By the time they returned to Shuntian, the sky had already darkened. Li Li and Sang Ze stood at the city gate, glancing around expectantly.

“Big Sister Beauty is back!” Sang Ze shouted and dashed forward, with Li Li following close behind.

Yin Yin was startled by Sang Ze’s enthusiasm. Sang Mei quickly grabbed him and scolded, “Heiwa, don’t be so rude!”

Sang Ze stuck out his tongue and said, “But Big Sister is just so beautiful!”

Yin Yin felt a pleasant warmth spread through her chest. She truly liked honest children like this!

In a good mood, she pinched Sang Ze’s cheek and asked, “Why are you called Heiwa^[1]Dark Child? You’re not dark at all.”

Sang Mei answered, “Heiwa loves playing in the mud. He only comes home after getting himself covered in dirt every day.”

“Oh, I see.” Yin Yin responded. Then she asked, “How old is Heiwa this year?”

Sang Ze puffed out his chest proudly. “I’m six! I’m a little man now!”

Yin Yin couldn’t help but laugh. “Hello, six-year-old little man.”

Sang Ze froze for a moment, then blushed and mumbled, “Big Sister Beauty, you’re even prettier when you smile.”

“This child really knows how to spout nonsense all day.” Sang Mei said, gently tapping him on the head.

Yin Yin smiled and handed Sang Mei a banknote worth a hundred taels of silver, but no matter what she said, Sang Mei refused to accept it.

After thinking for a moment, Yin Yin asked, “Miss Sang, do you have any plans for the future?”

Before Sang Mei could reply, Sang Ze jumped in, “I want to learn trickery from Big Sister Beauty!”

Though Sang Ze’s voice was still childish, what he said took all the adults present by surprise.

Sang Mei frowned. “Heiwa, what nonsense are you saying?”

Sang Ze tugged at Yin Yin’s sleeve and pleaded, “Big Sister Beauty, please take me as your apprentice!”

“Heiwa! If you keep acting up, I’ll really get angry!”

Sang Ze glanced at Sang Mei and fell silent, though his little hand still clung tightly to Yin Yin.

Yin Yin gave it some thought and said to Sang Mei, “Miss Sang, how about coming to work at Yin Manor?”

“Yin Manor?” To Sang Mei, Yin Manor sounded as distant and unreachable as the imperial palace.

Yin Yin smiled awkwardly. “Actually, my name isn’t Lei Feng. I’m Yin Yin, the eldest miss of Yin Manor.”

Sang Mei froze on the spot. She had assumed Yin Yin was just another swindler of the martial arts world, never expecting her to be someone so important.

Yin Yin continued, “If you come work at Yin Manor, I can arrange for Heiwa to attend school. You wouldn’t have to be separated from him.”

Sang Mei stared blankly at Yin Yin. She had heard of Yin Manor’s eldest miss before. She had thought, as the rumors said, that the girl was spoiled, willful, and arrogant beyond compare. But the person standing in front of her now was nothing like that.

Sang Mei suddenly knelt again and looked up at Yin Yin, tears streaming down her cheeks. “To meet Miss Yin must be the blessing of three lifetimes. I— I don’t even know how to thank you properly.”

Yin Yin helped her up with a smile. “Just work hard. That will be thanks enough.”

Sang Mei looked at Yin Yin and broke into a smile as well.

“By the way,” Yin Yin said, handing everything in her hands over to Li Li, “didn’t I ask you to investigate the people Fang Li tricked? Return the money to them. As for the rest, distribute it to the poor.”

Li Li took the money and quickly replied, “This lowly one will take care of it right away.”

“Wait!” Yin Yin pulled him back and whispered in his ear, “Don’t take too big a cut for yourself.”

Li Li’s face turned pale. “Eldest Miss, how could you say that? Am I that kind of person? I swear, I’ll return every single coin!”

Yin Yin looked at him but said nothing, only smiling.

Li Li felt a strange guilt under her gaze and quickly ran off. “This lowly one will see to it immediately!”

