Fengli and Shulan watched Luo Chaoyan, who had been sitting by the window lost in thought for a long time. They exchanged glances back and forth, each hoping the other would speak first.
Ever since the young lady returned from the ancestral hall to her own courtyard, she had maintained the same posture. In the past, she would have long been discussing with them what to eat.
Luo Chaoyan suddenly turned her head and stared seriously at Fengli. “Fengli, I want to learn Niao Shui!”
“Young lady, you’ve said that countless times already.” Fengli no longer believed her.
Luo Chaoyan’s tense face suddenly deflated like a punctured ball. This was a psychological issue she had carried over from modern times—fear of water. When she was young, she had followed the older sisters from the orphanage to the seaside and accidentally fell into the ocean, nearly drowning. Since then, whenever she saw turbulent seas or lakes, she felt a sense of terror.
“But, young lady, if you knew Niao Shui, you wouldn’t have been bullied by that little devil,” Fengli said somewhat thoughtlessly.
Shulan shot her a disapproving look. “Don’t be disrespectful. That’s the Young Master Huo.”
“So what? Just because the Huo Family is powerful, they can treat human life as worthless?” Fengli retorted indignantly. “If I had been there, I would have thrown him into the lotus pond to see if he’d still bully our young lady!”
Fengli sighed. “Young lady, I don’t know what kind of ill-fated connection you have with this little devil. He pushed you into the water, but his father saved you. What a coincidence.”
“That was no coincidence!” Luo Chaoyan gritted her teeth. “It was all intentional from start to finish.” She recalled his sinister expression just before she fainted in the lotus pond. He had said, “You don’t want to be my stepmother, but I insist you become one!”
Right, it seemed that when he pushed her into the water, he had already planned for his father to rescue her. In ancient times, even private correspondence or exchanging handkerchiefs could be considered improper conduct violating etiquette, let alone physical contact. Once that happened, one’s innocence would be irretrievably compromised.
Well! A five-year-old child with such deep cunning—she had truly underestimated him. He wasn’t even afraid that she might not hold on until his father arrived to save her, ruining his scheme.
Thinking of this, she felt frustrated again. Why be an honest person? She should have just played along and acted like a hypocritical woman greedy for power and wealth, sparing herself this ordeal.
“What?”
Both Shulan and Fengli were stunned.
Fengli’s face was full of disbelief. “Young lady, are you saying… he took a fancy to you and wanted you to be his stepmother, so he orchestrated all this? No wonder their family sent someone to propose marriage early the next morning!”
“That little devil is truly wicked. Everyone outside is spreading rumors that you used shameless methods to climb up to the Huo Family. This is clearly slander!”
“Young lady, what do you plan to do?” Shulan asked.
“What do you mean, what to do? Of course, don’t marry him!” Fengli said angrily. “If the son is so scheming, wouldn’t his father be even worse? Young lady, you’ve always been carefree and unrestrained. If you marry into that family, will you ever have a peaceful life?”
“But the eldest master certainly wouldn’t want to offend the Huo Family, and the old madam probably wouldn’t want to miss this marriage opportunity either.” Shulan looked at Luo Chaoyan. “Young lady, the third master and his wife might hold out for now, but with the old madam involved, filial piety has always been paramount. You wouldn’t want to see the third master and the old madam fall out, would you?”
Luo Chaoyan had to admit that if she truly refused, her parents would likely yield to her wishes, but it would inevitably create a rift between her father and grandmother. Her father, with his open-minded and carefree nature, might seem indifferent on the surface, but he deeply cherished his mother.
During their years away from the capital, her father often spoke of his mother’s doting affection. Every festival, he would think of sending her novel and delightful gifts.
She certainly didn’t want to put her father in a difficult position, yet the thought of giving in to that little devil’s whims made her uneasy. Who could tolerate being forced like a stubborn ox pushed to drink water?
