress and the shoes as quickly as humanly possibly, Xiao Yunhua didn''t want to be there at all. When she looked at the small mirror on the wall, she felt repulsed. Countless hickeys adorned her neck and seemed to go below to unspeakable places. She closed her eyes and goosebumps appeared on her flesh. The man noticed her uncomfortableness and finally decided to tell the truth. "We didn''t do anything last night." Xiao Yunhua opened her eyes in shock and turned around swiftly, not believing him. She pointed at her hickeys and he smirked, "It didn''t mean that we almost didn''t go completely through. You..." his sentence faltered and it looked like he was remembering a dark memory. Xiao Yunhua felt so relieved. It looked like it had been her imagination growing wild... She still had prevented her flower from being deflowered. But she was never going to drink again because it was too troublesome! She looked at the man, grateful that he hadn''t completely taken advantage of her drunken state. He didn''t say anything, but nonetheless could feel her gratitude. Xiao Yunhua nodded and turned around to leave, but the man''s voice stopped her again. "Leaving so soon? Don''t you want to know who I am?" Xiao Yunhua smiled, not knowing her smile had caused the man''s dead heart to thump for a millisecond before going back to its cold and lifeless self. "We are not going to meet ever again, so what is the point? Just treat last night as a drunken night gone wrong." The man couldn''t believe that the same attitude he had used on all his previous women was being used on him. Was this the infamous karma that never reached him until today? "Ha..." He mockingly looked at her. "If that is the way you want it to be." Xiao Yunhua walked towards the door and held the doorknob, finally leaving, but the man stopped her for one last time. "If we were to meet again, you have to give me something. Consider this a bet." "Oh?" She paused and looked at him with a newfound interest. "What would I win if we didn''t meet?" "If you successfully escape my clutches for one year... then I''ll use your information from the island and give you any wish that you desire." "...And if you win this nonsensical bet?" "You''ll be mine." Xiao Yunhua was stunned. So he wasn''t joking earlier about her being his mistress? This man was more interesting that she had accounted him for. She mentally scoffed and finally shut the door, silently agreeing to this silly bet. He may look handsome, but how would he be able to discover to identity when the hotel deeply valued privacy? What Xiao Yunhua didn''t know was that it wasn''t difficult for the man at all. After all, the island belonged to him... and the next time they met, he wouldn''t be simply considered her ''seat''. 67 1.2.30: Heart Attack As Xiao Yunhua flew back, Qiang Yue was frantically rushing to the hospital. His eyes looked bloodshot and his overall unkempt appearance was unlike anything he had spouted before. If Xiao Yunhua was there, she would''ve immediately recognized his clothes to be what he had worn the moment that they had parted to meet later that night. Everyone, patient and staff alike, looked at the doctor in shock. His usual, calm exterior looked panicked and he didn''t even bother greeting anyone when he arrived. He immediately rushed towards the private wing of the hospital without a glance backwards. When he arrived, he opened the door, and his heart sank when he saw that whatever he worried about was true. His father, the stoic and cruel Qiang Luo, laid sickly on the hospital bed. "Father..." Qiang Yue exclaimed in shock. Ling Qiu was right. He had assumed that she was exaggerating when she said that his father was in a serious condition when they spoke the day before. But now, his strict father, was here looking like a paper tiger. "Qiang Yue..." Qiang Luo weakly murmured, "You''ve returned..." "Father, what happened?" He had only been gone for two weeks, yet his father was in a critical condition. Qiang Luo remained silent and didn''t answer his son''s interrogation. Suddenly, the door opened and Ling Qiu appeared with a file in her hands. "Mr. Qiang suffered a heart attack." Qiang Yue''s eyes widened in shock. A heart attack? But his father was as healthy as can be! "Father..." The question was on the top of his tongue, but seeing the way that his father didn''t even have the will to keep his eyes open, he knew that he couldn''t ask now. Only when his father was better would he ask him why he suddenly felt unwell. Qiang Yue and Ling Qiu closed the room door gently when they noticed that Qiang Luo''s eyes were slowly closing and he was beginning to fall a asleep. "What happened?" "I missed you." Ling Qiu smiler teasingly, But Qiang Yue shook his head. "Ling Qiu, I''m serious." A bitter taste filled her mouth when she heard his reply. Of course he thought she was being playful... Ling Qiu cleared her throat and professionally answered, "Your father was last seen with the youngest Zhou young master when he suddenly had to be transferred to the hospital via the ambulance." "...Zhou Lang?" How did Zhou Lang, whose only major flaw was his constant changing of girlfriends and playful behavior, the one that caused his father to have a heart attack? Qiang Yue knew that the young man wasn''t evil, so there must be something happening without anybody being aware of it. Qiang Yue looked at his phone for the first time since his conversation with Long Qiu and noticed that it was dead. Charging it and waiting for it to turn on, he suddenly realized something. He had completely forgotten about meeting Xiahu Yunhua! Guilt overcame him almost immediately and he immediately dialed her phone number, but surprisingly, she didn''t answer. Qiang Yue assumed that it was most likely due to the fact that she was ignoring him like he had stood her up. He sighed and slumped, exhausted. The first woman that he was interested in, he had messed up any chance of being with her. Ling Qiu peeked at the number when she saw his downcast expression. She was startled to see that it was actually someone familiar... Xiahu Yunhua, the patient that had been comatose for three months! The patient that she personally took care of as her private nurse! For Qiang Yue to have her phone number and to have such an expression... did they know each other on a deeper basis that patient-and-doctor? A deep sense of uncomfortable and jealousy clouded her thoughts. Her heart clenched in pain. The man that she had loved for so long... he could only be hers! 68 1.2.31: Confrontation When Xiao Yunhua finally arrived at Wang Yaowan''s mansion, she was startled to find both Ni Ming and Wang Yaowan in the garden, as though they expected her. "Had fun?" Ni Ming''s playful tone was replaced with cold monotone. Her face that always held a smile was now frigid, disappointment evident. "I..." Xiao Yunhua felt her words stuck in her throat as she looked at their looks of silent anger. Especially Wang Yaowan, it was almost like she had gone against his wishes. His anger was unfathomable to Xiao Yunhua until she realized that he probably didn''t like her disappearing without any note like Ni Ming. In the end, she could only stare at them in guilt. Maybe leaving a voicemail and disappearing off the bat was too impulsive. "I''m sorry." She swallowed back her pride and apologized. She was twenty-two, but at this moment, she felt like the insecure sixteen year old that had met both of the people who helped her. Live a better life. Be a better person. Ni Ming''s harsh expression softened when she heard her apologize. But Wang Yaowan continued to coldly look at her, expecting an explanation. "I... I felt a bit reckless that night," Xiao Yunhua bitterly admitted, crossing her arms as though she was remembering unpleasant memories. The scene of her breakup with Zhou Lang flashed through her mind and her guilt intensified. "Why?" This time, it was Wang Yaowan''s deep voice that questioned her. "I broke it off with him..." They didn''t need specifications on who ''him'' was. Immediately, they understood why the young woman felt so melancholic. This was, after all, her first breakup. Ni Ming immediately stood up and wrapped her arms around Xiao Yunhua to comfort her. Despite being shorter than Xiao Yunhua, she patted her head like one would pat a child. Xiao Yunhua chuckled. "Ni Ming, I''m fine now. I feel guilty, but better." "I''m glad that the breakup blues aren''t affecting you anymore!" "Do you mean springtime blues?" Ni Ming stubbornly shook her head. "Breakup blues!" "...But that''s not a thing¡ª" Xiao Yunhua sighed and shook her head, not wanting to ruin the older woman''s mood. "Where is Mrs. Bao?" "She has retired." Wang Yaowan spoke, shocking Xiao Yunhua. She was gone for just two weeks, yet it seemed like many events have occurred! "I didn''t get to say goodbye..." She frowned, to which Ni Ming comforted, "No worries! She''ll still visit." "Alright..." Xiao Yunhua explained to them pretty much everything that happened on the trip, leaving out the night that she almost lost her virginity and the mystery man. They went from astonished to angry to realization when she told them that Qiang Yue stood her up. "But Yunhua..." Then Ni Ming has proceeded to tell her that Qiang Luo had a heart attack. As much as Xiao Yunhua wanted to feel bad for the old man, she couldn''t because he had taken part in the attempted murder of Han Mi many years ago. And it was due to this attempted murder that she was forced to leave to protect herself. Instead of showing her true emotions on her face, she pretended to be sympathetic. The couple had only found due to the fact that the private wing of the hospital had been occupied by Qiang Luo. Through some convincing, Ni Ming managed to get a nurse to expose it¡ªmainly because the nurse was only an intern and didn''t know that she wasn''t supposed to reveal any patient information. But anxious and young, she revealed it anyways. Ni Ming had only gone to the hospital because she hadn''t been feeling well recently, tending to throw up. At first, she was ecstatic because she assumed that she was pregnant, but then she remembered that the percentage of her becoming pregnant was almost zero. The fact that Wang Yaowan was willing to be with her despite her inability to give him a child made her love him all the more. They had gone yesterday, and the doctor had said that he could contact Ni Ming with the results. Ni Ming brushed it off as a stomach bug because it couldn''t be anything else. Wanting to change the conversation, Xiao Yunhua asked, "How is everything at Riverside?" "Everything is alright, although there are many that miss the masked beauty." Knowing that Wang Yaowan was referring to her, she felt shy. She really did miss singing there... it was the only place that she felt truly confident despite her false persona. "Care to sing for old times'' sake?" Ni Ming nudged, winking. Wang Yaowan shook his head at his wife''s silly suggestion. "No. Safety hazard. I doubt her body can take another coma..." Ni Ming tsked but agreed. Xiao Yunhua meant too much to them and they didn''t want to lose her. "By the way, how did you guys sit here in the garden like you anticipated my arrival?" Ni Ming scoffed, "If you''re sneaking away, make sure you don''t use your passport and other identifications because we could easily track you in the airport. But hearing your voicemail, we knew that you needed a breath of fresh air." Ni Ming sighed as she reminisced how Xiao Yunhua sounded on the phone. "You sounded like a mess." "I was..." "But are you now?" Xiao Yunhua shook her head. "I''m okay... for the most part at least. Emotionally stable..." "I feel like you should meet with Qiang Yue and let the man explain why he stood you up in person. Hearing the reason from us may not be the legitimate reason. You know, he could always be having other problems..." Ni Ming''s suggestion made Xiao Yunhua nod. Talking with Qiang Yue was the right thing right now. There doesn''t need to be any unnecessary misunderstandings or else there''d be trust, no matter if it was friendship or a relationship. An hour later, Xiao Yunhua had taken a shower and gotten ready in new clothes, looking fresh. The jet lag hadn''t affected her yet hence why she didn''t rest much and immediately went to the hospital. When she arrived, she was stunned to see someone that she never expected... 69 1.2.32: Bitter Feelings She stared at the person in front of her. They hadn''t seen each other in so long, yet here they stood, silent, the only sound being the soft sound of their breathing. The person before her didn''t blink, afraid that she was only a mirage. An illusion. His dark eyes took in every one of her details, astonished that she had changed so much. "Yunhua..." He murmured, his hand subconsciously going to touch her face to make sure she was real. The more that he leaned forward, the more that she began to realize the reality that she was facing. She quickly dodged and slapped his hand away, giving him a fierce glare. "Zhou Feng!" Hearing his name escape from her lips, Zhou Feng was startled. Not because she had spoken his name, but because she spoke it venomously. Hatred was evident, this much he could see in her now-honey-colored eyes. "Yunhua... you''re..." He was speechless. He had meant to come visit Qiang Luo since the old man had been a faithful butler to the Zhou household for so long, even before he was born. Yet here stood the woman that he thought died. Here stood the woman that he had tried so hard to forget. Even going as far as agreeing on his engagement with Kang Yiyi despite disliking the girl for her haughty attitude. He had assumed that the reason that neither he nor his brother could find Xiahu Yunhua was due to the fact that she had been proclaimed dead. Yet his brother persisted and didn''t believe any rumors while he had given up. In his mind, at that time, he had known that even if she was alive, she would be with his brother and wouldn''t be his. Yet two weeks ago, his brother had appeared with a completely different temperament. His playful personality had been replaced with an aura much colder than his. With an attitude so bitter and frigid, it surprised Zhou Feng completely. Zhou Lang had changed... And Zhou Feng was sure that it was all due to this woman in front of him. Speaking of the woman in front of him, she had certainly lost weight. But despite being skinnier and looking different, he still couldn''t deny that his cold heart began to thump rapidly at the sight of her. He ached to hug her, embrace her, tell her that he missed her... But all his fantasies were placed on hold when she slapped his hand away. "Yunhua..." his cold voice was laced with the slightest bit of hurt. After not seeing each other for so long, this was the way that she treated him. Nonetheless, he was still a Zhou young master. He cleared his throat and said, "How have you been?" Xiao Yunhua wanted to tsk at his behavior, but she managed to push away the feelings of repulse and coldly smiled. "I''m doing perfectly fine, Zhou young master." Seeing her refer to him so coldly despite blurting out his name earlier, the hurt he felt intensified. Why was she acting so unfamiliar? "After what happened..." He hesitated, but she understood. Even though he didn''t know that it was partially his fault for causing her accident, Xiao Yunhua was still angry. She bluntly replied, "I''m fine. My accident has nothing to do with you." "What do you mean?" Zhou Feng asked her, clenching his fists at his sides. "I care for you¡ª" "I don''t need your care." "Xiahu Yunhua!" Zhou Feng felt disrespected. Her lack of attention and lack of desire hurt his pride. "Don''t call me that name." Xiao Yunhua calmly replied, knowing that it wasn''t the real her. But to Zhou Feng, he had misinterpreted her statement as her despising him calling her name. He clenched his fists harder, opened his mouth to reply, but she had turned around and already left. He slumped down and called Zhou Lang to inform him about what he knew. Zhou Lang didn''t pick up the first couple of times until Zhou Feng''s persistence forced him to answer. But before Zhou Lang could yell at his brother for bothering him, Zhou Feng stunned him by quickly saying, "Xiahu Yunhua is alive! She''s in the SX Hospital." Silence met with his words. "Zhou Lang?" "...I know." "Why do you sound so pessimistic?" Zhou Lang took a few minutes to answer, but he finally did. "We broke up." Then he hung up. And suddenly, the reason for his brother''s odd behavior these past two weeks made sense. Xiahu Yunhua had broken up with him... A new feeling began to fill Zhou Feng; subconsciously feeling relief. If his brother and Xiahu Yunhua had broken it off... did that mean that he had a chance? 70 1.2.33: True Speculations Xiao Yunhua didn''t want to bother with Zhou Feng any longer. Seeing Zhou Feng was completely against her expectations as their last meeting had been a long time ago, and it ended with her comatose. She shook her head, taking a deep breath. Her focus was now on Qiang Yue, she didn''t need to worry about Zhou Feng. She walked until she found Qiang Yue''s office, but unlike what she expected, Ling Qiu walked out. The older woman immediately recognized Xiao Yunhua and smiled in greeting. "Yunhua, so happy to see you!" They shook hands and Xiao Yunhua felt especially happy to see the nurse that took care of her. "Same here. Ling Qiu, how have you been?" Since Xiao Yunhua wasn''t a patient under Ling Qiu''s care anymore, she didn''t refer to her as Nurse Ling. They had unexpectedly become good friends while Xiao Yunhua was under her care, hence why she dared to be so casual. Ling Qiu nodded, "I''ve been okay... Need a vacation." She chuckled and then asked, "Yunhua, have you been on vacation recently? It''s good for recovering as you''ll be more relaxed." Xiao Yunhua didn''t find her question suspicious and nodded. "Recently went to Carte Blanche Island! Such a beautiful place, I definitely recommend it." A dark flash gleamed in Ling Qiu''s eyes before she swiftly blinked it away. Fortunately, Xiao Yunhua had her senses enhanced and she observed it quite well. Though she didn''t understand why the sweet nurse would harbor such a negative emotion in her eyes. Nonetheless, she felt tingles and knew that she shouldn''t be hanging much with someone who seemed to have two faces. It wasn''t like she was in her first life where she fell for Jiang Rong''s lies. She was going to avoid any calamity if one were to occur. Xiao Yunhua and Ling Qiu had some more small talk before Xiao Yunhua asked, "Ling Qiu, do you happen to know where Qiang Yue is?" She didn''t realize that she had slipped away the fact that she and Qiang Yue called each other on such name terms, unlike what a patient would call a doctor. The last sliver of doubt escaped from Ling Qiu''s heart and she felt deeply suffocated, her judgement immediately becoming clouded by jealousy. Even though she knew, she shook her head. "Sorry, I haven''t seen him. I think he isn''t at work today. He just arrived from a vacation, he may be suffering from some jet lag." Deep in her mind, Xiao Yunhua didn''t believe Ling Qiu. But to keep things polite, she pondered and nodded. "I see." She then turned around to leave after bidding Ling Qiu adieu. The nurse watched Xiao Yunhua slowly leave and frowned. Just to make sure Xiahu Yunhua really left, she discreetly followed her. Meanwhile Xiao Yunhua had no idea that Ling Qiu was behind her. She walked near the exit before she accidentally bumped into someone tall. She glanced up and was shocked to find Qiang Yue staring at her with equivalent shock. Neither expected to see each other, so their eyes met for a minute. "Qiang Yue?" Didn''t Ling Qiu say that Qiang Yue was not here today? She didn''t have the chance to worry as Qiang Yue wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. "Yunhua, I''m so sorry. I tried to call you afterwards but my phone had died and my father¡ª" Qiang Yue felt her finger on his lips. "I understand." Really, she did. Even though she didn''t like Qiang Luo, she did really like Qiang Yue since he was such an honest man. And she also understood the emotions of seeing a loved one in the hospital. After all, she had suffered through it via Han Mi. He hugged her even further when he heard that she wasn''t being unreasonably angry. They finally released each other and then Qiang Yue suggested somewhere for them to talk. He had intended to return to work, but as he owed Xiahu Yunhua an explanation, he decided that he would return the day after. His father''s condition was stabilized anyway so he didn''t need to worry as much. As they walked away, Ling Qiu had clenched her fists so hard that some of her nails poked through her skin. She didn''t feel any pain from her hands because her heart was throbbing with suffocation and dull pain. Her speculations were true. Xiahu Yunhua and Qiang Yue were most likely together... And she didn''t like it at all. 71 1.2.34: Explanation Xiao Yunhua and Qiang Yue ended up speaking for a few hours. When everything was explained, both felt much better. Since it was late, they decided to eat dinner together. The sound of laughter relieved Qiang Yue as he knew the woman in front of him didn''t seem to hold a grudge. Her smiles remained the same as for when they were on the island. It seemed like nothing had changed which was okay, but Qiang Yue suddenly remembered the words of Xia Li had said. He felt anger at the thought of Xiahu Yunhua smiling with another man, eating dinner with another man, being with another man. These were taboos that made something in his heart stir for the first time in his life in regards to a woman. Suddenly, Qiang Yue realized that the woman in front of him turned quiet. "Qiang Yue, I want you to be honest with me..." Qiang Yue didn''t hesitate to nod. "Always have been, always will be." His spoken line made her smile but she retained her serious nature and asked, "That day in the water... was it really you that saved me?" Qiang Yue blankly looked at her. He didn''t know if he should be honest, but since he had been feeling guilty all this time and he despised lying, he decided to be honest. "No." Xiao Yunhua expected for him to say that he did, but to hear the man that she never presumed to lie, actually lie, she was bewildered. She didn''t know whether to feel angry or to let him explain. She finally decided on the latter and looked at him so that he could explain. "I had told you that I was going to rest, and this was the truth. But a few hours later, I had gone down to the receptionist to ask something, but I saw that there was nobody working. Albeit, I did see droplets of water creating a trail of some sort. When I followed it, it lead to your room." He suddenly took her hand and gripped it, "You know, I then based it on the clues and told a white lie. But only because I didn''t want you to worry! You''re alright, no matter who it was that rescued you!" Even though Xiao Yunhua didn''t like the fact that he lied, she didn''t want to ruin the relationship that she had built with her target, hence why she nodded. But the added mystery made her think of that man and that night, in which she had kept it to herself due to the fact that she was afraid to reveal it. It was shameful yet mortifying that she had nearly slept with a stranger. Those were the types of thing that happened in movies or in books, but this was reality. Her reality. And she needed to be more careful. So instead of being honest and telling him that she was disappointed that he lied to her, she pretended that everything was okay. That''s all that she could do at the moment. Later on, they had finished and Qiang Yue offered to drive her home but she declined. She couldn''t tell him about her real identity... yet. She was so close to grasping another target, she had to take all precautions. Even if it meant lying her way to his heart. 72 1.2.35: Retrochic At the same time, Ling Qiu was drinking quietly in a nightclub. Not just any nightclub, but Riverside''s major rival, Retrochic, who was near Magnolia. If anyone were to see the nurse, they wouldn''t able to recognize her because her formal uniform was replaced by a strapless, short black dress and her usual bun was replaced by sleek, straight hair. She had minimal makeup, but her beauty was highly evident which attracted the eye of everyone around her. In reality, Ling Qiu was really beautiful if she tried. But since she knew that Qiang Yue did not like those flamboyant women, she never tried to use makeup nor dress up much. She had spent so long on the man, she was desperate for his love. Ever since she interned at the hospital he worked at, she had found herself slowly falling in love with the gentle man. She was even willing to abandon her work to transfer hospitals because she hated that she couldn''t see him everyday. His smile was one of the things she looked forward to the most. Yet her stupid decision to send him on a vacation had costed her his heart. Ling Qiu could see it, she wasn''t stupid. Qiang Yue was beginning to fall in love with Xiahu Yunhua. And every look he gave Xiahu Yunhua instead of her cut deeper and deeper in her heart. The overwhelming pain made her murmur, "Damn you Xiahu Yunhua!" Meanwhile a girl that sat next to her perked up in interest. "Did you say Xiahu Yunhua?" Ling Qiu turned around and saw a stunning beauty that looked familiar. Although Ling Qiu couldn''t pinpoint where she had seen the beauty though. She nodded and the beauty''s face contorted into hatred. "She''s still alive? Impossible! I saw with my own eyes as the car hit her and she remained lifeless months ago." Ling Qiu was shocked. She wasn''t informed too much in regards to Xiahu Yunhua''s accident that led to her being comatose, but it seemed like this was the actual reason. But how did this person know? "She was comatose for three months." Ling Qiu replied hesitantly, unsure if she should reveal such information. But the beauty quickly took advantage of her one sentence to begin ranting. "You know, I''m so angry. She should''ve died!" She humphed and crossed her arms, her eyes dark and vicious. "You shouldn''t be wishing for someone to die!" Ling Qiu whispered as she looked around to make sure nobody heard their conversation. "I can''t help it," the beauty sighed, "she tried to seduce my fianc¨¦, but luckily, he resisted her." Ling Qiu was stunned. This piece of news, she had never heard. She motioned for the girl to continue and she did. "Well, it was the wedding of the popular nightclub owner, and since he''s somewhat influential, my fianc¨¦ and I decided to go to show our support." Suddenly, her eyes filled with tears, "But who knew that she clung onto my fianc¨¦ because he is rich and successful?" "Xiahu Yunhua did such a thing?" Even though she was jealous of Xiahu Yunhua for stealing the heart of Qiang Yue, from what she knew of her, she wasn''t clingy. But then again, she hadn''t expected for her to begin to take interest in her doctor, so who knew what was her true personality. The girl nodded. "She even wore a mask so people wouldn''t recognize how shameless she is." She tsked, as though she felt embarrassed. "She dared to drag my fianc¨¦ out and try to tell him lies and try to seduce him." Suddenly, the girl gripped the hands of Ling Qiu and smiled, "But it seemed liked it was her Karma to get hit by a car at that moment. My poor fianc¨¦ was so traumatized that he now prefers to be alone all the time which is why I''m here." This wasn''t true, but Ling Qiu didn''t know that. In fact, Ling Qiu didn''t know that the girl in front of her had been kicked out of the man''s penthouse in Magnolia hence why she was there. "Now you know why I curse Xiahu Yunhua, tell me, what did she do to you?" Maybe it was her jealousy or maybe it was because she was influenced by the alcohol, but Ling Qiu said, "Oh... she just flirted with the man I have liked for so long." The girl gasped and placed her hands on her mouth, as though she was not believing what Ling Qiu was saying. "Is he rich and handsome?" Ling Qiu nodded. Qiang Yue was wealthy and definitely handsome. So handsome that everyone in the hospital had a crush on him. "Then he''s the one that she''ll try to seduce next. She''s such a slut, she''ll probably tell him that''s she pregnant or something." The girl scowled in disgust and looked at Ling Qiu in sympathy. Ling Qiu continued to drink and couldn''t help but grow angry as well. This person clearly knew the personality of Xiahu Yunhua really well, so she couldn''t help but trust her. The beauty saw that Ling Qiu was beginning to waver and she victoriously smiled at successfully getting another puppet to manipulate. The gang was one, now this was two. The list was definitely sure to grow the further that she would go. "You know, I have a plan to not make that awful person bother any more people..." The beauty suddenly voiced. Ling Qiu looked at her in wonder, but felt disappointment when the beauty said that they needed to meet elsewhere more private. "Alright, I''m Ling Qiu, and who may you be?" The beauty smiled amiably, "I''m Kang Yiyi..." 73 1.2.36: Omurice In the meantime, Xiao Yunhua had no idea that they were planning something unfortunate. She was getting ready to go to sleep. She and Qiang Yue had talked things out properly, even though she didn''t like that he lied to her. But nonetheless, she had to stay guarded or all her progress with her current target could be lost. Qiang Yue had tried to convince her to meet his dad that was in the hospital, but she couldn''t. The old man knew her as the girlfriend of Zhou Lang and would definitely recognize her. This was a disaster that she wasn''t willing to step in yet. She could only use the excuse of needing to rest for a while to get used to living away from the island to get Qiang Yue to stop asking. The man did say that she was welcome to meet Qiang Luo whenever she was ready. Currently, she was sneaking to the kitchen to get herself a light snack. Most of the lights were turned off, so pretty much the entire place was pitch black. She tiptoed to the kitchen and opened the fridge quietly, only to hear a deep voice ask, "What are you doing?" She squealed in fear and slipped, expecting herself to facepalm the ground. Luckily, a pair of strong arms caught her and looked at her like she was silly. She laughed and so did the man who caught her: Wang Yaowan. They didn''t realize that he was still holding her to keep her from falling and she brushed off the nonexistent dust off of her clothes. "Thanks. You''ve always been there." Wang Yaowan opened his mouth to say something, but he held himself back. He nodded aloofly and then asked her if she was here for a snack. She nodded but sighed. "There''s nothing..." she pouted, pointing at the ingredients. "And I''m too lazy to cook." Wang Yaowan sighed as though he was looking at a child. He patted her head and motioned for her to follow him to sit at the dining table. She patiently sat and ten minutes later, a Japanese omurice was in front of her. The smell made her stomach growl in appreciation and she immediately dug in, eternally grateful. When she finished, she sighed. "All these years, I think this is the first time I''ve eaten anything made by you." "What did you think?" "Amazing! I demand that you make more in the future!" Xiao Yunhua gave him a thumbs up and stood up to go to sleep. Want Yaowan "That''s fine... I just need to learn other recipes." Xiao Yunhua chuckled, "This is the only thing that you know how to make?" Wang Yaowan shook his head, "A few other dishes. I''m no expert like you, but I did have to make my own food a long time ago..." Xiao Yunhua knew that he was an orphan who rose to be successful despite the odds. She knew that he was most likely referring to that time of his life. She shot him an empathetic smile and told him that he now had Ni Ming to worry about. She didn''t dare to lie and say that he also had her to depend on. After all, it wasn''t like she was going to stay in this world forever or at least grow old. She was leaving after the third target, or at least she assumed. 74 1.2.37: Takeou For the next week, Qiang Luo was slowly getting better and beginning to fully recover from his heart attack. Qiang Yue felt relieved and attempted¡ªon multiple occasions¡ªto get Xiahu Yunhua to visit. But she would always refuse with different excuses, such as being busy, tired, etcetera. It made him suspicious but he didn''t ponder because he trusted her. If she wanted to avoid meeting his father for a little while, then that was fine. He did try to meet Zhou Lang to ask him what aggravated his father so much to the point that it drove him to have a heart attack, but the man had denied to see him or anyone else for the matter. As for Ling Qiu, she was behaving oddly and avoiding him. She did greet him every morning, but she didn''t act as familiar and playful as before. She would keep distances polite, which confused Qiang Yue as he treated Ling Qiu as a good friend. Currently, he and Xiahu Yunhua were sitting in his office and they were casually chatting. She had surprised him with a visit to see how he''s doing despite seeing each other the day before. Her concern made Qiang Yue''s heart thump with an unfamiliar joy. At the moment, despite coming for a chat, he was typing away and she quietly sipped the tea he had prepared for her. "You know, you''re supposed to be on break." She mused, looking at the hardworking man. "But from what I see, the only break you''re having is when you occasionally look up." Qiang Yue sheepishly smiled, making her heart flutter. "I apologize. I''m just so packed with work," he sighed, "I''m wasting your time..." She shook her head, "No way! I came here out of my own accord to see you because I missed you." When she uttered her last three words, she blushed and averted her eyes shyly. Qiang Yue chuckled and reached over to pat her head affectionately. Xiao Yunhua saw his doting expression and knew that she was very close. Out of her generosity, she looked up and saw the time and offered, "I''ll go buy lunch for us to enjoy together." Before Qiang Yue could refute, she had already stood up and waved him goodbye. "I''ll be back in a little bit!" She walked out and went outside of the hospital to a nearby restaurant. She could''ve gone to any of the cafeterias in the hospital, but she was sure that he was tired of the familiar food. She found that the nearby restaurant sold Filipino cuisine and quickly ordered two takeouts for both her and Qiang Yue. Fifteen minutes later, she walked in the direction of the hospital carrying the plastic bigs with the food. She was startled to see Ling Qiu by the door, shooting her a frantic look. "Yunhua!" "What''s wrong?" Xiao Yunhua immediately recognized the tone of urgency from Ling Qiu. "Mr. Qiang''s condition suddenly worsened... Qiang Yue is falling apart." Xiao Yunhua gasped in horror. Wasn''t the old man getting better? Why had he suddenly gotten worse? She followed Ling Qiu mindlessly to the hospital room of Qiang Luo, not noticing the dark glint in the eyes of the nurse... 75 1.2.38: Who is She? I When they entered the hospital room, Xiao Yunhua looked at Ling Qiu suspiciously. "Where is Qiang Yue?" "He had to step out for a few seconds, but he''ll be right back." Ling Qiu answered, no trace of lying evident on her face. She remained calm and collected despite the suspicion from Xiao Yunhua. "Alright, then we shouldn''t disturb Mr. Qiang, let''s wait for Qiang Yue outside." Ling Qiu shook her head, "I think you should wait here!" She was that Xiao Yunhua was walking in the direction of the door, so she swiftly left and locked the door from the outside. To keep the utmost privacy for its patients, the private wing of the hospital had two locks. One from in the inside and another from the outside. If a patient wanted to leave but the outside was locked, then they would need to buzz for the assigned nurse, which in this case, was Ling Qiu. Xiao Yunhua didn''t panic because she knew that she had her phone in her purse, but as she pulled her phone out, she heard the old voice of Qiang Yue ask, "Is that you, Qiang Yue?" Startled, she turned around, only to see the still-sharp eyes of Qiang Luo looking at her like a hawk. "You... you''re that woman." Xiao Yunhua was astonished. Everyone that had seen her new appearance after her coma couldn''t recognize her that well. Yet the moment that this old man glanced at her, he recognized her instantaneously. "Mr. Qiang?" She pretendes to be clueless. "I don''t understand what you mean by ''that woman''? Do you know me?" "Don''t you dare act innocent." He angrily pointed at her, "If it wasn''t for you, both young masters wouldn''t be having so much trouble. You are just a slutty omen for the Zhou family!" Xiao Yunhua didn''t have the chance to refute as the old man continued. "In fact, I think the rumors were right. You''re here to bewitch my son, you witch! I won''t allow Yue''er to be manipulated by you! Go to hell, just like the old woman from so many years ago¡ª" Xiao Yunhua clenched her fists. She didn''t care that he was insulting her, but the moment that he brought in Han Mi''s name, she couldn''t help but interrupt, "Don''t you dare insult Han Mi!" Qiang Luo was startled. He had only said ''old woman'', yet this girl had immediately realized that he was talking about Han Mi? "Who are you?" A feeling of dread was beginning to form in his gut as he saw the former clueless girl look at him with hatred. To harbor this much emotion for him, especially when he mentioned Han Mi, they must''ve had a special relationship. She sat down at the chair near his bed and admired her fingernails. She sighed, "I didn''t plan on revealing who I am so soon, yet you see... I don''t seem to have a choice." The old man held his breath in fearful anticipation for her answer and nearly fainted when he heard her say, "My name is Han Yunhua, and I am the granddaughter of Han Mi." 76 1.2.39: Who is She? II Even though Qiang Luo was shocked, he didn''t think illogically and harshly mocked, "Nice try, little girl. Unfortunately, Han Mi doesn''t have a granddaughter that I don''t know of." Even though he was mocking her, Xiao Yunhua wasn''t flustered in the least bit. She smiled, albeit her eyes weren''t smiling at all. She looked at the old man like he was a full, "Hmm... And yet, she was accused of adultery? I think this is an odd situation, don''t you?" Qiang Luo finally blanched. He didn''t expect for her to know about that issue many years ago. "You... You shouldn''t know about such things. Little girls shouldn''t stick their noses in businesses that don''t belong to them." The caveat was evident, yet Xiao Yunhua only chuckled bitterly. "You''re right, who would believe me if I were to say Qiang Luo, the loyal butler of the Zhou family and Ling Xiu, the former best friend of Han Mi, plotted to murder her? Honestly, they''re so noble that they would never dare to commit such an atrocity." The sarcasm and her taunts didn''t escape Qiang Luo''s ears and only made him panic more. This was the darkest secret he carried, only with the current Zhou Eldress, so how did this young woman know? Could she really be the granddaughter of Han Mi? But the accusations against Han Mi were purely created from false evidence and imagination. In fact, when Qiang Luo had found Han Mi alive at the hospital, he was secretly relieved. At least he didn''t commit murder and wouldn''t have to live with the guilt. Yet when the Zhou issued an order to prevent any hospital from treating the old woman, he was also relieved because she would die and his crimes would be forgotten. Yet the day he saw Han Mi, he had also seen a young girl in a school uniform. She didn''t look any older than fifteen or sixteen, and he had even informed Zhou Elder about that girl, Han Yunhua, but at that he didn''t stop to consider that Han Mi shouldn''t have a grandchild! Yet here she stood! Qiang Luo didn''t have the chance to refute as she continued, "Besides, the bond that Han Mi and I share goes beyond blood. To think someone like you has a son like Qiang Yue, I am truly astonished..." She clenched her hands into fists, "But do not worry! Retribution will come soon, I promise you!" "Little girl¡ª" "You may have escaped the clutches of Karma all these years, but I''ll deliver it personally!" A few minutes of silence and Xiao Yunhua was breathing hard. All the anger from watching Han Mi cast out erupted the moment she saw this man pretend to not know anything. She felt disgusted and once again, hated the injustice that Han Mi suffered through. The quiet Qiang Luo smiled, his wrinkled eyes glinting with ridicule. "Evidence? Little girl, you should know, in the big world, go around accusing people without proof is a taboo. You could get accused of slander." When she saw that he didn''t show any remorse nor confessed, she pursed her lips and grabbed her purse, walking to the door. She didn''t want to deal with Qiang Luo any longer because his attitude was truly repulsive. One really couldn''t reason with someone like Qiang Luo, who sold his real master off to die, so that Ling Xiu could be in the place. As she turned the doorknob, she remembered that the door was still locked. She sighed in frustration, dialing Ling Qiu to open the door. "Running away because you can''t handle the truth?" This time Qiang Luo was continuously mocking her. He didn''t know that Xiao Yunhua hadn''t bothered with him any longer because she felt like she was dealing with an idiot. To him, he assumed that she was intimidated by his words. "No, I can''t stand being in the same place as a murderer. Also, I''ll take your earlier warning into mind." She turned around and shot him a smile, as though she was kind enough to remind him: "But you should remember that I don''t speak without no evidence. Also... I''ll strike you where it''ll hurt the most." Surprisingly, Ling Qiu had opened the door, which made her suspicious, but she had already used up her mental capacity to deal with Qiang Luo. She left Qiang Luo to ponder alone because he didn''t know that she didn''t really have any proof, but Xiao Yunhua was serious. If she couldn''t find any evidence, then she didn''t care if she had to exhaust all her current points to fabricate evidence to prove Han Mi''s innocence. After all, it was merely giving them a taste of their own medicine... 77 1.2.40: Worth it? Ten or so minutes after Xiao Yunhua left, Qiang Luo suddenly began to feel a tightness in his chest. His heart was thumping at a rapid speed, and he was beginning to feel abnormal fatigue. A wave of dizziness hit him and it seemed like his heart wanted to burst out at any moment, causing him to breath heavily. He was feeling exactly as how he felt when he had his first heart attack. He could vaguely sense that there were people rushing in and out of the room, but his senses were beginning to get blurrier and blurrier until everything became numb. The pain was so overwhelming that like a madman, he only desired relief and for it to cease. As he closed his eyes, memories flashed before him. From the first time he had inherited the position of the Zhou family butler, to the moment that he had met her. With her long, black hair, ruby red lips, and glittering black eyes, she was a beauty. Unfortunately, many had perceived her as an evil beauty, but only he knew that she was merely stuck in an endless cycle of unrequited love. He saw as she stared at her best friend in envy and that envy drove her to make decisions that haunted her, even to this day. He saw his younger self slowly falling in love with her, willing to do anything to make her feel happy. Yet just like she experienced the cruel reality of unrequited love, he did too. Just like that man was blind to her love, she was blind to his. One day, she had met with him, to ask him to do a very cruel thing. She had told the younger him that her words were slowly beginning to turn that man, and that she would finally be able to gain his love. She was sure that if he abandoned that woman, that man would surely fall in love with her even more. So even though the younger him didn''t want to taint his hands, he agreed for the sake of her happiness. They staged an accident and she finally became that man''s wife. Even though she knew that he didn''t marry her out of love and only married her so she would be a mother to his young children, she still deluded herself. Qiang Luo saw the scene shift to his most precious memory. That night, she had drank too much due to the guilt of destroying her best friend''s happiness for hers and they ended up doing something unimaginable. Up to this day, she didn''t know that the child she was pregnant with was his. That she didn''t know that she her precious Zhou Hua was the daughter of a dead mother in the hospital. That she didn''t know that Qiang Yue was indeed, her flesh and blood... This secret, Qiang Luo had kept it with him for three decades. He had even broken the long tradition of having a Qiang son be the butler of the Zhou family, so that Qiang Yue nor her would figure anything out. But just in case, Qiang Luo has hidden a letter for Qiang Yue to find out much later. If he didn''t, then Qiang Luo didn''t mind for his son to continue to think that his mother had passed away in an accident, but if he found it... then the contents of the letter, he hoped that his son would forgive him. The memories shifted and darkness overwhelmed him. Qiang Luo saw a figure emerging. When he saw who it was, he felt his heart shake in guilt or horror, he could not figure out. A young Han Mi, wearing the same clothes as when she had her accident, walked in his direction. Qiang Luo saw that her eyes were containing the same kind glint that she always had when she talked to him. Her aura was every bit of the aura of the matron of the Zhou family; her beauty unparalleled. "M-Madam Zhou..." Han Mi only shook her head, gently denying his words. Qiang Yue understood what she meant. He had helped to strip away that title from her, so how could he be so hypocritical? Earlier, he had merely had false confidence in front of the young woman. He couldn''t allow her to see how much her words weighed him down. His deepest insecurity, she has resurfaced it and he could do nothing about it. Suddenly, the young Han Mi opened her mouth and softly asked, "Was it worth it?" Indeed, was it worth it? He had gained a son, the woman he had lived all these years had gained a position, yet the price was too much. They had contributed to the suffering of an innocent person... The speechless Qiang Luo watched as the dignified Han Mi rapidly aged and then the old image he had seen at the hospital resulted. The shame in his heart intensified when her old image was shown on a hospital bed, weak and dying. There had been no one, not even the young woman from earlier, to be with her at her death moments. After he saw such memories, his surroundings darkened completely. Qiang Luo bitterly chuckled. It seemed like it was his time to go. The young woman earlier had spoken of retribution, yet who knew that it would arrive sooner than expected? And in the worst form¡ªdeath. With one finally breath, Qiang Luo lost conscienceless completely. In the real world, the electrocardiogram waves of his heart ceased, and a long line replaced them... 78 1.2.41: Gone Fifteen minutes after Xiao Yunhua left the hospital, she was sitting at the nearby park, contemplating on her next move. She didn''t expect to receive a phone call, but without looking at the name, she picked up. "Yunhua¡ª" "Ling Qiu, if this is another one of your stunts, I will block your number." Xiao Yunhua was in no mood to deal with Ling Qiu''s antics. She was already angry due to the old man''s shamelessness in denying his faults, but Ling Qiu''s voice carried a sense of legitimate urgency. "Yunhua, he''s gone!" "Huh?" "Qiang Yue''s father..." she choked, like she was sobbing too hard. "He''s gone!" "You''re lying." Xiao Yunhua scoffed, no longer willing to allow herself to be manipulated by Ling Qiu. She had caused her to blurt out her real identity in the heat, so Xiao Yunhua didn''t want to deal with her any longer. "You... You will see if I am lying or not!" Ling Qiu hung up, not letting Xiao Yunhua retort. Xiao Yunhua was sure that it was another plot, but the curiosity was beginning to nag away in her mind. She really wanted to go and see if Ling Qiu had the dignity to say the truth, but there was also a fifty percent possibility that the nurse was lying again. In the end, she decided to go. Not to fuel Ling Qiu''s ploys, but to check up on Qiang Yue. And to bring him the food that she couldn''t bring earlier. The poor man had probably decided to skip out on lunch from being so busy. So with more orders, from the same restaurant earlier, she walked in the direction of the hospital with haste. When she arrived at Qiang Yue''s office, she was shocked to find it empty. Qiang Yue wanted to ask a nurse there if they had seen Qiang Yue, but it seemed like everyone was too busy. She finally decided to check in Qiang Luo''s private room to see if Qiang Yue was there after looking everywhere. When she finally arrived, she was shocked to see many nurses and doctors gathered. What caught her eye was that Ling Qiu was actually crying. She had thought that Ling Qiu was merely pretending to get her to go to the hospital, but seeing the nurse actually sobbing, she felt anxiety and dread fill her. Xiao Yunhua quickly rushed inside of the hospital room despite the people telling her to not go in there. She slammed the door shut, locking it. She saw a lifeless Qiang Luo on the bed, breathless and his electrocardiogram monitor indicating nothing. Her eyes turned to a man sitting next to the bed, his arms on his knees and his hands covering his face. His shoulders were slumped and an air of sadness loomed above him. The more she edged closer, the more that she could see who the man was with his white coat. "Qiang Yue?" She softly called out, trying to get his attention. The man didn''t answer nor move, so she walked closer and closer until she stood in front of his hunched self. Gently, she called out again, "Qiang Yue?" The man finally responded as he looked up. Xiao Yunhua was frozen to find that his face was abnormally pale and around his eyes were dark circles, while his actual eyes were red from crying. What really shocked her were the emotions that his eyes seemed to carry: dull and lifeless, like he couldn''t see or feel anything. Slowly raising her hands, she cupped his face and brought her face down. Their foreheads touched and his dark eyes met with her honey colored ones. "Qiang Yue?" "He''s gone..." Qiang Yue whispered hoarsely. "He''s really gone." Tears streamed down the sides of his face as he uttered those heartbreaking words. He hadn''t cried when he found out that his mother was dead, but as his father had raised him, he couldn''t endure the tears. Silence followed his words and Xiao Yunhua could only use her thumbs to softly wipe his tears. Suddenly, Qiang Yue''s arms wrapped around her waist, causing her to almost fall. She balanced herself, but was startled when she heard him say his next eight words: "You''re the only one I have left now..." And then she heard the same noise that she hadn''t heard in a while: <> 79 1.3.1: Special Targe Xiao Yunhua gently patted the head of the man in front of her. She didn''t hate him like Zhou Feng, and genuinely cared for him like how a friend would care for another. It was just that due to the system, Xiao Yunhua wasn''t sure that they were going to have a chance to be any more intimate than friends. Her heart broke. She really and truly felt helpless. She couldn''t abandon him, but unfortunately, Xiao Yunhua knew that she would have to clarify their relationship as soon as possible. It may hurt him, but she didn''t want for him to have false hope. Her situation was worse here than with Zhou Lang. At least the latter had the chance to call her his ''girlfriend'', while Qiang Yue couldn''t. And she wouldn''t dare to suggest anything anymore. She had already manipulated the situation at the island... She didn''t want to manipulate any longer. After what felt like an eternity, yet was only five minutes, Xiao Yunhua found an excuse to swiftly go to the restroom. Once there, she snapped her fingers and appeared in the familiar grey, dimensional space. The little fairy fluttered around anxiously, and as Xiao Yunhua looked around, she couldn''t see Xiao Lili. It seemed like the other little fairy wasn''t there. "Xiao Taotao¡ª" "Oh! Thank goodness you''re here!" The little fairy quickly fluttered up to Xiao Yunhua and congratulated her, "Well done on another target, Host! I''m proud of you!" Xiao Yunhua could heat the worry behind her voice, so she asked, "Xiao Taotao, why are you so restless?" The little fairy wasn''t acting like her usual self that was bubbly and would try to rip Xiao Yunhua off. She seemed especially nervous, like she dreaded something. Xiao Taotao sighed, "I''ll explain after you gain your points." Xiao Taotao snapped her fingers and the calculations appeared. The number one hundred Pretty Points appeared. Xiao Yunhua blinked. "Is there some kind of a mistake?" Xiao Taotao shook her head. "Nope, I explained that stuff to you, remember. Doctor, soldier, officer, or surgeon gets you one hundred points." "Dang it!" After experiencing the numerous Pretty Points that Zhou Feng brought her, she actually greedily thought she would get the same, if not more, points. It seemed like Lady Luck was not on her side today. "Your total is 54,100 points!" Only one hundred more than her previous. Xiao Yunhua felt exhausted. All that effort for nothing! But at least she actually completed a target, so that was a plus. And luckily, Xiao Taotao did not seem to deduct any points from her as she completed this target in less than a year. "Pick a skill!" The skills instrument, hacking, and design appeared in front of her. "What kind of design?" She asked, curious. "The creative ones. So for example, art design, fashion design, etcetera. Not helpfully in an offensive or defensive way, but can certain increase your charm when getting a target in whatever modern world you''re in, for the future. Of course, it''ll also only be useful if your intentional body is in the creative arts area and your target or targets are also interested." Xiao Yunhua realized that it wasn''t a skill that she would need at the moment, so she crossed that one out. As for instruments, she didn''t need those, did she? "Your next world, it''ll be beneficial!" "Wait, how do you know what my next world is already?" Xiao Taotao quickly covered her mouth with her small hands, as though she had mentioned something she wasn''t supposed to have mentioned. Xiao Yunhua understood by her actions that she wasn''t going to reveal anything, but as she had already given this little clue, she picked instruments. Immediately, her mind filled with the complexities of any instrument out there, be it modern or historical. She was intrigued, but she also knew that she needed to practice, so that she wouldn''t sound stiff and emotionless when playing anything. "You''ve also unlocked the last 50% enhancement! You''ll be the goddess of this world! 4,100 points will be taken!" "What!?" Xiao Taotao shrugged, "I like to keep things easy to calculate for the future. Getting you to exactly 50,000 is beneficial to both of us, don''t you agree?" Beneficial my ass. This was the Xiao Taotao she was familiar with, the same Xiao Taotao that used any chance to rip her off. Taking her silence into consideration, Xiao Taotao snapped her fingers. Immediately, Xiao Yunhua felt an exhilaration go through her, and a mirror appeared in front of her. It was like the gods had especially taken their time to carve out this inhumanely beautiful face. Her almond-shaped, honey-colored eyes darkened slightly, her already ruby-lips darkened with pigment, creating a wine-red shade. Her skinny body immediately became perfectly proportioned, and her face seemed to have become more enhanced. The only word that Xiao Yunhua could use was truly what Xiao Taotao had used earlier: goddess. She had become a super beauty, impossible to achieve with merely plastic surgery. Xiao Yunhua didn''t know how to feel. She also knew that she would garner suspicion for suddenly turning more beautiful, but at the moment, she didn''t want to think much about it. She had already become so impulsive in this world, why not become more impulsive and have a slight change in appearance? Then again, she didn''t really have a choice as it was the system''s decision. "Okay, so who''s my next target?" Xiao Yunhua asked as the mirror in front of her disappeared quickly. Xiao Taotao seemed to have contemplated on how to express her words, but the little fairy finally said, "Well, the higher ups have decided that the next one will be your final target¡ª" "That''s great!" "But also, it''ll be a Special Target." "What?" She didn''t remember Xiao Taotao ever mentioning such a thing in the beginning. "Well, Special Targets are unlocked in further worlds, but seeing as you handled the second target so well, they decided to make you already have a special target!" Even though Xiao Taotao was gleeful, Xiao Yunhua could sense the worry behind her voice. This was most likely why she was so anxious earlier. But what was so bad about Special Targets? "Well..." Xiao Taotao had heard her question, so she would honestly answer. "Special Targets are okay to not get the heart of, it wouldn''t count as a strike." "Wait, before anything, what do you mean as a strike? I thought that it was a requirement to get a target''s heart or else I would experience soul obliteration." Seeing that she had revealed something else she wasn''t supposed to reveal this early, Xiao Taotao sighed and knew that she would get in trouble later on. But if she was going to get in trouble, she preferred explaining it all so she wouldn''t unjustly get in trouble with the higher ups. "Well, I wasn''t supposed to tell you this until you failed a target, but you get six strikes. It''s not immediate soul obliteration!" Seeing the shock on Xiao Yunhua''s face, the little fairy felt embarrassed. "It''s protocol to say that to every Host so that they wouldn''t slack off and say that they''ll take the strike." "Oh... but I can take a strike? For each world?" "Nope! The strikes are for as long as you have the Ultimate Goddess System with you. Also, yes, you can take a strike and quit on that target, but is it really worth it? Especially when you don''t know how many worlds you''ll go through and how many targets you''ll have to get the hearts of?" Xiao Taotao took a deep breath, continuing, "Also, you can earn a strike if you die in a world without gaining your current target''s love." Xiao Yunhua was shocked again. This made things so much harder, especially in the historical worlds that she would experience. If she were to die, especially a time period that people got killed so easily, would she get a strike? "Yeah, even if it''s unintentional, you''ll still gain a strike. Be careful!" Xiao Yunhua took a deep breath and motioned for Xiao Taotao to continue. "Back to Special Targets... You don''t have to gain their heart, but if you do, then you will be able to gain double the amount of points you would normally gain, based on their identity of status. And usually, they''re pretty high when it comes to status or identity, so it''s a bunch of points. There isn''t a time limit either, well, until you basically die in the current world." Xiao Taotao fluttered in her direction again and then continued speaking, "But you see... if you don''t gain their heart, you''ll lose a skill. Sometimes two, depending on the mood of the higher ups and how much they''ve seen you try." The anxiety was highly evident as she stared at Xiao Yunhua. It seemed like the little fairy truly treasured her as a Host. In reality, only the little fairy knew why she was so anxious. "But you can reject Special Targets as well. Consider it a bonus gameplay. Special Targets can appear anytime. They can be your first, second, third, etcetera. In this case, they''re your last target." "I see... I''ll accept it. I still have to get revenge from a few particular people, hence why I need to stay in this world for a bit longer." "Alright!" Xiao Taotao snapped her fingers and Xiao Yunhua found herself in the restroom again. <> What!? <> Xiao Yunhua wanted to scold the little fairy for forgetting to tell her about such a fact, but it was too late as the little fairy had already disappeared. Xiao Yunhua took a deep breath and walked out. 80 1.3.2: Not Him When she returned to the room, she noticed that Qiang Yue was still slumped down in desolation. He would occasionally stare at his father, but otherwise, keep his head bowed. "Yunhua...?" His hoarse voice broke her heart to pieces. She swallowed down her pity and lied, "Sorry, it seems like I have to go home because there''s been a mishap. Before anything, do you want for me to stay with you?" Of course he did, but Qiang Yue didn''t want to be selfish and hold her back because of his dilemmas. So instead, he shook his head. "I''ll survive. Text me when you get home safely okay?" "What are you going to do?" She saw his eyes clouded with sadness, so she had to know what he was going to do. He only smiled tight-lipped and shook his head. "I''ll be heading home for a shower and to arrange the funeral arrangements. Don''t worry." Of course she worried! This man looked like he was on the verge of collapse from all the weight on his shoulders. In the end, she sympathetically nodded and left, leaving him alone to ponder on what he should do next. When Xiao Yunhua arrived at Wang Yaowan''s mansion, she was shocked to see Ni Ming smiling happily, almost like she was going to burst from the joy. "Ni Ming?" "Yunhua, you''re back!" Ni Ming stood up to run and hug her, but she slowed down her movement and walked fast instead. Xiao Yunhua stared at her in confusion, and Ni Ming chuckled. "Don''t mind my mood, I just found something out that is making my heart beat wildly in glee!" "Huh?" "Sorry, I won''t tell you yet!" Ni Ming winked teasingly, asking if Xiao Yunhua had eaten yet. Xiao Yunhua tsked, "You got me curious, only to decline saying anything..." Ni Ming playfully shook her head. "Don''t worry, you''ll find out soon! I just want to keep it so that Yaowan knows about it first." Xiao Yunhua rolled her eyes, but suddenly, she had a very bad premonition. What if the Special Target was Wang Yaowan? How could she live with herself knowing that she destroyed the happiness of the woman in front of her. She quickly ended the conversation with Ni Ming. Inside of her room, she summoned herself to see Xiao Taotao again. The little fairy was clearly startled when she saw Xiao Yunhua appear in the dimensional space again. She cleared her throat and politely asked, "Is there anything I can help you with?" "I want to know who my Special Target is." "Sorry," the little fairy shook her head, "Can''t tell you." "Then fine... Tell me whether or not it''s Wang Yaowan." The little fairy bit her bottom lip, clearly hesitant. Before she could ask for points in compensation, Xiao Yunhua demanded, "For free! You took an extra one hundred points because you don''t like calculating numbers." Being exposed, Xiao Taotao blushed and finally took a deep breath, agreeing to admit the truth. "It''s not." "It''s not what?" "It''s not Wang Yaowan." Hearing the confirmation, Xiao Yunhua heaved a sigh of relief. To think that she would take someone very dear from Ni Ming, just the idea was horrendous. The reality would be even worse. "Thank you." The little fairy was clearly startled to hear her Host thanking her, but before she could reply, Xiao Yunhua had already left. 81 1.3.3: Investigation The next couple of weeks went by uneventfully. Xiao Yunhua had done her utmost best to make Qiang Yue comfortable while he handled the funeral affairs for Qiang Luo. When the funeral finally happened, Xiao Yunhua saw as he blankly watched his father get buried, but with her enhanced senses, she noticed his clenched fists and his overall pale complexion. Gently, she placed her hand on his shoulder. Somehow, he brightened up a bit, but still maintained his gloomy aura. Looking at the people that came, Xiao Yunhua was startled to see Zhou Elder, but no sign of Zhou Eldress. A shiver ran up her spine when she realized how coldhearted Ling Xiu could be, to not even bother to go to the funeral of the man who was her partner in crime. Along with Zhou Elder, there were a few other members of the Zhou family. She did not see any of the Zhou young masters, fortunately, or else there would have been problems. But why was he so dedicated? Xiao Yunhua didn''t want to waste points, so she realized that she would have to figure the problem out herself. The rest of the funeral went by in a blur and she found herself mindlessly following Qiang Yue as he greeted Zhou Elder. Suddenly, she realized something in horror. She had met Zhou Elder as Zhou Lang''s girlfriend... What if he recognized and exposed her? Keeping her eyes averted, she nodded in acknowledgment to the old man, whose eyes seemed to be sharper than a hawk''s eyes. She didn''t worry about the other Zhou family members that were there, but the old man worried her. Luckily, it seemed like he didn''t recognize her and the funeral ended. While the Zhou Elder was in the car, there was a tense-type of silence as his driver drove. Suddenly, the old man''s aged voice spoke, "Investigate that girl." "Which one?" His driver immediately asked, alert. Zhou Elder''s wrinkled hand raised to calm down his subordinate''s urgency. "The girl that was beside Qiang Yue. She seems oddly familiar, yet I cannot discern where I''ve seen her." "Yes Zhou Elder." Zhou Elder didn''t seem to speak much longer and nodded. For the rest of the trip, there wasn''t any word spoken. When they arrived at Zhou mansion, he was greeted with a worried Zhou Eldress. He nodded in acknowledgment and the servants immediately prepared hot tea for them to enjoy. While they sipped tea, Zhou Elder quietly asked, "I wonder why you didn''t come to the funeral of Qiang Luo. Even though he was our butler, he was, after all, a good friend of ours." A hidden emotion flashed through Zhou Eldress'' dark eyes before she arrogantly shook her head. "I didn''t wish to lower myself." Noticing that Zhou Elder frowned at her words, she quickly added, "Besides, Ming''er is visiting again." But deep in her heart, she felt sympathetic. He was what she would''ve considered her best friend. They had done everything together... partners in crime as well. But as horrible as this sounded, she was relieved. Now, the only person who knew of her involvement in illegal activities was dead. Nobody would ever link anything to her any longer. Hearing that his favorite grandson and heir was visiting, a smile finally appeared on Zhou Elder''s face. "That boy... He''s been away from home for too long." Zhou Eldress noticed the genuine joy in her husband''s eyes and clenched her hidden fists. He never looked Zhou Yaoyao like that. The grandson of that woman... To this day, it seemed like that woman still haunted her. Instead of voicing out her hatred, she only smiled dotingly, "Indeed. His twenty-eighth birthday is happening next week. Luckily, we can celebrate with him this year." She pretended to ponder, then a smile bloomed on her face. "We should organize a celebration and during the celebration, we can see suitable candidates to be his wife." Zhou Elder did not disagree. As Zhou Ming was to be his heir and the sole owner of the Zhou family business and fortune, his wife had to have the utmost respect and standing in high society. He didn''t want for his grandson to be disrespected and wished for his wife to come from an influential family so that she could aid him as the Zhou''s future matron. "Organize it." Two words and Zhou Eldress'' eyes brightened. Even though she hated the bastard with every fiber of her being, she still didn''t mind using him to get on Zhou Elder''s good side. Her husband really and truly pampered Zhou Ming the most. If only she had bore a son... then, she could''ve at least had some type of standing for the inheritance. Her daughter was too weak and didn''t have the mindset of someone in business. Her granddaughter preferred shopping and other silly things, so she was ruled out too. She was going to pass away eventually, so as much as she hated to hand everything to that woman''s grandson on a silver platter... she had to. There was no other way. Or at least Zhou Eldress thought. 82 1.3.4: Results A few days later, Zhou Elder received the investigation results. According to what his bodyguard and driver investigated, she was named Xiahu Yunhua. She had been hospitalized in the private wing for being comatose for quite a bit. In fact, a little too private as no information was leaked out from her. If Zhou Elder didn''t use his connection, he wouldn''t have figured anything out either. According to her photo of before and after the coma, he immediately recognized her as the girlfriend that Zhou Lang brought home. But to have such a drastic change, did she have plastic surgery? But Zhou Elder ruled out that possibility since there was no evidence or induction of plastic surgery. For her to go through such a drastic change... Zhou Elder could only use the the excuse that it was the heaven''s will. If she was Zhou Lang''s girlfriend, then why was she around Qiang Yue? Even though Qiang Yue wasn''t his grandson, he still cared for him since Qiang Luo was his friend. But this girl... was she cheating and manipulating both of them? Zhou Elder felt repulsion directed at Xiahu Yunhua. He knew that the only way for her to be exposed was if both men found her in the same place. But where? Suddenly, he remembered his favorite grandson, Zhou Ming, having a birthday celebration happening in a couple of days. He was certain that Zhou Lang would be there, he would make sure of it. As for Qiang Yue... Zhou Elder pulled out his phone and dialed Qiang Yue''s number. An emotionless voice on the other line picked up and said, "Hello?" "Qiang Yue!" Qiang Yue immediately recognized the aged voice as Zhou Elder and cleared his throat, immediately becoming more polite. "Mr. Zhou, I''m surprised to be getting a call from you. Are there any problems?" As a doctor, and since Zhou Elder rarely¡ªif not ever¡ªcalled him, he couldn''t help but make assumptions that something was wrong. "Young man, there is nothing wrong." Zhou Elder tried to sound cheerful and then asked, "We are holding a birthday celebration for Zhou Ming, and I wanted to invite you personally since you are childhood friends with Ming''er." This was a true fact that Qiang Yue could not refute. He had indeed grown up with Zhou Ming and since the young master was going to celebrate his birthday at home despite being gone majority of the time, Qiang Yue nodded but realized that Zhou Elder couldn''t see him. "Yes, I would love to be there." "Great..." Zhou Elder pretended to ponder and then added, "Your girlfriend that I met at the funeral, you should bring her too. I didn''t get to properly meet her last time as we were in the funeral." As much as Qiang Yue wanted to refute by saying she wasn''t exactly his ''girlfriend'', he couldn''t because Zhou Elder wouldn''t believe him. The rumors floated around that they were together everywhere. Friends were never together everywhere nor would he feel his heart palpitating if he really thought of her as a friend. Hence why he made a mental note to arrange for flowers and to formally ask her to be his. As for bringing her to the celebration, Qiang Yue agreed to ask her, but he told Zhou Elder that he couldn''t guarantee that she would go. He and Zhou Elder made some more small talk and then ended the call. He then called Xiahu Yunhua and her sweet voice answering immediately softened his heart. "Would you want to go with me to a birthday celebration of a friend of mine in a couple of days as my date?" His heart nervously thumped as he waited for her to answer. After what seemed like an eternity yet was only a few seconds, she agreed. He told her that he would pick her up after she got ready. When the call ended, Xiao Yunhua sighed. She didn''t want to give him false hope or expectations, but the man had just lost his father. Going with him to a small birthday celebration shouldn''t be too troublesome and would ease the loneliness in his heart. Unfortunately, Xiao Yunhua didn''t know just how much trouble she would be getting from the ''small'' birthday celebration. 83 1.3.5: Birthday Celebration I Today was finally the day of the celebration. As it was a private event and hosted by the influential Zhou family, many tried to get an invitation. There were rumors that the elusive heir of the Zhou fortune, Zhou Ming, was going to appear, but none had the ability to confirm. After all, the eldest young master was known to always be away from home, raking profit and expanding the Zhou name in foreign countries. Only the most influential families, as well as a few veteran celebrities and military members, were invited. Qiang Yue had been invited due to his family''s connection to the Zhou family. As well as Zhou Elder had invited him personally since the old man wanted to expose the woman that would be his date. Meanwhile, Xiao Yunhua was getting ready at the moment. She knew Qiang Yue was going to pick her up in a few hours, hence why she wasn''t that much in a hurry. Her long, dark hair was curled loosely, and her makeup was light yet bold. She didn''t like wearing eyeliner, yet by Ni Ming''s insistence, she ended up using it. Her lips were scarlet red, also the color of her strapless dress that had a slit on one of its sides. Her dress was so perfectly accented, especially on the waist, that she looked like a seductress that escaped from the depths of hell. Ni Ming even took her a brush and jaggedly used it on her loose curls, giving her hair a frenzied look. Ni Ming had even styled her hair in the front, giving her side bangs on her face. With a pair of crystal clear heels, her look was complete. When Xiao Yunhua looked in the mirror, she was astonished. In front of her was a reflection of a living and breathing goddess, albeit a wicked one. Xiao Yunhua didn''t like looking evil yet enchanting, yet Ni Ming assured her that she had never looked so beautiful before. In fact, Ni Ming has teasingly used the term ''Aphrodite'', which made Xiao Yunhua blush profusely. While they waited for Qiang Yue to pick her up, Xiao Yunhua decided to start a casual conversation with Ni Ming. "Have you told Wang Yaowan about that surprise that you mentioned earlier?" "No," Ni Ming sighed and shook her head. "I haven''t had the chance to bring it up. Recently, he''s been so busy with Riverside. In fact, I wasn''t supposed to expose this yet¡ªsince it''s only an idea and it hasn''t been confirmed yet¡ªbut he''s thinking of opening another nightclub." Xiao Yunhua gasped. "Congratulations!" She tried to hug Ni Ming, but the woman made sure to protect her stomach by placing her hands on her stomach while getting hugged. Xiao Yunhua didn''t understand her actions, but nonetheless, remained quiet and didn''t question it too much. "Thank you... I will try to bring it up later today. I hope you have fun at the birthday celebration with Qiang Yue." Xiao Yunhua nodded, suddenly quiet. "Ni Ming, he''s a pure man... but I don''t want to hurt him." "You don''t like him!?" All the signs pointed that Xiao Yunhua liked Qiang Yue, yet the girl was confessing that she wanted to reject his slow advances. Xiao Yunhua shook her head. "Only as a friend. I mistook a few emotions as ''like'', but honestly, I just don''t want to be in another relationship where I don''t feel anything other than friendship towards the other party. But right now, he''s going through tough times and I don''t want to hurt him..." Besides, whatever emotion she felt was merely the manipulation of the system, this a fact that she was beginning to pick up as she gained more targets. Ni Ming tsked, "You''ve gotten yourself in a pretty bad situation. Honestly, I can''t answer you right now. Why don''t you go with the flow?" Go with the flow? Xiao Yunhua chuckled bitterly. Ironically, that''s exactly what she''s been doing. Anything that she had planned hadn''t gone the way that she wanted at all. Ni Ming noticed the dark look in Xiao Yunhua''s eyes and quickly changed the subject, "What are the odds that Qiang Yue''s friend is having a birthday celebration on the same day as the elusive, eldest Zhou young master?" "Who?" "Zhou Ming, the heir to it all." Ni Ming fanned herself dramatically, "Rumors are that he''s tall, dark, and handsome! But he doesn''t like paparazzi taking pictures and deeply values privacy. He''s always away from home, though most speculate that it''s because he''s taking care of their international business. Personally, I think there''s a deeper story." "Just talking about the Zhou family makes me sick." Xiao Yunhua muttered quietly, though it didn''t escape from Ni Ming''s ears. She remembered Xiao Yunhua telling both she and Wang Yaowan about her tragic past... she truly felt sympathy for the young woman. "Alright, alright, whatever. Don''t be such a gloomy cloud." Ni Ming playfully smiled and suddenly, Qiang Yue texted her that he was outside. Xiao Yunhua shot Ni Ming a apologetic smile and texted Qiang Yue that she was coming out. Even though she was afraid that he would find out her connection to the Zhou family, she finally revealed her address, Wang Yaowan''s mansion, since the doctor had met both of her benefactors already. So whether or not she hid it, it wouldn''t matter. When she walked outside, she saw his car waiting patiently. With a deep breath, she walked in its direction. 84 1.3.6: Birthday Celebration II As she got inside, she suddenly felt her stomach churning. Butterflies roamed in her stomach and she felt strangely nervous. Qiang Yue flashed her his gentle smile, and gripped her shaking hand. "Are you alright?" Despite the heavy feeling on his chest that he constantly felt after the death of his father, in front of Xiao Yunhua, he always tried to hide it so that she wouldn''t sense his depressed aura. He didn''t want her to feel heavy like him, hence why he smiled like nothing was wrong. Seeing his smile, she felt dazed. As genuine as he tried to make it, she could clearly see himself forcing himself to smile. Her words of feeling a little nauseous were swallowed back and she nodded. "I''m fine. Just a little dizzy." Immediately, worry filled his eyes and he gripped her hand harder in concern. "If you don''t feel well, then please, stay back. I''ll gift and greet my friend, then return to the hospital. It''s nothing extremely important to have you there." Xiao Yunhua shook her head, her frenzied hair falling gracefully on her shoulders. Qiang Yue subconsciously watched the movement out of the corner of his eye then returned his focus back to her. "I promised you. Besides, it''s nothing too bad. I think it''s probably because I haven''t eaten anything for a couple of hours." She sheepishly smiled, to which she looked a bit childish despite her appearance. Qiang Yue wanted to scold her for forgetting to take care of herself, but in the end, he could only chuckle and look at her dotingly. "I''ll take you somewhere to eat." "No!" She cleared her throat awkwardly for blurting out the word too loudly. "I''m sure there will be something to snack on when we arrive. I don''t want to be the reason for us being late." As much as Qiang Yue wanted to tell her that it didn''t matter and her health was more important, he stopped himself when he saw the resolute look in her eyes. He started the car and began driving, but for a reason that only he knew about, he didn''t release his grip on her hand until she gently reminded to drive with both hands to prevent any accidents. When they arrived, Xiao Yunhua felt shivers again. The butterflies from earlier were roaming around in her stomach fervently and her conscious was telling her that something was going to happen. Whether good or bad, she wasn''t sure. When Qiang Yue parked the car, she finally had the chance to look at where the birthday celebration was being held at. When she looked at it, she felt startled because it looked strangely familiar. A towering, majestic and noble mansion, the same mansion that she had seen on multiple events... the Zhou Mansion! She immediately paled and turned to Qiang Yue to ask him who his friend was. But before she could get the chance, Zhou Elder, who stood at the door anticipating their arrival, immediately greeted them. "Qiang Yue, so happy that you could make it." "Mr. Zhou, you didn''t have to greet us personally." Qiang Yue said calmly, feeling a bit suspicious directed at the old man. "Qiang Yue, you shouldn''t call me so formally, call me Uncle." Before Qiang Yue had a chance to retort, Zhou Elder turned his attention to Xiao Yunhua. He smiled warmly, showing no indication that he knew her true identity nor that he had investigated her. His expression was one of a magnanimous elder meeting someone for the first time. "We met at the funeral, yet I feel like it wasn''t a proper place to meet. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Miss..." "Xiahu. Xiahu Yunhua is my name, sir. A pleasure to meet you as well." She extended her hand and firmly shook his hand. Neither will willing to portray how they really felt at that moment, but Zhou Elder knew that her little fa?ade was going to shatter the moment that she was exposed. "Come in, both of you." Zhou Elder guided them inside. The Zhou mansion was so large that they had an assembly room as large as three quarters of Riverside altogether. They had wanted to hold Zhou Ming''s birthday celebration elsewhere, but Zhou Eldress suggested that the man would prefer it to be in his home after being away for so long. Besides, it could allow the potential bridal candidate to familiarize herself with the mansion that she would be taking care of as the matron. As Zhou Elder led them to the room, Xiao Yunhua realized that people there were looking at her and Qiang Yue. Looking at their appearance, she could immediately understand why. It was like putting an angel and a devil together, side-by-side. They seemed incompatible, but light and dark standing next to each other, as well as how beautiful the couple was... it didn''t cause a bad picture. In fact, they matched well. But Xiao Yunhua didn''t know that and assumed that they looked odd. When the doors finally opened, Xiao Yunhua looked around and froze. Her worst nightmare was about to happen. There, with an unfamiliar woman standing next to him, was Zhou Lang. Across from his table, with a clingy Kang Yiyi was Zhou Feng. And finally, her eyes met with the person in the center. When she saw his dark and enchanting eyes, she wanted to faint. Why was the man from her almost-one-night-stand here!? 85 1.3.7: Birthday Celebration III Xiao Yunhua froze. Her heart thumped so loudly that the sound rung in her ears. She was sure that at any moment now, it was going to explode out of her chest. Her throat felt dry and her stomach churned uncontrollably. She bit her bottom lip and clenched her hands into fists. In all the time period that she had been in this world, this had been the first time that she had felt so uncomfortable. She didn''t know what to do. She tried to summon the little fairy, but it seemed like she had disappeared. She was completely on her own. Her honey-colored eyes were still locked with the dark eyes of the man that she had silently made a bet with. But why was he here? She gulped, wanting to turn around and leave immediately, but Zhou Elder has already ushered for the door to be closed behind them. She had no means of escape. "I... I don''t feel so good, Qiang Yue, I''ll go, okay?" She whispered, a chill running up her spine. Unfortunately, Zhou Elder had decided to answer for Qiang Yue as well. "No dear. As Qiang Yue''s girlfriend, you wouldn''t want to abandon him." His aged voice was loud and clear, attracting the attention of those nearby. And to Xiao Yunhua''s luck, they ended up being the people she had wanted to avoid the most: the Zhou brothers. "Grandfather, what do you mean?" Surprisingly, it was Zhou Feng that asked as he and Kang Yiyi walked in their direction. "Feng''er, do you know this woman?" Zhou Elder pretended to be astonished, looking at Xiao Yunhua in a new light. His impeccable acting even fooled Xiao Yunhua who didn''t know that he had her investigated. "Yunhua..." When Zhou Feng muttered her name, Xiao Yunhua knew that she really was screwed. There was no redemption nor escape from this situation. Instead of brooding, she decided to clench her fists and smile slyly. Her smile was completely the opposite what she was feeling at that moment. But despite not matching her feelings, it matched her appearance. "Zhou Feng..." No matter how soft she made her voice to be, it didn''t escape the ears of Qiang Yue. He looked at her from the corner of his eye in shock. How did Xiahu Yunhua know the infamously cold young master of the Zhou family? "Yunhua!?" Kang Yiyi gasped. "You''re alive! Wow, and you look... beautiful." Of course Kang Yiyi knew that the demoness in front of her was alive, but seeing that this was the first time they were meeting face-to-face, she couldn''t let her adversary know. Or else she would be suspected for doing the things that she had already done... But even with the fact that she was acting surprised, she still said the word ''beautiful'' with clenched teeth. Which woman was willing to willingly acknowledge another woman as more beautiful? Especially with the man they loved right next to them? Kang Yiyi didn''t want to either. But seeing as there was nothing else that she could use to describe Xiahu Yunhua, she could only be polite in such a way. If Zhou Elder wasn''t there, then never in a million years would she pay any attention to the entertainer. Xiao Yunhua still remembered that the person behind her accident was the young woman in front of her. She knew that she couldn''t underestimate her... "Yes, I''m still alive." "Wow! Does Zhou Lang know?" Kang Yiyi asked, then innocently added, "You two were always the power couple!" Xiao Yunhua felt the man next to her freeze. Her heart thumped in fear of losing his friendship forever, all due to her little white lies. She had told him that she was never in a relationship, yet here she was, having her fa?ade stripped away without her consent. "Yi''er," Zhou Elder pretended to scold her, but in fact, he was overjoyed that his future granddaughter-in-law was exposing the entertainer''s face in front of his grandsons and the son of his friend. "you shouldn''t bring up such topics. I''m sure Miss Xiahu feels uncomfortable." "Yes grandfather, sorry." Kang Yiyi sheepishly smiled and then discreetly motioned something with her hand. A few seconds later, the woman who was standing next to Zhou Lang before dragged Zhou Lang in their little circle that was forming. She also motioned for Zhou Yaoyao to join, but the young woman was boredly sitting next to Zhou Eldress. The only time that she did look interested was when Qiang Yue appeared. Her eyes brightened and she looked genuinely happy. Unfortunately, she also noticed the woman next to him and she wanted to complain, but her grandmother next to her whispered for her to behave. Zhou Eldress knew that there was a show brewing right in front of them, so why should they interfere? So with much reluctance, Zhou Yaoyao sat next to her grandmother with crosses arms, watching the events unfolding. They weren''t the only ones. The guests that were there were also watching with hawk-eyes, waiting for any gossip-worthy events to happen. "Mu Lihua!" Kang Yiyi hugged her good friend and then eyed the cold man that she had dragged with him. "Zhou Lang, look who''s here!" She smiled and pretended that the tense atmosphere didn''t exist. "Look, it''s Xiahu Yunhua, well and alive?" Zhou Lang coldly looked in the direction of Xiao Yunhua for a few seconds before turning his gaze away, uninterested. 86 1.3.8: Birthday Celebration IV Seeing that the playful man has had such a drastic change, Xiao Yunhua felt her heart throb with sympathy. The system had ruined him. She had ruined him. Even Qiang Yue next to her was uncomfortable. She could sense it. Her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails dung into her palms. She tried to call for the little fairy to help again, but like before, there was no response. Instead, she took a deep breath and looked at Kang Yiyi. "I''m sure he can recognize me without your announcement." Kang Yiyi bit her bottom lip, her big eyes wide and confused. "I''m sorry, I was trying to be helpful." She looked like Xiao Yunhua had genuinely bullied her, even though she hadn''t said a single word that criticized her. Zhou Elder looked at Xiao Yunhua with disgust. The loathing that he felt for her spilled out when Kang Yiyi revealed her true identity. He didn''t both to hide it anymore and pretended that he pieced all the puzzles together. He would come to regret the day when he finds out a very shocking fact: the woman that he was making assumptions about saved his life at the age of eight years old. The woman was the very adoptive granddaughter that he wanted to raise but she disappeared. Not only him, but the eavesdropping guests heard the situation too. They looked at the beautiful girl like she was an enchantress from the netherworld. For her to behave so immorally, they all immediately assumed she was some type of a low class harlot. Only a selective few knew that truth. But even if they spoke out, even if Xiao Yunhua herself spoke out, they would only believe what they wanted to believe: the situation unfolding in front of them. "Qiang Yue, I want to go." Qiang Yue remained quiet, as though he hadn''t heard her. Nobody, not even Elder Zhou who tried to stop her earlier, stopped her at this moment. Everyone was busy with their own thoughts, not minding Xiao Yunhua. The only person that spoke out in dismay was Zhou Feng. "Yunhua..." Kang Yiyi watched his troubled expression with a scowl then blinked it away and replaced it with a worried expression as well. Even though society knew her as the bratty girl, over the months, if not years, she had slowly learned to hide it and behave the way that people wanted her to behave: innocent and na?ve. This also garnered her a good way to hide her true personality and true thoughts when she was outside. Even Zhou Feng that despised her and thought she was annoying began to slowly not mind her presence. Kang Yiyi knew that he only thought of her as an acquaintance¡ªnot even a friend¡ªbut she didn''t mind. She knew that they were stuck to be married together, so their relationship would develop slowly yet properly. But seeing Xiahu Yunhua, all her calmness would want to evaporate. The way that Zhou Feng looked at her... Kang Yiyi wanted to tear her to pieces. She had never hated a human being until she met the woman in front of her. At that point, Kang Yiyi had failed to realize one thing: she didn''t hate Xiahu Yunhua. Hate was a strong word that was used to express the darkest of feelings and developed over a long period of time. Over a long period of memories. Kang Yiyi had neither memories nor spent much time with Xiahu Yunhua to hate her. Much, much later on as she looked back on the infamous birthday banquet, she would realize that she had indeed never hated Xiahu Yunhua. She hated Zhou Feng for not acknowledging her feelings after all these years. She hated herself for being so cruel. She envied Xiahu Yunhua for being too much, while she considered herself too little. But alas, there was no medicine for regret. Be it at the present or in the future... 87 1.3.9: Birthday Celebration V Xiao Yunhua ignored his murmur of her name and turned around to leave, but she suddenly froze when she heard a deep yet teasing voice. