“I’ll give you money. Isn’t money your favorite thing?” Xiao Yu said with obvious contempt.
Bai Zhi merely stared at him coldly without replying.
She was now one hundred percent certain that Xiao Yu knew about the events from the original novel—specifically, that Bai Zhiluo had run away with the money.
But how did he know?
Bai Zhi immediately thought of all those rebirth novels she’d read in her previous life.
Had Xiao Yu been reborn?
And if so, from what point in time?
Not that she meant to look down on him, but judging from how impulsive and hot-headed he was, he certainly didn’t seem like someone who had successfully ascended the throne before being reborn.
Feeling uneasy under her gaze, Xiao Yu nevertheless forced himself to continue.
“My Imperial Brother is your husband too. You should let him eat.”
As he spoke, he tossed over a small piece of silver.
Bai Zhi caught it.
That’s tiny.
They’re really poor.
“You serve it, then.”
She couldn’t eat another bite anyway.
Hearing that, Xiao Yu hurriedly found a large bowl and transferred all the noodles from the pot into it, even scooping up every last drop of broth.
Unable to resist, Bai Zhi asked,
“Doesn’t the cook let you eat?”
A dark shadow flashed through Xiao Yu’s eyes.
“She keeps all the good food for herself.”
Bai Zhi was speechless.
The future male protagonist of the novel was actually being bullied by a cook?
What a joke.
She didn’t pursue the matter further.
Instead, she poured fresh water into the pot she’d just used and added two more sticks of firewood beneath the stove.
“What are you doing?” Xiao Yu asked.
“Washing my face.”
Her face felt stiff. Judging from the sensation, she’d probably been coated in a thick layer of powder.
Xiao Yu curled his lips dismissively and left with the bowl of noodles.
While the water heated, Bai Zhi grabbed a candle and went searching for a washbasin.
After wandering around the villa, she chose one of the larger rooms, picked the lock, and entered.
Inside, she found a bronze basin, a cloth towel, and several containers of ointment that resembled face cream.
After locking the door again, she carried everything back to the kitchen.
She scrubbed the basin several times and scalded the towel with boiling water before finally filling the clean basin with hot water.
Then she refilled the pot and dropped six eggs into it.
Breakfast for tomorrow.
After mixing hot and cold water to the right temperature, Bai Zhi washed her face thoroughly.
The cuts on her face stung a little.
She pressed the steaming towel against her cheeks.
It felt wonderful.
There wasn’t enough time tonight, but someday soon she intended to enjoy a proper bath.
After pouring out the water and extinguishing the fire, she packed everything into the basin.
The towel.
The ointments.
And a large bowl holding six boiled eggs.
Then she carried it all back to her room.
“Ah Yu, the Marquis of Yong’an may have betrayed the Crown Prince, but we shouldn’t take our anger out on others…”
“It’s not misplaced anger! Imperial Brother, she’s really a bad woman! She ran away with the money and caused your death! Believe me! I dreamed it! The dream was incredibly clear…”
Crouching beneath the window, Bai Zhi heard every word.
A prophetic dream?
Would someone really try to kill another person because of a dream?
The night wind was bitterly cold.
Not wanting to freeze outside any longer, she pushed open the door and entered.
The moment Xiao Yu saw her, he immediately shut his mouth and lowered his head, pretending to be mute.
Bai Zhi ignored both brothers.
She walked straight to the dressing table, placed the basin beneath it, then picked up the ointment jars and approached the bed.
“Which one of these is for the face?”
She was asking Xiao Zelan.
But Xiao Yu answered first.
“You don’t even know that?”
“No.”
The answer was direct and shameless.
Xiao Yu: “…”
Xiao Zelan took the jars and smelled them one by one.
“This one is face cream.”
“This one is osmanthus hair oil.”
“And this one should be ointment for frostbite.”
He then took another jar and the medicinal powder from the medicine box.
“Apply some more medicine to your face. Use this one on your neck.”
“Thank you.”
Taking the jars, Bai Zhi sat at the dressing table.
She opened the face cream, wiped away the top layer with a handkerchief, then scooped out a fresh portion to use.
After moisturizing her face, she applied medicine to both her facial wound and the bruises on her neck.
A bronze mirror sat on the dressing table.
Bai Zhi examined herself.
The original owner resembled her childhood self by about seventy percent.
Her features were actually quite pretty.
The problem was…
She looked ridiculously young.
Calling her a primary school student might be a slight exaggeration.
Early middle school age seemed more accurate.
Thin.
Undernourished.
Tiny.
Bai Zhi immediately felt much safer.
Unless someone was a complete pervert, they probably wouldn’t be interested in making a move on her.
Watching her admire herself in the mirror, Xiao Yu felt nothing but disdain.
