“Ding-dong.”

The doorbell rang, breaking the silence in the elegantly decorated living room.

Mengmeng, who was helping arrange flowers for Wen Ling, put down her scissors and quickly went to answer the door.

“Delivery for Ms. Ning Qiuxiu. Please sign here.” The delivery person from an online shopping platform waved the package in front of Mengmeng.

“Sure.” Mengmeng efficiently signed for the package and brought it inside.

Wen Ling, who was arranging flowers in a white porcelain vase, saw Mengmeng carrying a package and asked, “Another package for Qiuxiu?”

“Yes, I’ll take it up to the young lady.”

“Wait a moment.”

Wen Ling set down the flowers.

Mengmeng handed her the package, which was a small, ordinary box but seemed quite heavy, indicating it wasn’t clothing or stones.

“What is this child buying now?” Wen Ling mumbled as she examined the package and the shipping label, trying to figure out what was inside the box.

No luck.

“Shall we open it and see?” Mengmeng suggested.

Recently, Ning Qiuxiu had received several packages from the same online mall, as that mall had its own delivery staff, bypassing the need for courier companies.

With online shopping so prevalent, especially among girls who can hardly resist unboxing a few packages each month, it was quite normal.

However, Wen Ling had an odd belief that online purchases were cheap and low-grade, something only people without money would do.

For someone of their status, online shopping seemed too low-class.

Ning Qiuxiu, influenced by her mother’s views, also shared this perspective, so their family rarely engaged in online shopping.

Yet, Ning Qiuxiu had received three packages recently!

This had raised Wen Ling’s concerns, feeling her daughter’s status was slipping, and not just a little.

“Never mind, just take it to her.”

Wen Ling handed the package back to Mengmeng, thinking she needed to question her husband that evening to see if he had been cutting back on their daughter’s allowance. if he doesn’t she will scould him.

……

Mengmeng took the package from Mrs. Ning and ran up to the second floor, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, the madam hadn’t suspected or interrogated her.

If she had spoken the truth, the young lady would surely not spare her.

If she kept quiet and something happened later, the madam might break her legs.

Recently, Mengmeng had unintentionally discovered that their young lady was secretly dabbling in superstitions.

She had accidentally come across some talismans and other such items in the young lady’s room and was ordered not to speak of it.

Meng Meng, at her age, had been deeply influenced by various palace intrigue and idol dramas.

Given Ning Qiuxiu’s unflattering reputation, she immediately thought their young miss might be like those concubines in the dramas, possibly practicing curses or secretly using voodoo dolls.

Imagining their young miss with a vengeful expression, stabbing a long needle into the doll, Meng Meng felt a chill.

Indeed, the rumors about wealthy families being ruthless and treacherous seemed true.

Lost in these thoughts, Meng Meng arrived at Ning Qiuxiu’s door on the second floor and knocked.

Inside the room, Ning Qiuxiu, who had been sitting in a disheveled manner, heard the knock, put down her pen, adjusted her clothes to look more presentable, and went to open the door.

Meng Meng handed her a package and said, “Miss, your delivery.”

“Oh, thanks.”

After completing her task, Meng Meng couldn’t resist sneaking a glance inside the room, hoping to find some evidence of Ning Qiuxiu practicing dark arts, but found nothing.

Once Ning Qiuxiu closed the door, Meng Meng took out her phone and opened a forum.

On the homepage, there was a popular post titled “[616] My Years as a Maid in a Wealthy Family”…

Ning Qiuxiu returned to her room with the package and was about to find a utility knife to open it when her phone, lying on the desk, rang with a WeChat message notification.

She glanced at it and saw a message from “Brother Yuan.”

[Brother Yuan: Are you free? Let’s go out for a coffee.]

Zhan Qingyuan rarely initiated WeChat messages to Ning Qiuxiu, let alone invite her out for coffee in such a romantic manner.

If it had been the original Ning Qiuxiu, she would have been thrilled and possibly moved to tears upon receiving such a message.

But she was not the original Ning Qiuxiu. She responded bluntly with two words: “Not free.”

Few people would dare to respond to Zhan Qingyuan’s invitation in such a manner.

The recipient was taken aback by this impolite response and took a while before replying again.

[Brother Yuan: I want to talk to you.]

[Ning Qiuxiu: Sorry, but in a while, I’ll be your sister-in-law. I need to avoid any appearance of impropriety with my brother-in-law.]

