“How dare you speak so disrespectfully!” Mei Jiu scolded An Jiu in her heart.
An Jiu casually replied, “I thought she’d be tougher, but she’s so weak! Besides, one less enemy is always good.”
Mei Jiu corrected her, “She’s our grand-aunt, not an enemy.”
An Jiu, unwilling to argue, said, “I’ve been itching to kill someone lately. Choose: you die or your grand-aunt dies!”
“I…” Mei Jiu gritted her teeth, “Kill me if you must, but don’t harm my family!”
An Jiu paused, sensing Mei Jiu’s extreme tension. Feeling uncomfortable, she growled, “Fine, no killing. But you must toughen up, or I’ll kill you and your entire family!”
“You’re being unreasonable,” Mei Jiu said, afraid yet defiant.
This small resistance made An Jiu want to toy with her. “Am I? I can be very reasonable when I want to be.”
Mei Jiu, frustrated, asked, “Can’t you just speak nicely?”
“Hiss, it’s just words. Don’t get emotional!” An Jiu felt uneasy. Reflecting on the situation, she chuckled self-mockingly, feeling like she was engaging in a sophisticated form of mental self-torture.
Mei Jiu, red-eyed, fell silent.
Wen Cui entered with tea and snacks. Seeing Mei Jiu sitting quietly in the corner, looking pale, she assumed she was frightened and comforted her, “Don’t worry, Miss. Except for the Second Old Madam, everyone in the second branch is reasonable. They won’t blame you. The Second Old Madam has a weak heart, and everyone caters to her whims. She’s not used to any displeasure, but it’s not your fault.”
“Thank you, Wen Cui,” Mei Jiu said.
Wen Cui smiled and whispered, “If the Third Madam knew, she’d thank you rather than blame you!”
“Isn’t the Third Madam the Second Old Madam’s daughter-in-law?” Mei Jiu asked, confused.
“Yes, but what mother-in-law and daughter-in-law truly get along? They maintain a facade of harmony,” Wen Cui explained, helping Mei Jiu up. “Miss, you’ve had a long day. Have some snacks to keep your strength up.”
Outside, dusk was falling.
In Chayun Residence, the Second Old Madam, with a damp cloth on her forehead, complained to a middle-aged man, “Third son, I may not have Mei family bones or blood, but I’ve been part of this family for forty years! Everything I do is for the Mei family! How dare that immature girl call me an outsider!”
The middle-aged man replied, “Mother, how can we maintain our family’s dignity if you demand an apology from our master to a servant?”
The Second Old Madam sat up abruptly, pointing at him, “You… ungrateful child, siding with outsiders!”
“That’s enough,” a well-dressed woman intervened, seeing the conversation had served its purpose. She sat on an embroidered stool by the bed, holding the Second Old Madam’s hand. “Mother was just disciplining an ill-mannered descendant behind closed doors. How does this affect the Mei family’s reputation?”
“Exactly!” The Second Old Madam finally calmed down.
The Third Madam continued, “It was all that ignorant girl’s bad idea. A mere servant daring to make the master apologize – such wild ambition! It’s fortunate you’re so wise, Mother, and didn’t agree. I think we should get rid of that girl and I’ll find you a better one.”
The Second Old Madam’s face froze, realizing she’d fallen into another trap. She promptly fainted again.
In Yuwei Residence.
Wen Cui, while clearing the table, said, “The Third Madam is cunning. If not for the Second Old Madam’s seniority, a hundred of her wouldn’t be enough for the Third Madam.”
Mei Jiu, unable to comprehend all the intricacies, changed the subject, “Wen Cui, can I sleep with my mother tonight?”
Before Wen Cui could answer, An Jiu strongly objected, “Absolutely not!”
“Miss shouldn’t wander around for now, but we can invite Miss Yan to stay here,” Wen Cui suggested as she left with the tray.
An Jiu tensed, “Isn’t it terrifying to sleep next to someone?”
“How so?” Mei Jiu asked, puzzled.
“Imagine waking up to find the person next to you has become a corpse. Isn’t that horrifying?” An Jiu wasn’t just trying to scare Mei Jiu. As the most wanted sniper with a bounty on her head, she had developed a habit of not allowing living beings near her sleeping place.
Mei Jiu shuddered, her voice quavering, “I’ll sleep alone.”
Before bed, Mei Yan came to check on Mei Jiu, exchanged a few words, and left.
Strangely, the room was left unlit, with no maids on night duty. Mei Jiu, unfamiliar with the customs of wealthy households, didn’t find this odd, but the pitch darkness frightened her.
“An Jiu, are you asleep?” Mei Jiu asked tremblingly from under the covers.
Though she shared existence with An Jiu, unable to access her memories or emotions, Mei Jiu felt an inexplicable closeness. Compared to the unknown dangers in the dark, An Jiu seemed less frightening.