Sang Ze clutched Yin Yin’s hand excitedly. “Does this mean I can stay with Big Sister Beauty now?”

Yin Yin chuckled and looked down at him. “Yes, yes, I’ll take you home with me now, alright?”

“Alright!” Sang Ze grinned, full of innocent joy. Yin Yin suddenly felt like she was abducting a child.

The two siblings, Sang Mei and Sang Ze, followed Yin Yin back to Yin Manor. The steward arranged accommodations for them. Since Sang Mei had mentioned her skill in cooking, she was assigned to work in the kitchen.

Yin Yin found Liu’er in the kitchen and handed her the hundred-tael banknote. “Liu’er, the promised hundred taels.”

Liu’er looked at the silver note in shock. “Eldest Miss actually tricked the money back?”

Yin Yin nodded proudly. “A full five thousand taels. Who would’ve thought that scumbag cheated so many people.”

Liu’er’s hands trembled slightly as she held the banknote. “How did Eldest Miss manage to get it back?”

Yin Yin said, “That’s a long story. Can I eat first?”

Liu’er blinked, then quickly said, “This servant will prepare the eldest miss’s meal at once!”

In no time, Liu’er had a full meal ready. Yin Yin sat in the kitchen eating while recounting her heroic deeds. Liu’er listened with admiration, nodding repeatedly in delight.

Outside the kitchen, Du Qianqian had overheard everything. She stepped in and stared coldly at Yin Yin and Liu’er. “When did lying become something worth bragging about?”

Liu’er glanced at Du Qianqian and snorted. “Eldest Miss is ridding the world of evil.”

Yin Yin swallowed a bite of roast duck and said, “Qianqian’s right. Lying is wrong.”

Her unexpected agreement left Du Qianqian at a loss for words. She bit her lip and left the kitchen.

Yin Yin studied Liu’er for a moment and asked, “Did you have a falling out with Qianqian?”

Liu’er frowned slightly. “We’ve both worked in the kitchen since arriving at Yin Manor. We grew up together and used to be as close as sisters, but……”

“But what?”

“To be honest, although I’m just a kitchen maid at Yin Manor, I’m still a young woman. Every time I get my monthly wages, I buy a few things I like— hairpins, jewelry, rouge, and such. But lately, my hairpins and accessories have been getting damaged for no reason, and my rouge was smeared all over the place.”

Yin Yin frowned. “You suspect Qianqian?”

“There’s no one else it could be. She’s the only one who shares a room with me, and she’s the only one who knows where I hide my things.”

Yin Yin was puzzled. Even if the white lotus had turned dark, she didn’t seem to be the type to do such petty things.

Because it simply didn’t make sense.

Du Qianqian had ignored Liu’er’s tears before, and now Liu’er was accusing Du Qianqian of destroying her property.

The rift between them seemed sudden and senseless. None of it had happened in 《All Splendor Fades》.

Could this be the butterfly effect brought by her transmigration?

Yin Yin felt a headache coming on. The problems just kept piling up.

────ρя


The next morning, Fang Li arrived at Zhang Manor with his wedding procession, accompanied by the lively sounds of drums and gongs.

All the servants in the residence were drawn out by the commotion at the gate. “What are you doing here?”

Fang Li looked at the servant guarding the door and smiled sincerely. “I’m Fang Li. I’ve come to marry Miss Zhang.”

“Marry our young miss?” The servant looked as if he’d just heard the biggest joke of the year. He stared at Fang Li and said, “Our young miss went on a trip with the master and the madam. Who exactly are you here to marry?”

Fang Li was stunned. A sense of dread welled up in his chest. “I just saw your young miss yesterday. Your master even asked me to bring the betrothal gifts to propose marriage!”

“What nonsense are you spouting? Still half-asleep, aren’t you?”

All the servants burst into laughter. Cold sweat began to seep from Fang Li’s palms. “Isn’t Master Zhang gravely ill?”

