In her sleep, Su Yue frowned, her lips feeling moist. It was as if a puppy was licking her, persistently, stickily. The wet, greasy sensation grew more pronounced, with an occasional slight sting. Su Yue frowned again. Was the puppy biting? A truly annoying dog.
Su Yue’s consciousness slowly sharpened. She reached out, impatiently pushing away the dog that seemed to be weighing her down. When she pushed, her hand met… a human face? Su Yue’s eyes snapped open. Jiang… Jiang Ci? The haze vanished from her eyes as she stared at the man holding her tightly. When had he fallen asleep? Where was Xiao Haohao?
“Jiang Ci, why are you sleeping here?” Su Yue whispered.
“The little guy was sleepwalking; he rolled himself over to sleep with me,” Jiang Ci replied, tightening his grip on Su Yue’s hand. His clear, magnetic voice was slightly hoarse in the dark, a pleasant sound.
“You lied,” Su Yue countered. Xiao Haohao could turn over, but surely he couldn’t just climb over Jiang Ci?
Jiang Ci chuckled softly, his tone lazy. “Oh, I lied to you.” He said with unblushing confidence, “I moved him away. I wanted to hold you while I slept.”
Su Yue was slightly taken aback by his honesty. A strange sensation lingered on her lips. She remembered the persistent puppy from her dream. Was it Jiang Ci?
“Jiang Ci, did you kiss me secretly?” Su Yue’s dark eyes sought his in the dim light. There was no light inside the tent, only the outline of Jiang Ci’s face visible against the moonlight outside.
Jiang Ci closed his eyes, holding her tightly in his arms. His voice was lazy, tinged with a smile. “Su Yue, do you think I would kiss you secretly? You’re dreaming, dreaming that I kissed you?”
Su Yue reached out and touched her lips. There was no moisture, but a faint crispness. Was it really a dream? She blushed at Jiang Ci’s words. “No.”
“Oh, then shut up and go to bed. Don’t wake me up again,” Jiang Ci said, utterly shameless.
Su Yue glared, but could not refute him. She closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep.
The next day, Su Yue was awakened by a child’s milky voice. “Dad, why did Haohao sleep here?” Xiao Haohao’s hair was messy. Sitting up, he found himself on the far side of the tent, while his father slept in the middle, still holding Su Yue. He was a little unhappy.
Then, he heard Jiang Ci say, “You rolled yourself over while you were sleeping.”
“Haohao rolled over by himself?” Xiao Haohao wondered.
“Yes,” Jiang Ci replied simply, without the slightest hint of guilt for lying to his son.
Realizing that it wasn’t his father disliking him or moving him away, Xiao Haohao grinned. He padded over to the corner and gently tugged on Coriander’s ear. “Coriander, get up! The sun’s coming out. My butt’s burning…”
Su Yue sat up and glanced at Jiang Ci, who was already neatly dressed. She noticed that even though he was blind, he still took care to dress impeccably. The top button of his white shirt was fastened, giving him a serious, almost ascetic air. This white shirt was a birthday gift from her. Ignoring the scars on his face, he truly looked handsome.
Scars? Su Yue suddenly leaned closer to Jiang Ci’s left face, her bright, dark eyes wide. She looked carefully, even reaching out to gently touch the uneven scar. “Jiang Ci, why do I feel like your scar has smoothed out a bit?”
Jiang Ci immediately grasped Su Yue’s wrist. Her courage was growing bolder and bolder. Not only was she staring at his face, but touching his scar too. The faint scent of her milk reached his nose, and his brows relaxed. His thin lips lifted as he said lazily, “That’s because you haven’t woken up yet.”
“Is it an illusion?” Su Yue blinked and regretfully withdrew her hand. That’s right, for no reason, how could Jiang Ci’s scar just get smaller?
Jiang Ci raised his eyes, intending to ridicule her for her poor eyesight. However, as he opened his eyes, a small flicker of light in front of him made him freeze. The sun was rising, and the grassy slope in the early morning was a vibrant green, with crystal clear dew clinging to the blades of grass. He bent his head, a subtle movement of disbelief.
In another tent, when Jin Mingyuan woke up, she saw Xu Xue walking in.
“Xuexue, good morning,” Jin Mingyuan yawned, her hair still disheveled.
Xu Xue lowered her head, softly replying, “Morning.”
