Perhaps it was because the maid’s face was too plain, or perhaps because Luo Xizhi’s face was too dazzling. But in any case, when forced to make a choice, Hua Lian chose the maid.
“Miss, there are a few people outside who say they’ve come to deliver a pet, but they couldn’t reach you. The butler asked me to fetch you.” The maid explained her reason for appearing at that moment, and Hua Lian only then vaguely remembered that today was the day the gray wolf was supposed to be delivered. But she hadn’t expected the delivery person to bring the wolf so early.
“Understood. Wait for me outside; I’ll be right out.” Thinking she might waste too much time searching for the main gate, Hua Lian ultimately decided to have the maid wait for her. Of course, she completely ignored Luo Xizhi standing beside her the entire time, unsure of what she could even say to her.
Closing the door, Hua Lian opened the wardrobe and began searching for clothes. The original owner’s clothes were mostly flashy and vibrant, making it extremely difficult to find something in black, white, or gray among them. After rummaging for five minutes, she found a shirt. The text on it was completely illegible, but judging by the feel of the fabric, it was likely quite expensive.
Next, Hua Lian randomly grabbed a pair of cropped pants suitable for movement, barely managing to put together an outfit. After finishing this, she intended to open the door and leave, but as she stood by the entrance, she overheard a conversation outside.
“Miss Luo, I’m sure the young miss didn’t mean to ignore you intentionally. That’s just how her temper is.”
“Don’t be upset. The young miss will surely recognize your goodness.”
Hua Lian paused her hand on the doorknob, puzzled as to how the maid had started chatting with Luo Xizhi in the short time it took her to change clothes. Listening to the content, it wasn’t anything pleasant either; in fact, the maid seemed to speak with a sense of pride. And judging by the tone of the conversation, if nothing unexpected happened, something unexpected was bound to happen.
Hua Lian pursed her lips. She glanced around the room once more, retreated inside, deliberately made some noise, and only then opened the door. At that moment, the two people outside maintained a distance that was neither too close nor too far. This time, Hua Lian didn’t look at Luo Xizhi at all, instead tilting her chin toward the maid.
“Let’s go.”
The maid immediately complied, but whether it was due to the few sentences she had overheard earlier, Hua Lian felt that the plain face now looked somewhat ugly just like human hearts. Still, Hua Lian dared not look at Luo Xizhi, fearing that a single glance would blind her with Luo Xizhi’s radiance.
Silence persisted, and Luo Xizhi continued to follow. Hua Lian felt she should ask about the other’s purpose in staying by her side, but when she caught a glimpse of the light perfectly illuminating Luo Xizhi, she quickly averted her eyes. Even though Luo Xizhi, the female lead, should be the least intimidating person in this world, Hua Lian still couldn’t manage normal social interactions.
And so, the silent trio arrived at the main gate. Besides them, the butler and several bodyguards stood neatly in formation, creating quite a spectacle. Today’s animal handlers were a man and a woman. The man was the burly, muscular figure Hua Lian had seen at the bird market yesterday, while the woman appeared to be in her twenties. Her skin was tanned a healthy wheat color, exuding a vibrant beauty. She wore extremely loose-fitting clothes, looking completely mismatched with the image of an animal trainer.
“Miss.”
When Hua Lian appeared, the butler immediately approached to greet her. This butler was extremely professional, serving his mistress without any personal emotion, yet he also seemed to have little affection for the original host. All that could be seen was an overwhelming sense of professionalism.
At that moment, everyone turned their gaze toward Hua Lian. Already deeply averse to social interactions, Hua Lian suddenly felt as if she were visiting relatives during the New Year. The surrounding stares were abnormal, unsettling her like the restless movements of a caged animal.
“So you’re Hua Lian? You’re really beautiful,” said the tanned girl with a sunny smile, so bright that Hua Lian felt almost wounded by it. She awkwardly nodded and glanced toward the relatively familiar butler.
“Let them in.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“Tsk, so cold,” the tanned girl’s smile stiffened. Soon, her gaze drifted and landed on Luo Xizhi. In that moment, the girl’s eyes took on the look of someone eyeing prey. Though it had nothing to do with her, when Hua Lian sensed that clinging, dark desire, she felt an intense wave of nausea. Perhaps the original host was too sensitive to others’ emotions, or perhaps this wasn’t the original host’s feeling at all it was Hua Lian’s own emotion.
“Miss ”
“Don’t touch me!”
A maid nearby, noticing Hua Lian’s discomfort, tried to support her, but a surge of emotion compelled Hua Lian to harshly slap the hand away.
Hua Lian herself was startled by the action. She wanted to apologize, but her throat felt as if it were glued shut.
“I’m sorry, Miss, I frightened you. You look so pale, are you alright?” Yet the maid seemed unaware of Hua Lian’s inner turmoil. Her gaze was pure, as if she were already accustomed to Hua Lian’s rough behavior.
In fact, no one around seemed to find Hua Lian’s action problematic only the tanned girl clicked her tongue again. But with the maid’s example, the tanned girl directly approached Luo Xizhi. “My junior, aren’t you going to greet your senior?”