“I think you’re the one who’s sick! Like I said, our master went on a trip with the madam and young miss. Who are you, some scammer trying to fake a marriage proposal?”

“If you don’t leave right now, I’m calling the authorities!”

The servants at the gate shouted one after another, but Fang Li could no longer hear any of them clearly. He had realized that he’d been duped!

“What’s all this noise?” A maid came out from inside the residence. The moment Fang Li saw her, he grew excited. “It’s you! Your name is Xiao Cui, isn’t it? You’re the one who accepted my betrothal gifts!”

The maid glanced at him, confused. “Young Master, I’ve never even seen you before. When would I have accepted your gifts? Besides, my name isn’t Xiao Cui. It’s Chuntao.”

Her words struck Fang Li like a bucket of ice water. It was all a carefully laid trap.

Chuntao looked at the stunned man and added, “Not only am I not called Xiao Cui— there isn’t a single maid named Xiao Cui in the entire Zhang Manor.”

“Sister Chuntao, no need to waste time talking to this conman.”

Chuntao turned and instructed the servants, “If he still refuses to leave, report him to the authorities.”

“Got it, Sister Chuntao!”

Fang Li clenched his teeth in fury. He couldn’t believe it. He, a man who had tricked countless women in love, had actually fallen into someone else’s trap!

────ρя


That day, Yin Yin had also risen early. She had been too excited to sleep.

If she’d calculated the time right, Fang Li should’ve already discovered he’d been deceived, shouldn’t he?

Just thinking about what kind of expression Fang Li would have on his face made it impossible for Yin Yin to stop smiling.

After spending the entire morning practicing martial arts on the training grounds, Yin Yin finally grew tired and walked to the large tree nearby, sitting down against the trunk to rest.

The late-morning sun wasn’t too harsh, and its warmth bathed her gently.

Sleep crept up on her without warning, and she dozed off in a hazy daze beneath the tree.

She dreamed again.

In her dream, she was back in the living room she used to live in.

Ji Ting’s room door was still open, just like before.

Yin Yin took a deep breath and stepped inside.

The room was pitch black, exactly as it had been the last time.

The cold glow of the computer screen cast eerie shadows onto the curtains, resembling the claws of a monstrous beast.

Yin Yin kept her eyes fixed on the computer, afraid that if she blinked, she might wake up again.

Unfortunately, the ending played out the same way as last time.

Just as she was about to reach the computer, she woke up abruptly.

A deep, unexplainable sense of loss overwhelmed her.

“Miss Yin, why are you sleeping here?”

A clear voice, like a breeze, drifted into Yin Yin’s heart.

She looked up to see Ling Long standing beneath the tree, looking at her.

Bathed in the sunlight, Ling Long appeared softer than usual. Even the corners of his lips, usually pressed in a straight line, seemed less distant now.

“I had a nightmare.” Yin Yin said with a smile. “But waking up to see you right away feels wonderful.”

A cool breeze rustled through the tree branches overhead.

The strands of hair on Ling Long’s forehead were tousled by the wind, and his amber eyes were shadowed and unreadable.

He just stood there, unmoving.

Then, for the first time, the corners of Ling Long’s lips lifted ever so slightly.

It was the first time Yin Yin had seen Ling Long smile. It wasn’t an overly emotional smile, but it struck her like a bolt of lightning.

Years later, Yin Yin would still often think back to this moment.

If she hadn’t been enchanted by that smile, would everything have turned out differently?

But back then, she hadn’t thought that far. She only knew one thing— she didn’t want to let the man in front of her fall into Du Qianqian’s hands so easily.

Even if she was just a side character, didn’t she have the right to pursue her own love?

Especially when Ling Long was the very image of her dream man.

“Miss Yin.” Ling Long called softly.

“Hmm?”

“We need to prepare to set out.”

“Set out?” Yin Yin blinked. “To where?”

“To find Jia Renyi.”

Yin Yin paused. She had indeed promised to go with Ling Long to find Jia Renyi. “When?”

“Tomorrow.”