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. "What''s going on here?" She felt her skin pricked with goosebumps because of how familiar the voice was. The voice was deep and velvety, giving her goosebumps and causing her heart to palpitate. The voice belonged to the man that she had met on the island while drunk. The one that she almost lost her virginity to. The man that she silently made a bet with! "Ming''er," Zhou Elder immediately brightened up when he heard his heir and favorite grandson. He didn''t expect that their little confrontation would attract the attention of his grandson. Suddenly, he panicked when he considered the idea that he would fall for her just like his other grandsons. But as Zhou Elder glanced and analyzed Zhou Ming''s reactions, he was relieved to find mischief in his eyes rather than interest. Any emotion was better than feeling anything for the enchantress before them. "Don''t mind this, let''s go and speak. After all, you''re rarely home. Who knows when you''ll leave again for the family business!" Zhou Elder sighed in disappointment, placing his wrinkled hand on the shoulder of his much taller grandson. To his surprise, Zhou Ming uttered, "No worries, grandfather. I have settled anything that needs my attention, hence why I''ll be home for a while unless an emergency happens." "Really! What a relief, it''s always best to have you home to nag." Zhou Feng teased, different than his usual cold behavior and different from how he acted when Xiao Yunhua said she was going home. Zhou Ming only smiled, his peerless face looking even more handsome. All the young women felt their hearts fluttering and wondered who would be lucky enough to snag the title of his wife. Even Kang Yiyi, who was devoted to Zhou Feng, blushed. If Zhou Feng didn''t exist, then the perfect man in front of her would''ve been the one. Unfortunately, Kang Yiyi didn''t care for the wealth. She came from the great Kang family, almost yet not as powerful as the Zhou family. Among those ladies whose hearts fluttered, Xiao Yunhua felt her heart fluttering too. Albeit hers thumped for a completely different reason. She slowly turned around and her honey-colored eyes met with Zhou Ming''s dark colored ones. Yet unlike what she expected, there was no reaction. It was almost like they didn''t know each other, not even as acquaintances. Even strangers would''ve felt some type of empathy, yet by the look in his dark, endless pool of obsidian, it was like she was just another insignificant person in this world. Like she wasn''t worthy in comparison to he¡ªsomeone these people deemed as perfect as a Greek god. Not knowing whether to feel relieved or not, she shook her head and quickly left, slamming the door behind her. She left the still-stunned Qiang Yue, along with the rest of the Zhou family who believed she was a stain in their perfect little lives. In their eyes, along with every guest in that room, she was the evil woman. She was the one who dared to dream and vie for the great status that the Zhou family seems to hold. She was nothing but a seductress that should be burned with the flames of karma. After all, they would''ve never stopped and thought of it from her perspective. She was merely a commoner desiring for something that was not to be bestowed upon her in this lifetime. But only Xiao Yunhua knew the truth. 88 1.3.10: Birthday Banquet VI Zhou Elder, along with everyone else that had been stunned by the presence of Zhou Ming, turned their attention to the door. Hearing its loud slam, they scoffed. Such an unsophisticated woman, it was best that she wasn''t here. "Good riddance." Zhou Elder quietly murmured, but it didn''t hear the ears of those around him. The girls, especially Kang Yiyi, felt exhilarated, but Zhou Feng frowned, Zhou Lang retained his cold behavior, and Zhou Ming looked like he didn''t care. As for Qiang Yue, Zhou Elder shook his shoulder and finally, the doctor snapped back into attention. "Um, sorry Mr. Zhou." "It''s okay! I''m sure nobody, not even you, expected for your girlfriend to have such a slutty character. She didn''t even tell you anything about her relationship with Lang''er or Feng''er." Zhou Feng wanted to specify that they didn''t have any type of real relationship and it was only his wishful thinking, but he didn''t have the guts to reveal his unrequited love. His pride as a young master of the Zhou family would shatter before the upper high class in their society. So he stayed quiet, but Qiang Yue did not. Seeing that the old man of the Zhou family using such an insulting tone when talking about Xiao Yunhua, he didn''t feel so well. So he clarified, "She''s not my girlfriend." Zhou Elder was stunned, along with the people who overheard. They had assumed that she was the girlfriend of someone yet trying to hook up with others, yet it seemed like it wasn''t the case. Qiang Yue spoke again, "Furthermore, I had invited her to be my date. Mr. Zhou, you hadn''t even given us a chance to sit down before you immediately confronted her. I''m guessing¡ªno, I''m assuming, you knew already." Zhou Elder opened his mouth to retort, but Qiang Yue continued, "But even if she had a relationship with any of your grandsons, she doesn''t now. It''s unfair to dub a woman as a harlot if she has had relationships before. Had she been trying to woo multiple men in front of you, then you could''ve fairly judged her. But we live in a modern time, meaning calling a woman names based on your guesses is immature and can deeply harm their self-esteem." The more Qiang Yue spoke, the more that his ''doctor'' side was released. And in this case, it was Xiao Yunhua being his patient and being bullied. "But Yue''ge, did you not see what she wore? It looked like she was asking for it looking like a slut." A new voice joined in the conversation, the voice belonging to Zhou Yaoyao. Qiang Yue shot her a disappointed look. Seeing the look being thrown in her direction, Zhou Yaoyao frowned and opened her mouth to speak again, but Qiang Yue beat her to it. "It''s so sad that you say such things about a woman your age. Can a woman not wear something that makes her feel confident without narrow-minded people like you accusing her?" He bitterly chuckled, eyeing the Zhou family before him. "I have been enlightened today. The Zhou family my deceased father worked for are such people." He clenched his fists and shook his head, immediately leaving. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. "That insolent boy¡ª" "Grandfather, leave it." For the first time in that evening, Zhou Lang coldly spoke. "It''s not like he was wrong." He harshly pushed away the woman clinging to him, Mu Lihua, and walked off. 89 1.3.11: Birthday Banquet VII After Zhou Lang uttered those words, a heavy silence loomed over the Zhou family. They were still trying to process everything that Qiang Yue had said about them. The doctor had indirectly insulted their open-mindedness and insulted them for being immature. Zhou Yaoyao was still trying to forget the way that her beloved Yue''ge looked at her. In all the years that she had known him, he had never looked at her so coldly before. He had never treated her so harshly before. He had never been so disappointed in her before. She clenched her fists and remembered the way that he had declared that Xiahu Yunhua was his date. She remembered the way that he looked at her. She remembered the way that his eyes were bright then lulled when her grandfather unveiled the girl''s lying nature. Zhou Yaoyao wasn''t dumb, she could see all the signs. Qiang Yue was in love with Xiahu Yunhua. The kind doctor who had never been interested in any women, be it a mature woman or immature girl like her, was finally in love with someone. Zhou Yaoyao could feel her heart clenching with pain. For so many years, she had loved him. For so many years, she had devoted herself fully to him. She hoped, no, she prayed, that one day, he would reciprocate her feelings. She had even gone to the lengths of pretending to be interested in other men to make him jealous. Yet the man wasn''t even fazed. In fact, he encouraged for her to be successful in her romance and relationships. Zhou Yaoyao hadn''t made it a secret. She had tried to pursue the doctor on so many occasions, yet it always ended with the same responses of rejection. To him, she was nothing other than the little sister he grew up with. To her, he was the man that she was deeply in love with. But even that unwanted yet fragile was shattered when he glared at her. For the first time in her life, the spoiled Zhou Yaoyao had no idea how to redeem herself or how to make the situation better. Subconsciously, she directed all her source of anger towards Xiahu Yunhua. If it weren''t for the existence of that woman, then nothing would''ve gone wrong. Her beloved Yue''ge would''ve never fallen in love with a woman. Her beloved Yue''ge would still treat her fairly, albeit not the way she wanted. She would have still been his little sister even though she would''ve preferred to be his wife. "Yaoyao, are you alright?" Kang Yiyi placed her hand on her shoulder, giving her a sympathetic smile. "Yiyi?" Zhou Yaoyao didn''t like Kang Yiyi much, but they were still mutual friends. They both hated Xiahu Yunhua, that was for sure. Zhou Yaoyao shook her head, "I''m fine. You should worry about yourself." Her last statement was replied with snark, which surprisingly, didn''t drive away Kang Yiyi. Instead, she gently smiled and grabbed the hand of Zhou Yaoyao despite her resistance. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. When they were hidden away from the rest of the people there, Kang Yiyi took a deep breath and said, "You can speak your mind, I''m your friend and future cousin-in-law!" Zhou Yaoyao chuckled sarcastically, "Since when did you have the heart of a saint?" Kang Yiyi felt annoyed, but still maintained her kind expression. "Since I found out that the shameless bitch is vying after your man too." Zhou Yaoyao tsked, "That''s... understandable. I can still see Zhou Feng in love with her." Kang Yiyi clenched her fists away from sight and frowned. Tears began to form in her eyes and she wrapped her arms around Zhou Yaoyao. "Hey, what are you doing!? This is a limited edition dress, I can''t have your tears ruin it!" Zhou Yaoyao whined but paused when she heard Kang Yiyi''s next couple of words. "What do you say... we destroy that bitch together?" "Huh?" "An enemy of an enemy is my friend. You have my phone number." Zhou Yaoyao understood where she was getting at and Kang Yiyi pulls away. Both women nodded as they had reached a form of silent agreement, immediately walking away from each other like they had never conversed. As Kang Yiyi faced away from Zhou Yaoyao, a malicious smile spread on her face. More and more mindless people were going to be manipulated by her... Just like she the way that she had manipulated Ling Qiu to poison Qiang Luo to his death. The world assumed it was another heart attack, but only the two women knew the truth... 90 1.3.12: Birthday Banquet VIII Meanwhile Zhou Ming and Zhou Elder had taken their place by Zhou Eldress. "Young man, grandmother is so happy that you''re back!" Zhou Eldress warmly smiled and gently scolded, "You should stay home for a while so we wouldn''t worry so much about you." "Absolutely! Your grandson has been unfilial for being away for so long." Zhou Ming enthusiastically replied, his dark eyes glimmering with mischief. Zhou Elder felt relieved that his wife and his grandson were finally getting along. For so many years, they had been against each other because Zhou Ming still preferred his ex-wife. On fact, if it weren''t for what his ex-wife did, he did too. To this day... he still loved his wife. Unfortunately, she had committed a mistake that he could never forgive. He suddenly looked and noticed that an old friend of his had arrived. Quickly going to greet him, he left Zhou Eldress and Zhou Ming alone. A brief silence hung between the two until Zhou Eldress muttered, "Stupid shit, you should''ve stayed away. The household was doing perfectly fine..." Despite her harsh words, she maintained her sophisticated smile and looked towards the guests, not even turning her head. Zhou Ming''s mischief didn''t cease. Instead, his charming smile turned cold enough to make Zhou Eldress subconsciously shiver. "My dear grandmother, how could I let you suffer alone? Besides, who knows when grandfather may pass away due to poisons and when a gold-digging bitch may try to take over. It''s always best that I''m here." Zhou Eldress pursed her lips and clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. The brat had clearly insulted her as that gold-digger. All these years, she couldn''t win him over no matter how much she tried to coax him. "You..." "Don''t dream about the inheritance, Ling Xiu. The moment that the family fortune and rights are mine is the moment that I''ll ship you off to a caring place for the ill-minded." He didn''t bother with formalities anymore and directly called her name. Besides, he knew that she knew exactly what he meant. Zhou Eldress was sure that he knew what she did all those years ago and planned on sending her to a mental institution for her to rot in. Before she could retort, he harshly chuckled. "I got ahold of news that your minion had passed away. Such a tragedy, yet you didn''t even bother going. A snake is a snake no matter how many times it tries to shed its skin." He paused and turned his head while she turned her head to yell at him. He didn''t give her a chance as his cold, desolate obsidian eyes met her snake-like ones. "I''m sure you''ll try to appoint any of your barely-remaining goons to kill me. Or even hire an assassin from the Black Market... But my dear grandmother, I must tell you that I am no longer the boy I was before when you chased me out, forcing me to use the excuse of ''business'' all the time. Just like how you left my genuine grandmother helpless and at your mercy... I will do the same. I will show you how bitter the position you stole can be." He stood up and left her fuming in anger. All these insults, all these threats... She couldn''t retort because the bastard had the rights to the family. She had the terrible fate of bearing a daughter instead of her well-desired son. If she had given birth to a son, he would''ve been heir. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. He would''ve been her shield of protection. He would''ve been the key to having the limitless Zhou fortune for herself. Even Qiang Luo had a son the year she had her daughter. Even his fate was lucky, yet hers was cursed with a useless daughter and a granddaughter who was even worse. But even if she couldn''t get the Zhou family fortune permanently, she had destroyed the happiness of Han Mi. And this was an action she would never regret because it had brought her the well-deserved status that she was in now... 91 1.3.13: Birthday Banquet IX During those events, Xiao Yunhua was currently struggling. She had managed to get herself lost in the large Zhou mansion again. She hadn''t bothered to memorize the steps and directions that she and Qiang Yue used because she was so nervous. And it was a well-deserved anxiety. It seemed like she had a premonition that those events would''ve happened. She regretted not asking Qiang Yue about whose birthday banquet they were going to. Ironically, even Ni Ming was talking about the eldest Zhou young master, Zhou Ming, having a birthday banquet. In the end, her recklessness to support an ex-target only led to her humiliation. Even better, she may have scared off her Special Target, to which she still had no idea who it was. She sighed and felt her legs growing tired from walking around mindlessly. The mansion seemed to be endless and the more she walked around, the more she ended up lost. Finally, she decided to rest. She looked around and went inside the first room in her sight. The door seemed old and antiqued, different than the rest of the doors. It was even at the end of the current hallway she was in, and if she wasn''t roaming around mindlessly, she would''ve never noticed it. Xiao Yunhua assumed that it had been designed to be that way on purpose to ward off attention. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. When she peeked inside, she found a dark room. Pushing the door to open a bit further, she walked inside and squinted her eyes to look for a light source. Turning on the light switch she saw, she was stunned. In front of her was a towering, red throne with golden decoration, surrounded by beige curtains. Around the throne seemed to be priceless treasures and paintings that looked old enough to be showcased in the museum. "Holy shit..." the sheer amount of wealth here made her think of a European King. Deciding to be playful, she strode over quietly and sat on the throne, surrounded by the treasures. Placing her hand on her chin, she pretended to ponder like a true king. Or queen in her case. She smiled childishly, but suddenly, she remembered her childhood. Her real one consisted of feeling inferior to her stepsister, always mocked by her stepmother and ignored by her father. Her childhood in this world was brief due to the fact that the Xiao Yunhua of this world was eight years old. She had transmigrated at a period in which the childhood didn''t even last long. But the short memories she had with Han Mi brought tears to her eyes. "Grandmother..." She bit her bottom lip to prevent crying out. A few minutes later, she stood up to leave. There was a high chance that she wasn''t supposed to be here, especially with the items in this room. Whoever caught her would surely assume that she was here to steal and covet the priceless treasures for herself. But before she could open the door and leave, she heard shuffling and she stopped. "What are you doing here?" Hearing the voice, she turned around to find someone that made her freeze with shock. 92 1.3.14: The Agreement I "It''s you!" She blurted out, astonished to see Zhou Ming again. How did he find her? "You?" His eyes glinted with mischief, a handsome smile appearing on his face. His cold, black eyes seemed to reflect her as she found herself compelled to look at them. She cleared her throat, "Yes, the one whose birthday is being celebrated." She took a deep breath to leave, but he spoke again. "Are you sure you don''t recognize me from anywhere else?" His footsteps that lingered closer and closer rung in her ears and she found a deep urge to run away. "Y-Yes, where would I get to know the heir of the Zhou family?" She was anxious and wanted to leave immediately. By his words, she was sure he had already realized it was her from that night. She gasped when she felt his arm wrap around her waist, pulling her closer. In the dim, barely-illuminated room, his face was very close to hers. So close that his cold, black eyes seemed to reflect her as she found herself compelled to look at them. So close that his hot, minty breath made her shiver. So close that she could smell the cologne. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. So close that she could feel the danger radiating off of him. Just like what she remembered of that night, this man was too good-looking for his own good. She fell in a trance as she looked into his eyes. Unlike last time, she was completely sane and not drunk. But why was he acting this way? Didn''t he pretend that she was less than a stranger when he saw her earlier? "Are you sure?" He breathed, a wicked smile gracing his face. She raised her hands to push him off, but he used his other hand to grip both of hers. Pulling them above her head, he leaned even closer and asked, "Are you absolutely sure?" Before she had the chance to answer, he captured her lips with his. He kissed with every fiber of his being, as though he was trying to emphasize something. "Perhaps that could ring a bell." He murmured once he raised his head, leaving her gasping for breath. "You lost." The moment he uttered those two words, she froze. There was no salvation to this situation, for he recognized her and remembered their ''bet''. "I don''t... know what you''re talking about." She mumbled, anxious to get away. The only consolation she could give herself was the idea that she never agreed to their silly bet, thus, he could not hold her accountable for it. "Oh?" There was a glint of tease in her eyes, as though he enjoyed the inner turmoil she was going through. As though he understood the complications he had brought upon her. "Going back on your own words? How... disappointing." He released his grip on her hands and moved back, but that only made Xiao Yunhua annoyed. Without thinking, she blurted out, "It''s not going back on my own words when I didn''t even vocally agree to your silly bet!" Once she said those words, she panicked. She had fallen into his trap and said words she could not take back! "So you remember. Good to know. Unfortunately," he wrapped a strand of her hair around his long finger, silently admiring her beauty. That night, she had been drunk and a little messy. Tonight, she was fully awake and was looking too tempting for him to resist. "you agreed silently. Whether you take responsibility or don''t responsibility for your actions... You are mine." 93 1.3.15: The Agreement II They both got quiet after he uttered those words. She stared at him and he stared at her. Suddenly, before he could react, she harshly pushed him away. He shuffled away and she brushed off her dress. "Hasn''t your family ruined my life enough already? My reputation is in tatters, my relationship with my good friend is destroyed, and your brother is plain annoying." She heaved a deep breath and pointed at him with a shaking finger. "Honestly, you and your family make me sick. Did you think I would let you walk all over me the moment I saw you? I had even forgotten you existed!" Lies. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. That night had been on her mind, haunting her, since the moment she returned. But she wasn''t going to let him know that. "Why do you hate my family so much?" His expressionless face was cold and it subconsciously made her shiver. As much confidence as she could muster, she gritted out, "I have my reasons. But as of right now, don''t bother me." Right as she was leaving, his words left her shaking. "For what? Your silly, idealistic reality that you''ll be able to get revenge?" "How do you know what I want?" She whispered quietly, not wanting to acknowledge the fact that he had seen right through her. "Because I want the same thing." She was shocked. Wasn''t he the heir to the limitless Zhou fortune? Why would he want revenge on his own family? "Don''t make me laugh." She dryly scoffed. Even though she was turned around, Zhou Ming could sense the mockery that was radiating off of her. "Against one person, matter of fact." He clarified, but panicked when he saw her beginning to walk again. He knew that this was the only chance that he''d get to explain his plan to her. "I would hate to be on my opposing side." The more he spoke, the more he edged closer to her. Even though she had purposely placed distance between them, he had snaked his way to her again. The small distance was making her heart beat rapidly, but she still tried to keep her confidence. "Why? Are you some big bad alpha?" Picturing him as a silly, ''macho'' man made her laugh out loud. Her laugh eased the tense atmosphere between them and he could only sigh at her childishness. "I''m serious. Consider our transaction as a business transaction. I can clearly see that you harbor the hatred and clearly are struggling to get even. An enemy of an enemy is my friend. That old bitch will do anything she can to hinder my inheritance. And I''m sure it''s so much easier for her to kill you." He gripped her hand and his emotionless eyes looked directly into her honey-colored ones. She was contemplating her choices. Her silence urged him to continue as a sinister glint flashed across his eyes. "Why me?" She quietly mumbled, averting her eyes. She was starting to get a headache from all the events that were happening. "Flower, you shouldn''t forget that I know who you are." "I''m sure after this evening, you aren''t the only one." She clenched her fists and remembered what occurred. "Han Yunhua, the granddaughter of Han Mi. The adopted granddaughter, for clarification." Xiao Yunhua was shocked. "H-How do you know about the adoption?" Han Mi had made sure that it showed that Xiao Yunhua was her biological granddaughter. As well as she had reached a silent agreement for Xiao Taotao to make sure that it was very difficult for people to figure out that fact. This aided her plan of avenging her grandmother. "Because unlike my grandfather, I trust that my grandmother would never have an affair." 94 1.3.16: The Agreement III Seeing his genuine trust in Han Mi nearly brought tears to her eyes. Everyone else had believed Han Mi was adulterous, even her own husband, yet here stood her eldest grandchild. Her other grandchildren were too young to remember, yet this man believed her with such fervor. All she could do was tell him the truth. "You''re right. Han Mi never committed any type of adultery, those were all rumors based on fabricated evidence. Han Mi adopted me when I was eight years old." She sighed as she remembered Han Mi and their good memories, feeling melancholic. He patted her head, comfortingly, and she looked up. "Alright, I have come to a conclusion." She put both of her hands and cupped his face, pulling his face close to hers. They were looking eye-to-eye and she clarified, "I see a golden thigh dropping in, I will take advantage of you. But how do you expect for me to be your partner-in-crime?" He chuckled, finding her behavior adorable, and he mischievously smirked. "My dear grandmother in the other room didn''t just arrange this celebration out of her good will. By all the pointing clues, the old hag wants to marry me to some non-influential family to weaken my claim to my inheritance. Instead of allowing her a chance, I will counterattack. And this is where you come in, Flower." "Me?" Even her genius intelligence didn''t understand the connection that the man was aiming for. "Yes. You''ll be my girlfriend." When she heard his last word, she choked and released his face from her hands. She has had enough of dating anyone from the Zhou family. Be it Zhou Feng, whom she almost dated, or Zhou Lang, whom she actually dated, the Zhou family were too much for her.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. "No way. Sorry, I''ll have to back away from your insanity. I''m not interested in you, no matter how much you try to claim that I''m ''yours''." He laughed and his obsidian eyes remained expressionless. She found herself getting lost in the dark pools that were hypnotic. "Fake girlfriend until we get our shits together. Flower, you''re a beauty, but I''m not interested either. A femme fatale is what you are, scorching to the touch, even more dangerous to tame." She gulped. Once upon a time, being called a femme fatale would''ve made her overjoyed, especially in her previous lifetime. But now, the man was mockingher. It was almost like he could see beyond her fake exterior that was too beautiful to comprehend. "No..." she muttered, "I still think you''re insane. I''m out." "Before you make any type of decision, consider this fact: you''re doing all of this for what Han Mi had sacrificed for you." Remembering how Han Mi could''ve used the money she had to cure her leukemia to raise her, guilt hit her deep. Their eyes locked again and the strong sense of hypnosis overcame her again. Finally, she nodded. "Alright, whatever. I hope I don''t come to regret this." She knew that she would, but at the moment, she didn''t want to think about the consequences. He muttered incoherent words underneath his breath and cleared his throat. "But I do have a question: even with my great connections, I could not figure out who you were before your adoption by Han Mi..." he mumbled, his deep voice laced with curiosity and wariness. "That is something you will find out later." She replied vaguely, brushing it off. Or maybe never. But Xiao Yunhua didn''t say that part out loud and only decided to leave the identity of being a ''Zhou'' adopted granddaughter for a surprise that she would take advantage of later. The greatest element was the element of surprise. 95 1.3.17: The Heir is Taken!? I "I want you to go get dressed in something different." The moment that they left, these were Zhou Ming''s words. She turned to him to disagree, but he continued before she had the chance to refute. "Although you look enchanting, they already see you as vulgar based on what happened in there. Why would you fuel that idea?" He abruptly pulled out his cell phone and texted someone before putting it away. She was silent for a few seconds before she found herself agreeing. She sighed, "Where would I happen to find a dress to change to?" Zhou Ming chuckled, "Don''t worry, Flower. I guessed that you''d agree, so I had texted my assistant to prepare everything. Follow me and just wait in this room. They''ll be here in ten or so minutes." "They?" "You''ll see." And he shut the door as he urged her inside. Afterwards, he went back to where his birthday celebration was being held at and Ling Xiu, Zhou Eldress, immediately noticed him. "Ming''er, you haven''t met¡ª" "Grandmother, I''m feeling a bit restless, I''d prefer if I didn''t have to meet anybody." He bluntly interrupted, but it seemed like it didn''t even faze the old woman. She pulled the name of some faceless girl¡ªshe wasn''t actually faceless, but to Zhou Ming who didn''t care, she was¡ªand pushed her in the direction of Zhou Ming. "Ming''er, you shouldn''t be like that. You need to settle down eventually, and she is the perfect person." Zhou Eldress ushered the girl and gave her a look in the eye, to which she complied and blushed. The girl looked up and saw Zhou Ming''s handsome face, blushing even harder. She couldn''t help but gain the envious looks from the women around them who seemed to be watching Zhou Ming''s every move. This made her pleased, yet she knew she couldn''t be distracted by her initial goal and why she was there. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. "Not interested." He coldly refuted, his black eyes meeting the girl''s face for the first time. She didn''t cower away from his intimidating stare, in fact, staring right back at him. This contradicted her earlier behavior of being meek and shy, which made Zhou Ming a bit suspicious. He did feel a bit surprised that she could hold his look for so long, but didn''t care to think why. He brushed her off and looked at Zhou Eldress. "You know, I do appreciate the thought grandmother, but I can''t. After all, I do have¡ª" "Don''t be silly boy!" Zhou Eldress anxiously interrupted. "You must dance with Jing Yun because she''s such a sweet girl. I think she''ll be the perfect lady. Yun''er, don''t be shy. Ming''er just isn''t used to to women being around him." She had purposely berated him and mocked him. In reality, women flocked to him like bees to honey, but the man wasn''t interested. Before Zhou Ming could refuse her again, his phone buzzed with a text. When he saw the contents, he smirked. "Grandmother, I can''t because I already have a precious lady. My girlfriend would be very disappointed if I were to fool around with unnecessary girls." He gave Jing Yun a look of annoyance and she immediately averted her eyes, embarrassed. Not only Zhou Eldress, but those around them as well as Zhou Elder who finished talking with whoever he was speaking with earlier, were shocked. The heir to the Zhou fortune has a girlfriend? The heir is taken!? All the girls felt their hearts shatter to pieces. Zhou Ming could metaphorically hear the sound of the breaking hearts and figuratively see their tears streaming down their faces. He was relieved. Xiahu Yunhua has managed to solve him a major problem and that was the unnecessary attention from women. Not that he didn''t play around, but only when he wanted to. He received another text as his grandfather ushered him to sit down. Zhou Ming could see the curiosity and question in his grandfather''s eyes. He raised his index finger and indicated that he needed an extra second. His grandfather understood as he watched his favorite grandson go stand by the entrance. Slowly, the door opened an a slender wrist emerged. Everyone kept their eyes on the door, waiting to see the mysterious beauty. When Zhou Ming helped her inside, gasps echoed. A woman in her twenties with an elaborate hair bun that was decorated with pearls and other rare jewels appeared, wearing a simple and sleeved mermaid gown, decorated with flowery-designed lace at the bottom. The woman''s face seemed to have been sculptured by the heavens, creating every intricate detail with great care. Her honey colored eyes seemed to pierce through one''s soul. Her pale pink lips seemed like the most fragile cherry blossoms, blooming beautifully as she smiled, taking the hand of Zhou Ming. Nobody associated her with the woman from earlier because it was like comparing two completely different women. Although the woman earlier had a more alluring look, wild hair, and was a great beauty with her bold makeup, the woman at the moment was innocent and pure yet still beautiful enough to rival her. The guests from earlier couldn''t recognize her, but a selective few did. Earlier, she hadn''t even had the chance to sit down, plus, her bags covered half of her face, giving her a mysterious look. At that exact moment, Xiao Yunhua was still shocked that she looked so different. She looked so pure, so na?ve... so lovely. As she gazed upon herself in the mirror earlier, she felt a sense of overwhelming joy overtake her. All these years, she had gone for the darker look. To see herself with such purity, would her grandmother be proud? In fact, she nearly teared up when she remembered that she didn''t even allow her grandmother to finish her words the day that she died. Xiao Yunhua clenched her fists. "Only the heavens know how much they''ll suffer now..." she whispered incoherently to herself as she took the hand that was extended to her. Let her revenge begin... 96 1.3.18: The Heir is Taken!? II As Zhou Ming guided Xiao Yunhua to sit next to him in the family table, where his family members were sitting at, everyone''s eyes were on them. Jing Yun''s eyes seemed dazed as she looked back at Zhou Eldress. The old woman''s eyes widened and a warning was sent across them, to which Jing Yun immediately understood her meaning. She stayed put and didn''t bother with Zhou Ming, her attention on the instructions of Zhou Eldress. "Ming''er, what is the meaning of this?" Zhou Elder wanted to yell, but he valued their reputation. They were at the center of attention, so instead, he whispered harshly to his grandson. Zhou Ming grinned mischievously and his cold, emotionless eyes glanced at his grandfather. "Grandfather, I believe I have the right to choose my girlfriend." "But she''s the girlfriend of Qiang Yue..." Kang Yiyi innocently remarked, her expression full of confusion. "Yunhua, are you... playing everyone''s heart here? You wouldn''t be so cruel, would you?" Kang Yiyi eyed Xiao Yunhua like the girl was the devil''s incarnate. She also referred to Xiao Yunhua quite intimately, like they were the best of friends. Simultaneously, her words did not indicate any way of acknowledging Qiang Yue''s words earlier about them not dating. "Kang Yiyi, you really must learn to keep boundaries and watch your mouth," Zhou Ming calmly said as he raised his newly-filled cup of liquor and sipped lightly. His emotionless eyes seemed like a cold, endless abyss as he stared at Kang Yiyi, making her shiver. It was almost like the man could see her every secret. She shivered and finally decided to shut her mouth, but even with her being quiet, her words had already sparked controversy. Zhou Feng next to her had been seething as he looked at his brother and Xiao Yunhua. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. He couldn''t believe his own eyes! Meanwhile, Zhou Lang, who had returned after storming off, next to Zhou Feng, only coldly looked at Xiahu Yunhua and his brother. His emotions were hard to see, but his entire aura was cold and a bit melancholic. To him, this was even worse than the assumptions of Xiahu Yunhua and Qiang Yue dating. This was the betrayal of his own brother! But he didn''t have the right to call it a betrayal since they had broken up after all. Mu Lihua only looked at him in silence. This was the man that she was sure her family would arrange for them to marry. She had expected for the man to be a major player like in the tabloids and rumors, yet the only thing before her eyes was a heartbroken boy. The look in his eyes as he looked at the beautiful woman proved that he was not as ''over her'' as he would declare himself to be. Zhou Eldress only smiled calmly as she looked at Zhou Ming. The silly boy had caused a crack to happen in his relationship with his grandfather when he decided to choose that woman. Jing Yun, standing next to her, looked at her for confirmation, but the old woman''s snake-like eyes warned her to stay put. Their plan was going to be postponed with the sudden arrival of the girl as Zhou Ming''s girlfriend. As for Zhou Yaoyao, she had already disappeared after excusing herself. Everyone assumed it was due to her heartbreak of Qiang Yue''s words, which it was partially, but only the girl and Kang Yiyi knew the truth. There was a storm brooding, chaos in the happening, but Kang Yiyi had told her to wait. They''d have to make sure everything was perfect before any actions happened. Zhou Elder wanted to refute his grandson''s words by saying the heir of the Zhou fortune was not ordinary and did not have such a right, but he decided to save such negativity for later. The party proceeded uneventfully after that, but it was clear to see everyone shooting looks at Xiao Yunhua. She could feel their looks as well, but Zhou Ming signaled for her to stay calm and not react. As the party wrapped up, the guests began to unwillingly disperse and leave the Zhou family alone. The party was most definitely the party of the year as it was held for the Zhou heir, and it wasn''t an everyday occurrence that they could be at the Zhou mansion. Soon, everyone left except for the Zhou family. The moment that they left, Zhou Elder immediately, and angrily exploded. "Zhou Ming, has this harlot seduced you too?" His old eyes looked at Xiao Yunhua with resentment. The young woman was indeed like the wicked witch of the west. She had managed to make his grandsons fall in love with her without as much as lifting a finger. Even his stoic and responsible heir hadn''t managed to escape her charms. "Grandfather," Zhou Ming''s black eyes glinted with mischief as he looked at his ''girlfriend'', "I would say I was the seducing one in the relationship. We have known each other ever since we met on Carte Blanche Island." "Your island that you opened up to the public a little while ago?" Hearing Zhou Elder''s words, Xiao Yunhua was shocked. The ''mysterious'' island owner was Zhou Ming? How dangerous was this man that she had managed to get herself involved with? "Indeed. Fate, don''t you believe?" Zhou Ming''s words seemed as sincere as can be, yet his tone was mocking. "I call just another one of her ploys. I demand that she gets out before I call security to kick her out." Zhou Elder pointed at her accusingly and his demanded tone left her shivering. The look in his eyes, it was like she was the worst of the worst. Such a look, they all gave it to her because she was a ''bad'' person. "Grandfather, you can''t do that," Zhou Ming grabbed her small and soft hand in his calloused and larger one. "because we''re leaving." "I expect you to break up with her immediately!" Zhou Elder yelled angrily. He looked at his youngest son, the father of all four of his grandsons, Zhou Qin, and questioned, "Why is your son out of control! Already returned and he is causing more havoc than he has ever caused in the past years." He rubbed his temples and then shooed away anyone, including Zhou Eldress, that tried to follow him. Once he left along with Zhou Ming and his new girlfriend, Zhou Eldress looked at the remaining people and immediately ordered, "The news of that girl must not spread. Make sure it is on no tabloids nor anyone knows about her." She sighed as though she was deeply concerned, "Such a problematic girl. I hope our Ming''er realizes that she is in no way fit to be with him. Yun''er," she looked at Jing Yun dotingly, "I think you should go back home now. I''ll get the chauffeur to drive you back." Jing Yun obediently nodded and left, leaving only a couple of other people who also dispersed. "Feng''ge, do you want to¡ª" Kang Yiyi started but was immediately interrupted by an exhausted Zhou Feng. "Not tonight Yiyi... I just need some time alone." He didn''t even wait for her reply and left, leaving her to clench her fists. Had the news of that girl affected him that much? Whatever small spark of remorse she felt was replaced with deep resentment. She noticed that nobody bothered to offer her a ride like Jing Yun, so she secretly marked this humiliation in her mind. She called for her family''s chauffeur to pick her up. Meanwhile, Zhou Lang didn''t even bother to look at the Mu Lihua who was trying to begin a conversation with him. He immediately left, forcing her to hitch a ride with her friend Kang Yiyi. The glamorous party that everyone was envious of and wanted to go to had ended on such a bitter note, especially for the ones that were hosting it. 97 1.3.19: Angelic Goddess Unlike what Zhou Eldress had ordered, the news of the new girlfriend of the elusive heir of the Zhou fortune, Zhou Ming, had erupted in every tabloid and everywhere on the internet. Somehow, someone managed to capture a few photos of her and she had unknowingly charmed everyone, earning her the nickname of ''Angelic Goddess'' by the people. Her ethereal beauty had astonished everyone who was planning on using her appearance to mock her. In fact, there were some more pictures of them together and they looked like a match made in heaven. The news had exploded everywhere and everyone was talking about. No matter how much Zhou Eldress ordered for them to be taken down, it was like someone was purposely reposting them, making it impossible for it not to resurface. Xiao Yunhua had woken up to an excited Ni Ming who shoved her phone in her face. "Look! Look here! Goodness, you really did create a huge sensation." She paused and crossed her arms as the sleepy Xiao Yunhua grabbed the phone to look. Once her eyes scanned the contents, she coughed loudly. "Well... This is a surprise?" After muttering that understatement, she smiled sheepishly as she looked at Ni Ming. "Surprise!? Tell me everything! Starting from how you went from a scarlet red dress to a pure white one. Oh, let''s not forget how your date magically changed to the most eligible bachelor from a doctor." Ni Ming sat next to her as Xiao Yunhua sighed. She explained everything, beginning from the backlash she received as she walked in with Qiang Yue to the treatment she got after everyone left, forcing her to leave with Zhou Ming. She left out the part where they came to a verbal agreement because she didn''t want for Ni Ming to worry. An agreement with the devil, that was the only way to describe it. Speaking of the agreement, she had to make sure that she received some type of paperwork rather than simply and naively relying on his words. As cruel as it made her sound, she did not trust him. Besides, the man seemed to be enshrouded in secrets, it was such a big risk that she had even made a deal with him. She finished her retelling with Zhou Ming driving her back to Wang Yaowan''s mansion pretty late, hence why they didn''t see her in her new dress. Everyone had been asleep. As for what Zhou Ming did afterward, she did not know. "I''m speechless..." These were the only two words Ni Ming could say after her reencounter. "All that in one night? Yunhua, why do you always get yourself in trouble?" Xiao Yunhua sighed in exasperation. "It really isn''t my fault you know? Trouble seems to follow me everywhere." "What about Qiang Yue?" Ni Ming asked, concern for both Xiao Yunhua and Qiang Yue evident in her words. "Did you not like him?"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. "Well... After being exposed like that, I don''t think he''ll want to be my friend ever again." Xiao Yunhua sighed as she looked away, deep in thought. "As for liking him... I don''t think so? It''s complicated." How could she explain that her feelings were merely manipulated by the system? That once his feelings finally seemed accepted by him, whatever emotion she felt for him evaporated into the air? "Yunhua... You really played with his feelings." Ni Ming was highly disappointed in her, this much she could tell. Xiao Yunhua wanted to refute that it really was not her fault, but who would believe her? She was the villain in this situation. Staying for the Special Target was not worth it, but her revenge was. All these years, she was all talk and no action. It was time for her to get it done and just move on from all these toxicities. Speaking of the Special Target, she still didn''t know who he was. Seeing Xiao Yunhua struggling to reply, Ni Ming changed the subject. "So you and Zhou Ming are official right? I don''t have worry about you two breaking it off, do I?" Xiao Yunhua didn''t reply to that either, leaving Ni Ming''s sentence to falter in the air. Finally, the older woman realized that she needed to give Xiao Yunhua to process her words, so she left, leaving Xiao Yunhua alone. 98 1.3.20: Confronting the Little Fairy When Ni Ming left her alone, she immediately summoned herself to the grey, dimensional, startling Xiao Taotao who seemed to have been playing a game with Xiao Lili. When the little fairy saw her, she dropped her playing cards in shock. "Host... It''s a surprise to see you?" She looked to the cold Xiao Lili apologetically and mumbled that they''ll have to finish their game later. The other little fairy disappeared, taking the game and table they sat at with him. "What can I help you with?" "So now you help me?" Xiao Yunhua angrily looked at Xiao Taotao as she crossed her arms. "Are you sure you want to respond? For an assistant, you surely aren''t assisting me much!" When Xiao Taotao realized that Xiao Yunhua was genuinely angry with her, she frowned and quickly apologized to try to salvage the situation. "I couldn''t receive your distress call as I was busy with something else."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. "Playing card games?" Xiao Yunhua raised an eyebrow and the little fairy blushed. She fervently shook her head. "I just barely found time for that. I had to help the higher-ups. I''ve been just as exhausted as you," Her big, silver doe-eyes widened and tears filled them. "Sorry for being so useless..." Seeing her beginning to cry, Xiao Yunhua panicked and decided to forgive the little fairy. She waved her hand, dismissing the issue. "It''s alright, just don''t cry, please. I''ve had enough tears for a while." Xiao Taotao sniffled and her tiny self flew to Xiao Yunhua, wrapping her miniature arms around Xiao Yunhua''s neck. She muttered incoherent words that escaped Xiao Yunhua''s ears and pulled away. "Other than scolding me for being away at your hour of need, can I help you with anything else?" Xiao Yunhua suddenly remembered the main reason that she had appeared in the grey, dimensional space. "Yes! I need you to tell me who my Special Target! I think I actually have it figured out: would he be Zhou Ming?" Xiao Taotao sighed, "I''m not allowed to tell you when it comes to Special Targets... They''re called ''special'' for a reason." Xiao Yunhua pouted but didn''t argue. Seeing her host grow more disappointed in her, Xiao Taotao mindlessly added, "I won''t tell you." She said this sentence as she nodded briefly and then her head stopped bobbing up and down. The move was very sudden and if Xiao Yunhua hadn''t been looking at Xiao Taotao, she would''ve never noticed it. Understanding her message, Xiao Yunhua pretended to be even more disappointed and bid Xiao Taotao adieu. When she left the grey, dimensional space, a frightened Xiao Taotao felt shivers up her spine for disobeying the rules. When she noticed that there was no indication that the higher-ups noticed her little, ''accidental'' error, she breathed a sigh of relief. She had already managed to not help her host once and had gotten her in trouble, so she couldn''t deny this important question from her host. Xiao Taotao waited for five more minutes and noticed that there wasn''t anything different happening, so she called for Xiao Lili to continue their game. She had assumed nobody noticed her little rule-breaking, but she was for a surprise much later... 99 1.3.21: Announcement of Zhou Lu’s Return After their confrontation and Xiao Taotao little agreement and rule-break, Xiao Yunhua finally decided that she had somewhat proceeded with her Special Target that was Zhou Ming as well as getting revenge. It was killing two birds with one stone, she just had to make the elusive man fall in love with her. But he was unattainable... It felt like he was playing with her, like everything was under his control, like he was the one manipulating. Meanwhile, one month had gone by in the blink of an eye, in which she was with him everywhere. After people found out she was his girlfriend, she had became an instant ''celebrity'' in the sense that she couldn''t go out alone since people would recognize her. She also appeared with Zhou Ming in public conferences or simple outings, also known as a date. According to what she searched on the internet, people didn''t seem to disagree that they were together. In fact, they found Zhou Ming and Xiao Yunhua together as a cute couple. But despite majority of the public''s support, there were still negative comments. Comments that ranged from her being a seducing ''slut'' and how she wasn''t worthy for the Zhou heir. She could only scoff. This was modern times, not medieval times. Being suitable and whatnot was ridiculous. But even though Xiao Yunhua found such comments from the public harmless, she couldn''t escape them from the Zhou family herself. And coming from the family of the man she was dating, it kinda stung. But then again, they were the worst of worse type of scum, each with different types of crimes, so she didn''t care that much. But the public did. They ate away at any chance involving the YunMing couple. Surprisingly, Zhou Eldress and Kang Yiyi had been quiet. Xiao Yunhua expected the evil duo to make her life a living hell, but it seemed like they didn''t care. As for the girl who was with Zhou Eldress at the birthday celebration, Jing Yun, she didn''t seem to appear before Xiao Yunhua''s eyes. But Xiao Yunhua wasn''t na?ve... this was like the calm before the storm. At any moment, any of the women would strike. Speaking of storm, she hadn''t had the chance to remind Zhou Ming to have a physical copy of their contract. She would occasionally see him privately as he was so busy, excluding the times that they were in the public eyes. Zhou Feng had tried to contact her a few times, but she would ignore his persistence as always. But even those times seemed to cease as time went by. Not that she minded that. And Zhou Lang, that man was as silent and cold as ever, which broke her heart, but she couldn''t do anything about it, no matter how much she wanted to. As for Qiang Yue, she hadn''t been able to contact him after that day. She had the feeling that he was purposely avoiding her, but she couldn''t blame him. She had completely lied to him. Guilt clawed at her heart, making it throb painfully, but she showed no indication on her face. What she didn''t know was that there was a third party who was manipulating and preventing her from reaching him, which made him misunderstand that she didn''t want to communicate with him. Currently, she was arriving at the Zhou mansion with Zhou Ming. Zhou Elder has called for a family meeting and the mischievous heir wouldn''t give up the chance to use it to his advantage¡ªto bring her and anger everyone, especially Zhou Eldress. But despite her beliefs, once again, the old woman remained quiet. Kang Yiyi was there with Zhou Feng, who had looked at her, opening his mouth to speak with her, but thanks to her enhanced observation skills, she would see him glance briefly at Zhou Ming in what she assumed was fear. Maybe the dangerous heir had warned his little brother? Whatever it was, she was relieved. The man was a bit too much for her to handle. "You know grandfather, if you only called everyone here to gripe about Yunhua and for me to break it off with her, then you''re sorely mistaken." Zhou Ming''s endless pools of black reflected everyone in the room along with their fear. The only people that didn''t really seem to have an aura change were few and selective. "Ming''er..." Zhou Elder sighed as he shot a glare in the direction of Xiao Yunhua, like his words were by her bad influence. "This has to do with your second brother... Zhou Lu." "What? Is there anything wrong with Lu''er?" Zhou Eldress seemed to have panicked at the mention of the second Zhou grandson. "No, no. He has finally decided to stop his silliness of wanting to travel the world after nearly half a decade... He is coming home." Zhou Lu? This was not a name she was familiar with. ''Taotao, search information about him and send it to me later.'' <> ''Did you really just say¡ª'' <> "Zhou Lu should''ve stayed away until the plan is complete..." Zhou Ming muttered underneath his breath. "Anyways," Zhou Elder''s old eyes looked at his grandson. In front of everyone there, he boldly declared, "If you do not stop associating yourself with this woman, I do not mind tweaking my will for Lu''er to inherit everything." Zhou Ming silently looked at him. In a mocking manner yet still consistent with the respect he maintained for his grandfather. "Do you really think the brother who wanders around, traveling, is fit to rule your beloved empire?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. His answer caused Zhou Elder to remain quiet for a bit before the old man said, "He''ll learn, just like you did." A somber aura filled the room until the housekeeper announced that dinner was ready. Even though Xiao Yunhua and Zhou Ming didn''t want to stay, in the end, they were forced to eat along with the rest of the family. 100 1.3.22: Fake Tears Meanwhile in the hospital, Ling Qiu had just finished sending Kang Yiyi a message that their plan was now going to begin. She looked at the deeply-focused Qiang Yue and sighed. "Qiang Yue are you thinking about that woman again?" The former doctor that exhibited an aura of kindness and hard work was now a shrivel of the man he once was. Always with an exhausted look on his face, he was not the man with the gentle gaze anymore. He seemed always deep in thought and carried an aura of melancholy. It made Ling Qiu quite aggravated that it was that wretched girl who caused him to be this way. When he didn''t answer her question, she couldn''t help but grow angry. "Qiang Yue, she manipulated you! She lied to you! She broke your trust! Why can''t you stop thinking about her?" She deeply envied Xiahu Yunhua. Even after all these deeds, the man that she had loved for all these years was still in love with her. He may have not voiced it or kept it to himself, but the truth was as clear as crystal: Qiang Yue was not over her. If it weren''t for the small chip she had inserted into his phone, he and Xiahu Yunhua would''ve made up ages ago. Fortunately, she had Kang Yiyi to thank for giving her something that prevented them from talking to each other. Who knew if that woman had tried to contact him? Either way, he would never know. And Qiang Yue didn''t have the guts to see her in person, so that was also a factor that contributed. "It''s not that simple..." he softly murmured after a brief moment of silence, "I wish it was." "You can make it that simple! Qiang Yue, that woman is evil! In fact, she''s an evil jinx! She only had to see your father for him to die¡ª" "Ling Qiu, watch your mouth." Despite his harsh words, he remained calm. "Why? You and I both know it''s true! Throughout this entire month, I have begged, asked, and told you to get Uncle an autopsy! We cannot let his death go in vain when there''s a possibility that she did something." "She did not do anything! It''s all your silly imagination..." Ling Qiu clenched her fists at his persistence. "You need to open your eyes! She was the last person in the room with him. He was perfectly fine yet the moment she left, his vitals shot through the roof. Qiang Yue, no matter how much you have feelings for her, you cannot ignore your father''s death like this¡ª" "Enough!" He finally raised his voice. "He was vulnerable after having a heart attack the first time, it''s not a shock that he got another one." "Really? You''re not skeptical at all? I think you''re a coward¡ª" Qiang Yue fist violently hits the table in front of him, startling her. He rubbed the temples of his head and sighed. "I said enough. For the love of your Uncle and my father, let him rest in peace in the afterlife." Ling Qiu clenched her fists so hard that she could feel her nails digging in her palms, painfully. But the pain was nothing in comparison to this man''s neglect. Why couldn''t she get that woman? She couldn''t ask Kang Yiyi to help her anymore as she had already done enough for her to proceed with the plan. They needed for this part of the plan to go right or else that woman would live peacefully for the rest of her life. She had already destroyed so many lives, it was time to get a taste too. So she did the one thing that she was sure that Qiang Yue could not resist: she cried. She cried with every fiber of her being. She cried like she was experiencing the worst of worst pains. She cried like she had never cried before. And it worked. Qiang Yue turned around with shock in his eyes. Even though he didn''t hold the type of affection she wanted for her, he still regarded her as a dear friend. And he was overall a very nice man, so he immediately wrapped his arms around her smaller frame. Her tears wetted his white coat but it seemed like he didn''t care. "I just really love Uncle. I cannot stand him experiencing injustice." "...Alright." He finally whispered, "I''ll do it. But if it turns out that it''s a natural death, then you must go and apologize to my father for disturbing his sleep." She meekly nodded and buried her head in his chest. She couldn''t have an opportunity like this ever again, so why not take advantage of it? As for that woman... a malicious smile appeared on her kind features. Once the wheels have turned, they could not be stopped. Xiahu Yunhua... needs to prepare herself.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. 101 1.3.23: Clues "Ah I''m bored." Xiao Yunhua whispered to Zhou Ming. "Why do I have to be here again?" The clanks of the silverware and the soft murmur among the people at the dinner table helped her case of keeping her question between them. "Seriously, it''s like I''m painted with a target sign. Your grandpa is eyeing me like I''m the personification of Satan." She chuckled but quickly coughed to cover her laugh. "Because you''re my girlfriend and this came with the package." He teased back. "But I''m your¡ª" "Yunhua, are you alright?" Kang Yiyi''s voice interrupted, dripping with concern. "Housekeeper, pour her some more water. Can''t have our darling celebrity choke to death." Hearing her words, Xiao Yunhua felt like she wanted to roll her eyes. Such caring concern, if it were anybody else, she would''ve believed it. Unfortunately, this girl had tried to murder her with a hit-and-run. Hearing the word celebrity, Zhou Elder eyed her angrily again. "Riding on the fame of us requires an entire new level of shamelessness... I think you qualify!" In her defense, she didn''t want this fame that somehow came with the title of the Zhou heir''s girlfriend. In her defense, always being the subject of pictures was super annoying. As an entertainer in Riverside, she hadn''t suffered so much publicity. She also felt like this ''fame'' was completely unnecessary and exposed her face more than she felt comfortable with. She liked hiding behind a mask... it brought her a sense of security that no one would discover her true self. "And once again, I ask why I have to be here." She grumbled quietly for Zhou Ming to hear. Her gripes were ignored by him as a brief conversation overtook the table. Xiao Yunhua tuned out their words and zoned out, thinking about random things. She suddenly snapped back into attention when Zhou Ming was pulling her away. Her dinner plate looked untouched. "She thinks we planned on poisoning her..." Zhou Elder grumbled, "Is she even worth the effort?" "I just ate before coming here." She fired back, "I''m sure you guys wouldn''t be that obvious, right?" Xiao Yunhua continued without giving them a chance to refute. "Nonetheless, thank you for your hospitality. We''ll get going now." They immediately left and drove to his penthouse in silence. To make their fabricated relationship more believable, Zhou Ming suggested that she stay at his penthouse for a while beginning last week. She objected originally, but her eyes were too clouded by her desire to get revenge. They did however, live in different rooms of the penthouse. According to the indecisive man, he had an endless strings of mansions, houses, and other things he did not need, the penthouse was his favorite because it was the last thing his grandmother gifted him when he was really young. The man even had an island, but recently, he opened it up to the public, but still preferred to be the anonymous owner. If she hadn''t found out that Carte Blanche belonged to him, she would''ve never guessed. As he parked the car, she sighed, crossing her arms. "You lied to me." "What do you mean?" Zhou Ming paused his action of buckling his seatbelt. "You said you would help me get revenge! All this month, I''ve been nothing but a pretty vase... I''m beginning to think that''s all you wanted me for." Sarcastically, she added, "How classy." "I''ve been gathering evidence..." Zhou Ming uttered after being quiet to absorb her words. Even though he didn''t want to let her in on the plans yet, it was only fair that she knew. "From what you told me at our last ''date''¡ª" "You mean one of the events that showed off our ''lovely relationship'' for the tabloids to eat up?" She interrupted, rolling her eyes. "Yes, yes. Whatever you prefer to call it. As I was saying before interrupted by your ''lovely'' attitude, you told me that Han Mi had an attempted murder by Qiang Luo and Ling Xiu and they had a hand in manipulating hospitals to stop the old woman from getting treated..." he stopped, his black eyes looking into her honey-colored ones. "Never had a chance to know, but how do you know that?" "Han Mi told me!" She blurted out without thinking. How could she tell him that she had seen the scene thanks to the system? It sounded ridiculous to her, nonetheless someone who didn''t even know about the system. Besides, Han Mi was dead. There wasn''t a way for the heir to prove her words wrong. "Hmm, I see. And why did you think that they had a hand in stopping the hospitals?" His interrogation made her nervous, but she showed no indication of her anxiety on her face. "Because a little while back, I had managed to get scalded by black coffee and Han Mi had taken me to the hospital. There, we saw your brother, Zhou Lang, being escorted by Qiang Luo for getting an injury. When he saw Han Mi... it was like he had seen a ghost¡ª" "And that goes back to Han Mi being proclaimed dead for a little while... This is interesting." "Interesting? Your grandmother''s conspiracy is interesting?" She huffed and suddenly, he grabbed her chin and pulled her face extremely close to his. "Your attitude has skyrocketed today, Flower." He whispered. Simultaneously, the atmosphere turned ambiguous and their lips were merely inches away from each other. One move and they would meet. Feeling a blush appear on her face, she pushed in away and shyly averted her eyes. "Ahem, let''s continue." Zhou Ming nodded and pulled back. He pushed a small, inconspicuous button in the car and a small box was pushed forward. Inside, there seemed to have been files. From the outside perspective, it seemed like the files were just random papers in folders. But in reality, once Zhou Ming pulled them out, the black-inked words were taken in by Xiao Yunhua''s eyes. "This..." Her sentence faltered and she felt shock. "You guessed it. This was the man that had been hired to cause Han Mi''s accident all those years ago. In fact, he was meant to be dead by the accident, but he survived, changed his identity, and moved far away." Zhou Ming clenched his fists, "All these years, he has been living in shameless leisure thanks to the money given to him." "They didn''t kill him to keep him silent?" Knowing their characters, Xiao Yunhua was shocked. They fabricated evidence and even took meticulous steps to stage an accident, it seemed silly for them to forget this important part of their plan. "No, and by my assumptions, most likely because he has hidden evidence against them." "Wait... All these years, he was sustained with the money?" Xiao Yunhua pointed to a circled word on the documents: gambler. "With such a hobby, are you sure?" Zhou Ming smiled and patted her head. "Flower, you''re too smart for your own good. This leads us to our next piece of information as well as what exposed his identity despite being changed... This man had wasted his money away a few years ago. He had visited Qiang Luo for another paycheck, which the Butler was forced to oblige with." "And it''s an endless cycle..." She murmured. "He wasted it away as well, right?" "Bingo! My sources have linked his latest rendezvous to the Zhou mansion last week. Had he not appeared, we would''ve never known who had committed the heinous crime. I was not here a couple of years ago, so I had not known about such an ordeal." "Your sources used this incident from last week to track his previous returns?" "Yes." He didn''t explain further, but she didn''t try to press for more information in regards to that matter.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. "Instead of Qiang Luo, he had gone to see Ling Xiu?" She asked, changing the topic. "And that hits the bullseye." Zhou Ming''s words made her blush again. She felt like a child that was praised for doing something productive and properly. "So why don''t you go arrest that old lady already! Seeing her makes me sick." "Can''t. He is not enough for the authorities to believe that the famous ''Zhou'' Eldress is malicious. She is known as an angelic philanthropist and popular with high society. With such a backbone, would they believe the old driver? Even with the evidence, it could always be proven to be fabricated." Xiao Yunhua grimaced. "You know, it''s ironic how they would check to see if it''s fabricated while in Han Mi''s case..." Zhou Ming sighed. "I know and I understand. But we can only deem it as her unfortunate fate." They got out of the car and he wrapped his arms around her. "Don''t worry... I believe our relationship will cause that woman to do something reckless and expose her fa?ade forever..." 102 1.3.24: Jing Hao "I did it." Qiang Yue told Ling Qiu the next morning he saw her. "They told me that it has been a little while, but the results will take up to six weeks." "Six weeks!?" This wasn''t beneficial to their plan at all! They needed to strike at that woman immediately or else the chance would disappear. "Yes. I didn''t want to disturb his resting place, but in the end, you left me no choice. Remember what you promised." His stern voice was clearly filled with concern for that woman. Ling Qiu felt jealousy claw at her heart again, to which she meekly replied, "Of course. Do you want to eat lunch at¡ª" "Can''t, sorry. I''ll take my lunch break in my office because I need to review some documents." He politely declined before she even had the chance to say the restaurant''s name. She sighed. When will she ever get his attention or attract his feelings? "Alright, that''s fine. Just don''t forget to eat. I''ll be on my way now." She waved him goodbye and then left the hospital building. The moment that she was pretty far away from the hospital, she immediately dialed a particular number. That particular number belonged to her friend and her partner-in-crime. That number belonging to Kang Yiyi. What Ling Qiu didn''t know was that the other young woman did not treat her as a partner. The spoiled and rotten heiress only saw her as a puppet to control. This fact, she would come to know much later in regret. "Yiyi," Ling Qiu addressed familiarly like they were the best of friends. Kang Yiyi rolled her eyes and automatically opened her mouth to scold, but she remembered who she was talking to. Instead, she gritted her teeth and listened. "The autopsy results will be available up to six weeks¡ª" "Impossible! Six weeks is too much!" Kang Yiyi grumbled. "Aren''t you a nurse in the hospital? Couldn''t you speed things up?" Ling Qiu sighed. "I have no access to that. Luckily, Qiang Luo had died in the hospital I work at, otherwise, even keeping an eye on the results would be difficult. We have our hospital''s pathologists examining him." Excuses! That was the word that Kang Yiyi wanted to hurl in the face of the nurse, but instead, she kept her calm. "That''s good. But I''ll have to pull a few strings either way. Six weeks is too long. The evidence is already going to be planted soon." "Alright, I understand. But anyways, Yiyi, where are you?" "The caf¨¦ I was at two weeks ago, why? I don''t suppose you want to join me?" Kang Yiyi silently wished that the nurse would say no. "Of course not im¡ª" "A pity. I''ll be missing you. The waiter is here with my drink, talk to you later!" Kang Yiyi hung up and rolled her eyes. Ling Qiu didn''t want to rush over there, but hearing the words ''I''ll miss you'' made her realize that her friend was worth the rush. She quickly got to the cafe as she could. Meanwhile as soon as she hung up, Kang Yiyi relaxed for another ten minutes after dealing with an idiot and dialed the person that took care of all her dirty deeds. His connections were more prominent and expanded than hers. "Hello, darling." The cheerful voice sarcastically greeted. "How may I slave¡ªahem, assist you today?" If Xiao Yunhua was there, she''d remember the voice from the scene that the system showed her. This was the same voice that Kang Yiyi spoke to when she demanded an accident to happen. "Jing Hao, I am not in the mood for your antics today." Kang Yiyi growled. "I need a favor¡ª" "Why would you call it a favor when you know that you''ll force me to do it anyway?" Jing Hao muttered underneath his breath. "Go ahead princess, your wishes are my commands." Kang Yiyi smirked as she sipped on the tea in the caf¨¦ she was at. Secluded a bit, nobody could hear her words, this she was sure of. "I need you to get one of your men to speed up the process of an autopsy." "Huh. Not as evil as I thought as it''ll be an easy hack to move the corpse examination above the earlier corpses... Wait. Is it with the same girl you''ve been keen with ''destroying'' all these years?" "Keen is an overemphasis of the situation at hand," Kang Yiyi glanced at her prim and perfect nails in admiration. "She is not worthy." "You''re right, obsessed would be a better use of words." He mumbled incoherently. She heard his remark but chose to ignore it. Instead, she explained that the poison that he had given to her was effective and the old man was dead.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. "Ah, now that''s more like you." Jing Hao spoke as though he was newly enlightened. "No wonder you want an autopsy. But simply being in the same room isn''t going to prove that she is in the wrong." "I know." Kang Yiyi said calmly. She smiled like she was an elegant queen when in reality, she seemed like a snake. "Which is why I need you to supply more of the good stuff." "Are you really going to be an amateur and just shove it in her things like the old days and expect them to convict her for it?" Jing Hao rolled his eyes at the spoiled princess. Why he even bothered to be conversing with her for so long was all due to the evidence that she kept against them. "You underestimate me too much." "For good reason. Have you seen the size of your brain¡ª" "Enough! Focus or you will suffer the consequences." Jing Hao tsked and allowed her to continue. "You must also supply me with some hallucination drugs. X DRUG would work." "You expect too much out of me. It''s pretty expensive for a poor boy like me." Kang Yiyi wanted to strangle the man that wasn''t taking her serious at all. "Money is never an issue. I''ll wire you one hundred." "Million?" "Thousand." "You''re ripping me off. No deal." "Alright, ten million and no more." "Now that''s a deal, sweetheart. I''ll send them later. As for autopsy, don''t worry darling, I''ll take care of it." "You better." Then she hung up again. Collectedly, she sipped her tea again. Her mind wondered to the insidious ploy that was going to unfold before her. All in due time... all in due time. But what Kang Yiyi didn''t know is that Ling Qiu had heard her. And subconsciously, she had recorded most parts of the conversation for extra security... 103 1.3.25: X DRUG Exactly one week later, Ling Qiu was surprised that the pathologists had the results. She was amazed but remembered that Kang Yiyi told her that she would handle it. It seemed like the heiress had indeed handled it for it to be handled this soon. She was anxiously pacing back and forth in the office of Qiang Yue. He was nonchalant for the most part before he told her that she needs to calm down. "I can''t. That witch could try anything." "Witch? Ling Qiu, she is no witch and you know that. She is very kind." "Yet she played you and lied to you..." the high level of sarcasm from her didn''t escape Qiang Yue''s ears. He only frowned and then the door opened. The large, orange envelope was easily conspicuous in the hands of the person who brought it. Ling Qiu didn''t bother with the person who had the envelope and quickly grabbed it. Shooing away whoever brought it, she carefully closed the doors. She took a deep breath. Before she could open it, Qiang Yue quickly added, "It''s not too late for you to stop." For some odd reason, his heart was beating fast like there was a danger that was going to happen. "For what? Pride? If there''s any chance that she did something to Uncle Luo, then I would rather lose every bit of pride to get him justice." Her fervor made him astonished yet more worried. What if Xiahu Yunhua had pulled such a stunt? But then he calmed down when he remembered her personality. She may have lied to him about some things, but she was never a murderer. "Go ahead. I''ll be driving you to apologize to her afterward." His confident statement made Ling Qiu nervous. Her only sliver of hope was that she should believe in Kang Yiyi. If the girl had not pulled what she promised, then her pride would be shattered into pieces. Her fingers scraped through the top of the envelope''s top, waiting to be torn. She paused. What if the pathologists hadn''t found anything? "Why aren''t you opening it? Is it because you know she is a good woman?" Hearing him defending her, Ling Qiu clenched her fists. With one quick move, the envelope was open and the papers inside were visible. She took them out and her eyes skimmed the contents. Her heart, along with his heart, beat fast for different reasons, but both simultaneous with worry. Finally, a small smirk appeared on her face that was hidden by the paper she was reading. Quickly making her eyes wet, she dropped the papers and was visibly shaking. "H-How is this possible?" Her reaction nearly caused Qiang Yue''s heart to stop. He picked up the papers from the floor and read them. His eyes widened like he couldn''t believe what he was reading. "X DRUG was found in his body?" "She did do something¡ª" "Let''s not jump to conclusions. Also, I find it suspicious that you always tried to pin it on her even before the results were out." That made Ling Qiu freeze as he continued, "X DRUG cannot be bought easily unless from the black market... Even then, she needs her sources to get them for her. We need to handle this calmly." "Calmly!? I will take this to the police right now! X DRUG needs only a little bit to be deadly and give the victim an overwhelming amount of rush, meaning they''ll die. Who was the last person that Uncle saw?" "Ling Qiu... this decision is with me, not you." Seeing that he wasn''t budging, she could only bite her lip to prevent herself from ruining their plan. Instead of responding, she turned around and left.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. He sighed as he clutched the papers... For everyone''s sake, he deeply hoped that she was innocent. Otherwise, nobody could help her. 104 1.3.26: K Café It was another typical night for Xiao Yunhua as she blissfully remained unaware of what was brewing in the hospital. She lied on her bed, alone in the penthouse of Zhou Ming. As always, he wasn''t there because the busy man was out doing something... not that she minded. It was awkward enough to be in a fake relationship, but for her to see him all the time while they were away from public eye, that was a road she wasn''t ready to cross. Now that didn''t mean that he wasn''t there occasionally, but they never really interacted. She was bored. She sighed aloud and grabbed a random book from the bookshelf. Skimming the book, she couldn''t help but feel butterflies in her stomach as the memory of the scene in his car played in her mind. They had been so close... One more move and they would''ve kissed. And this time, unlike the previous times, she actually felt herself okay with it, completely sober too. She hugged the book and sighed. She was acting like a lovesick teenager. She had a mission and she was vying for more than what was supposed to be. She had experienced the same emotions with Zhou Lang and Qiang Yue, but why did Zhou Ming feel so different? Her eyes fell on the title of the book. Withering Heights. The irony hit her hard. Unrequited love... was this a sign that it would turn toxic? Xiao Yunhua shook her head to clear her mind. She still many worlds and many points to collect to be allowed liberty, so she couldn''t latch onto a target. Suddenly, her phone rang. Thinking it was Zhou Ming, she answered a bit more enthusiastic than the other party expected. "Yunhua... darling." When she heard the voice, she grimaced and lip her bottom lip. Nearly hanging up, she instead rolled her eyes and sighed. "What do you want Kang Yiyi?" Kang Yiyi immediately noticed the shift in her tone from her greeting to recognition and felt annoyed. Her dislike for the girl grew and she wanted to insult her again. However, she instead maintained her pleasant attitude. "Yunhua, I have important news for you." "Go ahead... I''m listening." "But Yunhua, I cannot tell you over the phone. It is far too drastic and important to be said on the line. I think it''s best if you meet me somewhere. How about K Caf¨¦ in an two hours?" Kang Yiyi assumed herself as an impeccable actress; however, had she been in front of Xiao Yunhua, the latter would''ve immediately picked up that something was clearly off. Xiao Yunhua glanced at the time and noticed that it was late. "You know, let''s just wait until tomorrow." "No!" Kang Yiyi exclaimed. At her urgency, the small sliver suspicion multiplied in Xiao Yunhua. "It''s very important... it concerns Zhou Ming." Hearing the name of Zhou Ming, Xiao Yunhua felt her heart stop. But there was still a part of her that suspected that Kang Yiyi was pulling tricks again. "It''s late. I''m tired. Good night." She hung up and heaved a deep breath. Her face felt hot. She didn''t understand why she was so worried. The man was more than capable of taking care of himself. Yet a small part of her was still anxious. Dialing his number, he didn''t answer and she went to his voicemail. Instead of ending the call, she left a voicemail, which was unusual of her. "Hey, can you call me back as soon as you can?" She also texted him in case he couldn''t check his voicemails. She realized that she was being excessive; however, he wasn''t as much of a devil as the media portrayed him. And even if she hadn''t developed an unrequited love or it was merely the manipulation of the system, she treated him as her friend... her partner in this fake relationship. She dazed off and slowly, fell asleep in a brief nap. When her eyelids fluttered open, Xiao Yunhua yawned and stretched her arms. Checking the time, she panicked because her nap had been three hours! The meeting period had long passed and Zhou Ming had not replied to her text nor call.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. Her heart thumped fast. What if he was in trouble? Or maybe she was overthinking everything? Her logical side was overshadowed by her emotional side and she immediately dialed a taxi. Even though it was one hour past their meeting period, she hoped that Kang Yiyi was still waiting. Just in case this really was a trap, she took a bold step. She texted Ni Ming a brief that if anything were to happen, she was with Kang Yiyi. With a deep breath, Xiao Yunhu grabbed her bag and left the penthouse. 105 1.3.27: Knocked Ou When she arrived at the location, the first thing she noticed was that it was closed and the sky was dark. It was very late, so it wasn''t unexpected. Xiao Yunhua frowned, maybe it was better if she waited until tomorrow? The taxi driver had long left and she was alone except for a streetlight not too far from her location. An eerie feeling filled her heart and she felt goosebumps. The weather was not cold, but her body shivered. She raised her phone to dial for another taxi, but suddenly, she felt large, coarse hands on her shoulders. Turning around, she kicked whoever tried to grab her. The man fell to the ground, but his fellow goons appeared out of nowhere. In the dark, her eyes picked up seven, but there may have been more. Another one tried to reach and grab her, but she punched him in his face. She was so grateful that she asked for martial arts as a skill from the system. Even though she was stiff, it was like the martial art movements were implanted and coded in her head. She didn''t seem experienced, but she behaved like an expert. Xiao Taotao said these moves were enough for the people in this world and by the way these men were going down, she knew the little fairy was not bluffing. Suddenly, it was like the men decided to attack her simultaneously. She dodged and avoided; however, her eyes fell on a figure and she froze in shock. That sudden moment of vulnerability allowed for a figure behind her to wack her in her head. Xiao Yunhua felt her head growing wet from the blood that was pouring from the wounded area, her eyes growing heavy and vision getting blurry. Her head grew dizzy and before she could control herself, she blacked out. Someone scoffed in the darkness and walked forward to the frozen men that had been fighting with Xiao Yunhua earlier. When they stood under the dim streetlight, their appearance shined with a wicked glint. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. "You guys are pathetic. Couldn''t even knock out a young woman and wasted time. Made me get involved myself." The figure whined, crossing her arms. Another tall figure walked close to her. The man was wearing a long, velvet coat with a pair of black gloves. His black sweater seemed to be made from the most expensive material and his black pants matched. His shoes were simple but leather, completing his expensive attire. His face was handsome enough to be mistaken for Adonis, although if Xiao Yunhua was not knocked out, she would''ve deemed another person much more handsome than him. The female figure turned to the man and angrily looked at him. "Your goons are almost as disappointing as you." The man chuckled sarcastically. "Kang Yiyi, this ''disappointment'' has gotten you what you want. Now don''t forget our deal." Kang Yiyi rolled her eyes, "Not until you help me inject the drugs into her body. Once it kicks in, then I''ll finally give you what you want, Jing Hao." "Not playing fair." "Have I ever played fair?" She giggled playfully, but her warning was clear. Jing Hao only smiled but the dangerous glint in his eyes made him even more crazed then the people knew him in the underworld. One day, the bratty princess wouldn''t be able to control him... Forever is merely her imagination. 106 1.3.28: Back to Square One Even though Xiao Yunhua felt immense pain, she found herself slowly waking up. When she turned her head and gazed at her setting, the familiarity of it made her freeze. She was in her old room with her novels stacked and the familiar dust everywhere. The poor material of her bed covers and her hard bed made Xiao Yunhua assume that such was the source of her pain. She took a sharp breath. Slowly getting off the bed, she glanced and saw her short, chubby legs. The realization of the current reality hit her hard. Xiao Yunhua dashed out of the room and went into the bathroom. The large mirror in the nearest bathroom was mere inches from her face. She didn''t have the guts to look up and see the reality she would have to expect. Her breath was ragged and her hands were fisted tightly. She ignored the nails that dug deeply into her skin and ignored the dull pain that had yet to cease since the beginning. Finally, with a deep breath, she looked up. And she saw the face that she had been teased for during her eighteen years of existence. It hadn''t been the flawless face she grew used to ignoring, but the face that haunted her and her world. The face that had managed to get her in so much trouble. With its characteristics such as the acne, pores, crooked nose, small but deep eyes... the only thing that was the true abnormality was her frown and the warm tears that streamed down her cheeks. Her heart felt heavy and she clenched her shirt on the side of her heart, almost as though she was giving it relief. But really, what relief? She was back to square one. Everything was a lie. There was no system, no beauty, no love. It had all been her imagination playing a very cruel yet tragic joke on her. "Xiao Taotao?" She called out softly, anxious for the reply. There was none. She repeated the name, even louder. Still, no one responded. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. She felt her knees go weak and fell on the floor. Her silent tears transformed into something much more intense as she cried with every fiber of her being. "Why?" She whimpered softly. "I finally had a chance to be someone worth something..." Mindlessly, she stood up and walked back to her room. The silly, romantic novels that she constantly wasted her time over were piled up and all over her room. With dead eyes, she scanned the dreadful place that she had lived in for the past eighteen years. Suddenly, the sound of keys jangling made her freeze. Quietly, she walked out of the room and glanced at the entrance of the house. The doorknob turned and someone entered the house. Xiao Yunhua''s eyes met with the person that entered. That person''s expression turned malicious, very familiar to Xiao Yunhua. "What are you doing?" The person snarled angrily. The person made Xiao Yunhua shiver in fear. This was her stepmother, Meng Wan, the woman who made her life a living hell for the duration of living in this house. She had been surrounded by so many people that loved her that she forgot about her real world of how lonely she really was. Meng Wan dropped the bag she had in her hands and angrily stormed to the top of the stairs, where stood a frozen Xiao Yunhua. "You vile leech! You were supposed to be cleaning the house, so why is it that I come back to see you standing like an idiot!? Look at the dust!" Her fingers swiped on imaginary dust on the stairway. Her footsteps stopped when she was standing in front of Xiao Yunhua. Seeing no reaction from her, Meng Wan grew angry. Grabbing and pulling her hair down the stairs, she pushed her down and demanded her stepdaughter to clean like she was supposed to. "You''re already eighteen and still being a stupid bitch. All the money and years I wasted on raising you, yet you can''t even do a simple chore." By ''a simple chore,'' Meng Wan really meant the long list she would always leave for Xiao Yunhua, to exhaust and humiliate her. Xiao Yunhua, with shaking knees, stood up and used her hands to pull away the hair that covered her face. Her immense pain from earlier seemed to multiply ten tenfold and she felt even dizzier than before. "Hurry up or else there will be consequences. Xiao Xiu will be bringing over Jiang Rong for dinner." "J-Jiang R-Rong?" Xiao Yunhua fearfully muttered, the number 512 and the incidents following it running fervently in her mind. "Don''t tell me you still have silly delusions... You will never be good enough." ''I know...'' She thought sadly in her head. It wasn''t about Jiang Rong, it was her life in general. Living with such a bitter life, how could she not know. That dream was beautiful. All the people she met, all those who cared about her. It was brief yet enlightening. Before she could do any type of cleaning, her stepsister, Xiao Huaxiu and her boyfriend appeared. Their cruel actions replayed in Xiao Yunhua''s mind like a broken record. Xiao Huaxiu crinkled her nose in disgust. Albeit she was beautiful on the outside, she was rotten on the inside to the utmost levels; however, only a few knew this. She was still the angelic girl whom all girls at their school, including Xiao Yunhua at a certain period, aspired to be. "Mother, tell her to hurry up or else I may not have the appetite for dinner." Xiao Huaxiu was demanding, but Meng Wan adored her daughter so much that she ignored the crude attitude. She did, however, didn''t forget to yell at Xiao Yunhua to finish what she was doing later as they had already arrived. Xiao Yunhua turned around to leave, Xiao Huaxiu asked her one question that made her stop. "So you really thought you had a chance?" She laughed and a malicious smile spread on her face. When she noticed that Xiao Yunhua did not react nor answer her, she yelled at her the question again. By the tone of her words, it was like she knew everything that had happened in her silly imagination. Xiao Yunhua was tired of it all. She weakly murmured, "I did." "A chance to be someone you''re not?" "I did." A chance to be beautiful?" "...I did." Xiao Huaxiu''s taunts did not cease and she mocked, "So you did all those awful things for superficial beauty? So desperate; no matter how much you buy your beauty, you will always be ugly on the inside because of your wicked deeds." "I know! All a silly fantasy... I know." Her throbbing head felt like someone was hammering at her head. The pain was so overwhelming that everything began to spill rapidly and she felt her eyelids growing heavy. The pain even made her feel like her shoulders were being shaken; no longer able to tolerate, she passed out. 107 1.3.29: Spy "Yunhua... Yunhua wake up!" Xiao Yunhua felt someone vigorously shaking her arms to wake her up. Once she slowly opened her eyes, she saw the familiar dark pools that she grew to find beautiful in the past couple of months. Despite their fake relationship, they had formed a pact of some sort. "Zhou... Ming?" Her voice felt hoarse and her throat was dry. She glanced around and realized that she was in a hospital, and the smell of medication filled her nostrils. "You''re okay now. You''re safe." He smiled, and for the first time, Xiao Yunhua noticed it wasn''t one of his fake, sly smiles. It was a somewhat of a genuine smile that made his handsome features even more handsome. Mindlessly, she raised her arms and wrapped them around his neck and cried. Such a nightmare that she was back to her hellish life. Such a nightmare that this reality did not exist. To be back there... Xiao Yunhua shivered, which Zhou Ming noticed. He didn''t wrap hug her back, but he did pat her head. After a few minutes, she pulled away and asked, "What happened? The last person I saw was Kang Yiyi... then I passed out. " "You were nearly kidnapped, had I not received a call from Ni Ming." Zhou Ming made a mental note of who was behind her kidnapping. If he had gotten at the location any later, then she would''ve been taken for who knows how long. It really wasn''t a kidnapping in the traditional sense, but it could be considered an almost-case. "But I sent that text to Ni Ming... How you get my location?" Zhou Ming looked uncomfortable. Xiao Yunhua pieced things together and angrily snapped, "You spied on me?" "Not necessarily on you, but your gps was tracked." Seeing her not calm down, he added, "It was for your own safety."