Jin Mingyuan tucked her hair behind her ear. “You went out so early…” Suddenly, she straightened up, looking at Xu Xue again. She was still wearing yesterday’s clothes. She hadn’t come back when Jin Mingyuan fell asleep last night. Jin Mingyuan knew Xu Xue was going on a date with Senior Gu. Looking at Xu Xue’s crumpled clothes now, was she planning an all-night rendezvous?
“Hey, Xuexue, are you just coming back now?” Jin Mingyuan winked playfully. “You spent the whole night with Gu Chengfeng and Senior Gu? Tsk tsk tsk, don’t tell me, did you sleep in his tent?”
Xu Xue’s head snapped up, her pale face flushing crimson. She quickly shook her head. “Don’t think that! I have nothing to do with Senior Gu, and I didn’t do anything!” She bit her lip, her eyes a little red. “I’m going to change. Are you going out to brush your teeth and wash your face?”
“Okay, I know you didn’t do anything bad,” Jin Mingyuan said, her expression indicating she understood, and she didn’t press further. After all, Xu Xue’s temperament was simple and shy, and she genuinely feared making Xu Xue cry. “Xuexue, you’re so shy. Okay, I’ll go out and change my clothes.”
After Jin Mingyuan left, Xu Xue changed her clothes. There were many red marks on her fair skin. She sniffed, her eyes red, forcing back the tears.
After breakfast, many people left the farm. Su Yue thought Xiao Haohao liked it there, so she took him and Jiang Ci to stay for one more day. All day, they fed goats, caught fish, and picked fruit. Xiao Haohao was having so much fun, his smile never fading.
It was already Sunday afternoon when they returned to the Jiang family house. They had just gotten off the car when the housekeeper approached them. “Young Master Jiang Ci, Young Madam, you’re back.” The housekeeper’s tone was hurried, his face embarrassed. “Master Mu Hang was transferred from the hospital to his home to recuperate. Madam said that Master Mu Hang’s injury is recovering well, and she doesn’t want others disturbing his recuperation. Young Master Jiang Ci should go see him.”
Su Yue frowned. Did this mean they were being blamed for not visiting Jiang Muhang? Su Yue had never taken Jiang Muhang’s injury to heart before. Firstly, because the other party had the protagonist’s aura, he would never truly die. Secondly, she didn’t care about him at all. But Jiang Ci was Jiang Muhang’s older brother, so it was reasonable to visit him.
“We know. Let’s go now, Uncle Zhang. Help me take Haohao back to Xiaoyanglou, and have someone prepare dinner along the way,” Su Yue said.
“Yes, Young Madam,” the butler responded quickly.
“Su Yue, if you want to see Jiang Muhang, go by yourself. Don’t drag me,” Jiang Ci said, pulling his arm away from Su Yue’s grasp, his face sullen.
“What’s wrong? Your brother is injured. We’re the elder brother and sister-in-law, so we should go see him,” Su Yue asked, looking confused. His mother, Song Xiaoqing, already seemed to have an opinion, otherwise the housekeeper wouldn’t have conveyed the message.
“Big brother and sister-in-law?” Jiang Ci’s lips twitched strangely.
“Yes.”
Jiang Ci nodded, then said lazily, “Go, go see my poor brother, who is injured and can only lie in bed.”
Su Yue: “…” This man’s attitude changed too quickly.
The master bedroom on the second floor was the best-lit and largest bedroom in the Jiang family. Its location and design clearly indicated that the owner of this room was the true master of the Jiang family.
“The apple is peeled. Eat it,” Jiang Xuan said, holding the peeled apple in front of Jiang Muhang’s computer screen, blocking his view. “Rest for a while, then work. You’re still a patient. The doctor said not to work too hard.” Jiang Xuan spoke softly.
Jiang Muhang took her hand, took a bite of the apple, and looked away. “There are too many documents accumulated from some time ago. I must deal with them as soon as possible.” Although there were many capable people in the group, many documents required his review and opinion. It was tiring, of course; those in power rarely had an easy life.
“I know,” Jiang Xuan said, distressed that Jiang Muhang had to work even while injured.
At that moment, a knock came at the door.
“I’ll open the door,” Jiang Xuan said, shoving the apple back into Jiang Muhang’s hand.
As soon as the door opened, Jiang Xuan froze. Looking at the two faces behind the door, she was so surprised she didn’t know what to say. “You… you…”
“Jiang Ci said that Mu Hang is injured, so we came to see him,” Su Yue spoke first, wanting to prevent Jiang Ci from saying anything shocking.