But his face displayed innocent curiosity.
“Where did you find all that stuff?”
“I just picked a room at random.”
“But weren’t all the rooms locked?”
Bai Zhi removed a thin hairpin from her hair and waved it.
“With this.”
Xiao Yu’s eyes widened.
“You can pick locks?”
After his initial shock came excitement.
Wonderful!
“Imperial Sister-in-law, you’re amazing!”
The dry and awkward compliment emerged from the little boy’s mouth.
Bai Zhi: “…”
Imperial Sister-in-law?
“That’s enough, Ah Yu. Go get some rest,” Xiao Zelan said.
Xiao Yu glanced at the eggs inside the basin and immediately put on a pitiful expression.
“Imperial Sister-in-law… I’m still hungry.”
Before Bai Zhi could respond, he had already rushed over, snatched two eggs, and fled.
Bai Zhi stared after him.
Speechless.
A medium-sized chest sat in the corner.
A red “Double Happiness” wedding character was pasted on its lid.
Bai Zhi guessed it was her dowry.
Opening it, she found women’s clothing, shoes, and various fabrics.
Sure enough, it belonged to her.
After digging through it, she finally discovered a small purse hidden at the very bottom.
Inside were several silver ingots.
Her expression improved considerably.
Without taking any out, she closed the chest.
Then, with a casual thought, she melted the bronze lock shut.
The room was cold.
After adding several pieces of charcoal to the brazier, she returned to the bed.
There was only one bed in the room.
And in weather this cold, she had no intention of sleeping on the floor.
Xiao Zelan had not yet lain down.
Though he didn’t truly believe his younger brother’s dream, he still had questions.
“How do you know how to pick locks? And…”
“I grew up on a rural estate,” Bai Zhi interrupted.
“I’m not some sheltered noble lady.”
This was the excuse she’d prepared earlier.
Though it wasn’t entirely an excuse.
The original owner really had grown up in the countryside.
“Sorry. That’s not what I meant. I…”
Bai Zhi lowered her head and spoke softly.
“It’s okay.”
“I know you didn’t want to marry me.”
“For now, let’s just make do.”
“If there’s an opportunity in the future, we can divorce peacefully.”
That’s not what I meant!
Xiao Zelan opened his mouth to explain.
But Bai Zhi had already removed her outer robe and climbed into bed, pulling her quilt over herself.
Unable to continue, Xiao Zelan lay down as well.
The bed wasn’t large.
Neither were the quilts.
But the weather was cold, and sharing warmth was more practical.
He felt slightly uncomfortable.
If either of them moved even a little, their bodies would touch.
Then he reminded himself that she was still basically a child.
The discomfort eased somewhat.
Despite his awkwardness, the frail Xiao Zelan quickly fell asleep.
Listening to his steady breathing, Bai Zhi opened her eyes.
The gold bracelet around her arm slowly slid downward.
It reshaped itself into a sharp metal spike in her hand.
Turning her head, she looked at Xiao Zelan.
Then she thrust the spike toward him.
The tip stopped barely an inch from his eye.
His breathing remained perfectly even.
After a long moment, Bai Zhi withdrew the weapon.
The metal spike flowed back up her arm and once again became a bracelet around her upper arm.
He really fell asleep.
The room was very dark.
It reminded her of the laboratory.
After the backup power had run out, the laboratory had been even darker than this.
And she had spent the final days of her life trapped inside that darkness.
Bai Zhi glanced at Xiao Zelan again.
In the darkness, she could barely make out his silhouette.
Having another person nearby…
Actually felt pretty nice.
Finally relaxing, she looked upward.
The green number hovering above had now become:
60
She was already certain of one thing.
The number represented Xiao Yu’s life value.
Did that mean she was supposed to protect him?
At that moment—
Ding!
A mechanical voice suddenly sounded.
“Mission activated. Do you accept the mission?”
Bai Zhi jumped.
Two options appeared in midair.
She tried pressing No.
Nothing happened.
Then she pressed Yes.
Ding! Mission accepted.
Objective: Help the male protagonist survive seven days in the villa.
Bai Zhi was stunned.
She tried communicating with the system.
No response.
She searched for additional menus.
Nothing.
There wasn’t even an instruction manual.
Speechless, she gave up.
She’d worry about it tomorrow.
The next morning, Bai Zhi was awakened by the sound of a woman screaming curses.
“Which damned thief stole my eggs?!”
“Eight of them!”
“Never eaten eggs in your life, have you?!”
“Hope you choke to death on them!”
Bai Zhi pulled the quilt over her head, attempting to block out the noise.
The room was freezing.
The charcoal brazier had probably gone out.
She shifted backward.
And backward.
Until she was pressed against the warm heat source behind her.
Only then did she stop.