Chapter 6

An excited heart, trembling hands.

Shen Lingyue clutched the invitation card so tightly that the edges of the stiff parchment developed a small crease. She could hardly believe her eyes, closing them and opening them again, repeating the action several times until she was certain she hadn't misread it.

Yan Yi!

It was her handwriting!

Yan Yi’s grandfather was a famous calligrapher and painter in the country, and Yan Yi had learned calligraphy from him since she was a child; her penmanship was exquisite. In the past, whenever she and Yan Yi secretly passed notes during study hall, she would carefully tuck them into her notebook, taking them out from time to time to reminisce. It was this exact handwriting—she could never mistake it!

Shen Lingyue jerked her head up, staring straight at Mother Liu, her tone urgent, "Who sent this invitation?!"

Mother Liu, caught in the gaze of those dark, intense pupils, was startled. She forgot what she had originally intended to say and merely stammered, "It—it is the eldest Miss Zhou."

Shen Lingyue gripped the card, as if she had lost her soul, "Eldest Miss Zhou, Yan Yi... Zhou Yanyi!"

Mother Liu looked toward Zhao Lan for help. Had the third miss lost her mind from too much excitement?

"Yue'er? Yue'er?" Zhao Lan called her name several times, pulling Shen Lingyue's thoughts back to reality.

Shen Lingyue forced herself to adjust her expression, though she couldn't control her trembling fingertips. She squeezed out a strange smile, "Mother, Yan—I mean, how could the eldest Miss Zhou send me an invitation?"

Zhao Lan said nonchalantly, "It’s nothing. I just had Mother Liu bring some gifts to pay a visit to Madame Zhou."

Shen Lingyue reacted quickly, "Is that the stepmother who spread rumors everywhere that the eldest Miss Zhou was unfilial, and even banished her to the countryside?"

For some reason, Zhao Lan suddenly detected a hint of murderous intent in her words...

"Exactly," Zhao Lan nodded, coughing lightly. "You and the eldest Miss Zhou will live under the same roof in the future; our two families should start interacting."

Mother Liu was eager to claim credit, "Third Miss, the mistress is doing all of this for your own good." Look, now that they had handed her such a ready-made leverage, the eldest Miss Zhou would have to lower her head and come to offer a peace offering, wouldn't she?

Shen Lingyue loosened her grip, placed the invitation on the table, carefully smoothed out the crease on the edge, and looked up at Zhao Lan with a brilliant smile. "Thank you, Mother! I shall wait at home tomorrow for her arrival!"

*

The next day, before the break of dawn, the household was still asleep, the sprawling residence deep and silent.

Qingchan remembered that Shen Lingyue’s tooth powder had run out. Walking on tiptoe, she pushed open the bedroom door, planning to replace it with a new box before her mistress woke up. However, the moment she stepped inside, she saw a thin, tall figure standing in the pitch-black room, hair disheveled, face pale as snow...

!!!

Qingchan nearly shrieked, but her reason forced her to look closely, and a layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on her back.

"Miss!" she whispered, her voice trembling with lingering fear, "You scared me to death! What are you doing?"

Qingchan took two more steps inside and saw the room in complete disarray. The closet doors were wide open, dresses were tossed out and piled messily on the daybed, and the vanity was covered in a variety of glittering jewelry.

She clutched her chest and muttered, "Anyone who didn't know better would think our house had been ransacked..."

"Qingchan, I can't sleep." Shen Lingyue’s voice was hollow as she picked up two dresses and held them against herself in turn. "Which one do you think is better, this one or that one?"

Qingchan suddenly understood. Her mistress must want to crush the eldest Miss Zhou’s spirit, determined to look radiant and make her look like mud in comparison!

Her gaze swept over the pile of clothes on the bed, and she quickly selected a combination. "How about this set? It was newly made last month and hasn't been worn yet. Mistress Jin from Qianzhen Textile specifically turned away other jobs to make this for you after she heard about your imperial engagement. Look at this craftsmanship, this color scheme, this embroidery..."

Shen Lingyue nodded, "Then this one it is."