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. "My safety? Or because you don''t trust me?" Xiao Yunhua felt cheated. All this time, she had assumed that they were in this together. However, this man didn''t seem to trust anyone but herself. He didn''t reply. Instead, he changed the subject. "You were injected with X DRUG, a hallucinogen." Even though she didn''t want to change subjects, she allowed for what he said to soak in. The drug was what made her dream such a surreal experience? The last person she saw that made her freeze was Kang Yiyi. How much hate did the girl harbor for her to do such a monstrous thing? Thinking suddenly created a sharp sensation in the back of her head. She closed her eyes and breathed heavily, not wanting to yell out from the pain. Zhou Ming tried to come closer; however, she shot him a glare. "Anything else you want to tell me? Do you spy for ''my safety'' in the shower?" "No! Why would you think¡ª" Zhou Ming sighed. "Look, I get that you''re angry, but if I hadn''t, then you wouldn''t be here. Besides... you went because you worried about me?" His mischievous eyes annoyed her. "Clearly it was unnecessary. I need to sleep. Good night." She didn''t even wait for him to respond as she turned around and pulled the covers up to cover her face. Zhou Ming opened his mouth to say something, but he didn''t. He sighed and decided that they had enough troubles for one night, it wasn''t necessary to prolong this argument. Getting up, he gently closed the door. He instructed the private nurse to take care of her and to inform him if anything goes wrong. Zhou Ming, himself, was going to take care of a few things. Kang Yiyi couldn''t have done such a thing herself. He knew there was someone who helped her and he was going to find out her source before it was too late. 108 1.3.30: Drunken Reunion The next morning, Zhou Ming had needed to analyze the latest batch of evidence against Ling Xiu. He also had some private documents from the family company he didn''t to evaluate, hence why he decided to stay at his penthouse. Xiao Yunhua was still in the hospital, so he had no need of avoiding her. He wanted to go visit her in the hospital, but he knew that she was still angry at him. Zhou Ming didn''t mean to do such a thing, but he couldn''t be too careful. He had implanted the bug since she decided on their arrangement, at that time, not trusting her much. Now... they had certainly gotten closer, but there were many things he still kept from her. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. It was merely due to scaring her away if she knew how wicked he tended to be. He phone buzzed with an incoming call from an unknown number. He was suspicious immediately as to who knew his private number. Picking it up, the other party greeted him in a different language. Recognizing the voice immediately, Zhou Ming felt a smile appear on his face. "You dimwit, it''s been too long." "Tsk, you greet me so harshly after so long? So much for the souvenirs I brought you. Guess I''ll just give them to Lang." The other voice belonged to a man in his twenties with a hint of a foreign accent. Despite his words, Zhou Ming smiled and asked if they could meet up. "I guess I can meet you before meeting the old man. He''ll be pissed." The man gave Zhou Ming the time of his arrival and an hour later, Zhou Ming had arrived at the airport. His eyes scanned the airport and fell upon a tall, handsome man with blonde hair and dark eyes. He wore a plain shirt and a pair of shorts, along with sneakers. He looked very comfortable and causal. The man noticed Zhou Ming and immediately hugged him. Surprisingly, Zhou Ming didn''t push him away like with most people. He even hugged the man back. "Zhou Lu... it''s been too long." Zhou Lu grinned at his older brother, his pearly white teeth almost blinding Zhou Ming. "Are you saying that because I threatened to give away your souvenirs?" "You idiot..." Zhou Ming chuckled and motioned for his assistant to pick up Zhou Lu''s bags. "How come you''re back so soon?" "Old man threatened me. He said that you''re becoming ''incompetent'' because of a woman. Can you believe how silly he''s gotten? You, actually associating yourself seriously with a woman..." Zhou Lu laughed until he noticed his brother was not laughing along. "Grandfather was serious?" Zhou Lu was shocked. "Dang, she must be out of this world for her to influence you." "She''s not influencing me... it''s all part of the plan." Zhou Ming calmly replied as they both walked over to his car. Zhou Lu still had his suspicions, but he didn''t question his brother much more. Instead, he cheerfully suggested they go out and drink in celebration of his return. He had many stories to tell after traveling the world for so many years. Surprisingly, his brother didn''t disagree, which is how many hours later, they were both wasted and drunk. So drunk that Zhou Lu could barely see and Zhou Ming felt a bit nauseous. He hadn''t drank this much in a long time, yet his brother tempted him like this. Zhou Ming ordered for his assistant to take his brother to the hotel he had booked for himself. Zhou Ming decided to take a taxi to go back to his penthouse. Stumbling slightly, he couldn''t help but remember an ethereal face that lived in this penthouse along with him. He had an urge to see her, but he shook his head. Zhou Lu''s silly talk today along with the alcohol seemed to have made him delusional. That woman was temporary and will be nothing more. They couldn''t be together. So even while drunk, Zhou Ming made sure that thought and idea was implanted deeply in his head. As he sat on the first available sofa, he sighed. He was about to get up again to find something to sooth his nausea and headache, but froze. His eyes narrowed and he discreetly pushed a hidden button on the couch. When he looked up, there was someone standing in front of him... 109 1.3.31: Assassin With a black face mask, the figure that stood in front of him dressed in all black as well. The figure belonged to a women with pitch black eyes. Zhou Ming and her eyes met and they both stared at each other. Her eyes were very familiar to him, he just couldn''t remember where he last saw her. She pulled out an inconspicuous pistol and aimed rapidly to shoot at him, to which he dodged. She pulled out another pistol and used both of her hands to shoot in his direction. Zhou Ming jumped and hid behind the sofa, using the furniture to dodge the bullets that were meant to take his life. Unfortunately, the material was not strong enough and one of the bullets pierced through, hitting his shoulder. He groaned and yelled out, "Stop!" Surprisingly, the bullets did. He slowly stood up and looked at the mysterious woman. "Why do you want my life?" She did not answer. She continued to look at him with her empty and dark eyes. She raised her pistols again, but Zhou Ming jumped on her, causing both of them to stumble on the coffee table which shattered it into numerous, sharp pieces. Zhou Ming flinched when he felt the small shards digging into his skin, but the woman did not even flinch. She merely raised the pistols again to attack like she was a programmed robot. Zhou Ming grabbed both of her arms and tried to wrestle the weapons out of her hand. She raised her knee and kneed him harshly in his gut, which made him yelp in pain. But before she managed to get the upper hand, Zhou Ming plastered his much larger and heavier body on her small one, making it impossible for her to escape. He finally forced her to drop her weapons and grabbed both of her wrists in one hand. Using his other hand, he yanked away the mask and the face that was under didn''t startle him as much as he expected. "So the old bitch finally decided to make a move, huh?" He murmured underneath his breath, to which the girl heard. Seeing that he was distracted momentarily, she raised her head and bit hard on his hand, causing for him to let her go. Pulling out a hidden dagger, she embedded it in his chest with as much might as she could. Seeing him drop and bleed, her expressionless face finally cracked a smile. "You know, I''ve never failed an assignment and I wasn''t going to let you be the first. I had fun playing with you. See you for when I''m in hell." Turning around, she was going to leave but felt a strong hand grip her ankle. "Not so fast..." Zhou Ming weakly muttered. The girl tried to shake off his grip, but suddenly, she felt multiple arms restraining her.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. "You son of a bitch!" She cursed as she was fully held back by a few men. Approximately a dozen men had entered the penthouse and were helping Zhou Ming or standing for orders. "You didn''t think you''d be the first person trying to assassinate the Zhou heir, did you?" Zhou Ming chuckled but winced at the pain. "Nor will you be the last, Jing Yun." He had pushed the button to page his main assistant, but luckily, his assistant was smart enough to listen in and hear what was going on, hence sending the men. Jing Yun was shocked that he remembered her name. Seeing her face, Zhou Ming added, "Did you really think I wouldn''t investigate you if you''re working with the snake? Yes I couldn''t find anything on your fake name... But I do recall knowing about the little sister of Jing Hao, Jing Xue. The infamous assassin of the dark and brutal Jing family... You really made this too easy for me the moment you stepped into my penthouse and tried to murder me." He wondered why the old lady had picked such a time to attack, but suddenly remembered that his brother was finally home. His na?ve, carefree brother that was easy for her to manipulate if he became heir. Which is why it seemed like the snake felt like it was the right time to make a move. "My older brother¡ª" "Can not save you unless I say so. Better cooperate, don''t you think?" Zhou Ming gave her one of his mischievous smirks which made Jing Xue want to yell in frustration. Suddenly, he felt dizzy as the impact of his wounds and blood loss finally hit him. One of his men helped him walk as they had already prepared to take him to the hospital. Before he left, he left specific orders of making sure she did not escape and where to locate her... 110 1.3.32: Flash Drive "You still haven''t wired the money, Kang Yiyi." Jing Hao said, annoyed at the young woman. He didn''t even really care about the minimal amount of money. All he really wanted was to get her off his back so he could be peaceful. She mischievously smiled. Looking at him with contempt, she spoke as though she was above him and everybody else. "That''s because I still can''t trust that you''ll be able to edit her words to be proper." "It''ll take only one attempt from one of my men to make the audio recording. You don''t need to be so noisy." "But are they skilled enough to make it seem not fabricated?" She yawned like this conversation bore her. Crossing her leg over the other, she casually grabbed the first magazine she saw and patiently flipped through it like she had all the time in the world. Which for the demise of the person she despised, she ironically did. "Here, we''ll get started. She sounds out of it though... How do you plan on fixing that?" He asked her. She merely looked up and shrugged. "That''s not my problem. You and your goons figure it out." Kang Yiyi''s arrogance infuriated him, but he did not show it. At this point, he just ordered for his men to create the audio recording so he could get rid of the leech. "So you poisoned the old man by using X Substance?" Kang Yiyi''s voice interrogated, laced with shock. "I did." The voice of Xiao Yunhua muttered. Though it was soft, it would still be heard. "For a chance to be Qiang Yue''s girlfriend?" "I did." Once again, she replied, although even quieter. "you thought you had a chance to get away with this." "...I did." Kang Yiyi asked her one last question, but Xiao Yunhua''s reply was so quiet that they had to edit it out. Once the audio was finished, Jing Hao grabbed the small flash drive and gave it to her. "Happy?" Her eyes lit with malicious glee. "Very. You have no idea how much this means to me." "By your obsession, I can get a hint." He sarcastically muttered. She shot him a glare and pulled out her phone. With only one tap of her finger, she immediately wired a much larger than originally intended amount of cash. "Consider the rest a tip." She was so excited to bring the witch to justice. She didn''t stop to think that truly, Xiao Yunhua had nothing to do with any of this. "Whatever. Just get out of my hair." "Don''t you want to know what I''m planning?" She teased. Jing Hao rolled his eyes. "Just as long as it doesn''t involve me any longer, then I simply don''t care. Easy as that." Seeing his lack of care oddly made her annoyed. But Kang Yiyi didn''t let her annoyance show and stood up to leave. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. Once she left, she immediately dialed Zhou Yaoyao to let her know that their plan was finally in motion. Xiao Yunhua was finally going down... 111 1.3.33: Golden Blood "We''re here to visit you..." Ni Ming greeted as she opened the door, Wang Yaowan behind her. Xiao Yunhua smiled at the visitors and put down the book she was reading. Even though her head was wrapped with a bandage, her silky hair wasn''t bothered and flowed down, her natural look being ethereal. "What a pleasant surprise." She softly said, grabbing Ni Ming''s hands in her own. Ni Ming gave her an anxious look, "Are you alright? I received your text but it looks like someone had taken action before me. Silly girl, how could you go there at such a late time!?" "Sorry for making you fearful," Xiao Yunhua''s honey-colored eyes reflected her worries. "I received a call about important information about a friend... I tried calling that friend, but they didn''t respond so I had to go there. My emotions got the best of me." "Who''s the friend?" Wang Yaowan finally spoke, but they were unexpected words. Xiao Yunhua averted her gaze and remained quiet. Her relationship with Zhou Ming was false, so she couldn''t say that she worried for Zhou Ming. Otherwise, they would have hopes that this one would last. As long as she had the system, none would last. Ever. Suddenly, Xiao Yunhua''s phone buzzed with a text. Checking it, all color left her face. Seeing the pale Xiao Yunhua, Ni Ming immediately realized that something was wrong, so she asked. "Zhou Ming had an accident. He is in c-critical condition due to b-blood loss. Lots of it." "Oh sweetie¡ª" Ni Ming didn''t have the chance to finish her sentence as Xiao Yunhua was already out door to the texted room number. Zhou Ming''s assistant had used his phone to notify her so she was extremely afraid. Shakingly, she turned the doorknob but someone stopped her. "Apologies ma''am, but you cannot enter unless the doctor permits." The nurse eyed her and added, "Are you a patient? Do you need help finding your room?" "M-My boyfriend is in there... I need to see him!" The nurse finally understood but she sadly sighed. "I''m sorry, but that''s the hospital''s critical wing. The only person who had brought in was..." Her eyes widened as she recalled the Zhou heir had a girlfriend and she was all over the Internet. Finally giving her a long look, she recognized her goddess-like looks. She hadn''t been notified about the girlfriend being in the hospital, but it seemed like she was privately checked in. It seems like the Angelic Goddess was even more gorgeous in real life. She envied the girl. Some people were destined to be luckier than others. The nurse felt a tap on her shoulder. She snapped out of her thoughts and told the girl that she would notify the doctor. As Xiao Yunhua sat down patiently on the chair next to the wing, she heard several footsteps on the floor. When she looked up, she noticed three figures. The first two she recognized immediately as Zhou Elder and Zhou Eldress, but the third person was a handsome man who she would''ve mistaken as a foreigner due to his blonde hair, but as she was close, he had the distinct features of dark eyes and sharp features like everyone else in the Zhou family. He was casually dressed, unlike everyone she had met from the Zhou family. Zhou Elder opened his mouth to scold her but the doctor came out exactly at the moment, looking tired and distressed. "Doctor, how is Ming''er?" Zhou Eldress said worriedly, although behind her worried fa?ade, she was gleeful. If the bastard didn''t survive, then that would be a bonus for her. But she couldn''t expose her happiness yet. It seemed like the assassin she hired had done her job better than intended. Now she would personally witness his final moments. It did make Zhou Eldress a bit suspicious that Jing Xue didn''t return, but the girl was known to be mysterious. She had wired the money and was done with her anyways. As for right now, she needed to pretend for just a little longer. "He needs a blood transfusion." Before any of them had the chance to volunteer, the doctor added, "Unfortunately, not your typical A, B, or O." "What do you mean, isn''t that the only thing out there?" Xiao Yunhua looked at the blonde man who talked. He had a bit of a particular accent to his words when he spoke. "No it seems like he is blessed and cursed to have what the medical industry calls ''golden blood''. Personally, I thought it was a myth since only a small handful have it, but it seems like your grandson has the Rhnull blood type. And we don''t supply it..." His words ceased and lingered as they all understood what he meant. Without the transfusion, Zhou Ming was done for. ''Xiao Taotao...'' <> The squeaky voice immediately answered in her head. Even though Xiao Yunhua was hesitant to use her points, she still wanted to get revenge for Han Mi. ''Can you change my blood type?'' <> ''No I need Rhnull... the rarest of them all.'' The little fairy didn''t respond for approximately thirty seconds and Xiao Yunhua panicked and called for her again. <>Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. ''I...'' She needed to save him since he was the special target. And because she treated him as a friend, ignoring the feelings that the system was forcing in her heart. ''Alright.'' One word and she felt points being taken from her. Her current balance was 49,000 points. Before anyone could speak and the doctor to elaborate, Xiao Yunhua stood up. "I have Rhnull blood. I will make the blood transfusion." Everyone was stunned into shock. Just when Zhou Ming seemed helpless, this dark horse came out of nowhere. The feelings of despise that Zhou Elder held for Xiao Yunhua lessened a bit, but he still continued to dislike her. Zhou Eldress on the other hand clenched her fists hidden from sight. Her dislike increased drastically. As for the blonde stranger, he smiled as he eyed the girl. She was beautiful, that''s for sure. Seeing her linger by his brother''s room, he was sure they had a connection. He suddenly remembered the woman his grandfather loathed. Could she be the person? Based on his reaction, there was a high possibility. "What good news! Not only one person with the rare blood, but two! This is a great event for our hospital¡ª" "Please hurry up!" Xiao Yunhua spike urgently. The doctor sheepishly smiled and ushered for Xiao Yunhua to follow him. 112 1.3.34: Dangerously Curious When Zhou Ming opened his eyes, the first person he saw was a sickly Xiao Yunhua with a bandage wrapped around her head. Panicking, he tried to get up but immediately groaned from a sharp pain. Xiao Yunhua noticed his movements and quickly held him down. "You can''t move around too much. You need to heal." "What happened? All I remember is¡ª" "Your accident... your assistant texted me using your phone that you had an accident. What kind of accident was that severe to get you so many wounds?" Realizing that she didn''t know about the accident, Zhou Ming was relieved. She didn''t need to know such irreverent information. His assistant was clever. Instead of being truthful with her, he answered, "Just an unlucky day... Seeing you here, I guess you''re not angry at me anymore?" Xiao Yunhua pouted. How could she still be angry when he experienced near-death? "I had to transfer blood to you." "So you have the same..." His sentence faltered as he looked at her with his dark eyes. No emotion could be seen in them. Had it been anyone else, they would''ve been afraid. In fact, Xiao Yunhua was a little bit afraid as well. She couldn''t tell what he was thinking. "Yes I do. Consider it a life-saving coincidence." Zhou Ming didn''t respond and closed his eyes. A comfortable silence fell on the two until the nurse barged in and took his vitals and gave him pain relievers. Xiao Yunhua noticed the time and stood up to leave since he needed to rest. Bidding Zhou Ming goodbye, she was immediately ushered back to her hospital room to rest. She needed to rest as the sudden blood loss from her body caused her to be dizzy. On her hospital bed, she contemplated on whether or not she was doing the right thing. Would her grandmother want to see her so wicked? But as she was already in so deep. She couldn''t give up yet until she served Han Mi the justice that she deserved. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. After that incident, a month went by peacefully as Zhou Ming used it to recuperate. In that time period, it had been uneventful and nothing seemed to have happened. Xiao Yunhua has gotten released a few days after his accident, but she used her spare time to check up on him and take care of him. Even though he was still wary, the relationship between the two had gotten a bit warmer. They regarded each other not just for use, but as a friend of some sort. In that time, many people had come to visit Zhou Ming, including the blonde stranger Xiao Yunhua saw. She later found out that he was the last Zhou brother, Zhou Lu, who had been traveling the world. At first, she was confused about why he would be away for such a long time, but knowing the Zhou family, she could make an assumption. Today was the day that Zhou Ming was going to be released from the hospital. Xiao Yunhua had made sure to look presentable as there was a high chance for paparazzi since someone leaked his accident. As she walked to the hospital to his room, she heard voices inside that resembled yelling. Once she used her enhanced senses, she picked up the last bits of the conversation. "Control her until I say otherwise. Can''t have her escape when I''m finally getting out of the hospital." Zhou Ming furiously said in the phone and then hung up. Xiao Yunhua gasped quietly and tried to walk away, but Zhou Ming had heard her already. "Leaving without saying hello?" She looked at him. He wore a crisp suit and looked like he belonged on a magazine. No sign of fatigue or sickness was detected on his Adonis face. His whirlpools of obsidian distracted her but she didn''t let them sway her completely as she questioned, "Who was that?" "Don''t worry about it." Zhou Ming''s dark eyes made her a bit afraid but she once again, curiosity and fear got the best of her. "Who is the girl you aren''t letting escape?" A brief flash appeared in his eyes before he calmly blinked it away. "Just a dog." "Y-You wouldn''t be doing something illegal against the girl?" When she uttered those words, she immediately felt like she should smack herself. The man was dangerous. Obviously he had more behind-the-scene than he was letting on. She didn''t want him to see her as noisy. For the first time since she had known Zhou Ming, he grew angry. He clenched his fists and she slowly backed away but her back hit a wall. With his shadow overpowering her, she shivered. He lowered his head and whispered in her ear, his warm breath tickling her shoulder. "You... Shouldn''t stick your nose in places it doesn''t belong." This man that she had silly delusions of being friends with was also the infamous demon. She really should stop being stupid and delusional. She pushed him away and stood firmly despite still scared. "I shouldn''t have come." Her eyes unknowingly grew wet. She lowered her head and walked off. She was a few steps ahead when she noticed people crowding around her and stopping her. "Excuse me." "Are you Miss Xiahu Yunhua?" She paused and looked up. Immediately, her eyes fell on the police badge that they carried. Confident that she hasn''t done anything wrong, she nodded. Trying to walk off, they blocked her again. "You are under arrest for murdering Mr. Qiang Luo." When she heard those words, Xiao Yunhua felt like her world had shattered... 113 1.3.35: Arrested "Who is defaming my girlfriend?" Zhou Ming''s teasing voice asked behind her. Startled, Xiao Yunhua noticed his tall structure blocking her from their sight. Even though they had just argued, he still defended her. "Mr. Zhou, please do not stand in the way. We have an official arrest warrant for Miss Yunhua. So if you''ll excuse us¡ª" "Who was it?" All signs of playfulness left his voice as he turned serious. He had such a cold aura that it made them gulp. But as long as they had the documentation to take her away, even the powerful Zhou heir was nothing in comparison to the legal department. "Mr. Zhou, you''ll find out soon." The authorities didn''t remain polite and pulled out handcuffs. Zhou Ming opened his mouth to retort but felt a small and slender hand on his arm. Turning his head, he noticed her beautiful golden eyes steady. She knew she was innocent. Her eyes also held confidence... in him? Even though she appeared calm, she was panicking. Xiao Yunhua had never broken any laws, nonetheless commit bloody murder! Her small wrists were cuffed and she was directed to the police car. Before she got inside, her eyes scanned and met with Zhou Ming. One glance felt like an eternity but was in reality, a few seconds long. Zhou Ming was her only hope. Otherwise, she would be forced to give away her points again. But how much could she give away? What was the point of collecting if she was spending excessively? Would she be stuck with the system forever? Xiao Yunhua shuddered at the thought. No, for the first time in her life, she had to be optimistic and completely depend on someone else who may or may not throw her away.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. She sighed. As she was getting inside the car, many camera flashes were happening outside. The paparazzi had gone nuts as they witnessed the girlfriend of the Zhou heir get arrested right before their eyes. They had come to take pictures of Zhou Ming being released, but had gotten a better treat. On the way to the police station, Xiao Yunhua was very quiet. So quiet that the officer sitting next to her glanced at her to make sure she hadn''t fallen asleep. When they arrived, she was directed to sit down in a room. When she went inside, the door closed and she shivered. It was so cold. By her assumptions, this was an interrogation room. She was going to get questioned? Approximately thirty minutes later, an officer came in. He questioned her very calmly. She answered very calmly. The officer was surprised. He had never met someone so calm. It impressed him, but made him doubt her even more. Either she was indeed innocent, or an expert manipulator. He believed the latter as her case said that she was the girlfriend of Zhou Ming, the devious Zhou heir. Finally, no longer able to withstand her stubbornness, the officer left. What he didn''t know was that the calm Xiao Yunhua was panicking and had purchased a calming effect from the shop for 500 points, which left her total to be 48,500 points. It would last for three months. For such a price, Xiao Yunhua was finally relieved to get a decent product. The calming effect would be good for the court trial as well. But what kinds of evidence had been piled against her? It worried her but she didn''t show it. Her face was blank and expressionless. Had anyone else seen her, they would''ve mistaken her aura for someone completely different. Before Xiao Yunhua could think much more, the door opened and someone ushered her out. 114 1.3.36: Worth the Sacrifice? "You have been bailed. You''re lucky your boyfriend is loaded, otherwise, I had a nice cell waiting for someone as beautiful as you." The creepy words from the officer made her cringe but she didn''t show it. Instead, she contained her emotions thanks to the calming effect. Zhou Ming had bailed her? She wanted to feel touched again, but restrained herself. She saw Zhou Ming ahead of her and walked faster. When she reached him, she subconsciously hugged him. He seemed a little surprised and so did she at her actions. He raised his hand to pat her head, but stopped midway. Seeing him not respond, she unwrapped her arms and stood next to him. The officer reminded them that their court trial was to happen immediately as it was for such a figure and for such a severity. Zoning off, she didn''t hear the rest of the conversation and merely heard that it was scheduled for two days from today. Xiao Yunhua wanted to panic, but it was like there was a spell on her that made her appear calm. Which in reality, there was. Even Zhou Ming was impressed by how calmly she was handling the whole situation. Almost like she wasn''t even involved and a passerby. "Let''s go home." He said as they got in the car. The drive back was silent. Both had many things to say to each other. Neither could open their mouths to utter a word. Inside the penthouse, she walked in and sat on the nearest sofa. Her honey-colored eyes weren''t warm like before. They were dulled and focused on something. Zhou Ming¡ªhaving found his voice at last¡ªasked, "Are you alright?" She raised her head and took a deep breath. She didn''t answer, so he continued. "I get that you''re in shock. Such an event doesn''t happen everyday to anyone. Since you''re my ''girlfriend'', it''s obvious why they would target you. I found out that it was Ling Qiu who made the accusation with plenty of evidence."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. Her eyes widened. The last time she had seen Ling Qiu was at the hospital. The nurse harbored so much hostility against her it seemed. But the small nurse didn''t have the power to gather so much evidence. There were two people that hated her so much that they were willing to frame her to such an extent. Either Zhou Eldress or... Kang Yiyi! Who was the last person she saw before being knocked out? The spoiled heiress who was madly in love with Zhou Feng! "Kang Yiyi is behind the real accusation, isn''t she?" She murmured softly. He didn''t answer her, but she got the answered she wanted confirmed anyway. "All I wanted was to get my grandmother justice, yet it turned into something so sinister like murder." She sighed. Zhou Ming was quiet. His next harsh words shocked her, "So you didn''t mess around with my brothers, either? All for the sake of your vanity." She paled, the effects of the calming effect no longer visible. He continued, "Don''t make yourself na?ve in this situation. You are just as guilty." Xiao Yunhua wanted to retort but only clenched her fists. In a bitter way, he was right. She was commanded to gain their hearts and throw them away. Even Zhou Lang, who hadn''t even been a target, she used. As usual, she felt the guilt nag at her heart again. Zhou Ming noticed her silence and stood up, leaving her alone. What Xiao Yunhua didn''t know was that he had investigated her more deeply and had spoken out of jealousy that he didn''t even know he harbored. What he assumed was mere despise was deeper than he expected. Xiao Yunhua stood up and left for her room, locking the door behind her. She found herself in the grey, dimensional space again. Xiao Taotao smiled and waved. "Host, what brings you here?" "You already know..." The little fairy sighed and nodded. "You''ve gotten yourself in a sticky situation. For mere pawn pieces, they had developed way out of control due to their emotions." What did Xiao Taotao mean by that? "Don''t worry about it. You know, you can always give me 10,000 points and I''ll make it all go away. She''ll be the guilty party and you''ll have one less person off your back." She silently contemplated on whether or not she should just go the easy way and lose her points, but before she made any hasty decisions, she decided to ask more questions. "What evidence does she have against me?" The little fairy listed everything that she had against her: the autopsy of the murdered man, the flash drive, the drugs... indeed, they had her cornered. "You know, you have a few days to decide on if you want to lose the points. Otherwise, I cannot help you without gaining the points in return." Xiao Yunhua sighed. "Alright, I''ll think about it." Now all she had was either rely on herself and waste more points, or to rely on someone who clearly despised her even though she thought they had created a partnership for the time they had known each other. That many points... was it worth the sacrifice? She left the grey space and sat on the bed with a headache. Gathering all the confidence she didn''t know she had, Xiao Yunhua opened the door and walked towards his door. Knocking softly, he opened the door and she widened her eyes. 115 1.3.37: Silence is the Key Xiao Yunhua was shocked to find him not wearing a shirt, his fit physique on display. Immediately, her face felt like it was on fire and she looked away. The night she wanted to forget appeared in her mind before she brushed it off and cleared her throat. Zhou Ming was clearly amused with her reactions but crossed his arms, "I was just going to take a shower but you stopped me. What do you want?" It was like he completely forgot that he snapped at her beforehand. If he was going to act like it was nothing, Xiao Yunhua didn''t want to drag it out either. Yes she was hurt, but she was in no position to feel the hurt. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. "I..." her throat felt dry suddenly when she tried to bring up the topic. "I was wondering, will I go to jail?" She sounded so weak and just timid. A brief silence followed her words. In the time that Zhou Ming had known her, he had never seen her so helpless. He didn''t know she had her own method of saving herself and assumed that she was completely defenseless. He raised his hand to pat her head, but stopped himself. "You''ll be fine. I have my own method of saving you. You just have to go and be silent." Silence? That was what was going to save her? Silence was the key to her safety? She chuckled bitterly, "You know, if you don''t want to help me, you don''t have to do make up silly excuses like this." She turned around to walk away but he caught her hand. His whirlpools of black met with her honey-colored eyes. His stare intimidated her, but she didn''t look away. Slowly, he lowered his head and captured her lips with his. She was surprised and tried to resist, but he persistently continued to kiss her. What felt like eternity, he finally raised his head and looked at her flushed face and swollen lips. "What are you..." Her question faltered and he answered it by repeating what he had told her earlier. She clenched her firsts and slowly nodded. She had to take his word for it, otherwise, her mission in this world would be over. Whatever small sliver of trust she had in him, this was the time to believe in it. When Xiao Yunhua left, Zhou Ming dialed a number he thought he would never call in his life. When the deep voice answered, Zhou Ming only uttered these words: "A meeting to discuss something we both want." It didn''t take long for the other party to recognize Zhou Ming''s voice. He seemed amused when he replied, but Zhou Ming still sensed the anger that was laced underneath it. "You finally contact me after all my attempts of reaching you. I guess today''s events were the last straw." Zhou Ming hated the sarcasm and arrogance of the man talking to him, it reminded him of himself. Instead of responding to him, Zhou Ming just nonchalantly arranged for a meeting that day. They were going to get something they both wanted; it was a meeting of benefits for each... 116 1.3.38: A Deal When Zhou Ming walked in the private room that his assistant had reserved, a whiff of cologne flew by his nose. His dark eyes fell on the figure that casually sat, glancing at his expensive watch. His infamous black gloves were on him, like always, as was his usual extravagant attire. For anyone else, it may have seemed tacky, but the handsome man pulled it off just as well as Zhou Ming pulled off his suits. The figure raised his head and his chocolate brown eyes seemed filled with amusement. "You''re finally here. I thought I would wait forever." "It''s not like you arrived a minute earlier, either." Zhou Ming''s reply shocked him but he laughed. "You caught me." Zhou Ming took a seat and ignored him. He didn''t want to waste any time, so he spoke immediately following. "Jing Hao, let me cut to the chase... I know you''ve been helping Kang Yiyi against Xiahu Yunhua." Jing Hao''s face didn''t change and he maintained his entertained expression. His eyes glimmered with devious joy, "Go on. I won''t hide anything." Zhou Ming smirked and threw a folder on the table. "Is it because of this?"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. Jing Hao reached for the folded and noticed there was only one piece of paper in it. Skimming the contents, he lost all delight and his face turned serious. "Where did you get this?" He had been trying to get ahold of this piece of paper for years, yet to no avail. Yet it was in his grip at this moment! "Don''t underestimate the connections I hold. As well as there''s another copy, so don''t even bother destroying that one." He squashed any chance that Jing Hao had of revolting. "Kang Yiyi''s copy... it''s gone. I made sure that it''s missing. It took a while to find it once I figured what she had over your head, but in the end, she couldn''t conceal it forever." For the first time, Jing Hao truly realized how frightening the man in front of him was. His authority and connections, as expected of the Zhou family heir. And this wasn''t even including his private matters. "I can make sure both copies disappear, just like the copy that Kang Yiyi had." "What do you want?" Jing Hao said after a period of silence. "I want you to destroy every evidence she has and show that she organized Qiang Luo''s murder. That won''t be hard for you, will it?" Jing Hao looked deep in thought and replied, "But you can do that too?" "I can destroy the proof, but I can''t prove her guilty. If you do that, then I''ll also release Jing Xue." Isn''t that why Jing Hao had been constantly trying to contact him? Despite being in the hospital, Zhou Ming had made sure it was impossible for her to escape or to be found, at least until he was fully healed and discharged from the hospital. "I guess I have no choice then. On the day of when the evidence is being presented, you can count on me. Kang Yiyi actually invited me to ''watch'' too, so it''ll be interesting." "I hope you don''t disappoint, or else I won''t treat it as a light matter." Zhou Ming stood up and left Jing Hao alone to think. 117 1.3.39: Cour Each day, Xiao Yunhua felt more and more stressed because her trial was happening and she didn''t know whether or not she was going to be found guilty with the false evidence piled against her. And with Zhou Ming quiet and not telling her anything, she grew more nervous by the second. She wanted to summon Xiao Taotao to use her points, but endured until the day happened. By this time, it was too late for her to even use her points because she had passed the little fairy''s time limit. "You''ll be fine. Don''t worry." His words of assurance snapped her out of her thoughts and she looked at him. She had dressed formally with a grey, striped pantsuit and black loafer heels. Her long hair was pulled in a sleek ponytail and small, diamond hoops along with a simple but expensive watch were paired as accessories. Her makeup was very light and refreshing. Her final look was business-like yet suitable for where she was going. Her beauty stunned many when she appeared in the courtroom. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. Her enhanced senses allowed her to hear every whisper that was about her. Still, she activated her calming effect and walked forward with expressionlessly with Zhou Ming beside her. Taking her place, she immedi noticed Kang Yiyi along with Ling Qiu beside her. Next to them was a man that Xiao Yunhua had never seen in her life, but he was incredibly handsome; however, Zhou Ming was much more good-looking in her eyes. She turned her head and noticed that the Zhou family was slowly arriving as well, which consisted of the Zhou Elder and Eldress, the three Zhou brothers, as well as Zhou Yaoyao and her mother trailing behind the old lady. When Xiao Yunhua''s honey-colored eyes met the snake-like eyes of Zhou Eldress, she noticed a small smile on the wrinkled face of the woman. It was like she expected for all of this to happen. Xiao Yunhua didn''t know that she did know about the entire situation. Zhou Yaoyao sat next to her grandmother and whispered, "This is it, grandma. Yiyi says there''s no way of countering everything they''ve prepared. She says that they don''t even know what has been prepared in the first place." Zhou Eldress looked at her useless granddaughter. She couldn''t be the next Zhou heir due to her spoiled nature, but for once, she hadn''t been completely useless. She had reported everything that Kang Yiyi had done and in return, Zhou Eldress promised to increase her inheritance of the Zhou fortune. She looked at the blonde Zhou Lu who had gone to sit next to his eldest brother. The na?ve boy was the perfect candidate for the next heir due to his simplemindedness. She had planted the seed in the mind of Zhou Elder for a while now and when Zhou Ming began to date the girl that Zhou Elder despised, the idea began to grow more. She patiently waited to see the downfall of the girl who had been too meddlesome by the actions of the bratty Kang granddaughter. Seeing how infatuated she was with Zhou Feng, she wasn''t surprised the lengths that the girl had gone to. Her eyes fell on the man next to Kang Yiyi and she frowned. She remembered Jing Xue that had disappeared mysteriously. The girl had wanted a hefty price to annihilate Zhou Ming and promised that she would do it, but she had gone to who knows where without giving her any information. Zhou Eldress wanted to blacklist her for taking the money and running off, but seeing how Jing Xue came from the infamous Jing family, she just shrugged it off as a loss she was never to get back. This just meant that she needed to find another way of getting rid of Zhou Ming. Ling Qiu pulled out her phone and her tapped on Qiang Yue''s name. He picked up and didn''t even bother greeting her. "Last chance for you to be here today." She softly murmured to the man she loved. All this just because he was bewitched by a harlot. "I can''t believe you''re doing this..." Qiang Yue coldly replied, ignoring her words. He hung up after he noticed that she wasn''t going to answer his words, either. Finally, she checked the time on her phone and Kang Yiyi happily whispered, "It''s time." 118 1.3.40: Trial I The judge appeared and they all stood up, greeting him. Slowly, Ling Qiu''s lawyer stood up and stated their case. She had made the claims that Xiahu Yunhua had murdered Qiang Luo, who was like an uncle to Ling Qiu. The lawyer hadn''t presented her evidence, just her words. She had directed the attention to Ling Qiu, who had tears in her eyes, and if Ling Qiu hadn''t shown her true face to Xiao Yunhua already, she would''ve fell for it as well. It seemed by the way everyone attentively listened to the lawyer, she had begun her manipulative methods. It seemed like Kang Yiyi had spent her money well. Then, she sat down and it was Xiao Yunhua''s turn. Calmly, she stood and eyed the judge collectedly. The judge, along with everyone else, were impressed by how calm she was. They didn''t know that she had turned on her calming effect and was letting it control her emotions. It didn''t allow for her anxiety and her stress to display. She explained herself and how she would never do such a horrendous thing. Her rebuttal was composed, exactly like she appeared. The people that were easily swayed by the tears of Ling Qiu were somewhat persuaded by the poise of Xiao Yunhua. Xiao Yunhua didn''t have a lawyer nor did she know what arrangements Zhou Ming had made, so she was fending for herself in that area. Then the lawyer stood up and presented their evidence. The more she spoke and explained, the more Xiao Yunhua internally panicked. It was way too late for the system to help her and now, all she could do was depend on Zhou Ming and his words. Were they empty promises or genuine? Would she fail her mission here? Afterwards, there was actually a man pushed forward to be a witness that Xiao Yunhua had left her purse on that day she visited and Qiang Luo died. He could confirm because he was working a shift as the security guard that day and the contents of the purse were displayed for everyone to see. On the purse, there looked to be her fingerprints colored and on display, as well as report confirming that it was really hers, next to it. At this point, Xiao Yunhua took a deep breath but her hands were shaking. Luckily, they weren''t visible or else they would see that they were finally beginning her physically impact her. Xiao Yunhua felt a large hand cover her shaking one. She turned her head and noticed a stoic Zhou Ming looking forward, as though he was paying attention to everything. Then it was their turn and Zhou Ming ushered for the man that Xiao Yunhua hadn''t seen to speak up. First, they encountered that the drug was a rare drug to get, so how did she manage to get her hands on the substance? At that period, Xiao Yunhua and Zhou Ming were not dating, so she didn''t have that source either. Next, he mentioned how the audio was very odd. Her answers became more and more quiet and seemed more manipulated. Finally, he ushered for the security camera to show that Ling Qiu was pushing Xiao Yunhua in the room, urgently, and showed a different security guard in that area. Yes the man was a security guard and did have a shift, but not anywhere near Qiang Luo. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. Xiao Yunhua was amazed at the power that this man next to her held. He easily contradicted their words with their own evidence, what else was he going to do? 119 1.3.41: Trial II The color left the faces of the man and Ling Qiu who was the one making the claim. They hadn''t expected for the other party to know their evidence until the day it was presented. Seeing how simple they rebutted, they clearly knew ahead. But who tipped them off? People were slowly beginning to make their assumptions and it wasn''t pretty. The security guard was told that everything would be taken care of and he would get a large check if he followed the script; however, it seemed like the script had gone awry. Zhou Eldress was impressed by the man Zhou Ming had hired. He easily defended the girl and proved their lies. She smiled and thought that things weren''t as boring as assumed they would be. Shaking, the man was called to refute but he could not. Instead, he was quiet and looked at Ling Qiu with panicked eyes. She wasn''t paying attention; however, as she was too busy freaking out and trying to ask Kang Yiyi what to do. The spoiled heiress was confused too. It shouldn''t have gone this way, according to the months of planning and gathering... she glared at Zhou Ming and whispered for Jing Hao to do something. "I-I..." the man didn''t know what to respond with everyone looking at him. Finally, he realized he could only save himself and forget the money! "I was forced to speak like this!" His words froze everyone including Xiao Yunhua. Has he given up that easily under the pressure? The man pointed at Ling Qiu, "She had planned everything to get rid of her. I still have the contract that states what I should say and shouldn''t say. I was told I would lose my job and be blacklisted if I didn''t comply. In return, I would gain a large sum of money. They had tried to contact the actual security guard of that area, but the man had quit not too long ago. She also told me that they could alter the shift list and delete the security camera scene¡ªbut it appears not so." The security guard had completely confessed because he panicked so much. Even he didn''t know why he was saying so many words, like he couldn''t control himself from spilling the truth. <> ''You did this!?''Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. <> Her small laughter echoed in Xiao Yunhua''s head before it disappeared. Everyone looked at Ling Qiu who had lowered her head and averted her eyes, real tears beginning to stream down her face. Her lawyer was flabbergasted too and the whole room was in chaos and whispers after what he said. "Silence!" The judge bellowed. He turned his attention to the man, "You had sworn an oath to be as truthful as you can be before you made any testimonies. Now your words are completely different¡ª" "Please have mercy on me! I was just a tool! I had no control." The man continued to utter words without stopping. It was like his conscience was telling him to talk more and more because it would lead to leniency. The judge didn''t know how to proceed. After the cross-examination, there would be another closing argument. However, it seems like the case to be "summed up" was completely different that it began to be. He turned his attention to Ling Qiu, "Any words?" Whether he was speaking to the lawyer or to Ling Qiu herself, was unclear. One thing for sure was that he was already beginning to formulate who was to be deemed guilty in his head. She gulped and stayed silent. The lawyer tried to excuse it as madness, but the man was already pulling out the piece of paper that he kept with him. It was odd that he would have it with him at this exact moment, but as everyone was too absorbed to notice it. Indeed, it stated everything the man had said. Along with the phone call that had their conversation was pulled and they listened. It was exactly the situation the man was explaining. 120 1.3.42: Trial III Ling Qiu wanted to faint and she grabbed the hand of the unwilling Kang Yiyi tightly. The spoiled heiress pulled away and scrunched her nose in disgust. Ling Qiu noticed her reaction and was stunned. Wasn''t this the girl who offered a partnership? Was she throwing her into the fire already? Ling Qiu felt sick and clenched her fists. This was it.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. As much as the judge wanted to say she was guilty immediately, he still had to follow procedures. He noted the laws and the prison time for murder and his other words weren''t heard by Xiao Yunhua as she zoned out. Her anxiety had slowly left her and she felt relaxed. Who knew depending on someone like this was also good? She smiled as she snuck a look at the man next to her. She owned him so much... All she had to do was pretend to be his fake girlfriend, but he was putting forth the extra effort. Her heart beat fast as she looked at him, an effect of the system''s manipulation. By the time the judge had finished speaking, she was paying attention again and noticed the judge ask Ling Qiu, "Any final words?" Ling Qiu looked around with angry tears in her eyes. "Yes. All of this wouldn''t have been possible without the help of a special friend." The bored Kang Yiyi suddenly froze and turned around to look at Ling Qiu like everyone else. Noticing that their eyes met, Kang Yiyi suddenly felt a feeling of dread in her heart. "Yiyi, why don''t you say something?" "What are you talking about?" Yiyi rolled her eyes and played it off smoothly. "I''m just here because you asked me to be here. We''ve been friends for a while, I don''t understand why you''d want to pin it all on me." "Yiyi... I didn''t want to do this." By this point, nobody was bothering to stop her as everyone was interested in how she was going to prove it all. She pulled out her phone and tapped on something, blasting it on speaker. "I need you to get one of your men to speed up the process of an autopsy." "Keen is an overemphasis of the situation at hand. She is not worthy." "I know. Which is why I need you to supply more of the good stuff." "You underestimate me too much." "Enough! Focus or you will suffer the consequences. You must also supply me with some hallucination drugs. X DRUG would work." "Money is never an issue. I''ll wire you one hundred." "Thousand." "Alright, ten million and no more." "You better." One by one, each of her dialogues with a stranger were revealed until the end. Kang Yiyi had lost all cool and immediately ushered for the lawyer to speak on her behalf. "Miss Ling, I believe that it''s a manipulated audio. Do you have any proof that it''s real?" Ling Qiu looked maniacal as she wanted to drag the heiress down with her. "It''s authentic and not overly complicated except for recording. I can always reveal the conversation we had." 121 1.3.43: Trial IV The lawyer wanted a coffee to soothe her headache. She had only been hired for one person, but they''ve turned against themselves and she was stuck defending the granddaughter of the Kang family. If she succeeded, then she would be blessed with fortune. However, with such circumstances, it seemed impossible and highly possible that she would fail. Who knew what the Kang family would do next? Everyone was intrigued as the former orderly courtroom had turned into a live-action soap opera of who blames who. Was there more proof behind Ling Qiu''s claims? "Those hallucinations drugs... what were they for?" Jing Hao teasingly whispered in the ears of Kang Yiyi. "Princess, it seems like you''ve gotten yourself in quite a sticky situation." As much as Kang Yiyi wanted to punch him in his face for his smug look, she noticed Zhou Feng looking at her like everyone else. She looked flustered and didn''t know what to do. Inconspicuously, she whispered, "Help me or else." "Or else?" Jing Hao repeated her words, mockingly, "I wonder what will happen?" "Don''t play dumb, I still hold that thing! You better help me cover this up." She whispered frustratedly. She widened her eyes and covered her mouth. Now, her only solution was her grandfather who doted and loved her. The judge didn''t need any more proof. He sentenced them both to fifteen years of prison for murder and they were taken away. Kang Yiyi pushed away the person trying to usher her and look fervently in the direction of Zhou Feng. Seeing his cold and uncaring eyes, she finally broke down. She had done so many things just so he could reciprocate her love; however, it was all taken for granted. One look from him and she snapped out of her delusion of so many years. How she regretted it. Unable to sustain her emotions, she silently cried for the youth she had wasted on someone who didn''t even want it. Xiao Yunhua didn''t pity the woman who had tried to murder her and frame her for murder. What she did pity the woman for was the love she never had returned. The love that created a mockery out of her. It reminded her of herself. She looked at Kang Yiyi and their eyes met. No longer were the haughty eyes of a spoiled heiress, but the eyes of someone who had finally understood a bitter truth. Kang Yiyi expected contempt from the woman she hated but she was stunned to see something she hated more: pity. She narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to say something, but she only sighed and lowered her head. She would remember this humiliation when her grandfather gets her out. Xiao Yunhua was deemed innocent and she clutched onto the arm of Zhou Ming unknowingly. They walked to the Zhou family and she noticed Zhou Yaoyao shooting daggers at her with her eyes and Zhou Eldress looking at her expressionlessly, deep in thought. Zhou Elder didn''t even bother to glance at her and motioned for Zhou Lu to follow him out. The brother apologetically shrugged and smiled, waving adieu to the couple. They were followed by Zhou Eldress and her daughter, along with Zhou Yaoyao. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. Zhou Feng tried to talk to her but was stopped by Zhou Ming. As for Zhou Lang, he had left the moment he realized that Xiao Yunhua wasn''t going to be implicated. When Xiao Yunhua and Zhou Ming left the building, they walked quietly to his car and he drove in a silent atmosphere. Finally, she spoke and broke the stillness, "Thank you." Two words and they held all the emotions she wanted to convey. He understood and nodded, hence they went back to the quiet drive. "If I wasn''t proved innocent, what would you do?" His answer genuinely intrigued her. Would he uphold his promise of getting her out? He chuckled and joked, "Break you out, change your name and identity, bribe the judge. Many options." She laughed but something told her that he wasn''t joking. This time, a comfortable silence fell on them as they arrived. 122 1.3.44: Vehemence "It was intense..." Xiao Yunhua spoke to Ni Ming in the phone, explaining everything to her. When they finished their conversation, she ended the call and sighed. Everything had been too much recently. She wiped away her makeup and dressed in comfortable clothes, releasing her long hair free behind her. She glanced in the mirror and saw a peerless face. It was so ethereal and well-sculpted, it seemed unreal. And it belonged to her. Such a dream in her previous life has come true in this world. However, she had to pay such a nasty price for it by manipulating affection. It seemed something straight out of a novel; however, she did not have the typical halo that granted her everything. She had worked so hard to stand here today. And once she finished with the Special Target and gained revenge for Han Mi, she would be off to a new start. A new world. She would forget everything and everyone. Heaving a deep breath, she whisked herself in the dimensional world and met the little fairy. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. "You seem much more relaxed!" She greeted cheerfully. "I''m glad everything went smoothly." "Thanks to you pouring the oil on the fire and starting the chain reaction. I really appreciate what you did." Even though Xiao Taotao was very small, Xiao Yunhua grabbed the little fairy and hugged her softly. Despite the contract they had together, she was glad they were somewhat friends. It reminded her of the relationship she shared with Zhou Ming. Contractual, but it had ventured a bit further than intended. When she released the little fairy, she abruptly asked, "Taotao, how do you manipulate a person''s emotions to go out of control and do something they cannot realize until they''ve done it?" Xiao Taotao was stunned by the question, "If you''re asking for the target, it''s taboo¡ª" "Not for the target, but for someone else..." Xiao Taotao was quiet, unsure how to proceed. Suddenly, as though she gained a newfound determination, she spoke. "You can control and fuel any emotion with this..." the little fairy snapped her fingers and a small vial appeared before them. It was full of a clear liquid and could''ve been mistaken for water. "Vehemence is the name of this and it currently costs you 1,500 points. As you go further into worlds, it''ll be more and more expensive as it''s extremely valuable." "So expensive!" Xiao Yunhua interrupted with shock. "This vial can be used up to 3 times but only on the same person. The person cannot be your target either. You know, I''m surprised you asked this because it''s meant to be gradually introduced to you as you familiarize yourself in new worlds." "I have a plan that''ll hopefully end it all. Besides, I had a hunch this existed or something along the lines, seeing how the system has everything." "Hmm... I''ll take your word for it. Vehemence can be any of these emotions: sadness, anger, jealousy, disgust, fear, happiness... love and hate. Once you pick an emotion, the dose will change to the color representing that emotion." "Why did you hesitate on love and hate?" The little fairy frowned, "Both can be the most dangerous of the entire list. Love can lead to an obsession and can potentially harm you or whoever you''re directing the vial and emotion to. It can cause figurative blindness and can be either happy-go-lucky or hazardous, depending on the original personality. Hate works in the same way, but with negative emotions. It can lead to a desire of death. Realistically, all of the emotions can lead to a pessimistic outcome since it''s an unnatural process, but it''s especially worse with those two." "Can I use all three doses at the same time?" "Yes, but that''s a crazy idea. The person will be left with the final dose''s emotions for a long time¡ªeven though the usual lasts as long as you want it to¡ªwhich may even develop to be real as time goes by." She paused and showed Xiao Yunhua the colors that each emotion represented. "If you were to purchase this, it would appear as clear when you''re feeding it to someone and will be flavorless too. It''ll mix with everything and be inconspicuous; however, once you decide on an emotion, you think of it as the person is drinking it. It''ll shift color or colors immediately but will remain concealed. If you don''t decide and they drink it already, it''ll be just like water¡ªuseless to you. Also, it''ll take up to 12 hours for the effect." "Do they have to drink it?" Xiao Yunhua asked, to which the little fairy shook her head. "There is a version where they wake up with the certain emotion; however, it''s 5,000 points¡ª" "For three doses!?" "¡ªper dose at your current world." Xiao Yunhua gasped in amazement. "Why is it so expensive?" "You see, for the vial, you''ll have to slip it yourself, so it''s much harder. But for the alternate version, everything will be done for you on a silver platter." That made sense. Even though she won''t use it now, it''ll be helpful in the future if she can''t get close to the person affected at all. But by then, it''ll be extremely expensive and she''ll have¡ªhopefully¡ªplenty of points to spare. The vial hovered in front of Xiao Yunhua''s face, silently taunting her. "So, will you purchase it or get the alternate version?" Xiao Yunhua bit her bottom lip in contemplation but finally nodded, "I''ll get the vial." She felt the points sucked away and wanted to regret the decision, but she had no time. This would be beneficial to her revenge along with her original mission. "Your remainder is 47,000 points! Congratulations, the vial can remain here or be taken outside in the real world." "Keep it here until I call for it." The little fairy nodded and Xiao Yunhua left the dimensional space, sitting on her bed. This was it. 123 1.3.45: Shopping Date "I think we should go see your family." Zhou Ming raised an eyebrow in her direction when she uttered those words while they were eating dinner. "I''m sure they would be delighted." Zhou Ming replied, smiling teasingly. "Specifically my grandfather, you know how much he adores you." Xiao Yunhua snorted and crossed her arms, pushed the uneaten food away. "Your sarcasm is dully noted. However, I really do wish to make amends, especially with your grandfather. Also, that old woman, I want her to taste paradise before hell." Her face contorted into a scowl, but it didn''t shift how beautiful it was. She looked more like an angry cat rather than whatever fierce look she was trying to pull. "Oh? And what plans do you have?" She hated that he looked at her like she was a child. As much as Xiao Yunhua wanted to tell him that she had a vial of chaos, she couldn''t. He would see it as water and she would be deemed crazy. Instead, she smiled wickedly, "Kill them with kindness." He laughed but his usual whirlpool-like black eyes didn''t shift. Xiao Yunhua wondered if there was anything able to cause a ripple in his beautiful but cold eyes. She would find out much later of something that did. "Alright, I''ll inform them that we''re joining them for dinner tomorrow. I''m sure you''ve got a few tricks up your sleeve." She smiled coyly but suddenly remembered something. "I don''t have anything presentable to wear. I guess I''ll go shopping tomorrow morning." "Are you going with anyone?" She shook her head, "Nah. I can''t go with Ni Ming because she''s probably busy and can''t rearrange her schedule since it''s so sudden. I''ll be shopping solo!" "Not anymore you''re not." Xiao Yunhua paused and looked at him. She titled her head in confusion, "Are you sending your assistant?" He wanted to laugh at how na?ve she tended to be at times, but only cracked a smile. "I''ll go with you." "Oh you''ll go... Wait, what!? Aren''t you busy? Don''t you have all your business stuff to do? You can''t suddenly¡ª" She babbled on, her face turning red.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. "Don''t worry," he interrupted, "I can arrange it." "G-Great." She stuttered, smiling awkwardly. "I''ll be going now! Goodnight!" She quickly escaped to her room and breathed, fanning herself. They had gone on many publicity ''dates'' yet why was she so nervous this time? There wasn''t going to be any cameras around, so why was he doing this? She shook her head and closed her eyes. Xiao Yunhua didn''t want to give false hope to herself. Yes he was a mission, but he hadn''t shown any major signs, so she didn''t take this as one. Following that, she went to sleep with a jumbled mind. When she woke up the next morning, she decided for a denim mini-skirt, a white corset top and a pair of white, simple pumps. She wore diamond drops and did her makeup as natural and light as she could. Her hair was already naturally straight, so she didn''t need to do anything to it except brush and let it loose. She grabbed her phone and a shoulder bag and left her room. She was surprised to see Zhou Ming already ready and waiting for her. What made her stop midway was that he was wearing a casual T-shirt a pair of jeans. His usual suit was gone, but even him in such casual attire made him look like a living Adonis. He looked so handsome and he didn''t even have to try. "Are you ready?" His words snapped her out of her trance and she nodded. "Good. We''ll grab breakfast on our way." Subsequently, they did eat breakfast and were on their way to the mall. Even though there was a high chance of being recognized, Zhou Ming assured her that security was going to be monitoring them and he would make sure that there would be no cameras for unnecessary photos. With that reassurance, they went to a few shops and she tried on multiple dresses. An hour later, she found a perfect yet modest dress, suitable for making a good impression. As they sat down for a drink afterwards, several eyes were on them, whispering. Zhou Ming looked at her and frowned as though something dawned on him. When they finished their drinks, he grabbed her hand for the first time since they arrived and ushered her to a store. Xiao Yunhua blushed but didn''t pull away, allowing herself to be dragged to the store. "Why are we here, I thought we already found a dress¡ª" "Please give her a pair of jeans and a t-shirt." Zhou Ming told the sales receptionist. She began looking for what he wanted, leaving them alone. "I don''t understand, what''s wrong with my clothes? Are they dirty? Or am I too ugly to wear them?" A strike of insecurity clawed in her heart and she began thinking all sorts of things about her body. He shook his head, "The opposite actually. You''re too beautiful when you wear them." He looked away and pretended that he was suddenly busy with something on his phone. The looks earlier... A smile formed on her face. Jealousy? What else could it be but that? Could it be that she was finally cracking the touch wall? The sales receptionist finally came back with a pair of simple, navy jeans and a red t-shirt with no design on it. She changed and her actual clothes were in a bag. As he was paying, her heel suddenly broke and she cursed whatever bad luck was following her today. "Can you grab a pair of sneakers too?" As she bent down to take off her shoes, he was one step ahead and was already holding a sneaker. Kneeling down, he tied both of her shoelaces and helped her stand up. The sales receptionist had already swooned over how handsome the man was, but she was amazed at his caring nature. His girlfriend was so lucky! She didn''t know that he was actually an infamous, cold hearted monster to anyone else but occasionally the ''girlfriend.'' "T-Thanks. You didn''t have to do that." He didn''t reply because he was deep in thought. Yes, he didn''t have to do that, so why did he? 124 1.3.46: Herbal Tea Hours later, it was already time for them to go. Xiao Yunhua had worn the dress they picked out earlier and kept a simple look overall. She was ready to begin her plan too. They drove to the Zhou Mansion and were greeted by Zhou Lu with a smiling face. "You know, grandfather expected just you. I think he''ll be a tad bit... surprised to see a visitor with you." "But I specifically said ''we'' yesterday." "I guess he purposely ignored it." Xiao Yunhua smiled awkwardly and tugged for them to go inside. Once they went in, Zhou Elder saw them both and greeted Zhou Ming. No matter how angry Zhou Elder was at the heir for disobeying him, he was still his favorite grandchild. Zhou Eldress greeted them both and was ignored by Zhou Ming in return. Even though Xiao Yunhua wanted to do the same thing, she couldn''t, so she smiled in return, shocking the old woman. Zhou Eldress knew the girl didn''t like her, so why was she being polite today? She glanced at Zhou Ming who was speaking to his grandfather. Did he have another plan? Her snake-like eyes flickered with a wicked gleam. If this was indeed the case, she would allow the bastard to entertain her. Xiao Yunhua saw Zhou Yaoyao joining them and was immediately shot a glare by the girl. She could feel the hatred from here. Despite that, Xiao Yunhua was stunned to see the girl looking worn out and tired. Thirty minutes later, Zhou Eldress ushered for a housekeeper to get her usual herbal tea. Xiao Yunhua used that moment to ask for directions to the restrooms, smiling sheepishly. She followed the housekeeper to a restroom and thanked the elderly woman. Once she was out of sight, she sneaked out and followed the housekeeper to kitchen where the herbal tea was made. As she was making it, Xiao Yunhua pushed a vase outside and made it loudly crash. As the housekeeper rushed outside to see what happened, she whisked her physical body in the dimensional space and her soul out in the real world. She creeped in the kitchen by going through the door. Pulling out her physical body and the vial, she poured it all quickly in the tea. Once again, she left her physical body in the dimensional space and her soul left the kitchen, towards the restroom. Once she was in the restroom, she finally took out her physical body for the last time and occupied it. She felt incredibly dizzy, but presumed it was because she was switching back and forth between her physical and soul form. She walked back to where they were conversing and took her seat. Her dizziness intensified and she gripped the seat, preventing herself from vomiting in front of them. ''Why is this happening?'' <> Xiao Taotao disappeared and Xiao Yunhua watched the old woman raise it to her lips. First, she must feel anger because her recent plans were not working. Second, she must feel fear because her future and wealth is uncertain with such threats. Finally, her heart must burn with the darkest hatred, enough to want to kill others herself. Xiao Yunhua watched the colors shift from red to purple to black, all in the blink of an eye. Oddly, no one else but her noticed the sudden change in the herbal tea and the old woman didn''t shift or show any indication either. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. Knowing that it took a bit to process and begin, Xiao Yunhua clenched her fists and endured, despite her dizziness and headache. And so, a peaceful evening dinner went by without any more events. Xiao Yunhua and Zhou Ming bid them adieu and left, not knowing a huge storm was brewing thanks to that small cup of tea... 125 1.3.47: Three Emotions When Zhou Eldress woke up in a cold sweat that night, she felt like she was burning and very thirsty. Her head was aching and she very incredibly angry. She couldn''t remember her dream, but it made her angry and had something to do with that bastard. She suddenly recalled the expressions that Zhou Elder held for him earlier when he was here. By his actions, Zhou Elder was reconsidering and just going to let Zhou Ming inherit everything despite his problematic girlfriend. It made her furious. All that effort of dragging the dumb brother to manipulate and for what? Only to be cast aside when Zhou Elder is dead? She tried to calm herself but her rage wouldn''t cease at all. She stood up and called someone she hated but needed to keep alive. "It''s me. Can''t you do what you did a long time ago? I''ll pay you ten times the usual amount." The other voice on the line was aged and actually scoffed, which caused her anger to fume even harder. "No thanks. With our current situation, I already get enough money. You can''t trick me to do that again, especially when there''s a high chance of death. Don''t contact me or else I''ll have to release one of the things to the public as a warning¡ª" She hung up and paced back and forth, thinking. This man held something that jeopardized everything she had come to own today; something that could destroy her present and reveal her dark past. She couldn''t kill him because he was secured too. Ling Xiu took a deep breath and all of the possibilities of being exposed filled her mind. Her whisk of anger was replaced with another emotion she hadn''t experienced in a long time¡ªfear. She was afraid of what Zhou Ming would do, especially knowing that he hated her and wanted revenge for Han Mi. She was afraid of what would happen to her accumulated wealth. Her wrinkled hands were shaking as she gripped something to prevent her from fainting. She shivered as the fear consumed her and her thoughts. She hadn''t been like this ever since she decided to plan the murder of Han Mi long ago when she was young. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. She had worked too hard to be pushed down like this! Her wave of fear was replaced with a familiar emotion¡ªhate; however, it wasn''t just directed at Zhou Ming. No, it was directed at that useless girl beside him especially. She had an urge to kill her, so Zhou Ming would feel the pain that she endured because of him. The pain of the idea of losing everything. An evil smile spread on her lips and her usual snake-like eyes were tranquil, almost like her previous emotions were just an illusion. Ling Xiu was done relying on other people¡ªit was time for her to take things into her own hands. Xiao Yunhua''s plan had worked, but a little too well. The old woman had taken the bait, but to an extreme level... 126 1.3.48: Movie Night Disaster Xiao Yunhua sneezed and shivered our of nowhere. Was someone talking about her? Usually there was always someone who brewed with hate against her, but it seemed especially strong at that moment. Did the vial work? She hadn''t gone to sleep yet because she was too busy binging on movies late in the night. Seeing how jobless she was until the next stage of her plan began, she wanted to try doing something she hadn''t before¡ªhave a movie night! Xiao Yunhua had snuggled in her blanket with popcorn and other miscellaneous snacks in her room, already on her fourth movie on her movie night. She was dressed in comfortable pajamas and even had her slippers next to her bed in case she needed to sneak in the kitchen for a refill. All this made her nostalgic of her original life, where she would always be a loner. Movies and especially romance novels were her only companions. It seemed like old habits die hard because here she was, doing the same thing alone as she always was. She looked at the time and yawned. It was already so late, but she didn''t want to go to sleep just yet. Xiao Yunhua wanted to make the best out of her first movie night in this world! Fifteen minutes later, she was about to start another movie but suddenly heard a noise. Thinking it''s a ghost, she grabbed her slipper and slowly opened the door, fully defensive. "Who''s there?" She knew it couldn''t have been Zhou Ming because he hadn''t stayed home this night and said he had urgent business to do. Clearly it was a robber and she wasn''t going to let any robbery happen! She didn''t hear a response but the next thing she knew, a loud gunshot echoed and she jumped, dodging it. Glass shattered everywhere and splattered in the floor. So much for home security, she dryly mused, hunching behind the sofa. Everywhere was dark and she couldn''t see anything, so that gave whoever was attacking her an advantage. Remembering that she had a slipper in her hand, she threw it towards the light switch and immediately, it went bright. She fluttered her eyelids, readjusting, but her sight fell on a dark figure trying to get away. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. "Who are you?" The figure didn''t respond and tried to get away. Before she left, she used her weapon one last time to aim for Xiao Yunhua. Luckily, she dodged quickly again because of her martial arts skills. Scary! This world was terrifying, always filled with murder. Either someone was framing her for murder or trying to murder her. Was it Ling Xiu? It couldn''t have been because she made sure to think for the worst possible hatred¡ªin which the old woman would want to kill her herself. But what if it hadn''t worked the way she wanted it to? It was her first time using the vial, after all. Xiao Yunhua sighed and pushed a sofa in front of the door, blocking it until tomorrow where she could get Zhou Ming''s assistant to install proper security. She sluggishly walked back to her room, turning off the movie and falling on the bed. Her life was constantly filled with drama... someone always out to her get her. And seeing how the first world was like this, she could only imagine how dramatic the upcoming worlds would be. No one said being beautiful would be easy. No one said avoiding reincarnation would be easy either. It was still a mystery on why she was picked. As much as she wanted answers, she was sure too much curiosity could get her in trouble, so she would remain quiet about it. For now. Her movie night had turned into a disaster! 127 1.3.49: Claddagh Ring "You''re telling me someone broke into the penthouse? And they had a weapon?" "Yes, the bullet is still embedded somewhere in the house as well as the glass is still shattered everywhere. Sorry I couldn''t clean it up last night, I was really tired and¡ª" "Are you alright?" She was quiet because he didn''t seem to care about the damage, but cared for her? This man confused her so much. She nodded but realized that they were speaking on the phone, so he couldn''t see her. So she cleared her throat and softly muttered that she was fine. "I''ll be back tomorrow, but I''ll get my assistant to implant a few security guards as well as upgrade the security system along with fixing its errors today. Though you''ll have to be out of the house for a few hours..." "That''s fine," she reassured, "I wouldn''t want to be in their way anyway. I''ll just go out and run a few errands." They talked for a few more minutes before he ended the call. Xiao Yunhua quickly put on something mindlessly and was out the door. All she grabbed was her phone and her wallet stashed with some bills, nothing major. She didn''t actually have any errands to run, but she didn''t want to hinder him either. Besides, a causal day going everywhere wasn''t going to be bad. It would even get her mind off things. And thus, this is how she spent the day wandering everywhere. She didn''t make any purchases either. Her ''errands'' consisted of practically just window shopping and occasionally sipping a smoothie she had bought to cool off. As she wandered even more, she noticed a shiny object that almost blinded her as she walked by it. Curious, Xiao Yunhua stopped and looked at the object behind the glass. When she realized it was a ring, she was stunned because it was so beautiful. A claddagh ring that had a hematite heart with black vines intertwining it with a sleek crown. It was simple to an extent, at least for usual claddagh rings, but it was stunning and she had never felt so drawn to a piece of jewelry before. Not in this lifetime or her previous lifetime. She quickly went inside the store and was greeted with a woman who looked to be around her age. The woman was stunned to see her face, but immediately scorned when she noticed how ordinary Xiao Yunhua was dressed. Still, she maintained her professionalism and Xiao Yunhua pretended not to notice her scowl. "Can I help you?" "Yes, that black ring on display. Can I try it?" "Oh, you mean the claddagh ring? It''s very rare and was handcrafted by the store''s owner nearly five years ago." The woman explained, not budging. "Why hasn''t anybody purchased it?" Such a beautiful ring, it was impossible that nobody wanted it. "It would never fit any finger. Either too big or too small. It''s an odd ring, I''ll tell you that. It''s also very expensive as it''s the only one of its kind created here." The woman once again was pretty arrogant as she eyed Xiao Yunhua''s simple clothes. "Can I try it?" She yearned to try the ring because it fascinated her to a weird degree. But the next words of the rude woman stunned her. "Can you afford it?" The woman bluntly snapped, shocking herself. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. "Hey, you''re being so rude! I didn''t know that''s how you managed to get people to buy anything from here. If I wasn''t so keen on the ring, I would leave right now!" As much as she wanted to leave, it was like the ring was calling to her. Even though the woman didn''t like seeing her in such an extravagant store, she hated being embarrassed in front of her other colleagues even more. She bowed her head and grabbed the ring for Xiao Yunhua to try on. When she got her hands on the ring, Xiao Yunhua tried it and it fit her perfectly. Almost like it was meant for her. The woman was clearly stunned that after five years, the ring had actually found someone that it fit. Nonetheless, she didn''t want to give it to someone who looked to be poor, so she quickly told Xiao Yunhua the price. "Yes, give me a moment to pull out one of my cards." Xiao Yunhua tried to look in her wallet but only noticed the few bills stashed in it. Her eyes widened in realization. She had left her cards in her purse! Which she didn''t even bother bringing! What a disaster and by the smug look of the woman in front of her, it''s like she expected it. Yes the ring is expensive, but nothing she couldn''t afford! She hated to part with such a lovely ring, but it looked like she would have to come back for it. It hadn''t been sold for five years, it could last for another day. "I''ll pay for her." A deep voice rung from behind both of them, startling them. When they turned around, both were shocked for very different reasons... 128 1.3.51: It Begins I The moment she got home, she took out the ring and examined it. Why did she feel so drawn to it and felt like she needed to purchase it? Slowly, she slipped it on her finger and the black, heart-shaped gemstone shone with a faint glimmer. Ding! You''ve unlocked a special item! She was whisked to the dimensional space and saw the little fairy fluttering around, waiting for her. "Taotao, what does the notification mean?" The little fairy flew and examined the ring and nodded. "You unlocked the world''s special item. There''s usually one in each world and really difficult to find. More difficult for a rookie too." "What''s it''s purpose and why wasn''t I told?" Maybe it held rare capabilities and could''ve been very beneficial had she been told beforehand. "No silly!" Xiao Taotao giggled. "The special item is very random. It may help you in this world or your next world. It may not even help you at all. It senses the situation and usually does something to help you. I didn''t tell you yet because it''s useless to you right now. Nor did I expect you''d find it anyways." "So I just found myself a pretty piece of jewelry." Xiao Yunhua sighed. Another bust it looked like. The system really didn''t give out anything for free. Or anything useful for free. "Nah. When the time comes, it''ll be helpful, just believe in it. For now, just don''t lose it." Xiao Yunhua nodded and looked at the ring that was on her finger. "For any special item, you''ll feel an odd urge to acquire it. You''ll be drawn to it too. Just like the ring." "Anything else you are keeping from me that may be slightly useful?" Xiao Yunhua crossed her arms and glared at the little fairy. She smiled sheepishly and shook her head, "Not that I can think of. Goodbye for now!" She shooed her off and Xiao Yunhua found herself in the penthouse again. "Are you alright?" Xiao Yunhua was startled and turned around, seeing Zhou Ming''s towering figure. She nodded and he muttered something about bodyguards to be with her. She shook her head and he stopped, looking at her. "Do you not want to live anymore? This is only for your protection." "It was just a one time deal. Besides, I can protect myself without the interference of anyone else." She didn''t want anyone to keep an eye on her in case her plan got foiled or she seemed shady communicating with the system or going inside the dimensional space. He didn''t want to force her so he agreed and the matter was forgotten soon after. The penthouse was returned to normal and so was their lives for the next week or so. Xiao Yunhua had decided to visit Ni Ming as she hadn''t seen her in a while. Seeing how the weather was perfect for a stroll, she didn''t take a taxi and decided to walk there. The distance wasn''t too long and she was going to go through a park anyways. Her clothes were plain and her hair was tied in a ponytail. For the first time in a while, she chose not to wear any makeup and be barefaced, revealing her goddess-like appearance in all its glory. Her claddagh ring was on her, as always, never leaving her finger since she put it on. Her phone was in her back pocket and buzzed, reminding her that it was nearly dead. Damn it. I''m completely vulnerable now... Her eyes brightened with an idea. ''Taotao, can I trigger the emotion right now?'' <>Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. ''Just do it. I''ll sit here and enjoy the green scenery.'' The little fairy was confused but did as her host asked. Malicious emotions filled the heart of Ling Xiu again, filling her with an already-existing urge to kill. She was alone, so she didn''t wait to contact her sources to tell her the location of the girl. Since she had been keeping an eye on her to strike, it turned out to be that the girl was very unguarded and it wasn''t going to be a chance she was going to miss. Merely fifteen minutes later, Xiao Yunhua heard subtle footsteps approaching her. If it hadn''t been for her enhanced senses, she would''ve never known. She smiled briefly and pretended to be daydreaming. Instead of the same pain she expected on her head, she felt a cloth covering her mouth. She tried weakly tried resisting but a few minutes later, she was knocked out. 129 1.3.52: It Begins II When Xiao Yunhua opened her eyes, she was surprised to find herself in a warehouse of some sort. It looked to be abandoned and was very filthy with insects crawling everywhere. Being somewhere this repulsive made her gag but she had her calming effect on, so she looked unbothered. She was strapped on a chair and her arms and legs were tied, preventing any type of escape. There was only one small window that allowed some light to be shed in the place, but nonetheless, still gave Xiao Yunhua shivers. Nobody was there either, but she still yelled anyways. "Hello? Anyone there?" She was really scared but she also knew that this would be the only way to expose the old woman. And she wanted to finish her mission soon. Perhaps this incident was all she needed to trigger his emotions for her. But based on his manipulative and dark nature, she doubted that even she could move his heartlessness. They''ve had moments, but did that matter? What mattered was conquering his heart because this was all she was meant to do. Then break it... Her face fell. Was she the villain here or the hero? Mayhaps her next world would be... less intense. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. The doors of the warehouse loudly opened and a man walked in. Xiao Yunhua didn''t care enough to raise her eyes to see his features, she just could tell by his heavy footsteps. "You''re awake." His rasping voice startled her, so she finally looked up to see an unfamiliar man. "Where am I?" "You don''t need to know." She furrowed her eyebrows and glared at him, "Let me go or else you''ll deal with severe consequences." He laughed and shook his head. "Very intimidating," his sarcasm didn''t escape her ears, "but I think whoever hired me is capable of handling those consequences you speak of." "And who may that be?" Unfortunately, he wasn''t gullible enough to say anything. He only smiled and said that she''d know soon. He left and she was left alone again. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a small but broken camera that belonged to the warehouse when it was still in function. Unfortunately, it was broken, so she couldn''t use it. She was disappointed but a clever idea drifted in her mind and she couldn''t help but voice it out. Taotao, can the system fix that broken camera? <> As much as it pained her to give away her points, she was going to get a large sum very soon. So she nodded and in the blink of an eye, the camera was fixed brand new as though it had never been broken. The camera had also been inconspicuous like before, so she wasn''t bothered much by it. Xiao Yunhua waited for a few more hours until she felt her eyelids growing heavy. Drifting off to sleep, she woke up nearly twelve hours after due to her growling stomach and dry throat. Her face was pale and there was no sign of anyone there either. She wanted to escape but the rope used was tight and had already left a painful bruise. The more she moved her arms or legs, the more pain she would feel. Besides, her body was numb and asleep from sitting for so long. Finally, the door unlocked and two figures walked in. One was the man she had already met and the other was someone she didn''t expect to meet so soon... 130 1.3.53: It Begins III "It''s you!" Her voice was very hoarse but she didn''t pay any mind to it. Xiao Yunhua pretended to be shocked as she saw the old woman appearing in front of her. "What are you doing here?" Her wide eyes amused Ling Xiu and she walked closer until she stopped in front of Xiao Yunhua. "What do you think?" As though a lightbulb lit in her head, Xiao Yunhua began to fervently struggle and try to escape. "Let me go or else!" It seemed like her ''threat'' had taken worked to make Ling Xiu angry from her previous amused state. She grabbed Xiao Yunhua''s face harshly and flared, "Or else what? You''ll tell that bastard? Good, I need him to cooperate either way. You better be careful or else you''ll cause me to do something that won''t be working in your favor."