[Brother Yuan: ……]

After sending six dots, he remained silent for a long time before finally calling her.

“Ning Qiuxiu, what exactly are you trying to do?” As soon as she answered, Zhan Qingyuan’s voice on the other end was filled with suppressed anger.

Ning Qiuxiu blinked innocently and replied, “What am I doing?”

“Stop playing dumb,” Zhan Qingyuan said brusquely. “I don’t think our family has diamonds embedded in us. What exactly are you interested in, or what are you planning, hmm?”

At first, Zhan Qingyuan thought Ning Qiuxiu’s statement about marrying his brother was just a passing comment made in anger.

It wasn’t until she told his grandfather and the family agreed, and after his grandfather began making arrangements after two days of hesitation, that he realized this was more serious than Ning Qiuxiu simply throwing a tantrum.

Ning Qiuxiu was serious; she really intended to marry his brother.

As for the old master, he was truly inclined to accept this marriage proposal!

It was so ridiculous that even a soap opera wouldn’t dare to portray such a plot.

Zhan Qingyuan strongly opposed this absurdity happening within his family.

However, despite being the head of the family, he did not have more say in his elder brother’s marriage than the old master.

Moreover, if Zhan Qingyuan vehemently opposed it, it would seem like he had ulterior motives.

After all, the biggest beneficiary of Zhan Qingyue’s accident was himself, his younger brother.

If he opposed too strongly, it might appear as though he did not want his brother to wake up.

What was even more outrageous was that earlier this year, a fortune teller had indeed suggested to the old master that it might be worth trying to marry someone to Zhan Qingyue to bring him good luck.

The old master, being of advanced age and somewhat credulous about ghosts and deities, could not see through such superstitions as clearly as the younger generation.

However, marrying off a young woman to a comatose person like Zhan Qingyue seemed like a waste of someone else’s daughter.

Though the family was wealthy, they were not inhumane.

So, the matter had come to a standstill.

But if someone voluntarily agreed to marry Zhan Qingyue to bring him good fortune, it was a different story.

The old master, after weighing the pros and cons for two days, was genuinely considering proceeding with the arrangement quietly.

Zhan Qingyuan couldn’t persuade the old master, so he had to deal with Ning Qiuxiu.

Ning Qiuxiu continued to feign innocence: “I really like Brother Qingyue. Does that mean if I like someone, it becomes a malicious intention in your eyes, Brother Qingyuan?”

Zhan Qingyuan: “……”

Ning Qiuxiu’s tone sounded quite subtle, making Zhan Qingyuan feel that she might be trying to marry his comatose brother out of revenge for being unable to have him.

After a moment of silence, Zhan Qingyuan softly said, “Qiuxiu, stop making trouble, okay?”

“No,” Ning Qiuxiu unceremoniously rejected his gentle suggestion and said, “Also, the matter between me and your brother is almost settled. You can call me ‘sister-in-law’ from now on, my dear… younger brother.”

After saying that, Ning Qiuxiu decisively hung up the phone.

It was obvious that Zhan Qingyuan’s intention to meet her was to discuss this matter.

Since she had made her decision, she didn’t want to drag out the discussion with him.

……

She picked up a utility knife to continue unpacking the delivery.

Inside the small box was a thick stack of yellow paper, cut to her required size, totaling five hundred sheets.

Due to the delay in returning to training because of leaving the group, Ning Qiuxiu, who had been idly passing her days, decided to take up the task of drawing talismans, which was what Mengmeng referred to as “playing with superstitions.”

When she was in the cultivation world, she had drawn at least nine thousand talismans, if not ten thousand, and was highly skilled in the process, almost as if it were second nature.

However, she encountered an annoying issue: the talismans she knew how to draw were useless in this society.

For example, a popular talisman in the cultivation world, the “Thousand-Mile Transmission Talisman,” was completely useless in a world with phones and the internet.

Not to mention the talismans for combat or cultivation.

Since she had no intention of saving the Earth or dealing with evil forces, and this world likely wouldn’t attract any supernatural creatures, the talismans she was familiar with had no use.

Instead, talismans like the “Peace Talisman,” “Calming Talisman,” and “Strengthening Talisman,” which were common and mundane in the cultivation world, seemed quite precious here.

As a mid-level talisman master, using her skills on these mundane talismans felt like “using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.”

Yesterday, a news article pushed to her phone about someone’s face rotting due to a skincare product gave her inspiration.