She hadn't been able to sleep all night, her mind filled with that invitation. Yan Yi’s handwriting seemed to have come to life, the strokes turning into countless little insects crawling into her brain, leaving Shen Lingyue both expectant and fearful.

Could it really be Yan Yi? Or was it just a coincidence of names?

But she had transmigrated here after dying suddenly from gaming; Yan Yi was a health enthusiast who always went to bed early and rose early—she couldn't have been that unlucky, could she? Besides, according to the laws of the transmigrated-book world, having one unlucky person like her was enough; there was no need to drag another one in, right?

Is it Yan Yi, or is it not? Is it Yan Yi, or is it not...

Shen Lingyue tossed and turned in bed for half the night, and once the sky began to brighten, she started rummaging through boxes and cabinets, trying on clothes as if possessed.

Just as Qingchan pressed her down in front of the vanity, she suddenly exclaimed, "Miss, you've developed dark circles!"

How could she outshine the eldest Miss Zhou like this? She suggested, "It's still early. Let me mix a pearl powder paste for you to apply. I guarantee your face will be whiter and more tender than a peeled lychee!" She shook her head again, "No, no, applying pearl paste isn't enough. I'll have the small kitchen boil water immediately so you can take a petal bath and smell fragrant all over!"

Shen Lingyue didn't understand why Qingchan had suddenly become so fired up, but since she had been up all night, she was indeed a bit exhausted, so she let her have her way.

After much fussing until the morning, Shen Lingyue, thanks to the combined efforts of Qingchan and Shuangxu, sat in the small guest hall in her new outfit, her hair intricately styled and adorned with pearls and jade, exuding an air of nobility.

The solid gold hairpin felt a bit heavy. Just as Shen Lingyue was about to lower her head, Qingchan poked her in the lower back.

"...Sit straight. You cannot lose your aura!"

Shen Lingyue: ?

But soon, as the elderly maid at the second gate reported that the eldest Miss Zhou had entered the main gate and was heading to the backyard, her heart began to race uncontrollably. She stretched her neck, staring fixedly at the entrance.

Until a slender, delicate figure pushed aside the weeping willows in front of the door and walked slowly into the courtyard.

Shen Lingyue could no longer restrain herself and flew out like a small cannonball. The speed was so great that Qingchan, who was about to display the aura of a head maid, was stunned on the spot.

...Where did her mistress, who was just there a moment ago, suddenly disappear to?

Shen Lingyue ran out in long strides. At this moment, she could neither see nor hear anything; her entire field of vision and soul were focused on the person walking toward her with slightly quickened steps. It was as if the rest of the world had come to a standstill, leaving only them.

Yan Yi felt a blur before her eyes, and the next second, her hands were tightly grasped by the young girl opposite her.

The moment their skin touched, all the doubts and confusion of the past few days, all the tossing and turning through the nights, were answered in an instant. The two of them stood in the middle of the courtyard, holding hands tightly, looking at one another. Neither spoke, yet it felt as though everything had been said.

A sour sensation surged from her nose to the top of her head. Shen Lingyue blinked, struggling not to let the tears fall. She looked straight at the girl opposite her and spoke solemnly and slowly:

"…Macca Pacca?"

The smile on Zhou Yanyi’s lips froze slightly before she sighed helplessly, "Igglepiggle."

Goodness, how many years had it been since they used such childish code words?

A burst of ecstasy erupted in Shen Lingyue’s eyes. The tears that had been hanging at the corners of her eyes finally fell, but they were tears of excitement. She held onto Yan Yi’s hand, refusing to let go, seemingly having lost the ability to speak, "How did you... I... we..."

Yan Yi was better at maintaining composure, especially in front of the gatekeeper and the two maids who had chased after them. She didn't forget that they were still supposed to be mortal enemies. She gripped Shen Lingyue’s hand back and scratched her palm lightly with her slender fingertips.

"Third Miss Shen," she said stiffly, trying hard to control her trembling voice, "Shall we go inside to talk?"

Shen Lingyue snapped out of it and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes, whatever you say."

She led Yan Yi forward, walking in circles around her but refusing to let go of her hand, much like a lost puppy that had finally found its owner and was terrified of the leash being dropped again.