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. Her warning rendered Xiao Yunhua silent for a few minutes before she opened her mouth again. However, she wasn''t given a chance to respond as Zhou Eldress was already going back. "Make sure to feed her and get her some water. She can''t die yet." The man nodded and followed her outside, where the door was immediately locked afterwards. Approximately an hour later, he returned with a piece of bread and a pitcher of water. Even though Xiao Yunhua was adamant on rebelling, she also had a mission to complete so she couldn''t die. So she opened her mouth and ate the bread he gave her. As for the water, her throat was already very dry. She was very tired and looked¡ªprobably was¡ªdehydrated. "You''re looking a bit warm; here, cool down." He proceeded to pour some water on her head, drenching her. She shivered from the cold impact and cursed at him. He only laughed at his joke and gave her a cup of water for real. This went on for another 2 days, where she would get the food and water from him, though luckily without any being poured on her. She was still suffering from hotness and coldness, along with self-diagnosed fevers. On the eighth day, Ling Xiu came back and winced at the disaster on the chair. "It''s only been eight days and she looks like she''s already aged another ten years." "So it looks like I did good." Ling Xiu didn''t deny it but only stride forward and glanced at Xiao Yunhua. "You know, it''s been so long yet your boyfriend doesn''t bother finding you. True love indeed." "You''re sick!" Xiao Yunhua shouted, surprising both of them. "Let me go and find some other way to satisfy your psychopathic behavior." "Still feisty after being here for eight days. A tough nut to crack, but it''s not unexpected for his girlfriend. You know, I had given him an ultimatum that he had to give up his inheritance in order to get your location, but he didn''t care." That was like a needle etching in her heart but Xiao Yunhua didn''t show it on her face. "Stop lying to me. As if you would expose yourself." She rolled her eyes, "As if I keep any persona in front of him. Believe anything you want, but it''s the bitter truth." "Why are you so obsessed? Han Mi¡ª" She didn''t have a chance to finish her sentence before she was interrupted by the old woman. "How do you know that name?" Her eyes were filled with panic at the mention of the name. "I..." She cleared her throat, "I am her granddaughter, Han Yunhua." It turned so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Even the man was astonished at this revelation. He knew it was his time to leave. He quietly closed the doors and left them alone. Suddenly, it was like something snapped in Ling Xiu and she burst out laughing. It wasn''t a laughter filled with amusement, it was purely a hollow and empty laughter. Contorted from her hatred and all the negative energy that was released. "The little girl that was expelled? I didn''t think you''d be that persistent after your grandmother died. Your adoptive one, that is." "How would you know that I''m adopted?" But how did she know that I was expelled too? "Even if the world may think otherwise, only I know the truth. Han Mi never had any other children nor affairs to give her any grandchildren. It was all just a plan to get rid of her anyways." "Just like the plan to murder her?" Ling Xiu''s face lost all color and she roughly grabbed Xiao Yunhua''s hair, forcing her to look her in the eyes. "How do you know..." "What matters is that I do." "Then you must die!" She released her grip on the hair and distanced herself. "Why? This life of evil, why do you choose to do it like so? Killing me, killing everyone who is against you. Are you going to kill Zhou Ming too?" "I already tried, it did not work. But you would do the same if you were in my shoes. Desiring a man so much, only to watch him marry another woman. I did what I had to do... but as Zhou Eldress, I''ve had infinite wealth at the tip of my fingertips." She wickedly smiled, "Who would want to give up something they earned after blood, sweat and tears?" "By the blood of others? You''re doing this because Zhou Ming is a threat to your wealth? You''re pathetic¡ª" a loud slap resounded in the warehouse and a red handprint was on Xiao Yunhua''s cheek. Xiao Yunhua didn''t give into the pain and continued to provoke her. "Besides, you said it. ''Desire...'' you never loved him, you only wanted his money and status!" Another slap came her way but she didn''t care. She needed to get it off her chest. All these years, she had wanted to rant to the old woman who was responsible for her grandmother''s suffering. "Keep talking and you''ll die sooner than you''re supposed to!" Tears swarm in her eyes, not from the pain or the fear, but for her deceased grandmother. "You''ll never be a fraction of what she was!" "Enough!" These words were very harsh to her ears, a reality she had been avoiding for too long. "If Zhou Ming doesn''t respond by tomorrow, I''ll send your dead body as a present for disobeying me." The door snapped open and a deep voice interrupted their conversation. "No need to, I''m here." 128 1.3.50: Repaymen Xiao Yunhua crossed her arms as she immediately recognized the man who had spoken. He was the same man who was next to Kang Yiyi in the trial, still as luxurious as ever. Still as handsome as ever too, not that she''d admit it. The other woman was shocked for a very different reason¡ªthis was her boss! The very creator of the ring himself! The man that rarely appeared in the store. Possibly once in a blue moon, he would visit. Yet coincidentally, he was here for this poor girl? "B¡ª" She stopped when she saw his stern look. Instead, she cleared her throat and took his card as he ''payed'' for it. Of course she didn''t ring it up and just pretended she was swiping his card. Xiao Yunhua watched, annoyed, as the smiling man handed her the small bag with the ring in it. "It''s yours." She walked past it, to the outside of the store, leaving the man holding onto the bag in midair. He sighed and followed her, but not before he told the woman something. "Grab your last check because you''re no longer working here. I watched the way you treated a customer and it''s unacceptable." He didn''t even allow her to reply as he left. He noticed that Xiao Yunhua was quiet far away and walked to catch up to her. "Hey, wait. Why didn''t you take the ring? Didn''t you want it badly?" Jing Hao was genuinely baffled. Didn''t she appreciate his rare display of kindness? She stopped and he nearly bumped into her. Turning around, she glared at him. "No thanks. I wouldn''t want to associate myself with one of Kang Yiyi''s goons anyways. The ring isn''t as valuable as my life, whatever you''re planning." Her straightforward manner surprised him and he chuckled. Even though Zhou Ming chuckled, his wasn''t as humored and playful. His was much more mature and dark, immediately creating a distinctive style to each of the men. "Don''t be like that, I don''t need anything in return. Just treat it as a gift for being the person who finally fit the ring after so long of existing." He gave her the bag and she looked at him hesitantly. In the end, her fascination with the ring took over her senses and she took it. "Thank you I guess. What can I give you in return? I don''t want to take it without repaying you." Jing Hao shook his head. "Nothing in return needed. Miss Yunhua, I don''t think we''ve been properly introduced. I''m Jing Hao and our first meeting just so happened to be at an unfortunate place." He raised his hand and she politely shook it, albeit still cautious. She was still suspicious on why he conveniently met and helped her, but she wasn''t going to be rude. "Nonetheless Mr. Jing," She kept formalities which made him crack a smile at the distance she was enforcing, "I insist to treat you in return." Xiao Yunhua pointed to the coffee shop in the shopping center. He noticed that she wasn''t going to budge until he agreed to let her ''repay'' him, so he followed her and ordered something carelessly. They sat across from each other and she was checking something on her phone until he decided to make some small talk. "So what attracts you to the ring?" She paused and placed down her phone on the table, contemplating on what to answer. Finally Xiao Yunhua merely shrugged her shoulders, "I don''t know. I was just walking past it and it caught my eye. It''s very beautiful, that''s for sure." She narrowed her eyes as though she realized something. "Wait a minute. Earlier, you said ''the person who finally fit the ring after so long of existing...'' How did you know about the ring''s history?" Her eye for insightful speculation really amazed him because it had been just unpretentious words but had been used as a clue. "I made it a while ago." "The store belongs to you!?" She had run into the boss of such a luxurious jewelry store? And he had payed for the ring he crafted five years ago? The system was really playing it cruel. "Yes, it''s just a small business I check up on occasionally. I guess it was your lucky day." His words still didn''t excuse his suspicious nature. He had been associated with Kang Yiyi, so there was a high possibility of some plan against her. She had already gotten the ring and somewhat replayed her debt, so she thought she should leave as soon as possible! Yet another fifteen minutes or so went by and they conversed with light matters. Not enough for them to be considered ''friends,'' but enough to be acquaintances. Her phone rang and she apologetically stood up to take the call. It seemed like Zhou Ming had returned and the installations were completed. Time had flown by since the early morning when she spoke with him. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. She bid Jing Hao farewell and quickly left. He had wanted to exchange numbers but she had been too elusive. Nonetheless, Jing Hao wasn''t bothered and found her interesting. Her hotheaded nature was amusing to him and he was going to see what else the girlfriend of the devil was going to do. 129 1.3.51: It Begins I The moment she got home, she took out the ring and examined it. Why did she feel so drawn to it and felt like she needed to purchase it? Slowly, she slipped it on her finger and the black, heart-shaped gemstone shone with a faint glimmer. Ding! You''ve unlocked a special item! She was whisked to the dimensional space and saw the little fairy fluttering around, waiting for her. "Taotao, what does the notification mean?" The little fairy flew and examined the ring and nodded. "You unlocked the world''s special item. There''s usually one in each world and really difficult to find. More difficult for a rookie too." "What''s it''s purpose and why wasn''t I told?" Maybe it held rare capabilities and could''ve been very beneficial had she been told beforehand. "No silly!" Xiao Taotao giggled. "The special item is very random. It may help you in this world or your next world. It may not even help you at all. It senses the situation and usually does something to help you. I didn''t tell you yet because it''s useless to you right now. Nor did I expect you''d find it anyways." "So I just found myself a pretty piece of jewelry." Xiao Yunhua sighed. Another bust it looked like. The system really didn''t give out anything for free. Or anything useful for free. "Nah. When the time comes, it''ll be helpful, just believe in it. For now, just don''t lose it." Xiao Yunhua nodded and looked at the ring that was on her finger. "For any special item, you''ll feel an odd urge to acquire it. You''ll be drawn to it too. Just like the ring." "Anything else you are keeping from me that may be slightly useful?" Xiao Yunhua crossed her arms and glared at the little fairy. She smiled sheepishly and shook her head, "Not that I can think of. Goodbye for now!" She shooed her off and Xiao Yunhua found herself in the penthouse again. "Are you alright?" Xiao Yunhua was startled and turned around, seeing Zhou Ming''s towering figure. She nodded and he muttered something about bodyguards to be with her. She shook her head and he stopped, looking at her. "Do you not want to live anymore? This is only for your protection." "It was just a one time deal. Besides, I can protect myself without the interference of anyone else." She didn''t want anyone to keep an eye on her in case her plan got foiled or she seemed shady communicating with the system or going inside the dimensional space. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. He didn''t want to force her so he agreed and the matter was forgotten soon after. The penthouse was returned to normal and so was their lives for the next week or so. Xiao Yunhua had decided to visit Ni Ming as she hadn''t seen her in a while. Seeing how the weather was perfect for a stroll, she didn''t take a taxi and decided to walk there. The distance wasn''t too long and she was going to go through a park anyways. Her clothes were plain and her hair was tied in a ponytail. For the first time in a while, she chose not to wear any makeup and be barefaced, revealing her goddess-like appearance in all its glory. Her claddagh ring was on her, as always, never leaving her finger since she put it on. Her phone was in her back pocket and buzzed, reminding her that it was nearly dead. Damn it. I''m completely vulnerable now... Her eyes brightened with an idea. ''Taotao, can I trigger the emotion right now?'' > ''Just do it. I''ll sit here and enjoy the green scenery.'' The little fairy was confused but did as her host asked. Malicious emotions filled the heart of Ling Xiu again, filling her with an already-existing urge to kill. She was alone, so she didn''t wait to contact her sources to tell her the location of the girl. Since she had been keeping an eye on her to strike, it turned out to be that the girl was very unguarded and it wasn''t going to be a chance she was going to miss. Merely fifteen minutes later, Xiao Yunhua heard subtle footsteps approaching her. If it hadn''t been for her enhanced senses, she would''ve never known. She smiled briefly and pretended to be daydreaming. Instead of the same pain she expected on her head, she felt a cloth covering her mouth. She tried weakly tried resisting but a few minutes later, she was knocked out. 130 1.3.52: It Begins II When Xiao Yunhua opened her eyes, she was surprised to find herself in a warehouse of some sort. It looked to be abandoned and was very filthy with insects crawling everywhere. Being somewhere this repulsive made her gag but she had her calming effect on, so she looked unbothered. She was strapped on a chair and her arms and legs were tied, preventing any type of escape. There was only one small window that allowed some light to be shed in the place, but nonetheless, still gave Xiao Yunhua shivers. Nobody was there either, but she still yelled anyways. "Hello? Anyone there?" She was really scared but she also knew that this would be the only way to expose the old woman. And she wanted to finish her mission soon. Perhaps this incident was all she needed to trigger his emotions for her. But based on his manipulative and dark nature, she doubted that even she could move his heartlessness. They''ve had moments, but did that matter? What mattered was conquering his heart because this was all she was meant to do. Then break it... Her face fell. Was she the villain here or the hero? Mayhaps her next world would be... less intense. The doors of the warehouse loudly opened and a man walked in. Xiao Yunhua didn''t care enough to raise her eyes to see his features, she just could tell by his heavy footsteps. "You''re awake." His rasping voice startled her, so she finally looked up to see an unfamiliar man. "Where am I?" "You don''t need to know."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. She furrowed her eyebrows and glared at him, "Let me go or else you''ll deal with severe consequences." He laughed and shook his head. "Very intimidating," his sarcasm didn''t escape her ears, "but I think whoever hired me is capable of handling those consequences you speak of." "And who may that be?" Unfortunately, he wasn''t gullible enough to say anything. He only smiled and said that she''d know soon. He left and she was left alone again. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a small but broken camera that belonged to the warehouse when it was still in function. Unfortunately, it was broken, so she couldn''t use it. She was disappointed but a clever idea drifted in her mind and she couldn''t help but voice it out. Taotao, can the system fix that broken camera? > As much as it pained her to give away her points, she was going to get a large sum very soon. So she nodded and in the blink of an eye, the camera was fixed brand new as though it had never been broken. The camera had also been inconspicuous like before, so she wasn''t bothered much by it. Xiao Yunhua waited for a few more hours until she felt her eyelids growing heavy. Drifting off to sleep, she woke up nearly twelve hours after due to her growling stomach and dry throat. Her face was pale and there was no sign of anyone there either. She wanted to escape but the rope used was tight and had already left a painful bruise. The more she moved her arms or legs, the more pain she would feel. Besides, her body was numb and asleep from sitting for so long. Finally, the door unlocked and two figures walked in. One was the man she had already met and the other was someone she didn''t expect to meet so soon... 131 1.3.53: It Begins III "It''s you!" Her voice was very hoarse but she didn''t pay any mind to it. Xiao Yunhua pretended to be shocked as she saw the old woman appearing in front of her. "What are you doing here?" Her wide eyes amused Ling Xiu and she walked closer until she stopped in front of Xiao Yunhua. "What do you think?" As though a lightbulb lit in her head, Xiao Yunhua began to fervently struggle and try to escape. "Let me go or else!" It seemed like her ''threat'' had taken worked to make Ling Xiu angry from her previous amused state. She grabbed Xiao Yunhua''s face harshly and flared, "Or else what? You''ll tell that bastard? Good, I need him to cooperate either way. You better be careful or else you''ll cause me to do something that won''t be working in your favor." Her warning rendered Xiao Yunhua silent for a few minutes before she opened her mouth again. However, she wasn''t given a chance to respond as Zhou Eldress was already going back. "Make sure to feed her and get her some water. She can''t die yet." The man nodded and followed her outside, where the door was immediately locked afterwards. Approximately an hour later, he returned with a piece of bread and a pitcher of water. Even though Xiao Yunhua was adamant on rebelling, she also had a mission to complete so she couldn''t die. So she opened her mouth and ate the bread he gave her. As for the water, her throat was already very dry. She was very tired and looked¡ªprobably was¡ªdehydrated. "You''re looking a bit warm; here, cool down." He proceeded to pour some water on her head, drenching her. She shivered from the cold impact and cursed at him. He only laughed at his joke and gave her a cup of water for real. This went on for another 2 days, where she would get the food and water from him, though luckily without any being poured on her. She was still suffering from hotness and coldness, along with self-diagnosed fevers. On the eighth day, Ling Xiu came back and winced at the disaster on the chair. "It''s only been eight days and she looks like she''s already aged another ten years." "So it looks like I did good." Ling Xiu didn''t deny it but only stride forward and glanced at Xiao Yunhua. "You know, it''s been so long yet your boyfriend doesn''t bother finding you. True love indeed." "You''re sick!" Xiao Yunhua shouted, surprising both of them. "Let me go and find some other way to satisfy your psychopathic behavior." "Still feisty after being here for eight days. A tough nut to crack, but it''s not unexpected for his girlfriend. You know, I had given him an ultimatum that he had to give up his inheritance in order to get your location, but he didn''t care." That was like a needle etching in her heart but Xiao Yunhua didn''t show it on her face. "Stop lying to me. As if you would expose yourself." She rolled her eyes, "As if I keep any persona in front of him. Believe anything you want, but it''s the bitter truth." "Why are you so obsessed? Han Mi¡ª" She didn''t have a chance to finish her sentence before she was interrupted by the old woman. "How do you know that name?" Her eyes were filled with panic at the mention of the name. "I..." She cleared her throat, "I am her granddaughter, Han Yunhua." It turned so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Even the man was astonished at this revelation. He knew it was his time to leave. He quietly closed the doors and left them alone. Suddenly, it was like something snapped in Ling Xiu and she burst out laughing. It wasn''t a laughter filled with amusement, it was purely a hollow and empty laughter. Contorted from her hatred and all the negative energy that was released. "The little girl that was expelled? I didn''t think you''d be that persistent after your grandmother died. Your adoptive one, that is." "How would you know that I''m adopted?" But how did she know that I was expelled too? "Even if the world may think otherwise, only I know the truth. Han Mi never had any other children nor affairs to give her any grandchildren. It was all just a plan to get rid of her anyways." "Just like the plan to murder her?" Ling Xiu''s face lost all color and she roughly grabbed Xiao Yunhua''s hair, forcing her to look her in the eyes. "How do you know..." "What matters is that I do." "Then you must die!" She released her grip on the hair and distanced herself. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. "Why? This life of evil, why do you choose to do it like so? Killing me, killing everyone who is against you. Are you going to kill Zhou Ming too?" "I already tried, it did not work. But you would do the same if you were in my shoes. Desiring a man so much, only to watch him marry another woman. I did what I had to do... but as Zhou Eldress, I''ve had infinite wealth at the tip of my fingertips." She wickedly smiled, "Who would want to give up something they earned after blood, sweat and tears?" "By the blood of others? You''re doing this because Zhou Ming is a threat to your wealth? You''re pathetic¡ª" a loud slap resounded in the warehouse and a red handprint was on Xiao Yunhua''s cheek. Xiao Yunhua didn''t give into the pain and continued to provoke her. "Besides, you said it. ''Desire...'' you never loved him, you only wanted his money and status!" Another slap came her way but she didn''t care. She needed to get it off her chest. All these years, she had wanted to rant to the old woman who was responsible for her grandmother''s suffering. "Keep talking and you''ll die sooner than you''re supposed to!" Tears swarm in her eyes, not from the pain or the fear, but for her deceased grandmother. "You''ll never be a fraction of what she was!" "Enough!" These words were very harsh to her ears, a reality she had been avoiding for too long. "If Zhou Ming doesn''t respond by tomorrow, I''ll send your dead body as a present for disobeying me." The door snapped open and a deep voice interrupted their conversation. "No need to, I''m here." 132 1.3.54: It’s Over Zhou Eldress froze and looked at the door. "H-How did you know I was here?" Zhou Ming ignored and immediately went to Xiao Yunhua. Seeing her state, he felt an unfamiliar ting in heart. "Little flower..."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. She saw how regretful he felt after seeing her conditions and shook her head. This wasn''t his fault, it was hers. The risk of manipulating emotions was indeed dangerous. And she had taken that risk to get revenge for her beloved grandmother. Getting attached to a person in a world caused her to be like this. However, it was also the sense that she was repaying a debt to the old woman. As Zhou Ming ushered for people to take Ling Xiu away, Xiao Yunhua blurred out the yells and every other sound. All she saw was Han Mi''s face and she finally smiled as tears swarmed in her eyes. "Grandmother... I hope you''re happy." Seeing the old woman fade from her vision, the exhausted Xiao Yunhua finally passed out. When she woke up, she immediately sensed the smell of medicine and realized she was in the hospital. She had been here so often that she felt sick of it. She tried getting up but was stopped by a pair of small hands. She looked up and noticed a pregnant Ni Ming and Wang Yaowan next to her. Ni Ming''s face was pleasant but her eyes gave away her true emotions. The woman wanted to cry seeing the conditions of the younger girl in front of her. "Little Yunhua, why do you always get yourself in trouble?" "T-Trouble...seems to follows me." Her throat was so dry and her voice came out hoarse. Ni Ming tried to get her some water but Wang Yaowan beat her to it. He gently helped hold the cup as she drank the water. Once she drank the water, she cleared her throat and asked, "What happened?" "You''ve been asleep for two days. The doctor said it was normal and that you did well for the way you were treated for eight days... what happened?" Xiao Yunhua''s eyes glazed with the memories of the past couple of days. She shook her head and weakly smiled. "I''d rather not talk about it¡ª" "You must." A third voice interrupted her and all three eyes turned to the door. Zhou Ming was with another and unfamiliar man. Zhou Ming introduced the man as the officer who would interrogate her on the events. Even though she felt uncomfortable, she recalled the incident and explained the event in full detail including the camera that was hidden and only in her view of sight. Of course she didn''t expose how she manipulated the old woman''s emotions and caused the logical thinker to grow livid and do unreasonable and childish things because even she couldn''t believe it. Nor did she expose that she was the one who fixed the camera either. The officer was very pleasant and quickly left once he asked all of his questions, leaving Xiao Yunhua with the other three. Ni Ming sensed that Zhou Ming and Xiao Yunhua needed to talk, so she ushered Wang Yaowan to leave with her. Once they were alone, a silence loomed over them and Xiao Yunhua finally decided to break the tension and speak. "How...is the situation now?" "All the evidence lead to her, including the incident from so long ago. She will most likely be imprisoned for a long time." His cold tone scared her. He hadn''t spoken this cold to her, ever. Did she do something wrong? How could he even figure out that she had a hand in anything? "That''s good, it appears that both of us...have achieved our revenge." It all went by in a blur, but in a sense, they did. Han Mi''s injustice was being investigated and finally her name was being cleared. As well as the attempted murder long ago was being exposed as well... yet why did she feel so empty. A feeling of dread filled her heart as she forebode what else he was going to say. "Which brings me to our next point: our cooperation has ended since we have both achieved what we want." Her eyes widened and it seemed like her heart stopped. He was getting rid of her? All this effort and time they spent together... it was all being ignored by him? Her eyes filled with unshed tears and she swallowed down the sorrow she felt and asked, "So...soon?" His whirlpool of ebony eyes met her golden ones. There were no indication of emotions and the hollowness frightened her. He really didn''t feel anything after all this time. She was just another tool... no wonder he was a ''special target''... Xiao Yunhua was sure that she would''ve never gained his heart if he had been a regular target. He didn''t appear to have one anyways. "Did you expect anything?" He dryly chuckled and grabbed her chin, bringing her face close to his. "Flower, I told you. These silly expectations shouldn''t have existed since day one. You and I were merely partners who benefited from each other. Now that the benefits are over, our deal is done. I have already gotten the servants to gather your things, so they''ll be ready to move out of the penthouse once you''re out of the hospital." She wanted to curse him. Curse how heartless he was being. Curse him for doing this to her. Curse him for not following along with the usual script. But most importantly, she wanted to curse him for cracking her sense of vanity. With this appearance, who wouldn''t fall for her? This was what was promised by the system, yet it seemed like there was always one person who got away. Her cheeks were wet from her streaming tears but she only lowered her head and turned her eyes away. It''s over. It''s really over. He didn''t hesitate any longer and left her alone. On his way to his car, his face was still blank, however he still heaved a sigh. This way, she wouldn''t have to suffer anymore. He had seen how fragile she looked in the hospital, so this was the only way for her to live her life in the light. And he would always watch over her in the shadows... 133 1.3.55: sGoodbye...†A few days later, Xiao Yunhua was discharged from the hospital and stood outside of the hospital. She sighed and noticed a car waiting for her. Assuming it''s the arranged Wang Yaowan, she walked in the direction and the window rolled down. It was Jing Hao, still dressed in his usual attire of luxury, giving her a mischievous grin. "I heard you went through some tough stuff." His playful tone and his understatement made her smile. "Just some minor ''tough stuff.'' What are you doing here?" She crossed her arms and gave him a suspicious look. "Well, I came to pick you up." He winked at her and she shook her head. "Sorry, I already have a¡ª" "Is that the claddagh ring?" His eyes fell on her finger that was wearing it. She nodded and hid the ring from his view. Suddenly, her phone rang and Ni Ming told her that an emergency had happened at Riverside and Wang Yaowan wouldn''t be able to pick her up. She sighed and turned around to get a taxi, but Jing Hao reminded her that he was there to pick her up. Reluctantly, she agreed and got into the car. "You know, I have a feeling the emergency had something to do with you since you clearly came prepared." He only gave her a flirtatious smile and asked her where he should drop her off. Suddenly¡ªas though the realization dawned on her¡ªher heart grew cold again. She was kicked out from the penthouse...but she still needed to pick up her things and leave that place forever. Xiao Yunhua gave the address of the penthouse and then they drove. Once they arrived at the destination, she bid Jing Hao adieu and told him that she would treat him later for this favor. Slowly and hesitantly, she knocked on the door and to her surprise, it wasn''t one of the housekeepers that opened the door, it was Zhou Ming himself. She hadn''t seen him in a few days, but it had felt like forever. Unlike his usual suit, he wore causal clothes and looked relaxed. His idle appearance and facial features made her realize that she was the only who was worried about moving out. He didn''t care at all. In fact, he seemed more free. It looked like her moving out was a good thing for him.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. She activated the calming effect and expressionlessly looked at him. "I''m here for my things." He nodded and opened the door, allowing her to go in. Briefly, she grabbed her few luggages that she had brought in when she moved in and her eyes swept the penthouse for the last time. The nostalgia made her heart ache again, but this was goodbye. She was going to fail her special target and there was nothing she could do about it. The man next to her was unmovable. Quietly, she whispered, "Goodbye..." as expected, she was only responded with a cold silence. She shook her head and turned to leave and he didn''t even stop her. Not that she cared anymore. She went outside and noticed Jing Hao''s car still waiting. She was stunned to see him. "Didn''t you leave?" "I had a hunch you''d come back." She chuckled, "You keep getting weirder." Surprisingly, Xiao Yunhua was beginning to enjoy his company. He seemed like a decent and humorous friend, despite his suspicion nature. She got in the car, not realizing someone was watching them interact. Someone whose dark eyes were pooling with...jealousy? 134 1.3.56: A Surprising Reunion When Xiao Yunhua moved back with Ni Ming and Wang Yaowan, they didn''t say anything; however, she was sure that they were curious on what happened. Even though she knew that they welcomed her, she felt bad for constantly intruding and going back to the mansion when she should''ve been on her own. Since she lost her only chance of stealing the heart of the special target, she tried asking Xiao Taotao on how she could leave this world as she no longer had a reason to stay there. The little fairy reminded her that she couldn''t leave since she accepted this mission... It was either conquer or die, both things Xiao Yunhua couldn''t do. She couldn''t conquer nor did she have the guts to die like in her original life. If she pulled a stunt like that again, it would mean that she was taking the risk of losing even this. She didn''t have anything to lose in her last life, but the system was her second chance. She didn''t want to lose it too, no matter how many misfortunes and heartbreaks it brought her. So she started looking for cheap places to live until she could think of a solution. When she found a suitable place on the market, she was surprised to see that it was her grandmother''s old house that had been sold off long ago... Xiao Yunhua didn''t know whether this was fate or on purpose, but she was happy to take it either way. As she was making the arrangements for the house, the assistant of the real estate broker, came with the paperwork and Xiao Yunhua froze. The face of the assistant shocked her. "Zhao Meiliang?" The assistant stopped and finally looked up. She froze when she saw the ethereal face of Xiao Yunhua and furrowed her eyebrows. "Do I know you?" No way would she forget such a beautiful woman. Especially one that made her feel so threatened already. Xiao Yunhua mischievously smiled, "We used to be good friends in high school." Until you backstabbed me, but Xiao Yunhua didn''t say that part aloud. "I''m sorry... I don''t recall knowing you." How could she forget ever befriending such a beautiful face. There was only one perfect student in her class... "Han Yunhua!?" Xiao Yunhua smiled elegantly at the sound of the her old name. The name with the surname of her beloved grandmother that she grew up with for eight years. The real estate broker cleared his throat and Xiao Yunhua smiled sheepishly. Zhao Meiliang was dismissed and Xiao Yunhua quickly finished the remaining paperwork. Fifteen or so minutes later, she shook hands with the agent and he congratulated her on getting the new house. As she was leaving, she noticed Zhao Meiliang sitting at her desk and stopped. Smiling kindly, she asked, "How have you been?" Zhao Meiliang wanted to scowl but didn''t want to gain any wrinkles nor show the girl that she wasn''t well. After graduation, she had managed to study in a small university and the only decent-paying job she had found was the assistant of this real estate broker. She had gotten married to an average man and was no longer as beautiful as before despite only being in her twenties. However, the girl in front of her was glowing and extremely beautiful. Zhao Meiliang knew that such an appearance couldn''t have been granted by going under the knife because it was too stunning, so it could''ve only meant that she was naturally growing more gorgeous. The former feeling of envy filled her heart but she ignored it and smiled back, although hers was forced. "Pretty good, I''ve been here and there. You look... different." Especially her honey-colored eyes that were like specks of gold in the midst of her chocolate eyes. Xiao Yunhua flipped her luscious hair behind her shoulder and laughed shyly, "Meiliang, I don''t know whether or not that''s a compliment, but I''ll take it as one. I missed you!" Zhao Meiliang didn''t feel the same way but didn''t say it. She did remember the reason why she didn''t see her ''best friend'' and her heart filled with glee. With a hint of pity, she murmured, "I missed you too... Alas, if only that incident didn''t happen." Xiao Yunhua of course knew which ''incident'' she was referring to¡ªher expulsion. She kept her calm exterior and nodded, "I didn''t expect for that... I guess it was my fate." Her nonchalant smile made Zhao Meiliang fume. She had intended to bring it up to make her sad, but the woman was unbothered. But Zhao Meiliang was relieved. It meant that Han Yunhua wasn''t sure who was the one responsible for the rumors and didn''t bother to investigate either. Xiao Yunhua noticed her reaction and felt smug. Blame your fate for putting you in my path when I''m angry... Besides, you owe me a debt. "Meiliang, let me have your number so we could catch up. It''s been too long." Even though Zhao Meiliang wasn''t willing, she couldn''t deny and make her think that she disliked her friend. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. She nodded and gave her number and Xiao Yunhua left briefly afterwards. Out of curiosity, she went to her boss and asked what did the woman earlier purchase. When she saw the small house, she laughed. Who cared if she was beautiful? Just looking at the house she bought, it was clear that she wasn''t in the best conditions. Her phone buzzed with a text of the reminder she had set for next week. A devilish plan began to formulate in her mind. Quickly dialing Xiao Yunhua''s number, the soft voice spoke up and Zhao Meiliang ignored the annoyance and asked pleasantly if she was free next week. Xiao Yunhua knew that there was probably a plot behind her asking her this, but she wanted to play along to know what she was planning. "Sure!" "Do you want to join the class reunion that''s happening?" Xiao Yunhua bit her bottom lip from chuckling out loud. So her plan was to humiliate her again? Her silence for a few seconds was taken as nervousness by Zhao Meiliang, so she insisted harder. Finally, Xiao Yunhua agreed and they ended the call. Zhao Meiliang didn''t want to resort to her childish tricks like before, but her envy got the best of her, hence she was going to have some fun like this... 135 1.3.57: Zhou Yunhua Two days later, Xiao Yunhua had situated herself in the house and was out shopping for groceries in a supermarket nearby. When she finished, she was out in the parking lot and sighed. It really sucked that she never bothered to learn how to drive or else she wouldn''t always be relying on other people to drive her around. As this grocery store was close to the house, it was pretty convenient for her to walk back. On her way, a car was trailing after her so she quickened her speed and walked faster until she saw her house. Once she shut the door behind her, she sighed in relief and prepared something for herself. A few hours later, someone knocked at the door and she hesitantly approached it, asking who it was. They didn''t answer so she tried to peek through the window and noticed the same car from earlier, except it was parked in front of her house. Despite her fear, she warned the people outside that if they didn''t leave, she would call the police. That seemed to have worked as one of them spoke up, "Miss Yunhua, no need to be alarmed, we are just here because Zhou Elder needs to see you." Hearing that it was Zhou Elder, she was surprised and opened the door. "Why?" "We don''t know and have been told to do it inconspicuously." She chuckled and looked at them. Sarcastically, she added, "By your methods, I wouldn''t say that you guys were inconspicuous. Why doesn''t he just visit?" "Zhou Elder does not wish to visit this house for unspoken reasons. Please do not question further and come with us." She could guess that those unspoken reasons had to do with Han Mi and that she didn''t seem to have a choice. These guys were persistent. So she agreed and got into the car. She was also curious on what he wanted to say, especially when the old man seemed to hate her to the bones. Finally, they stopped at a park where the old man was sitting and mindlessly looking ahead. When she arrived, his sharp eyes turned to her and his former nostalgic look turned bitter. "You''re here." He said sourly, not even offering her a seat. His behavior made her chuckle. He nodded for his men to give them some distance, so they were left alone. "Yes, I came because your men were annoying me too much. I''m surprised the magnificent elder of the famous Zhou family even had the time to come in this park, nonetheless want to have a chat with an insignificant person like me." Her sarcasm was dully noted by him but he chose to ignore it. "I summoned you here because of Ling Xiu..." "I''m sure you already know everything, why call me here?" She was disappointed to find out that he only summoned her because of that old hag. "I''m sure you manipulated something¡ª" "Listen," she snapped, interrupting him, "I have tried to maintain a decent level of respect for you; however, there is video evidence that is easily accessible for someone like you. And even if you are ignorant, you cannot ignore her evil ways forever. It just so happened that this evil nature of hers was exposed. Along with the evidence of her attempted murder of Han Mi¡ª" He was shocked, "How do you know about Han Mi?" She paused. With a deep breath, she admitted, "Han Mi is my grandmother." Noticing the dark cloud forming on his face, she added, "Adoptive grandmother." Once again, her words stunned him, but Xiao Yunhua continued. "The same Han Mi who was thrown into chaos merely due to fabricated evidence that you chose to believe, once again, from Ling Xiu." "I don''t believe it¡ª" "You don''t need to." Xiao Yunhua had already said her part and didn''t try to convince him too hardly. If he wanted to believe that her grandmother was in the wrong, then it didn''t matter. He also believed that she herself was evil, nonetheless her pure grandmother. "The truth is in front of your eyes, but if you choose not to believe it, then it''s up to you." She stood up and looked at the lake in front of her with empty eyes. As she turned around to leave, his next words stopped her. "Leave Ming''er. I don''t want him to ruin his bright future by being with such a poisonous woman full of lies." He stood up and looked at the lake too. She rolled her eyes. No wonder he picked a park to speak with her. He didn''t want for Zhou Ming to find out. "Obviously you aren''t updated old man. He and I...we''re over. Our relationship was all a fake relationship anyways." Clearly Zhou Elder didn''t know this as he looked confused, so she explained further. "Your beloved ''Ming''er'' and I never were in a relationship. It was all a beneficial union against Ling Xiu." He looked relieved and didn''t bother with her anymore. It was as though she had lost her only value and he no longer needed to think about her. Xiao Yunhua walked away, no one stopping her, until she heard a splash. She snapped back around and noticed that the old man had fallen into the water. Without thinking much, she dived in and pulled him out. His men had already arrived and grabbed his medication for him. A few seconds later, Zhou Elder was coughing violently and quickly took his medication. "You better not tell anyone what you saw..." "Don''t worry," she chuckled, but there was no sense of humor in her laughter. "I don''t like meddling in things that aren''t my business anyways."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. She was stopped again from leaving when he asked her why she saved him. "Wouldn''t this have been your chance to get rid of your biggest obstacle in Zhou Ming and your relationship?" Xiao Yunhua didn''t know whether to laugh or sigh. It seemed like he was really adamant on believing the worst about her. She shook her head, "There was no relationship to save. You''re welcome. Now I''ll be leaving and I hope you won''t do this for a third time." "Third time?" She froze. Shit. She had unknowingly exposed herself. "Who are you?" "Me?" She looked him straight in the eye, "Who do you think I am?" Seeing him not answer, she chuckled and softly muttered, "I''m your adopted granddaughter, Zhou Yunhua." The shock on his face was undeniable. He looked like he had seen a ghost. He didn''t want to believe it, but something in his guts told him that the girl was telling him the truth. "But...didn''t you die?" She sat down on the bench again, knowing that this conversation was going to be longer than she had intended for it to be. "No, I just disappeared. And I disappeared because I was adopted by Han Mi." He still looked astonished so she used her photographic memory to recount every detail of that experience. Afterwards, he was quiet. "You saved my life again even though I treated you so badly, even after I promised to take care of you." His aged voice made her somewhat sympathetic. She still had enmity in her heart but ignored it because he wasn''t an important figure in her life for her to waste any emotions on him anyways. "No, you promised the eight year old me." Or technically, the real Xiao Yunhua of this body. He didn''t owe anything to her and they were strangers. "How can I make it up to you? As a matter of fact, I want you to come live at the big mansion. It is your home." Xiao Yunhua shook her head, "Zhou Elder... even as a child, that place was never my home. I''m happy that you recognize me, but if I wanted anything, I would''ve come clean sooner. In fact, I would''ve never exposed it had I not accidentally revealed myself." Zhou Elder sighed and nodded. They chatted for a little longer and she explained her childhood with Han Mi, his guilt growing more and more, towards her or his ex-wife, he did not know. Once she was going to leave, he told her that if she needed anything, she should tell him. She agreed, but Xiao Yunhua knew that she wouldn''t actually be taking up his offer. He didn''t need to do anything for her because the one who saved his life in the beginning and was his true adopted granddaughter was dead. Yes she saved his life this time, but he compensated by treating her a little more fair and less like she was the spawn of satan. That was good enough. 136 1.3.58: Class Reunion I After that incident, some days went by and it was finally the day for the class reunion. Xiao Yunhua couldn''t wait to see what Zhao Meiliang had planned, especially when the latter had made sure to text her a reminder in case Xiao Yunhua forgot or chickened out. When Xiao Yunhua was deciding on her dress, she didn''t go for a pure white nor a dark look either. She decided to wear a fitted, spaghetti-strap golden mermaid gown that accented her curves. The dress wasn''t overly luxurious nor made to stand out, but on her, it looked enchanting. She found the dress, along with a few more, packed for her when she unpacked her things in the new house. She didn''t recognize the dress nor ever buying them, but didn''t complain because they were beautiful. Her hair was straightened and fell behind her elegantly, along her with minimal makeup that emphasized her golden eyes. She wore a pair of golden chandelier earrings and matched them with a pair of golden pumps. She looked like a graceful princess. When she checked the time, it was already pretty close to the time for the event. Speaking of the class reunion, it was being held in a banquet room of a famous hotel, so her formal attire was suitable. She was surprised that they wanted to even hold it there, but didn''t care much and arrived quickly. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. In front of her stood the grand hotel that the class reunion was being held out. Oddly, there was lots of security and no cars parked anywhere except for the back. She noticed a few people going in to the banquet room on the side of the hotel, so she followed. On her way, she used her enhanced senses to understand why the atmosphere was weird. Apparently, not only did her former school rent one of the small banquet halls here, but there was a business party being held in the largest one, full of business tycoons and other celebrities. She didn''t understand why the school wanted to hold it here on such a hectic evening, but didn''t contemplate on it too much. Once Xiao Yunhua opened the door, she noticed that the room was pretty full despite starting not too long ago. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Zhao Meiliang and pushed the door even further, walking it. Xiao Yunhua didn''t realize that many had stopped to look at her in awe and admiration, along with a mixture of other emotions. "Meiliang!" She called out, getting her attention. For a few seconds, a feeling of annoyance and shock filled her eyes but Zhao Meiliang blinked them away and smiled. Unfortunately for her, Xiao Yunhua had seen it and pretended otherwise. "Yunhua, I''m so glad you could make it." Zhao Meiliang turned to the circle of ladies and took a deep breath, introducing Xiao Yunhua to them. Once their amazement disappeared, they were stunned at the revelation of her identity. They couldn''t believe the girl who was expelled for nasty rumors had grown to look so beautiful and luxurious. One of them couldn''t help but pinpoint her to a celebrity online, though she couldn''t remember which one. "I managed to meet Yunhua again when she was visiting my workplace for a house." All their ears perked with interest at the sound of this. One of the ladies asked, "Yunhua, was the house for your family? Are you and your husband moving in to somewhere new and close by?" Xiao Yunhua noticed the smug look on Zhao Meiliang''s face and knew that her plans of humiliation were starting, especially when who appeared to be her husband who was walking over to her. He looked average, but any was better than what she wanted to embarrass Xiao Yunhua with: none. But Xiao Yunhua didn''t want to give her that satisfaction. She shook her head and confidently flipped her head to the back. "No, it''s for myself. I''m not married yet." The ladies pretended to pity her when in reality, Xiao Yunhua could notice their scorns. Their behavior was exactly like when they were in school, the only difference being that Xiao Yunhua was a lot more mature and understood things a lot more. She smiled in their direction, "I don''t need a husband yet. I mean, with this beauty, I can marry at any time." That jabbed their egos, including Zhao Meiliang who wanted to retort but couldn''t. Instead, she accidentally exposed that Xiao Yunhua had only bought a small house and the whispers already begun that even though the expelled student was a beauty, she was still poor and useless. Zhao Meiliang had even begun to escalate the rumors and fan the flames even harder by bringing up the old, nasty rumors which circulated around in the banquet room. To everyone''s surprise, Xiao Yunhua wasn''t as emotional as before and maintained her posture and indifference like a queen. She already knew that Zhao Meiliang would do dumb things like this, so she didn''t get riled up nor care much. She sat down at a table and quietly sipped water, minding her own business and ignoring everyone there. They had begun dancing, so Zhao Meiliang stopped by and asked if Xiao Yunhua wanted to dance too. Xiao Yunhua rolled her eyes. At this point, she really was trying to humiliate her in every sense as she knew that Xiao Yunhua didn''t bring a partner. Everyone stared at them and Xiao Yunhua shook her head, "I don''t..." her sentence faltered when someone entered the banquet hall, causing everyone turn to see who entered. 137 1.3.59: Class Reunion II In her line of vision stood Zhou Ming, as handsome as ever. She froze and looked away, confused on why he was here. It would''ve been logical for him to be at the much bigger and upscale banquet hall for the business elites, but why was he there for a small class reunion? Zhao Meiliang stopped talking and looked at him with wide eyes. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life. He also looked filthy rich, just by his aura and the material of his clothes alone. And surprisingly, he was walking in her direction. She felt a blush on her face. She was already married but if such a man was interested in her, then it didn''t matter. But Zhao Meiliang was confused when he walked past her and stopped in front of Xiao Yunhua. She, along with everyone else, was astonished when he offered her his hand for a dance. Xiao Yunhua glanced around and noticed all eyes on them, especially her, so she only smiled awkwardly and took his hand for a dance. When they started dancing, the atmosphere calmed down and people began to mind their own business, although some still took occasional peeks at the couple. They waltzed slowly and she angrily looked at him. "Whatever stunt you are pulling, I''m in no mood for your games." Her whisper was harsh in tone, but he only smiled. "No stunt, I can''t believe you didn''t invite me to this." As always, his eyes were empty despite his mischievous smile. She was so confused. Didn''t he completely break it off? Why was he here and annoying her. Seeing her expression, he explained, "You know, we haven''t publicly broke it off yet. Couldn''t let my ''girlfriend'' suffer humiliation which would humiliate me." So that was his reason. Disappointment crept in her heart but she only rolled her eyes. "How did you even know about this? Having your men stalk me again?" Although it sounded like she was jesting, in reality, he could notice the undertone of her anger. He shook his head, "No, the rumors of a stunning woman had already been spread everywhere in the hotel. I was only curious and decided to see how stunning this ''beauty'' was." Xiao Yunhua couldn''t forget that he had those tendencies before they were in a relationship. It made her a little angry but she couldn''t say anything. He owed her nothing, including being faithful. He noticed her discomfort and eyed her up and down, "Indeed, the beauty was worthy for me to personally come down." "Enough! Leave quickly, you''re being a nuisance." Her heart ached once she uttered those words. She didn''t mean them. Xiao Yunhua missed him. She hadn''t seen him for a short period of time, yet the system made sure it seemed like forever. "You know, I''m surprised that you''re here despite the incident..." He changed the subject and reminded her of all these people who scorned her over false rumors. She scoffed and her honey-colored eyes shone with a sense of resilience. "Why shouldn''t I have come here? That incident didn''t affect me because it wasn''t true. I can''t let them think I didn''t come because I am not weak. Nor will I ever let these people think of me as the weak and emotional high schooler who was forced into a corner." He went quiet and stared at her for a few moments. Then, he softly asked her, "Do you know the real reason of your expulsion?" She blinked in confusion. "Wasn''t it from the rumors?" He shook his head. "I had investigated... Ling Xiu had something to do with it. She basically forced your school into expelling you. Haven''t you ever thought that mere rumors were too little of an excuse to expel a student?" His reasoning was logical, but Xiao Yunhua was in shock. It was no wonder that Ling Xiu had brought it up to her earlier. It was the old woman who had always found her an eyesore even when she wasn''t a threat at sixteen years old. It amazed her that her fate had always been tied to the Zhou family, even before she properly associated herself with any of them. Once the song ended, she scurried out for fresh air. Zhou Ming followed and the room burst into whispers again. One of the ladies had recognized the man as the most eligible bachelor, the mysterious heir of the Zhou family. She had also exposed that Xiao Yunhua was actually his infamous girlfriend, the ''Angelic Goddess'' so they were a perfect match already. Zhao Meiliang grew livid at how well Xiao Yunhua was living. She didn''t understand why the girlfriend of such a wealthy man needed to buy such a small house. Following them outside, she overheard the conversation between them. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. "Zhou Ming, I think it''s time to end your games and leave. We have nothing to do with each other. In fact, we had never had anything to do with each other." Zhao Meiliang widened her eyes and her interest was piqued as she moved closer to eavesdrop. Zhou Ming didn''t even deny it and shrugged his shoulders. Xiao Yunhua told him that he should publicly announce their breakup tomorrow. Zhao Meiliang was so relieved to know that such a man didn''t belong to Xiao Yunhua. She smirked as she went back, ready to humiliate Xiao Yunhua again with another plot. 138 1.3.60: Class Reunion III Xiao Yunhua went back inside after dismissing Zhou Ming, only to see a smirking Zhao Meiliang waiting for her. "Was that your boyfriend?" Xiao Yunhua merely responded that it was none of her concern. However, Zhao Meiliang continued to taunt her, teasingly but Xiao Yunhua could realize the true menace behind her words. "Yunhua, with such a wealthy boyfriend, why would you need to purchase such a small house? It should be embarrassing for you to even consider such a place, I can''t believe you''re suffering so much." People began to doubt Xiao Yunhua''s relationship with Zhou Ming when Zhao Meiliang revealed her poor living conditions. They couldn''t believe the infamous girlfriend was so frugal, when the Zhou family was one of the top families. "Meiliang, it''s none of your concern why I''m living there." Xiao Yunhua''s coldness startled Zhao Meiliang but she only assumed that the former was behaving like so because she had hit the mark. She smiled deviously and became more willful and made loud assumptions about Xiao Yunhua being the unworthy mistress, even beginning to insult her grandmother. Xiao Yunhua realized that Zhao Meiliang was no longer keeping a persona in front of her and finally exposing her fa?ade. She grimaced when she heard the nasty speculations about her grandmother, spoken by Zhao Meiliang, until she had enough and stood up. A loud slap resounded in the banquet room and everyone went silent. Zhao Meiliang had been taken by surprise and stared at her with wide eyes. "Zhao Meiliang, I don''t care if you insult me. I didn''t care when you insulted me. I didn''t care when you spread horrendous rumors about me. Nor was I bothered when you sabotaged my relationship at that time...However, I will not allow you to continue to insult my deceased grandmother. These are basic morals that you must follow. Hate me all you want, but your poisonous tongue must never utter the name of my grandmother or else I''ll make you regret it." Once Xiao Yunhua finished her furious denunciation, Zhao Meiliang was frozen with shock. All those years, she had known everything but had chosen to not speak out about it due to their friendship. All those years, she thought she was playing Han Yunhua for a fool...yet in the end, she was the one who was forced into a corner in front of everyone. Whispers had already begun to formulate among the crowd and Zhao Meiliang burned red with embarrassment. Her heart filled with resentment and she raised her hand to slap Xiao Yunhua back, but someone grabbed her wrist and stopped her. Xiao Yunhua jumped in surprise and she turned around, noticing a towering figure behind her. His eyes were dangerously dark as they stared at Zhao Meiliang in warning. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. Zhao Meiliang began to shake in fear, but remembered that he wouldn''t do anything to her because their relationship was fake. Zhao Meiliang snickered as she yanked her wrist out of his grip. "Give up your act, I know you both are lying about your relationship." She tried to reach for Xiao Yunhua again but Zhou Ming had his men restrain her. She angrily cursed at Xiao Yunhua, not caring at everyone who looked at her. Seeing the pitiful eyes given to her, she snapped harder. "Enough. Ever since high school, you had always seen yourself as above me. I hate you so much. These are my real feelings... I never treated you as a friend, only a stepping stone because you were so smart and popular." Zhao Meiliang was breathing heavy after she exposed her true nature. Xiao Yunhua felt her heart ache even though she told herself that she wouldn''t let this affect her. She already knew the truth, yet why did it make her feel so painful when being said to her face? Even in her previous life when she wasn''t considered ''beautiful,'' she never had a friend her age, so she assumed her better life would give her one here... "That''s a pity..." she softly murmured, clenching her fists, "You were my only best friend and I had always considered you one until you got my expelled..." Zhao Meiliang stopped struggling and looked at Xiao Yunhua with bewilderment. She raised her hand for Xiao Yunhua to stop, but both Xiao Yunhua and Zhou Ming had left already. Zhao Meiliang felt, for the first time in nearly a decade, that she had lost a genuine friend... 139 1.3.62: Overdose 18+ She had subconsciously gotten in Zhou Ming''s car and began to sob her eyes out. Zhou Ming narrowed his eyes in her direction, wondering why she was crying over such a trivial matter. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. She lowered her head in embarrassment and averted her eyes as tears poured out of her eyes. Zhou Ming opened his mouth to say something, but she shook her head. "Don''t say anything... these are the final tears I''m wasting on that chapter of my life." Zhou Ming nodded and began driving, leaving her alone with her thoughts. They really were the last tears she would waste for that young time of her life. The memories of their friendship filled her mind but everything had shattered along with the expectations that she would ever be making a true friend. These feelings of desolation were good because it would stop her silly delusions that her missions were going to let her make any friends. But no matter how much she tried to convince herself, the emotional portion of her heart made her tears pour down until he stopped. She sniffed, looking up and realizing that he stopped in front of her house. "How did you know I live here?" He didn''t answer and she wasn''t in the mood to start any arguments by questioning him either. She opened the car door and stopped, her back turned to him. Coldly, she said, "Don''t bother me anymore. For real this time... you were the one who ended it, so let''s leave it at that. I don''t need your pity either." She didn''t wait for his confirmation and closed the door, not looking back no matter how much she was tempted to. No, no matter how much the system tempted her to. She still wanted to be petty for what he made her feel weeks ago when he brutally turned her away. It was time for her to do the same. > ''I don''t care.'' Three words and Xiao Taotao disappeared, leaving Xiao Yunhua to be alone with her thoughts again. She had no way of getting away unless she either succeeded or died, not capable of either. She couldn''t successfully move that heartless man nor could she do anything painful again, so she was stuck. TRIGGER WARNING please skip the rest of the chapter if any scenes involving suicide trigger you. Thank you. Xiao Yunhua took out some medication and decided the easiest way to leave without pain was to pull the crazy stunt she was about to pull... with a deep breath, she swallowed the entire contents of the container. She felt hazy and didn''t know if she had done the right thing. But if a painless death was the way to go, then she would do it. She didn''t know how long went by nor what time it was, but she felt faint and wanted to to pass out. She gripped onto something and her eyes glazed as she became numb. Her thoughts were consumed with nothing except the reality that she wouldn''t be here anymore. This was her chance to start over... She would make it happen at the expense of this Xiao Yunhua. A bitter smile flittered across her enchanting face. This was the end of this world... She bid everyone a mental goodbye and closed her eyes, seeing darkness. 140 1.3.63: Can Never be Together She fluttered her eyes open and saw blinding white. She realized that she was lying down and Xiao Yunhua grew puzzled. This didn''t seem like the system...then the smell of antiseptic hit her nostrils. She snapped awake and noticed that she was in the hospital. Who saved me? "I did." She realized that she had spoken out her question aloud. The voice was a velvety, deep voice full of concern. She turned her attention to the source and gasped in surprise. "Zhou Feng!?" She exclaimed in shock, not taking her eyes off of him. "Why¡ªhow did you save me?" "I wanted to visit you, but only saw that your door was open. Then noticed that you were passed out so I called the ambulance and grabbed your bag with your things in it, just in case...No matter what complications you and my brother are experiencing, you shouldn''t kill yourself over them!" He sounded angry and Xiao Yunhua was perplexed. He thought that she did such a thing because of her relationship with his brother? "Ridiculous..." she muttered, but loud enough to hear. "What do you think your brother and I¡ªwhatever," she massaged her temples and asked, "Why were you visiting?" She firmly asked, showing no emotions on her face. What was his motivates? She didn''t believe that he was being friendly. "Just to check up on you..." his features softened and his handsome face contorted into worry. "With everything that had happened, I just wanted to make sure you''re okay even if we aren''t on the best terms." Her eyes softened. She nodded but before he had the chance to answer, he snapped angrily, "I can''t believe he caused you to do this. I''m gonna kill that bastard¡ª" "Zhou Feng." Her honey-colored eyes met his, "I don''t need you to do anything. This had nothing to do with your brother." "I don''t believe you... if it wasn''t because you two broke up, then why would you try to do such a thing?" He didn''t give her a chance to respond as he grabbed her hands in his, firmly. "I would never treat you like he did. I will treasure you, I will love you..." he took a deep breath, "Yunhua, marry me." She was stunned as she tried to pull her hands away. "Zhou Feng, you''re crazy! Let me go!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. "Not until you answer me." She couldn''t release his strong grip. She had martial art skills, but not strength. She shook her head, "No! That''s my answer, now let me go!" It seemed like her answer triggered something in him because he became more frantic. "Why? Is it because of the accident? I told you, I had nothing to do with it." "It''s not¡ª" "Or is it my engagement? You don''t have to worry, it was cancelled the moment Kang Yiyi was exposed of trying to do anything to you and going to jail." "It''s not that either¡ª" "Then tell me what is the reason! Yunhua, you should know how much I love you¡ª" "Enough!" With a sudden shift of strength, she pull her hands away. When he uttered the word ''love,'' it made her uncomfortable. None of these people loved her... it was all a manipulation of the system. "It isn''t those reasons either. Zhou Feng, we can never be together. Please... give it up." "But why! I don''t understand why!" His arrogance as a Zhou young master was making it hard to understand why anyone, nonetheless a woman from a normal background, was rejecting him. ''Taotao, can you give me the USB flash drive from long ago?'' > "Zhou Feng, can you give me my bag?" She asked calmly. He was baffled about why she needed her bag in the middle of their argument, but he grabbed it for her anyways. She pulled out a flash drive and handed it to him. "This will explain why we can''t be together." "This flash drive?" He was perplexed. If she was going to reject him, he needed a better and more believable reason. "Yes, the contents on the flash drive... once you hear it, you''ll understand." He didn''t believe her, but once he saw the resolute look in her eyes, he felt like he needed to do as she says. "Fine." A bit unwillingly, he grabbed the flash drive and left her room, leaving her alone. Xiao Yunhua sighed in relief and her stomach starting aching in pain. She realized that since her attempt failed, her stomach has been giving her the sensation that she needed to vomit. And even drinking water made her uncomfortable. She cursed him for stopping her because now she was suffering in pain. Consumed in her thoughts, she snapped back into attention when the story burst open. A fuming Zhou Ming entered. His usual dark eyes were full of rage as he looked at her. "How could you be so irresponsible?" She flinched at his yells and averted her eyes in embarrassment. Great. Another person to think that she did that for him. Not wanting him to see her weak, she activated her calming effect and glanced at him again. Even though she was collected, she still felt fear as if he could see right through her. "It''s none of your business." "Damn well it is! I didn''t drop you off for you to pull a crazy stunt like this¡ª" "Zhou Ming... it really did not have anything to do with you. I feel empty and no longer have a purpose here anymore. It''s time for me to go." Xiao Yunhua rolled her eyes at her words. He probably thought that she was insane. That she was probably suffering from some unknown illness...but it was the truth. She was done with this world. No she was not going succeed in her last target, but she didn''t care. Too many toxic things have happened in this world and she just needed to move on. "You... are you okay?" His voice was cold as always, but this time, it was laced with a bit of concern in her direction. Xiao Yunhua nodded, looking as genuine as she could muster. "I''m fine." "No, you''re not." She wasn''t in the mood for his interrogation and coldly turned him away. "Zhou Ming, I thought we already established that we are strangers for the nth time. Please do not appear before me ever again. This cycle of turning each other away is unnecessarily petty." Her vision was starting to get blurry and she realized that she was going to cry. But Xiao Yunhua didn''t permit her tears to fall and firmly told him to leave. His silence drove her crazy but when she realized the look in his eyes, she realized that this was it. He was no longer going to bother her anymore. She was relieved. The system was not. Hence why her heart squeezed in excruciating pain with every step he took until he was out of her sight. Be it Zhou Feng or Zhou Ming... Xiao Yunhua knew that they could never be together. 139 1.3.61: Overdose 18+ She had subconsciously gotten in Zhou Ming''s car and began to sob her eyes out. Zhou Ming narrowed his eyes in her direction, wondering why she was crying over such a trivial matter. She lowered her head in embarrassment and averted her eyes as tears poured out of her eyes. Zhou Ming opened his mouth to say something, but she shook her head. "Don''t say anything... these are the final tears I''m wasting on that chapter of my life." Zhou Ming nodded and began driving, leaving her alone with her thoughts. They really were the last tears she would waste for that young time of her life. The memories of their friendship filled her mind but everything had shattered along with the expectations that she would ever be making a true friend. These feelings of desolation were good because it would stop her silly delusions that her missions were going to let her make any friends. But no matter how much she tried to convince herself, the emotional portion of her heart made her tears pour down until he stopped. She sniffed, looking up and realizing that he stopped in front of her house. "How did you know I live here?" He didn''t answer and she wasn''t in the mood to start any arguments by questioning him either. She opened the car door and stopped, her back turned to him. Coldly, she said, "Don''t bother me anymore. For real this time... you were the one who ended it, so let''s leave it at that. I don''t need your pity either." She didn''t wait for his confirmation and closed the door, not looking back no matter how much she was tempted to. No, no matter how much the system tempted her to. She still wanted to be petty for what he made her feel weeks ago when he brutally turned her away. It was time for her to do the same. > ''I don''t care.'' Three words and Xiao Taotao disappeared, leaving Xiao Yunhua to be alone with her thoughts again. She had no way of getting away unless she either succeeded or died, not capable of either. She couldn''t successfully move that heartless man nor could she do anything painful again, so she was stuck. TRIGGER WARNING please skip the rest of the chapter if any scenes involving suicide trigger you. Thank you. Xiao Yunhua took out some medication and decided the easiest way to leave without pain was to pull the crazy stunt she was about to pull... with a deep breath, she swallowed the entire contents of the container. She felt hazy and didn''t know if she had done the right thing. But if a painless death was the way to go, then she would do it. She didn''t know how long went by nor what time it was, but she felt faint and wanted to to pass out. She gripped onto something and her eyes glazed as she became numb. Her thoughts were consumed with nothing except the reality that she wouldn''t be here anymore. This was her chance to start over... She would make it happen at the expense of this Xiao Yunhua. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. A bitter smile flittered across her enchanting face. This was the end of this world... She bid everyone a mental goodbye and closed her eyes, seeing darkness. 140 1.3.62: Can Never be Together She fluttered her eyes open and saw blinding white. She realized that she was lying down and Xiao Yunhua grew puzzled. This didn''t seem like the system...then the smell of antiseptic hit her nostrils. She snapped awake and noticed that she was in the hospital. Who saved me? Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "I did." She realized that she had spoken out her question aloud. The voice was a velvety, deep voice full of concern. She turned her attention to the source and gasped in surprise. "Zhou Feng!?" She exclaimed in shock, not taking her eyes off of him. "Why¡ªhow did you save me?" "I wanted to visit you, but only saw that your door was open. Then noticed that you were passed out so I called the ambulance and grabbed your bag with your things in it, just in case...No matter what complications you and my brother are experiencing, you shouldn''t kill yourself over them!" He sounded angry and Xiao Yunhua was perplexed. He thought that she did such a thing because of her relationship with his brother? "Ridiculous..." she muttered, but loud enough to hear. "What do you think your brother and I¡ªwhatever," she massaged her temples and asked, "Why were you visiting?" She firmly asked, showing no emotions on her face. What was his motivates? She didn''t believe that he was being friendly. "Just to check up on you..." his features softened and his handsome face contorted into worry. "With everything that had happened, I just wanted to make sure you''re okay even if we aren''t on the best terms." Her eyes softened. She nodded but before he had the chance to answer, he snapped angrily, "I can''t believe he caused you to do this. I''m gonna kill that bastard¡ª" "Zhou Feng." Her honey-colored eyes met his, "I don''t need you to do anything. This had nothing to do with your brother." "I don''t believe you... if it wasn''t because you two broke up, then why would you try to do such a thing?" He didn''t give her a chance to respond as he grabbed her hands in his, firmly. "I would never treat you like he did. I will treasure you, I will love you..." he took a deep breath, "Yunhua, marry me." She was stunned as she tried to pull her hands away. "Zhou Feng, you''re crazy! Let me go!" "Not until you answer me." She couldn''t release his strong grip. She had martial art skills, but not strength. She shook her head, "No! That''s my answer, now let me go!" It seemed like her answer triggered something in him because he became more frantic. "Why? Is it because of the accident? I told you, I had nothing to do with it." "It''s not¡ª" "Or is it my engagement? You don''t have to worry, it was cancelled the moment Kang Yiyi was exposed of trying to do anything to you and going to jail." "It''s not that either¡ª" "Then tell me what is the reason! Yunhua, you should know how much I love you¡ª" "Enough!" With a sudden shift of strength, she pull her hands away. When he uttered the word ''love,'' it made her uncomfortable. None of these people loved her... it was all a manipulation of the system. "It isn''t those reasons either. Zhou Feng, we can never be together. Please... give it up." "But why! I don''t understand why!" His arrogance as a Zhou young master was making it hard to understand why anyone, nonetheless a woman from a normal background, was rejecting him. ''Taotao, can you give me the USB flash drive from long ago?'' > "Zhou Feng, can you give me my bag?" She asked calmly. He was baffled about why she needed her bag in the middle of their argument, but he grabbed it for her anyways. She pulled out a flash drive and handed it to him. "This will explain why we can''t be together." "This flash drive?" He was perplexed. If she was going to reject him, he needed a better and more believable reason. "Yes, the contents on the flash drive... once you hear it, you''ll understand." He didn''t believe her, but once he saw the resolute look in her eyes, he felt like he needed to do as she says. "Fine." A bit unwillingly, he grabbed the flash drive and left her room, leaving her alone. Xiao Yunhua sighed in relief and her stomach starting aching in pain. She realized that since her attempt failed, her stomach has been giving her the sensation that she needed to vomit. And even drinking water made her uncomfortable. She cursed him for stopping her because now she was suffering in pain. Consumed in her thoughts, she snapped back into attention when the story burst open. A fuming Zhou Ming entered. His usual dark eyes were full of rage as he looked at her. "How could you be so irresponsible?" She flinched at his yells and averted her eyes in embarrassment. Great. Another person to think that she did that for him. Not wanting him to see her weak, she activated her calming effect and glanced at him again. Even though she was collected, she still felt fear as if he could see right through her. "It''s none of your business." "Damn well it is! I didn''t drop you off for you to pull a crazy stunt like this¡ª" "Zhou Ming... it really did not have anything to do with you. I feel empty and no longer have a purpose here anymore. It''s time for me to go." Xiao Yunhua rolled her eyes at her words. He probably thought that she was insane. That she was probably suffering from some unknown illness...but it was the truth. She was done with this world. No she was not going succeed in her last target, but she didn''t care. Too many toxic things have happened in this world and she just needed to move on. "You... are you okay?" His voice was cold as always, but this time, it was laced with a bit of concern in her direction. Xiao Yunhua nodded, looking as genuine as she could muster. "I''m fine." "No, you''re not." She wasn''t in the mood for his interrogation and coldly turned him away. "Zhou Ming, I thought we already established that we are strangers for the nth time. Please do not appear before me ever again. This cycle of turning each other away is unnecessarily petty." Her vision was starting to get blurry and she realized that she was going to cry. But Xiao Yunhua didn''t permit her tears to fall and firmly told him to leave. His silence drove her crazy but when she realized the look in his eyes, she realized that this was it. He was no longer going to bother her anymore. She was relieved. The system was not. Hence why her heart squeezed in excruciating pain with every step he took until he was out of her sight. Be it Zhou Feng or Zhou Ming... Xiao Yunhua knew that they could never be together. 141 1.3.63: Three Months Later Three months had passed since the incident. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Xiao Yunhua had fortunately passed these three months peacefully and without the intrusion of anyone. Zhou Feng hadn''t bothered her anymore, and she figured that it had to do with finally seeing the contents of the flash drive... and his guilt. She lived in the small house and worked part time in a boutique with an old fashion designer who was very kind to her. She was a Parisian-Chinese woman who had decided to move back here to start a fresh business. Her name was Madam Xu, or the name that she preferred to be called, and Xiao Yunhua enjoyed her company. The boutique was a small shop consisting of clothes that Madam Xu personally sewed each piece that they sold. When Xiao Yunhua applied to work there, she contemplated on which name to use that identified her. She was letting go of the past, so she simply went with this body''s real name for the first time since the orphanage: Xiao Yunhua. Which coincidentally, was her name as well. Madam Xu treated her warmly but Xiao Yunhua was neutral and always polite. She didn''t get close because ever since three months ago, her health had deteriorated drastically. She was even given an ultimatum: her body that had suffered so much from so many different incidents was going to finally give away in 2 years if she was lucky...she could either get treatment and prolong it for a few extra years, or keep suffering like she was right now. Seeing how she wanted death and couldn''t afford the expensive treatments on her own, she didn''t take the treatments. She has nine months left and until then, she could constantly coughing blood and feeling faint. Sometimes, it felt so severe that Madam Xu would allow her to go home earlier. Throughout these three months, she contacted Ni Ming scarcely because she didn''t want the pregnant woman to worry. Xiao Yunhua didn''t know how far in her pregnancy she was, but she knew that Ni Ming was far enough that the slightest thing could stress her. She hadn''t seen anyone else and she was happy about it. She couldn''t let them know about her condition, especially Qiang Yue who worked in the hospital. She had to make sure the doctor she saw was not affiliated with the Zhou family nor knew Qiang Yue. They should slowly forget about her... > ''Taotao, he hates me. And we haven''t talked in months, I''m sure he''s forgotten too. Besides, it doesn''t matter, he shouldn''t see me so... broken.'' The little fairy sighed and poofed away, allowing Xiao Yunhua to go back to reality. She was sitting in the boutique, her shift nearly over. Her eyes fell on Madam Xu that was deeply concentrated on making a particular piece and watched her silently. "Xiao Hua, are you sure you don''t want to leave a little sooner? You''re looking a little pale my dear." Xiao Yunhua coughed violently and took it as a sign to follow the old woman''s words. She bid Madam Xu adieu and began to walk back home. She shivered from the cool air and her enhanced senses told her that someone''s eyes were on her. Though she brushed it off and continued to walk back home. When she got home, she slumped back on the sofa and mindlessly clicked through the tv channels until she froze on one. Zhou Ming''s handsome face was being broadcasted because he had just finished sealing an important deal with another large corporation. By his side stood a beautiful woman and the ugly feeling of jealousy began to grow in the pits of her stomach. Her heart had ached so often that she grew numb and didn''t feel anything. She turned off the television and closed her eyes, pretending that she didn''t see anything. It didn''t matter. 142 1.3.64: The Letter "Doctor, I heard you''re moving?" Qiang Yue nodded as a kind smile appeared on his face as he looked at the new intern. She was a clumsy woman in her early twenties named Li Feilan. She had messy black hair and a pair of glasses covering her chocolate eyes. She was petite and short, easily being towered by Qiang Yue''s bigger height. Li Feilan had recently been accepted into the hospital for an internship and has been asking everyone all sorts of questions, trying to familiarize herself with the hospital. She especially liked to ask Qiang Yue questions, thinking he was the most talented and wisest physician. Her admiration for him made him chuckle. Her laughter reminded him of...her, whom he hadn''t spoken with for so long now. He missed her. Not just because he loved her, but he missed her as his friend. Qiang Yue raises his phone to dial her phone number but stopped. Maybe they should avoid each other for a little while longer... He wasn''t moving jobs, just houses because his previous one left too many memories of his deceased father and the events that occurred. Looking at his watch, Qiang Yue realized that he needed to get going and pack the final couple of things before he moved out completely. When he drove back home, he began to pack the last couple of items and noticed a worn out letter that was thoroughly hidden in his father''s things. He didn''t want to pry, but his curiosity got the best of him. Qiang Yue opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. He opened it and noticed very light writing, almost nonexistent had he not been so close to the letter. It was almost like whoever was writing it didn''t want to write the content, but was forced to do it anyways. Qiang Yue was almost tempted to not disturb the letter, but seeing its conditions made him more curious. His eyes fell on the first word and he began to read the letter in his head. Halfway through the letter, he gripped the paper harshly and trembled as he finished reading. Such a mess...and his father had kept it all from him! His mother hadn''t died, she was actually the former Zhou Eldress! He grabbed his coat and car keys and quickly drove to his father''s grave. Solemnly, he stared at the tombstone and read the engraved words. He couldn''t believe it. The mother he yearned for as a child turned out to be the kidnapper of his beloved... What cruel fate was this? The letter was still firmly in his hand and with silent contemplation, he finally decided that the right thing to do was to tell Ling Xiu. If he knew, she had the right to know as well. She was kept in a prison after all her malicious deeds were brought to life, but it still stunned him to see her in orange. She didn''t look pleased that he was the one visiting her as her face revealed that it would be someone else. "What do you want?" Ling Xiu snapped and her snake-like eyes narrowed. Even though he was the son of Qiang Luo, who was her former subordinate, she still harbored dislike against him because he seemed to like that bitch from what she observed at the birthday celebration. "Do...you know this letter?" He raised the letter and her eyes flickered in its direction before she shook her head. "If you won''t tell me why you''re annoying me then you might as well go." She replied snarky. He turned the letter around and held it up so she could read it despite the glass separating them. Her face lost color when she finally finished reading it and she glanced at Qiang Yue in a new light. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "You...are my son?" Qiang Yue did not accept or deny her words. He just silently looked at her growing gleeful and assumed that it was because of the discovery that she has a son. However, his expectations shattered when she spoke again. "You can be eligible for being the Zhou heir. I can finally get out of here and be restored to my former authority¡ª" "I have no ambition for something that does not belong to our family¡ª" "It has always belonged to us!" She angrily refuted. "It still belongs to me because we have not divorced... you are still eligible to be the heir! Yue''er, believe me, even she will be yours." "You kidnapped and hurt her..." he murmured, coldly looking at her power-hungry expression. "Enough is enough. You have not repented... My actions today were purely for good will because as I found out, I realized that you had the right to know too. But I will not let you manipulate anything, including yourself, to believe that their fortune and power is yours." He stood up, grabbing the letter and putting it in the envelope again. She sensed that he was leaving and became more frantic. "Qiang Yue, you must¡ª" "Goodbye..." Her yells echoed behind him until the security guards stabilized the situation. Qiang Yue could not find it in himself to call her ''mother'' because in his life, his mother had already died and never existed. All he had and acknowledged was a father who was deceased, despite his actions. Ling Xiu banged her fists on the table as she cursed Qiang Yue for being the solution to her problems yet useless at the same time. All she had was her title of being the Zhou Eldress... but as she was notified that the divorce¡ªdespite her protests¡ªwas finalized. She had truly lost everything. 143 1.3.65: H Orphanage "Madam Xu, how was it living in an exotic land?" Xiao Yunhua asked her boss with sparkling eyes. If it was based on her real world, then Madam Xu would be from somewhere similar to France. Such a beautiful country, she wished she could go there someday even if it was an alternate version. Madam Xu smiled at the enthusiastic woman and began to retell stories of where she resided for decades. Her nostalgia turned into sadness as she recounted her beloved friends. "Yunhua... the reason I even moved away from here was purely after my good friends suffered an accident and I couldn''t handle the memories of being here. I was actually studying abroad and then came back to the news of their deaths, hence why I moved away again..." Madam Xu used a tissue to lightly wipe away her small tears that had formed in her old eyes. "They had a daughter, and I tried to adopt her, but someone had gotten ahead of me and taken her away. Even though I used all the connections I had, I could not find out who had adopted her. The devastating news of their deaths along with not being able to find the daughter, it pressured me to leave again. If she was here, she would be around your age." The more Madam Xu spoke, the more Xiao Yunhua couldn''t believe what she was hearing. Heavens, was there such a coincidence in this world? She gulped and softly asked, "What was her name?" "Her family surname was Xiao, just like yours. In fact, her name was..." Madam Xu stopped and paled like she had seen a ghost as she looked at Xiao Yunhua. "It can''t be?" She murmured in confusion. "Is fate playing a game with us? Xiao Hua, where are your parents?" "I''ve been an orphan since I was eight years old at H Orphanage." Madam Xu trembled and stood up, walking towards Xiao Yunhua. She looked at her as she cupped Xiao Yunhua''s face with her hands. Her eyes were filled with tears and they streamed down and she softly uttered, "Xiao Hua, I had dreamed of the day where I would meet her daughter...oh my dear, you look pretty similar to your mother." Xiao Yunhua was confused because the system was supposed to make her beauty otherworldly; however, when Madam Xu took out a photo of three people, Xiao Yunhua''s eyes fell immediately on the woman in the middle. She looked identical to Xiao Yunhua except her eyes were chocolate brown and her features not as beautiful. The man was handsome, but to a mediocre extent. The true face of Xiao Yunhua, based on her eight year old self, was more similar to the man, assuming he was the father. But the more Xiao Yunhua did beauty upgrades, the more the face shifted to the mother and perfected the flaws in her beauty. "Your mother and I were the dearest friends. I loved her just like family and your father...he and your mother loved each other very much. However, the heavens were cruel and took their lives in an accident. They loved you so much." If the real Xiao Yunhua was listening, Xiao Yunhua wanted for her to hear this. She didn''t want the eight year old Xiao Yunhua to feel abandoned again. She had a loving family, unlike her evil family that pushed her to death. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Xiao Yunhua nodded and felt the old woman hug her and then say, "Xiao Hua, your parents left a large inheritance for you. It is the accumulation of all their hard work and I''m sure after suffering so much, they would want you to enjoy it." Xiao Yunhua sadly smiled and shook her head. The money left over was not for her, but for the real owner of this body. She coughed violently and looked so fragile that it broke Madam Xu''d heart. "Madam Xu¡ª" "Call me Aunt Xu." Xiao Yunhua nodded, "Aunt Xu... You have already seen my condition. I do not have long to live because my body is broken beyond repair." Madam Xu shook her head fervently. "No, modern medicine can save you." "No, it Can only extend my life for a little longer but I''ll be suffering like this for every day." Madam Xu understood their severity of the situation and sobbed. This little girl had gone through so much, only to lose her life so soon. "Aunt Xu, please donate all the money they''ve left over to that same orphanage. Mother and father would feel relieved to see their hard work spent on something so good. Aunt Xu I¡ª" The little bell indicating a customer rang and they both looked towards the door. Xiao Yunhua was shocked to see... 144 1.3.66: sHe Does Not Love You†She was surprised to see Zhou Lang awkwardly standing at the door, surprised to see her as well. "Zhou...Lang?" "Yunhua?" Both said simultaneously, looking away. Madam Xu whispered that since Xiao Yunhua knew who this person was, they could go and talk. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Will you be okay?" "Of course silly. I had always run my businesses alone for the most part, I just made an exception for you... it seems like my gut feeling telling me to hire you was right; seeing what we discovered earlier. You can go and have fun." Her urges reminded Xiao Yunhua of her grandmother nagging her to go and have fun with her friends instead of always studying. Her heart filled with warmth and she nodded. Xiao Yunhua walked outside of the boutique and was met by a wave of cool air. She shivered and maintained a distance between her and Zhou Lang as she asked him what he was doing there. "Yunhua... I heard you and my brother broke up?" This was the first proper time they were speaking again and he used such a cold tone with her. She deserved it after what she had done, but it still hurt seeing as he was a dear friend of hers. Xiao Yunhua nodded and looked away as she spoke. "Three months ago actually. I''m surprised you only caught on the news today." "Yunhua, my eldest brother is getting engaged." It was like her heart stopped beating when he said those words. She couldn''t breathe and felt herself growing pale. Zhou Lang noticed her severe reaction and a sharp pang stabbed his heart but he remained cool and continued, "None of us wanted to disturb you or your job, but seeing as eldest brother didn''t expose who he was engaged to, the only explanation we could think of was you. However, based on your reaction, it doesn''t seem to be you." Xiao Yunhua coughed violently and a look of concern filled his eyes, making her panic and push away his hands reaching to comfort her. She didn''t want him to see her so weak and vulnerable. She didn''t want any of them to see her so weak and vulnerable. "You''re sick?" "Just a minor cold. Don''t worry about me. You''ve delivered your news and gotten your results, I hope I won''t be bothered again." She coldly said, turning around to leave. "Yunhua¡ª" She stopped. "Don''t refer to me so intimately, Zhou Young Master. I wish to continue having no ties with your family and maintain my peace." "Xiao Yunhua, are you really bothered this much by the news of his engagement!?" Zhou Lang gripped the small ring in his pocket. He couldn''t find it in himself to throw it away, hence why the ring was always with him like a good luck charm. He thought now that his brother no longer wanted her, she could give him another chance. "Zhou Lang, I¡ª" "You were so prideful and so alluring when I first met you in Riverside. How could you be so...withered?" She wanted to get angry with him, but his words held truth. She didn''t have any energy left to deal with anyone anymore. "Yunhua, forget about him. If you want, you can leave the Zhou family and go abroad. You can forget all the painful memories here and..." the ring in his pocket burned, "and I could come with you." His motive was made clear to Xiao Yunhua. She sighed as a bitter smile graced her face. "Zhou Lang, any chance of that... any chance of us, it''s too late. Please, forget about me and like I''ve said before, don''t even waste your hatred on me. You should know my background by now¡ªI had only wanted to get close to you purely for my motives of revenge for Han Mi. I harbor no feelings for anyone¡ª" "Anyone but Zhou Ming?" He softly interrupted. "Don''t try to deny it, even with Zhou Feng, I had never seen you look at anyone the way you look at eldest brother. But why keep hurting yourself? He does not love you." His words were like pouring salt on her wounds. Xiao Yunhua felt the familiar dull ache in her chest and her vision blurred until she finally passed out. 145 1.3.67: Final, Nostalgic Talk When Xiao Yunhua gained consciousness, she didn''t bother to open her eyes. She had been in the hospital so frequently in this world that she automatically assumed where she was now. However her sudden urge to cough forced her to wake up and see Zhou Lang next to her. "You''re awake." "Yes, I''m sorry for suddenly fainting and intruding you. Rest assured, it won''t happen again." Her way of dismissal wasn''t missed by Zhou Lang but he ignored it and grabbed her hand. She was too weak to resist as he held her hand. "The doctor told me... your body condition is so weak now, why?" "It happened naturally, don''t worry about me." She harshly snatched her hand back only for Zhou Lang to grab it again. "Did it really happen naturally? Or did it have something to do with¡ª" "Yes! Fine, I admit it. I did try to do that, but it only resulted to my life being shortened to about two years. Either way, I don''t care." Zhou Lang''s cold eyes softened as his heart pang with pain. "Why?" "I''m not suffering from any psychological problems, I just don''t have a reason to be here anymore." Even in her ears, that sounded very depressing, nonetheless someone who didn''t know about her system. She was so weak, she hated it. She easily gave up too...was it her lack of experience or her immaturity? "Yunhua, don''t think so negatively. My offer still stands. We can go away and get away from it all. I''ll be honest, I need it just as much as you." His reasons were unclear and Xiao Yunhua didn''t try to pry either. She squeezed his hand and gently pushed it away. "Zhou Lang, please let me be. I''m okay with finishing my life like this, alone. In fact, I want to be alone. I''m not thinking negatively, I''m thinking realistically. If you want to respect me, then respect my wishes too." Zhou Lang''s facial expression turned cold and he was silent. He finally had the guts to ask the question that lingered on his mind for so long: "Yunhua, was there ever a moment where you had genuine feelings for me?" What should she tell him? He was never a target and was solely used as a petty method to get closer to the Zhou family as well as a way of revenge for the original Xiao Yunhua. If that day, his brother and him had bothered to help her, then she wouldn''t have died...but his ignorance lead to her occupying this girl''s body. Her silence answered his question and he only muttered, "I see." He sighed and for the first time since their break up, Xiao Yunhua could see his genuine emotions and she felt hurt and even guiltier. "Well, it is up to you... I wish you luck on whatever path you choose after this." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. He shut the room''s door behind him and left her alone. On his way to his car, his phone in his pocket burned a hole, tempting him to do something. He didn''t want to, but he couldn''t allow her to waste away her life like she planned to. So he grabbed his phone and dialed a number. "Brother...I need to speak to you." 146 1.3.68: Engagement Party I "It was a surprise that my infamously cold, little brother decided to contact me out of his own will." Zhou Ming said, his dark eyes gleaming with amusement as he saw Zhou Lang appear. "Ming''ge, I am not here to joke with you." "Oh? Then tell me, why you asked to meet me?" "You can''t get engaged," Zhou Lang took a deep breath, "It''ll destroy her." "I see you''ve become so intimate you even know her state now." Zhou Ming coldly answered, ignoring the meaning behind his words. "You know that it doesn''t matter when she loves you and you only. You can''t allow her to wither away and watch you get married¡ª" "She and I have nothing to do with each other." Zhou Ming stood up to leave but Zhou Lang''s next words abruptly stopped him. "She tried to end her life." Zhou Lang was confused when he saw that his brother''s facial expression didn''t change. It was almost as in he already knew. "You know it..." A cold smirk appeared on Zhou Ming''s face, "How could I not know something that happened to her?" "Then you must know she doesn''t have much time left! You can''t let her diminish away." Zhou Lang didn''t want her to love him back as long as she was living the best of her life. He was willing to do anything to stop her from fading away without a purpose. "All in due time," Four words and Zhou Ming left, leaving Zhou Lang alone with his confusion. A week later, the date of his engagement party had already been announced all over social media. Oddly enough, it wasn''t with the famous ''Angelic Goddess'' that still stunned many people to this day with her elusive pictures. Zhou Ming''s engagement was with a woman who had no pictures exposed of her, leaving her identity a mystery. All the Zhou family had let the public know is that she was close to the Zhou family and knew Zhou Ming well. Xiao Yunhua couldn''t stop finding out the details because the news of the engagement were everywhere, including gossips in the caf¨¦ she often visited to relax in. Just the thought of Zhou Ming marrying another person felt like thousands of needles were piercing her heart. His engagement was happening in two days and she had been so absentminded, that the two days went by in a blur. The location of his engagement party was happening in a expensive and private venue only for the best elites in three hours. Her haze was so obvious that even Madam Xu noticed her strange behavior. "Xiao Hua, are you alright?" "Y-Yes Aunt Xu," she stuttered as she snapped out of her thoughts, "I''ve just got a lot on my mind at the moment." "Does it have something to do with love?" Madam Xu saw the shift in her face and smiled. "Oh dear, it''s too late to deny it. It seems like you''re bothered by something love-related. Don''t worry, whatever it is...I''m sure it''ll resolve eventually." Xiao Yunhua pouted and sighed, "Auntie, I don''t think it''s that''s simple. He and I...after today, there will be no more chances. Our ending is not a pleasant one." Noticing the depressed looking on Xiao Yunhua''s face, Madam Xu softly patted her head. "You say ''after today'' meaning that you still have today as a chance. Why not go meet him?" "Aunt Xu, I don''t think I¡ª" "Silly child. At least don''t regret today and go end it properly. Or see an ending yourself. It''s best to personally cut the ties or create the ties rather than remember this love as a bitter memory." Madam Xu''s words were beginning to make sense in Xiao Yunhua''s head. So she found herself slowly nodding and standing up. Yes, she will sneak in the engagement party and see for herself what kind of woman that heartless man was marrying. What kind of woman she lost to. Afterward, it was only a matter of time when this body would finally give away and she could remember this world without any regretful feelings. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. She quickly dressed up in simple clothes and was off to the venue. 147 1.3.69: Engagement Party II Apparently her clothes had been a little too simple because when she got to the venue, many celebrities and elites were dressed in formal clothes. There were security everywhere and the cameras couldn''t click past the doors. So many people had gathered to ease the curiosity of who was going to marry into the biggest and most influential family in the country, becoming the future matron of the Zhou family. Xiao Yunhua was lost within the crowd of people until she was pushed back and fell on the ground, wincing in pain. Maybe this was a sign that she wasn''t supposed to see anything and give up. Her eyes clouded in desolation and she stood up to leave, only to bump into someone. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. She looked up and froze when she saw who it was. "Qiang Yue?" "Yunhua..." Qiang Yue muttered in a daze when she found out who he bumped into. Was there such a coincidence in the world? "What are you doing here?" "I..." she hesitantly averted her eyes, "I just wanted to see who he was going to get engaged to. But I guess I can''t because I don''t even have an invitation to get in." Qiang Yue''s warm eyes were full of pain when he saw her so helpless. He didn''t imagine their meeting after so long would be like this. Nonetheless her so weak and looking heartbroken. Her hopeless nature outweighed his heart ache and he decided to help her get inside. By the look in her face, he had never seen her so lost over someone, not even him. He gripped his invitation and kindly smiled at her. She was confused as to why he grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him, walking forward towards the door. "Qiang Yue what are you doing!?" She whispered, trembling as they edged closer to the security guarding everywhere inside and outside the venue. "Getting you inside." "Huh but I..." her sentence faltered when Qiang Yue showed his invitation and they were let in, her being his guest. She suddenly remembered that Qiang Yue''s father was a butler and they had a connection to the Zhou family, despite Qiang Luo helping Ling Xiu try to murder Han Mi. Zhou Ming had probably invited Qiang Yue because the good doctor had no connections to his father''s actions. When they were inside, she breathed a sigh of relief and looked at him gratefully. "Thank you. I don''t know how I can repay you¡ª" "Be happy." His selfless nature nature stunned her and he walked away, leaving her. She smiled bittersweetly. Thank you. Even if the system had implanted him as a target, he was still a good friend and she appreciated everything he had done for her, including this. She wandered around and saw other guests walking towards the center of the venue, where the party was going to be held. She didn''t go inside and saw the entire Zhou family, including the Zhou brothers and Zhou Elder, along with everyone else. The room was extravagantly decorated with expensive things yet kept to a minimum for a simplistic look. She noticed Zhou Ming and her heart skipped a beat because he looked exceptionally handsome at the moment. He was usually good looking but he looked over the top and her heart skipped a beat. Xiao Yunhua''s eyes glanced around and didn''t see any girl until she noticed a very stunning woman walking towards Zhou Ming, teasing and laughing with him intimately. She looked classy and even the cold Zhou Elder was looking at the girl fondly, along with Zhou Ming who let her do what she wanted. Not just Xiao Yunhua, but it appeared that even the other guests had their eyes on the woman and couldn''t help gush over her. She wasn''t as beautiful as Xiao Yunhua, but held an aura of nobility and class with her sharp, amber eyes and full lips. She looked to be mixed too but still had features that distinguished her as someone of this country. Xiao Yunhua sighed. This was a woman worthy of being together with the Zhou heir. Her work here was done and it was time to leave. Suddenly, Zhou Ming''s ebony eyes darted everywhere and fell on the door, barely missing Xiao Yunhua who hid behind the door. That was a close call! As she turned to leave, someone was already in front of her... 148 1.3.70: Beginning or Ending? "What are you doing here?" Zhou Ming mused, his eyes taking in her face after not seeing her for so long. Yes he had seen her from afar, but to be this close to her...he hated to admit it, but he missed her. "I-I..." Xiao Yunhua gulped nervously. What should she say? She didn''t expect to be caught, especially by him. "I''m going on my way." Her wrist by gripped by his strong hold, preventing her escape. "Who let you in?" "I snuck in." She lied without thinking. She couldn''t implicate Qiang Yue, so it was better to uphold all the responsibility herself. "Did you really sneak in despite all the security here?" He easily caught her bluff and her face reddened in embarrassment. She remained silent and he began to question her again. "If you won''t tell me how you got in, you might as well tell me why." "I-I wanted to congratulate you." Lying again. From his humored eyes, he knew she was bullshitting every word that came out of her mouth. In realty, she wanted to cup his face and bring it closer to hers because she missed him. She wanted to tell him that he shouldn''t do this. She wanted to selfishly chain him with her by making him feel guilty about her impending death. Xiao Yunhua wasn''t a saint, but she also couldn''t find it in herself to swallow down her pride and continued to distort the truth. "Did you really? Well, you should''ve just told me that in the first place so I could''ve sent you a proper invitation. Come on, I''ll take you inside after sending you for a quick makeover. There, you can congratulate my fianc¨¦e and me." Xiao Yunhua was stuck. If she denied it, it meant that she was admitting to lying. If she did go, that meant she was willing to trample over her heart and congratulate that woman. In the end, she bit down any words and followed him. Thirty minutes later, she came out and he was stunned. The ladies¡ªthat were instructed to make her as beautiful as they can¡ªhad dressed her in a strapless, nude dress that was covered with a long, lavender flowery lace coverup. The dress also exposed her long legs, which appeared even longer with the nude pumps she wore. Her hair was styled to be wavy with a waterfall braid, simple yet stunning along with her nude lips and light makeup that accented her honey-colored eyes. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Is it too late to go home?" She mumbled, thinking he didn''t hear her but he did. "Why? Don''t you want to congratulate my fianc¨¦e the way you congratulated me?" Zhou Ming teased her, dismissing the ladies and leaving them alone. Xiao Yunhua frowned and shook her head. "I regret sneaking in here, I want to leave. Please allow me to go." Zhou Ming quietly looked at her. He then asked, "Aren''t you bothered that I will be marrying someone else?" His question shocked her. Why did he ask that out of the blue? What was she supposed to say? Was this a test? He told her that they shouldn''t have anything to do with each other, then she told him; it was an endless cycle and now he wanted to break it by asking her this? "No." "Liar." "I''m...not...lying." Each of her words were unknowingly dragged along, like she was forcing herself to say then. "Liar." She was quiet and softly admitted, "I know." "Then what are you going to do?" He was testing her limits and teasing her. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He was clearly shocked but quickly took the lead and slipped his tongue in her mouth. Xiao Yunhua didn''t know how long they were kissing but she pulled away and breathed hard. "I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to...I should get going before I wreck anymore havoc." "You''re just leaving after doing that?" "Then do you want me to watch you get engaged to another woman?" She snapped, not wanting to cry. "I just wanted to see who she was then leave. Getting caught was not on my agenda and for the sake of my pride, I didn''t want to explain myself either. But here I am exposing myself... let me leave." "You saw her?" "Yes..." Xiao Yunhua sighed, "She''s beautiful and suits you well." "Really? Then I think you owe her an apology." Before Xiao Yunhua could protest and try to leave, he turned her face to the mirror. "Apologize." "I-I don''t think I understand." Why was she looking into a mirror? Was the foreign woman here? "You heard me. Apologize to my fianc¨¦e." Zhou Ming saw her conflicted eyes and her na?ve behavior and couldn''t help but chuckle. Once it clicked in her mind what he meant, she gasped. "M-Me? But how, isn''t it that foreign woman?" "Ailee? That''s Zhou Lu''s girlfriend." The revelation stunned her. So she had been feeling envious and already wishing them a good, married life for nothing? "Then who is your fianc¨¦e?" "You." Did she lose part of her memory because she didn''t understand how she ended up being the elusive woman who was getting married to this man. Her honey-colored eyes met his pitch black ones and demanded an explanation. "I waited three months for you to try to reach out to me, but could only use this method to get your attention." "How did you know I''d agree to being engaged to you?" This cunning man was too much. He took her sneaking in here as a confirmation of getting engaged to him. "Should it be someone else as you thought?" His words were joking but were a warning as a dark glimmer flashed across his whirlpool of black eyes. She shivered and shook her head. "B-But I only have a few years at most¡ª" "I will use every resource available of the Zhou family to make sure you don''t." His words were reasonable and Xiao Yunhua remembered that she could always use points to exchange for things to help her health. This bastard, if he hadn''t pushed her away in the first place, would she had ever thought of death to move on? But even to this point, she hadn''t done anything to get his heart...at least during the marriage, she could have time to get the points. He grabbed her hand and escorted her to the center, where the guests were waiting to see the mystery girl along with the Zhou heir. On their way, they heard a sudden movement and Zhou Ming shifted her away from the open and blocked her body with his. "Don''t move." He whispered, on alert. He used his phone to quickly call for his assistant but the sound of a gunshot interrupted him. Xiao Yunhua turned to the source and saw a woman that she remembered was with Ling Xiu at Zhou Ming''s birthday celebration long ago. She was dressed in black and had a vicious look on her face. Zhou Ming cursed incoherently and continued to shield Xiao Yunhua. "Jing Xue, what are you doing here?" Jing Xue was her name? Why did that surname sound so familiar? Jing Xue...Jing Hao! She was related to Jing Hao? "I''m here to kill you! You were the only target I couldn''t assassinate and you humiliated me, along with my family name. Bastard, you''ve bullied and suppressed my family for the past few months enough." Xiao Yunhua''s interest was piqued. For the past couple of months, he had been suppressing the Jing family? She tried to assassinate him before? "Only if you have the ability." She tried to shoot again, but he dodged and the security guards were beginning to corner her as they heard the noise. The guests were scared but couldn''t go outside because they were told to stay in the center for their safety. Jing Xue angrily began to shoot the people coming for her while dodging their attempts of stopping her. Like a madwoman, her eyes darted back and forth until they fell on Xiao Yunhua. A feeling of dread fell on her and in the next couple of seconds, she felt something pierce her chest and her vision blurred. She heard yelling and found herself in someone''s big and strong arms, who were very comfortable and made her sleepy. "Yunhua, you can''t close your eyes!" The person said, his teardrops falling on her face. She wanted to comfort him, telling him that she will sleep for a little bit. But her shoulders were fervently shook, making the dull pain in her chest intensify. She painfully raised her arm and her hand touched the face of the person who was crying as she smiled gently. Her eyelids were growing really heavy and she really wanted to sleep. Her eyes took in his handsome face one last time before she saw darkness. And in the midst of the darkness, she heard a sound she hadn''t heard in a long time... 149 Arc 1 Epilogue When Xiao Yunhua woke up, she was in the dimensional space of the system again. She was confused because the last thing she remembered was falling asleep in the arms of Zhou Ming and hearing the familiar sound of when she unlocked a target. She saw an enthusiastic Xiao Taotao fluttering in her direction. "Congratulations Host! You completed the special target and gained five hundred thousand points since he was practically the king of the modern world or the country you were in. However, since he was a special target, it''s doubled and your current balance is 1,046,500 points." Holy shit.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. It seemed like she scored gold with this one. "Wait since I''m back here... Does that mean I''m dead!? How did that happen?" "You were shot by Jing Xue and it finally triggered love from your target." So her death was what finally moved that heartless man? He wasn''t even marrying her out of love, more like an unhealthy obsession they both harbored for each other. "You can pick from the list below for a skill since you''ve completed another target." A holographic screen appeared in front of Xiao Yunhua and she saw the choices. Hacking, design, and singing? They all seemed like useless skills to her and she wished she had better alternatives. In the end, she chose singing and she felt her throat ache with pain until she cleared her throat. She tested it out by singing a high note and she was shocked to hear the voice of an angel. Then she tried low and it still sounded incomparable to the ears. Maybe singing wasn''t as bad as she thought. "Are you ready to move onto your next world?" Xiao Taotao asked excitedly. Her host this time had not only completed a world, but also finished a special target which was much more difficult than a regular mission on her first world. She definitely had some potential. "Taotao...can I see what happened afterwards first?" Xiao Taotao was confused on why Xiao Yunhua made such a request but the rulebooks didn''t deny allowing them either. The little fairy thought it would be fine to show her the world aftermaths. When Xiao Taotao snapped her fingers, Xiao Yunhua found herself in the spiritual form standing in the world. > To think that Madam Xu had already disappeared before she could see her... Xiao Yunhua felt sad that she couldn''t see her again. Though they had met for a short amount of time, Xiao Yunhua still felt indebted to Madam Xu for telling her the truth about this body''s parents and for fulfilling her last wish. Xiao Yunhua looked around and realized that she was the closest to the mansion of Wang Yaowan so she decided to check on them first. She froze when she saw a little boy¡ªthat looked to be a couple of years old run¡ªaround enthusiastically with Ni Ming gently smiling as she watched him. Wang Yaowan came up and Xiao Yunhua couldn''t believe that his infamous cold aura was so gentle now as he stared at his wife and son. Xiao Yunhua sneaked inside and checked the date. It was already five years afterwards! Five years since her death at the engagement party, no wonder their son was a few years old. Seeing them healthy and well, she decided to leave. Her spiritual form could not be seen or heard, but she still softly patted the top of the little boy''s head and smiled nostalgically at the other two people, before leaving. A couple of minutes later, Ni Ming spoke, "She was here, I could feel it." Wang Yaowan neither accepted nor denied her words. It has been five years since her death and not a day went by when they all didn''t miss her. His complicated ''feelings'' for her had faded and he just missed her as a friend. He hoped that she lived well in the afterlife. "We should probably go visit her in a few hours." He said and she nodded as she picked up their son and went back inside. Meanwhile Xiao Yunhua was wandering around and then she saw Magnolia penthouse. Out of curiosity, she decided to check inside to see how Zhou Feng was doing, only to see a woman being flung outside. "Zhou Young Master! Please¡ª" "Get out." A harsh voice said as he stepped out, ignoring the woman and closing the door behind him, ignoring her tears. Xiao Yunhua saw his cold expression and shivered. He was usually cold, but he had turned so cold that it scared her. No longer wanting to see him, she quickly disappeared. What Xiao Yunhua didn''t see was the way Zhou Feng turned around and told her to stop crying. "Young master, I knew that you liked me back¡ª" "I won''t allow you to cry on her death anniversary." The woman''s honey-colored eyes were almost identical to Xiao Yunhua''s eyes. He couldn''t handle seeing the tears coming from those eyes of hers. Otherwise, he didn''t care if this woman cried. He wanted to go visit her and ignored the woman''s pleas. Seeing Zhou Feng leave, the woman cried harder. She had been by his side for a few years and he couldn''t forget this ''her'' he mentioned. She also knew the real reason he hadn''t completely shunned her is because she looks similar to that woman. But that had not stopped her from trying to make him love her back...and if using her similar appearance was the key, she would use it forever. At the moment, Xiao Yunhua kept walking until she saw Zhou Lang. He was in an elaborate building that was named L Corporations and was walking out of the building with his assistant following him. L Corporations? That couldn''t be the name of his own company? Did Zhou Lang really create such a large company in five years? He certainly had the talents like his eldest brother, Xiao Yunhua thought as she followed him. "Sir, today is the day you wanted me to remind you¡ª" "I already know. Reschedule my meeting to tomorrow, I''ll be back later." The assistant sighed as she went back in the building to make a couple of phone calls. Xiao Yunhua saw him get in a car and quickly sneaked inside, driving to the cemetery. Xiao Yunhua got out and followed him until he stopped. She saw Zhou Feng there along with Ni Ming and Wang Yaowan. They had silently stared at each other, but they all knew the real reason they were seeing each other at that moment¡ªall for her. Today was the fifth year of her death and each carried their own flowers. Xiao Yunhua couldn''t see Qiang Yue and felt a bit disappointed but relieved. Disappointed because he didn''t come, but relieved because he had gotten over her...she hoped. Her eyes fell on Ni Ming who kneeled at her grave with flowers and tears in her eyes. It still shocked her to see her own grave. She had been in this world for so long, it almost felt like she belonged there too. But as her soul watched them grieve, she realized that this would be the ending to each and every world...she could only watch them cry and grieve...and she could not truly feel death. Seeing them so miserable broke her heart since she knew them well. She kneeled next to her grave and tried to write something in the dirt. Since she was in her spiritual form, she couldn''t do anything and that made her frustrated. ''Taotao help me.'' > ''Please, this''ll be the last time that I act selfish in this world.'' A surge of energy flittered through her body and she could now touch the dirt. As she was writing down words, she heard a gasp. She turned around and saw them looking at her with wide eyes. "Y-Yunhua..?" Ni Ming reached to grab her hand but hand went across her like she was touching air. "You can see me?" Zhou Feng tried to hug her but once again, like Ni Ming, he hugged air and Xiao Yunhua wasn''t touched. "Silly girl... we miss you so much!" Ni Ming exclaimed, her tears still pouring down the side of her cheeks. Xiao Yunhua smiled as she looked at their son, who eyed her curiously. "I miss everyone too. But my only purpose was to tell you all to stop grieving and...be happy." "But how can we be happy without you?" Zhou Lang muttered softly. She sighed, "You''re supposed to be happy without me. I''m not even from your world¡ª" she suddenly choked and pain erupted in her body. They all rushed worriedly in her direction but she waved her hand to dismiss them. It seemed like she had said too much and the system was punishing her. The system rung with a reminder, telling her that she had thirty minutes remaining. "What do you mean by that?" Wang Yaowan asked her, but she shook her head. "Never mind. I-I don''t have much time. I have to get going. Everyone... thank you and please, your happiness is my final wish." She closed her eyes and she was invisible again. The people were stunned and thought they had seen an illusion. But as they''ve all seen her, they knew that it was real and she had really appeared before them. Seeing as she dearly wished for them to not be so depressed, they decided to oblige and the atmosphere had eased a bit. Since Zhou Lang was already at the cemetery, he decided to visit his grandfather''s grave as well. As for Xiao Yunhua, she was leaving the cemetery, only to see Qiang Yue with a woman as they were in front of...Ling Xiu''s grave? "I only came to pay respects to her...but I couldn''t deny the filial duty to visit you as well...mother." She didn''t notice the little palm tree keychain that he was gripping in his hands as he spoke. Xiao Yunhua was stunned at the revelation. Such a shocking turn of events, she turned around to leave before she heard anymore secrets. However, her curiosity got the best of her and she ended up asking Xiao Taotao about the truth behind Qiang Yue''s words. She was surprised to find out that the greedy Ling Xiu had a son and Zhou Hua wasn''t actually her daughter, meaning Zhou Yaoyao had no blood relations to the Zhou family. Speaking of the bratty granddaughter, Zhou Ming had kicked her and her mother out and they had gone abroad and started a small bakery, where they lived humbly despite their luxurious lifestyle before. Suddenly, the reminder that she had ten minutes left reminded Xiao Yunhua that she still had one more person to check on¡ªZhou Ming. She couldn''t find him at his company so she went to his penthouse, only to see everything dim. Just as she finally saw a peek, her body started to fade away and she didn''t have a chance to truly see his conditions. If Xiao Yunhua had seen him, she would''ve seen that he had definitely matured and turned more cruel as he had annihilated the Jing family for revenge in her favor. She would''ve also seen him, at that moment, holding her picture with a dark and evil glint in his infamous black eyes. She would''ve seen him turn back and sigh, three words she would have never expected to be released from his mouth to be said...three words that changed his heartless persona. But as Xiao Yunhua didn''t see all this, she was instead back in the dimensional space with an eager Xiao Taotao. "Host! On the count of three, you''ll be in the next world!" Xiao Yunhua began to mentally count in her head to three seconds. When they passed, she felt a gut-wrenching pain, and then she woke up... END OF ARC ONE 150 2.1.1: The Faux Noble When Xiao Yunhua woke up, she felt the hot sun burning her head and causing her body to be drenched in sweat. She lied down on the soft grass near the river, trying to catch her breath. The information of this world began to fill her head. The current body she was in belonged to Juliet Marilla Eleanor, an orphan that was dropped in Hillwood Village as a baby and raised as a servant. She served the infamous village tyrant, Evelyn Warring, who was the same age as Juliet¡ªseven years old¡ªbut a terrible brat. Although the villagers did not know who backed up Evelyn, they still knew that Evelyn had a powerful backer they could not afford to offend. Hence the little girl took pleasure in annoying the entire village with her shenanigans and they could do nothing but hold down their words. As for Juliet, she had been so bullied that she had died from being exhausted and overworked by Evelyn, who constantly ordered her around. And to make matters worse, Evelyn always made sure to remind her that if they hadn''t taken her in as a baby, she would be homeless, so Juliet needed to pay off her debts. The current world was very similar to what Xiao Yunhua''s world would consider as historical Europe, but here, it was divided into two countries: Ayrelie and The Great Kingdom of Yuvet. Juliet, along with Evelyn, both lived in The Great Kingdom of Yuvet¡ªor shortened as GKY¡ªwhich was more agricultural based rather than Ayrelie that was known for their militaristic ideals. Both countries had their flaws, yet were balanced to the point that neither could overpower another. GKY was ruled by the Delavan Royal family and Ayrelie was ruled by the Castile Royal family. Even though Ayrelie had the Castile Royal family, everyone knew who truly held the political power in the nation: Prime Minister Xavier Drexel Monte-Phelan. His name was long, but it matched the Monte-Phelan family''s long history of controlling the country of Ayrelie behind-the-scenes. This didn''t mean that the Castile Royal held no authority, but at anytime, even the peasants knew that they could be taken over. Strangely, they weren''t and were allowed to stay on the throne, but nobody knew the real reason for that. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. > ''Wait, who is¡ª'' "Juliet!" An elderly voice called out impatiently, "Where are you? Evelyn is calling for you!" Xiao Yunhua recognized the voice¡ªaccording to the body''s memory¡ªas Ingrid Abbot, an old woman who took care of Evelyn as she was given a job to work for the little girl. Evelyn has no parental figures in her life¡ªlike Juliet¡ªbut Ingrid was hired to take care of her. Ingrid found her very annoying just like everyone else but didn''t dare to disobey her. Xiao Yunhua figured that Ingrid was probably the only person who knew the powerful backer of Evelyn in Hillwood Village hence why she did her bidding too. Xiao Yunhua didn''t answer until Ingrid found her and began to scold her. "Juliet, what are you doing? Do you want to make Evelyn angry? She wanted for you to bring a pail of water from the river and you''re out here being so irresponsible! Child, do you want to cause trouble for yourself on purpose?" Xiao Yunhua wanted to refute but the words that came out of her mouth were the complete opposite. "No ma''am. I''m sorry, I''ll bring it for Evelyn immediately." ''Taotao what is this? Why did I say something completely different than I intended.'' > ''But I wasn''t restricted in my last world?'' > Xiao Taotao explained meticulously. So something like this existed... Xiao Yunhua was shocked to find out but was glad she was told this earlier on in her missions. 151 2.1.2: Water Pail Despite Xiao Yunhua unwilling to do such a duty, she still picked up the large pail and filled it with water from the river, dragging it back to the village after Ingrid left a few minutes later. Sweat poured down her back and she huffed because she was so tired. Juliet was only seven years old like Evelyn yet worked harder than any seven year old out there. Fifteen minutes later, she finally arrived and Xiao Yunhua at last saw what Evelyn looked like in real life rather than Juliet''s memories. Both Juliet and Evelyn had long, light blonde hair and average features found in any other girl. Their only physical difference was Evelyn had dull brown eyes and Juliet had sky-blue eyes. As well as Evelyn was very outspoken and loud while Juliet was soft and shy, preferring to be quiet most of the time. Xiao Yunhua thought that Evelyn was somewhat cute until the best opened her mouth and foul words came out. "Drooliet!" Drooliet? Her insults were so childish. "You wasted nearly twenties minutes and now I don''t want to take a bath anymore because the water is cold. Go back and pour the water back in the river." Noticing the obvious sign of fatigue and discomfort shown by Juliet, Evelyn smirked. "Hurry up! Don''t waste anymore time and be on your way. I''m doing the right thing of not wasting the water, unlike you." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Xiao Yunhua wanted to pour the water on Evelyn but that went out of Juliet''s character and she didn''t want to experience any unnecessary pain in this new world, so with a deep sigh, she turned around and headed for the river again. Her arms ached from carrying the large pail and Xiao Yunhua was beginning to realize that the sky was darkening, so she needed to hurry or else some wild animal was going to attack her. She quickened her pace, only to trip and fall down, twisting her ankle. She winced loudly in pain and tried to stand, but the pain was unbearable. Poor Juliet. This is what she had to experience every day of her life for the past seven years. ''Little Tao, I need help.'' > Hearing the shock from the little fairy, Xiao Yunhua wanted to sputter blood. It wasn''t her fault okay? Who expected to meet a devil on the first day? ''Taotao-ah, please do you have anything to help with my ankle?'' > Ripoff! The little fairy never forgot to rip her off! > Xiao Yunhua was flabbergasted. Has the little fairy always been so sharp-tongued? The pain on her ankle disappeared and she could get up and walk again. The last thing she heard from the little fairy was: > Her precious points were going to be wasted real quickly if the devil forced her to do anything else that could get her injured...sigh. With newfound energy, she stood up to go to the river again. She finally reached the river fifteen minutes later and dumped the water back in the river. What Xiao Yunhua really wanted to do was dump the water somewhere and lie that she did her task, but Juliet was too pure to lie and be mean, so she actually ended up doing it. The sky had completely darkened and the moon was out, shining beautifully in the sky. No matter which world she went to, the sky was the same. She didn''t miss her original world...but she did miss her first one. She especially missed the people in there. ''No need to be dejected Yunhua.'' She reminded herself. She knew that this was going to happen in every world...holding emotional attachment wasn''t going to do her any good. She was starting afresh, so she should start afresh in her mindset too. Xiao Yunhua knew that by the time she would get back to the village, it would be very late and she could barely catch any sleep before waking up early in the morning. She wanted to curse Evelyn but didn''t because Evelyn was just a child, albeit a devious one. She started to walk back until she suddenly saw a rapid carriage in front of her. She screamed thinking she was going to be stampeded over by the horses and die, but it suddenly stopped and someone got out... 152 2.1.3: stupid Girl!†"Stupid girl!" An old man complained harshly as he approached her. "How dare you cause us to stop. Young Master, I say we kill her to repay for her crimes." It was dark so the old man couldn''t see her face properly, but he could still distinguish that it was a little girl. "That''s enough Benjamin." A childish voice said. "If we were to kill her, then there would be no point of stopping the carriage in the first place." "Young Master, now we won''t be able to go back home in time and will have to stay in an inn in the closest village..." the old man''s voice faltered and he turned to glare daggers at Xiao Yunhua again. "It''s all your fault; why I ought to¡ª" "Benjamin." The old man sighed. "Be lucky Young Master Harrison is so amiable to let you off." He turned to leave and go back to the carriage and his last words finally clicked in Xiao Yunhua''s head. Harrison? It couldn''t be! "Wait!" Xiao Yunhua called out. "Please, tell me your name so I can thank you properly." Xiao Yunhua was relieved to see that the system wasn''t stopping her, meaning Juliet hadn''t met any of these people before. "Little girl, you''re out of line¡ª" "Dominic." The boy said kindly. "Dominic Jude Harrison." The old man almost foamed at the mouth. For someone of Young Master''s noble status to say his full him aloud¡ªand to a peasant¡ªreally was him being too kind. The old man was shocked even harder when the Young Master spoke again. "What is your name?" "J-Juliet." Xiao Yunhua had only stuttered because she couldn''t believe that she had met her target so quickly in the game. And from what she heard earlier, he was even going to stay at the closest village¡ªHillwood Village¡ªtoo! Lady Luck was truly on her side in this mission. "Juliet!" A voice rung out, startling them all. "Juliet where are you?" Juliet smiled awkwardly, "I think I should leave before I get in anymore trouble. Thank you." She curtsied¡ªincorrectly but they didn''t see her fail because it was dark¡ªand turned around to leave. She ran towards the voice and saw a worried Ingrid looking frantically for her. "Young Master, how could you give your name to such a person? It brings you shame." Dominic looked at Benjamin Berkshire, his noble family''s butler, and shook his head. "Benjamin you worry too much. It was the polite thing to do. Father said that to be a knight in the future, I must treat all maidens fairly and kindly." Hearing the ten year old''s response, Benjamin''s face softened and he couldn''t help but think how well his Young Master had grown up to be. "I see, I see. We''ll reach the Hillwood Village in ten minutes and I''ll try to find an inn. Then we''ll head off tomorrow." Dominic nodded and he closed his eyes, soothing his growing headache. Meanwhile the moment Xiao Yunhua saw Ingrid was the moment that the old woman exploded. "Juliet Marilla Eleanor! How dare you be out at such a late time! Do you have any idea how worried we¡ªI was? What were you doing anyways?" Xiao Yunhua wanted to open her mouth to explain the reason of being out in the forest at such a late time, but instead took the scolding with her head bowed. Juliet had always remained quiet if she was being yelled at, so she couldn''t go against that behavior. Seeing her silence, Ingrid''s eyes softened and she immediately picked up on the story. "Did it have something to do with Evelyn?" No response meant a yes for Ingrid. Her face contorted into anger, "Why I ought to tell that little girl to set limits and boundaries¡ª" "You can''t." A small hand grabbed her arm, tugging at it. Ingrid looked back at Juliet, only to see her meekly shaking her head. "Please, just let it go." Of course the old woman knew that the real reason Juliet didn''t want for her to tell Evelyn was because Juliet was afraid of trouble. Not just for herself, but for Ingrid too. So with a sigh, both the old woman and Juliet ser back for the village on foot, reaching it fifteen minutes later. Xiao Yunhua finally saw mattress and fell down, exhausted from all the events that had happened that day. She shifted uncomfortably, only to realize that her mattress was filled with straw, hurting her back. Ah, she missed the modern times with her sweet, comfy bed! She tossed and turned until she finally fell asleep, only to be woken a few hours later by Ingrid, telling her that she needed to begin her daily chores... 153 2.1.4: The Illegitimate Daughter Even though Xiao Yunhua overheard that Dominic would stay at an inn, she was still disappointed to find out that he left quickly after their meeting in the next day. Xiao Yunhua was sure he had forgotten her so everything went back to normal, including the little village that was buzzing with the fervor that a nobleman had stayed at their inn. A week later, Xiao Yunhua had thoroughly adjusted to Juliet''s life. The life consisted of holding back her tongue from snapping back at Evelyn, doing chores...and more chores! Her precious technology, phone, books, novels, movies, magazines, everything did not exist here. Xiao Yunhua never realized how much she had taken those everyday things for granted. Other than her chores, she was dying of boredom! Speaking of chores, she had made a schedule to which she finished them quickly in the beginning to have free time. But Evelyn quickly noticed and made sure to give her more to occupy her time. So instead, now she spread out her chores evenly without showing Evelyn she had spare time. Plus it helped ease her boredom a little bit. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The other kids in the village had tried to invite her to play a few times, but as Juliet was shy, she declined. Instead, Evelyn took the liberty to go in her stead, ''doing her a favor'' as the spoiled girl said. Even Ingrid didn''t nag at her much after her first day in this world because she didn''t mess up much. Xiao Yunhua wanted to sneak to the capital of GKY¡ªwhich was called Verglas because of its chilly winters¡ªbecause her target''s family lived there. But she saw the realistic sense of her situation: she was seven, a peasant, and poor. Most importantly, she was a girl. This wasn''t the modern times where she could get a job¡ªas a teenager¡ªor go to school...this was a time where women were considered inferior and couldn''t do anything that would be deemed too much for their ''fragile'' selves. So that was out of the question and she was stuck, waiting for an opportunity to present itself. And one month later, it did. The news spread that the Duke of Warrington had been attacked and his only daughter, Vivienne Rosalind Warrington, had been killed in the process. The Warrington Household had been devastated with the news and it had spread so far and wide that it reached their small village. In reality, Xiao Yunhua didn''t care and neither did anyone else in the village. But exactly a week after the incident, the Warrington Household sent a carriage to Hillwood Village and stunned the villagers when it stopped in front of where Evelyn lived at. All three ladies¡ªIngrid, Evelyn and Juliet¡ªwere frozen as they came out and saw the majestic emblem of the Warrington Clan proudly displayed in front of them. A proud man came out and looked at the three of them in displeasure and a hint of arrogance. He introduced himself as Alistair Ainsworth, the Butler of the Warrington Household. People had already started to gather and soon enough, practically everyone in their small village had gathered over to watch. He pulled out a letter, wax-sealed with the exclusive symbol of the Warrington that could only be used by the Duke himself. Xiao Yunhua suddenly got a bad feeling and her dread turned out to be for good reason once Alistair began to speak. "By the order of His Grace, the Duke of Warrington, Miss Evelyn Warring is to assume her true identity as a Lady of Warrington under her real name, Lady Violetta Charlotte Warrington, the daughter of Duke of Warrington." He paused and allowed the words to sink in. The other people with him did not dare raise their heads and obediently stood by the carriage. As for Alastair, he briefly looked towards them and didn''t bother with them again. He found all three irrelevant, including the daughter. He was surprised to see two identical girls with long, blonde hair but didn''t care to distinguish which was which. As everyone realized the meaning of his words, whispers broke out and the three people that the words were said in front of had three different expressions. Ingrid looked worried because the Duke had finally exposed his relationship with Evelyn and how she was his second daughter; his illegitimate daughter. Evelyn was beyond happy to know that she had the status of a Duke''s daughter, but she didn''t know she was an illegitimate one. Neither did she know the cruel standing she was holding as an illegitimate daughter because she was too young. All she figured was that she would now get money and anything she wanted. As for Xiao Yunhua, she was shocked and a bit scared. The little tyrant was also so annoying without her backing being exposed...imagine her life as a Duke''s daughter. However, the more Xiao Yunhua thought, the more she began to figure out that Evelyn was probably not welcome too much; seeing how the Duke had hidden her away for so long. If it hadn''t been the news of the first daughter¡ªthe legitimate daughter¡ªpassing away, then would Evelyn ever have this chance to enter the capital and take the status as Violetta? But as much as it brought Xiao Yunhua dread, it also meant that she now had a chance to get to Verglas without hurting her head to think of a method. She had already wasted enough time here in the village; no matter what, she had to make Evelyn take ''Juliet'' with her to the capital. Which wouldn''t be hard seeing how Evelyn loved to make life a living hell for her and couldn''t let go of her servant. Ingrid saw that Alastair was growing annoyed with Evelyn''s dumbfounded look and nudged her with her shoulder, telling her to accept the order. Evelyn accepted and sloppily curtsied, earning a dissatisfied look from Alastair. The rest of the people got over their stupor and left, cursing what rotten luck the little tyrant had to be so lucky in her life. Ingrid offered hospitality to Alastair and the rest of the crew that came with him, but they disdainfully looked at the home with their noses scrunched up in disgust. Instead, they decided to sleep in the inn and allowed for the three ladies to pack. By the next day, they were ready and set off to the capital. The letter was with Evelyn''s hands because she cherished it so much for changing her life and finally giving her a family. However, Ingrid has convinced her to let her keep the letter because she was much more responsible. Evelyn didn''t want to, but she did it anyways because she didn''t want her irresponsibility to lead to her stupidity and destroy her chances... 154 2.1.5: Bandits Verglas, the capital of GKY, was actually a longer distance than Xiao Yunhua expected. It seemed like Hillwood Village was thoroughly isolated from the kingdom, otherwise it wouldn''t have taken so long to reach it. Alastair had seen their exhaustion and¡ªsurprisingly¡ªpatiently told them that the capital was a little further away meaning they had a few more hours before they arrived. The carriage was slowly going forward and Xiao Yunhua felt her legs go numb from sitting for so long. Luckily, Evelyn also felt uncomfortable and yelled out, "Stop!" Alastair didn''t want to stop but she yelled again and he finally stopped the carriage and cleared his throat. "Miss Evelyn, is there a problem?" She hadn''t properly been admitted into the Warrington Clan so Alastair didn''t show her any respect or care. "I need to stretch my legs, I''m really tired. Let''s take a brief break." Xiao Yunhua thought Alastair was going to decline her request, but oddly, he accepted and told the entourage to stop. Evelyn haughtiness intensified as she thought he was scared of her and her newfound identity. In reality, she failed to realize that there was a darker and deeper ploy at play. As all three of them got out, Evelyn turned to Ingrid and Juliet and commanded, "Go out and fetch some wood to start a fire because I''m cold." "But it''ll be dark soon and I don''t think Mr. Alastair wants us to be separated." Ingrid tried to reason, but that only made Evelyn more rebellious. "Did you not hear me? Go or else I''ll tell Alastair to abandon you both here and let you starve to death!" Evelyn was making sure her authority was clear and evident, especially with Alastair''s silence that gained her more confidence. Then again, the butler found her rambling annoying and tuned her out and didn''t pay attention, so he didn''t hear anything otherwise he would''ve objected because it went against the plan. So Ingrid and Juliet were forced to go a little deeper into the forest to find some suitable twigs and wood to start a temporary fire. The moment they were far enough, Ingrid began to complain. "Just imagine how horrendous her behavior will be once we arrive and she assumes her identity. Juliet, I can handle it since I''m old, but you dear...I think you should leave whenever you''ve made enough money. Oh but you will probably stay there until you grow old too..." Ingrid sighed and Xiao Yunhua wanted to tell her that she wasn''t going to stay and work forever, but the shy Juliet didn''t have the courage to defend herself in any way. She could only nod and continue to scavenge for more wood. They suddenly heard footsteps and both felt afraid, so they knelt down and and overheard a few people talking. "It''s been done?" A man they didn''t recognize asked as he was dressed completely in black. Along with the rest of the people there. "Yes, we ''robbed'' and ''killed'' like we were supposed to. We should be getting plenty of gold soon." Another man, presumably their leader, spoke with glee. Robbed and killed...? Xiao Yunhua couldn''t help but think the worst and Ingrid gave her a look, meaning don''t move and don''t panic. "You left the old guy alive right? Injured yes, but Her Grace would kill us if we harmed him too." Her Grace could only refer to the Duchess! How sinister for her to plot to kill a seven year old along with the Warrington servants purely out of her pettiness. Did she really not want the Duke''s second daughter to enter the household? "Shush! You idiot, no indication of her should be given! We should be going back now." The footsteps lessened until they were out of sight and sound of Ingrid and Juliet. "D-Did that just happen?" Ingrid turned to a stuttering Juliet who looked like an alarmed rabbit. "Juliet... We must pretend we heard nothing and go back to the carriage." Ingrid knew it wasn''t the safest option, but it was their only option. They had no money so they couldn''t just leave. Besides, they needed to see if someone else had accidentally been left alive. But unfortunately for them, they only saw a roaring fire where the carriage used to be. Ingrid''s eyes filled with tears. Yes Evelyn was a little devil, but Ingrid was an old woman who was very sympathetic. And Evelyn was only a seven year old who didn''t have parents to teach her well. Ingrid turned to see small Juliet and didn''t want to lose this one either. She gripped the letter with her and spoke. "Juliet, you must listen to what I''m about to say..." Xiao Yunhua turned to her and the woman''s words shocked her. "This letter right here can prove that you are...Violetta." Did the death of Evelyn cause this old woman to go crazy!? "I know that what we are going to pull is the craziest stunt and we might be executed for doing it...however, we have no choice on the matter. This is the only way to save the both of us. Yes we can get away, but we have no money or shelter. And if they investigate, they can find out that we''re alive and we can be implicated with their death. Juliet, I''m being selfish for your future...you must agree." Xiao Yunhua wanted to roll her eyes. Selfish for Juliet''s future or for her own gain? But she had lost her chance to get close to her mission as a servant because of Evelyn''s death...Xiao Yunhua sighed. Looks like she''ll be pretending to be someone else in this world too. She thought she could just simply use this body''s name without hassle, but alas, reality was cruel. She nodded and reached out for the letter, taking it. Meanwhile, the bandits were heading back to their camp and one of them had actually taken the unconscious Evelyn to the camp, shocking the leader. "Why did you bring her here? Weren''t you supposed to kill her!" The leader had divided each task for each bandit to do and this one was supposed to kill the little girl. The bandit shook his head, "I couldn''t." The leader took a dagger and aimed it for the girl and before the bandit could react, pierced her arm. Blood spluttered everywhere and the pain finally woke her up. She cried in pain to the point the leader dropped the dagger and told them to treat her. As her arm was being treated, she turned to the leader and asked, "Who are you?" Before the leader had a chance to respond, she continued, "Who am I?" 155 2.1.6: Arriving in Verglas It turned out that Alastair had purposely led them away, which is why the carriage took so long to reach the capital. They didn''t have horses nor did they have any money to get horses, so they had to strive on foot. They wandered long enough until they found a couple of people who directed them to the correct direction of Verglas. Apparently the road to the capital was much longer on foot. Xiao Yunhua saw how skinny Juliet was originally before all this happened, she couldn''t even imagine how skinny she looked now that she was walking and barely had any food. Barely as in they had to beg for a loaf of bread because they were so poor. They finally reached the capital and Xiao Yunhua was amazed to see the eccentric place. Many people with different jobs wandered everywhere and were selling random things from the east. Some of the things she saw were considered cheap in the east but the merchants proudly displayed them as an expensive, foreign treasure. Her sky-blue eyes glanced around and noticed that they weren''t the only ones who looked unclean and poor. Just like the peasants who worked or the merchants who sold, there were beggars who begged. Ingrid saw how chaotic the capital was and gripped Juliet''s hand firmly, giving her a look of reassurance. They had finally arrived at Verglas, now, it was only a matter of finding the Warrington Household and telling them that their ''daughter'' had survived. Xiao Yunhua''s stomach grumbled but the sound was muffled by the loudness of the capital. Ingrid scurried around¡ªher hand still holding Juliet''s hand tightly so to not lose her¡ªand asked for directions. She was finally answered by a few people who told her that the Duke of Warrington was very hostile, especially to peasants that tried to loiter around their large mansion. Ingrid paid them no heed because she had a jewel that couldn''t be ignored, no matter how hostile they were. They walked a little further until the majestic mansion of the main branch of the Warrington Clan. It looked so towering that Xiao Yunhua had to raise her head to see the full view. As her eyes examined its surroundings, Xiao Yunhua noticed a huge castle not far off from the mansion. If it looked so big from afar, she couldn''t picture how big the castle was from close by. The guards of the mansion saw them approaching and their faces shifted into hostility, just like they were warned. "Dirty beggars, the Duke''s mansion isn''t somewhere for you to loiter or beg either. Be off quickly or else you will be in trouble." One if them said, reaching for his sword to scare them off. Ingrid didn''t flinch and took out the letter, boldly showing them the wax seal on it. The guards'' eyes went wide when they realized what it was. Of course they recognized the emblem of the Duke, they worked there for so long! But even if they didn''t work, who didn''t recognize the Duke''s emblem? He was the only user and it would be passed to the inheriting successor, as it had been for generations. "H-How did you get that?" The tone of arrogance had shifted to a stutter. Ingrid narrowed her eyes and told them to bring them to the Duke. "Even if you have a letter with his wax symbol, you cannot demand to see the Duke so easily." The other guard spoke for the first time. He spoke much more cautiously than the first one, learning his lesson. "What if the Duke''s daughter is here?" The guards froze and finally looked at the girl next to Ingrid properly. She was very skinny and small, her face dirty too. If they hadn''t heard it from this woman''s mouth, they would''ve never believed that this was the Duke''s daughter. In fact, they just couldn''t believe this was the Duke''s daughter. Who would believe such nonsense despite the letter? Didn''t the Duke''s daughter die already? Since they were just guards, they weren''t informed that the illegitimate young miss of the Warrington Household was going to appear, so they didn''t believe it. They wanted to shoo them away, but in the end, the sensible guard of the two went inside to let someone know. Even if their words weren''t believable, they still had a letter with the wax seal of the Duke. It was better to let someone else handle it. 156 2.1.7: Reclaiming Her Identity The guard that went inside saw the recovering Alistair scolding a servant. Despite being a bit injured from being ambushed by bandits, Alistair was still full of vitality and made sure his authority wasn''t forgotten. After his experience with the bandits, it seemed like the Duchess'' main lackey had gained more confidence and become more tyrannical. No one dared to oppose him either since he did have a big backing for his reign of terror. What Ingrid and Xiao Yunhua had seen was just his haughty aspect of his personality. He was very cruel and most servants considered him as a tyrant but couldn''t complain in fear of offending the Duchess. "Mr. Ainsworth," The guard spoke politely, fearing the butler''s wrath. As expected, Alistair turned to the guard with fierce eyes at being interrupted and dismissed the servant, who looked at the guard with relieved eyes. "there is someone here with a letter sealed with the symbol of the Duke, claiming that the Duke''s daughter is here." When Alistair heard his words, he paled. Didn''t the bandits say they killed everyone when he woke up? He specifically asked about the little girl who was the reason he had to go to such a rural and disgusting village. They had confirmed she was dead, so who was this person? He couldn''t wait to see who dared to claim to have ties with the Duke of Warrington! He wanted to follow the guard outside but then suddenly had a devious idea. He was going to make them pay for interrupting him. He ushered for one of the servants to tell the Duchess and Duke that an emergency had happened and that they needed to be in the main room. Of course, Alistair never had the guts to summon his superiors, but out of his petty revenge and since it was such a serve issue, he did. Besides, this would further solidify his loyalty to the Duchess that he took care of what she wanted. He went to the main room of the mansion meant for taking specific guests in, knowing that such a hassle would probably make them even angrier. As the Duchess and Duke sat down in their respective seats, they looked at Alistair curiously for telling them that an emergency was happening. He quickly explained that someone was claiming to be the Duke''s daughter, which caused them two different reactions. The Duke was shocked because he had assumed that the daughter had died and he would never see her again after her birth. He was a bit relieved because she was his daughter, despite her peasant bloodline and unfamiliarity with him. As for the Duchess, she was calm but her eyes gave away her true feelings. She glared at Alistair, who was calm and motioned for her to not worry. Getting the hint, she wondered what game the butler was playing now. It was certainly going to be amusing, possibly in a punishment for whoever claimed to be the daughter. She hated dirtying her hands to hire bandits to kill someone, especially a child, but she couldn''t allow her precious Vivienne to suffer in heaven by being replaced with the daughter of a peasant. The illegitimate daughter that she did not know existed until her husband saw how much she was grieving over the fact that her daughter died. He assumed that revealing his infidelity would make her happy, but it caused her to harbor a bit of resentment. But despite her minor feelings of guilt, she would still do it again because her Vivienne didn''t deserve to be disrespected by a village peasant. Her eyes turned to the door where the servant guided in an old woman and a very dirty and malnourished girl. She narrowed her eyes at the little girl who shyly averted her eyes and bowed her head. "Greetings to Your Graces," Ingrid politely spoke. The Duke dismissed the formalities and he began to recognize her as the woman he assigned to watch over his daughter seven years ago, albeit looking much more aged. His eyes turned to the little girl and he felt his heart hurt over how small she appeared. Seven years ago, he had no choice in sending her away in fear of her life. Now, he had already lost his first daughter so he would make sure to protect his only other daughter. Alistair interrupted her and explained that she was claiming that the little girl was the daughter. He then explained that he had already seen the dead body of the girl, so these two were most likely swindlers who had gotten their hands on the letter. Ingrid kneeled and began to cry. "Your Grace, my name is Ingrid Abbot, the woman you told to watch over your daughter seven years ago in Hollywood Village." The Duke''s eyes recognized her even more and nodded, asking to see the letter. Alistair froze. He hadn''t expected for her to be personally assigned by the Duke! It seemed like the little girl really was the daughter! He felt the Duchess'' eyes burning a hole in his head and he gulped. "But then who was the girl I saw?" Alistair snapped anxiously. "Mr. Ainsworth, that was merely a servant girl that was named Juliet who had been planning to come with us, but unfortunately met her demise. She was the same age as the Young Miss, hence it''s understandable that you had mistaken her to be dead." Ingrid was very patient in her explanation to Alistair. The more she spoke, the more he realized that he had screwed up the mission by the Duchess. He made a mental note to contact the bandits again, but he didn''t know that the bandits had purposely made sure to disappear. After all, they had went against the mission for their money and the girl was alive. If the powerful person who hired them found out, then they could only await death. Unfortunately for Alistair, he didn''t recognize Xiao Yunhua as Juliet. If only he had treated his mission more seriously and taken a proper look at Evelyn, then he would''ve easily been able to refute Ingrid''s lies. As for Xiao Yunhua, she turned her eyes and they met a pair of cold and unfriendly eyes. She realized that she was looking at a very regal face that belonged to a woman in her thirties who had long, black hair and green eyes. Based on the way she dressed and by sitting next to the Duke, Xiao Yunhua realized that this was the woman who had tried to hire bandits to commit the murder. As for the man next to her, he looked very similar to Evelyn in terms of his blonde hair. However, his eyes were blue, similar to Juliet''s. It seemed like the original Evelyn had inherited her facial features from her mother, including her brown eye color, but her hair color from her dad. But for Juliet, she looked pretty similar to the Duke with her blonde hair and blue eyes and average features, so that also helped eradicate any future suspicions upon her. "Violetta... come here." The Duke kindly said. He wanted to see her up close, but then her stench hit his nose and he finally registered her dirtiness. He ushered for servants to go and clean both Juliet and Ingrid. The matter that Alistair had hoped would be entertaining had only led to the realization that he had failed his mission. As well as the wrath of the Duchess who was still glaring at him. "Make sure she is dressed and cleaned properly by supper time." The Duke ordered and disappeared back in his study to work on some documents. The remaining people slowly disappeared too, including the fuming Duchess that had a terrified Alistair following her. The couple of servants that were still there told Xiao Yunhua and Ingrid to follow them... 157 2.1.8: Custom for a Daughter to Learn When Xiao Yunhua was cleaned by the servants, she felt that they were scrubbing her body a little too hard during her bath. Her suspicions were further increased when she saw the look of contempt on their faces. It seemed like the illegitimate daughter was even below a servant! They looked at and regarded her like she was trash, unworthy of being in their attention and care. Seeing how the Duchess despised her, it was a given why the servants didn''t like her either. They had already chosen their side and knew that an insignificant bastard wouldn''t and couldn''t survive for long. As she got out of the bath, she felt her skin burn and her arms were red from being overwhelmed. She wanted to curse them but realized she would be out of character. However, her eyes widened when she realized Ingrid was not there. So, she turned around and gave an intimidating glare to the servants who froze. How did a seven year old harbor such a cold glare? Thus, when they dressed her, they were much more gentle and made sure to take care without being too rough. She was dressed in somewhat luxurious clothes, but Xiao Yunhua knew that the daughter of a Duke household could easily¡ªand was supposed to¡ªget more extravagant clothes. Nonetheless, she would slowly make sure to tame these servants to avoid Ingrid''s suspicions if she did it too suddenly. She was escorted by the servants to the dining room, where she met Ingrid on her way. The old woman looked to be much cleaner as she wore new clothes. They were still the clothes of a servant, but in much condition than her clothes that she wore when they traveled to the capital. She wanted to ask if Ingrid wanted to come with them, but suddenly realized that she couldn''t open her mouth because the servants next to her shot a glare at Ingrid, reminding her to not be on their way. Xiao Yunhua realized that albeit Ingrid came with her, she would probably be a servant here. Only she would truly experience a different life...however, but the way things were going, it seemed like her life would possibly be more difficult than a servant. She snickered. At least she wouldn''t be ordered around by a little tyrant! Though she felt guilty being here in her stead. But she had no time for pity, she was on a mission! With that thought, she straightened her back and walked with a good posture, surprisingly the servants. They didn''t think a village-raised daughter knew how to walk elegantly. Perhaps she had some hope after all. When she reached the dining room, she noticed everyone already sitting, waiting for someone. Xiao Yunhua realized that they were waiting for her! Her eyes flickered around the room and noticed that servants, including Alistair, were obediently waiting at the corners of the room, trying to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible. They were there to make sure that during dinner, their masters didn''t need or lack anything while making sure to not disturb them. She noticed a young boy who didn''t look older than ten years old with ebony-black hair and a pair of green eyes¡ªstrikingly simular to the Duchess¡ªwho stared at her. His gaze didn''t harbor resentment nor curiosity. He was just cold and looked at her like she was just a stranger. A small smile appeared on his face. It was magnanimous, like he was doing her a favor by smiling at her despite being her superior. His behavior was much older than his actual age should''ve behaved like. By his similar appearance to the Duchess, she could only assume that he was her son. Xiao Yunhua immediately marked him as someone she should avoid. Her earlier hunch had been correct when he had been introduced as her older brother, Augustine Maximus Warrington, the only son and heir of the Warrington Clan. Her ''father'' tried to engage her in conversations but soon realized that his daughter was not very talkative, surprisingly against the rumors he heard about while she was in the village. As she the Duchess, she didn''t even look at Xiao Yunhua, treating her like air. Her son followed along with his mother and ignored her too. Their attitudes were evident that she was not welcome, not that Xiao Yunhua cared. She didn''t need to be hindered by a fake family anyways. She picked at her peas, a bit disgusted by the lack of flavor. Yes there was much more food than she had ever seen ever since she transmigrated to this world, but it wasn''t tasty. Unfortunately, it was accurate because there weren''t much flavor or spices in the world, Europe particularly, except maybe in Asia. Alas, Xiao Yunhua didn''t study history too much so she wasn''t sure. However, if GKY had such food, did that mean the country with the spices and delicacies was Ayrelie? But wouldn''t there be trade between the two countries? She shook her head and cleared her thoughts. She shouldn''t worry too much about politics or such unless she was in the midst of it. Right now, she was just a seven year old daughter who had to worry about a nobleman''s son. She didn''t realize that they had stared at her shaking her head and found her a bit odd. It was a good thing that they assumed it was her behavior from the village, otherwise, Xiao Yunhua would have a hard time explaining her antics. Towards the end of the dinner, Xiao Yunhua wanted to excuse herself, but the Duke spoke again. "Violetta, it is custom for a noble daughter to go to another family to learn etiquette and such beginning with the age of seven¡ª" "Your Grace, you must not." The Duchess coldly interrupted. "Such is only for the pure-blooded of the noble clans. Surely you jest and aren''t serious about..." her sentence faltered but everyone had already filled in the gaps of what she was going to say. Surely not an illegitimate bastard. "Well, how else do you think she must be raised?" The Duke coldly refuted his wife. He had obviously noticed her dislike towards Violetta and thought she wouldn''t be so harsh on a child, but clearly he hoped she would grow out of her petty phase. It seems like this wasn''t the case yet. "Seeing how the noble household had only prepared for Vi..." The Duchess'' choked on her words and her eyes filled with tears. She cleared her throat and continued, "for Vivienne, then we mustn''t disrespect them and send another. The only solution is to learn here." There were some audible snickers from the servants, but it wasn''t clear who. What was clear was what the Duchess was suggesting. She wasn''t going to let the illegitimate daughter make connections nor have a proper upbringing. She would isolate the girl. The Duke didn''t want to agree, but he was sure his wife would keep pressing about the issues of ''proper rules'' hence he could only sigh and silently agree. Education was education, no matter where it was learned. Xiao Yunhua didn''t understand why it mattered so much, but based on their reactions, apparently it mattered a little too much. The Duchess was clearly doing all this in spite of her daughter, not just her husband having a secret child with someone else. It seems like the Duchess valued her daughter a lot. Xiao Yunhua wanted to feel pity for her, but couldn''t feel pity for someone who orchestrated the murder of a child to help the case of her dead one. Thus, after that decision, the dinner had ended on a sour note as everyone went back to their respective rooms... 158 2.1.9: Delusions of a Drunken Mother When Xiao Yunhua was escorted to her room, she immediately noticed that it was a bit plain and lacked decorations, as though someone had purposely made it look boring for someone of her status. They had failed to realize, however, that Xiao Yunhua had been living on a straw mattress and this was a much better improvement. Who cares if it wasn''t super decorated? The bed was much more comfortable than straw and that''s all that was important. Yes the actual Evelyn might''ve thrown a fit, but she didn''t care. She just want to finally be able to close her eyes on a comfy bed and have a peaceful sleep. The servants had helped change her to a soft nightgown that came to her knees, so she wasn''t lacking comfort there either. Unfortunately, Xiao Yunhua couldn''t sleep no matter how much she tossed and turned on the new bed. It wasn''t her that was uncomfortable, but the actual body of Juliet had been living seven years on something else, hence why it had trouble adjusting. She finally stood up and opened the door to quietly tiptoe to the kitchen for some warm milk. Steadily, she went through the dark hallways and tried to find a servant or the kitchen. She hadn''t been given a guide for the kitchen, so she just wandered around until she saw a room with light. It seemed like someone hadn''t blown out the candles and was still awake. But which servant dared to be up at such a time? Curiosity got the best of her and she peeled through the door, only to be stunned at the sight. The cold Duchess was kneeling, sobbing her eyes out. Xiao Yunhua noticed that she was looking at the picture of a young girl who didn''t look to be older than seven or eight years old with blonde hair and blue eyes. She resembled Juliet and the Duke, so they could''ve passed for fraternal twins. Xiao Yunhua automatically assumed that this was the infamous legitimate daughter that she had been hearing about, Vivienne Rosalind Warrington. She looked pretty, unlike the average features that Juliet and Evelyn both had. The Duchess was crying as she reminisced about her dead daughter, the one who she had treated as the apple of her eye. She couldn''t forgiven those creatures for taking her daughter away from her and for attacking them. The Duchess had even wanted to ask the Duke to get the king to employ the BD Hunters, but her husband had said that they couldn''t spread the issue to the public. Hence, she was forced bite down the injustice against her daughter and not even give her a proper funeral. Her Vivienne demised thanks to those disgusting things and she wanted revenge. But as she was powerless, she couldn''t do anything about her revenge yet. Instead, she had chosen to drink wine and get a bit drunk. It wasn''t proper for a noble lady such as herself to do such a degrading thing, but she had no other solutions to drown away her sorrows. The Duchess was heartbroken and drunk, but her senses hadn''t dulled too much. So when she heard a small movement by the door, she immediately turned her attention to whoever was and commanded for the person to come in. The Duchess'' green eyes were shocked to find her daughter stumble inside, hesitantly and cautiously. "Vivi? Vivi my dear, you''re alive!" The Duchess stood up and rushed over to Juliet''s side, hugging her tightly. "Mother missed you so much. How dare you wander off and make me worry. You wouldn''t want to sully your reputation, would you?" The Duchess sensed the person that she was hugging had stiffened, so she eased her tone and patted her head gently. "Don''t worry Vivi. No matter what trouble you get in, mother will save you." Xiao Yunhua wanted to cry. How did she manage to get herself in this mess? The Duchess reeked of alcohol, so it was no wonder that she had mistaken her daughter for Juliet, especially with their similar physical features. The Duchess that had treated her like air and had wanted to murder the original Evelyn was not holding onto her like she was a precious treasure. "D-Duchess, I''m not¡ª" "Vivi, nobody is here. Don''t keep any formalities and call me mother like always." The Duchess gently scolded. "You made us all worry when you disappeared. Your father," her eyes shifted into anger, "he didn''t want to use his authority to get the king to avenge you. How dare those filthy creatures attack you!" The Duchess'' warm tears fell on Xiao Yunhua''s face, "It''s a good thing you''re home. You came at a great time... your father''s infidelity was also exposed and he actually had a hidden bastard. Vivi, he wanted to use that little girl to replace you!" The grip on Xiao Yunhua clenched harder, hurting the small body of Juliet. "As long as I''m here, I won''t let anyone threaten your position. You''ll marry the crown prince and become the future queen of GKY. Mother will make sure of it." "Duchess, please let me go. You have the wrong person." This woman was so drunk and arrogant! She was promising the seat of the queen so easily? Didn''t all the noble families strive for the highest honor for their daughters? What made the Duchess so sure that it could belong to her...or more specifically, Vivienne? "Wrong person...?" The Duchess softly mumbled, her hazy eyes looking at Xiao Yunhua again. The look in her eyes turned hard and she pushed Juliet away in disgust. "How dare you pretend to be Vivienne? Guards¡ª" Before she had the chance to utter for the guards, the Duchess had finally reached her limit from the dizziness of the alcohol and fainted. Xiao Yunhua huffed a sigh and pulled her to the bed. All this commotion and none of the servants had bothered to check up on their Duchess? It seemed like she had to do everything herself! Despite her small frame, the Duchess was actually much more heavy than she led on. Or maybe Xiao Yunhua had trouble because she was in the body of a malnourished seven year old, but in the end, she finally got her on the bed. She breathed hard and blew out the light of the candle, leaving silently. She had long forgotten about her mission of finding warm milk to fall asleep and used her photographic memory to find her way back to her room. Once she found it, her body hit the bed and she fell dead asleep. Any thoughts of comfort had flown out the window as the day''s exhaustion had finally hit her. 159 2.1.10: The Duchess’ Personal Studen The next morning, Xiao Yunhua was woken up by the servants who ushered her to get dressed quickly to eat breakfast with the rest of the family. They assumed that she was dumb enough to think of this as concern, but Xiao Yunhua was much more intelligent than an actual seven year old. Obviously they woke her up late because they wanted to make her look bad. Most likely, these were the instructions of someone... The Duchess? Xiao Yunhua shook her head. No, the woman was too drunk to think of this petty antic. She dressed simply and headed down for breakfast, the rest of the people already being there and eating comfortably. They didn''t look at her and she avoided eye contact too. Mindlessly, she ate her eggs and glanced at the silent Duchess who didn''t look like she was giving her the time of day. Xiao Yunhua was relieved that the woman didn''t remind her drunken behavior and didn''t say anything about it. She preferred to be left alone anyways. Despite not paying attention, she noticed the Duke silently motioning for the Duchess to speak. They looked at each other before the cold Duchess opened her mouth and spoke. "V...Violetta," this was the first time that her name¡ªany name¡ªhad come out of the cold Duchess'' mouth. She thought she was going to be ignored forever...unfortunately, that wasn''t the case. "I will be teaching you." The servants that were serving the breakfast froze, including a shaken Alistair who only coughed and continued to do his work. Clearly, everyone except the Duke were stunned, like Augustine who looked like he wanted to have an outburst but was prevented by his mother''s stern look. The most shaken one of them all was Xiao Yunhua¡ªor more necessarily, ''Juliet.'' She knew that the Duchess wasn''t doing this out of good will, especially not after her attempt to hire bandits to commit murder. She couldn''t decline nor disagree so she stayed quiet and allowed the Duchess to continue speaking. "I believe that since you''re the...only daughter of this household, you must have a proper education to represent us and I cannot allow outsiders to teach you the rules. I will personally make sure to enforce them for you to learn the etiquettes and correct ways of a lady." The Duchess was calm and collected, not allowing anyone to see the true expression in her eyes. However, Xiao Yunhua knew that there was something going on. So she was forced to agree since she didn''t have any choice in the first place. "Many thanks to the Duchess." Xiao Yunhua said politely, looking in the eyes of the Duchess. She nodded and asked for the servants to bring in her tea. The rest of the breakfast went by uneventfully and Xiao Yunhua zoned out most of the conversation. They weren''t trying to include her anyways, so her daze didn''t make much a difference. She suddenly felt a pair of eyes on her, so as she raised her head, the Duchess'' green eyes met hers. The cold Duchess had finally revealed an emotion, and it was an emotion that Xiao Yunhua couldn''t figure out. She really wanted to know what she was thinking to personally teach the daughter of her husband''s affair. Had she gone crazy or was she still drunk? Unfortunately, the Duchess was neither crazy with this decision nor drunk and her true intentions would be exposed much later, taking a toll on Xiao Yunhua. As Xiao Yunhua excused herself, she declined for the servants to escort her back and walked on her own. She walked until she was behind the mansion, where she saw Ingrid, sweating from exhaustion after washing clothes in a large tub. Next to her was a large stick that she was proceeding to use to beat the ones that were already hanging. Xiao Yunhua raised her hand to help out of habit, but the old woman noticed and gave her stern look. She turned around to the other servants and said that the new lady was ushering to speak with her, so she excused herself and paused her work. Ingrid and Juliet walked side by side outside as the old woman sighed. Once they were far away from the rest of the people¡ªalbeit guards were close by¡ªIngrid spoke. "Juliet, what are you doing here?" "I came to look for you. Ingrid, she wants to teach me..." Juliet''s eyes were filled with tears. Ingrid assumed it was from fear, but Xiao Yunhua knew the truth. She was crying out of frustration. If she were to learn the etiquettes of a noble young lady, it would take years! Which meant her points would possibly be deducted to being half again. But the pure Juliet could only cry out of ''fear'' in front of Ingrid. The old servant glanced at her with pity. Maybe it wasn''t worth coming in the lion''s den, but had they been caught escaping from the scene, it would be death. "You have to endure. Eventually, you''ll be able to marry into a good noble clan and live your life comfortably." Ingrid didn''t suggest to leave because it was impossible now. All she could suggest was going with the flow and learning under the guidance of the devil. "But I''m..." not really Violetta and a daughter born out of wedlock. Xiao Yunhua wasn''t na?ve like an actual seven year old. So she knew the realistic aspect of her future as an illegitimate daughter. She cleared her throat and nodded innocently. Man, the white lotus act is tough to keep up with sometimes. Ingrid and she spoke for a little bit longer and reminisced about their village life longer before they realized it had been thirty minutes or so and it was time for Ingrid to go back; otherwise, she would get a beating. Xiao Yunhua bid the old woman goodbye and headed back to her room, ready to be bored for the rest of the day. There really wasn''t anything entertaining to do. She wanted to go read books but she was a ''village-raised'' girl, so she couldn''t raise suspicion on her identity. So she wandered around and saw Augustine. He looked at her coldly and turned around to ignore her, but suddenly walked past her and purposely bumped into her, making her fall on the floor. She looked at him with wide eyes filled with unshed tears. He coldly humphed and said, "Don''t stand in my way next time. I assumed you were just a servant." His meaning was clear as day. He would never allow her to be anything more than a peasant in his eyes. His resentment was unnecessarily pointed at her! She wasn''t the one that caused their house to be attacked, yet he looked at her like it was her fault that the house was a mess. Before Xiao Yunhua had a chance to refute, a servant ushered for her to return to her room. She sat and waited. Then, another one of the servants came and told her that the Duchess would be there to begin her lessons in a little while. For Xiao Yunhua, this meant that the hellish trainings were ready to begin. And by the looks of how it went for every young, noble lady, it would possibly take multiple years... 