If she invented something needed in this society, like a “Beauty Talisman” or a “Koi Talisman,” wouldn’t that be wonderful?

However, “inventing” and “copying” were entirely different concepts.

Though she had read about these topics, she had never tried them herself.

Even after using up all her talisman paper, she hadn’t managed to invent a talisman that could improve beauty.

But such things couldn’t be rushed. Invention wasn’t easy; otherwise, Edison wouldn’t be considered great.

…

The next day, Ning Qiuxiu was going to the Zhan family home.

Though Old Master Zhan was supportive of the marriage, he was still cautious.

It wasn’t about mistrusting their intentions—he knew they must have some, otherwise, why would anyone agree to marry a comatose person if not for some hidden motive?

Even if parents agreed, was it really out of affection?

The concept of “liking” was often the least valuable.

Old Master Zhan wasn’t afraid of their intentions; after all, people are driven by fame and wealth.

As long as their desires were kept within a reasonable range, he would not be stingy.

What he was cautious about was the possibility of Ning Qiuxiu suddenly changing her mind.

So he invited Ning Qiuxiu over with the purpose of… visiting Zhan Qingyue.

“Since the accident, he hasn’t woken up. He’s been lying in bed for over a year, dependent on others for all his needs,” Old Master Zhan personally led Ning Qiuxiu to Zhan Qingyue’s room, explaining as they walked.

“He can’t swallow, so he can only be fed liquid food and nutritional injections. Over the past year, I’ve watched him slowly waste away, and sometimes I don’t even dare to look at him.”

Old Master Zhan’s words, at first glance, might seem like the ramblings of an elderly person.

But Ning Qiuxiu understood the implied meaning: Zhan Qingyue was no longer the powerful figure he once was.

He had become a helpless living corpse, no longer the admired “Qingyue Brother” she once knew.

He advised her to be mentally prepared.

Ning Qiuxiu was, of course, aware of these issues.

When she last met Zhan Qingyue, he was actually being well cared for.

At least he wasn’t in the “emaciated and unrecognizable” state that a normal comatose person might be in.

Perhaps the time was short, but more likely because the Zhan family had the money to provide proper care.

“It’s alright, Grandpa Zhan,” Ning Qiuxiu pretended not to understand the implication and said, “Brother Qingyue will wake up.”

“Alas.” Old Master Zhan let out a long sigh and did not respond to her comment.

This kind of consolation, Old Master Zhan must have heard countless times, but Ning Qiuxiu was not really trying to comfort him, just saying something casually.

They arrived at the room where Zhan Qingyue was staying.

It was unclear whether it was intentional or accidental, but it happened to be his “mealtime.”

Last time, when he was probably taken out for sunlight or a drive, Zhan Qingyue was dressed quite decently.

He looked as if he was merely asleep, and people would think he was ill and exhausted rather than connecting him with a comatose state.

Now, however, Zhan Qingyue lay stiffly on the bed, covered with a thin blanket.

A transparent tube was inserted into his nostrils, and a young woman was skillfully pushing food through the tube using a syringe.

The food she was administering looked like a thick porridge with meat and vegetables.

“Old Sir.” The caregiver, seeing Old Master Zhan enter, greeted him politely.

“Mm,” Old Master Zhan nodded. “We’re just here to take a look. Continue, don’t mind us.”

Old Master Zhan and Ning Qiuxiu remained silent, quietly watching the girl finish feeding Zhan Qingyue and remove the tube.

Ning Qiuxiu, who had little medical knowledge, tensed up when the tube was pulled out—its length was much longer than she had imagined.

If the nostril were a straight tunnel, this tube would have gone in and come out from the top of his head, making Zhan Qingyue look like a Teletubby.

If I had a tube that long inserted through my nose, I’d go insane, Ning Qiuxiu thought.

“This tube, does it have to be inserted every time he eats?” Ning Qiuxiu asked.

“It can be left in place. Today is just a routine change,” Old Master Zhan said, deliberately, to make Ning Qiuxiu realize the current situation and not regret it after she married into the family. “Are you scared?”

Ning Qiuxiu shook her head.

In the world of cultivation where killing wasn’t even considered a crime, she had seen far worse.

This was nothing.

“Then you can stay alone with him for a while?”

Ning Qiuxiu: “Alright.”

Old Master Zhan and the caregiver left the room, leaving only Ning Qiuxiu and Zhan Qingyue.