“Are you Su Yue?”
Jiang Xuan’s hand tightened on the doorknob, and she gasped in disbelief. She quickly realized her reaction was too extreme. She hastily composed her face, blushing with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I… you’ve changed so much, I didn’t recognize you for a moment.”
The last time Jiang Xuan had seen Su Yue, Su Yue was still over 130 pounds. Later, Jiang Xuan joined the crew, and then Jiang Muhang went to the hospital. She had been caring for him there and hadn’t encountered Su Yue since. She was truly shocked by Su Yue’s transformation.
“Are you here to see Mu Hang? He’s in the room. Come in,” Jiang Xuan quickly turned her body to let Su Yue and Jiang Ci enter.
Jiang Muhang had already overheard Jiang Xuan and the others talking. He was a little stunned by Jiang Ci’s arrival. “Big brother.” When his eyes fell on Su Yue beside Jiang Ci, he paused, then frowned.
“I heard the knife was stabbed in your chest?” Jiang Ci said slowly, with no sign of concern for Jiang Muhang on his face, but rather a hint of schadenfreude.
Su Yue gripped his hand tightly, trying to signal him not to talk nonsense.
“Well, the stab was on the wrong side,” Jiang Muhang said, his lips curving, looking very handsome. His sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes indeed fit the aesthetic of a novel’s male protagonist. Compared to him, the disfigured Jiang Ci was simply overshadowed. Otherwise, the heroine, Jiang Xuan, wouldn’t have chosen Jiang Muhang and sought to escape Jiang Ci when she was reborn.
Jiang Ci found it boring. “Oh, you’re really lucky.”
With Jiang Muhang by her side, Jiang Xuan was no longer so afraid of Jiang Ci, but her eyes remained fixed on Su Yue. Su Yue had been dark and plump before, but the Su Yue in front of her was white and slender. Her gaze fell on Su Yue’s face, and she bit her lip. So beautiful.
She had been in the entertainment industry for a while and had seen many beautiful female stars, but none could compare to the Su Yue in front of her. Even the lead actress in her previous crew, who relied on her beauty and held her head high, certainly had the capital for it. But comparing that lead actress to the Su Yue in front of her now was impossible. There was simply no comparison.
Su Yue’s facial features, once obscured, were truly delicate. Jiang Xuan had always thought her own eyes were very beautiful, but she didn’t expect Su Yue’s bright, moist eyes to be even brighter and more watery now. Her skin had also turned snow-white, so tender it looked as if water could drip from it. Jiang Xuan lowered her eyes and glanced at the back of her own hand. She was naturally fair and soft, and many people envied her good skin. However, looking at Su Yue, who wore no makeup, the other party was even whiter than her. For no reason, she felt sullen and a little strange.
No wonder Jiang Xuan was shocked when she saw Su Yue. The day before yesterday, Jiang Ci had gotten angry again. Yesterday, Su Yue’s weight had dropped to 100 pounds, and her skin had become even whiter and smoother. Even Su Yue herself loved to touch it, not to mention that night, Jiang Ci had held her while she slept and didn’t want to let go. Now, as long as Su Yue stood in a crowd, she would definitely be the most eye-catching person.
Jiang Xuan shifted her gaze to Jiang Muhang. When he had looked at Su Yue just now, she had seen surprise in his eyes.
Jiang Ci’s visit to Jiang Muhang was casual. Before the two could even chat much, Jiang Ci, losing interest, pulled Su Yue away. Jiang Xuan watched their figures recede, then closed the door and walked back to Jiang Muhang.
“I haven’t seen her in a while, why did Su Yue suddenly lose so much weight?” Jiang Xuan looked at Jiang Muhang with worried eyes. “She lost so much weight all at once. Could she have taken a lot of diet pills? I heard that hurts the body.”
Jiang Muhang touched her head. Seeing the worried look on his wife’s face, he said, “That’s her own business; don’t worry about it.”
“But her skin has also turned white.”
Jiang Xuan’s fair face was filled with concern. She had seen some women in the entertainment industry take whitening injections for a long time in pursuit of a fairer complexion. “Su Yue must have had a lot of whitening injections to be so white. Although they truly whiten, they have side effects. I think Su Yue looked very good from the beginning, and there’s no need to suffer like this to change. Ah, isn’t the beauty of the human heart the most important thing?”
Jiang Muhang touched her smooth hair. “Not everyone is as pure and kind as you are.”