160 2.1.11: Seven Years Later When Xiao Yunhua thought years, she was correct. The evil woman had locked her up for seven years, not to see the light of the outside nor actual people other than the servants. Every day, she would be giving lessons from etiquettes to how to curtesy properly to learning to read and write. Of course, since Xiao Yunhua had the mentality of an eighteen year old, it didn''t take her long to learn everything. Especially the reading and writing portion, though she had had some trouble since it was English. Even speaking it was foreign to her, but it was natural for the body was she in, so she adjusted quickly. She spoke the language very fluently and elegantly, it was hard to tell that her actual self struggled during school with it. The Duchess was surprised at her fast improvement but for her plan to be perfect, she needed the girl to be perfect. Hence, seven years of perfecting attitude, posture, behavior... it all went by in an agony for Xiao Yunhua but a flash for the Duchess. She expected the village girl to struggle, but she was doing decent. Now, at fourteen, it was impossible to discern that Juliet had grown in a village. She was every bit of a lady as those noble girls raised in the capital. Her blonde hair and grown out and her features had become a lot more developed. She had grown taller and become more mature. Her facial features...hadn''t changed much. This frustrated Xiao Yunhua but she was still continuing to look average, which defeated the point of her beauty system. Alas, Xiao Taotao reminded her that she couldn''t get a partial Beauty Boost until she succeeded with a target. She was annoyed and sure that Dominic had probably forgotten about her, or at least the little girl his carriage had almost run over. Despite finishing her training with the Duchess, the woman had ceased to allow her to go anywhere, so it was the same routine except now she wasn''t stuck learning about sitting up straight and eating like a lady. Personality wise, the fourteen year old Violetta went from reserved to cold just like the Duchess herself. It seemed to the servants that she had inherited the ways of the Duchess and her collective behavior. Even Ingrid was shocked to see the shy girl transform to a lady with no expressions. Speaking of Ingrid, she and Juliet had grown somewhat distant as the Duchess forbid for the old woman to meet Juliet in case she got distracted and wouldn''t learn properly. Xiao Yunhua was secretly relieved because she didn''t want to be attached to anyone like she was in her previous world. Though she worried that Ingrid would expose her true identity if she was reckless enough and cause them both trouble. Or if they had grown distant enough to where Ingrid didn''t care enough to keep the secret. Augustine had actually chosen to leave her alone, possibly under the threat of his mother. She was relieved that she wouldn''t be annoyed by him and he was doing his own thing. So for the duration of seven years, the amount of times she had seen him could be counted on her fingers. The Duke she saw seldom, mainly because the Duchess isolated her and he was usually busy, so that didn''t help the matter. He had pretended to be fatherly for the first week or so before forgetting he had her as a daughter. Not that she cared. He probably had an objective just like everyone she interacted with. She wasn''t going to be na?ve and allow anyone to take advance of her this time. Currently, she sat in her room, mindlessly thinking about how to finish this world quickly because she hated the lack of technology that came with it. As a novel and tv fanatic, even in her first world, she had time for self-indulgence. But it was possible that her next world wasn''t going to be modern either... meaning she had to get used to it now. She sighed and her throat itched. Ever since she was ten years old, her throat would itch unnaturally and she would get an urge to drink something to quench her thirst. It would only happen around her birthday but for some reason, after her fourteen birthday, it''s been more and more frequent. Xiao Yunhua tried to ask Xiao Taotao about the reason, but the little fairy wouldn''t budge and kept telling her that the reason was something related to Juliet''s condition. Even after wanting to use points, the little fairy wouldn''t dare. Apparently, it was too big for mere points as a compensation. Xiao Yunhua brushed it off as possibly having an incurable disease or maybe she was overthinking it. But her throat really, really was dry and itchy! She opened her mouth and yelled for a servant to bring her the coldest water she could find. The servant was used to it because the young miss had been demanding for such every year around the same time, but not as much as her recent birthday. The young miss was already fourteen, meaning her engagement was going to happen very soon, including her marriage next year. Despite her apathetic behavior, the young miss was very kind to the servants, so they had grown somewhat dependent and fond of her. They knew that if the young miss was not there, then they would go back to the tyranny of Alistair who had quieted down along the years when he had seen the Duchess take the girl under her wing. Once the servant brought the drink, Xiao Yunhua gulped it quickly and sighed in relief. Her throat was still itchy, almost like she had drank the wrong remedy, but it was significantly better than before. But as Xiao Yunhua was ready to leave the room, her throat itched again with an overwhelming thirst that brought tears to her eyes. She clenched her fists and took a deep breath, hoping it would go away. Somehow, a miracle occurred and her thirst did go away, like it had heard and obeyed her. She closed the door behind her and a servant rushed up to her, relieved to have found her. "The Duchess summons you to the main room." "Why?" "Unfortunately I do not know young miss. The Duchess just urged for you to be quick." Elegantly, Juliet raised her hand and straightened her posture, "Alright, lead the way." 161 2.1.12: First Party When she went to the main room, Xiao Yunhua saw the Duchess waiting as she calmly sipped her tea. She didn''t even acknowledge Juliet as the latter curtsied despite being alone with the Duchess. Xiao Yunhua knew that if she didn''t curtesy, then the evil woman would probably punish her by making her copy hundreds of copies of etiquettes like before. She had to make sure to be proper at every moment, or at least until she was completely sure she was alone and she could slack off. She didn''t speak nor sat down until the Duchess finally gave her an affirmative nod. "You may sit." Cautiously, trying not to slip on her dress, Xiao Yunhua sat across from the Duchess who continued to sip her tea elegantly and coldly. Politely, she was offered tea and she couldn''t deny, so she began to sip tea as well. The tea in this time period was not as tasty¡ªas it was pretty bitter, lacking sugar¡ªhowever, it wasn''t as processed as the ones in her modern world. There weren''t any unnecessary chemicals nor did the plants undergo any extraneous growing methods. It was soothing to her, especially her throat, and allowed her to forget her earlier struggle of thirst. "Violetta," the Duchess finally spoke, putting down her porcelain teacup. The tea set was easily discernible as expensive and possibly imported, it just showed how influential the House of Warrington was. "I believe you''re finally ready to come with to me a social event. You''ve completed your training and won''t be too much of a burden." Xiao Yunhua wanted to snort. If anyone heard her words, they would think she had finished training a dog. Which for the Duchess, that''s probably all she was. Instead, she remained her apathetic face and looked at the Duchess, silently urging her to continue. "The Roman Household is hosting a party in honor of their young miss'' birthday, so I''ll be taking you with me. You must try to be as socially involved as possible and introduce yourself to the other young women. Try to make as many connections as possible and don''t forget which household you hail from." The Duchess picked up her teacup again and sipped nonchalantly, "Don''t make me regret wasting all this effort on you." You must comply with the use I''ve made for you...or else I''ll kill you myself. "Yes Duchess." Juliet agreed emotionlessly, her calm eyes making the Duchess smile. It was a shame they shared no blood, for the girl was remarkably similar to her, more than her original Vivi. Yet she couldn''t forget why she trained the girl to be so similar to her, all for her Vivi. The Duchess raised her hand to dismiss her, but suddenly remembered, "Violetta, you mustn''t forget: refer to me as ''Mother'' whenever we''re in the public." Seeing Juliet nod again, the Duchess dismissed her before instructing for the servants to get her ready. On her way, Xiao Yunhua softly chuckled. Why did the Duchess want to be considered so intimate in the eyes of the public? It was obvious. To be seen as a magnanimous woman that accepted her husband''s bastard child as her own, raising her as her own. But despite all these years, the Duchess still hadn''t exposed her reason of taking Juliet under her wing. With the glint in her green eyes, Xiao Yunhua could finally guess that the woman was ready to begin with whatever use she had for her. The servants did their job meticulously and her dress was light lavender, making her look very pure yet beautiful. Her face was clear from anything and her blue eyes shined despite her cold nature. Her blonde hair was curled behind her, pinned with lilac flowers. Overall, she looked very innocent and cute. Xiao Yunhua was sure that the Duchess had purposely made sure to dress her like this, so people there would think she was harmless and just merely delicate. This took about fifteen minutes and then she was escorted to the Duchess, who was patiently waiting for her. She took one glance and the servants were relieved. Her silence was acknowledgement that they didn''t mess up her orders. Seeing the Duchess usher Violetta, the servants couldn''t fathom that the girl was once considered an unwanted bastard. In the beginning, when the Duchess was told the news about a secret child by the Duke, the woman had been angry. The servants didn''t know that the Duchess didn''t harbor any love towards the Duke hence her lack of care of her husband infidelity, so her frustration was only for her deceased daughter that was going to be rolling in her grave at being replaced so easily like this. The servants all sympathized with her because who wanted to raise the child of another woman? The child of a peasant, no less. Yet she surprised them all when she decided to take the child under her wing, to teach and to grow her. The servants had assumed it was just a joke, that the Duchess was going to just use this method to keep the girl away from high society. Yes, she was kept away, but to everyone''s amazement, she was actually taught the ways of a noble young lady by the Duchess herself. Even the Duke was astonished that his cold wife would ever do such a dubious task, even with his pressure on her. He presumed that the girl was going to be bullied, yet he couldn''t offer to help much in that case either. He couldn''t interfere in the matters of the matron of the house, hence he just silently hoped the girl wouldn''t suffer too much. He did, after all, save her from a life of filth at the village. Such a small price was worth living in luxury. However, the Duchess had behaved the opposite of his expectations. The servants, the Duke, her son didn''t know what went on in the Duchess'' mind. As the servants were lost in their ponders, she were struck back to reality with the sound of the hooves of the horses clacking on the ground, indicating that they were leaving. The couple of servants who liked the little miss silently sent a couple of prayers. They had heard about the Roman Household hosting a party, it seemed like the Duchess was going to debut the young miss to high society there. Whether or not there would be disaster purely depended on the young miss herself. It was a party in name, but even the common people knew that the nobles would try to showcase their daughters and sons for potential marriage arrangements, securing an alliance between two clans. Yes the young miss of the Roman Household would be in the spotlight, but it was all a pretense. And since the miss was from Dukedom of Warrington, it meant that she had the backbone to compete despite her impure bloodline. She also had the support of the Duchess, further instigating that her peasant blood was merely a small deal in comparison to where she hailed from. The young miss either had a storm brewing or a door opened to a brighter future... 162 2.1.13: First Party II Something she absolutely hated about this time period was their method of transportation. The carriage ride was not only bumpy¡ªseeing as they didn''t have proper grey roads¡ªit was also making her nauseous and uncomfortable. And the time here with the carriage was much longer. What she estimated to be twenty four kilometers took about three hours. When they finally arrived, Xiao Yunhua noticed the large mansion that stood before them. It wasn''t as big as the Warrington one, but it was significantly big enough to showcase their authority as a noble clan. Others had already gotten there and the decorations were far and wide for the Roman young miss. Her eyes were wide with admiration but the Duchess gave her a stern look, immediately reminding her of her position. She cleared her throat and blinked away any hints of emotion, following the Duchess elegantly to the main entrance. There were servants waiting by the main entrance, purposely stationed there to welcome the guests. Once they saw the carriage with the emblem of the Warrington Clan, they immediately scuttled around to inform the Countess that the Duchess had arrived. As the duo approached with a couple of servants behind them, the servants bowed and greeted them with the utmost respect. They had to show the Duchess respect because the Warrington''s authority was only below the royal family. The fact that the Duchess had humbled herself to come to a mere Earl residence meant either she was being kind or had a purpose. And by the sneaks they shot the girl next to her, there definitely was a purpose. The servants wanted to assume that it was her daughter, but news of her decease had spread and it had been seven years. It could only mean an adopted daughter or a distant relative...but a distant relative wouldn''t latch onto the Warrington name so shamelessly. It could only mean a daughter, but there had been no news of adoption. The servants weren''t direct with their stares, so they wouldn''t get caught. They did notice that the young girl was very delicate and looked fragile enough to break in a second. She wasn''t the most beautiful noble girl they had seen come to the party, but she was fair with her innocent aura. The lilacs enclasping her hair made her seem dainty and in need of protection, but even though they were servants, they knew that any noble daughter wasn''t in need of any protection. There was possibly another plot at hand. The announcement of the Duchess and her guest was bellowed loud enough for the other guests to immediately come and try to socialize with the Duchess. Some noticed the girl next to her, but most did not. They couldn''t believe the Duchess had come here and they could see her. They had to get on her good side, including the Roman Countess that was shamelessly pretending to be good friends. The Duchess didn''t mind because she had another purpose for the moment. She glanced at Violetta, which caused the others to glance in her direction. One of the nobles smiled pleasantly in her direction, though Xiao Yunhua could sense how fake the smile was. It was like she walked into a competition of who could outdo each other even though the star of the party, the young miss of the Roman Household, hadn''t even been in the spotlight since her ''Mother'' made an appearance. She didn''t dare to say both of them as it was obvious who they were trying to curry favor with. For the nobles, the Duchess had preferred to be in solitude to mourn for her daughter''s death the past couple of years, hence the opportunity to see her like this was too good to pass. They were astonished; however, to see another girl that looked to be her daughter''s age with her. Finally, the curiosity couldn''t be contained any longer and the Countess turned to Xiao Yunhua and smiled gently. "And who may you be, dear?" Xiao Yunhua''s eyes turned to the Duchess who gave her a look of confirmation. With a proper curtsy, she introduced herself. "My name is Violetta Charlotte Warrington from the House of Warrington. It''s an honor to meet you Countess Roman." The Countess smiled without revealing her teeth, her eyes assessing the girl before her. Her surname was from the Warrington Clan, meaning she couldn''t have been a distant relative. Maybe an adoptive daughter? No, she looked familiar to the Duke with her blonde hair and blue eyes. As a married woman, her instincts were much more astutely. She realized that despite being with the Duchess, the woman lacked any warmth in her eyes towards the young girl. Putting two and two together, her smile widened. It looked like she had some new gossip to share amongst her friends. "The honor is all mine, dear. If...the Duchess doesn''t mind, then you may as well go to the garden with the other people of your age. Liliana should be there as well." Xiao Yunhua''s eyes briefly looked in the direction of the Duchess who inaudibly gave her an agreement, so she curtsied and left as she was escorted by a servant to the garden. The Countess looked at the interaction silently and mused to herself. It seemed like the girl was on a leash for the cold woman, no feelings of affection present. Very interesting... The Countess'' violet-blue eyes turned to the Duchess, in which she shamelessly chatted with the woman like they were old friends seeing each other after a long time. Which was partially true, as the Duchess had been a friend before her marriage to the Duke of Warrington. Although the Duchess wasn''t as cold as she is now, unfortunately due to losing her daughter. It seemed like the replacement wasn''t helping the wounds on her heart. The Countess tsked softly, her mind focusing on the conversation again. It was a shame that Vivienne had lost her life so soon and at such a young age. No one knew what happened as the incident had been kept with the utmost secrecy. It was like the Warrington Household had wanted to wrap things up without properly announcing what happened that fateful night that Vivienne was presumed dead. For someone to be so bold and to attack a dukedom only below the royal family in terms of authority...well, it was possibly them. But the incident was still a mystery to this day, despite all the gossip that had been shrouded around the event. 163 2.1.14: First Party III The Countess ushered for the servants to bring in more tea and she chatted with the Duchess for a little bit longer. A little bit later, the Duchess had to excuse herself and the Countess was immediately surrounded by the nobles who were brimming with curiosity at who the Duchess had brought along. Countess Roman raised her teacup and sighed, pretending to be astonished with dread. The nobles were waiting with curiosity about who she was, so she could only oblige and tell them what she had figured out. "You mustn''t hold me accountable for we all know, I''m not the reliable when it comes to these...rumors," immediately, she had made sure to cushion her words in case something went wrong and it backfired on her. She made sure to push the blame on imaginary ''rumors'' to appease the Duchess if she were to ever find out it came from her. "but it seems like, she isn''t a second daughter." The nobles were on the edge with unlaced curiosity as they urged the Countess to continue. She smiled smugly and continued her words slowly, as though she was telling them a story and they were anxious to find out what else happened. One of the nobles couldn''t resist and voiced out, "Oh do tell us, Countess, what is the secret you''ve heard in the ''rumors'' about the girl." "Well, I''m sure you''ve all noticed how remarkably similar she is to the Duke; however she is not the second daughter." "A distant relative?" Some of the minor nobles were disappointed. They had come and hoped to see and hear some interesting news, especially by a higher aristocratic family, such as the duke, but alas, this was boring. The Countess tsked and pursed her lips, wondering why she had invited such fools. Her eyes wandered and they picked up the few that realized what she meant. Their expressions shifted into shock that such a scandal had happened and had been kept a secret for all this time. "Would a distant relative dare to carry the Warrington name and be forced upon Her Grace?" It was so silent that one could hear the soft breathing. Everyone was thrown into chaos but they couldn''t act upon their emotions. Instead, they couldn''t wait to reveal such a scandal to the outside world. Even though the Warrington Clan wasn''t in opposition with any of the nobles¡ªat least not openly¡ªthe nobles'' greed couldn''t be contained. Anything that could cause a disturbance in their reputation was worth the buzz. Yes it was punishable to defame such a high aristocrat, but these were mere rumors and they couldn''t punish everyone either. The murmurs continued until the Duchess came back, causing the people to act normal again. So many people wanted to ask if the rumors were true, but they couldn''t afford to offend her. So instead, they chatted a bit more and the Countess was back to shamelessly bothering her again. Meanwhile, Xiao Yunhua had been escorted by the servant to the garden, where she was told that the rest of the young people her age were waiting until the customs between the noble parents were over. This was weird from what she remembered in history, but then again, neither GKY nor Ayrelie existed in those historical records either. It was obvious that the countries would have their own individual customs and behaviors, such as this one. Since the mansion was much bigger on the inside than it appeared on the outside, it took about ten minutes of walking to finally reach the garden in their sights. Immediately, she noticed the crowds of people, possibly no older than eighteen, in the garden with extravagant decorations everywhere. The beauty of the flowers helped adorn for the birthday party, making it extravagant but chic. In a sense, this was like the modern world where the teenager invited many people to their birthday party. However, the only difference was that it was a temporary location and they would be going to meet with the adults later, where the actual celebration was going to be held at. As the servant opened the door for her, curious glances were shot in her direction. Even though she pretended to be calm, she was nervous. This was the chance to meet Harrison, if he was there. This would also be the chance where she would befriend people that would be quite influential in the future as they took the positions of their parents. Her sky-blue eyes scanned the area until they saw a girl with brunette curls and the same violet-blue eyes as the Countess. With elegant and small steps, she walked over and curtsied, receiving one back from the girl in front of her. The girl, which the Countess had referred to as Liliana earlier, smiled politely and asked, "Thank you for joining me, Miss...?" "Oh, my apologies. My name is Violetta Charlotte Warrington of the House of Warrington. It''s a pleasure to meet you Miss Liliana." Once the surname clicked in Liliana''s mind, her face flushed and she immediately curtsied again, properly introducing herself. "The pleasure is all mine, Miss Warrington. My full name Liliana Angelica Roman and I''m honored to have you join my birthday celebration." Xiao Yunhua felt a subconscious smile flicker across her face as she found herself comfortable in the presence of Liliana. She was very sweet and didn''t give off any auras of negativity either. "No need for formalities, you can call me Violetta." Liliana felt her cheeks grow rosier and she nodded, "And you can call me Liliana." Violetta nodded and then an awkward silence flittered between them until another person came up and congratulated Liliana. The girl was truly happy and didn''t conceal her emotions of joy. In fact, it seemed like she didn''t conceal any emotions at all. A bittersweet feeling filled Xiao Yunhua. So this was how it felt for a child of nobility to be raised with warmth and love. Not that she wanted any, it just made her pity her current character. The Duchess had groomed a soldier to send off to war, not a student to explore the big world. She had trained to be cold and inexpressive, not warm and full of joy. In comparison to Liliana, Violetta was the night in an icy winter and Liliana was the warm, summer day. It was tragic, but she couldn''t do anything about it. Love from anyone except her missions weren''t the focus here anyways. Neither was being raised to be apathetic and unfeeling. But that was her life and she could only nod and accept it. 164 2.1.15: First Party IV She stood, a bit worried that the Duchess was going to yell at her for being so socially conservative rather that do her bidding and making connections like she was supposed to do. Her eyes wandered around and the musicians played soft music, envoking people to dance. Her posture was straightened as she tried to walk towards a group of young socialites to speak with, but they looked at her warily. They had overheard her introduction when speaking to Liliana, hence their cold behavior. Despite being young, the girls knew that the true daughter of the Warrington Household had died seven years ago, so this girl was highly a fraud. But who could be bold enough to impersonate being from the Warrington dukedom, a family just below the royal family? Unfortunately, the young socialites were too young and not as astute as the Countess, hence they couldn''t figure out her illegitimate status. So they decided that ignoring her was the best and safest route to take. Many of them were already beginning to be asked to dance, and seeing how no one was offering to dance with her, Xiao Yunhua frowned. She turned around and walked in the opposite direction of the central of the garden. The garden itself was huge and the little celebration was being held in the center, hence why once she wandered off, she didn''t run into much people. She sighed as she took small steps around, letting her guard down a little bit. No one, including the servants, had ventured off this far in the garden, so being a little less reserved was fine. Her sky-blue eyes shifted to a tall, towering tree that flourished with little, white flowers. As she edged closer to it, she realized that they were magnolias. It was a magnolia tree! Her eyes lit in fascination because in the last life, Zhou Feng had a penthouse named after the magnolia. She had seen the elusive symbol of the penthouse as a symbol of wealth, but to see the tree and the flower so close, it was enchanting. From what she remembered, some magnolia trees took up to ten years to bloom, so to see one blooming vitally like this meant that the tree was pretty old. Who would''ve thought that the Roman Earldom held something so simple yet valuable like this? She hadn''t explored the garden at the Warrington mansion, so she wasn''t sure what was in it. This was purely based on the fact that the Duchess had isolated and forced her to spend seven years perfecting herself. Once she was close enough to the tree, she subconsciously stood on her tiptoes and reached to grab the closest magnolia flower. Unfortunately, she wasn''t tall enough and only struggled with defeat. She frowned and tried again; however, she ended up slipping and falling backwards. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the painful impact, but only found herself in the arms of someone. Slowly, she opened her eyes and took a peek around, making sure that she didn''t hallucinate. Nope, the long shadow looming over hers was definitely real and not imaginary. The arms around her weren''t overly muscular but definitely defined, meaning it was possibly someone young. The calloused hands that gripped her waist meant that this person practiced a lot with the sword. Neither of the two made any movements for a minute or so until they snapped out of their stupor and he let go quickly, causing her to stumble and almost fall again. Of course, he reached out to help her again, but she balanced herself. Turning around, her cheeks were flushed from embarrassment. She curtsied shakingly and didn''t dare to look up. In such a conservative society, had she really screwed up so badly? On her first public appearance, she was already behaving in ways that would''ve been dubbed scandalous and unforgiving. Finally, she looked up and her eyes met a pair of chocolate brown eyes full of kindness. They belonged to a handsome face that gave her a warm feeling. He looked to be no older than eighteen, which meant he was a few years older than her. Finally, he opened his mouth and asked with concern, "Are you alright?" This snapped her out of her daze and she blushed harder, curtsying again. "Yes, I must thank kind sir for catching me from my fall and preventing any shameful incidents from happening." "No problem milady, though you must be more careful for you could be injured." He looked very nonchalant about it, as though he had forgotten the incident where they were close to each other already. "Yes, yes, I will. Thank you once again." She wanted to ask what his name was but she was sure their encounter would be even more awkward. Hence, she did some more formalities such as curtsying again¡ªher back was really beginning to ache from curtsying so often¡ªand turned around to leave. Her head turned around to look behind her at the magnolia tree again and she inaudibly sighed. Suddenly, he raised his hand and gently plucked out one of the magnolia flowers. Her eyes followed his movements and she noticed that his hand holding the flower was now in front of her. He looked at her kindly and she reached out to take it with rosy cheeks. The magnolia flower in her hand felt warm, but she could feel her cheeks were even warmer. She bowed her head and quickly left, not looking behind her due to her embarrassment. Her desire for a flower had caused her to be so irresponsible and embarrass herself like this! She used her photographic memory to find her way back and was relieved that she didn''t too much because they were just starting to go back to the main celebratory hall. None of the young nobles except for a couple noticed she was gone for quite a bit. One of the people was Liliana who worried that the Warrington young miss had run into trouble which would cause her family to be in trouble. She sighed in relief when she saw Violetta smile in her direction. Liliana walked in her direction and asked her if she wanted to walk back with her. As the host, she felt a bit guilty for not properly entertaining someone with higher status. She saw Violetta smile weakly and nod, so they walked back to the main room together along with the rest of the people. The servants were escorting them and they were designated to follow since they were all¡ªexcept Liliana¡ªunfamiliar with the mansion. In Xiao Yunhua''s mind, she knew that this is where the real troubles would start... 165 2.1.16: First Party V When they both arrived, immediately, Xiao Yunhua''s enhanced senses allowed her to pick up the obvious daggers being sent in her direction. Nobles, servants, everyone was whispering about her. They looked at her in a new light in comparison to when she had arrived with the Duchess, almost like they had seen the truth about her. The truth? Ah, it seemed like the cat was out of the bag. As much as she was tempted to tell them to mind their own business, she couldn''t. This was the real war zone. One mistake and it could cause her to be murdered by the Duchess or disowned or whatever other disaster the cold woman could think of. Xiao Yunhua straightened her back and walked with an esteemed posture, almost like she had done nothing wrong in the first place. This didn''t escape the eyes of the people, hence they began to reevaluate their thoughts about her. Maybe the rumors were false? Her eyes turned to the Duchess who calmly sipped her tea, pretending like she was oblivious to everything. This was a sign that couldn''t ignore: the Duchess was making sure to let her know that she wasn''t going to help her. She was on her own to figure things out. For the Duchess, the moment she had been back in the rumor, her intuition immediately told her what happened. But she didn''t want to clarify or help the girl at all. This was a chance for the girl to prove that she hadn''t wasted seven years training her for nothing. This was a chance for her to prove her worth or death was inevitable. Her snake-like eyes shifted to the girl who looked unbothered, which garnered her some respect. Anyone her age that was making an appearance in public for the first time would possibly be nervous and stumble. But Violetta looked relaxed and walked in her direction, an innocent smile on her face. "Mother," one word and she had sneakily saved herself. At least that''s what the Countess thought. She assumed there was no way for the illegitimate bastard to save herself, but she spoke so familiarly and affectionately with the Duchess. Just like the Countess, the Duchess understood what was going on. It seemed like those seven years hadn''t gone to naught. She smiled, albeit cold, but it relieved Xiao Yunhua. That''s a smile of approval. To her shock, the Duchess actually helped her. "Violet, come here." Ah, the infamous nickname. In this time period, nicknames were very special. They were either exchanged between lovers or between family members. Just a casual nickname had established that they were close despite her status. She knew it was childish, but she grinned with her lips closed as sat next to the Duchess. So many years of being dismissed and today, she had done something for her. It felt weird. This woman absolutely hated her guts for existing, yet she was helping her. Granted it was because she had a goal in mind and didn''t want to cause herself embarrassment, it still caused Xiao Yunhua to feel a bit happy. The short incident was brushed over as the musicians began to play again, invoking more but proper waltz dancing. The dancing from earlier was a bit laid back, but this one was the real deal. If a noble lady didn''t get invited, it could cause a backlash on her reputation. Xiao Yunhua''s eyes darted everywhere as she saw more and more dancing, including Liliana. She wrung her dress inconspicuously and could feel the gaze of the Duchess shift into disappointment again. She had sent her on a mission to make herself some basic connections so she wouldn''t be embarrassed like this...yet she failed. Her eyes gloomed and she looked at the Duchess apologetically. As her assumption, the Duchess had no mercy and looked a bit angry. The second waltz has begun, but she hadn''t been asked yet. People were beginning to whisper about her again but for a different reason. It wasn''t because of her appearance that she wasn''t asked, but because no one dared to walk on such thin ice. Yes the Duchess had addressed her familiarly, but she was still of inferior status despite being from a household only below the royal family. Just as Xiao Yunhua had lost all hope, a figure stood in front of her. She looked up and it was the same boy again! He smiled at her kindly and politely as he genuflected and asked her for a dance. Her face flushed and she agreed as she took his hand. Slowly, she was swept in with the dance as she remembered all those lessons from the instructors hired by the Duchess. Her steps were accurate and perfect, making people envious that she could do such a thing at such a young age. She raised her head and her blue eyes met his brown ones. "Once again, I''m saved by kind sir. I owe you another debt of gratitude." "Oh no, I had needed a dance partner as well. Consider this as beneficial for both of us. There is no debt to be repaid." He smiled and added, "But since we keep meeting in peculiar situations, I''m sure it''s time for proper introductions." She smiled sheepishly and nodded. It was high time she found out who this boy was. He had saved her from hurting herself, gave her a magnolia flower that she wanted, and stopped her from scarring her reputation. "My name is Violetta Charlotte Warrington of the House of Warrington. And you may be?" Her curiosity was at its peak. "My name is¡ª" the musicians stopped playing and it meant that the next waltz was going to start. As much as she wanted to dance with him again, she couldn''t because it was considered improper if she latched onto him and stopped him from dancing with other girls. The good news was that his action caused many others to ask her to dance, almost like he paved the way for them to do so. So she was swept into dancing with different people and then once she was catching a break, she swallowed down her awkwardness and began to socialize with the young girls there. Surprisingly, after the Duchess had helped state their familiarity with each other, it was like a barrier had been lifted. The young girls actually responded and didn''t treat her coldly, like they had confirmed something. The next couple of hours went by in a blur and then it was time to go home. In the end, she couldn''t figure out his identity nor had the chance to ask his identity. Downheartedly, she gripped the magnolia flower and went home. The only clue she had from him was the pin he wore which was an emblem of his household. She hadn''t seen it when he saved her from falling, but she had seen it close when they were dancing together. As she went back home in the carriage ride, her mind was occupied. The Duchess noticed this and actually asked her what was on her mind. This was the first time that she had shown her some concern, so it made Xiao Yunhua freeze. Her eyes were wide and then she sighed. "Moth¡ª" they were alone so she cleared her throat and corrected herself. "Your Grace, do you happen to know who that boy was?" "Which one?" The Duchess actually responded and was going to help her!? Xiao Yunhua quickly explained and described the emblem that he wore to the Duchess and she was quiet for a few minutes. This made Xiao Yunhua feel hopeless because if the Duchess did not know, then who did? This was the woman who was the prime in high society, so she knew about everything and everyone. Even though she had been out of the public eye for a few years, this didn''t mean that her connections and recognitions had weakened. In fact, Xiao Yunhua was sure that she secretly had her people keep any eye on things in the real world while she trained her. "I believe that boy was from the Harrison Household." No way! Such a coincidence was impossible but was her luck really that great? Before she could think any further, she wanted to confirm that it was the correct Harrison son if there were anymore other than her target. "He looked to be about eighteen years old...does that mean that he was Dominic?" The Duchess narrowed her eyes in suspicion over how an isolated girl knew his name so she quickly added, "The noble girls in the garden were talking about him." Perfect excuse because the Duchess wouldn''t be able to deny her lie. "Yes it was most likely him." Her confirmation made Xiao Yunhua astonished. So she had been saved and danced with her target without knowing it was him! Since they had already established a connection, she needed to use that to her advantage. "Your Grace, could I invite him for tea." Before the Duchess could refute, she quickly stated her reasons. "For one, he did save me from humiliation by asking to be my first dance. And since he did my reputation a big favor, it''s best for me to not forget the hospitality of a Warrington and invite him as a thank you. There, of course, will be boundaries to prevent either of our reputations from suffering from any bad rumors as well." The Duchess was silent for the rest of the carriage ride back home, which made Xiao Yunhua nervous. Did that mean that she wasn''t allowed to do that? Her confusion was clear on her face until the Duchess finally nodded towards the end. "That''s fine." Two words and Xiao Yunhua sighed in relief as she was getting out of carriage. It seemed like her merits and good behavior at her first party had allowed for the cold woman to finally grant her a wish for the first time. She would make sure to use this wish accordingly... 166 2.1.17: Tea Invitation I The next day, she sat at her desk and began to write him a letter. Of course, in case her letter was examined, she made sure to be moderately polite. Her words very not overly friendly to prevent any rumors nor ambiguous to be interpreted differently. It was a direct yet invitational letter that wrote down her gratitude of being her first dance. What made this particular first dance special was the idea that it was her first social appearance. Her letter had no indication of the magnolia flower and falling incident because it was improper and already embarrassing enough. With a deep sigh, she hoped that he accepted her letter. It was really difficult to get close to anyone in medieval times because it was either comprehended as indecency or presumed as a motive of status. For her, it was neither and more a motive of survival. Luckily, Xiao Taotao hadn''t told her about any point losses of her seven year growth because it accurately depicted the world. She needed to be a noble lady before getting close to a noble man. Which was ironic because she hadn''t even had her debutant party yet. Even though the Duchess was unwilling for an illegitimate daughter to have her debutant party that her decreased daughter couldn''t have, she needed for Violetta to make a proper standing in high society for her plan to succeed. Her debutant party, just like every noble daughter, would occur on her fifteenth birthday. On her debutant party, she would choose someone to be her first dance and that would officially be the doorway opened to becoming a lady in the eyes of society. If she messed up her first dance or messed up who she chose for her first dance, then it would greatly affect her future. Everything about this world was dangerous. Any small mistake could cost her a bad future or reputation. She was still about a year away, but it was best to start thinking about it now. She wouldn''t have minded if it was her first target, but the Duchess wouldn''t allow such a thing. It was odd because a debutant was supposed to choose everything so to show that she was capable of making her own choices as an adult, but not in the very high aristocratic families. Such as the Warrington dukedom that was just below the royal family. Ironically, a bastard wasn''t supposed to be on the same wavelength and wasn''t supposed to get such treatment, but her situation was special and so was her identity. She gave the letter to a servant she trusted and the servant assured her that she would give it to be delivered. Her blue eyes followed the servant with the letter until she was no longer in sight. This tea invitation was the only way she could think of getting close to him. But in the end, it all depended on whether or not he would accept it. Two days later, she was mindlessly looking through a book until the same servant asked for permission to enter her room. Once the permission was granted, she brought the letter and showed it to Xiao Yunhua. Her light blue eyes widened with surprise and she took the letter, dismissing the servant. She held onto the letter, her heart both worried and anticipating. She was anxious that he would reject her and anxious that he would accept her. Finally, after all that contemplation, she opened the letter and her eyes began to read the content. His letter was exactly the same style as hers: not overly polite nor ambiguous to create misunderstandings. For some reason, she could visualize him with his kind but strict behavior as she read the letter. Once she got to the end of the letter, she sighed in relief. He had actually accepted her tea invitation! Was the party a blessing in disguise? She had gotten introduced with her target¡ªeven though he hadn''t formally introduced himself¡ªand even got a chance to invite him. For her first letter that she had sent, she had addressed the tea invitation would be held one week from the day it was sent, if he chose to accept it. Since he had ended up accepting it, it meant that she had five days to make sure everything was perfect! "Libby!" She called out, summoning the servant from earlier. "Yes milady?" Libby Horris, a commoner servant who worked in the Warrington mansion, was one of the servants who personally took care of the second young miss. In the beginning, she felt grieved that she was assigned to take care of a sinking ship, seeing as the Duchess hated her and she was an illegitimate daughter. But then, the Duchess had taken her under her wing and chose to train her, so Libby thought that the young girl deserved some chance. During the seven years, Libby had completely changed her mind about the girl because she was just that amazing. She was average in appearance but had the most intelligent mind. She was such a quick learner that Libby noticed that the cold Duchess warmed just a small bit towards her. Seeing as she had such a master, Libby was sure that she was aboard the best growing ship. Yes the young lady had illegitimate status, but Libby was sure that she was destined for greatness. She was cold like the Duchess, but secretly warm towards the servants. This caused them to feel gratitude, such as Libby, towards her. "I want everything for the tea invitation to be perfect. Libby, I''ve already gotten permission from Her Grace to hold this and the person I''ve invited had agreed to come, now the only thing left is for it to be perfect. The only way that it would be perfect is if I could count on you Libby to deliver all my instructions correctly." Xiao Yunhua was very patient in explaining to Libby the importance of the tea invitation and how she had a very relevant guest coming over because of it. Libby nodded eagerly, anxious to meet her master''s expectations and swiftly left to tell the instructions about the upcoming tea invitation and the second young miss'' guest. Once Libby closed the door, Xiao Yunhua sighed. If Libby were to mess this up, it would possibly cause her entire mission to mess up. How? He would think she was a frivolous woman and she didn''t want to use her precious points and restart the mission. For her first world, it costed one hundred thousand points to restart, and she didn''t even have any points. Now, she had accumulated more than a million, it brought her shivers thinking about the astronomical price the swindler Xiao Taotao would give her. But overall, this world has been much more boring than her first one. At least it could occupy her and she didn''t have to be alert at all times. Now, this world, behind every smile of a noble was a hidden dagger. ''Taotao, give me some games I''m bored. This world is so boring I don''t understand what the system was thinking.'' > Xiao Yunhua was speechless. Yes she wanted less chaotic and dramatic, but she didn''t want a snooze fest. ''I wanted less chaos not more boring.'' > The little fairy said in exasperation. Her Host was behind a bit silly and an airhead! Was her lack of modern technology messing with her head this much? ''What complexities other than nobles and their smiles full of malice?'' Xiao Yunhua thought dryly. ''Taotao, you''re worrying too much.'' Xiao Taotao wanted to open her mouth to refute, but she couldn''t. The system was giving her a warning that she was starting to take too much. How complicated this world gets...that''s something her Host would have to figure out herself! She chuckled and her small voice echoed in Xiao Yunhua''s head. > Then Xiao Taotao disappeared from her head and left Xiao Yunhua alone again. Xiao Yunhua rolled her eyes. It wasn''t that she didn''t believe the little fairy, but other than schemes of power and corrupted greed, what could these nobles and peasants do? Maybe a disease? She couldn''t fathom why the little fairy was so worried over this world. It was mediocre at best. Once she thought of the mediocracy of her second world, her throat began to itch crazily again. She yelled for Libby to bring her the same cold water and prayed that it would go away. Her random thirsts have been getting more frequent and the Duchess actually took notice of it. She secretly summoned a physician to take notice but all the physician said was that she was fine and that it was her body growing and changing. It was her way of adaption. As much as Xiao Yunhua wanted to call it bullshit¡ªseeing as her original self had already gone through puberty and was eighteen years old¡ªshe couldn''t because the physicians here weren''t modern physicians. And she deemed it as an allergic reaction to something. Allergies were common in the modern world so it didn''t matter to her that much. Besides, it wasn''t life threatening. All it did was cause her to feel an itchy throat and have a desire to drink something. Usually, water did the trick, but if it didn''t, then it was simply a matter of waiting and pretending that it didn''t exist. The more she got close to her fifteenth birthday and debutante party, the more this thirst got more frequent. Seeing how it was just the beginning of her fourteen birthday and it was this annoying, she couldn''t imagine how much worse it would be once she was near the age of fifteen. Once Libby brought her the cold water, she drank it all in one gulp and her burning throat immediately soothed. It was beginning to itch again but moderately enough for her to ignore it. "Thank you Libby." She politely said as the servant grabbed the cup to take away. "No problem milady, it is an honor to be of help to you." Libby bowed her head and then added, "I''ve already informed the other servants to order pastries and other sweet delicacies for the tea invitation next week. The bakery will make sure to have them ready for that day." Libby made sure to tell them to get the pastries from a popular bakery that was worthy of serving the second miss of the Warrington dukedom. "They will also prep the garden so that it would be available to decorate and make decent on the day before the invitation. As per your request, I made sure to let them know it needed to be simple and not overly extravagant. However young miss, how simple is simple enough to not shame the Warrington Household?" Libby saw Violetta tilt her head in confusion and then her eyes widened as an idea came in her head. "Flowers. Flower decorations but not too much and make sure to balance out the simplicity of the flowers with one of the finest tea sets we own. This way, it would be humble yet status apparent." Libby marveled at the intelligence of the young miss and nodded, asking to be dismissed to let them know. Xiao Yunhua smiled at her enthusiasm and waved her off. She was once again in her room, bored, with nothing to do. As much as she wanted to bother Xiao Taotao for games, she couldn''t because she was sure that she had annoyed the little fairy enough for one day. Instead, she picked up the book from before and started to read it. All of a sudden, her cooled throat started to itch again and she rolled her eyes in irritation. Oh shit, not again. 167 2.1.18: Tea Invitation II Five days later, it was finally the day of the tea invitation. As per Violetta''s instructions, Libby had informed the servants to go for a flowery yet extravagant decor and to get tasty sweets to match their elegant tea sets. Libby had also informed the servants to be close by for formalities and to prevent any rumors, again by Violetta''s instructions. Xiao Yunhua had only instructed this because she had promised the Duchess to do so before arranging for the tea invite of Dominic. She woke up and dressed conservatively yet elegantly in a light blue dress and small flowers to clip in her golden curls. The magnolia flower on her drawer as a memory of what happened, reminding her that she really did meet him unknowingly. It was weird because she thought she calculated everything and everyone but there were still some things she didn''t know. And the idea scared her. She wanted to be in control because losing control made her feel fear, like in her last world. Seeing how emotionally attached and dejected she ended up being to people in her first world, she realized that the only way to succeed was to be in control and not get involved with anyone. A bit tragic that she didn''t discover this in her first world, but she considered that a trial and error. She occasionally missed a few people she wouldn''t dare name, but her life was a fleeting memory to them. She shouldn''t even have existed, whether here or there as both original girls died. Her desire of control had possibly lead the system to play a little bit with her. This was probably why her meeting Dominic without realizing it was Dominic had happened so soon. She wasn''t complaining at the stroke of luck, just that it happened without her leading it. For her clothes, she had chosen light blue based on the suggestions of the servants because they said it complimented her eyes and made her look nicer. She needed all these little pieces to make him fall in love with her. She picked up the magnolia flower and gently caressed one of the petals, her eyes dazed. Libby noticed how absentminded she was acting and opened her mouth to speak with her, but closed her mouth afterwards. She had been so comfortable with the young miss for the past couple of days for being the one to deliver her news that she had forgotten that she couldn''t speak out to the young miss so easily. In the end, she was merely a servant and the young miss was the second miss of the Warrington dukedom. She was kind, but the eyes and ears around them were not. There could be anyone listening in and wanting to report her mistakes, be it Libby''s or Violetta''s, to the Duchess for punishment. So she softly used the comb to brush her luscious blonde hair and secure the flowers that were clipped in there. The hot tong burned Libby''s hand but she didn''t dare to wince in pain and finished curling the last bit of her hair. She used some smushed flowers and gently dabbed them on the lips of the young miss, completing her look. Libby didn''t add any other makeup because for one, the miss was young, and another was that she didn''t want to go overboard for something meant for formalities and gratitude. Libby didn''t know what kind of gratitude nor was she the smartest of the bunch, but she had picked a few things up and assumed that the young master was invited because the young miss wanted to thank him for something. "Miss, you''re ready!" Libby was relieved to finally put away the hot tong and helped Violetta get up from the chair. Libby saw the young miss finally snap out of her haze and blink in shock. "Already? Thank you Libby, you''re dismissed." Libby bowed and shut the door, leaving Xiao Yunhua by herself. She summoned a mirror¡ªa clear one from the system¡ªand used it to look at herself. She looked innocent and cute enough, thanks to Libby at least. Now all she needed to do was wait a few hours until he came for the tea and then she could get him to properly introduce himself to her. Maybe they could even befriend each other. The possibility wasn''t completely impossible despite the standards in this time period. Xiao Yunhua walked out of her room and noticed Augustine walking in front of her. His green eyes narrowed when he saw her and he scrunched up his nose, like he had seen something unpleasant. She wanted to stick out her tongue in his direction, but realized that was very unladylike and it would get her in trouble. Besides, the brat was still a brat and wouldn''t change. It had been seven years and he was now the same age as Dominic, but still a pain in her behind. Now that she was roaming the house more easily and wasn''t going through hell training with the Duchess, she was seeing the boy more frequently. She expected for him to be cold like usual and pretend that she didn''t exist, but to her amazement, he actually called out to her: "You," well, technically not call out to her, but an improvement was still an improvement. She doubted that there would be a day where he would say her name or call her sister or use anything that wasn''t degrading. ''You'' was still better than the occasional times he saw her in the seven years and secretly called her a stray dog. At least he had matured in that aspect. Her eyes wandered around and saw there were a couple of servants around them, meaning that''s probably why he was semi-polite. He was just as fearful of the Duchess as her. "I heard you''re having tea with someone today?" He had come all the way to ask her about this? She wanted to roll her eyes but instead nodded. "Yes, in a few hours, I will have a guest come over." Augustine slightly opened his mouth to say anything but stopped. He looked at her, annoyed, and furrowed his eyebrows. "I''ll join you." What!? He didn''t even bother to ask for permission, he actually announced it like she had no choice on the matter. Yes she probably didn''t, but still, it was better and common courtesy to let her invite him over. Being a party-crasher was a total downer on her mood. He saw her eyes shift to shock and other emotions and he rolled his eyes. "Don''t get excited and don''t get any crazy ideas. I know you''re overjoyed, but don''t interpret this as me giving you attention." Overjoyed? Overjoyed my ass. This Warrington heir really was too arrogant and thought that she wanted to suck up to him! She hadn''t bothered with him for the past seven years, so why would she bother now? In fact, she was happy to not have his ''attention'' and hoped to be peaceful and keep it that way until she was no longer in the Warrington mansion! However, he was so egotistical and thought otherwise! What a maniac. He continued, "I''m only doing this because Mother is forcing me to." Now it made sense. The Duchess still didn''t trust her to leave her alone with any guy¡ªtechnically not alone with the servants surrounding them¡ªand didn''t want her to mess up her reputation. She was going to great lengths to protect her reputation. But for what? Her plan was getting more and more interesting in the eyes of Xiao Yunhua. She wondered what elaborate scheme forced the proud Duchess to volunteer her son to sit at a tea party with her and a son of a noble? "So get rid of your fantasies and tell the servants to prepare one more teacup in your set. Make sure to have some cakes with nuts as well because I enjoy those, but still keep the current ones for flavor and variety." Overbearing and annoying, she wanted to tell him to pick a struggle! The way he casually listed off his preference like he was a welcomed guest in the first place... it made Xiao Yunhua want to vomit blood. "One of the servants already informed me where it was being held in and at what time, so you''ll see me there a little early to keep an eye on you. You know, if you had behaved and didn''t annoy my Mother, I wouldn''t have had to waste my time..." the rest of his words were a blur to her and she zoned them out. Too much talking from his mouth annoyed her and she raised her hand to massage her temples, but his final words made her freeze, "I hope your tea invitations aren''t as shabby as you." That was a dagger to her heart. For one, it was a reminder of her background and status. And two, it was an actual reminder that it wasn''t her background and status. The seven year old Evelyn may have been a brat, but at the end of the day, she was still a kid who had to die young for the vicious plot of the Duchess. Augustine spoke so lightly and carelessly that he didn''t realize how much weight his words actually held in her heart. She always felt guilty for taking something that didn''t belong to her. She felt like she was one of the villains in those stories she loved to read, pretending to be someone else and stealing their life for a happily ever after. Unfortunately, she also knew that it was not of her own accord and a matter of survival. If she failed and died in this world by getting caught with Ingrid, she would get a strike and be closer to soul obliteration. Augustine saw that her face fell and he felt a small ping of guilt in his heart before he brushed it off. She deserved it for trying to steal the place of his deceased sister. He wasn''t overly close to his sister, but blood was thicker than water. Anyone that tried to come in and threaten his sister''s life, albeit she was dead, would be considered an eyesore for him. He had seen his mother take her under his wing and tell him to ignore her and not make things hard for her, but he knew that his mother was unwilling. He had a feeling that everything his mother did was for his sister, even teaching the illegitimate bastard about the ways of high society. He cleared his throat and got her attention again, to which she shifted her expression to be cold. It made him frown. Uncanny... her cold expression was uncanny and very similar to his mother. If it weren''t for the truth that he knew about who his real sister was, he was sure that he would be fooled like everyone else. The only difference this girl had from his sister was her slight difference in facial appearance. And with the way she been trained under his mother, her attitude was similar to his mother, more than what he remembered of his sister. "Anyways, you must make sure to do as I want or else you''ll suffer the consequences of being embarrassed. And embarrassment was a usual equivalence for scolding from my mother." Xiao Yunhua chuckled. He called it scolding because that''s what he thought it was. She would possibly go without food and copy from etiquette books again. She had to make sure to appease this brat before he ruined anymore of her plans. "I understand. I''ll see you in a few hours." Augustine didn''t even bid her goodbye and left, ignoring her words. She quickly called Libby and asked if it was possible to get the bakery to make a couple of nut cakes and pastries. It was such a late order, there was a possibility that they couldn''t make it. And then he would go on and be more of a pain in her ass. "Is this the reason that young master asked for the time and location of where it was being held at? Is he joining you and your guest?" Libby asked innocently. Xiao Yunhua forced a smile and clenched her fists, "Yes." Unfortunately. "You have to tell them to prepare an extra teacup. And do you think the bakery can or can''t? Tell them that we''ll pay extra." It wasn''t her money to spend, it was the Warrington money, but since the Duchess was planting a spy, she was going to be petty. She urged for Libby to tell the servants to spend all the money they wanted in planning it! "Miss, I''ll try. If not this bakery, then why not another bakery?" Xiao Yunhua sighed. What other bakery was enough to appease the pain in her ass? This one would barely be sufficient enough to not complain and embarrass her. But at this point, she didn''t care and just wanted to meet Dominic already. "Alright, make sure they''re a decent bakery and not somewhere infested with rats." Although she would love to drop some rats in his cake, she still had a reputation to maintain and to make a good second impression on Dominic. "Miss, you''re looking a little paler than usual, are you alright?" Xiao Yunhua was about to nod when her throat itched and made her cry out in pain. "W-Water." Libby had been long enough with Violetta to know that her illness was acting up again. She dashed to find the coldest water that she could find and gave a cup to the young miss, who drank it all without a care for appearances or dignity. Her paleness didn''t disappear and she became even paler. However, her clenched fists unclenched and she looked more relaxed. "Thank you Libby." Libby nodded and bowed, but couldn''t help but peek at the young miss. Her illness relapse with her throat was getting worse and worse and the Duchess still hadn''t found a cure despite all the physicians she had hired. As much as she wanted to ponder on it, she knew that it wasn''t her business. She felt sympathetic towards the kind miss but couldn''t do anything about it except give her a discreet smile of sympathy. She bowed again, asking for dismissal, to which Xiao Yunhua granted by waving her hand and dismissing her. She went back in her room and whisked herself to her dimensional space, where she saw the little Xiao Taotao floating and painting her nails in boredom. It took her a few seconds to realize that Xiao Yunhua was there, to which she flicked away the nail polish and stood up embarrassedly. "H-Host! What are you doing here?" "I''m here to paint my nails." Xiao Yunhua teased, to which Xiao Taotao''s cheeks turned red and she smiled sheepishly. "Host, please stop bullying Taotao!" She crossed her small arms and pouted, fluttering in her direction. "Jokes aside, what can I do for you?" "I''m tired of my stupid itchy throat relapse every second of being in Juliet''s body!" Xiao Taotao''s small hand patted the top of her head, sympathetically, but before she could say anything, Xiao Yunhua said, "Taotao, give me a vial of what I was going to buy to cure Han Mi of leukemia all those years ago." "You mean that omnipotent medicine that could cure any disease or illness or anything that was a sickness? The one you couldn''t afford at that time?" Xiao Yunhua nodded and Xiao Taotao sighed, "Host, at that point, it was very expensive and now, since you''re in your second world, it''s more expensive. Besides, couldn''t you be a little patient?" "I''ve been enduring for seven years! Just let me get rid of it right now!" Xiao Taotao sighed and snapped her fingers, making the vial appear. "One hundred thousand Pretty Points for this." The price made Xiao Yunhua nearly have a heart attack. This was scamming! Pure and utter scamming! It was either her precious points or keep enduring the terrible throat pain. In the end, she sighed and ended up giving up her points and grabbed the vial, drinking it all in one gulp. Unlike what she expected, the vial didn''t taste good or bad. It tasted like she had just drank water. "You have 941,500 points remaining." She was out of the one million range? That hurt her heart and she wanted to hurry up and finish this target to get points again to go back to that beautiful number. One million gave her a sense of security. It meant that she was one million closer to her goal of one hundred million and completing the goddess system. It was such a high number that it seemed impossible, which made her think if it was created to be impossible in the first place. Just the idea made her brain hurt and she shook her head, not wanting to think so negatively about the system. It had given her a second chance! It had been her light when she was in her darkest spot and given up on everyone. It was her only way after complete and utter abandonment in the cruel world. She couldn''t doubt it now! "Taotao, are you sure you didn''t rip me off? I don''t feel any different and it tasted like water." She said after examining the vial. She jumped in surprise when the vial disappeared from her hand before her eyes. Her eyes scanned for it but couldn''t find it anymore. "Host, don''t ever doubt Taotao''s credibility. You''re still in your soul form so the sickness vial shouldn''t be affective. The only thing you can do is wait." As much as Xiao Yunhua wanted to keep asking questions, she realized that she had been in the dimensional space for too long and needed to return before anyone realized she was gone and got suspicious of her. She waved Xiao Taotao goodbye and disappeared away, leaving the little fairy to return back to her nail polish. 168 2.1.19: Tea Invitation III When Xiao Yunhua got back, she heard someone knocking on her door. Clearing her throat, she softly allowed them to come in. As the door was opened, Libby was revealed. "Young miss, your guest is here. young master is already with him." Xiao Yunhua nodded and then followed Libby towards where the guest was waiting. Libby was escorting her and their way there was silent except for the sound of their steps. "Libby, did Aug¡ªI mean, did the young master cause any trouble?" Libby paused and turned around to meet her eyes. Shaking her head, Libby said: "No miss. Young master was courteous and there was no indication of trouble." Xiao Yunhua nodded and they continued to walk again. It seemed like Augustine was only a brat in front of her. Everywhere else, he was polite and courteous, worthy of being the heir of Warrington. The hostility he held for her was purely because he thought of her as an unworthy peasant and because of his deceased sister. In reality, she didn''t have time to deal with him and his childish antics. She had already been given a grace period, so she needed to hurry up with her mission. She wasn''t going to be na?ve and prolong it like before in her first world, which she considered as a trial world. Finally, a short period of time later, they had arrived. "Young miss, should I announce you?" Xiao Yunhua wanted to roll her eyes. That''s so extra for something purely being held in her home with her dumb brother and one guest. She could roll her eyes, no matter how much she wanted, because that went against the etiquette she was taught. Instead, she shook her head and Libby just opened the door. The door was opened and her eyes fell on the flower decorations that she had arranged earlier. It was a good thing that she had the foresight to use flowers because they complimented and looked very lovely for a simple tea invitation. Her blue eyes finally fell and noticed two pairs of eyes looking at her. Green eyes and brown eyes, both holding different emotions. The green eyes belonged to Augustine, who had inherited them from the Duchess, and they looked at her with annoyance. The brown eyes; however, belonged to Dominic who looked at her with curiosity. Dominic wanted to scold her for making them wait but couldn''t because he was in front of a noble guest. Instead, he glared daggers at her and she understood what he meant. She curtsied and sat down, smiling pleasantly without showing her teeth. "Thank you for accepting my invitation, young master Harrison." She turned her head and acknowledged her brother as well, displaying politeness to both. Dominic nodded, "Thank you for inviting me Miss Warrington." "Please, call me Violetta." She smiled and he nodded, telling her that she could refer to him by his name as well. Xiao Yunhua ushered Libby, who stood at the side in case they need anything, to pour the tea for both of the guests and herself. Libby skillfully placed the cakes and other deserts in front of them, to which there was a brief silence. Xiao Yunhua didn''t know what to do! She wanted to thank him for the magnolia flower but also couldn''t expose that she embarrassed herself because Augustine would surely snitch on her. "D-Dominic," she said his first name for the first time, startling him and her. For some reason, Dominic didn''t find it unpleasant when she said his name. "thank you for what you did. Inviting you over for tea was the only way I could think of repaying you." Dominic wasn''t dumb nor gullible. He knew that she was referring to both the first dance and the magnolia flower. In fact, he assumed that she had decorated with flowers to remind him without telling him. He didn''t know that the flower decorations were purely a coincidence, but what he did know was that he couldn''t expose the magnolia flower incident to prevent any rumors. "Of course, it was my honor to escort you for your first dance." By the look in his eyes, Xiao Yunhua realized that he understood her intent. She was also thanking him for something else. Augustine noticed the way both of them had a friendly atmosphere and cleared his throat, opening his mouth and speaking: "Dominic, I heard you''re going to try to be a knight by your eighteen birthday?" Dominic''s ears turned slightly red at that reminder, unnoticeable had it not been for her enhanced senses. He nodded, his sudden enthusiasm evident. "Yes, I''ve been training for that moment where I can be dubbed as a knight." Augustine was actually on familiar terms with Dominic, hence why he referred to him with his first name. So he teased his friend and said, "Isn''t your eighteenth birthday coming up soon?" A serious look came across his face. "Yes that''s why I must train harder." The youngest ever knight had been dubbed at the age of sixteen, but eighteen was considered a prodigy as well. He had already disappointed his father when he couldn''t beat that record, so he needed to work harder before his eighteenth birthday. "You want to be a knight!?" Violetta blurted out, causing both of them to look at her. They didn''t miss the excitement in her eyes when she looked at Dominic, as though she had discovered something very interesting about him. Dominic nodded, "Ever since I was young, I''ve been training." So he''s been suffering like her? Although her training didn''t require a sword, it was still annoying. He also looked like he wanted to do it, but she didn''t and had no choice. "Why are you interested?" Augustine asked bluntly. She froze for a few seconds, luckily, they didn''t notice and she only smirked. "Of course, it''s because I''ve been wondering if you''re going to be a knight with him!" Seeing the crafty way Violetta changed their subject back to him, he rolled his eyes. "No, I''m not interested. My dear sister should know this already." His retort was sarcastic and the way he called her ''dear sister'' gave her goosebumps. This was the first time she heard those words from his mouth. "You''re right, you told me that you don''t have the strength for such an strenuous activity, brother." His green eyes narrowed at the insult she threw at him and chuckled, "Dear sister, you do love to joke around!" "I''ve learned from the best brother!" "Indeed a witty sister!" "Of course, not as¡ª" "This tea is delightful." Both Violetta and Augustine turned to Dominic who was drinking the tea as he looked at both of them jokingly. It seemed like their argument was getting heated enough to make him interfere. Seeing the glum Augustine, Xiao Yunhua sighed and wondered why she was even arguing with this brat. She nodded and pushed forward the cake with the nuts in it in his direction. "Yes, it goes great with this cake." Augustine was surprised at her actions and suspiciously looked at her. She innocently blinked and he slowly took a bite of the cake with his fork, keeping his eyes out for any pranks. "Dominic, you should have some too." Dominic shook his head, refusing and explaining that he had a medical condition against nuts. He couldn''t explain it, but in modern terms, to Xiao Yunhua, it was probably a nut allergy. "In that case, please try this one too! It comes from a really good bakery." Dominic didn''t resist this time and casually began to eat the desert. After appeasing Augustine, the atmosphere had eased quite a bit and they were much more harmonious. They actually conversed in other random topics and Xiao Yunhua found herself really liking Dominic. Even if he wasn''t her mission, his intelligence was enough for her to want to befriend him. Even Dominic himself didn''t expect to enjoy the company of the siblings as much as he did. He was already a friend of Augustine, but to think Violetta was just as pleasant and especially intelligent, not stiff like most of the socialites in high society. Dominic assumed this was because of her illegitimate status that his mother had told him about. She told him to keep proper distance because an illegitimate daughter, even though she was the daughter of the Warrington Duke, wasn''t really worth the attention. Yes the Duchess partially acknowledged her at the Liliana''s party, but who knew what the cunning woman was planning. They chatted for a little bit longer before Dominic told them he needed to leave again. To Xiao Yunhua''s surprise, when she suggested for him to visit again, he didn''t disagree. His chocolate colored eyes were warm as he looked at both of them, regarding them as friends. Her heart skipped a beat and she shook her head, ignoring the feeling. They bid him goodbye and then Augustine turned around to look at her in silence. She expected for him to ramble on and treat her like usual, but he was quiet and then suddenly left, leaving her confused. 169 2.1.20: Sneaking Out I A few months had passed since the tea invitation and they had definitely gotten closer. Close enough to where they were possibly best friends, or at least she considered him one. Seeing as she had no visual bar to see his feelings for her, she didn''t know if he held any romantic affection towards her. However, he did treat her very well and regarded her well as well, so at least she made some progress. During these couple of months, not only had she befriended Dominic, but she had also gotten somewhat closer to Augustine. She found it funny that they had rarely seen each other in the past seven years but it only took them a few months to get along¡ªor at least get along as much as she could get along with him who hated her for ''replacing'' his sister. She never really understood why he thought she was trying to be his sister¡ªwhom she''s never met¡ªbut Xiao Yunhua took it as his way of grievance. From the numerous novels she read, she dubbed him as the typical tsundere. He was cold and annoying but also was growing to care for her. She couldn''t help but think that this was the result of meeting Dominic and how Augustine saw that she wasn''t just an annoying brat nor a leech, hence changing his impression of her. Just like her son, the Duchess was also cold yet had warmed up to her because after Violetta''s first party and good impression, she had been invited to many others. During these couple of months, she had been doing her best to attend each and almost every one of them to make connections and friendships. It has succeeded as high society began to see her in a different light other than her illegitimate status. She was now known for being a pretty and intelligent daughter that didn''t disgrace her family. Although many were her ''friends,'' she wasn''t na?ve enough to forget that they only saw the value that she was holding as the only daughter in the Warrington Household. Her friendships didn''t bother the Duchess, except for one: the friendship she had with Dominic. In the beginning, it didn''t really bother her nor did she mind it at all, pleased with Violetta''s progress. However, gradually during these couple of months, it began to shift and the Duchess began to scold her, telling her that she wasn''t allowed to invite him as frequently as she always did. This confused her because she hadn''t had her debutant party, so it wasn''t super improper as she technically wasn''t a ''woman,'' meaning that high society didn''t care as much. They just found it amusing but they maintained diligent distance. At first, Xiao Yunhua didn''t understand why she was so adamant on them not meeting each other, but then she figured out¡ªand by the gossiping of the servants¡ªthat it was beginning to affect him. She had originally assumed her case, but hadn''t thought about his case. Yes it was a bit negative on her side, but he was a soon-to-be knight. He couldn''t have a pesky fly around him all the time or the gossips would only grow more. So even though she and her brother had a somewhat awkward relationship, she began to discreetly hint for him to invite his friend over. It worked, at least for the first few times, before he figured out her mischief and said it was misconduct for a noble lady. Then, it was a matter of explaining it to the Duchess who had already told her to keep it together. Which for Xiao Yunhua, who''s debutant party was happening in about five months¡ªalong with her fifteenth birthday¡ªshe needed to ''keep it together'' as soon as possible or else she would already be considered an adult with a stain on her reputation. So, in consider to the wishes of the Duchess and to maintain the freedom she had just gained, Xiao Yunhua promised to stop meeting him as frequently as she did. In return, she would be allowed to go to his knighting ceremony that was happening in two months. Speaking of his knighting ceremony, he was excited because the record was sixteen, but eighteen was really impressive as well. He technically achieved it on his seventeenth birthday but the preparations along with other things would be coincidentally around the time of his birthday. This didn''t happen for most knights, so it was a pretty rare thing to be a knight on the day of aging. When he had found out the news, he had prattled on and on about it and she couldn''t help but remember the memory in fondness. He was so happy because it had been something he wanted to do since he was a child. She also found it sweet that she was the first friend he had chosen to tell, even when they hadn''t known each other for a long time. As for her, she was nervous because in exactly five months, she would be fifteen and most likely engaged to someone. She hoped that she could get finished with this target by then because the engagement would be a vexatious situation. Plus she was sure that her next target would be even more difficult, so she hoped it wouldn''t clash with the engagement. Of course, this was all her speculation, meaning it may not even happen, at least not that soon. The only good news in regards to herself for these past couple of months is that she no longer felt the itching in her throat. The miraculous medicine had stopped it and she didn''t need to drink cold water at every moment, surprising the Duchess and Libby. The Duchess had even sought out a physician over it, but with the limited technology, they couldn''t do any proper testing and said that it was only a phase of her becoming a woman. In reality, only she knew the truth. Yes, she was sad about losing so many points at the same time, but she was also relieved that it worked and she didn''t have to feel the pain at every moment. A sacrifice for the greater good. At the moment, she was ready to do something she knew she was going to regret so much in the future: sneak out. 170 2.1.22: Sneaking Out II "Miss, are you sure what you''re doing is right?" Libby asked anxiously as she saw Violetta dressing up in commoner clothes. Her normal clothes, which were elegant and befitting of a noble young lady, were replaced by drags that peasants in the country would wear. She wore a dull, brown dress and her silky hair was braided into a messy braid that fell on her shoulder. She wore no makeup so her face was clean and fresh, looking youthful. "Libby," Violetta said exasperatedly, "I know what you think I''m doing is reckless," she crossed her arms, "but I really want to." "But Miss¡ª" "I know, a noble lady shouldn''t be doing anything like this. But Libby, do you remember the first time I appeared in the mansion all those years ago?" Of course, Violetta was seven, how could Libby forget? A malnourished child that looked so small and fragile, she wondered how the girl would survive under the cruelty of the Duchess. Yes the Duchess'' authority was below the Duke''s, but in the household, who didn''t know that the true power belonged to the cold woman? Libby remembered the way that she was mistreated in the beginning, even being ignored by the servants in accordance to Alistair who was directly under the Duchess. She, along with the rest of the servants, didn''t think that this small sprout would grow or accomplish anything, but they were wrong. Silently, she had endured the harsh training of the Duchess and grown into a lovely flower, strong and resilient. Libby sighed, "Of course Miss, how could I dare to forget?" Libby gently combed the excessive hair strands that weren''t pulled into the braid, trying to calm the chaos that it was. "Then you should know the youth I had lost in order to appease everyone." In order to survive, but Xiao Yunhua didn''t dare to say that. Only she and Ingrid knew of her real identity, so she had to make sure that she didn''t slip up and get anyone suspicious. Her illegitimate status, although belonging to Evelyn originally, was also a hindrance as it was an obstacle everyone would see before they saw her. She was sure that even Dominic was told to be wary of her because her value was that of an unwanted child meant to replace the noble blooded young lady. "Miss..." Libby''s eyes softened. Indeed, she had been nearly a prisoner, forcing to perfect herself under the pressure and strictness of the Duchess. She hadn''t had the chance to do anything like explore, even after these past couple of months. "Why don''t you wait a little more? Why today?" "There is a festival today! Every year, on this day, I''ve always wanted to go. Unfortunately, I couldn''t and you know why." Libby wanted to say that she should wait to go next year, but the maidservant paused. The Miss was already fourteen years old. She was most likely getting engaged once she had her debutant party and would never have the chance to be free like this ever again. The Miss has waited until the very last moment for this, she couldn''t wait until next year as she couldn''t have the likelihood to do it. In the end, Libby felt like she was just too soft on the young miss and sighed. "Alright, that''s fine. Please let me come with you for your safety." "No!" Xiao Yunhua objected immediately, stunning Libby. The maid froze, not expecting such an outburst from the usually dignified young miss, to which caused Xiao Yunhua''s cheeks to flush. She was usually composed and rarely showed her real personality and not the one that she had accommodated to while with the Duchess, especially in the mansion where the Duchess had people to keep an eye on things for her. "It''s not that I don''t want you to come, it''s just that I don''t want you to get in trouble. Plus, it''ll seem suspicious. Just stick around and then keep them away from the room." Libby wanted to oppose, but in the end, she realized that the suggestion was for the best. However, this left the young miss vulnerable and open to danger, so she was very worried. Seeing the worried look in Libby''s eyes, Xiao Yunhua smiled. "Don''t worry, I''ll be fine. Just use the excuse that I''m resting. I promise to be back very soon. It''ll be a couple of hours at most." Libby suspired and felt herself grow weak. This young miss was going to cause trouble, she was sure of it! She usually wasn''t a troublemaker, but her suggestion today gave the indication of one. Although Libby felt a little guilty because the miss wouldn''t have needed to sneak out if she had been raised like the other youths her age. Even the noble young ladies could go out, with a couple of servants, but still had that freedom. The only luxury that Violetta had was the luxury of either going to the parties that are sent, in order to make connections, or the luxury of staying home. "Alright, please be safe." Xiao Yunhua nodded, knowing that she would definitely be safe. She still had her martial arts, although level one, efficient enough to defend herself in this world. A few minutes later, she had already left via the servant entrance. Luckily, she was dressed inconspicuously and didn''t get a second look from any of the servants that were going in and out. For one thing, she didn''t lie that she wanted to see the festival, but her real goal was Dominic. He had mentioned that every year, he would attend this festival, and seeing how everything was progressing, she decided to take her chances and meet him there. Meeting him at the festival would hopefully increase his affections for her, be it his affections of friendship or his affections of like, she wanted for them to increase. She wandered around and was surprised to see herself actually fascinated with the buzzing market. The only time she had seen this market was when she was seven, but she didn''t have a chance to explore it nor see it fully. Now, as she walked around, she appreciated the all types of cultures that were being shown in Verglas. She assumed that it was because Verglas was the capital of GKY, hence the diversity and the different merchants trying to sell different things. One of the merchants, seeing that she''s a young girl, ushered her over and showcased a ring in front of her. "Young girl, this ring isn''t just any ring, but a ring from the kingdom of Ayrelie!" Hearing the name of the other kingdom, her interest was piqued and she walked over, shocked at the ring. Wasn''t this her black claddagh ring? The special object of her last world that turned out to be completely useless? How had the thing appeared here in the hands of this merchant? She had a feeling that it was the working of the system again, but had no way of confirming it. "I''ll take it!" The merchant''s eyes flashed with joy, thinking that he had succeeded in deceiving the girl into being his customer. However, that joy faded when he saw that she had no money on her. "Are you playing a trick on me? You clearly have no money, get away from my things!" Xiao Yunhua''s fists clenched and she asked the merchant if she could pay for it later. The ring was highly important, as it could potentially help her since it was a special item, so she had to do her best to get it. "No way, you clearly look poor. Go off before I get people to beat you!" Dejectedly, she turned around, only to bump into a hard wall that caused her to stumble... 170 2.1.21: Sneaking Out II "Miss, are you sure what you''re doing is right?" Libby asked anxiously as she saw Violetta dressing up in commoner clothes. Her normal clothes, which were elegant and befitting of a noble young lady, were replaced by drags that peasants in the country would wear. She wore a dull, brown dress and her silky hair was braided into a messy braid that fell on her shoulder. She wore no makeup so her face was clean and fresh, looking youthful. "Libby," Violetta said exasperatedly, "I know what you think I''m doing is reckless," she crossed her arms, "but I really want to." "But Miss¡ª" "I know, a noble lady shouldn''t be doing anything like this. But Libby, do you remember the first time I appeared in the mansion all those years ago?" Of course, Violetta was seven, how could Libby forget? A malnourished child that looked so small and fragile, she wondered how the girl would survive under the cruelty of the Duchess. Yes the Duchess'' authority was below the Duke''s, but in the household, who didn''t know that the true power belonged to the cold woman? Libby remembered the way that she was mistreated in the beginning, even being ignored by the servants in accordance to Alistair who was directly under the Duchess. She, along with the rest of the servants, didn''t think that this small sprout would grow or accomplish anything, but they were wrong. Silently, she had endured the harsh training of the Duchess and grown into a lovely flower, strong and resilient. Libby sighed, "Of course Miss, how could I dare to forget?" Libby gently combed the excessive hair strands that weren''t pulled into the braid, trying to calm the chaos that it was. "Then you should know the youth I had lost in order to appease everyone." In order to survive, but Xiao Yunhua didn''t dare to say that. Only she and Ingrid knew of her real identity, so she had to make sure that she didn''t slip up and get anyone suspicious. Her illegitimate status, although belonging to Evelyn originally, was also a hindrance as it was an obstacle everyone would see before they saw her. She was sure that even Dominic was told to be wary of her because her value was that of an unwanted child meant to replace the noble blooded young lady. "Miss..." Libby''s eyes softened. Indeed, she had been nearly a prisoner, forcing to perfect herself under the pressure and strictness of the Duchess. She hadn''t had the chance to do anything like explore, even after these past couple of months. "Why don''t you wait a little more? Why today?" "There is a festival today! Every year, on this day, I''ve always wanted to go. Unfortunately, I couldn''t and you know why." Libby wanted to say that she should wait to go next year, but the maidservant paused. The Miss was already fourteen years old. She was most likely getting engaged once she had her debutant party and would never have the chance to be free like this ever again. The Miss has waited until the very last moment for this, she couldn''t wait until next year as she couldn''t have the likelihood to do it. In the end, Libby felt like she was just too soft on the young miss and sighed. "Alright, that''s fine. Please let me come with you for your safety." "No!" Xiao Yunhua objected immediately, stunning Libby. The maid froze, not expecting such an outburst from the usually dignified young miss, to which caused Xiao Yunhua''s cheeks to flush. She was usually composed and rarely showed her real personality and not the one that she had accommodated to while with the Duchess, especially in the mansion where the Duchess had people to keep an eye on things for her. "It''s not that I don''t want you to come, it''s just that I don''t want you to get in trouble. Plus, it''ll seem suspicious. Just stick around and then keep them away from the room." Libby wanted to oppose, but in the end, she realized that the suggestion was for the best. However, this left the young miss vulnerable and open to danger, so she was very worried. Seeing the worried look in Libby''s eyes, Xiao Yunhua smiled. "Don''t worry, I''ll be fine. Just use the excuse that I''m resting. I promise to be back very soon. It''ll be a couple of hours at most." Libby suspired and felt herself grow weak. This young miss was going to cause trouble, she was sure of it! She usually wasn''t a troublemaker, but her suggestion today gave the indication of one. Although Libby felt a little guilty because the miss wouldn''t have needed to sneak out if she had been raised like the other youths her age. Even the noble young ladies could go out, with a couple of servants, but still had that freedom. The only luxury that Violetta had was the luxury of either going to the parties that are sent, in order to make connections, or the luxury of staying home. "Alright, please be safe." Xiao Yunhua nodded, knowing that she would definitely be safe. She still had her martial arts, although level one, efficient enough to defend herself in this world. A few minutes later, she had already left via the servant entrance. Luckily, she was dressed inconspicuously and didn''t get a second look from any of the servants that were going in and out. For one thing, she didn''t lie that she wanted to see the festival, but her real goal was Dominic. He had mentioned that every year, he would attend this festival, and seeing how everything was progressing, she decided to take her chances and meet him there. Meeting him at the festival would hopefully increase his affections for her, be it his affections of friendship or his affections of like, she wanted for them to increase. She wandered around and was surprised to see herself actually fascinated with the buzzing market. The only time she had seen this market was when she was seven, but she didn''t have a chance to explore it nor see it fully. Now, as she walked around, she appreciated the all types of cultures that were being shown in Verglas. She assumed that it was because Verglas was the capital of GKY, hence the diversity and the different merchants trying to sell different things. One of the merchants, seeing that she''s a young girl, ushered her over and showcased a ring in front of her. "Young girl, this ring isn''t just any ring, but a ring from the kingdom of Ayrelie!" Hearing the name of the other kingdom, her interest was piqued and she walked over, shocked at the ring. Wasn''t this her black claddagh ring? The special object of her last world that turned out to be completely useless? How had the thing appeared here in the hands of this merchant? She had a feeling that it was the working of the system again, but had no way of confirming it. "I''ll take it!" The merchant''s eyes flashed with joy, thinking that he had succeeded in deceiving the girl into being his customer. However, that joy faded when he saw that she had no money on her. "Are you playing a trick on me? You clearly have no money, get away from my things!" Xiao Yunhua''s fists clenched and she asked the merchant if she could pay for it later. The ring was highly important, as it could potentially help her since it was a special item, so she had to do her best to get it. "No way, you clearly look poor. Go off before I get people to beat you!" Dejectedly, she turned around, only to bump into a hard wall that caused her to stumble... 