Fan Fangfang’s expression shifted slightly. She pressed her lips together before speaking slowly, “Actually, when I came of age, I was also engaged to a young master. But before the wedding, I gained so much weight that I felt too ashamed to face him, so I called off the engagement…”
Shen Mingshu finished her sentence, “And then you married into Huaihua Village, resigned to wasting the rest of your life?”
Fan Fangfang nodded with pursed lips, letting out a soft sigh, her smile tinged with bitterness.
Shen Mingshu patted her shoulder. “Stay in my room tonight. I’ll show you something interesting.”
…
When Fan Fangfang’s father, Old Master Fan, learned that his daughter’s friends were visiting, he was delighted.
After all, his daughter had just lost her husband, she needed friends to confide in.
The Fan family wasn’t large. Old Master Fan had one wife and one concubine. Fan Fangfang’s mother was the legal wife and had only given birth to her. The concubine, Madam Feng, had borne another daughter. The only male in the household was Fan Fangfang’s son, Liu Cheng.
Fan Fangfang introduced them, “Father, these are my good friends from Huaihua Village, Yun Niang and her daughter, Shen Mingshu.”
Just as she was about to ask Shen Mingshu to introduce Pei Jingheng and Leng Feng, a silvery voice chimed in, “And how should I address this gentleman?”
Fan Jiaojiao gazed at Pei Jingheng with shy, fluttering eyes, her cheeks flushed like spring blossoms.
Pei Jingheng glanced sideways at Shen Mingshu, silently urging her to speak.
But Shen Mingshu wasn’t looking at him, she was staring intently at Fan Jiaojiao.
What a breathtakingly beautiful girl, enchanting enough to steal one’s soul.
Her face seemed to possess a magical allure, impossible to look away from once seen.
When Pei Jingheng realized she wouldn’t speak, he answered for himself, “I am Mingshu’s fiancé. My surname is Pei.”
A flicker of something dark passed through Fan Jiaojiao’s eyes as she narrowed them slightly and turned her gaze to Shen Mingshu.
She hadn’t paid much attention earlier, but now she noticed that this plainly dressed girl had skin like fine jade, a delicate pointed chin that made her face seem doll-sized, a straight nose, rosy lips, and phoenix eyes with upturned corners, so exquisite they looked painted.
A spark of excitement flashed in Fan Jiaojiao’s eyes.
Shen Mingshu frowned in disbelief, tugging at Pei Jingheng’s sleeve and whispering through gritted teeth, “What are you saying?”
Beside them, Yun Niang stared in shock, while Leng Feng pressed his lips together, afraid he might gasp aloud.
Pei Jingheng leaned closer to Shen Mingshu, murmuring in a voice only they could hear, “This way, she won’t keep talking to me.”
He raised a brow, his eyes gleaming with mischief.
Shen Mingshu glared at him but had no choice but to let it slide.
Fan Jiaojiao said softly, “Miss Shen and Master Pei make such a perfect match.”
Shen Mingshu turned to her with a bright smile, locking eyes with Fan Jiaojiao. “Miss Fan, you’re so stunning! Your eyes are as beautiful as glass beads!”
Fan Jiaojiao giggled shyly. “Oh, you flatter me too much, little sister.”
Old Master Fan laughed heartily. “Since you’re all Fangfang’s friends, please sit and join us for dinner.”
Throughout the meal, Shen Mingshu kept stealing glances at Fan Jiaojiao, while Fan Jiaojiao occasionally peeked at Pei Jingheng.
Not that anyone could blame her, Pei Jingheng’s presence was so commanding that he seemed more like the master of the house than Old Master Fan himself.
After dinner, Shen Mingshu linked arms with Fan Jiaojiao. “Sister Jiaojiao, your skin is flawless! What powder do you use? And what rouge is on your lips?”
Fan Jiaojiao touched her face modestly. “Oh, it’s just ordinary rouge from the market. You’re too kind, little sister.”
“Can you take me to see it? I’d like to buy the same kind you use.” Shen Mingshu blinked, her beautiful eyes appearing innocent and harmless.
Fan Jiaojiao nodded. “Follow me.”
Shen Mingshu stuck close to Fan Jiaojiao as they left, their retreating figures looking quite familiar with each other.
Inside the room, Fan Jiaojiao introduced her dressing table to Shen Mingshu, who nodded attentively while secretly surveying the entire space.
Seizing a moment when Fan Jiaojiao wasn’t paying attention, she flicked a talisman from her fingertips and attached it to the ceiling beam.
Once this was done, she suddenly seemed to lose interest in the cosmetics. “Sister Jiaojiao, I’m feeling a bit sleepy. I’d like to go back to my mother now.”
She yawned, appearing genuinely tired.
Fan Jiaojiao had no choice but to let her leave.
Sitting before the mirror, Fan Jiaojiao picked up a comb and began smoothing her hair, her eyes narrowing as a sinister smile crept onto her lips.
…
Late at night, Fan Fangfang remained in Shen Mingshu’s room, curiosity getting the better of her. “Mingshu, why did you ask me to stay here?”
“Now I can tell you,” Shen Mingshu tapped her fingers lightly on the table, raising an eyebrow. “That sister of yours isn’t human, she’s a fox spirit.”
Fan Fangfang’s face paled with terror. “Really?”
Shen Mingshu nodded. “A fox that lost its physical body. Its soul slipped into your aunt’s womb while she was pregnant, stealing your sister’s body. But when it was born, it was covered in red fur and had an extra tail.”
“Your aunt was terrified and wanted to strangle the child, but the fox spirit bewitched her with dark magic, stealing your beauty to make itself appear like a normal baby.”
Fan Fangfang touched her own face, murmuring, “No wonder no medicine could help me lose weight.”
Yun Niang grasped Fan Fangfang’s hand, her voice filled with sympathy. “Fangfang, you’ve suffered so much. But Mingshu is very capable, she’ll definitely catch that monster!”
Shen Mingshu’s fingers continued their rhythmic tapping as she spoke solemnly. “Such dark sorcery comes with a backlash. Now that she’s eighteen, she must steal beauty from others every year, or else she’ll grow fur all over her body.”
“Today, I noticed your mother and aunt have aged significantly, that’s her doing too.”
Fan Fangfang slammed her fist on the table, her voice icy. “Aside from the three of us, who knows what’s happened to the other fifteen…”
Shen Mingshu’s eyes darkened as she gazed out the window at the night. “Foxes are greedy by nature. Once they find a beautiful target, they won’t let it go. From her face, I could see the remnants of nearly thirty different faces.”
“So tonight, she’ll definitely make her move, either targeting me or Pei Jingheng.”
Yun Niang immediately grew worried. “What should we do? What if she uses her dark magic on you in secret?”
Shen Mingshu reassured her. “Don’t worry. If she dares to come, I’ll make sure she’s exposed for what she truly is!”
A sudden surge of energy flooded the courtyard. Shen Mingshu pressed a finger to her lips. “Shh.”
She crept to the window and peered through the gap, spotting a shadowy figure.
The figure had a tail, it was the fox’s spirit.
Moving on all fours, it scurried toward Pei Jingheng’s door. Leng Feng, standing guard outside, couldn’t see it and remained oblivious.
Watching as the fox spirit slipped through the door crack, Shen Mingshu frowned slightly. It went for Pei Jingheng first? Did the fox think he was better-looking than her?
Pei Jingheng had the protective talisman and magical artifacts she had given him, so he probably didn’t need her to go over and help.
She formed hand seals with her fingers and softly recited an incantation.
In Fan Jiaojiao’s room, two courtyards away, the puppet talisman on the roof beam twitched slightly.