Je suis née beauté, et je suis suprême

Chapitre 15

My heart has no regrets; all my struggles, though repeated, were for you.

A thousand paper cranes, a thousand hearts, fly in the wind.

My heart, through all the twists and turns, is devoted to you, without regret.

My endless tears are a burden that lingers in my dreams and at night.

My heart has no regrets; all my struggles, though repeated, were for you.

A thousand paper cranes, a thousand hearts, fly in the wind.

--- "Thousand Paper Cranes"

As the song ended, Wu Hui, who had ruined the scene, said, "What were you singing? To me, it sounded like a secret rendezvous between a man and a woman!"

"yes."

"I don't have a wife?" he said earnestly.

"You'll have it later, isn't it better to review it now!"

"Oh no!" I don't care if you're okay or not, you're ruining the mood.

It was getting late, and Chouqian and I left the manor together to say goodbye. Wuhui wanted to see me off, but I pointed at Chouqian and said, "Do you think he doesn't exist?!"

Chou Qian walked me home. I looked at Mu Gua, who was silent beside me, and seemed like a ghost. I couldn't help but blurt out, "You're really ugly." Chou Qian didn't say anything, his temper was incredibly good. "But you're very smart." Chou Qian remained unchanged, unfazed by praise or criticism.

"If I were a woman, you would definitely be my standard for choosing a husband."

"Why?"

"I don't know, I just like it."

"Really?" "No, unless your family background is as bad as your looks." I happily took his arm, imagining his family going bankrupt and us walking happily together…

Of all of us, Qianqing was the first to get married. But he didn't invite me; he wasn't a good friend at all. Afterwards, he gave me a few taels of silver and a few folding fans as consolation. My heart was utterly broken. Qianqing married one wife and took nine concubines. I asked him enviously, "How many do you sleep with in one night?" Who knew that his petty, uncouth nature would almost twist my neck? How scary!

In the tenth year of Emperor Renguang's reign, Zi Mo graduated from the Royal Academy. After his coming-of-age ceremony, he was to marry Lu Susu, the daughter of Lu Chiwei, a high-ranking official of the third rank in the court. Rumor had it that Lu Susu was Zi Mo's classmate, but when this person was mentioned, Zi Mo looked completely blank, unable to recall what the poor woman looked like.

I kindly asked, "Do you like her?"

What kind of answer is "I don't dislike it"?

"You need to think this through carefully. It's not too late to marry someone you like in the future."

"If you meet someone you like, you can take her as a concubine."

Damn, what a pig-like man! I guess I wasn't being nosy. Taking a concubine? His head is full of succubus ideas. But Zi Mo has a point. If he doesn't like this one, he can take another he likes. Looks like Lu Susu is pretty lucky; at least she doesn't have to worry about divorcing her husband.

On June 17th, the only remaining legitimate son of the Shen family was married. The celebration toured half of the imperial city, with lanterns and decorations adorning the route, creating a vibrant red spectacle.

I shamelessly begged the transvestite and the ugly man to act as a band, playing instruments and singing to pick up the bride.

On the way, Zi Mo showed neither the joy of becoming a husband for the first time nor any dissatisfaction with the marriage. He was as leisurely as if he were taking a horse for a stroll in the countryside. I sang "Father, Mother" (also known as "Dad, Mom") loudly at the Lu residence. That stubborn old man, Master Lu, wanted to glare at me to death, saying that my song was perverse and evil.

I'm magnanimous and won't stoop to his level. Anyway, he wouldn't dare come up and beat me up. To my left, playing the flute, is the current Prime Minister, Sikong Qian; to my right, playing the zither, is Su Gu, the son of the richest man in Dongqing. You think you can mess with me with this lineup?

On the way back, I treated it like my own personal concert, singing with complete enthusiasm. The crowd's comments about the bride quickly shifted to their curiosity about me. Hehe, this felt great! Who could possibly steal the spotlight from me and the ladyboy? I was so smug…

Zi Mo occasionally turned around, smiled at us, then shook his head helplessly, and then his bride went home.

Honestly, I'm afraid Zimo will forget his brothers after getting a wife. If he forgets me, my life in this manor will be miserable. Even if he doesn't love the woman he marries, things can change, and I need to fight for my own interests.

[Main Text: Chapter Sixteen]

Early in the morning, I huddled at the door of Zi Mo's new house, looking like an abandoned puppy, waiting for Zi Mo to fall for my trap.

He lived up to my expectations, came out and walked towards me, warmed my hands and said, "What are you doing here? Aren't you cold?"

"Cold." How could it not be cold? Even if it wasn't cold, my hands had been soaked in cold water. "Brother, are you going to favor sister-in-law from now on, but not Ziyi?" I asked, feeling wronged.

"Don't overthink it," Zi Mo said, warming my hands.

"They all say you don't want me anymore?" she said, looking at him with tearful phoenix eyes, her eyelashes fluttering as if tears were about to fall.

Zi Mo sighed, pulled me into his arms, and said, "Fourth Brother dotes on Little Eleven the most."

"Nonsense, then why did you marry a sister-in-law?" I buried my face, unable to keep up the act, in his warm embrace.

"Fourth Brother promises that he will only treat Ziyi well."

"But...but..." I stopped talking, pinched myself hard, and large raindrops began to fall on his front. His still somewhat handsome face was covered with a pitiful, irritating look.

Zi Mo hadn't expected me to be so vulnerable. He stroked my beautifully maintained hair and promised, "I will always take care of Xiao Yi. I will love him the most whenever he needs me."

"Really?" My eyes lit up instantly, my expression completely different from before, eager to hear his assurance again. But to my surprise, Zi Mo stared at me blankly for a long while before finally lowering his head and replying, "Really, really." Damn, that wasn't sincere enough! Annoying!

After Zi Mo's wedding, he entered the imperial court as an official. Now, only Wu Hui and I are left, two idle people who have nothing to do all day and have the potential to become bullies by wandering the streets and alleys.

I'm increasingly disgusted by being around them. Before, I was just the lowest in status among them, and I could blame natural disasters or human error. But now I'm the shortest of them all. They call me "little dwarf" when they have nothing to do. They always look down at me when they talk, while I look up at the "adults." It's such annoying behavior. I get irritated just looking at them. I really want to chop them up and feed them to the dogs.

Wu Hui pulled me out of Yanxiao Tower, and I glared at him vehemently. This guy was huge and burly, like an elephant, and incredibly ugly.

"Don't let me see you in a place like this again!" Wu Hui shouted, his eyes blazing with anger.

"Damn it, you're so nosy."