These words sounded so sincere and warm, almost too warm, that Yu's mother's heart skipped a beat. She clenched her hands, which were hidden under the thin blanket, and said uncomfortably, "I still, I still thank you very much."
Yu Zhi assumed her mother was confused and secretly scolded the fourth young lady for being so talkative, worried that her mother might overhear her...
Her little face was flushed red.
Wei Pingxi genuinely thought she looked beautiful—her face was like a peach blossom, extremely delicate and charming. One glance made him want to bully her, and two glances made him want to strip her clothes off and bully her.
"Thank you so much for today, Miss! I will visit you again another day to express my gratitude."
After exchanging only a few words, she started to shoo people away. Wei Pingxi minded being chased away and glanced at her sideways. Yu Zhi blushed and stuffed the handkerchief back into her palm, but her wrist was grabbed instead.
My mother is still here, within earshot of my breathing!
Yu Zhi was so anxious that she tried to break free from her.
The fourth young lady had long, slender limbs. Without using any internal energy, she relied solely on her good strength to steadily restrain the beauty. Her phoenix eyes were domineering and arrogant. With her skillful hands, she subtly stuffed the brocade handkerchief into the beauty's collar.
Seeing Yu Zhi's eyes widen suddenly, she chuckled and stepped back before Yu's mother could ask any questions, nodding slightly: "Auntie, I'll be going now. I'll come to visit you another day."
She turned around leisurely, exuding an air of arrogance, as if she had done something wrong and gotten away with it unscathed.
The door creaked shut.
The room remained silent for a long while.
Once she was sure the person was gone, Yu's mother couldn't sit still: "Zhizhi, Zhizhi, who is she? What did she do to you?"
Yu Zhixin felt her heart leap into her throat, unsure whether it was from her mother's sudden probing questions or from the Fourth Miss's outburst.
She tucked a handkerchief into her collar and rubbed her face. "Yes, she's the friend I mentioned to my mother before. She didn't do anything to me, she was just teasing me."
Although Yu's mother was blind, she wasn't. She quickly beckoned her to sit on the edge of the bed: "Zhizhi, she... she must have... you..."
"What's wrong with her?" Yu Zhi asked, feigning innocence.
"Nothing much..."
The blind woman remembered something from long ago and sighed deeply.
She groped for her daughter's hand and took it in, saying earnestly, "Zhizhi, I forgot to remind you, in this world, not only men can bully women, but women can also bully women. Be careful when you're out and about."
Yu Zhi obediently agreed, and finally said softly, "Mother, Fourth Miss is a good person."
Even if she wasn't considered a good person by most people, she was still their great benefactor in both her past and present lives.
Wei Pingxi left the clinic in high spirits, leaving a gold ingot for the old doctor before he left, instructing him to take good care of the mother and daughter.
The Diao family mother and son were severely beaten and thrown into the government jail on charges of theft and intentional assault.
The Wei family sent a messenger to the government office, promising that they would suffer a fate worse than death for the rest of their lives. Their ruthless style was very much like that of the legendary fourth young lady.
In a single day, Diao Tiezhu lost his third leg, and his second leg was also broken by a death row inmate. Diao's wife was so traumatized that she went mad.
Hearing Emerald recount the aftermath, Wei Pingxi smiled coldly: "Send someone to cure that old woman's madness. I want her to be lucid enough to watch her son being raped to the point of death."
The eldest daughter of a noble family, with countless romantic escapades, only used the roughest word in her writing. Seeing the ruthlessness and indifference in her eyes, Agate responded softly.
Don't mess with the Fourth Miss, no matter who you are.
If you get tired of the Fourth Miss's things, you can simply give them up. But if someone covets them, it's considered taboo.
Jade peeled the fresh fruit and fed it to the young lady. Wei Pingxi spat out the pit and twirled the jade fan between his fingers.
"What are you laughing at, Miss?"
"I laugh at someone who clearly has the desire to climb the social ladder, yet is still too timid to take a single step. If she were to come to me openly and boldly, I might think more highly of her."
"Reporting to Miss."
Wei Pingxi slightly lifted his eyelids, resting his chin on his hand: "Hmm?"
"Miss Yu is outside requesting an audience."
Miss Wei smiled instantly, as if this was the real springtime, even more beautiful than the spring scenery outside.
...
Yuzhi ran out while her mother was fast asleep and stood alone at the gate of the other courtyard under the warm sun.
A secluded courtyard for those who cherish their hearts.
This is the third time she has stood here.
The trepidation I felt upon returning for the first time and the agonizing confusion I felt when I lingered here last time felt like they happened just yesterday.
She pressed her hand to her heart and asked herself: Will I regret it?
Yu Zhi's mind flashed back to the despair she felt when she and her mother were alone and helpless in the courtyard that day, and her thoughts drifted back to the bitterness of her past life.
