"Fourteen Lady, Yan Niangzi will be joining you for dinner," Wen Cui said gently, her stance blocking the doorway unwavering as ever.
Mei Jiu had no choice but to retreat back into the room.
An Jiu sensed her distress and sorrow, but instead of offering comfort, she snapped, "Stop it! What’s the big deal?"
Mei Jiu fumed inwardly, Can’t I even grieve in peace?
"Then tell me, what exactly is worth being upset over?" An Jiu, after all, was a professionally trained individual who had endured brutal conditioning. She was adept at controlling her emotions—when she wanted to, she could remain perfectly composed.
Mei Jiu was surprised to realize that An Jiu could hear her thoughts as well.
Though An Jiu’s tone was far from pleasant, Mei Jiu desperately wanted someone to confide in. So she didn’t speak aloud, only silently thought, I thought coming home meant I’d finally see my father again. Who knew he had already passed away?
An Jiu immediately received the memories associated with that man. It seemed she only accessed Mei Jiu’s recollections when Mei Jiu actively recalled them.
"Ha, what a luxury. Why aren’t you just grateful you survived against all odds? You only see the hardships, never the fortune, and then you wallow in self-pity like it’s something important. What’s the point of living like that? Besides, how many times did you even see that man? Dead is dead—what’s the big deal?" An Jiu couldn’t fathom why Mei Jiu was so upset.
Mei Jiu retorted, "What do you know? Even if I rarely saw my father, he was still my flesh and blood! How can you dismiss that? If it were your father, would you be so callous?"
"I was comforting you. Couldn’t you tell?" An Jiu was irritated. She had hardly ever comforted anyone in her life. "If you weren’t useful to me, I’d have put a bullet in a weakling like you without a second thought—waste of ammunition! I don’t know anything about ‘flesh and blood,’ but I do remember that the first person I killed at twelve was my own father."
"You… why did you kill him?" Mei Jiu’s spine chilled. Heavens, even when she was alive, this ghost was so cruel. Now that she’s a spirit… She shuddered, too afraid to finish the thought.
"He was a doctor. He abused us constantly, obsessed with his research. He even experimented with dangerous new Medicine on my mother in secret. She died because of it—and he faced no legal consequences. So I killed him."
After that, An Jiu was sent to a juvenile detention center. Within six months, someone pulled her out, gave her a comfortable life, and even placed her in a competitive archery team. Those were some of the few happy moments she’d had since her mother’s death—but it was also the beginning of her descent into darkness.
The criminal organization that recruited her was drawn to the violent instincts in her blood, inherited from the man she called "father." As the lives she took piled up, she grew numb to love and hate alike. She didn’t hate her father—but she felt nothing for him either.
An Jiu recounted this harrowing past with eerie calm, leaving Mei Jiu’s lips pale with fright.
Realizing her attempt at comfort had backfired, An Jiu scowled. "Hey! Stop panicking!"
"You’re not human!" Mei Jiu trembled with terror.
"No need to remind me," An Jiu replied.
She was just a soul inhabiting another’s body now—hardly a person at all.Mei Jiu fell silent, curling up in the corner of the bed with her head buried between her knees, trembling uncontrollably.
When dinnertime finally arrived and Mei Jiu saw Mei Yanran, tears streamed down her face endlessly. An Jiu remained silent, afraid that saying another word might frighten the girl into fainting. She could only quietly absorb the warmth and fragrance emanating from the woman's embrace.
This time was different from holding A Shun's hand. Despite her initial resistance, she felt a faint sense of comfort—as if this was the safest place in the world.
"Don't be afraid, my child," Mei Yanran gently patted her back. "As long as I'm here, I won't let you suffer."
"Mother," Mei Jiu choked back a sob. She wanted to tell Mei Yanran about the terrifying ghost hiding inside her body but feared her mother might be harmed, so she swallowed her words.
Dinner was shared only among Mei Yanran, Mei Jiu, and A Shun.
Under An Jiu's influence, Mei Jiu began devouring food ravenously the moment she sat down, behaving like a country bumpkin who had never seen proper food. In contrast, A Shun ate quietly and delicately, appearing far more refined like a noble lady.
Still shaken from the earlier fright, Mei Jiu momentarily forgot about other matters. It was only after several pointed glances from A Shun that she remembered the promise she had made that morning.
After the meal, she seized the opportunity to whisper to Mei Yanran about it.
Mei Yanran, being experienced, could tell that A Shun was a scheming girl and didn’t take a liking to her. However, she knew that the Mei family would uncover whatever they wanted to know eventually. Since the truth would come out anyway, why should she bear her daughter’s resentment? So she agreed without hesitation.
Relieved, Mei Jiu happily relayed the news to A Shun.
As dusk fell, Mei Jiu was already exhausted. Once the maids prepared the bed, she collapsed into sleep.
The night passed without dreams.
At the first light of dawn the next day, Wen Cui hurried Mei Jiu out of bed. "Going early will prevent Old Madam from thinking we’re being disrespectful. Besides, after paying respects to Old Madam at Fragrance Avoidance Residence, we still have to greet Old Madam at Cloud Brake Residence. With all the back and forth, it’ll be past noon before we’re done."
Mei Jiu wasn’t one to sleep in, so upon hearing this, she quickly got up and let the maids attend to her washing and dressing.
An Jiu stared at the refreshed girl in the mirror and was nearly dazzled. With exquisite features, dressed in a light green ruqun, even the high collar couldn’t hide her slender neck. The flowing ribbons of her dress trailed down, tied at the ends with round white jade ornaments. Half of her long black hair was loosely tied while the rest cascaded down, exuding an innocent yet uniquely elegant grace—like a crane standing by the water.
Unable to resist, An Jiu remarked, "Fair without but foul within."
Mei Jiu jumped in fright.
Wen Cui didn’t miss her momentary panic and asked softly, "What’s wrong, young mistress? Are you unhappy with this attire?"
"No, no," Mei Jiu denied repeatedly.
Wen Cui didn’t press further but found it odd—how could someone be startled by themselves? Or perhaps… was she stunned by her own beauty?
Mei Jiu remained stiff until she stepped into the sunlight, gradually relaxing: Ghosts must be afraid of sunlight, right?
Meanwhile, An Jiu was busy admiring the scenery in the courtyard, with no interest in the girl’s thoughts.
The Mei estate was vast, with trees stretching as far as the eye could see, their branches occasionally revealing glimpses of soaring rooftops hidden within.
It was peak autumn, and withered leaves fluttered down like butterflies.
A gentle breeze passed, and the grove was showered in a rain of golden leaves.
"Is Mother not coming?" Mei Jiu asked.An Jiu hadn't had her fill of looking when her gaze was abruptly pulled away. She let out a few dissatisfied hums, startling Mei Jiu so much she nearly stumbled.
"Careful, Fourteen Lady," Wen Cui steadied her. "Since Yan Niangzi isn't going, Shishi Niang will accompany you. Let's go to the dock first to wait for her."
"The dock?" Mei Jiu was astonished—their home actually had a dock!
The path from Jade Serenity Residence to the dock wasn't far. As they walked through the forest trail, the view suddenly opened up before them. The morning sun had yet to rise, and the vast lake was shrouded in mist, where water and sky blended seamlessly into one. Through the gauzy haze, the faint outline of lush green islands could be glimpsed. A pinewood dock stretched into the lake, with several small boats moored beside it.
A Shun and her maidservant were already waiting at the dock. Dressed in a light pink cross-collar ruqun, her phoenix eyes slightly upturned, she was quite the beauty.
OpenNovel