An Yimei stood up, ignoring the disappearing system. She walked to the wooden closet, picked out a simple, light-green cotton dress, and changed quickly.
She sat at the dressing table to fix her hair. She tied two neat buns on top of her head, letting the rest of her long black hair stream smoothly down her back. She slid a plain wooden hairpin into place to secure it.
She looked into the bronze mirror. The soft green dress and delicate hair made her look small, sweet, and entirely harmless.
"Perfect," she murmured to her reflection, a cold spark flashing in her dark eyes. "Soft on the outside... ruthless on the inside."
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A heavy, violent knock slammed against her wooden door, shaking the old frame.
"Open the door!" a loud, shrill voice shouted from outside. "Hurry up! Stop playing dead in there!"
An Yimei did not flinch. She stood up calmly, lowering her shoulders and letting her face soften into a timid, scared expression.. the perfect cover. She walked over and unlatched the door.
Standing outside was a thick-set middle-aged woman with her arms crossed over her chest. A small blue tag flickered next to her shoulder, visible only to An Yimei:
[NAME: LIU MAMA]
[ROLE: AN FAMILY SENIOR SERVANT]
Liu Mama clicked her tongue loudly, looking An Yimei up and down with disgust. "You really know how to sleep! Everyone in the house has been up since dawn, and you’re still hiding in your room like a noble lady!"
Liu Mama glared at An Yimei’s clean green dress. "What, dressing up now? A useless illegitimate daughter like you thinks she can take her time?"
An Yimei did not argue. She simply looked down at the floor, standing quietly with big, fearful eyes.
Her silence only made Liu Mama angrier. "Stop standing there like a stone! Master An and Madame An are calling for you in the Main Hall right now! Move your legs, or you won’t get any food for three days!"
Liu Mama turned around rudely and began walking away.
An Yimei closed her door gently and followed two paces behind. As she walked down the wooden corridor, the scared look on her face vanished, replaced by a freezing, razor-sharp focus.
Up ahead, the heavy doors of the Main Hall stood wide open. The loud, dramatic crying of her older sister, An Yulan, echoed across the courtyard.
"I won’t marry him! Father, I would rather die!" An Yulan’s voice shrieked from inside the hall.
An Yimei stepped over the raised wooden threshold and entered the room quietly.
The Main Hall was filled with tension. Sitting at the head seats were Master An Yong, his face dark with irritation, and Madame An, who looked anxious and tearful. Standing in the center of the room was An Yulan, her fine silk dress rumpled, tears streaming down her face as she held a small decorative knife against her own neck.
Standing near the side pillars were An Yimei’s two half-brothers, An Cheng and An Shao, looking at the scene with disbelief.
"Yulan, put that down!" Madame An cried out, her hands trembling. "You’ll hurt yourself!"
"I won’t put it down!" An Yulan sobbed dramatically, her eyes shining with manic determination. "If you force me to marry Bai Zhengyu, I will cut my throat right here!"
Master An slammed his teacup onto the wooden table, spilling hot tea over the edge. "Nonsense! The marriage match with the Bai family’s eldest grandson was agreed upon weeks ago! He is the eldest grandson! How can you suddenly change your mind?"
"Because I want Bai Wenliang!" An Yulan yelled back, her voice ringing across the hall. "I want to marry the second grandson, Bai Wenliang! If I cannot marry him, I will die today!"
An Yulan’s eyes flashed with secret greed. In her past life, she had been stuck with the crippled Bai Zhengyu while watching Bai Wenliang become a glorious scholar. She was not going to make that mistake again. She was going to take the future scholar for herself!
Master An looked furious, but Madame An grabbed his arm, panicking. "Husband, please! She is our only legitimate daughter! We cannot let her kill herself over this!"
"Then what about the Bai family?" Master An snapped, his voice tight. "We cannot break our word to the Bai family! They expect a daughter from our house!"
"Then send her!" An Yulan pointed her finger sharply toward the doorway, targeting An Yimei.
Everyone in the room turned to look at the entrance.
An Yimei stood there quietly in her simple green dress. She looked tiny, pale, and completely helpless under their heavy stares.
An Yulan sneered, stepping forward with satisfaction. "An Yimei is also a daughter of the An family! Let her marry Bai Zhengyu! I will take Bai Wenliang!"
Madame An quickly nodded in agreement. "Yes! Husband, that is a perfect idea! An Yimei is quiet and obedient. She won’t complain! Give her the marriage with Bai Zhengyu!"
Master An turned his cold, calculating gaze onto An Yimei. He did not care about her feelings, she was only the daughter of a low-ranking concubine who had long since passed away. To him, her only value was serving the family’s reputation.
"Yimei," Master An said, his voice hard and stern. "You heard your sister. The family has decided to swap the marriage arrangements. You will marry the eldest grandson, Bai Zhengyu, three days from now. Do you have any objections?"
An Yulan stared at An Yimei with a smug, mocking smile, waiting to see her illegitimate sister weep and beg.
Instead, An Yimei slowly lowered her head, keeping her voice soft, gentle, and trembling just enough to sound obedient.
"If Father and Mother have decided... Yimei will obey."
An Yulan almost laughed out loud. Fool, An Yulan thought happily. You have no idea you are taking a crippled useless man while I take the future scholar!
Master An let out a sigh of relief, pleased with how easy it was to handle his second daughter. "Good. You are a sensible child. Since you are getting married, I will give you your dowry shop today. There is a tea house in the East Market. It is yours from now on."
An Yulan scoffed quietly under her breath. She knew about that tea house, it was a failing, dying business overrun by corrupt managers. She had purposefully left it for An Yimei, while taking the bigger cloth shop for herself.
An Yimei bowed deeply, hiding the faint, icy smile touching her lips.
"Thank you, Father," An Yimei said softly.
They thought they were stripping her of her future, pushing her toward a crippled husband and a ruined business. They had no idea that inside this soft, fragile shell was a woman ready to take their scraps, turn them into an empire, and watch them all fall.