Qingchan, who had chased after them, saw this and her eyes widened. *Miss, what about outshining her? Why are you acting so... fawning?*

Shen Lingyue was beyond caring about anyone else. She pulled Yan Yi into her bedroom, blocked the door, and declared solemnly, "You all go back to your own rooms. You are not allowed to come in without my orders."

"Miss, what about the tea and snacks..."

Before Qingchan could finish, the door slammed shut, followed by a *click*.

Not only was it closed, but it was locked?!

Qingchan looked at Shuangxu for help, "It's over. Will they fight inside? Should we tell the mistress?"

After a long wait, Shuangxu slowly shook her head.

"No."

"—Even if they do fight, our Miss will win."

Qingchan thought about it and realized there was no flaw in that logic. Since there was no need to serve them, she pulled Shuangxu away, muttering, "Madame Zhou is too heartless. Look at how starved she let the eldest Miss Zhou get. I was shocked when she walked into the courtyard just now; I thought a clothes rack had come to life..."

Inside the room, Shen Lingyue cradled Yan Yi’s thin, bony face, tears streaming down her cheeks in heartache. "Baby, how did you get so thin? Did that wicked stepmother deliberately frame you, beat you, scold you, not feed you, and make you wash clothes by the river?"

Yan Yi was both touched and amused, wiping her tears like one would a child. "I'm fine. It's just that the original owner was abandoned at the villa, ignored, and had a fever for three days before I arrived."

Yan Yi’s situation was different from Shen Lingyue’s; she had received the original owner's complete memories, so she knew her predicament as soon as she transmigrated. She had gathered her strength to crawl out of her room and found the only person left behind by her biological mother who could save her, obtaining food and medicine.

She had thought she would be stuck at the villa for a few more days before finding a way back to the capital to confirm if "Shen Lingyue" was her best friend, "Little Moon." She hadn't expected the stepmother to suddenly send someone over yesterday, offer some snide remarks, and bring her back.

Only then did Yan Yi realize the Shen family had played a role. Her suspicions were confirmed, so she quickly wrote the invitation and deliberately used her own handwriting to test her.

Gently wiping the tears from the corners of Shen Lingyue’s eyes with her fingertips, she looked at her best friend’s well-fed, clean face with a sense of relief. "I’m just glad you haven't suffered here."

Shen Lingyue blinked and burst into even louder sobs. She hugged Yan Yi tightly, sniffing, "Look how thin you are, and you still have time to worry about me..." Even the bones on her back were sticking out!

Yan Yi was trapped in a bear hug, unable to move, and could only pat her back to soothe her. "This is nothing; I'll fatten back up with more food. I'm just... so glad to see you're still alive."

By the end, her voice was choked with emotion. She still felt like she was dreaming—the person she had been excitedly discussing where to go for the holidays just two nights ago had, by the next day, become the subject of a tragic death notice. How could her energetic, vibrant best friend, who could eat three plates of beef, just...

The last thing they had said to each other was the most mundane "Goodnight, love you."

Shen Lingyue’s crying stalled, a sense of guilt rising for no reason. Yan Yi didn't know that after she said goodnight, she had stayed up all night gaming, and then died of sudden cardiac arrest...

To avoid being scolded, she decided to strike first. Shen Lingyue let go of Yan Yi and looked her up and down, "Never mind me, how did you transmigrate?"

Yan Yi was silent for two seconds, then shook her head with a blank expression. "I don't know either. I just woke up... and I was here."

Shen Lingyue stared at her and let out a long sigh, "Then we are both too unlucky!"

She hugged Yan Yi again and refused to let go, whining like a child who had found a protector, "There's no air conditioning, no Wi-Fi, no subway, no toilets, no sanitary pads here... only the evil of arranged marriage!"

But fortunately, she had Yan Yi now. So, perhaps it wasn't unbearable after all?

Shen Lingyue grabbed Yan Yi’s hand, "What should we do? We have to get married in two months. Should we run away?"

The more she talked, the more excited she became. She waved her hand, "Let's elope! I'll steal an electric scooter to support you!"