Due to the pheromone disorder of the past two days, Ye Xunshu looked pale, and her spirit was somewhat lacking. After coaxing her into a deep sleep that evening, Fu Yi quietly lifted the quilt, got out of bed, and poured herself a cup of water.
The exquisite porcelain cup was adorned with peach blossom patterns; it felt smooth yet uneven to the touch. Fu Yi stared blankly at the dim moonlight streaming in from outside, her eyes deep and somber.
She was actually not used to sharing a bed with anyone.
But, it wasn’t as if she never had.
She and her younger sister had once huddled together on a single bed.
Ye Xunshu was a well-behaved sleeper, lying quietly and flat on the bed with a faint smile at the corners of her mouth. The cold moonlight shone on her face as if plating it in silver, casting light shadows at the corners of her eyes.
Fu Yi frowned slightly and moved her gaze away from Ye Xunshu.
No one can immediately, calmly, and naturally adapt to a new identity after encountering such an event.
She was no exception.
In her world, people might call this situation “transmigration.”
Fu Yi was certain she had transmigrated. She had transmigrated into the body of this person named Fu Yi, someone who shared her name but possessed a completely different life and personality.
Everything was different from before.
She had parents in this world, social circles in this world, and her new reality.
She looked at Ye Xunshu once more. Ye Xunshu had rolled over, assuming a slightly curled-up posture.
Fu Yi thought this was likely due to a lack of security.
The original owner of this body had a mischievous character, and her bad reputation was known to everyone far and wide.
So, in Ye Xunshu’s heart, she must actually be afraid.
How should she handle this person before her, who was as soft as a rabbit and as sweet as osmanthus?
Fu Yi sighed, her mind heavy with worry.
She didn’t know how to go back. With no other choice, she could only take things one step at a time.
Outside, the cicadas had passed their clamorous hour and fallen silent early. In the latter half of the night, the summer heat faded slightly. Fu Yi casually threw on a coat, pushed open the door, and left the room.
After she left, the person sleeping soundly on the bed shifted her body. Her eyes opened a crack, showing dark eyes that were piercingly bright.
She saw the last ray of light filtering in before Fu Yi closed the door.
The next day, as soon as Ye Xunshu opened her eyes, Fu Yi was already dressed and sitting nearby eating breakfast. Seeing her wake up, Fu Yi said, “We are going to the dyehouse today. Since you were so happy yesterday, how are you still willing to sleep in?”
“Mm.” Ye Xunshu was still a bit dazed, and it was unclear if she even heard Fu Yi’s words. A servant came over to help her dress; Ye Xunshu tilted her head as if she hadn’t woken up yet, though she was quite cooperative.
Seeing her like this, Fu Yi said, “It takes half a day to go to and from the dyehouse. If you don’t hurry, there will only be half a day left to play.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Xunshu immediately perked up. She quickly finished dressing and sat down across from Fu Yi.
Noticing she wasn’t as happy as yesterday, Fu Yi said curiously, “I didn’t know these past two days that you had a habit of sleeping in.”
As soon as she spoke, Ye Xunshu’s movement to pick up food froze. She gave Fu Yi a slight, resentful glare before looking away.
Fu Yi: “?”
Choking on her words, Fu Yi continued eating her breakfast. After a while, Ye Xunshu suddenly lowered her head and said, “Sister Fu Yi is playing dumb first thing in the morning. My parents said people who do that will become stupid later on.”
“Ah?” Fu Yi was stunned.
When was she playing dumb?
Ye Xunshu still wouldn’t look at Fu Yi, but the tips of her ears suddenly turned red. She whispered, “Xunshu slept in, only because,”
Fu Yi kept eating: “Because of what?”
Ye Xunshu remained silent for a long while, holding her chopsticks without moving. “Because Sister gave me a temporary mark, that’s why I’m oversleeping.” Having said that, she pouted and grabbed a piece of fish sitting in front of Fu Yi. “Sister, surely you know that there are side effects after an Alpha marks an Omega?”
Fu Yi: “I,”
She really didn’t know.
Ye Xunshu reached over and placed the fish meat steadily into Fu Yi’s bowl. She looked up at the stunned Fu Yi and smiled faintly: “Sister, the fish is nourishing.”
It is for your brain.
Looking at the white fish meat in her bowl and remembering Ye Xunshu’s cold smile just now, Fu Yi: ” ”
Was the little rabbit embarrassed by her own stupidity and now lashing out?
This was the first time the two had gone out together since their marriage. When A-Ji saw the plain clothes his young mistress was wearing today, he didn’t quite react at first.
Fu Yi still held a grudge against A-Ji for talking nonsense in front of Lin Wan and Fu Shen yesterday, so she shot him a cold, chilling glare. A-Ji gritted his teeth, his eyes darting around as he said, “Y-Young Mistress.”
Fu Yi said flatly, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No, it’s just that Young Mistress’s style of dress today seems different from usual.”
“Oh?” Fu Yi smiled shallowly. “Does it look good or not?”
A-Ji immediately flattered her: “It looks good!”
Fu Yi gave a huff, walked around him, and took Ye Xunshu’s hand. “I don’t believe you.”
“Uh.” A-Ji froze awkwardly. Looking at Fu Yi’s retreating back, he called out with some concern: “Young Mistress! Remember when you go out that you are already married!”
Fu Yi clenched her fist with her eyes closed, really wanting to punch A-Ji in the mouth.