When Jiang Xuan received the call, she was about to go downstairs to deliver medicine to Jiang Muhang. The call was from her agent.
“Director Qiao called and asked when the minor character he reserved for you would be available,” her agent said.
“Sister Lan, please help me apologize to Director Qiao. The person I wanted to recommend to him is temporarily unavailable,” Jiang Xuan replied, lowering her eyes. Originally, she knew that Director Qiao needed a black and plump woman to play an even more arrogant character. At that time, she had sent Director Qiao a message to reserve the role, saying she had a candidate. She had felt that this role would perfectly suit Su Yue’s true character, so she wanted to ask Su Yue if she was interested. Now, that was no longer necessary.
“Okay, there will be a charity event in a few days. The time has been set, and you must attend. Since the news about your saving lives broke out, your fans all know you have a kind heart and a pure character. It’s a good thing to participate in more public welfare now, and you should also repost and pay attention to public welfare news online,” Fang Lan urged.
“Well, I know, Sister Lan. You can rest assured.” She was also very happy to be able to do charity work and help more people in need.
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Xuan was about to walk into the kitchen. Just as she reached the door, she heard discussions inside.
“Did you see her just now? Mrs. Su Yue has become so beautiful!” a servant exclaimed.
“I told you a long time ago that Mrs. Su Yue is very beautiful! You still didn’t believe me. I go to Xiaoyanglou to deliver meals every day. I know it best. You said before that I was lying!” another young servant retorted, disapprovingly. She saw Su Yue every day. Seeing Su Yue getting more beautiful day by day, she felt envious, as if Su Yue had drunk fairy dew.
“I thought you said she became beautiful because she looked better than her old dark and plump self. Who would have thought she’s like a fairy now? I didn’t dare to lift my head just now. I just glanced at her secretly, and I was mesmerized. You go to deliver meals every day, did you see what skincare products Mrs. Su Yue took, or what diet pills she took?”
“How would I know? I’m not serving her personally. Before, I thought the second young lady was very beautiful, pure and lovely, and her personality was still soft, like a little fairy. Compared with her, Young Madam Su Yue was like mud from the ground. Unexpectedly, Young Madam Su Yue has transformed into a goddess now, while the second young lady has lost her luster.”
A short-haired servant sighed. “I saw Young Madam Su Yue pass by several times. At that time, I thought she was the daughter of some noble family, so dazzling…”
Jiang Xuan bit her lip subconsciously and went back upstairs. She thought that everyone’s praise for Su Yue was right. Su Yue was truly beautiful now, even more so than her.
Compared with Jiang Xuan’s growing anxiety, Song Nianyue was in a good mood. She was currently accompanying Song Xiaoqing, choosing a dress.
“Auntie, your figure is truly well-maintained. Every dress suits you. However, I think this wine red one is the most beautiful. It’s more noble and elegant, and it perfectly matches your temperament,” Song Nianyue said, her every word striking a chord with Song Xiaoqing, making her beam with happiness.
“Nianyue, your words are so sweet, unlike my two troublesome sons who only make me worry,” Song Xiaoqing said, picking up the wine red dress again and holding it against herself. It truly suited her perfectly.
“It’s Auntie who loves me. I wish I could always stay by your side, Auntie,” Song Nianyue said, affectionately holding Song Xiaoqing’s arm and acting spoiled. She knew that Song Xiaoqing was very dissatisfied with both daughters-in-law, Su Yue and Jiang Xuan. One was from a poor family, and neither could truly gain Song Xiaoqing’s approval.
“You, I can’t bear to let you go back, but the 20th-anniversary banquet of Hengyuan Group is going to be held recently. There are a lot of things to do. If you stay at the Jiang family, I can’t care for you. In the end, you’ll be wronged as a child.”
“No, I’m resting when I go back. I’ve been idle during this time. Auntie, you’re so busy. I truly want to share your burden. I hope I can help with anything,” Song Nianyue said, her face earnest.
“Where would I need to trouble you? You’re such a caring child. You wait, I’ll have someone send you the invitation letter later, and you can come to the banquet and enjoy the excitement,” Song Xiaoqing said.
Song Nianyue suppressed the ecstasy in her heart and replied mildly and elegantly, “Thank you, Auntie. I will definitely be there on time.” As a distant branch of the Song family, how could she normally be qualified to attend the Jiang family’s banquet? Now that Song Xiaoqing had spoken, she didn’t need to waste so much effort. Thinking of the banquet in less than a month, she felt alive and secretly happy.