Her name was Yuzhi, but she had no branch to rely on. Her mother suffered from an eye disease and needed her to support her. She took a deep breath and looked at the golden plaque of "Juanxin Bieyuan" and thought: I'll take this gamble.
Even if things are bad, they should still be better than in the previous life.
Given the choice between being bullied by one person and being bullied by many, she chose the former—being bullied by the Fourth Miss.
"Miss Yu, please come in quickly."
This time, the servants' attitude was much better. Yu Zhi was still wearing the faded embroidered dress she wore when she first came here. She straightened her back and stepped in without looking to the side.
The gate to the villa slammed shut with a loud bang.
She resisted the urge to turn around.
Caijietang.
Wei Pingxi prepared tea in anticipation.
It was as if everything had returned to its original state, the only difference being that the painting of a beautiful woman hanging in the central hall had been taken down.
Because the fourth young lady found a more beautiful, living woman she liked even more.
"Have you figured it out?"
Wei Pingxi personally handed the fragrant tea to Yu Zhi.
Yu Zhi took the cup of tea with trembling hands. The aroma of the tea filled the air, and the steaming hot tea hit her nose. She felt a lump in her throat: "Fourth Miss is not joking with me, is she?"
"Let's not talk about that." Wei Pingxi stared intently at her. "How do you know I'm the 'Fourth Miss'?"
"I overheard someone from another courtyard mention it casually."
"People from the other courtyard?"
Wei Pingxi looked at the jade and agate, while the two loyal maids were completely bewildered, unable to figure out which servant had been so audacious as to reveal their master's identity.
Do you remember who it was?
Yu Zhi lowered her head: "I forgot."
She couldn't very well say that she had met the Fourth Miss in a past life and received her kindness.
The servants in the villa let it slip? Wei Pingxi didn't believe a word of that. The people she trained wouldn't dare to utter a single word of what they shouldn't say, let alone let it slip in broad daylight, or even in their sleep at night.
Lingnan Prefecture is vast, and the Wei family wields considerable power. It's rare that she has a peaceful and carefree residence here...
Wei Pingxi tapped her folding fan with her jade-like hand, staring intently at the beauty who had come to offer herself to her husband. When the face of Yu's mother flashed before her eyes, her smile faltered slightly.
I feel like I've seen this mother and daughter somewhere before.
Where is it?
"Fourth Miss?"
Wei Pingxi had lived a full life, but instead of returning to dust after death, she was reborn as a young girl. Her death was sudden, and the person who poisoned her remained hidden and could never be found.
The people around her, like Jade and Agate, were promoted by her personally, without going through anyone else, and are trustworthy.
Her mother agreed to let her cultivate her own power very early on.
In the Wei family, only her mother loved and doted on her.
The fourth young lady's eyes dimmed slightly, and suddenly a flash of inspiration struck her. Without any hesitation, she lifted Yu Zhi's pointed chin with her jade fan.
Yu Zhi blushed at her impetuous actions, suppressing her embarrassment, and bit her lips until teeth marks appeared.
It's you.
Wei Pingxi appeared dazed.
She still remembered that in the dead of winter in her previous life, she sat down by the window in a restaurant and inadvertently saw a destitute mother and daughter on the street.
That day was her mother's birthday. Every year on this day, she would do a good deed to accumulate blessings for her mother.
In this life and the next, she didn't recognize the girl at first glance. The beauty of yesteryear was so grime-covered and frozen that she had lost seven-tenths of her color.
She didn't recognize Yu Zhi, but Yu Zhi knew her beforehand.
Wei Pingxi's eyes crinkled with a smile: Interesting.
"Come sit here."
She patted her thigh lightly.
Yu Zhi released her bitten lower lip and obediently moved to her side.
Unexpectedly, the Fourth Miss swiftly pulled her into her arms, and a fragrant scent filled the air. Wei Pingxi gently wrapped her arms around her slender waist and whispered in her ear, "Let me ask you one more time, do you want to be my concubine?"
"want."
"Why are you so resolute this time?"
Yu Zhi knew this was her chance. She pursed her red lips, deliberately ignoring the moist and elegant breath near her ear, and said truthfully, "I need to find a powerful backer who can protect me and my mother."
He's such an honest person.
Wei Pingxi was amused by her.
"So from now on, only I'm allowed to bully you?"
"Um……"
The fourth young lady, her mischievousness rising, lightly touched the beauty's blushing earlobe with her lips: "Being my concubine won't be easy, can you handle it?"
Yu Zhi trembled slightly. Apart from her mother, she had never been this close to anyone else, close enough to feel their hearts beating together.
She was mortified, but the Fourth Miss was staring intently at her. Yu Zhi's eyes reddened, tears welling up. She turned her head and lightly kissed the Fourth Miss's fair and elegant neck: "I will serve you well, I... I can take it..."