171 2.1.22: Sneaking Out III When she bumped into the hard wall, she fell back on the ground. Frowning, she looked up and saw a tall figure, wearing a black cloak. The figure was hidden, but it still gave Xiao Yunhua chills. She hadn''t met someone in this world that frightened her this much, not even when she found out that the Duchess was trying to murder the seven year old Evelyn. She didn''t see his face, but from their barely discernible figure, she was sure it was a man. Possibly a handsome man, but no matter how much she squinted her eyes, she couldn''t see him. Easily by his aura, she deemed him as the most dangerous person she had met in this world, possibly a hidden boss. But how would a big boss be here in the GKY''s capital? He was probably a noble and she was most likely overthinking it. "Excuse you." She muttered underneath her breath, slightly annoyed but still scared. She felt shivers when his eyes shifted in her direction. She finally saw one of his features: black eyes. His eyes were pitch dark and seemed to care numerous secrets as they stared at her. They looked at her like she was a nuisance, a pesky bug in his way. He had probably heard her, but chose to ignore her when he spoke. "How much for the ring?" His voice was deep and soothing to the ears, indicating that he was possibly in his early twenties. When the stunned merchant heard him, he smiled greedily and showcased the ring again, speaking of its merits. Naming a price, the man ushered for his servant behind him to pay when she yelled out, "No!" All three pairs of eyes looked in her direction and she felt like her cheeks flushed. "Please don''t buy that ring." Even to herself, the request was ridiculous, nonetheless the man that was buying it. "And why would that be?" He asked, his cold voice tinged with a bit of humor. Sweat dropped the side of her forehead and she mumbled that she wanted it softly. Pretending like he hadn''t heard her, he said, "What was that?" She mumbled louder but he still chose to ignore her until she snapped. "Because I want to buy it!" He silently looked at her, as did the merchant and his servant. Xiao Yunhua had never felt so childish in this world, but she needed that ring! "Hmm, I overheard that you couldn''t afford it a few minutes ago. Isn''t it only fair for me to buy it since I can afford it?" She sighed in exasperation. She was being so unreasonable and he, in the point of view of a customer, was right. "I can afford it, I just don''t have money with me right now." She stood up, now realizing that she was still on the ground, and brushed off the dirt. Her dress was shabby, but with the dirt, it looked like she was a beggar. Her messy braid flung behind her and the man eyed her fully, seeing that she wasn''t as young as he thought. She was still young, but no older than fifteen years old. The man chuckled, but it brought chills to her and the merchant that was holding the ring with shaking hands. They could all see the power that seeped from the man, subconsciously realizing that they couldn''t afford to offend him. "Well, good thing I can afford it and I do have the money right now." Turning away from her, he ignored her and his servant brought out the money. Once the merchant got his hands on the money, he smiled pleasantly and shot a scowl in her direction, using his hand to shoo her away. The man and his servant turned away and slowly began to leave, so she could only do the logical thing¡ªor what she thought was the logical thing at that time¡ªfollow them. "Stop!" She called out, but the man kept walking. With his long steps, he seemed to be farther and farther away. She pushed her away around the large crowd of people but in the end, couldn''t catch up to him because he had already disappeared from her line of vision. She turned around, dejectedly, only to bump into something again. Or someone again. By her luck, it was the man, but he had his arms crossed and his black cloak concealed his face like before. "Little girl, why are you following me?" His words were still amused, but she could detect the danger that loomed behind them. It seemed like she had gotten herself tangled up with someone she couldn''t afford to tangle herself with. "The r-ring..." she stuttered, not daring to look up. She really wanted that ring. The servant behind the man opened his mouth to scold her, but the man raised his hand and stopped him. He quietly said something to the servant, so quiet that not even her enhanced senses could listen to what he said. Unwilling, the servant shot her a glare and brought out the ring. Like his master, he wore a cloak so she couldn''t see his features, but she could still sense the resentment. The ring was placed in the hands of his master, who had the small box in his hand. Extending it out, she eagerly went to grab it but he took his hand away. "If I were to give you this ring of which you are so fond of, what would I get in return?" Of course, Xiao Yunhua wanted to roll her eyes for thinking that she would get something so easily. He wanted something in return, but she currently had nothing with her. "I-I can''t give you anything right now, but I can owe you a favor." This was the best thing she could offer. However, how could someone with such a powerful aura merely take her words for it, especially when she dressed like such a commoner? "Your favors mean nothing when I don''t even know who you are." That was fair and she had nothing to refute. "Then what do you want?" She had to get that ring. Whether knowing the possibility that it would save her, or even the magnetic pull she felt from the system to the special item, she wanted to get her hands on that ring. "First, your name." Before she could utter a name, he added, "Your real name or else the favor would be useless." She sighed. She looked at him, recognizing the expensive material of his cloak, meaning he was probably one with great authority. So, there was a possibility that he would see her in one of those parties that she was always invited to. It was better for him to know now than to recognize her later and call her a liar in front of high society. "Violetta Charlotte Warrington." So much for wanting to be discreet about this trip... If he came knocking on the Warrington mansion''s doors, she would be exposed easily! She closed her eyes, expecting him to be shocked but he didn''t even react. Confused, she peeked at him, only to see him turned around to his servant. They discussed something briefly and quietly and he finally nodded, turning back to her. "Miss Warrington is of the dukedom of Warrington. I seemed to have stumbled upon a treasure today!" More like someone you can easily loot! But she didn''t say that and nodded. He believed her because no one, not even the peasants, dared to say they were from such a high nobility, meaning her words were true. "So now you know that I owe you a favor as the only daughter from the Warrington Household." Hearing her words, he chuckled. "Oh? I didn''t know that Miss Warrington was actually Miss Vivienne. How careless of you to forgot to mention your true name." When he uttered the name Vivienne, she paled. She had easily said she was the only daughter, but this man knew about the real daughter! But it had been years, why wouldn''t he know about her death? Or at least her illegitimate status. Seeing her clench her dress tightly, not knowing what to say, the man shook his head laughing. "Miss Warrington, I do apologize. It seems like my little joke was carried too far." She sighed softly. He was just joking. Xiao Yunhua raised her head and looked at him, "Now that you know who I am, my words still stand. I owe you a favor, now please give me the ring." The man held the little box containing the ring with a newfound interest. "For the miss of the Warrington dukedom to hold such regards for a foreign piece of jewelry, I wonder if you''re lying to me?" She clenched her fists. This man was teasing her too much at this point! Jokes and his dangerous aura aside, she was starting to get annoyed. With a forced smile she said, "It''s just caught my interest. I''m sure such a valueless ring isn''t fit to be of your interest, but I''ve always been interested in foreign objects." That was a lie, but he didn''t need to know. The man was going to say something but his servant behind him nudged him, indicating something that she couldn''t understand. "Hmm...Alright, the ring is yours." She was relieved and raised her hand to grab the ring from his hands. The moment that their hands touched, there was a sharp sting and she quickly pulled her hand back, the pain hurting her. Her blue eyes turned to him in anger, wanting to see what he did, but she was surprised to see him stunned. He had completely frozen until his servant murmured, "My Lord?" The man''s dark eyes scanned her with a glint in his eyes that she couldn''t understand. What she did understand is that the pressure around him intensified, almost making her suffocate. She turned around and ran off, her short figure disappearing among the numerous people. "My Lord, are you alright?" The servant asked with worry. His lord hadn''t been this tense for a long time, so he wondered what happened once he touched the hand of the little girl. "Investigate her. Immediately." "My Lord, I don''t understand... she''s just a normal girl. Weren''t you going to forget the favor anyways?" The servant knew that the man was going to forget the favor as soon as they returned back. He had just wanted to tease the girl, hence being serious over a harmless ring. Speaking of the ring, the servant knew that his lord hadn''t wanted to intervene until he noticed how persistent the girl was, hence wanting to take it and jest with her. Even after confirming her identity, his lord hadn''t even know about her until he had to explain it to him. Yet why did he suddenly want to know about her in seriousness? "Because," the cloak moved, his handsome and ethereal face revealed in the light, "she may be the one we are looking for." The servant was shocked, just like his lord earlier. He turned to his lord and realized that gravity of the situation. In the middle of the busy capital with people hurrying all over, no one noticed the sardonic smile that appeared on the man''s face. Nor did they notice the sudden shift in his eyes, going from pitch black to a bloody red... 173 2.1.24: Punishmen The atmosphere surrounding the Duchess was cold and threatening, her green eyes were narrowed and cruel as they looked at her. She had never looked at her this way, except once. This look reminded her of when when had first stepped in the Warrington mansion, all those years ago. Back then, she was scared out of her wits because she faced the woman who had coldheartedly paid to have murdered a seven year old child... and now, she stood as the person who had mentored her into the identity that she was today. She was silent and so was the Duchess. They stared at each other, neither willing to acknowledge the other. If this was the the former Xiao Yunhua, she would''ve been restricted by Juliet''s natural sense of submission. However, these years weren''t just just for naught. She had helped this personality of hers slowly grow out of its shell and morph into someone more open. Luckily, the gradual change didn''t go against the system and the original character, so she had much more freedom since it was seen more natural for the little girl to be more candid. Hence, this allowed her to remain adamant against the stare of the cold woman, not backing down. A few¡ªbut long¡ªminutes later, the Duchess smirked. She started to laugh as though someone dawned on her and the realization was too humorous. "The little pet is rebelling?" She murmured so softly that if Xiao Yunhua didn''t have her enhanced senses, she would''ve never heard her. Pet? A sense of fury filled Xiao Yunhua but before she had the chance to retort, the Duchess spoke again. "You''ve disappointed me." ''As if your disappointment is something I care about.'' Xiao Yunhua thought, bemused. Instead of voicing her real thoughts, she instead said: "I''m sorry." "Sorry isn''t going to cut it!" The Duchess harshly snapped, startling her. How the woman had such a quick shift in attitude scared her but she didn''t have time to contemplate as the Duchess continued, "You will be on house arrest until I instruct much further." Opening her mouth to protest, she was once again shot down by the angry Duchess. "Remember, your life isn''t that of a peasant girl. The moment you stepped in with that letter, you already chose the life of a noble of the dukedom of Warrington. Your life is no longer yours..." the hidden meaning behind her words was clear: Violetta still had her purpose. Xiao Yunhua couldn''t say anything because she knew the Duchess was right. Today was a big risk she had taken and it was successful, but at the cost of her imprisonment. Which meant that all her effort was wasted as the house imprisonment was likely to last a while until the Duchess trusted her to not do something so foolish again. "Please, give me another chance." In the end, all she could do was plea. The Duchess simply eyed her indifferently, standing up to leave. As she stood up, she spoke again. "I forgot to mention, but the servant that helped you keep such an important matter a secret has been whipped twenty times." Libby was whipped because of her? Her vision blurred and she felt the urge to cry. Her moment of selfishness had caused an innocent person to be hurt! "She will have her salaries deducted and I was tempted to throw her out, but for the sake of your reputation, I kept her to keep an eye on her." The Duchess'' green eyes flashed with malice, "I suggest you do not do something so foolish again, or else it will not end with a small house arrest." Xiao Yunhua took a deep breath and finally spoke with a clear tone. "Please do not punish Libby. Punish me instead!" She had already kneeled before her, but the Duchess wasn''t moved. Instead, she felt more disgusted. "To think that a daughter of such a high aristocracy is kneeling for a servant." She crossed her arms, "It is true that your bastard bloodline outweighs no matter how many years you train." "What you call bastard bloodline, I call humility." Xiao Yunhua blurted out. But although she saw the Duchess fuming, it surprisingly didn''t scare her as much as she thought it would. This was one thing she needed to tell the cold woman who lacked it. Yes it would make her punishment more severe, but the constant mention of her illegitimacy had caused her to snap. In the following seconds, a crisp sound rang in the silence in the room. Before Xiao Yunhua had the chance to react, her cheek was already stinging from the pain and she could feel the warmth of the fingerprints on it as well. Her eyes were wide and her expression was stunned. Never had she expected for the Duchess to resort to physical violence on her own! "Bastard child, if it wasn''t for my Vivienne, you would be lying in a grave. Do not mistake the years of my mentoring for grace to allow you to speak so willfully!" The final strings of sanity seemed to have snapped and Xiao Yunhua saw a new side of the cold Duchess: a woman cruel beyond belief. Even her drunken self didn''t compare to the devious laughter that escaped her mouth at the moment. "Yes, your debutant party will happen soon. Soon, all these years will be used to help avenge my darling daughter." "W-What do you mean?" It was like Xiao Yunhua''s question had reminded the Duchess that she wasn''t alone. Her narrowed eyes turned to her in a manner that could only be used to describe a madwoman. Suddenly, she raised her hands and they grabbed the neck of Xiao Yunhua, confusing her. Her mouth gaped open as she felt herself being choked, losing all the oxygen in her body. Her face was turning pale and she could feel herself slowing losing consciousness, but the Duchess paid her no need. "Soon... you''ll know soon. Once you marry him, I will finally kill those disgusting creatures..." her green eyes brightened with vicious joy, "Then I will kill you." She released the neck she was tightly clasping, who was already kneeling, but the impact caused the girl to stumble and fall on the floor¡ªbanging her head. She coughed violently and felt dizzy. The fatigue of everything that had happened had already made her body reach her limit, so with one last look, all she could see were the infamous green eyes in the dark before she passed out. 174 2.1.25: sIsolation†That incident with the Duchess had left Xiao Yunhua traumatized as she woke up the next day. She could never look at the Duchess the same way again. She was, luckily alone, as no one had checked up on her¡ªor dared to, probably because the Duchess ordered to isolate her¡ªso she had time to think. Even after knowing that she ordered bandits to kill a child, it wasn''t as bad as experiencing death personally dealt by her. The way she grabbed the neck, the bloodthirsty expression her eyes...it was clear that it wasn''t her first time. She was cruel, but for what reason? Yes it was possibly due to losing her daughter all those years ago¡ªcreating a misperception of the world, turning vicious and acting like a madwoman¡ªbut what had happened that night to make her so? From what she remembered, that year, the news had spread that the Warrington mansion had been attacked, but the news didn''t specify what. Could it be that there was a deeper problem than simply the attack that was spread? She inhaled deeply and summoned herself to the dimensional space, which she hadn''t visited for a long time. "Little Tao," Immediately, she felt the presence of the little fairy before her. Cheerfully, she greeted Xiao Yunhua but her joy faltered when she realized that her host was serious. The little fairy hadn''t expected to see her host since "Yes Host?" "Investigate the incident that happened in the Warrington mansion that costed the life of Vivienne Rosalind Warrington." Xiao Taotao froze. Why was her host interested in such a trivial thing? Besides, it wasn''t permitted to be revealed to her at such a stage. However, instead of refusing¡ªas she couldn''t refuse her host unless it went against the rules such as when she asked about Juliet''s real condition¡ªshe ended up nodding. But¡ªto find herself a loophole¡ªshe said, "Host, it''ll cost 41,500 Pretty Points." Xiao Yunhua rolled her eyes. "You really like keeping it at the perfect number." Xiao Taotao giggled, "It''s aesthetically pleasing." She waved her hand and the points were immediately taken away. "Your balance is 900,000 points." Xiao Yunhua expectantly looked at her, waiting to see the results but the little fairy cheekily smiled in her direction, blinking innocently with her gray eyes. "Unfortunately, I can''t give you the investigation because it''s not ready. But once it''s ready, I will let you know?" What rubbish! The system needed time to ''investigate?'' Xiao Yunhua knew that with a snap of her small fingers, everything about that day would show before both of their eyes. But, seeing how adamant she was against showing her right now, Xiao Yunhua knew that she was most likely restricted. She hesitantly nodded, leaving the dimensional space and appearing in her room again. Fortunately, nobody had come in to see her disappear again, so she didn''t need to panic over angering the Duchess again. Speaking of the Duchess, her words constantly echoed in Xiao Yunhua mind, especially in regards to ''him'' and the ''disgusting creatures.'' What has caused her to harbor such hatred to say those words with such menace? She sighed and closed her eyes, ignoring her impending headache. Her stomach grumbled in hunger and she stood up to open the door, but realized it was locked from the outside. This was the reason no one had visited. The Duchess had locked the door and kept the key for herself. Despite her hunger, she wasn''t stupid. There was a possibility that she was being punished to go without food. And her assumption was right when a few days passed and no one came in. On the third day, the Duchess had expected to see a haggard and pale Violetta due to the lack of food but was surprised to see her still glowing with vitality. In fact, the Duchess didn''t know that Xiao Yunhua had exchanged points for food. Her balance was currently 897,000 due to the immaturity of the woman who thought starving her was the way to punish her. This made her more angry and the minimalistic food in her hands were taken back and brought back two days later, when Xiao Yunhua''s points were now 895,000. By that point, the Duchess had assumed that she was being stubborn and finally gave her the food that was used to feed the servants. She didn''t complain¡ªeating very few bites due to eating beforehand¡ªand the Duchess coldly stared at her. She pulled out books that were as thick as logs, telling Xiao Yunhua that she needed to copy and learn that her indecency was wrong. She was also told that she would never see that boy again, so she needed to give up her silly delusions. Then, with a humph, the Duchess left her alone with some ink and paper. She didn''t see the Duchess again, nor anyone for the matter. The only person she saw was the new servant who averted her eyes and placed her meals on the table, leaving swiftly after. This went by for two months, an endless cycle that was supposed to last a week or two originally. The Duchess presumed that during these two months, Violetta had been in the room the entire time. But she didn''t know that Xiao Yunhua still had the ability to move her soul around. And thus, this was how she knew that Dominic had tried to contact her frequently during these past two months¡ªfrom the whispering of the servants¡ªto the point that it arose rumors about them. Far worse rumors than when they had diligently invited each other for tea. She even used her soul to travel outside to the market, not feeling isolated like she was ''supposed to.'' Due to her period of absence and the growing rumors about her, her former glory that she had accumulated from going to parties had deteriorated. She was slowly forgotten¡ªaccompanied by her average features¡ªit was no surprise. She was finally visited by the Duchess, one day before the knighting ceremony who looked at her with a sneer. "Have you learned your lesson?" What lesson was she supposed to learn? Instead of voicing out her real thoughts, she nodded obediently and the Duchess sneered. "Good, because I will give you a chance of redemption." Her contemptuous attitude was clear when regarding Violetta. "Tomorrow is the knighting ceremony of that Harrison boy. You will not go. This will be publicly denouncing your relationship with him. Only then will you be allowed to be as free as before." The Duchess'' plan made Xiao Yunhua mockingly smile. Not only would that completely destroy her progress, but her equivalence of ''freedom'' before was going out to socialize and make herself known in high society under the strict supervision of the Duchess. So either way, the Duchess wanted to make it to where she had no way of winning. "Violet," her supercilious smile was replaced with a gentle one. The way she said her nickname, it was almost like she had forgotten that she nearly choked her to death. Her tone was so endearing, it was like a mother speaking to her child. The irony of it all made Xiao Yunhua chuckle. "your debutant party is approaching in three months, meaning you''ll be fifteen. Your reputation as a woman is on the line." Reputation or was it the engagement she kept pestering over? But who was the ''him'' that she was so inexorable about? "Alright." In the end, her only choice was to agree. Of course, a plan was brewing in her mind but she couldn''t expose herself so soon. Not only would this plan trick the Duchess, but it was time to end it once and for it. If she wasn''t allowed to take it slowly and evoke feelings gradually, then she would force sympathy from him. And sympathy, was the way to win his heart. 175 2.1.26: A Promise of a Knigh The next day came by quickly. And thanks to the promise she made the Duchess, she was allowed to leave her room. Her eyes glanced around until they found the magnolia flower that was dry as it had been so long since the moment that he got it for her. Despite being dry and dull, she didn''t dare to throw away because it held a special memory. She stood up and gently grabbed it, placing it in a pouch. She changed her clothes to the simplistic thing she owned among her things, which was an unadorned, pale yellow dress that was lighter than her hair. The pouch containing the dried flower was still in her grip, her unwilling to let it go. The moment she stepped out of the room, she noticed servants whispering as they stared at her. She ignored them and continued to walk until she saw Libby. Before she could utter a word to the servant, Libby looked at her with fear and sneaked off quickly. Xiao Yunhua sighed and couldn''t blame her for the reaction. She was the reason that she had ended up being whipped, after all. Her feet took her outside, where the guards protected the main entrance. When they saw her approaching, they bowed. "Young miss, is there anything you need?" One of them politely asked, worried they might offend her. A vain smile adorned her face. She still had an average appearance, but her smile was every bit of a haughty noble girl, leaving the guards dazed. "I''m here to leave." When the guards heard her words, they snapped out of their stupor and were stunned. The other guard cleared his throat, "Apologies, but we are not permitted to allow you out or anyone in without proper authorization." "''Proper authorization?''" Her eyes flashed coldly, "Is the only miss of Warrington mansion not good enough for ''proper authorization?''" The guards looked like they had been placed in a difficult situation, unsure of how to answer her. When she saw the struggle on their faces, Xiao Yunhua silently asked for forgiveness. If she didn''t act like so, then she wouldn''t attract the attention of the Duchess, nor would her plan succeed. The first guard that had spoken earlier shook his head after coming to a realization. "Sorry, but our orders are strictly from Her Grace." In terms of offending the Duchess and the illegitimate child, anyone with a brain knew better and who to pick. Xiao Yunhua ignored their words and began to walk straight across from them, pretending like they were not there. They froze but panicked when they saw her out in the open. People started to look in their direction, with the guards frantically chasing after her. They finally stood in front of her, preventing her from going anywhere else. "Please, go back." The second guard said anxiously. For the young miss to venture so far from the mansion, they would probably be punished! Xiao Yunhua hated how childish she appeared in front of them but she still continued anyways. So, she turned and went around them, walking further until they blocked her way again. By this point, people were staring openly. They didn''t know who the girl was, but they knew that she probably had status, based on the way the guards were trying to stop her. Thanks to her enhanced senses, she finally heard the Duchess appearing behind her, accompanied by Alistair who was complaining to her about how bratty she¡ªVioletta¡ªwas acting and how she was embarrassing the family name. The Duchess didn''t speak whatsoever, but raised her hand to silence Alistair when they arrived. The indication that let Xiao Yunhua know they had arrived was the lack of footsteps and the guards that bowed immediately, possibly due to the fear. "Violet," the Duchess called calmly, "what are you doing?" Xiao Yunhua smiled shamelessly in her direction which made the Duchess furrow her eyebrows. "Going to that event!" Ignoring the tremor she felt when the Matron of Warrington stared at her, Xiao Yunhua was quite confident her plan would succeed. She was also sure the Duchess would know what she meant by ''that,'' especially when her expression went more frigid. "Let''s go back inside and discuss this." Xiao Yunhua wanted to roll her eyes. And be locked up again? She was na?ve, but not that na?ve. If the Duchess wasn''t going to resolve the matter right now, then she would only cause more trouble. "Mother, why can''t we discuss it here?" "Insolent bitch!" Alistair murmured, shooting glares at her. She would''ve never heard his remark had it not been her enhanced senses. Hearing his remark, she eyed him with gall and he felt a shudder. Her eyes resembled the Duchess, especially in the heat of her anger. Was this perhaps the result of being under her guidance for so long? To carry the eyes that looked at him like he was below her? To look at everyone like they were below her? "Violet," the Duchess was still calm, especially with the numerous eyes on them. "if that''s what you wish, then come here, let''s have a walk and talk." She extended her hand forward, inclining her ''daughter'' to take it. As much as Xiao Yunhua wanted to refuse, she couldn''t be that impudent. Hence, she allowed her hand to clasp with the woman''s, immediately feeling the harsh grip that hurt her hand. They began to walk away from the people, hearing audible sighs following them. Everyone had wanted to hear the conflict or what the young girl meant by ''event,'' but the chance for gossip had slipped away. However, they had still managed to get good gossip as a few recognized the woman as Her Grace, and by her intimate tone plus the way the girl had referred to her, it had spread among the commoners that the mother-daughter duo had conflict with each other. The moment they were out of sight, the Duchess pulled away her hand and raised it to slap her, but Xiao Yunhua dodged. "How dare you?" In all the ears that she had been raising the brat, she had never been more intolerable than these past couple of months. Her behavior had destroyed her reputation until she personally had to come out and clarify that she was merely ''sick'' so she was indisposed. That didn''t fully cover it up, but it was an excuse for the moment. But thanks to her behavior just a second ago, it was possible that it fueled more rumors and even she couldn''t salvage it this time. "I will do it again unless you let me go see his knighting ceremony today." She was stubborn, but also had a promise to fulfill. "Absolutely not." The Duchess disagreed immediately without giving Xiao Yunhua a chance to explain her predicament. "Please," Xiao Yunhua inhales deeply. "it will be the last time. I will behave even better than before if you let me go fulfill the promise I made to him before." The Duchess was quiet. "All this for a promise?" She sneered at her weakness. She had raised such a fragile heart. It was pathetic. "Yes, so let me go and I won''t bother you or him anymore." The Duchess looked at her suspiciously, appearing doubtful. As much as she didn''t want to agree, the only thing she was sure about Violetta was that she was honest¡ªdespite having peasant roots. So she agreed, but before Xiao Yunhua could get happy, she set a condition. "You can go right now. If you take longer than a few hours, then you mustn''t blame me for being angry. Come back and change into something proper." As much as Xiao Yunhua wanted to change into something pretty and pleasing to the eyes, she realized that she had no time. So, she shook her head. "No, I''ll go because I have no time." The Duchess eyed her disgustedly, "You''re going...dressed like that?" No child of a duke would ever be caught wearing something so simple to something so grand. Nor would she allow it. "I won''t appear...I''ll just watch." Well, technically she didn''t lie. She wasn''t going to appear before the other people, but she was going to appear before him. At least, if she manages to catch up on time. The Duchess was silent for a few seconds before telling her that there would be a carriage. As much as she wanted to be comfortable, the carriage wasn''t going to get her there on time. She, instead, ushered a horse to ride. Standing in front of the horse, she felt nervous because she had never ridden one before. It couldn''t be that bad...right? Wrong! The moment that she was helped sit on the horse, she felt extremely uncomfortable and wobbly, like she was going to fall at any second. And she did, dirtying her dress again. The Duchess sighed, seeing how dirty she looked, repulsed. She assumed the fall would cause her to give up, but she was surprised to see Violetta standing up again. Her legs were shaking but she still sat on the horse again, this time, holding onto the rein tightly. With a initiation, the horse was startled and began to gallop. It went by so fast that Xiao Yunhua didn''t have the time to react except subconsciously grab onto the neck of the horse, fearing for her life based off of the speed. The setting went by in a blur and as did the time. By the time her horse had arrived, she noticed that the sky was already beginning to darken and the place a bit dark. Clenching her fists, she slowly got off the horse and walked in the direction of where the ceremony was being held at. Pushing the door ajar, she realized that it was empty. All hope left her and she felt herself go stiff. Her face paled and her heart thumped loud enough to ring in her ears. She felt tears swarm her eyes not because her plan failed, but because she broke a promise. A simple promise that she could''ve fulfilled had she been less careless. Her knees buckled and she sat on the chair, staring at the front where she pictured he was dubbed as a new knight. "I''m sorry." She mumbled, speaking to no one but herself. She had said it so quietly, she expected for no one to hear. There was no one there to hear anyways. But to her astonishment, she actually heard a response. "It''s okay." She whipped her head around and noticed the pair of chocolate brown eyes that were warm in gentle like always... the pair of eyes she hadn''t seen in forever. Why was he here? Wasn''t it over already? "No it''s not." She muttered, fresh tears pouring down her cheeks. "I''m sorry. I''m a terrible friend." She averted her eyes, not daring to look at him and his disappointment. She heard footsteps edging closer and closer in her direction, but she still didn''t look up. She felt a pair of calloused but gentle hands cup her face, steadily raising her head. Her sky blue eyes met his. He felt his heart stir when he saw how tear-streaked her face was. "I missed..." the event or ''you,'' her words were unclear. But he understood that she meant both. "I was punished all this time. I''m sorry, I meant to come sooner for this, I just couldn''t and¡ª" her words faltered when she felt his finger gently wiping off the dirt on her face. A rosy hue spread across her cheeks, making her look delicate despite her disastrous appearance at the moment. "You''re here now." That''s all that mattered. He wanted to say, but he didn''t have the guts. He was now a knight, but to his growing feelings...he was still a coward. Violetta dug around and found her pouch containing the dried magnolia flower. She carefully pulled it out, holding it in her palm. Smiling fondly, Dominic saw her eyes filled with reminiscence and couldn''t help but smile too. Suddenly, her eyes turned glum and she looked at him again with unshed tears. "Domi...After this, I won''t be able to see you anymore. I won''t be permitted. I''ll be¡ª" Once again, her words were stopped, but this time, with a feeling of warmth engulfing her. His strong arms wrapped around her frail body, giving her a sense of security. Both their hearts thumped loudly and in unison, like one was trying to outdo the other with its anxiety. After a period of time, Dominic released her from his arms and suddenly kneeled before her. She was confused, but was shocked when she heard his next words: "My lady, although we are not destined to be...I, Knight Dominic Jude Harrison, promise to always protect you." Seeing her speechless, he grabbed her hand and his lips gently grazed them with a tantalizing kiss. "Violet...I..." seeing him struggling, she tenderly helped him stand. "Domi...I accept your oath." Her eyes glazed with tears as he hugged her again, her ears ringing with the sound she hadn''t heard in what seemed like forever. > And she began to cry harder as she gripped him with sympathy for her and for him. Him, for being part of this wicked and manipulative game set by the system invoking his pure feelings. And she, for she realized that she could never fully fall in love. 176 2.2.1: Persuasion "Congratulations Host, you completed your first target in this world! How do you feel?" Xiao Taotao asked with a happy smile once Xiao Yunhua was in the dimensional space. Xiao Yunhua''s eyes were puffy and red from crying so much, but the little fairy pretended not the notice. After she had met Dominic and he made his oath to protect her, he helped her return back to the Warrington mansion. Xiao Yunhua could still remember his gentle smile that broke her heart when she was still reeling in the whole situation. The more time passed, the more her feelings became nonexistent and she looked at him with no lingering attachment. When she returned inside, she saw the Duchess who wanted to say something but didn''t do her her state. She only gave her a look of annoyance and quickly dismissed her to her room. Before she could walk away though, the Duchess reminded her of the promise she made in exchange for being allowed to go. Of course, since she had gotten her target, it was an easy promise to accomplish. She just felt that it was unfortunate for their friendship. In all the honesty she could muster, she really did enjoy his company because he was an intellectual and a gentleman. So, the moment that she stepped inside of her room, she locked it and whisked herself to her dimensional space, her thoughts returning to the present as she looked at Xiao Taotao. "I don''t know how to feel." She couldn''t lie because her thoughts were, after all, exposed in the dimensional space. "Hehe, don''t worry about it. You''re just experiencing some unnecessary attachment. It''ll fade away quickly and you''ll get used to it as you experience more worlds." Xiao Yunhua was silent and the little fairy continued to speak. "Your Beauty Boost is going to be added as well." "The list you gave me didn''t give me a ''knight'' so how many points will I get?" The list was pretty vague, especially for occupations like Dominic''s. "Well..." The little fairy scrunched her nose in contemplation. "Based on the difficulty, it was fairly moderate. I think 10,000 will suffice since he''s the son of a noble." That low amount of points made the whole thing not worth the effort she went through and the time of isolation. "But he''s also a knight, that should be equivalent to more points?" She pressed on. If she simply accepted these little amount of points, then she would never finish and reach the desired amount of points. The little fairy was silent then nodded. "Alright, 50,000 it is! Congratulations." Xiao Yunhua felt a little better. A feeling of exhilaration rushed through her when the points were added and the little fairy spoke again. "Your total is 945,000 points. Since it is a Beauty Boost from a completion of a target, then your choice of skills are below," Xiao Taotao snapped her fingers and a display of words appeared before Xiao Yunhua. Hacking, design, game mastery and persuasion? "What''s with the last one?" It was different than the usual skills that were given. "Exactly as it sounds!" So she could persuade anyone to do anything? "Unfortunately not." Oops. She had forgotten that her thoughts could be heard. The little fairy didn''t mind and continued, "It''s limited to minor things. Fortunately, since it''s such an important skill, it''s divided into three levels like your martial arts skill." "If it''s level three...?" Xiao Taotao snickered, "Then you''d be a master of manipulation when it comes to your words. However, just like martial arts, the upgrades come completely random times. If you get it now, the second upgrade may come in your tenth world and whatnot." Xiao Yunhua was thinking so she didn''t hear the part about her ''tenth'' world; however, she did hear about the upgrading randomly part. Seeing how it was potentially useless, she decided against it. "I guess I''ll go with design." She finally said with some hesitation. "Are you sure? Skills like persuasion are randomly generated and it''s pretty rare for them to appear so soon. It will not be like the previous times where the skill just stays until it''s eventually picked." The more Xiao Taotao spoke, the more she was tempted to listen. But persuasion of minor things wasn''t beneficial...was it? "Fine. I''ll take it." Xiao Taotao beamed and immediately, she felt something fill her brain. It wasn''t like those previous skills where it was showing her how it''s done, but more of a calm one that would be beneficial when necessary. "Speaking of skills, didn''t you say martial arts would be beneficial for my next world?" Xiao Taotao felt embarrassed. She didn''t expect for her host to remember words she said on the whim. But she couldn''t be blamed! The schedule had suddenly changed to this one, meaning the next world would¡ªpossibly¡ªbe the one she was destined for. "Well, there was an unexpected shift. But I''m sure you''re not complaining because," Xiao Taotao snapped her fingers and Xiao Yunhua appearance enhanced. Her sky blue eyes became more clear and her average features changed into somewhat of a beauty. Or at least a young girl that would bloom into a beauty. It appeared so natural that one could tell they were the same girl, but the difference was the new aspect of her facial features. "You got your boost! 5,000 points will be deducted." She had no chance of refute as the points were immediately deducted from her. "Your balance is 940,000." Seeing how Xiao Taotao was trying to change the topic, Xiao Yunhua didn''t bother with it much and went with it. There probably was an error and Xiao Taotao didn''t lie. She hoped that was the case. "Alright, so who is now my next target?" It was time to shift to her second one, so she was a bit nervous. The childish voice snickered, "For your second target, you must make Adriel Alston Delavan fall in love with you!" Who is that? She blinked and thought hard but her mind was blank. Before she had the chance to ask, Xiao Taotao had already whipped her out of the dimensional space and back into her room again. Who is Adriel? She hadn''t ever heard his name before, so the next day¡ªwhen she woke up from a sleepless night¡ªshe went to ask the Duchess discreetly. Fortunately, her visit wasn''t unexpected because the Duchess had actually summoned her too. "I''ve decided on the person that will escort you for your coming of age party." Her debutant party was still months away yet the Duchess had begun to decide on the candidate that would escort her. She was an illegitimate daughter, but in the eyes of the public, she had the support of the Warrington dukedom as well as the Duchess, who came from a powerful maternal family. Her bloodline didn''t matter in comparison to her backing. "I see..." she murmured. She had a few months for her new target, so she didn''t worry. The Duchess was surprised to see her so obedient and not even curious on who it was. But that idea was broken when Violetta spoke again. "By the way, who is Adriel Alston Delavan?" The Duchess scoffed, "How do you know his name?" "Know who''s name? I heard it on the streets." That was an irrefutable excuse she had conjured in the three seconds that she was being interrogated. "Really?" Then she murmured something along the lines of "Who would dare say his full name?" "Who is he?" The Duchess still hadn''t answered her question. "Violetta, what is the surname of the royal family?" Why did that matter to their conversation? "Delavan." She subconsciously muttered, remembering the information that she had learned when she first stepped into the new world. "Precisely." Violetta''s eyes clouded with confusion until the lightbulb flicked in her heard. Adriel Alston...Delavan! He was part of the royal family and a prince? She hadn''t realized that she asked the last part of her question out loud, so the Duchess answered, "Not just a prince...but the Crown Prince of the GKY." What!? Xiao Yunhua wanted to vent in frustration. This mission''s difficulty had doubled instantaneously! "And also the man that I have chosen to make your escort for your debutant party." Xiao Yunhua didn''t hear the rest as she passed out. 177 2.2.2: Blood Demons When she woke up, she felt silly like a damsel in distress for easily fainting. However, she blamed her body for being unnecessarily weak. Juliet was just born with a natural weak and submissive nature, so any type of alternating from Xiao Yunhua might change it, but could not fully. But it really had rendered her a shock. Her next target was the crown prince, but how was the Duchess so sure that she would get him to be her escort for her debut to society party? First, there were many flaws for this, such as her illegitimate bloodline. Second, she might be able to marry a prince since her status as the only daughter of a nobility below the royal family and the daughter with the backing of the Duchess¡ªwho came from a powerful family herself¡ªbut to get the crown prince...Wasn''t the Duchess being too unrealistic? Most likely, the crown prince was going to marry the a princess of the opposing nation, Ayrelie, to keep peace. Escorting her, wouldn''t that mean they had a close relationship? She summoned herself to her dimensional space again, needing to do some research. "Taotao, show me the Delavan Royal family." The little fairy didn''t say anything about taking points since this was common knowledge and world knowledge, requiring no extreme action from the system. Suddenly, in front of her was a list. Xiao Yunhua squinted her eyes and noticed that it was a list of names, all ending in Delavan. It was a really long list, the first person being from the current time period and the last being from centuries before. She tapped on the ''Current King'' and a subcategory replaced the current list. There, she saw the King and Queen and noticed two particular people: Adriel...and Jaxton? She tapped on Adriel first and other than his name, everything else was locked and unclear. "Things about him are locked because they require points. The only thing free about each person...is their name." Xiao Taotao shamelessly said. Points! She had to give away more points...sigh. She really expected too much from a greedy system who would use any chance to rob her of points. "Fine, fine. How many points?" Immediately, Xiao Taotao told her that five thousand would be deducted, meaning her balance would be 935,000 points. She didn''t care for such a trivial thing and the information about Adriel appeared in front of her fully. His name, his hobbies, his dislikes, and a picture of his appearance. Minor things that shouldn''t have costed so many points, so alas...she was robbed. She already knew his name, so she shifted her eyes to his hobbies. There weren''t many other than trivial things like swordsmanship and reading. Xiao Taotao saw her curiosity and explained, "He is, after all, the Crown Prince. Seeing as he''s been learning and training to be the future king, he couldn''t have time to do many things." Suddenly, she felt bad for this prince. It seemed like his life was planned and he did nothing but train to appease the adults around him...like her life. They were very similar, in that aspect. She moved to dislikes and saw that dislikes people that schemed and blood demons? "What are blood demons?" She asked out loud, turning her head to look at the little fairy. Xiao Taotao sighed, unsure on how to explain this. "Demons that like blood." Her face filled with amazement. "Do you mean...Vampires?" That''s the only thing she could remember that fit the description from her original world. But weren''t vampires a mythical and fantasy creatures? Did they exist in this world? "In a sense? Taotao isn''t completely familiar with Host''s world but blood demons are scarier than what Host thinks. They''re also very inconspicuous and can be anyone." Xiao Taotao explained meticulously. She couldn''t explain further because this had already already revealed major things about this world that her host wasn''t supposed to find out until much later. As much as she wanted to ask more about blood demons, she realized that she didn''t have the time at the moment. She changed her focus to the last thing, which was a picture of his appearance. Once she saw his portrait, she was stunned. He had midnight blue hair and a pair of royal blue eyes. His face was chiseled and regal, matching with his broad shoulders. Overall, he was extremely handsome. Yes Dominic was handsome, but Xiao Yunhua wasn''t sure she had seen anyone as handsome as him in this world. "How old is he?" She had forgotten to ask this in the beginning. "He''s eighteen years old, so he''s four years older than your current body." Xiao Yunhua nodded and went back to the list of royals, tapping on Jaxton. She was surprised to see that it was locked too. "Why is he locked despite not being her target?" Xiao Taotao was probably doing it to scam more points out of her. "Well, any thorough information about any character is going to be classified and will cost points," Xiao Taotao explained. ''Thorough'' information? In which way was the information about Adriel ''thorough?'' She rolled her eyes and left the system, getting the basic information about her target. Once in her room, she heard a small knock on her door. A couple of servants came in to help her get dressed. She dressed simply and for the first time in what felt like forever, she was allowed to have breakfast with the family. Augustine was surprised to see her and the Duke didn''t even bother with her. She wanted to roll her eyes. The first day that she arrived in the mansion, he was a ''fatherly'' figure but it appeared that he quickly forgot that his first daughter died and his second one even existed. The Duchess didn''t spare her a glance and Alistair shot her a glare. She ignored everything and calmly took her seat. "Violet has been lead astray for the past few months, so she''s been eating alone to reflect on her behavior. Fortunately, she''s much better and will do better." The Duchess, explaining why they had an extra visitor after months of not eating with them. Augustine rolled his eyes at his mother''s excuse and his father for easily believing it. He looked at Violetta and silently asked if she was okay. Xiao Yunhua was confused on why he cared, but then remembered that they had a better relationship and he didn''t hate her...as much. "Since her debutant party is happening in three months, many people will be coming in and out to prepare. She will be formally entering high society." When he heard his wife, the Duke was astonished. Was his daughter already turning fifteen? Had it really been that long? He turned to look at her properly. His eyes met a pretty face that showed signs of maturing to a great beauty, sharing his blue eyes and blonde hair. The Duke was bewildered. From the faint memories of her mother, she didn''t facially and fully resemble her nor resembled him except for her physical features. Xiao Yunhua felt the Duke''s gaze piercing through her, trying to figure her out. She averted her eyes and pretended to eat mindlessly whatever was in front of her. "Violet," the Duke said, somewhat affectionately. She was startled and turned to him. The Duke didn''t expect such a drastic reaction from his own daughter, but didn''t think that it was from the years of negligence towards her. "Have you decided on who you want to escort you for your first entrance to high society?" Wait, she could choose!? She turned to the Duchess with accusative eyes, to which were ignored as the Duchess quickly intercepted her reply. "Yes, Violet said that she would pick the crown prince." A hushed silence fell on the table and even the servants were stunned. How arrogant was she to demand for the future king to escort her in a minor coming of age party? Xiao Yunhua could feel their heated stares and wanted to cry out that they were blaming the wrong person! She didn''t want or pick him, it was purely that evil woman across from her. "I...see." The Duke''s words held no emotion but she could tell that he was amused. Who wouldn''t be? The illegitimate daughter wanted the future king? A blush formed itself on her cheeks and she excused herself, going back to her room. She grabbed a book and carelessly flipped through the pages. The next few months were going to be long ones... 178 2.2.3: Debutant Party I And she was right. Then next couple of months, people came in and out of the mansion to prepare. For the only daughter of the Duke, everything needed to be perfect. Her debut to high society was a once in a lifetime opportunity that depicted how people thought of her. If there was even a minor error, there would always be people that would remember when she invited to other social outings. For her benefit, the Duchess has spared no expenses and had even personally gone to speak with the Queen. Long ago, when she had lost her daughter, the Queen had promised to owe the Duchess one favor. Yes she had no obligation to owe the Duchess a favor as she was socially below her nor did she have more authority than her, but the Queen did it for reasons. First and foremost, the Duchess was a friend from before marriage. Anything they did as young ladies was etched in her memories, so she couldn''t forget her friend even if she wanted to. Next, she felt partially responsible for the loss of her daughter. Morally, since the Duchess couldn''t avenge her daughter, she had to do something to appease her. And that''s where the favor came in. Years and years had gone by, the Queen forgetting that she ever made such a promise, but the visit from the Duchess had changed her entire perspective. What was a casual tea invitation had stunned the Queen to remember that she did, in fact, make such a promise. And as a royal, it was disgraceful to pretend that she didn''t or not uphold her promise of the favor, so she agreed. Yet who would''ve thought that the favor the Queen thought would be manipulated, would be so simple yet so difficult? The Duchess has merely requested for her eldest son, Adriel, to escort the Warrington daughter in her debutant party. As a Queen, she needed to maintain her promise...but as a mother, she was mortified. Her eldest son, the crown prince, was to escort the illegitimate daughter of a commoner!? This was disgraceful by every means, and she couldn''t respond. Any request would''ve not been as severe as this ridiculous one. The Duchess has made it seem so pure but it was a request that was quite heavy to swallow. This confused the Queen because she knew how much the Duchess cared for her deceased daughter, so to suddenly care for one that didn''t even share her blood...it was odd. Why was she doing so much, even using up a single favor that could be used for so much more, on someone that harmed her reputation as a wife? Nevertheless, the Queen agreed. Her dignity as a queen outweighed her dignity as a mother. "Mother, I''m busy." Adriel was a man of few words, but they were always direct and to the point. "Yes, I understand. But I owe Duchess Warrington a favor. As the queen, I cannot go against my word. She has requested for you to escort her...daughter." The Queen calmly spoke, sipping her tea. "I''m sure it was the daughter who wanted this, so consider her infatuated with you. As a future king, you''ll have plenty of women throwing themselves at you. This...is a trial?" No matter how much the Queen tried to persuade, it just rubbed off wrongly on Adriel. Adriel didn''t want to deal with a spoiled girl from high society but also didn''t want his mother to be disrespected. In the end, all he could was agree. It was only for one party...it shouldn''t be that bad. He would also make sure to reject her so she wouldn''t get anymore emotional intent towards him. In return, the Queen said that she would promise him one favor as well. Adriel didn''t understand why his mother kept promising people favors as the queen, which could potentially be used against her in the future. But, due to how guilty she felt for practically selling her son off, she insisted and all he could do was agree. So, the Queen went a letter to the Duchess, letting her know that her eldest son had agreed to escort her daughter. This made the preparations even more fervent and the chaotic atmosphere in the mansion turned a degree more severe. Xiao Yunhua didn''t have to do anything except have her measurements taken for the perfect dress, tossed around like a rag doll everywhere the Duchess ordered. Her jewelry was to be crafted and her silky, blonde hair was conditioned with natural shampoos every day, making it even more luscious. She didn''t understand why this was such a big deal, especially to the Duchess. Did she plan to do all of this for her own daughter''s debutant party? It couldn''t have been as simple as caring for Violetta, that much Xiao Yunhua was sure of. The murderous glint in the eyes of the Duchess still haunted her when she tried to choke her. How could such an evil woman suddenly care about her? She suddenly missed Dominic. He was a dear friend and she always enjoyed conversing with him. All this time, the only people she could see were the servants and her family at meal times. Even Augustine, who was a decent alternative to her friend, she couldn''t see as much because he was busy too. Hence, she was lonely. Even during her isolation period, she wasn''t lonely because she was rebelling. Now, however, she was just a doll being moved everywhere and trying on different things. She couldn''t see anything nor anyone despite her ''freedom'' and she couldn''t see her dear friend because she had restricted herself. One, for his heart to forget about her...two, for her heart to forget about him. All of this preparation finally lead to the day of the debutant ball, where she was woken up very early to be prepared for the big day. Her eyes were still red from the sleepless night and her palms were sweaty. From what she gathered the past couple of months, this was a big deal. 179 2.2.4: Debutant Party II On the day of her fifteenth birthday, the servants had woken her up early enough that the mansion was in complete silence. Usually, there was some sound when Xiao Yunhua woke up, but today, she woke up so soon that the only thing she heard was the sound of her thumping and anxious heart ringing in her ears. The worry was eating away her thoughts and her eyes widened when she saw the bathtub that the servants had prepared. Large with steaming water like the usual, but it was filled with red rose petals and made the room smell fragrant. The servants stripped her down and ushered her in the scorching water. Using a single finger, she tested the temperature and it burned her, but under the gazes of the impatient servants, she went in the water anyways. Her body ached from the overwhelming heat but the smell of the red roses helped to ease her thoughts away from the scorching pain. The servants began to scrub her body thoroughly and use exotic oils to make her pale skin even smoother. The fragrance of the red rose petals eventually dulled as she got used to it when they began to condition her hair to be as soft as silk. It was already smooth, but thanks to the months of pre-conditioner, it was even smoother. When she finally got out, her bath had taken about thirty minutes. She raised her arms and stood still like a scarecrow as they dried her body with the towel and began to help her get dressed. This was exactly how she had to stand when the Duchess called for multiple seamstresses and jewelers to take her measures and her preferences to match her dress. Speaking of her dress, it was decided that it would be a long sleeved, creme-colored dress that was slightly puffy on the shoulders and had white, flowery lace sewed on the collarbone. The dress had the same lace in a belt-like hold to emphasize her slim waist. At the bottom of the dress was also laced, however, it wasn''t as conspicuous and only made her steps appear lighter when she walked. Her shoes were basic creme colored shoes and her jewelry...The Duchess had paid a hefty price for the teardrop diamond earrings and matching necklace. But what really set the look together was the vine of diamonds used to assist her hair in a curly and thick bun behind her head. Since her hair was naturally straight, they had to use a curling hot wand. Fortunately, the curls didn''t look excessive and looked like they were part of her hair. When Xiao Yunhua looked in the mirror, she was stunned. For the first time since she arrived in this world, she really saw herself as a beauty. No she wasn''t beautiful enough to cause the downfall of a nation, but beautiful in her own way. It amazed her that all the effort that she found tedious had actually ended up helping her to perfect her look today. The servants finished her look with light makeup and dabbed her lips with crushed berries. When the Duchess saw her, she didn''t say anything but nodded in satisfaction. Out of all the days, the effort she had put in for the child had really been put to good use when she looked beautiful. Oddly enough, the Duchess realized that the child didn''t resemble her husband, meaning that the child must resemble her commoner mother. Unfortunately, the mother was dead and she could never confirm it. The Duchess grabbed her hand and realized that she wasn''t wearing the gloves that were paid for. She shot a glare in the direction of the servants, who flinched from the fear. "How dare you?" There was two responses to this. Either they had neglected their duty and forgot to help her wear the accessory¡ªwhich was very bad, especially for an occasion as important as this one. Or, one of them had decided to steal the gloves. There was a low chance that it was the second one since the servants were pretty terrified and had to have immensely guts or pure desperation to do so. But, one couldn''t underestimate what someone would do when they were poor. Those gloves were made from the finest fabric and looked laced with elegant diamonds. Selling them would fetch quite a large amount. Wearing them would attract attention too. They all kneeled on the ground, trembling in fear. Xiao Yunhua felt like the Duchess was being excessive for just a pair of gloves. The Duchess walked forward and walked past them, calmly, but her snake-like eyes wandered in their direction, scanning them. She stopped in front of a young servant. The servant froze and bowed her head, averting her eyes. Her hands that were on the ground were suddenly stepped on by the Duchess, making the servant release an ear-piercing scream. "I was wrong." She quickly admitted, her eyes swarmed with tears from the pain. The Duchess didn''t move and looked at the servant with disgust, awaiting her excuse. "I was blinded by my greed. May Your Grace forgive me. Please have mercy!" Xiao Yunhua watched with wide eyes filled with horror as the Duchess added more force in her feet, the sound of bones cracking. Seeing the merciless and heartless woman stepping on someone''s hands like she was stepping in dirt, Xiao Yunhua''s heart bleed. How cold was someone to hurt someone like this without much thought? The servant cried out more and Xiao Yunhua clenched her fists, ready to step forward but the Duchess finally stepped off. Xiao Yunhua felt the urge to vomit when she saw the red hands that had a shoe print embedded on top of them, and the hands themselves in a weird angle because of the fractured bones. "Get this wench out of my sight. Whip her twenty times and kick her out. Find the gloves immediately." The Duchess ordered with a cold voice. Xiao Yunhua watched them take the girl away and felt sympathetic towards her. The Duchess had possibly destroyed the usage in her hands and being whipped afterwards? She shuddered at the thought. This was the same woman who didn''t bat an eye at nearly choking the child she mentored for years, it wasn''t that surprising that she treated a servant like so. Nonetheless, she still felt disgusted that a human being was so cruel. Were all nobility like the Duchess cruel and heartless towards others of less status than them? Today was her official debut to high society...she didn''t want to find out. The remaining servants had huddled in fear and didn''t dare to look up because the fear had stricken them speechless. "This serves as a warning for all of you. Thievery is absolutely not permitted." The Duchess turned and grabbed the stolen gloves¡ªquickly found in the things of the servant¡ªand helped Violetta wear them. Xiao Yunhua looked at the gloves. Yes these were beautiful and expensive enough to feed a peasant family, but the mere thought that the cost of these gloves was the hands of others...made her hands feel itchy and gave her a great urge to take them off. "Now then. You''re fully ready, let''s go." The Duchess grabbed her hand and guided her away. "Your escort for your debutant party is waiting." "Duchess, how did you manage to get His Highness the Crown Prince?" She blurted out the question that had been bothering her all this time. What connections did this woman have to get the crown prince of the nation to be the escort of an illegitimate daughter? She was so confident when she told her that her picked escort would be the crown prince, was this what she meant? But connections were connections, she couldn''t have connections that were higher than the authority of the royal family? Xiao Yunhua did not know that the ''connection'' was the Queen of the nation who owed the Duchess a favor. The Duchess looked at her in silence, her green eyes brimming with something that Xiao Yunhua could not understand. The older woman smiled sardonically, "You don''t need to worry. Just don''t mess up the years I''ve taught you...and you''ll be fine. This is a big fish, I hope your act is good enough to reel it in." The meaning of her words was clear. She wanted for her to ''reel'' in the future king, but why? Seeing the young girl speechless, the Duchess chuckled but Xiao Yunhua detected that her laughter was filled with nothing but malice... 180 2.2.5: Debutant Party III Once they were out of the main room, they headed towards the main room. For the debutant party, they had to host it in the Warrington mansion as it was the daughter of a Warrington dukedom that was turning into a lady. Fortunately, the mansion itself was huge and the main room was spacious enough to be decorated extravagantly and thoroughly. As much as she had the preference to host it in the garden among the flowers, she had no chose on the matter. Yes it was her debutant party, but it was actually more like she was the puppet being sent forward by the Duchess. Everything, from her dress, to her venue, to even her escort was picked out for her. It was like the Duchess had been waiting for this moment all these years and it was finally given to her to use it. The obsessive nature to control everything about her coming of age party had freaked Xiao Yunhua out in the beginning, but over the past couple of months, she had gotten used to it. First, she could be lazy and not really care for something she found trivial while others found important. Second, it helped her focus on the real matter that came along with her entering high society officially: the possibility of a marriage arrangement. The mere thought of being sold away to marry heaven knows who terrified her. Although fifteen was very young for marriage, by standards, it was a decent age. Nobles waited for the coming of age party to enter high society officially, but the peasants had no luxury. Some even get married as young as twelve, in the eyes of Xiao Yunhua¡ªwho came from the modern world¡ªa child, but nothing major here. Although her mentality was old, her body was young. She couldn''t allow Juliet to break nor would a marriage help her mission. But she had no authority against a marriage or to prevent a marriage. The only thing she could do was run away but by doing that, she would lose all chance of getting close to Adriel. At least her current identity was the identity of the daughter of a Duke. Yes it was illegitimate, but it also allowed her to get close to the crown prince. Peasant Juliet would never have the chance to step in the castle, nonetheless meet the crown prince. Yes the numerous novels she read in her original world featured unlikely romances between a prince and a commoner, but reality was quite different. In the realistic sense, Adriel would never marry a commoner as his position was the future king, meaning he had to think of the nation before he could think of himself. If he were to think of the nation, then Xiao Yunhua needed extraordinary means to convince his heart to fall in love with her. Yes, Violetta had appeared in some parties of the nobles, but it had been a while since her isolation and after her freedom, she didn''t go much because her mind and everyone else''s¡ªincluding the Duchess¡ªwere focused on the upcoming debutant party. Hence, the people had slowly forgotten about her except a few who could describe her vaguely. This was high society, in which if one did not appear for a few months, they were quickly forgotten unless they were the royal family. Like Adriel, he rarely showed his face in events such as this one, but people immediately knew who he was with no doubt. Even with Xiao Yunhua''s identity being of a family only below the royal family, it still wasn''t as potent as the royal family. In comparison to her tiredness, the Duchess was walking with ease, like she had been to the main room many times before. Xiao Yunhua was sure that she had because the woman had probably hosted many things in the main room before. Based on her calm attitude, she treated this lightly despite how chaotic she made the mansion be over the preparation for it. Her collective behavior astonished Xiao Yunhua as it did not appear guilty nor showed any indication that she had crippled a person''s hands merely minutes ago. The Duchess sensed her silence and asked, "Are you nervous?" Xiao Yunhua didn''t know whether to nod and show weakness or shake her head and lie. The Duchess didn''t wait for her response and murmured, "I''m sure you are. I remember how nervous I was when I having my debutant party." Raising her hand, Xiao Yunhua flinched but only felt a comforting hand on her head. "You had me as your mentor, so you don''t need to worry." Her method of comfort was odd. This woman really made no sense to Xiao Yunhua. Her actions now juxtaposed her usual attitude towards her. The somewhat gentle look in her eye was like a mother looking at her own child. The more gentle she acted, the scarier she appeared. It was like the calm before the storm when it came to the Duchess behaving in this way rather than her usual cruel antics. This was the woman who promised that she would ''kill her'' when choking her. This was the woman that been anticipating the debutant party for a reason since a while, as per mentioned in that murderous incident. "Violet," there was nobody there so referring to her nickname with such endearment meant there was some sinister hint behind her words. And Xiao Yunhua was correct when she continued, "make sure to get the crown prince interested. I''ve already said he''s a big fish to reel in, but he''s a fish necessary for your survival." Not the survival of the Warrington dukedom, but her survival. If Violetta didn''t do anything to get the crown prince''s attention, then Xiao Yunhua was sure that the punishment would be more severe than all of her previous punishments combined. After all, this was the moment that she had been waiting for. The Duchess wanted for this moment to be perfect for her mysterious plan. Before Xiao Yunhua had the chance to respond, they had finally arrived in front of the main room entrance. The guests had already arrived and were being entertained by the Duke. Even though the Duke found the party and attending it a hassle, he couldn''t forgo his decisions as the father of who the party was being hosted for and needed to attended. If he didn''t attend, negative rumors would circulate and affect his reputation, which he did not like. Not only would attending help make him look like a good father, but he would also be able to get closer to the crown prince. As much as he didn''t want to believe it, his wife had told him that the crown prince had agreed to escort his daughter to her coming of age party. He wondered what tricks were used to accomplish this but didn''t ponder too much as it benefited him. He looked at his son, Augustine, who had also attended because he was growing to care for his sister. He would make sure to use this chance to get Augustine in the good graces of the crown prince and befriend him, which would then get the Warrington Household in the good graces of the future king. Augustine was lost in thought and his usual green eyes filled with arrogance were filled with an emotion that onlookers could not decipher. His attention had turned to the crowd which was surrounding the crown prince because he had attended. No one could believe that the crown prince had decided to attend this and be the escort! This was undeniably the biggest gossip of the year amongst the socialites. They watched his every move but after a while, they were disappointed to find him so cold and rigid. He was polite and had the manners of a king, but he limited himself to a point where no one could say anything about it and find it as a flaw. His perfectionist behavior stunned many of the women there, which was further instigated by his Adonis-like features. The crowd had originally gathered for more gossip and because he was the crown prince, but they had ended up staying more because they favored to be by his side, no matter how politely distant he was. Suddenly, a servant made her way through and moved her lips quietly enough to where only the crown prince could hear. "The Young miss that Your Highness is supposed to escort for the party is at the entrance." Adriel excused himself from the crowd and headed towards the entrance, curious on what the girl looked like. She was probably another spoiled daughter who was going to use this incident of having the future king as her escort for her debutant party for life. But when the door was opened and the girl was in his line of vision, he was stunned. And surprisingly, so was she. 181 2.2.6: Debutant Party IV Adriel was stunned because the daughter he expected to be spoiled had a solemn glaze in her eyes and she dressed with a very pure color, nothing bright and flashy except the diamonds glistening as accessories. Her eyes were scrutinizing him like he was scrutinizing her, both eyeing each other. She had an aura of coldness surrounding her, resembling the woman next to her who Adriel recognized as the Duchess of Warrington. Her maturity was weird, he couldn''t explain it but it was peculiar. It just seemed natural for her, like she was beyond her age despite only turning fifteen years old today. The Duchess was cold as usual, but she still respected him as she curtsied, silently ushering for the stunned girl to do the same. The girl gracefully curtsied like she had practiced hundreds of times before, the smoothness of the action exceeding his expectations. He raised his hand, his cold expression not shifting from his face. Her hesitance was brief and if he hadn''t been paying attention, he would''ve never noticed it. He wasn''t that surprised to see her exhibit anxiety as any normal young socialite having their first official introduction to high society. She raised her hand and placed in his, both immediately feeling the difference in temperature. Her hand was cold and his was warm. When he felt the temperature, he immediately yanked his hand away and a dark thought flashed in his head before he found it silly. She was just cold. He was being too paranoid. He apologized smoothly, like he had never pulled such a rude stunt, and grabbed her hand again; this time, ignoring the temperature and gripping onto it tightly. As the main entrance door opened, they were announced and Xiao Yunhua felt her stomach fluttering with nervous butterflies. For the first time in this world, she felt like she was raw in front of thousands of eyes. She was. But even the first time that she went to a party, it hadn''t felt as nerve-wracking as this one. Seeing the judgmental stares, she just wanted to turn around and run away. Be it her first life or her original life, she did not like to be in the center focus. Although she had attended big events and people looked at her, this particular one, it was all for her. It was intimidating to her. It intimidated her. As though he could feel her go a shade tenser, he gripped her hand and she broke out of her stupor and looked at him with mixed emotions. This was their first time meeting yet why did he assure her so much? Was it his aura of being the future king? She was just one subject, he would eventually have their calming aura over the entire nation. She wanted to thank him but they walked forward towards the people and they continued to stare at her. They could see that although she wasn''t the most beautiful person, she showed potential of developing into one. "Your...Highness," she tentatively began. He turned to her, having no major reaction at her attempt to start a conversation with him. "I appreciate that you''ve become my escort for my debutant party." First, she needed to be humble and thank him. Not only would the old woman be appeased, but it was also a step closer to her target. And it would be a tremendous boost to her reputation as the debutant party was a memory that would stick forever since it was the entry to adulthood. To be escorted by a royal, nonetheless the crown prince, it made quite an impression. The crown prince''s lips tilted upwards slightly, but it changed his entire aura to be more handsome. His smile wasn''t filled with mirth, but with coldness and a hint of annoyance. "I''m sure by Miss Warrington''s insistence, anyone couldn''t refuse." Xiao Yunhua felt helpless. He was another person who thought that she had chosen him to be her escort herself and had insisted on it. The Duchess had picked the crown prince as her escort so effortlessly, throwing her in the pit of fire in case anything went wrong. No matter how much she could justify herself, she would always be in the wrong because the partner would be¡ªor at least was supposed to be¡ªpicked by the person having their debutant party. So she sighed softly and didn''t speak, her sudden silence appearing suspicious to Adriel. He hadn''t expected to see such a dreary reaction to his words. Why did she act like that was the last thing she would do. He furrowed his brow. She really was different from the other noble girls that he had met. The other socialites did act shy, but it was all pretentious and he knew that they were all eyeing his status behind their smiles of flattery. The smiles were sweet and love struck, but filled with an undisclosed dagger. So far, she hadn''t exhibited these behaviors even after sitting with each for a quarter of an hour. Either she had pure intent or she was just an excellent actress. As much Adriel wanted to believe that she had pure intent, she was, after all, raised in a duke household. Furthermore, she was raised under the Duchess of Warrington, who was infamous for being a cold and conniving woman. Even his mother, who was a friend of the Duchess and the Queen, sometimes found it difficult to deal with her. Adriel watched a mixture of emotions swirl in her blue eyes before they hardened to a resolution. He found her innocence of displaying her emotions so easily refreshing, but like god previous thoughts, he could never assume that she wasn''t doing it all for an act. "Your Highness, the matter of how and why you became my escort aside, I am thankful. And as the person with the debutant party, I can''t sit idle and was wondering..." her next words were stuck in her throat. She suddenly realized that she was brazenly asking him to waltz with her, who would ever in this era? He realized what she was going to say and was relieved that she didn''t ask, so he did in her stead. He extended his hand and guided her to the middle, where they began the waltz. The others dancing watched, waiting for any mistakes to criticize Violetta. This was her first dance as an adult, so any mistakes would be talked about for a while. To their surprise, the two were in perfect synch despite their obvious height difference. Xiao Yunhua didn''t except for him to be such a smooth and talented dancer, able to keep up with her. Yes she did receive training, but she also had the advantage of a system that helped her learn and adapt the ability better than others. They waltzed the entire song, both avoiding each other''s gaze. As another song began, Xiao Yunhua decided that she needed to speak. If she were to fail at what the Duchess had wanted her to do, then she couldn''t imagine the terrible consequences that would follow. It would probably be worse that just isolation, especially now that she was an adult. "Your Highness is a skilled dancer." She softly said, her eyes still averted. He didn''t respond to her praise but murmured, "Miss Warrington is quite talented as well." More talented than what he expected, since this was her first ''official'' dance. Although it was common for children of nobility to attend parties before their official debut and dance, it wasn''t anything serious and they didn''t get much practice from it. If anything, it was just to get the feel of what it was like. But Adriel could see that she was easily the most skilled out of every other socialite dancing here. She raised her eyes and was shocked to find him staring at her. Their eyes locked in a battle of who would figure the other out first. Both were prideful and neither was willing to break down their wall, so their gazes were locked for the rest of the song. As they were ready to dance together again for a third one, Xiao Yunhua heard people whisper with her enhanced senses. "There he is." "The rumors were that he and the Warrington Daughter had feelings for each other." "They had a big scandal together, didn''t they?" "They invited him even when her escort is the future king, looks like we''ll have a good show!" Xiao Yunhua followed their gazes and froze when she saw Dominic entering. His chocolate brown eyes were still gentle as ever, but when they met hers, they were filled with an incomprehensible emotion. Xiao Yunhua watched him help a young lady walk, rooted in the spot with the crown prince''s hand still in hers from their waltz. It looks like the guilt she felt for him had only been her only whimsy and silliness. He had moved on, even if it was only a couple of months. She expected for her heart to hurt, but she couldn''t feel any pain. Her emotions that she felt for him had vanished as soon as her next target was confirmed, and this reaction to him proved it. At least now, she could be with Adriel with more ease. She didn''t have to feel guilty for stealing his first love, no matter how innocent it was. Even though she tried to convince herself to be that way, she still felt remorseful like she did with Zhou Lang. She had promised herself to never think of her first world again because the people were all in the past, but her actions were similar to the ones in the first world. Unlike Zhou Lang, Dominic had moved on, which made her relieved. The guilt was there, but much less. Despite the brief feelings they harbored for each other, they still had a solid friendship that bloomed out of the respect for each other. System or not, that would never change. If she could get the chance, she wanted to continue the friendship. At least for her, that was what she believed. However, she was sure that with all the rumors surrounding them, the Duchess would never allow her to contact him and invite him over, especially now that she was an adult. Not only would this invoke more rumors, but it could develop into a serious scandal that would harm both of their reputations. She glanced at the girl. The girl had violet-blue eyes and brunette hair with an innocent and pale face. Her dress was the same color as her eyes and didn''t stand out much, but her choice of rose accessories did. Even though it wasn''t super costly, her clothes were still befitting of a noble household. Xiao Yunhua didn''t recognize her at first, but now she realized that it was Liliana Roman, the girl who she had went to her birthday party all those months ago. She had definitely matured in the months they hadn''t seen other, and in the few months that she hadn''t seen them both, she could see the adoration Liliana had in her eyes for Dominic. Clearly, there was a story involved on how her two friends got involved together. Even though she had only shortly befriended Liliana and didn''t know her as well as Dominic, she still was a friend of hers and Xiao Yunhua still cared for her. Unlike her mother, the Roman Miss'' violet-blue eyes were filled with kindness. Countess Roman was a shrew but her daughter was the opposite, and that''s what Xiao Yunhua liked about her. She was unlike her mother, even though she grew up under her. One liked gossip and one was sweet. It was ironic to her situation. She grew up under the ''care'' of the Duchess, but people rumored her to be just as cold as the Duchess of Warrington. She didn''t really have her own personality nor was allowed to have one. 182 2.2.7: Debutant Party V Her eyes clouded with darkness at her sudden turn of thoughts, but Adriel, who was next to her, thought she had turned gloomy because she had seen the new couple. When he first found out from his mother that he was to escort the daughter of the Warrington duke, he was suspicious. Although his mother told him that she owed the Duchess of Warrington a favor, he was still doubtful that there was something else behind the favor. So he had his men investigate and he found out who he was escorting. Even though he didn''t discover everything about her, he did find out that she was an illegitimate daughter, but something else was even more odd. Rumors were that she was very close to the heir of the Harrison nobles, Dominic. Rumors also were that they had deep feelings for each other which caused them to rebel against their families. At first, Adriel didn''t believe in the nonsense. It sounded like something straight of out of a silly play. Even more so, if she was really harboring deep feelings for the Harrison heir, then why would she want him to be her escort for one of the most important events in her life? So, he brushed it aside as another nonsensical rumor that high society had blown out of proportion. But, at the moment, when he saw her deep in thought with a grim look in her eyes, he realized that there must have been some truth to the rumor. For some reason, that made him uncomfortable and he gripped her hand even harder, snapping her out of her daze. "Your H-Highness," she stuttered, not expecting to be caught looking in their direction. Her behavior made him even more annoyed, particularly when she saw them meet eyes. "Miss Warrington, the next song is starting." Before she had a chance to speak, he had already dragged her to dance again. In the midst of their dance, he found himself contemplating on his actions. He hadn''t expected to be so childish. He already knew about the rumors, yet why did seeing the rumors happen before his eyes bother him as much as they did? He had never felt so irritated for something so foolish, but there was a first time for everything. Now that a couple of hours had passed, he came to realize that he didn''t find her the way he expected her to be, at all. He expected a spoiled and infatuated socialite, but she was neither spoiled nor infatuated. At least infatuated with him. He didn''t like the presumption and continued to steer her to dance, preventing others from asking the main star of the night to dance. It was very puerile of him but he subconsciously found her company more enjoyable than he originally thought. Xiao Yunhua was still catching her breath when they finally sat down. For some reason, the moment that Dominic and Liliana entered, the crown prince had a sudden burst of energy to dance nonstop, and he dragged her with him. Hence, she was forced to endure and used up all her energy to keep up with him. Her feet ached and she was sure they were going to bleed at any time. She couldn''t imagine the horror if she wore a corset. Her eyes wandered to the people staring at them, especially her, with a newfound interest. Even she was confused, nonetheless the nobles. The crown prince wasn''t interested in her, so why did he want to dance with her for so long? She was sure that if she didn''t show signs of fatigue, he would''ve kept going. Had he acted like this for his other appearances with his other partners? No. According to the rumors, the few times that the crown prince made an appearance, he was very rarely dancing or actually involved with his partner. So that meant that her debutant party had encouraged him to be more involved? No matter which way she looked at it, she found the situation weird. Her wandering eyes met the Duchess who looked very pleased with her. In the years that she had lived with her, this was the first time that her green eyes didn''t remind Xiao Yunhua of a snake. Instead; they were filled with joy and sparkles like a young maiden. The Duchess'' lips curled into a gentle smile when she realized that Violetta was looking at her, like an encouraging mother. The only thing that Xiao Yunhua could think was...creepy. Even when she acted like she enjoyed her company, she didn''t go this far. The Duchess right now was just too different in comparison to her usual and her acting. Xiao Yunhua shook her head and ignored the smiling Duchess, her eyes scanning even more until they met the warm chocolate brown eyes that belong to a person that she hadn''t seen for months. Ever since his knighting ceremony and his oath to protect her, she had been swept away in the preparations for the debutant party, which was her coming of age. Earlier, they had met eyes for a couple of seconds, but now, they were really looking at each other. She couldn''t decipher what he was thinking and neither could he. Their locked eyes weren''t noticed by the buzzing crowd and the people who were minding their own business and occasionally looking in her direction. No one would''ve guessed that the young miss of the Warrington Household, who was looking forward, was actually looking at the distant Harrison Knight. No one but Adriel, the crown prince who was seated next to Violetta. Not only did the weird feeling of irritation grow in his chest again, but he wanted to avert her eyes back to him. He couldn''t understand, they had just met. Why could she cause him to be irritated like this? He cleared his throat, hoping to get her attention. When he realized that she was still looking at the noble son and knight, he asked, "Miss Warrington, what is it that you''re staring so intensely at?" Once the words were out of his mouth, she froze and so did he. Turning to him, she was speechless and he couldn''t blame her. He sounded like a jealous husband who had caught his wife eyeing other men. Other than being her escort, he was not her fianc¨¦ nor did he have any right to question her with such a tone, but neither he nor she had the compulsion to say it. In the end, she murmured an apology and turned her attention to him fully. The awkward atmosphere that followed could only be dispelled with a random topic that she brought up, "So, Your Highness seems to enjoy books?" Out of all the things she could say, she said something she saw thanks to the system! She hoped that he wouldn''t interrogate her about where she learned that from, which luckily, he didn''t. Instead, he nodded curtly and didn''t pay attention to how she knew about it. She wanted to continue so she asked, "Which books would you say is your favorite?" He was surprised to see her asking this question because he, himself, had never thought about it. "I can''t list a single one particularly, but I do enjoy quite a few." He proceeded to list a couple of names and she widened her eyes. Even though enjoyed the romance genre, the books he listed were militaristic and unsuitable for a young lady. Fortunately, she had gotten bored and read many things, including the titles that he said. "Oh, I enjoy those books too!" Now, it was his turn to be surprised. A young lady would never read those brute books because they were purely strategic and too much for their delicacy. But, he was astonished when she began to list them with details. Soon, he found himself fervently conversing with her and she with him. Since he focused on his studies and swordsmanship, he didn''t speak with a lot of people nor had a lot of hobbies. Reading was one of his rare hobbies, but the books he enjoyed weren''t very enjoyable to the general public, nonetheless a young lady. But she was on track with him and even remembered small details that he had brushed over. He didn''t know that she had a photographic memory that helped her cheat, he just assumed that her level of intelligence was high. Her aura of maturity when he first saw her was really brought to light when she discussed things beyond her age and beyond what a fragile young miss should know. By now, his prejudice that she was a bratty young miss had completely disappeared and in its place was the idea that he was speaking to someone on his level, a crown prince of a nation who had been trained to be good at everything. The topic diverted from books to swordsmanship and he was shocked to find out that she knew many things about it. Her eyes sparkled with interest when she asked him questions in regards to his techniques, like she was a student learning from a teacher. Throughout their entire talk, she could feel a burning stare in their direction and she had the feeling that she knew who was the one having the state. Judging from its direction, it was definitely Dominic who was watching them interact and chat easily about their interests. He suddenly remembered the very first time that she had invited him for tea, his time with Augustine and her. They had done exactly what she was doing with the crown prince: chatting away with ease. The brightness in her eyes made the ache in his heart more evident. He felt a light tap on his arm and turned to his partner, Liliana, who smiled at him. Even though she smiled at him, he could sense the sadness behind it. Even she could see that his mind and heart were elsewhere, nonetheless the few nobles around them. "Dominic," although she usually didn''t call him by his first name, she did so to help his reputation and to stop the mouths from moving from his obvious stare. "Do you want to try this?" She indicated a cake and he felt like she was so humorously random, but immediately realized that he had been distracted too much to where people were beginning to notice. He shot her a look of gratefulness and nodded. He didn''t even notice the cake nor the flavor in his mouth, but it helped to distract him from the couple that were getting along. "I wouldn''t be surprised if Miss Warrington knew how to handle a sword since you''re so knowledgeable about it." When he uttered those words, she went silent. She frowned and shook her head. "Unfortunately, all I know is from reading. As a daughter of nobility, Your Highness should know that I have many limitations." The only thing she learned was how to be obedient and learn other miscellaneous things she found useless but were beneficial for a noble young lady to be a wife. Thinking of marriage, her heart felt heavy again as she looked up at Adriel. A crazy idea began to brew in her head, which was too ridiculous for real life, but not ridiculous enough to not want to try it... 183 2.2.8: Marriage Contract I "Your Highness, how about we visit the garden?" Hearing her request, the wine that was raised to his lips froze. His royal blue eyes turned in her direction, looking for any signs of mischief. When he did not find any, he realized that she wasn''t kidding. "Miss Warrington, I''m sure you''re just jesting because you aren''t really planning to leave your own debutant party and the guests to go visit the garden for leisure?" When he worded it like she was ditching her own birthday party and the most important party of entering adulthood, she blushed. He found the rosy hue that was rapidly spreading all over her face, cute, and like a bunny. She shook her red and ignored the warmth in her face. "My...Mother can handle it." He noticed the hesitation when she called the Duchess of Warrington her ''mother'' but didn''t make a comment. He knew that it wasn''t his business and that there was obviously deeper things happening behind doors, no matter how much the Duchess ''adored'' her daughter, she wasn''t of her blood and an illegitimate child. "And no debutant party can compare to time with Your Highness." Hearing that part, the top of his ears went red like her face, but luckily, she couldn''t see it because his hair covered them. He couldn''t understand her actions. All through the night, she proved his initial idea that she was infatuated with him wrong, and she showed no indication of harboring any feelings for him. But just like his first thought, he couldn''t be sure that she wasn''t acting. After all, he was requested to personally be her escort. But the more that he thought about it, the more that he couldn''t see the noble young lady who had wanted him to personally escort her based off of what she had shown him that night. "Alright." Finally, he agreed. He was curious on why she was dragging him to the garden in the first place. What did the garden hold for her to want to evade her own debutant party? She inhaled sharply and turned to the Duchess that was seated not too far from them. Adriel noticed that the usually cold Duchess was ecstatic and didn''t resemble a cold hearted woman that many feared. She began to mouth words and oddly, the Duchess understood each and every one of them. Even though he was at her side, he couldn''t understand everything she was mouthing but understood the gist of it. She was asking for permission to leave to go to the garden. He expected for the strict Duchess to disagree, but she agreed immediately. The quickness in her agreement contradicted her usual personality and he wondered what she was planning. Once Xiao Yunhua finished asking for permission, she nodded and it felt like a huge burden was released from her shoulders. The nobles didn''t doubt her because for such an expensive party, the person it was being hosted for would never leave of their accord. Furthermore, it was a debutant party, one of the most important parties in the lifetime. Adding on with how small and delicate Violetta appeared, it helped to justify that she really could fall sick with just the smallest error. The crown prince realized that what she was doing was the right thing. She couldn''t say it outright that they were going to the garden to save their reputation, particularly his as a whole family member. Not only would this excuse her absence, but it would allow him to leave too now that he didn''t need escort her. He watched Violetta leave quickly. Before she left, she whispered that she would leave a servant to guide him to the garden, where she would be waiting for him. He felt like they were on a secret rendezvous. Him, along with everyone else, watched her creme-colored figure getting smaller and smaller until the entrance closed. Everyone else included the person that she had been eyeing earlier, the noble and knight. As much as Adriel wanted to turn to him, he didn''t because he still had the dignity of a future king. He drank another cup of wine until he realized that he had stalled enough and her small figure was still waiting for him in the midst of flowers. He stood up, causing the other nobles that were seated to stand up. "Since the main lady of the party and the one I was escorting isn''t here, I believe it is time for me to get going." "But Your Highness, it''s too soon!" One of the nobles said flatteringly. "Yes, your charming presence is worth anything!" Another noble added. "Please, stay a bit longer." The nobles with their insincere words of cajolery began to annoy Adriel but he kept his cool and turned to the Duke and Duchess. "The party was lovely but I believe that it''s time for me to head off because I have many things to do. Thank you for the invitation." The Duchess smiled pleasantly, "No, many thanks to Your Highness for enduring my foolish daughter. I hope that she wasn''t too much of a nuisance." Although her words were parting, her eyes relayed a different message. She was still steering him towards the garden, reminding him that someone was waiting for him. After a couple of more words exchanged for formalities, the crown prince bid the rest of the nobles adieu and stepped out of the main room. Many of the nobles has decided to stay despite the lack of presence of the main debutant socialite and the crown prince, purely because debutant parties were very extravagant¡ªespecially the ones held for high nobility like the Duke¡ªand fun. Everything about these extravagant parties were enjoyable to the nobles who wanted nothing more than to indulge in their gluttony. Even though he had told them he was going to leave but in reality, go to the garden, he technically didn''t lie since he didn''t think the business in the garden would take long. He was going to ask what she wanted and then quickly leave. He really did have many things to do, so it wasn''t just an excuse. Once he was outside of the main room, he noticed that a servant was waiting for him. The servant was distracted and was startled when she noticed him a few minutes later, bowing for forgiveness for momentarily neglecting him. He waved it off and she told him that she would guide him to where the garden was. He nodded and began to follow her. The path to the garden was longer than he had thought. Although the Warrington mansion wasn''t as big as the castle, it was still a remarkable size that was worthy of belonging to a duke. The walk to the garden had taken him many steps and he presumed about twenty minutes before he began to see it in his sight. Finally, they reached it and the entrance to the garden was in front of him. The servant bowed and quickly ran off, afraid that he would hold her accountable for what happened earlier¡ªwhich was her negligence. He slowly opened the garden door and was greeted with a mixture of herbal aroma hitting his nose immediately. Although the garden was dark because the sky lacked light, he could still see that it was very big and diverse with its plants and trees. He began to take steps, his eyes now adjusting to the darkness, to look for her. The closer he got to the center of the garden, the more lanterns were used to guide and create a cozy atmosphere in the garden. The bare light helped the capture the minimal visual of the present flowers and focused overall on the natural aroma. It didn''t take long for him to find her small figure that was turned away from him and faced towards the flowers. He was curious to see what she was intently looking at that she didn''t even hear him come in. In reality, Xiao Yunhua did hear his footsteps, but she was just too nervous and focused mindlessly on the flowers in front of her. Finally, unable to pretend to be patient, Adriel spoke. "Miss Warrington, I see that the flowers here are in full bloom." She was startled and turned in his direction, quickly curtsying. "Your Highness, when did you get here?" "Not that long ago, don''t worry." He wasn''t going to make a big issue out of something so small. "Now then, what did you want to visit the garden?" "To enjoy the flowers, of course." She answered nonchalantly. However, in her mind, she was too cowardly to ask him about her ridiculous plan. Not only would it get the Duchess off of her back, but it would also prevent her from being married off to someone random in retaliation of the Duchess. The crown prince chuckled, but there was no amusement behind his laughter. His coldness reminded Xiao Yunhua of the first moment she had seen him along with the picture of the system. His nature may have seemed different, but she couldn''t forget that he was overall cold and unfeeling. "I''m sure Miss Warrington isn''t just here to admire the flowers." No matter how innocent Violetta appeared to Adriel, he was sure that there was at least some part of her that had inherited the cunning nature of the Duchess. And her response had confirmed it when she clearly pulled him here for a purpose but acted over wise. Xiao Yunhua didn''t expect to be caught so easily and sighed. It looks like she couldn''t drag it on anymore. She was about to pull the same stunt that a certain person had pulled on her in the first life. "Your Highness, I will say these words slowly and I hope that you will not take offense to them." "Don''t worry, as long as it''s not asking for something excessive or against the law, I will not mind speaking about it with you." "Just don''t know if you will find it excessive," she muttered under her breath. He opened his mouth to ask her what she meant, but she spoke again, stopping him. "Your Highness...would you be willing to accept a life changing contract?" "Contract?" This was beyond his expectations. Wait, what did he expect? Had it been any other young socialite, then her words and demands would be in his reach and thoughts. But she had broken every stereotype he had been warned about, even proposing a contract. What did a fifteen year old know about any contracts? Xiao Yunhua saw the turmoil on his face and internally panicked. But she took a deep breath again, ignoring her beating and anxious heart. "Yes, a contract. Which will be beneficial to both of us." Her fists were clenched and gripping her dress on the side. "A marriage contract." Silence followed her words as both didn''t know how to react, especially Adriel. "Miss Warrington," his royal blue eyes flashed with a chill, "if this is a joke, then by all means, please end it." She shook her head, fervently, "Your Highness, I would never joke about marriage. Please, hear me out." At that moment, they realized that they were standing the entire time by the flowers. Luckily, the garden had some furniture such as tables and chairs and other miscellaneous things for people wanting to sit and enjoy the nature. So, Adriel followed her to the closest table and sat on the chair across from her, waiting for her explanation... 