In her modern life, she had been too busy striving to earn money, solely focused on saving up to buy a home and secure a place of her own. Marriage had never crossed her mind, as she was accustomed to relying on herself for everything. Thus, in this world, she held no expectations for marriage—mutual respect would be more than enough.
Lost in her thoughts, Luo Chaoyan was interrupted by a maid’s voice outside the door.
“Miss, the two young masters of the Huo Family are here.”
What!
How dare that little devil show up at her door? Fury surged in Luo Chaoyan’s chest. She glanced at Fengli, then remembered they were at Luo Manor. If anything happened to the little troublemaker here, the household would be thrown into chaos.
She instructed Fengli and another maid to apply pale powder to her face and adjust her makeup. Satisfied with her wan and sickly reflection in the mirror, she nodded in approval.
Leaning on the two for support, she feigned weakness as they escorted her to the reception hall.
In the hall, Huo Rui showed no courtesy as a guest, casually seating himself in a chair and demanding tea from a maid.
Seeing his insufferable demeanor made Luo Chaoyan’s teeth ache with irritation.
“Ahem…”
She coughed softly, exaggerating her “illness.”
Huo An, who had been held by his wet nurse, immediately squirmed free upon seeing her and bounded toward her, nearly breaking her act.
Fengli swiftly grabbed the back of his clothes and lifted him just as he charged forward.
The Huo Family’s wet nurse cried out in alarm, “Miss, you’ll hurt our young master! Let him go at once!”
Fengli snorted coldly. “Indeed, your young master is precious. Then you’d better hold him tight.” Ignoring the child’s struggles, she deposited him straight into the wet nurse’s arms.
The little boy looked at Luo Chaoyan with pitiful eyes. “Mo…ther!”
Huo Rui, seeing his brother’s distress, glared fiercely at Fengli. “As expected—like mistress, like maid. Utterly lacking in decorum.”
Luo Chaoyan retorted with a cold laugh, “Certainly no match for the Huo Family’s upbringing.”
Huo Rui noticed how she emphasized the words “upbringing,” as if she wanted to bite him. He smirked.
“Woman, judging by your vigorous voice, you’re clearly faking illness!”
“Indeed! I had hoped it might awaken some conscience in the young master of the Huo Family—at least a shred of remorse for harming others. But it seems I overestimated human nature. How can one expect conscience from someone so cold-hearted?”
Huo Rui shrugged indifferently. “I’m a well-behaved child. Why would I ever wish harm upon anyone?”
Fengli fumed, “How dare you deny pushing my mistress into the water?”
“You ought to watch your tongue, girl,” Huo Rui warned. “Who witnessed me pushing her? Clearly, it was her own scheme to marry my father.”
“You’re talking nonsense!” Fengli was furious. She suddenly looked up at him, pointing at him in disbelief. “It was clearly you who deliberately pushed our young lady into the water!”
“Do you have proof?” Huo Rui said disdainfully.
Luo Chaoyan looked at him calmly and said, “What if I insist on not marrying?”
Huo Rui’s expression stiffened for a rare moment, then his tone turned somewhat teasing. “What, do you plan to spend the rest of your life in a temple or monastery?”
“Woman, marrying into my family is your good fortune. Don’t be ungrateful. Besides, my father is dignified and handsome—how is he not good enough for you? You’re just passable yourself. If you can’t appreciate someone like my father, who else could you possibly fancy?”
Luo Chaoyan had indeed considered registering at a temple or monastery before. Over time, once everyone forgot about this matter, she would be free as a bird. But later, she realized this wasn’t very realistic and gave up the idea.
“Why are you so determined to make me your stepmother? What are you after?”
“An’an likes you.”
“Do I resemble your mother?”
“No!” Huo Rui said. “My mother was gentle, refined, and well-mannered, unlike you—a wild girl with no sense of propriety.”
Suppressing the urge to beat him up, Luo Chaoyan patiently said, “Then why not find someone with your mother’s temperament?” Why come to torment me?
“There’s only one mother. No matter how similar someone is, they can’t replace her.” Huo Rui said, “Everyone else wants to marry my father, but I won’t allow it. You don’t want to marry, so I insist on making you my stepmother.”