She was not that original owner who flirted with everyone.
Someone tugged at her clothes. Fu Yi opened her eyes and looked at Ye Xunshu: “What is it?”
Ye Xunshu’s voice was very small as she asked, “Sister, you don’t believe A-Ji when he says you look good. But if Xunshu says you look good, would you believe it?”
Fu Yi paused imperceptibly. “I, I’d believe it.”
“Sister hesitated.”
“I did not.”
“You did.” Ye Xunshu let go of her hand and looked toward the other side. “Xunshu is telling the truth.”
“The blue Sister is wearing today gives off a completely different feeling compared to the red you wore on the wedding day. Back then, Sister was like a ball of burning fire. When Xunshu saw you, my heart felt filled with light; that light had the temperature of a flame, yet it was warm.”
“In contrast, this pure blue, mmm,” she seemed to be thinking. After a moment, she said, “It is like today’s sky; the breeze is gentle, without the summer heat. The clouds block the sun, and the sky is azure.”
“It seems to make one’s mood better, too.”
Fu Yi chuckled, thinking to herself that this little rabbit certainly had a way with words. She raised her head slightly, exhaled, and said pridefully, “Then this young mistress looks good no matter what she wears.”
Ye Xunshu was also amused. She glanced back at her, walked a few steps ahead, and teased: “Sister is truly shameless.”
Perhaps because she was too excited to go to the market, Ye Xunshu’s run created some distance between them. Fu Yi didn’t run to catch up, walking slowly at her original pace.
If her mood improved, how could it be because of a change of clothes?
It was because she could finally go outside that she was happy.
Truly a silly rabbit.
The original owner was used to being criticized, so as Fu Yi walked down the street, the looks people threw at her were a mix of good and bad. Some Omegas chose to keep their distance due to the things she had done over the years. Others were drawn to her because, no matter how poorly she behaved, her beauty and temperament as an Alpha were still attractive to many.
Or rather, they were eyeing her background as the only daughter of Yangzhou’s wealthiest merchant.
If anyone married into that family, even if married life wasn’t ideal, at least the rest of their life would be worry-free.
Ye Xunshu’s memory of the outside world was still stuck in her childhood; the once-blurred images became vivid at this moment.
However, after so many years, there were bound to be differences from her memories.
When those people saw the person following Fu Yi, they knew it was the daughter of the Ye family.
Rumor had it that Ye Xunshu was the most beautiful Omega in Yangzhou. But it was only a rumor because the Ye family’s daughter spent her years in her boudoir. Even the rumors of her beauty came from someone who had secretly climbed a wall and caught a distant glimpse through a window.
Just one glance, even from afar, was enough to make her unforgettable.
From then on, word began to spread in the streets about how beautiful the Ye family’s Omega daughter was. Some Alphas even went to the Ye family to propose marriage, but all were rejected by the Master of the Ye family.
The world lamented: this Miss Ye was protected so well, was she some kind of treasure?
The harder something is to obtain, the more people want to uncover the truth. After the Ye family went bankrupt, their rekindled curiosity and competitive spirit were doused when news broke that Miss Fu was going to marry Ye Xunshu.
No one had expected that Master Ye would privately sign a mortgage with Fu Shen, and that the collateral would be his own biological daughter.
Those people held various thoughts. Their gazes toward Fu Yi were complex, while their gazes toward Ye Xunshu were relatively consistent.
Fu Yi’s eyes darkened, and she curled her lips slightly at them.
The inherent aura of an Alpha was displayed to its fullest in that smile. At first glance, the smile was extremely beautiful, but if one looked into Fu Yi’s deep eyes, a layer of gloom had covered them at some point, adding a touch of eeriness and a strange aesthetic to her smile.
A few more sensitive people interpreted a shivering coldness from her smile; they looked away one after another and continued with what they were doing.
Fu Yi pulled back Ye Xunshu, who was about to take another step forward. Ye Xunshu turned to look at her: “What’s wrong?”
Fu Yi frowned unhappily and said, “Haven’t you noticed?”
“Noticed what?” Ye Xunshu had a smile on her face. She turned her head to look around and then turned back: “Sister Fu Yi?”
Seeing the “silly rabbit” look on her face, Fu Yi didn’t know how to speak the words on the tip of her tongue. She rubbed her nose a few times and said, “Forget it, it’s nothing. Let’s walk faster.”
“Oh, okay,” Ye Xunshu agreed. She stayed by Fu Yi’s side, her eyes glancing here and there from time to time.
Fu Yi restrained herself, wondering if she really couldn’t see that the way those people looked at her was as if they wanted to devour her.
There were gropers in the upper world, and it turned out there were wolves in the lower world as well.
It seemed it wasn’t safe for an Omega to go out on the streets alone in the future.
“Sister Fu Yi.”
Ye Xunshu suddenly stopped and turned back to her. “The second daughter of the Zhou family seems to have something to discuss with you.”
Hearing this, Fu Yi snapped out of it. She looked up and saw a woman standing not far ahead, accompanied by a maid.
Fu Yi thought to herself: Is she someone the original owner knew? Could this be some romantic debt left behind?
Fu Yi was startled. Almost instinctively, she gripped Ye Xunshu’s hand tightly and shielded her behind her back.
Zhou Ying naturally noticed Fu Yi’s small movement, but she still gave her a graceful smile. Then, as if blind to the tension, she bowed and called out, “Sister Fu Yi.”