It was at that moment, hearing this exchange, that Hua Lian sharply looked at the tanned girl, confirming her features.
The girl had dyed golden short hair, a healthy tan, and a wolf’s tooth hanging around her neck. This was none other than the Black Road Princess Mo Jinxiao.
Her mind felt dizzy and muddled. Hua Lian couldn’t understand why she was encountering this Black Road Princess so early. After all, this princess was known for feeding people to dogs, walking the line between good and evil, and was the only one capable of rivaling the Four Great Families. But because Mo Jinxiao was far from normal, Luo Xizhi’s days in her hands were even more miserable.
“You ”
“Ugh.”
Before the memories could fully surface, the nausea overwhelmed her again. Ignoring everyone, Hua Lian turned and ran away.
Luo Xizhi frowned slightly. She wanted to check on Hua Lian but was pulled back by a hand.
“Let go.”
“Have you thought about what we discussed before? Is it fun being a dog in the Hua family?”
The Black Road Princess wore a half-smile, as if she hadn’t come here to be a tamer but to observe Luo Xizhi’s situation in the Hua family.
Expressionlessly, Luo Xizhi shook off the hand and said to the maid, “Miss drank red wine yesterday and isn’t feeling well. Go prepare hot water and pastries.”
After finishing all of this, Luo Xizhi also followed and left. The Black Road Princess was taken aback for a moment, looking at her own hand in disbelief. In an instant, she snorted coldly, seemingly wanting to throw a tantrum, but remembering that this was the Hua family’s territory, she could only kick the burly man beside her.
The burly man who was struck silently lowered his head, not daring to speak. He hadn’t even imagined that a simple transaction would bring the Black Road Princess into the picture.
The butler remained silent as well, but rather than being curious about the relationships between Hua Lian, Luo Xizhi, and the Black Road Princess, he was more focused on using this incident to secure greater benefits for the Hua family.
For a moment, all sorts of ugly thoughts spread like a foul stench. Hua Lian vomited even more violently, never having imagined there could be so many wicked people. But the only certainty was that she had to distance herself from Luo Xizhi to avoid being accidentally harmed by those perverts.
A handkerchief and water were quietly handed to her from the side. Thinking it was the maid, Hua Lian took them. However, upon contact, she caught a familiar scent on the handkerchief and paused her movements.
“Young Miss!”
The voice of the actual maid came from the other side. Hua Lian quickly returned Luo Xizhi’s handkerchief and water, taking the items handed to her by the maid instead. After drinking the water, her throat finally felt somewhat better. Hua Lian wanted to express her gratitude, but when she turned around, she saw the maid’s smug expression, as if she were competing with Luo Xizhi.
Hua Lian was even more confused, but since the maid didn’t give off that disgusting feeling, she unhesitatingly chose the maid over the female lead.
“Thank you both.”
Of course, she had to balance things out and couldn’t be too obvious in ignoring anyone. Hua Lian stole a glance at Luo Xizhi out of the corner of her eye, checking if she was angry. Fortunately, Luo Xizhi remained as indifferent as ever, only tossing the handkerchief and water into the trash after turning away.
“…”
Feeling even more guilty, Hua Lian glanced at the trash can again, confirming its location, before slowly rejoining the others.
“Young Miss, how could you drink alcohol when you’re still in high school?”
Just as Hua Lian was struggling to explain the reason for her vomiting, the butler unexpectedly provided an answer. Though Hua Lian didn’t know who had spread this information, she nodded and accepted the role of a drinker.
“The Hua family is truly grand. I’ve always heard of its reputation, and seeing it today is truly impressive.”
“Miss Hua, you really don’t remember me? I thought I left a deep impression on you.”
Meanwhile, the Black Road Princess continued to act in a stereotypically malicious and one-dimensional manner. Hua Lian simply frowned, telling her that the animal scent on her was too strong and refusing to let her get close.
“I smell bad?”
Perhaps never having expected to be rejected like this, the Black Road Princess widened her eyes. Though she smiled, her eyes were filled with coldness. Standing at about 1.8 meters tall, her presence was utterly intimidating. Hua Lian paid no attention, still unable to comprehend what kind of perverted person could write such a book. She stole another glance at Luo Xizhi, wondering what would happen if she told this paper-thin character about her future fate. Would she stand alone against the world? Or would she.
However, as Hua Lian stole a glance at Luo Xizhi, the other party keenly sensed her gaze. Their eyes met, and the look carried an unmistakable murderous intent. Hua Lian, frightened, averted her gaze but couldn’t help forming a new thought.
‘She looks perfect for being an assassin. Why not find someone to teach her combat skills? Killing a few would be better than suffering grievances myself.’
“…”
Seeing Hua Lian avert her gaze in fear, Luo Xizhi felt an even more subtle emotion. She could disguise herself as a system but did not possess the ability to read minds. She thought her own gaze had frightened the other party, and recalling that this transmigrator was originally timid and fearful, she grew even more worried that Hua Lian might become too scared to cause trouble. After all, only if Hua Lian fell into depravity would Luo Xizhi have a chance to eliminate her.