Sure enough, you can’t reason with this little devil. He’s practically a psychopath! Luo Chaoyan thought to herself.
She said, “How about we make a bet? If you lose, you let me go. If I lose, I’ll willingly marry into your family.”
Huo Rui thought seriously for a moment and nodded. “Agreed!”
Luo Chaoyan said, “You play Cuju, so you must have some martial arts foundation.” His technique was evident when he struck that woman last time.
“I do know a bit! What kind of bet do you have in mind?” Huo Rui admitted frankly.
“Badminton!” Luo Chaoyan had Fengli bring out the badminton equipment.
Huo Rui looked at the badminton racket in his hand, confused as he glanced at her.
“Let’s go to an open space.”
Everyone moved outside.
A rectangle was drawn on the ground, with a dividing line in the middle.
Luo Chaoyan had Fengli demonstrate the rules and how to play for him.
“This isn’t fair!” Huo Rui’s servant protested. “It’s obvious this is a game you play often. Our young master has never seen it before.”
Luo Chaoyan was unapologetic, not feeling the slightest bit guilty about bullying a child. “This is the only game I know how to play.” Treating the little devil as a child would only put her at a disadvantage.
The sports games people played here were either Cuju or polo. She genuinely couldn’t handle them. Cuju was similar to modern soccer, requiring stamina, endurance, and agility—she wasn’t cut out for it. Polo was even worse; she could barely stay steady on a horse. So, she borrowed this relatively lighter modern sport.
As for the badminton, it was a simplified version. The rackets were made of wood, with strings fashioned from zither strings. The shuttlecock was made of cloth stuffed with cotton and sewn together.
Fengli chimed in from the side, “How is this unfair? Your little demon… young master knows martial arts, while our young lady is a boudoir maiden who rarely steps outside. She only occasionally exercises and plays this for fun.”
“Fine, but for best of three, I want to change it to ten rounds,” Huo Rui said.
Fengli chuckled inwardly. Hmph! No matter how many rounds, the final outcome will only be one—defeat. Having played against the young lady countless times, even with her innate strength, she’s never won against her. This little demon surely won’t be an exception.
As for Luo Chaoyan, this was exactly what she wanted! If she couldn’t openly teach him a lesson, she could still torment him in secret. Just wait, little demon—I’ll let you taste what it’s like to be messed with.
Shulan served as the scorekeeper and shouted, “Match begins!”
Luo Chaoyan served first—swift, accurate, and fierce!
The ball whizzed past Huo Rui’s cheek and landed within the boundary behind him.
“Young lady scores one point!”
Huo Rui could feel the stinging pain on his cheek and knew the woman had done it on purpose.
For five consecutive rounds, Luo Chaoyan scored, while Huo Rui suffered quite a beating. The ball either grazed his cheeks or sent him tumbling to the ground as he tried to block her shots. His cheeks were already flushed red, and his hands and legs were scraped in several places.
“Mother… am…azing!”
Little Huo An, held in his nanny’s arms, cheered happily for Luo Chaoyan.
Huo Rui felt a pang of frustration. He was being tormented miserably, yet his foolish younger brother was cheering for that wretched woman. No, he couldn’t let her gloat. Gritting his teeth, he steadied his stance and said, “Again!”
Luo Chaoyan showed no mercy. If she didn’t take this chance for a little revenge now, then when?
Having suffered enough losses, Huo Rui gradually began to see through her tactics and slowly caught up with her moves. But after all, he was only a five-year-old child and still at a disadvantage in height.
The final score was ten to five, with Luo Chaoyan winning.
Luo Chaoyan said, “You lost. I hope you keep your word!”
Surprisingly, Huo Rui wasn’t angry. Instead, he smiled brightly. “Woman, I look forward to our next match.”
“Let’s go!”
As she watched him lead his servants out of the courtyard gate, an ominous feeling crept over her. What did he mean by that? Who said there would be a next time with him?