An Jiu ignored her.
“I can hear distant sounds now. I’m scared, but my heart isn’t racing like before. It’s as if I’m not as afraid as I should be,” Mei Jiu mused. During the day, her attention had been scattered, but now, in the quiet of night, she realized she could even hear wolves howling in the distance.
An Jiu sighed inwardly, realizing Mei Jiu had inherited her abilities. The outcome of their struggle was uncertain. For now, Mei Jiu had the advantage as the original owner of this body, not needing to find ways to control it.
Considering this, An Jiu coughed lightly and spoke in her gentlest voice, “I’m here.”
“Can we talk? I’m scared,” Mei Jiu said. The night, once peaceful, had suddenly become terrifying with her newfound ability to hear and sense so much.
“Not afraid of me anymore?” An Jiu asked.
Mei Jiu didn’t answer. She was afraid, of course, but what scared her most now were the sounds of leaves rustling or footsteps tiptoeing.
“You don’t need to fear me. I’m just looking for a temporary place to stay, and I happened to find you,” An Jiu said, recalling ghost stories she’d read. “Not everyone is suitable for me. The fact that you can host me means we have a connection. You’re doing a good deed, and it will bring you blessings in the future.”
Blessings! An Jiu found it amusing to play the role of a benevolent grandmother figure.
An Jiu knew few ghost stories, but she thought it enough to fool Mei Jiu.
Sure enough, Mei Jiu was pleased, “I knew you weren’t bad.”
“You’re right, good girl,” An Jiu affirmed. Of course, she wasn’t bad – she was evil.
“You sleep first. With me here, no demons or ghosts can approach,” An Jiu’s voice suddenly turned cold. “I’ll protect you, but you must promise not to tell anyone about my existence. Otherwise… you know what will happen.”
“Alright,” Mei Jiu agreed readily.
With this companionship, Mei Jiu gradually relaxed and soon fell asleep.
An Jiu seized the opportunity to control the body and get out of bed.
She wouldn’t sit idly by. If one had to sacrifice for the other, she refused to be the victim! Even if they could coexist, she would do everything to kill or expel Mei Jiu’s soul – because she was always alone and needed no attachments.
Unsure how to fully seize the body, she decided to start by acclimating to it.
An Jiu could sense at least five people around the room, so she couldn’t make too much noise. To pass the time, she began doing push-ups and sit-ups to exercise the body.
To her dismay, she discovered how weak this body was!
Lying on the floor, An Jiu found that these thin arms couldn’t even manage one push-up! Through sheer willpower, she managed five.
Knowing not to overdo it, An Jiu didn’t push further. After the push-ups, she did twenty sit-ups.
Then, she sat on the bed practicing finger exercises to improve her control and dexterity.
After spending most of the night on this, An Jiu reluctantly closed her eyes.
Early morning.
Mei Jiu woke up feeling as if her entire body was filled with lead, even her eyelids felt heavy!
“Miss, today you’re to meet the young master and the clan elders in the front courtyard,” Wen Cui reminded, knocking on the door.
“Come in,” Mei Jiu said, unable to even sit up.
Wen Cui entered and was startled to see Mei Jiu’s pale face and dark under-eye circles. “Miss, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t feel well,” Mei Jiu said weakly.
Wen Cui checked her pulse but felt nothing unusual. Assuming her medical skills were insufficient, she panicked, “What should we do? We can’t delay meeting the clan elders! I’ll fetch a doctor.”
She rushed out before finishing her sentence, clearly very worried.
Soon, Mei Jiu vaguely saw through the gauze curtain Wen Cui returning with an old man with a long beard.
The old man sat by the bed, and Wen Cui placed Mei Jiu’s wrist outside the curtain, covering it with a thin silk cloth.
The old man felt her pulse briefly, “The young miss is healthy, just overly tired. Perhaps she hasn’t rested enough. Continue with the nutritional prescription from the other day, and she’ll recover fully within five days.”
“But Doctor Liu, the miss needs to meet the young master and clan elders today. Is there any way to help her get out of bed?” Wen Cui asked.
Doctor Liu replied, “No medicine is needed. She’s just tired. Fourteenth Miss, please try to endure it.”
“Thank you, Doctor Liu,” Wen Cui said, escorting him out.
Returning, Wen Cui pulled back the bed curtains, “Miss, today is extremely important! Please try to bear with it.”
“Mm,” Mei Jiu struggled to sit up.
Wen Cui helped her to the dressing table and began the daily grooming routine.
Today’s attire was smoke-gray, very plain. Her hair was styled in a simple bun without any ornaments. “Family rules dictate simple attire when meeting the clan elders,” Wen Cui explained.
Mei Jiu smiled faintly, “This is more comfortable anyway.”
“Yes,” Wen Cui agreed, lightly applying powder to mask the dark circles under Mei Jiu’s eyes.