184 2.2.9: Marriage Contract II "So Miss Warrington, what do you mean by a marriage contract?" The moment he sat down across from her, he immediately questioned her. She didn''t know where to start, but knew that this was her only opportunity to present him this contract. If she failed here, then there was a high chance that her target progress overall would be sabotaged. Adriel seemed like the type of person who wouldn''t easily forgive, especially for matters like marriage which were very serious. "Your Highness, we will not get married but only engaged." She began, trying to console it and make the offer more tempting. It had the opposite effect and he looked more annoyed. "Engaged in the eyes of others." "And why would I, the future king, need a fake fianc¨¦e?" This was the trickiest part of his question. Why would the crown prince and the future king of one of the two largest nation''s need to fake his engagement and marriage? She had to explain this thoroughly. "It will benefit you because Your Highness is in that age where you have many persistent women after you." And your status, but she wasn''t that bold to say the last part. He could always assume that she was the same as the ''persistent women'' and only proposed such a ridiculous contract to have that luxury. "Persistent women aside, how will this benefit you? How do I know that you aren''t just as greedy as them? Didn''t you choose and demand for me to be your escort? Is this another ploy..." His sentence faltered and he didn''t continue since he felt like his words were turning too harsh for a delicate young lady like her. However, his accusation didn''t escape her ears and only made her more nervous. "Your Highness," she was contemplating on whether or not she should be honest. In the end, she chose the route of truth since it was better that he found out now then later from the mouth of another. "Actually, I didn''t even choose you to be my escort." "What!?" His royal blue eyes widened in shock. Never in all of his calculations did he expect that she hadn''t even chosen him. He had assumed that she did it out of infatuation originally, then throughout the night, his assumption had changed that she had a plan in store for him. But now, she was admitting that she didn''t even choose him to be her escort. What was the truth? It was very unheard of to have any of these things picked for the person having the debutant party, so he didn''t believe her initially. However, with the candor glint in her eyes, he couldn''t doubt her. "Then...you didn''t actually choose me?" For some reason, that stung him more than he expected. For such an intelligent girl, when they were speaking, he assumed that she had chosen him because she knew that he was also intelligent like her. They shared a similarity in intelligence and likes, especially the books he thought that no one else around his age would enjoy except him. She shook her head, her eyes shifting to misery. "This dress, the diamonds, you...everything was chosen for me." Her admittance to the truth so easily meant that she wasn''t lying about, nor did she have a reason to lie about it. "Why?" He could only muster one word and ask. Why? She didn''t know either. For the past couple of years, she had been taken in and groomed by the Duchess of Warrington to be the perfect little puppet, to be obedient for her fifteenth birthday. Clearly, all the time and effort was for the royal family, especially to set her up with the crown prince. Based on the expressions filled with triumph, she could see that the Duchess thought that she had won. But won what exactly? "I don''t know. It''s always been that way." She couldn''t explain to him that she had been used like a doll from the moment that she stepped in to replace Evelyn all those years ago. "I see..." Adriel murmured, his thoughts filled to investigate once he returned. ''Always been that way?'' He realized that just like him, her life had been planned out. The similarities they shared with each other broke a small barrier that he kept against her. All the original assumptions about her had already been thrown away, so he was only discovering the real her more and more. Although he didn''t trust her, he still found it in him to trust her current words. "Your Highness, you are the future king, yes that''s true. However, you also need the backing of several nobilities, particularly the more powerful ones." Her warning was clear. He had a brother, born from his mother, the Queen, so he had the same bloodline as him. He was not inferior by being an illegitimate child, his only flaw for the crown was being born one year later than Adriel himself. "If Your Highness agrees, then I, Violetta Charlotte Warrington, sweat an oath on my family name to have the Dukedom of Warrington back you." She uttered those words and the promise, but she was a bit scared. She was taking a gamble. Since the Duchess had wanted her to interact with the crown prince so much, then she would help her convince the Duke to support the crown prince. The Warrington Clan had been taking a neutral stance since the birth of the second prince, so once they chose a side, it would stick with them until the death of the chosen side. "Furthermore, as you know, the Duchess comes from a powerful noble house as well. My maternal side of the family will also assist you to have a smooth journey to your crown." Once again, these words were another gamble. Based off of the accumulation of all the years of being played and controlled by the Duchess, she was taking a gamble. The cold woman had worked and trained Violetta far too hard for this moment. Even if she didn''t know why, she knew that it was important. However, her thoughts panicked at the idea that the Duchess would do the unexpected and not care. It was a fifty-fifty percent chance of how persistent the Duchess was. Adriel looked at the firm yet delicate girl who was standing firm and looking him in the eyes. He could see her face turning a bit pale and the sweat dripping down her forehead, but she didn''t flinch and stuck with her oath. Interesting... The illegitimate daughter who had no relations to the Duchess'' maternal family could make a promise like this. She had come prepared for this contract. But since it was a contract and she said that it would benefit them both, he was curious on what benefits she would be getting. "And what would Miss Warrington be getting out of this contract?" She took a deep breath, "My freedom." And that pretty much summarized all the feelings she felt towards the Duchess. First and foremost, she wouldn''t need to be married off to who knows what random person, and second, she could have the old woman give her some space. She had a feeling that the Duchess'' real aim wasn''t just Adriel nor his crown prince position, but her real aim would be revealed the moment that he was crowned king. Seeing him confused, she felt the obligation to explain. "Even though it''s considered the norm to be married off, especially for nobility, I still wish I could get the chance to choose." Although Juliet didn''t have money nor the ability to get food or nice clothes, her life as Juliet wasn''t monitored nor did she have her everything restricted, including her marriage, since marriage wasn''t as formal with peasants as it was with nobles. "Your Highness, the engagement will be temporary until you are stabilized and become king. By that point, you can easily break it off as the ruler of the nation and marry whoever you want." "...And what would you do?" She had everything planned out, he pondered if she had planned out her future as well. The bittersweet smile on her lips left an unfamiliar ache in his chest. "I would probably be traveling and renouncing my status as the daughter of the Warrington Duke." In reality, she would just be giving up the thing that didn''t belong to her. To this day; she felt guilt for Evelyn who never had the chance to enjoy the luxury and food that she enjoyed in her stead. Adriel stared at her in disbelief. She was only fifteen years old! She was too mature for her age and didn''t bat an eye at admitting that she would give up her status and family name. "Why would you want to travel?" He was met with a brief silence. "I''ve always wanted to see different parts of the world." She finally confessed. It was an excuse but not fully a lie. Although this world was divided into two major nations, it didn''t mean that there wasn''t traveling by boat. If she ever succeeded with her current target, she could always travel to find her next one. It would allow her to have fun and look for whoever was next in her mission. "I see..." Xiao Yunhua stared at him, hoping he would respond to her contract, but he didn''t say anything. "If Your Highness is worried about your potential marriage arrangements, then I would like to remind you that I can appease the Queen." By being the perfect daughter in law. Even though the Queen most likely wanted to marry Adriel to a princess of a foreign nation, she was sure she could convince her otherwise. If anything, she could always give her Vehemence. She hated to manipulate emotions, but if that''s what it took to get success, then by all means, she would manipulate the entire world. "I''m just...surprised." Adriel didn''t acknowledge the feelings he felt towards the noble knight as envy because he had no word in his dictionary. "I would''ve assumed that you would''ve picked the noble." Once again, he blurted things curtly that he would''ve never thought he would say. Even if he couldn''t see the jealousy, she could. ''Is he jealous?'' The possibility of it was absurd. They had just met that day! The noble he referred to, of course she understood immediately. She just didn''t expect that the crown prince had heard the rumors about her as well. She didn''t realize that her intense stare earlier had been noticed by him. "Your Highness, I don''t know what you''ve heard but I can assure you¡ª" "My apologies Miss Warrington. I let my mouth say words purely based from rumors." He interrupted, embarrassed. She blushed. She hoped that the rumors would have dissipated by now, but if the crown prince, her partner, had heard them, she needed to make more of a conscious effort to make them disappear. "No, if Your Highness is agreeing, then I think it''s best that I explain these rumors now." She was giving him an ultimatum. If he agreed, then she would explain everything to him. Of course, she wouldn''t really explain every detail, but enough details to where he could believe her and know that there is nothing going on between Dominic and her. She would explain that she possessed no feelings for him either. She saw him still undecided and wished that her words could persuade him already. Persuade? She suddenly remembered that she had the power of persuasion! But Xiao Taotao had told her that her persuasion was useless except for minor things. Since she had already given all of her reasons, she was willing to try her luck again. She looked Adriel deep in the eyes and said, "Please Your Highness, I hope you agree as this would help us both." Something stirred in his eyes and he found himself nodding. "Alright Miss Warrington, I agree to your contract." She wanted to cheer because she thought her persuasion had worked, but she didn''t know that this wasn''t anything minor. Her power was still useless and she had achieved this purely on her own by stirring something in Adriel''s heart. "Now I wish for Miss Warrington to explain to me about the rumors." His curiosity around the subject couldn''t be concealed in his words. 185 2.2.10: Marriage Contract III "Well..." She wanted to say Dominic''s first name but realized that it wouldn''t be appropriate. "Knight Harrison had been the first person to ask me to dance, so I invited him for tea. Then it just happened that our friendship grew, but it didn''t develop as drastically as high society rumored it to be." This was such a lie but she didn''t dare expose herself. Adriel glanced at her, deep in thought, then hummed an agreement. "I see...Miss Warrington, since you''re now my fianc¨¦e, I can''t have you referring to me as Your Highness all the time." ''Fake fianc¨¦e,'' Xiao Yunhua wanted to correct him. "Then, what would you like me to use?" For the first time since she saw him, a smile bloomed on his face and it made his attractive face ten times more handsome. She was dazed and wanted to reach out to touch to see if it was real, but maintained her dignity and didn''t do something so stupid. "Violetta," The way her name rolled off of her tongue so smoothly, it was like he had been saying it for years. "Call me by my name." "Y-Your Highness," she stuttered nervously, "how could I dare to?" He raised a finger to her lips and silenced her, ignoring the cold temperature of her lips. His warm finger contradicted her cold lips but once they clashed, it created an odd balance of moderation. His actions were innocent, but to Xiao Yunhua, they were full of seduction. Wasn''t he supposed to be cold and studious? How was he so handsome and natural at seducing her? Was it that regally handsome face with his royal blue eyes, or his smile that had melted away an impression he left as a cold prince? "It''s alright, I give you permission to do so." She shook her head zealously, "I-I wouldn''t dare to do so. Please, Your Highness, allow me to continue with your title." He sighed, finding her stubborn. He was learning more and more new things about her, both negative and positive new things. "Violetta, at least call me my name in private and no one else is there." He saw the conflict on her face until she slowly nodded, unwilling to but agreeing for his sake at last. "Say it." Before he left for the night, he wanted to hear his name uttered from her mouth at least once. "A-Adriel..." she softly murmured, so quiet that he couldn''t even hear her. "Louder." She inhaled and at a decent volume, said, "Adriel!" Her eyes were closed and her fists were clenched like she had done something horrific. When she didn''t hear him respond, she opened one of her eyes and peeked. Since he called her by a nickname, it would be highly inappropriate if she didn''t respond. It would either be considered rude or be taken as a rejection. She could afford to do neither against the crown prince, so she only sighed and resigned to her fate. "Riel..." she thought that her eyes were playing a trick on her, but she saw him figuratively beaming. He patted her head again, this time with more fervor. "You''re doing well. I hope nothing goes wrong with this contract." Simultaneously, his eyes cooled once he said that. "We spoke about the benefits of the contract, but we never discussed what would happen if one of us decided to go against it and do something before the time period ended?" The time period he referred to was the time between now and the time when he would be crowned king. She frowned. She hadn''t thought about breaking the contract. Since this was only a verbal contract, it wasn''t as secure and strong as a physical contract either. "I hadn''t thought that far, Riel." Just like she was stunned when he said her nickname so smoothly, he was also astonished for a few seconds when she said his. "What do you think we should do?" Since she had everything figured out, he was going to leave this part to her as well. This was a tough question. She couldn''t say a punishment too severe since he was the future king, nor could she offer a punishment that was too light. "How about we severe all ties to each other?" Not just ties between them, but the ties of the alliances that followed, such as the backings that she had promised earlier. "Hmm, that''s fair. Violet, as you are my fianc¨¦e, I hope that you would be loyal." She wanted to roll her eyes. Did he see her as a fickle woman? If anything, she was the one that was supposed to tell him that. "I hope Your Highness would follow the same guidelines." Adriel''s eyes flashed with amusement. Her words were basically, ''you too!'' They were in this boat together. "And if there was a violation within the alliances?" He was making sure to check through everything before he left for the night. "Then, I will leave that punishment for Your Highness to decide at that time." This was the only acceptable answer that she could muster. "Hmm, alright." They looked at the pitch black sky and realized that their talk had been much longer than they expected. They had ended up in the garden for so long, it had been a couple of hours. When they headed back, they noticed that the former buzzing main room was now silent as all of the guests had left. The only people left were the Warrington Duke and Duchess, along with Augustine and the servants who were cleaning up. "Where have you been¡ª" The Duke froze when he noticed that the crown prince was still with her. Didn''t he say that he was leaving earlier? Why was he here, and more importantly, why was he with Violetta? The Duchess watched the couple entered and couldn''t help but feel pleased. Her plan was going much better than she had thought. All those years of mentoring the child hadn''t gone for naught since she was doing exactly what she wanted her to do. Augustine watched his sister with confusion. Ever since she had cake out of her ''study period''¡ªor that''s the term that his mother used to describe her house arrest¡ªa few months ago, she had completely changed. Even more so, he watched the crown prince suddenly grab the hand of Violetta. Everyone, including the servants and Augustine himself, froze in shock. Even the Duchess didn''t expect for such a quick turn of events, but couldn''t find it in herself to feel bad. This was much better than her expectations! The girl wasn''t useless after all. "It''s late, so I should be going." The crown prince said, still holding onto her hand. Xiao Yunhua didn''t understand why he suddenly grabbed her hand and showed a display of affection, but it had definitely done the trick as they all looked at them with gaping mouths, especially her, thinking what sorcery she had done in the couple of hours of disappearing. "Wait a moment, Your Highness," the Duchess spoke up, expressionlessly. "Please do tell us what your action meant when you grabbed Violet''s hand." "Must I explain myself," he snapped, causing the woman to flinch. The Duchess never wavered, but she was, after all, in the presence of the future king. She couldn''t help but be submissive. Adriel didn''t mean to snap at her, but he couldn''t help but remember the grievance that Violetta had in regards to her debutant party. The Duke wanted to speak out, but he didn''t dare seeing the crown prince snap at the Duchess. His hesitation was seen by Adriel who only gripped Violetta''s hand even harder. "I have decided, your daughter Violetta will be my fianc¨¦e." One of the servants dropped the plate she was holding and the loud crash startled everyone. The Duchess was in no mood to reprimand her because she was ready to burst. So all the effort to train the little pet were put to good use! The crown prince was smitten with her from their first meeting, even wanting to marry her and make her the future queen! Although his words were completely against customs and were too brazen, no one rebuke the crown prince. Everyone was still reeling in from his words. "I hope you do not think that this is the official proposal. I will not forsake formalities. Tomorrow morning, the royal family will send out a proper invitation to the castle. There, it could be discussed without being dropped like this. I apologize for being too impulsive just now." "No, No, Your Highness!" The Duchess smiled gently, but it made Adriel think that the one smiling was a snake. "Please do not apologize. If anything, thank you! We will be waiting for that invitation." The Duchess bowed and this set a string of bows to follow, one from the Duke as well. Adriel waved off their formalities and turned to Violetta, who was looking at everything with bewilderment. He whispered to her that he would see her tomorrow and she nodded. Even though he was only telling her that they were going to meet tomorrow, in the eyes of the audience, it seemed like the couple were being coquettish and flirtatious with each other. The people couldn''t believe their eyes. The crown prince had sauntered in as her escort hours ago, cold and expressionless towards her. Now, he was even willing to hold her hand. What had happened in the garden for such a drastic and dramatic shift in attitude!? The crown prince bid them adieu, this time, for real, and headed off to the castle despite the time being very late. Violetta saw him off, as did the rest of the Warrington family. The moment that he was far away and indiscernible to the eye, they all pulled her inside and began to question her. 186 2.2.11: Marriage Contract IV "What happened?" The Duke asked impatiently. He couldn''t believe that the illegitimate daughter of his ended up being the most useful pawn of all. She was going to be the queen in the future! No matter how audacious and ambitious the Duke was, he would''ve never assumed that his daughter would be the future queen one day. Maybe his legitimate daughter since she had the status and the bloodline to follow, but for his illegitimate daughter that had grown up with the peasants for a short period of time? It was too ridiculous to think about. "He and I talked, then I invited him to the garden with the permission of...Mother," Xiao Yunhua innocently turned to the Duchess who nodded to confirm her words. "Then we realized that we have a lot more in common than we expected. He found me charming and said that he would do something that would bind me to him, so that no one would know my perspicacity except him." This was far fetched from reality, but no one except the crown prince and herself knew the truth. "The marriage was completely unexpected." To him. "However, I really do like him." Her sky blue eyes glimmered with more innocence. "I hope that I can marry him¡ª" "Of course," the Duchess interrupted her. "If he fell for you at first sight and you also like him, then we have no right to separate both of you lovers." Xiao Yunhua wanted to roll her eyes. Was this really the same woman who had been so unrelenting against her relationship with Dominic? Where had the ''love'' gone then? The hypocrisy was too much to handle, so she turned her attention away from the Duchess. The Duke massaged his temples from the incoming headache. How did a debutant party end up getting his daughter engaged to be the future queen? Augustine was still in shock, not believing that the sister he didn''t even fully accept as a sister and thought of as inferior had actually struck gold. She was not only going to be his superior, but she was going to be the superior of everyone in the kingdom! Except the king, of course. Did that mean that he would be the brother of the future queen? Even though Augustine was young, he was still greedy and prided himself on being the heir of a dukedom, which gave him the status only below the royal family. But now, knowing that he was going to be related to the royal family and he on the same foothold as them, meaning his status was even higher, he was even more arrogant. And to think that this was only possibly because his sister that he didn''t even acknowledge fully as a sister due to her illegitimate bloodline...ended up being more useful after all. She may have been occupying the seat of the illegitimate daughter, but she wasn''t stupid. Their underestimation was their flaw, not hers. She didn''t tell them to think that she was useless. All these years, she had been racking and using her brain to survive, this was just another method of survival. Had it been the real Evelyn, then possibly, the girl would''ve gotten herself killed with that arrogance. Or even the na?ve Juliet who was too kindhearted to refuse even the biggest favor or to complain, they both wouldn''t have survived in this harsh world of greed and murder. When she was restricted by the system to act like Juliet, she had personally seen and experienced how to be a mute and never resist. It scared her to even think about the real Juliet in her shoes. The girl was too pure for her own good. She walked back to her room, noticing another person that she hadn''t seen in a while: Ingrid. Even though she had Ingrid had entered the Warrington Household at the same time, the Duchess had purposely separated them to force Xiao Yunhua to focus on her training. All the times that she had seen Ingrid through the years could be counted using her hands. At that moment, when she saw Ingrid, she realized that the woman had aged a lot more. She looked much older and haggard, like the years had taken a toll on her. They probably had, especially since one of them had been admitted as the Warrington daughter and the other had been admitted as a servant. Ingrid hadn''t been in the main room when the crown prince made the announcement about wanting to propose marriage, nor did she gossip with any of the servants so she still had no idea. "Ingrid..." she softly called out. Surprisingly, the old woman heard her and turned around to greet her with a fatigued smile. "My lady." She stopped her current chore and bowed. The greeting that Ingrid gave her was so natural. There was no attachment nor emotion behind her words. She was just like another servant seeing and greeting their master. "Ingrid don''t bow, please." The old woman looked like she was ready to collapse at any time. Bowing could harm her back. Besides, she didn''t come here for formalities of a master and servant with Ingrid. She had passed by and realized that she should speak with her. "My lady, I could never¡ª" "Ingrid, we need to talk." Hearing the severity of her tone, Ingrid stopped and stared at her, trying to fathom what she was thinking. Fortunately for her, her face was expressionless. Ingrid nodded and followed her to her room, where Xiao Yunhua closed the door and locked it to prevent anyone from getting inside. She couldn''t allow for any blunders, especially now that she was closer to achieving her target by getting an opportunity to spend more time with him. "My lady¡ª" "Ingrid, how are you doing?" Immediately, by the shift in Violetta''s tone to a soft one, Ingrid could tell that the one speaking to her was not the trained lady of the house, but the little girl that she had convinced to take a risk all those years ago. Ingrid''s face contorted into confusion. She wanted to call out her real name, but didn''t know if she was allowed to. "It''s alright, I''m Juliet right now. The Juliet that you raised for seven years." Hearing the real name of her body said out loud, she felt like a stranger. She had used the name Juliet for a brief amount of time, so she didn''t have any lingering attachments to it. "Juliet..." Ingrid said, the name foreign yet familiar on her tongue. She reached out and hugged the girl, something she had not done in a long time even though they both lived in the Warrington mansion. Ingrid remembered the hugs that she gave Juliet, who was a malnourished little girl that barely reached her chest. Now, the person she was hugging had already turned to an adult and was almost as tall as her. "My dear, how have you been?" "I''m sorry I couldn''t reach out to you, I was¡ª" Ingrid hugged her even tighter. How could she not know that the one who restricted Juliet was the cold hearted Duchess? She had isolated the girl and deprived her of a childhood, to do nothing but train and learn different things. Even though Ingrid was only a servant, she still had eyes and ears. All the servants pitied the young miss who had nothing to do except read and learn with different teachers every day. They saw her exclusively, since the Duchess was too strict. They interpreted this strictness as being overprotective, but Ingrid knew that this strictness was a matter of control. Initially, Xiao Yunhua thought that they had grown distant, but she realized that it was only her excuse. Ingrid was as kind and motherly as ever, even if they had not spoken for the past couple of years. They hugged for a little longer before Ingrid let go and they sat down to talk. "Ingrid, I''m sure you''ve already heard the news." Xiao Yunhua began, but was surprised to see that Ingrid didn''t react. "What news?" Xiao Yunhua thought everyone already knew at this point, but she was shocked to see that there were still people in the mansion that didn''t know. "I...I got engaged." Ingrid''s usual kind face immediately turned red and the wrinkles on her face more prominent. She turned so angry that she stood up, cursing the Duchess. "That evil woman, you had just had your debutant party today. You''re barely an adult and she''s already sold you off? How dare she¡ª" "Ingrid it was my own request." Ingrid froze and turned to her. "Furthermore, I have gotten engaged to the crown prince." Ingrid''s red face turned pale and she started to fan herself. Xiao Yunhua knew that the woman would be shocked, but she didn''t expect that she would be this shocked. She looked like she was on the verge of having a panic attack! "Ingrid, calm down please!" Even though Ingrid still hadn''t adapted to the idea, she was much calmer after Xiao Yunhua spoke. "I knew that the Duchess was going to find me a marriage partner and sell me off as soon as possible, so I decided to take a chance. And it just so happened that the chance I took was the crown prince." "He likes you?" Not exactly, but Xiao Yunhua didn''t want to tell Ingrid the truth about the contract. Ingrid already knew about her real identity as Juliet, so it was dangerous to tell her more secrets. Someone bearing too many secrets could crack and expose them all. So, she nodded. She poured herself a glass of water from the water that was placed by her bed and raised it to her lips. Even though she doesn''t get an itchy throat anymore, the servants had made it a routine to get her cold water to help her sleep more peacefully. Ingrid sighed and looked relieved. "If he likes you, then it''s fine. As long as you''re happy. Just make sure to prolong pregnancy as much as you can since you''re still too young in my eyes." The water that was in her mouth was spat out and she started to cough violently. Ingrid was startled and her face shifted to concern. She stood next to her and tried to help, but Xiao Yunhua raised her hand to stop her. She took a deep breath and calmed herself. Pregnancy? There would be no such thing! They were going to stay engaged for as long as the current king was the current king. Once Adriel inherited the throne in a couple of years, then she would give up the engagement too. Even though being engaged for a few years would be embarrassing for her reputation, she didn''t care. She didn''t want to seriously marry him, it was purely a contract of benefit between two parties. "Ingrid, since I have the crown prince as my supporter now, the Duchess will not bother me anymore. So I can act freely without much restriction." Xiao Yunhua explained. "You''ve worked so hard for all these years, so I think I will compensate you a large sum of money so you can quit. I won''t be here in the Warrington mansion as much since I won''t be limited, so your stay would be pointless. And the money I''ll give you should be sufficient enough to pay for everything you want for the rest of your life." Ingrid looked at her, expressionlessly, for a few minutes before she nodded and her face lit up. "I won''t have to work anymore? That''s a blessing. Thank you so much Juliet!" Ingrid stood up and hugged her again. Xiao Yunhua felt bad because she knew that the old woman thought that she was doing this out of good will. In reality, she was just selfish and thinking for herself. She needed to send Ingrid far, far away so her secret would be safe forever. No one other than Ingrid knew that she was Juliet, so she would always have that unsafe boundary over her head. As long as Ingrid was here, there was always a high risk. She didn''t care for the risk before, but now, she needed the status and support of the Warrington dukedom to maintain her contract with the crown prince. If it were to ever be exposed that she was a commoner, she would be ousted and would lose his minimal trust. Just the idea made her nervous, so she hugged Ingrid even tighter. As Ingrid was faced away from her, Xiao Yunhua, didn''t see the dark glint in brown eyes. Ingrid''s greed has clouded her rationality. She knew that the secret she carried was worth far much more than the amount that Juliet was using to drive her away. ''Want to send me away to protect yourself?'' Ingrid''s face twisted into a mocking smile. ''You''ll just have to give an offer I can''t refuse...'' 187 2.2.12: Motherly Kindness When she and Ingrid finished talking, she was finally alone and she could lie down on her bed. It was very late and the sky was dark. She didn''t know the time, but she knew that it was long after midnight. Her mind filtered through the entire day and she felt exhausted. She had woken up very early to be dressed and styled like a doll, then proceeded to be taken to meet someone she had never met before, who thought that she was infatuated with him. Worse, he thought that she had picked him to be her escort. His egotistical behavior wasn''t his fault though, the Duchess had thrown her in the fire by doing everything under her name. Then, she figured that he was the crown prince who was her target simultaneously. The man that the Duchess was trying to set her up with was her target all along. Either the system was manipulating everything, or it just so happened that the Duchess'' plan included him particularly. Then, she ended up thinking of something ridiculous and doing it on the spot. Everything she had, she had spurred out on the moment. She didn''t think he would take her seriously, but he ended up believing her. She couldn''t decide if he was a lunatic like her or she was just too persuasive. Everything was too much for her to rap her mind around. She sighed and stared at the ceiling of her room. She had spent so many years in this room, yet why she did feel more and more claustrophobic as the years went by? It wasn''t anything like the room was too small¡ªfar from it since it was one of the biggest rooms in the mansion¡ªshe just couldn''t endure being in the room anymore. She had been isolated here, trained here, almost murdered here...the memories that this room brought were not pleasant. She wondered if maybe this room would be a lot more pleasant now that she had a golden thigh to attach to. The Duchess obviously couldn''t abuse her as much as she usually does, purely for the sake that many eyes would be on the fianc¨¦e of the crown prince starting tomorrow. With that limitation gone, all she could was relief. Whether or not Adriel had decided to believe her from her powers of persuasion or just something else, she was grateful. His simple, verbal agreement had possibly ended her misery. Not completely since the cold woman could always pull more stunts, but enough to rest her mind. And that was the last thing she thought before the fatigue kicked in and she fell asleep. By the next morning, when she woke up, she realized that she had actually overslept. Usually, there would be a few servants waking her up early, but there were no signs of the servants anywhere. She stretched her arms and yawned, rubbing her eyes and feeling energized. She hadn''t gotten a decent amount of sleep for a long time. Planning for the debutant party had been hectic and chaotic, so the entire mansion was left in a frenzy. Luckily, the morning after was calm so far and she felt invigorated. At the remembrance of the day, she suddenly realized that the crown prince said that the castle would send a letter of invitation for today! She quickly ordered a servant to call for the Duchess immediately. Even though the Warrington mansion was big, the Duchess happened to be in the area so she arrived quickly. "Violet darling," her nickname was said so smoothly that it gave Xiao Yunhua shudders. Usually, she never acted familiar in front of the servants, so why was she behaving like this today? "Did you need anything?" The gentle tone coming from the Duchess'' poisonous mouth was terrifying. "Your Grace¡ª" "Call me Mother." Was this really the same woman who had told her to never call her ''mother'' unless in front of the public? Was it scientifically possible for someone to alter their personality this much overnight? "M-Mother," no matter how many times she called the Duchess the word, she could never familiarize herself with it. It just felt so odd to call such a woman as a parent. Maybe Murderer would''ve been a better term. At least then, Xiao Yunhua could use it with ease. As much as she wanted to use that term, she couldn''t because the Duchess still scared her. "Did the crown prince or the castle send any invitations?" The Duchess'' smile widened and she nodded. "Early morning, actually. They invited us to the castle for tomorrow night. We''ll have to make sure you''re the prettiest girl for the official authorization of your engagement. Once the private invitation is settled, then you''ll formally be the crown princess." Xiao Yunhua was amazed. She had forgotten that as the fianc¨¦, she got her own title too. Crown princess? It made her sound powerful, but she knew the truth. She had no political authority nor any actually power except the status of a future queen. Maybe if she ever did become the queen, then she could actually have the opportunity to have some power of her own. But that was impossible because it went against their contract and their deal. The moment that he would be crowned king, their deal would officially be over. She didn''t want to be so pessimistic, but that was the inevitable future. So there was no point in pretending that there wasn''t anything happening, it was best to think realistically beforehand. "I''m so proud of you." The Duchess said, her smile still on her face. Just hearing those words from her mouth was unbelievable. Even the servants that were working froze for a few seconds and then resumed working. If they didn''t believe it, did the Duchess believe that the recipient of her words believed it? Seeing Violetta silent, the Duchess narrowed her eyes and forced her to express her gratitude. "Thank you." Those two words were forced out of her and insincere, but the Duchess didn''t care. Instead, she instructed the servants to work diligently and help her finish quickly. When it came to her blonde hair, the servant had already grabbed the comb to use to brush the hair with, but the comb was suddenly snatched out of her hand by the Duchess. Xiao Yunhua and the servants looked at her in astonishment as she began to comb the blonde hair. Xiao Yunhua closed her eyes as she felt the smooth hands brushing her hair. Unlike the servants who had calloused hands from the years of working, the Duchess had hands as smooth as butter. They hadn''t worked a single day, so they didn''t represent her actual age. She felt uncomfortable that these hands were the ones brushing her hair, but couldn''t refuse in front of so many people. She found it ironic that the Duchess was acting like a mother now out of all times. She wasn''t just late, she was late by eight years. If the Duchess believed that a single morning of kindness could replace the years of torture, then she was completely wrong. The Duchess noticed her unamused expression and whispered, "Loosen up." Her words weren''t a suggestion, but a command. Subconsciously, she felt her expression soften and the Duchess smiled at the effect that she had on her. Years of forcing her to do what she wanted had its effect. She had the ability to decide how and what the girl should do. Even if she wasn''t willing to do it, the years of enforcing a fear in her heart and mind did it anyways. "Why are you doing this?" Xiao Yunhua whispered after a few minutes, making sure that only the Duchess¡ªwho was still brushing her hair¡ªcould hear her. The Duchess smiled cynically. "Motherly kindness, don''t you like it, my darling?" She didn''t. She didn''t like it at all. If she could do anything to give back this hypocritical kindness, she would. "No." Hearing her honest response, the Duchess'' expression darkened and Xiao Yunhua felt a sudden tug in her hair. She flinched from the pain and tried to release her hair from the hands of the woman, but the Duchess refused and continued to comb it for her. "Please stop." In the end, she resorted to this. She hated having that woman''s hands on her. It made her sick knowing what those smooth hands had done to people. What those smooth hands had tried to do to her when she tried to choke her. "Stop what?" The Duchess stopped combing her hair momentarily. "Do you not like my exhibition of kindness?" "I only think I''m unworthy of your exhibition of kindness." Xiao Yunhua replies sarcastically. The sarcasm didn''t escape the Duchess'' ears, but she chose to ignore it and continue brushing her hair. When she finished combing her hair, the Duchess placed down the comb and murmured, "You''ll be experiencing this kindness a lot from now on, better get used to it darling." She turned around to leave but was stopped by the words that left Violetta''s mouth. "I''d rather not experience this hypocritical kindness. Your Grace, please refrain from doing such things that could harm your reputation." Meaning: stop doing things that you normally wouldn''t do. The Duchess stared at her and burst out laughing. "I raised you well." A poisonous tongue just like her, it was like the illegitimate bastard was actually her own daughter. As much as she wanted for that to be a reality, it wasn''t. And all this effort to raise this daughter was for her real one. Her beloved Vivienne, she would be getting her revenge soon. Years and years of tolerance had been building up for this moment. She was tingling with excitement at the idea of killing them...and killing the girl in front of her. The Duchess wasn''t a saint. She had wanted to kill this girl from the first moment she found out about her. That''s why she had hired bandits to kill her, but she had managed to escape their knife. Then, when she saw her for the first time, she had wanted to kill the bastard herself. But she couldn''t find it in herself to kill the child because the wheels in her head and begun to turn. And she realized that she didn''t have to kill her yet, she could always kill her later. Once the little girl because the queen of the nation; then she could use that power to mobilize the nation against her daughter''s killers and avenge her. Then, she would finally be able to do the thing she couldn''t do all those years ago: kill the little bastard born out of her husband''s infidelity. Just the idea brought her joy, nonetheless the reality of doing it. The child had the blood of a peasant, this she could never accept. "I was afraid that if Your Grace didn''t raise me well, then Your Grace would start to blame yourself." The more that the little girl responded, the more that she was tempted to kill her. But as she was so close to her goal, she couldn''t do it now. She had to endure and wait for the perfect moment. Once she had gotten her perfect moment, then she would show the girl that her poisonous tongue wasn''t just cute, it was her demise. "Hmm, make sure to come down for breakfast." Xiao Yunhua was the hidden darkness that flashed across the Duchess'' eyes and she was perplexed on what the woman was thinking. She didn''t have a chance to observe more because the Duchess left immediately. 188 2.2.13: Little Miss Clever The next day arrived sooner than she expected. She was so scared and nervous because today was the day that they would be going to the castle to verify her engagement. On one hand, she would be able to see Adriel again. She looked forward to seeing him again because overall, he wasn''t a bad guy. But on the other hand, she would be meeting the rest of his family and she was sure they wouldn''t like her. The Queen already must''ve had so many candidates to be crown princess and then she came out of nowhere and wrecked her plans. She was sure that the Queen was furious with her! Plus, she was an illegitimate child and to make matters even worse, she had the blood of a commoner in her veins. Just the mixture of all of all was a recipe for disaster and that was exactly her! Fortunately, the invitation was for the night, so they had plenty of time to get ready. For her look today, the Duchess had decided that she would continue her looks of innocence like when she had her debutant party. She had managed to get a dress fitted to be the color of her eyes, which were sky blue. The dress was long made out of a velvety material with semi-puffy shoulder sleeves that were short, except for the long sleeve white laces that she wore underneath it to cover her arms. The dress also came with a golden sash around her thin waist, complimented with a pair of golden shoes. Her hair was curled into small curls that were pulled back and pinned with a sapphire pin. Her accessories were more sapphire jewelry¡ªparticularly her sapphire studs and the giant sapphire ring on her small hand. And as usual, her makeup was very light because she was still young. Xiao Yunhua felt like her look for the day had a lack of variation of color. The only thing she could see was blue and yellow. She didn''t understand why the Duchess had thought that this was going for the theme of innocence, but who was she to question her odd taste? Although she didn''t look as beautiful as she did for her debutant party, Xiao Yunhua was still pretty for her visit to the castle. In the time that she had arrived in the Warrington mansion, this was her first visit to the castle. She had seen the castle from afar when she first arrived in Verglas, but to actually be in it and to experience it? She was anticipating it and dreading it simultaneously. When the Duchess had seen her overall look for the night, Xiao Yunhua expected for her to be silent like always, but she actually began to compliment her. "My darling looks so pretty, you''re the prettiest daughter ever. I don''t think any noble has a daughter as beautiful as mine, I''m¡ª" "Okay, I get it. Your Grace is generous with the compliments today." First of all, what ''relationship'' did they have? Maybe a relationship of student and mentor, but that relationship wasn''t voluntary and fully obligatory. If anything, a mother-daughter relationship was the least type of relationship they had with each other. Just the idea of having one with the Duchess made her skin crawl. Once, she tried to do her best so that maybe; she would be accepted as a daughter. Now, she wanted to get as far away as humanly possible from the madwoman who changed moods faster than she changed dresses for the day. Just seeing the hurt on her face, it was so fake that it looked real. But this cold hearted woman didn''t know how to feel hurt. The only time that Xiao Yunhua has seen her feel hurt was that night when she had accidentally stumbled upon a drunken Duchess. Seeing the genuine hurt in regards to her deceased daughter, that was believable and real. Not the nonsense that she was displaying at the moment. This was all for her amusement, Xiao Yunhua was pretty sure. But to what extent was this woman trying to have fun? She was getting bored of her motherly behavior and it was only the second day. "Alright, Mother," she would play along only because they were going to the castle and she needed some practice saying the word ''mother'' and associating it with the monster. "Excellent. Now then, the carriage is ready to take us all." The Duchess grabbed her hand and guided her towards the carriage, which was outside. When they were outside the Warrington mansion, she noticed that there were two figures waiting for them. The Duke and Augustine had been waiting for them so they could go altogether. She was surprised to see them looking more dashing than usual. They had on their best clothes and looked more noble and extravagant. It appeared that even they had decided to dress up for the event that was going to happen soon. Augustine saw her appearance and didn''t say anything, but like like the Duchess, the Duke saw her and began to compliment her. "My daughter is looking very beautiful." Did the Duke and Duchess practice their compliments together? Why did they sound so robotic and silly? Daughter? Did he even remember that he had a daughter other than yesterday? "Thank you, Father." The Duchess scowled at her for not arguing with him like she had argued with her, but Xiao Yunhua ignored her. Although the Duke was also a terrible father and neglected her, he didn''t abuse her the way that the Duchess did. To Xiao Yunhua, the Duke was five times better than the Duchess but still terrible. They got in the carriage and the carriage began to move under the guidance of the horsemen in the front. The carriage was very large and spacious, so they weren''t crowded and could be seated away from each other. Inside of the carriage, there was an awkward silence as either of the four wanted to speak. Each didn''t know what to say, even when they had a lot of their mind. This was true for the Duchess, Duke, and even Augustine, but false for Xiao Yunhua. She was just too lazy to speak to them. And she didn''t really like speaking with them in the first place. Maybe Augustine, but even that was a stretch. Their relationship had gotten better, but she couldn''t say that they were best friends now. They respected each other, which she found fine. At least the boundary of respect was better than the boundary of inferiority. Once, his eyes looked at her like she was the dirt on his shoe. Even when they had first met, he even he glance at her and didn''t know that she existed, which stung at that time, but over time, she grew to not care. Eventually, that ignorance towards her had shifted to insults, but now, he respected her. She never wanted to replace his full blooded sister, but that didn''t mean that she didn''t want him to treat her like a nuisance forever. One thing that she was grateful to Dominic for was how their invitations for the tea¡ªalong with Augustine inviting himself to them¡ªhad brought the siblings closer. They still found each other annoying, just to a small extent. In the end, the Duchess couldn''t handle the silence and asked, "Tell me again, how did you two get to the talk of marriage?" Oh, there goes the old woman being too noisy for her own good! "Like I said, we hit it off and he said that he found me clever and didn''t want anyone else to see the clever side of me. The marriage was a surprise to me too." The way her bullshit had naturally come out and she didn''t even flinch from lying amazed her. She had adapted to the story because she knew that the Queen would probably ask her the same questions that the Duchess was asking her now. "Hmm, who knew that my daughter had such a charming personality?" The Duke muttered for himself, but she heard it clearly thanks to her enhanced senses. Did he know anything about his daughter? He acted like her ''charming personality'' was a new discovery to him, but in reality, anything about her was a new discovery for him. He was the last person who should have been surprised at the revelation of her personality. "So what did you talk about that made you seem so clever?" As expected, the Duchess was still suspicious. Luckily, she could actually tell the truth in this sense. She began to list all the books they talked about, especially the ones that were uncommon for a young lady to read. "You read those books!?" Even the Duchess was astonished, nonetheless the crown prince when he found out. The Duchess had allowed her to visit the library a few times to bring in books to read in her room over the years, but she had never expected for the child to bring in books that were well beyond her age limit and capacity. Xiao Yunhua nodded. "I read a variety of things, it just so happened that we discussed those books." "No wonder he said you were clever," Augustine spoke for the first time, turning all three pairs of eyeballs in his direction. "You were reading books other than silly romances and whatever else that''s dumb that the socialites read." Did he really see her as that type of girl? Just because her body was delicate¡ªcourtesy of Juliet¡ª didn''t mean that her mind and intelligent was delicate too. In the middle of her fury, she failed to realize that he didn''t think of her that way, it was just the common misconception about young girls her age. It was a stereotype and he had just went along with it. They didn''t believe her fully, so the Duke, her father, began to ask her other questions about the rest of the books and were perplexed to see her answer each and every one of them correctly. Even the Duchess was beginning to ask her questions, beginning with the intent to humor herself but then developing into interest about this daughter of hers. She had a peculiar mind. The fact that she knew about all of these and easily answered each and every one of them, it surprised her. The Duchess already knew about her being smart, but she didn''t know that she was that smart in regards to topics like this one. The rest of the way to the castle was all three of them¡ªyes, even Augustine had joined in to ask her questions¡ªquestioning her about different and random topics. They hoped that one of them could get her to get an answer wrong, but she was too smart for her own good. She had managed to get each and every question correct, then the ones that were completely random. The answers to the questions were well thought out and followed by an explanation. Xiao Yunhua hated to show these people about her real intelligence¡ªwhich came purely from her photographic memory¡ªbut since she wasn''t as limited now, she didn''t think it was that big of a deal. She had to concealed it before to protect herself, and the Duchess hadn''t bothered to question her so deeply like she was questioning her today. This wasn''t hiding her strength, it was more like exposing it fully for the first time. They had never bothered with her intelligence, so seeing them shocked was also kind of funny. They had come to recognize her as Little Miss Clever. Finally, they had arrived at the castle so their interrogation was placed on hold... 189 2.2.14: Engagement Validation The moment that she stepped out of the carriage, she was greeted with a castle tall and towering enough to reach the sky. At least that''s how it appeared to her. It was so grand and majestic with its white and gold decorations on their exterior, that it seemed like her journey with the questioning trio had been worth it. They had questioned her until their mouths had run dry, but she still answered each and every question of theirs to a perfect degree. Initially, she wanted to answer some wrong, but it was a petty way of revenge as well, so she answered them all correctly and forced them to ask more and more questions. The interrogation was placed on hold when they arrived at the castle, hence the lack of words coming from their mouths. A servant came out of the castle and greeted them while another guided the horseman and their carriage elsewhere. The servant was very dignified, different than their servants, mainly because theirs weren''t monitored as harshly as the ones in the castle are. The servants greeted them with the utmost respect, especially when it got to Xiao Yunhua. It seemed like the servant knew who she was. When they walked inside, the other servants also greeted them, particularly her again, which confirmed her gut feeling. Practically everyone, including the servants, knew about the new engagement, so they treated her like the crown princess already. The engagement wasn''t validated, but everyone knew that it would soon be. The girl and her family had already been invited with the royal family to make the engagement official, so it was most likely going to happen. They followed the servant to a elegant and extravagant room that had tables decorated with tea and other delicious pastries that went well with the tea. The servant told them to make themselves comfortable as the royal family would be there to greet them soon. Although they sat down, they didn''t dare to pour the tea for themselves nor eat any of the pastries. It was very disrespectful if the other guest wasn''t there and they had already begun to eat. Not to mention that the other guests at the table were the royal family! Anything to make them angry would only result in their head, no matter if they were going to become in laws or not. They patiently waited for ten or so minutes before the first royal appeared. Crown prince Adriel appeared, looking extremely handsome and dashing with his black and blue clothes. He noticed Violetta first, so he nodded in her direction and then turned to greeted the rest of the family. "I hope Duke Warrington won''t blame us for being a bit late, especially my parents." "Yes, Your Highness, we don''t mind at all. Please, make sure to not worry about it." The Duchess added with a smile. Adriel nodded and knew that their real reason that they were so patient was their goal and aim for today: getting the engagement validated. Speaking of engagement, he looked at the girl he hadn''t seen for two days and noticed that she was healthy and less gloomy in comparison to the garden. She looked beautiful today as well, dressed in blue and gold and her blonde curls to match. Although she wasn''t as beautiful as the first time he saw her, she was still beautiful today. He wanted to talk to her but realized that he couldn''t bring up anything remotely suspicious that could give away his marriage contract as long as there were other people there except for her. As much as he wanted to invite her to be alone; he realized that it wasn''t very appropriate and could end up harming her reputation. Although his wouldn''t be as harmed and as affected, it would affect her the most since she had just become an adult lady after having her debutant party. Adriel didn''t want any silence to prevent any awkwardness, so he indulged in talking about other things and they joined in and soon, a harmonious atmosphere filled the room. Ten or so minutes later, the doors opened and a man and a woman appeared. The man was in his forties with salt and pepper hair, along with a sharp, regal face that had a few wrinkles to indicate his age, but didn''t take away from his overall handsomeness. He was dressed in expensive materials and a cloak was behind him. Although the man didn''t have his crown on top of his head, it wasn''t hard to guess who this was: the King. As for the woman, she was around the same age as the man but her wrinkles weren''t as dominant. She had brown hair and a pair of brown eyes, but her face was extraordinarily beautiful. Even the Duchess, who Xiao Yunhua thought was one of the most beautiful women¡ªignoring her murderous tendencies¡ªpaled in comparison to the woman. Her dress was bright red and youthful, almost like she was trying to make a statement against her age. She didn''t have her crown either, but she had a diamond headdress on top of her head, covering her bun as well. It seemed like the headdress was just as expensive as if it were a crown. Xiao Yunhua wondered where the crown prince had gotten his appearance: it looked liked both the King and the Queen were very beautiful people, so it was no surprise that their child had turned out to be so handsome. Everyone, including Xiao Yunhua and Adriel himself, stood up to greet the royal couple who nodded and didn''t act arrogant nor familiar with them. They treated them fairly, which surprised her. She expected for her Queen to lash out and try to murder her the moment that she saw her for taking away her precious son. Finally, with the King and Queen there, the servants began to pour the tea and the pastries were served. The Queen turned her brown eyes in the direction of Xiao Yunhua and quietly analyzed her. Even though Xiao Yunhua pretended like she couldn''t see the Queen eyeing her, it still felt uncomfortable to have someone''s eyes on her for a long period of time. "Are you the darling that stole my son''s heart?" The Queen finally asked, having finished her moment of observation. "Your Majesty..." Xiao Yunhua looked rough Adriel for help and luckily he understood. "Mother, your request really had allowed me to meet Violet, so I must thank you for that." The people there were surprised at how natural he called out the girl''s nickname, like he had been using her nickname for years when it''s only been two days. But more so, they focused on the part where the crown prince admitted that it was the Queen''s request to have the crown prince escort the girl at her debutant party. So had the Queen herself thrown herself in the pit of fire by sending her son and getting a daughter in return? The Queen could easily understand that her son was protecting the girl, but she couldn''t understand why. They had only meant once, this being their second meeting, so how had they gotten so close to the basis of nicknames, protection and marriage!? She eyed the girl again; curious on what was so special about her. "Is that so?" She muttered calmly, sipping her tea. Her attention turned to the Duchess and she smiled. "Old friend, how are you?" The Duchess smiled just as calm as her, "I''m very well Your Majesty. How about you?" The Queen nodded, "Very good as well. Old friend, why don''t you visit me more often? I do miss chatting with you. I haven''t seen you in any parties either." This was a taboo subject for the Duchess because ever since the death of her daughter, her appearance in high society was scarce. After so many years, her first appearance was when she took Violetta to her first party. After that, it was rare for her to appear, but when she did, people immediately crowded around her. She had the status of a Duchess, after all, and people were greedy for power. "Well; as a mother of a young child, I do tend to get busy. Violet just recently had her debutant party, so I couldn''t focus on anything but her coming of age. Since it''s a once in a lifetime chance, I had to make sure everything was perfect for her." The Queen nodded in sympathy. Although her sympathy was false and fake and she wanted nothing to do with the girl that had gotten her son to want to marry her, she couldn''t show her true colors or else it would stir rumors. She could only pretend to be sympathetic. They chatted for a little bit longer before the Duke began to grow impatient. He knew why the Queen kept bringing up random subjects and conversing so long about them. She was avoiding the main subject at hand: the validation of the engagement. So, he had to take matters into his own hands to secure his daughter''s happiness and more importantly, secure the Warrington Clan a secure future. "Your Highness, do your words from yesterday stand?" Once he uttered those words, all the other conversations ceased and everything took a deep breath. They had all been avoiding this topic, so the Duke was either very brave or very stupid to bring it up first. "Of course." Adriel agreed almost immediately. He was also tired of the way his mother was manipulating the conversation away from the engagement because she didn''t like the girl. So once he found the chance to divert the subject to the main subject, he didn''t hesitate. "Agreement?" The Queen pretended to be clueless. "Adriel, did you agree to one of those silly things you always agree to but never take seriously?" Although the Queen was reprimanding him, she was also indirectly telling the people that he agreed to many things, but most weren''t taken seriously. Such as Violetta and her engagement to him. "No mother, this time, I was completely serious. I hope you and father can be supportive of my decision to want to get engaged to Violetta." He blurted it all at once, not giving the Queen a chance to refute nor pretend otherwise. Her face shifted in color and turned more pale and she clenched her fists. "Adriel, marriage and engagement are very important things. I hope you''re not just saying this for laughs." The Queen was trying hard to convince him to think otherwise. However, her son was stubborn just like her. "I am serious. I hope to get your blessings to validate this engagement." The Queen didn''t want to give her blessings to a union between an illegitimate peasant and her first child, the crown prince of the nation. Just thinking about the couple and how odd they were together, it didn''t make sense at all. She didn''t want her child to be mocked because of her, so she shook her head. "There are many out there, are you sure you want to marry her?" She whispered, thinking that Xiao Yunhua didn''t hear her. But as Xiao Yunhua has the enhanced senses, she could hear every word perfectly clear. She didn''t like how the Queen was discriminating against her but also knew that the Queen was just acting based on social norms. Any royal would oppose this marriage in the time period that they were in. Ignoring the fact that she had a dukedom''s support, her inferiority would always be in her bloodline. Maybe her illegitimate status could be forgiven, but her status as a peasant born child would never be. It was a stain that was meant to stay with her forever. "Yes, mother, I hope you''ll support my choices." He whispered back, ushering the for servant to bring in the documents that he had prepared for the day. The Queen inhaled deeply and clenched her firsts but ended up agreeing. Even though she agreed, she was already thinking of many ways to break them up. She hated to be the wicked person to break up the lovers, but she also didn''t want her son to be mocked for generations to come because he broke the social norm and married a woman with a filthy bloodline. Her eyes turned to the documents that validated the engagement and wanted to take them and throw them in the first to burn. But, she had to maintain the dignity of a queen, so she could do no such thing. With much disagreement, she watched as her own husband signed the agreement and the Duke did too. Next, it was the children who were to sign it. Adriel signed it with ease and tore a piece of her heart with it. He had signed away his soul to the devil! And the only thing left over was for the girl to sign it. But the Queen saw how hesitant she was and couldn''t believe it. Not only was her son a golden opportunity for this girl, but she didn''t even use the golden opportunity and hesitated!? Finally, before the Queen could explode from the harmful blow to her ego, Xiao Yunhua sighed it and looked at Adriel. This was basically signing their verbal contract as well. She had officially completed the contract and they were now engaged! The royal family brought out the rings for the engagement that had been passed from generation to generation of crown prince and crown princess. The rings were very simplistic. So simplistic with their simple golden band design that she doubted that these belonged to the royal family. But, inside the ring was carved the Delavan family name and symbol, which confirmed that it really was their ring. The Queen watched in horror as the ring that she once wore was now handed to be worn in the hands of that peasant. She reached out to grab it but the King stopped her and gave her a look. She frowned and tried to open her mouth to reason with him, but he wouldn''t let her budge. She could only watch as Adriel, her beloved son, placed the ring on the finger of the girl and she did the same for his ring. Both families, with the exception of the Queen, clapped and congratulated each other for the new engagement. All throughout the engagement validation, the second prince hadn''t shown up at all. Nobody realized this detail except for Adriel who had wanted to call for him, but the servant informed him that he couldn''t be found no matter who went out to search for him. So, Adriel brushed it off and continued to focus on the engagement. Even though this validated the engagement, they still needed to hold an official engagement party and invite all the nobles to properly announce it. However, since Adriel''s nineteenth birthday was approaching in a month, they decided to postpone the engagement party and announcement to after his birthday, which would be two weeks after. Two weeks was plenty of time to let the hype around his birthday blow over and then allow the news of their engagement blow up. At least that''s how Adriel explained it to her. She didn''t understand nor care about when the engagement party would be, since her goal was achieved. She had managed to get that security in life with the engagement and now; the Duchess wouldn''t ever need to implant any ideas about selling her away or engaging her to a stranger. Even though Adriel was a stranger, he was also her target and she didn''t hate his company either. So, she was comfortable with him... 190 2.2.15: The Story Behind the Ring After validating the engagement, his father had suggested for him to take Violetta around the castle to show her around. Of course, his mother immediately objected but luckily, his father was there to control his mother and allowed them to get away quickly. They had wandered everywhere and ended up in the royal garden. Again with the garden; it seemed like everywhere they went, their destiny was linked with the flowers. The first time they had gone to garden, she had proposed a marriage contract. Now, they had ended up in the garden again, but on the day that their engagement was validated. He wondered if there were going to be anymore events happening in the garden. The royal garden was ten times bigger than the Warrington mansion garden since it belonged to the royal family and was located in the royal castle. If anywhere were to go in there, they''d probably get lost and think they happen to be in a jungle. Not literally, but the amount of nature was overwhelming. All types of trees and exotic plants were here, making it a treasure of some kind. Ambassadors from other small countries and even the other major nation, Ayrelie, enjoyed being toured in the garden since it was so aromatic. Even though the only way they would be able to get a tour was from the royal family since the royal garden was prohibited to anyone that wasn''t a member of the royal family. This didn''t mean that they couldn''t bring anyone in, hence why Adriel bringing in Violetta didn''t break the rules. Had Violetta went in the royal garden herself, then that would have generated trouble. Currently, they sat on the soft, cushioned chairs prepared for them by the servants since the garden was purely for viewing and never for sitting. So the servants had to prepare something very quickly for the royal couple. It was a good thing that Adriel was in a good mood, otherwise, he would''ve been annoyed with his icy expression like always. Once the servants had prepared the chairs and table for them to use to rest, they had disappeared and left the two of them alone. Adriel looked at her who had her head faced forward. Her eyes were clouded with complications that he could not understand. He didn''t get why she was always thinking too deep and too mature for her young age. He called her out but didn''t get a response since she was lost in her thoughts. "Violet?" She snapped out of her thoughts and turned to him apologetically. He had been calling her repeated but couldn''t get her attention, so he wondered on what she was thinking about so deeply that she couldn''t hear him calling her. "Yes? Sorry, I was distracted." She was honest and her honesty was refreshing, at least to Adriel who was accustomed to the sneers and fake smiles of pleasantry among the nobles. "It''s alright." Since they were alone, he didn''t need to pretend to be enamored with her, so he was much more casual with her in tone and attitude. "Of course. I know that my mother can be a little too excessive, but she has good intention and I hope that you don''t come to hate her for it." He clarified. Which was true. His mother was a bit rude, but to her, it was all out of love and consideration for his future. That''s why he had been given so many lists with so many people chosen by his mother, but even the daughter of the Warrington dukedom. The main reason being is the only daughter, Violetta, didn''t have the status that his mother found approvable. Had the original and first daughter of the Warrington dukedom been alive, then Adriel was sure that his mother would''ve put her name on the very top of those lists he had been getting. "It''s alright." She said kindly. She didn''t hold a grudge against the woman because she was doing purely what any mother would do for their child: look out for their best interest. And in the case of Adriel, the best interest was anyone but Violetta. Luckily, the Queen didn''t have to worry much because the engagement was only temporary. "No, really, you can be angry, don''t bottle it in." He said helplessly which made her chuckle. Seeing her laugh so carefree, he couldn''t help but laugh too. When she saw him laugh, she was stunned because once again, it was like seeing him smile. It was mesmerizing. The crown prince didn''t smile or laugh much, but when he did, it was a sight to behold. "Your Highness is very humorous." She said with a smile. "Unfortunately, I have to disappoint you because I don''t have anything ''bottled in'' and speak my mind." He shook his head, "Remember our agreement, don''t call me ''Your Highness.'' Call me Riel." He corrected her. He didn''t like it when she referred to him so distantly while he referred to her more intimately by using her nickname. It made him feel like they weren''t on the same page. She blushed and nodded. "Sorry...Riel. I''ll work on fixing that habit." He patted her head when he saw her genuinely trying to follow along, finding it very adorable. "But are you sure that you don''t harbor any grievances towards my mother?" He just wanted to confirm it now so he could get rid of it. He didn''t want to deal with any problems in the future between the two. On one side was his fianc¨¦e¡ªfake one but still in the eyes of the public, his fianc¨¦e¡ªand on the other side was his mother. He couldn''t imagine the horror of what it would be like if the two every clashed. His mother had tried to throw many daggers at the girl today, but fortunately, Violetta was smart and avoided them all. Although she did ask him for help, not that he minded. He enjoyed her depending on him to deal with these minor problems. "No Riel," her answer was vigorous. "I promise you that Her Majesty didn''t bother me as much as you thought she did. I don''t hate her nor do I find anything wrong with her." Adriel sighed in relief until he heard her next words, "Wait, yes I do! I have a big grievance against your mother." Even though he was glad that she had opened up to him about it, he was still disappointed that there was one in the first place to open up about. "This ring!" She raised her hand and pointed at the simple ring, "How did the Queen manage to get it to fit? My fingers are still aching from putting it on and it rubbing harshly against my skin!" Hearing her ''grievance,'' he knew that she was just teasing him. He laughed and decided to tease her too. "Well, my mother''s finger''s were very skinny so it fit her easily. Let me examine yours..." he grabbed her hand and pretended to ponder over it as he looked at her hand. "I''m afraid your hand..." he didn''t finish his sentence but she knew what he meant. Was he calling her fingers fat? She pulled her hand away and eyed her fingers with a newfound shock. She never considered them fat, but maybe he was right? Seeing her concentrate on her fingers and seriously focused on them while thinking, he burst out laughing again. Never in his life had he been so comfortable with someone to laugh so carefree with them. In fact, he couldn''t even remember the last time that he had laughed so easily like this. She saw him laugh and was confused. "Riel, are my chubby fingers that amusing to you?" Hearing her response, he laughed even harder. At that point, she realized that she had been played like a fool. "Not funny." She pouted, turning her head away from him. He stopped laughed and assumed the worst, thinking that she really was angry with him. He tapped her shoulders but she refused to turn around, so he began to feel bad. She could feel him trying to find a way to appease her and turned around and laughed. "Fooled you!" Seeing how his trick had backfired and ended up with her tricking him, he didn''t feel annoyed and just felt like she was too childlike. "Alright, you played fair." He couldn''t blame her since he decided to play a prank on her first. "Now, can you tell me why this ring is so small?" Even the skinniest person at fifteen couldn''t fit such a small thing around their finger. That''s what she was figuring out when she was looking at the ring. Adriel looked like he was considering on whether or not to tell her, but ended up doing it anyways. "That ring was resized to fit my mother''s finger." How slim was his mother''s finger to need such a small ring? It had to be resized to this size too!? "My mother was only thirteen when she got the ring." She didn''t miss the indication behind his words. "The Queen was only thirteen when she got engaged to the King?" Wasn''t the age of adulthood fifteen? So how did a thirteen year old get engaged? "My mother is a princess from a small country. The small country didn''t have anything to exchange to make an alliance with the GKY, so they offered their only princess." Hearing the story of the Queen, it was really tragic. The Queen had the exact same fate that she was trying to avoid. "In that country, the adulting ceremony is at thirteen, much younger than here. The previous King, my grandfather, felt sympathetic towards the young princess who was being sacrificed for her country and accepted to make her the crown princess. Since polygamy isn''t allowed, she became the only wife of my father." "At age thirteen?" She couldn''t imagine marrying at fifteen, nonetheless thirteen! Imagine what she''d have to do at such a young age. Almost like he could heard her dirty thoughts, he added, "The marriage was just a formality. They didn''t do anything until my mother was years older. But, they still needed to validate the marriage, so the ring was resized to her small fingers. I couldn''t get it resized back since the engagement was too sudden." She nodded, "The story behind it is more interesting than I thought. Tell me, did you agree to my agreement because you saw your mother in me?" His mother had been in the exact situation as her, but was fortune enough to meet the King who looked like he took great care of her. Did Adriel agree because he saw her helpless and trying to avoid being sold off to marry a random person? Adriel was embarrassed. "That was somewhat of a reason. I still firmly think the conditions you offered were very much beneficial and worthy of the contract." Even though he said that, she could tell that he was trying to make her feel better. So when she thought that she had accomplished something, in reality, it was just winning the sympathy of someone? As much as she wanted to feel pity for herself, she couldn''t. Sympathy was also a way of survival. If she had invoked sympathy in him to do what she wanted, then all the better. Sympathy was an emotion, so that meant her target had already felt sympathetic towards her. Now, the only thing that she needed to do was develop that sympathy into something else. "I see..." "Don''t worry about it." Adriel said, grabbing her hand with the ring. "Since the engagement validation is complete and the documents are signed, I can just get the ring back and resize it for you." "No need." She shook her head. "Since the ring is small, that means it''ll be very difficult for it to come off. So, I won''t lose it..." her sentence faltered, "And I''ll keep it with me at all times..."