Incendie mystérieux

Chapitre 8

The astrologer, however, had entirely different thoughts. To prevent interference, the seal he placed on the box was incredibly powerful. The dolls in his house only knew they couldn't touch it, unaware that ordinary humans would suffer skin ulceration from even the slightest contact, let alone have it removed. He never expected this blond-haired girl to actually sit inside…! Could it be that her blood flows through her veins?!

He felt a sudden throbbing in his throat. "Girl, what's your name?"

“Yan Wuyue,” she replied, “a polite person will state their own name before asking someone else’s. May I ask your honorable name?”

The astrologer chuckled coldly. "Interesting," he said, "My surname is Xue, Xue Jianchou, because," he suddenly made a ferocious expression, "anyone who sees me will be worried!"

The next morning, when the man in sunglasses who greeted Xue Jianchou opened the door, he was stunned. On the yellowish-brown sheets, a thin, frail figure lay sprawled out, snoring loudly, short, jet-black hair flying wildly. It was clearly a girl.

"Mr. Xue?!" the man called out. Unexpectedly, a astrologer dressed in black jumped out of a nearby box and greeted him brightly. "Good morning!" Xue Jianchou said. As for Yan Wuyue, the astrologer explained she was an assistant, a reason the man in sunglasses seemed unsurprised and readily accepted.

The two of them were led to the dining room. The dining room wasn't much better; the furniture was exquisite, and the tableware was fine, but it was clear they were quite old. The servants, all dressed in black, moved about serving with grim faces. Yan Wuyue, gazing at the lavish breakfast spread across the table, couldn't help but feel a surge of appetite. Xue Jianchou, after looking around, coughed sheepishly.

"Excuse me, do you have any yogurt?"

"Drinking yogurt first thing in the morning?" Yan Wuyue's eyes widened. "You know, drinking yogurt on an empty stomach doesn't digest well, right? Stomach acid is already acidic, and if you drink yogurt on top of that, it's like adding acid to acid! It can easily cause stomach ulcers! You have to eat something first, and wait an hour before drinking it, so that the yogurt can be absorbed best..."

Good heavens! The astrologer couldn't help but gasp. What a nagging girl! "Never mind," he waved his hands repeatedly, "I won't eat it, okay?" Unexpectedly, an egg was placed in front of him. "This is good, it's nutritious and low in calories, a healthy food!" Yan Wuyue said earnestly.

"So annoying!" Although she knew she was just a child and shouldn't take it personally, her constant nagging and questioning like a nanny was really unbearable. "I just don't like breakfast! I want yogurt, so what!" Xue Jianchou plopped down in a huff, took the yogurt from the servant, and gulped it down, all the while stealing glances at her defiantly.

Yan Wuyue, on the other hand, seemed quite mature. She shrugged, as if sighing at a disobedient child, and said nothing.

After the meal, the man in sunglasses reappeared. "On Madam's orders, I request a meeting with Mr. Xue."

Xue Jianchou immediately stood up. Yan Wuyue wanted to follow him, but the man in sunglasses stopped her, "Madam only wants to see Mr. Xue. Please wait here."

Xue Jianchou was led into a magnificent, gilded corridor. The scene was completely different from before; the walls were covered with enormous, breathtaking photographs of women. Starting from when she was five or six years old, the photographs showed her growing taller, more mature, and more beautiful as the corridor stretched out. Whether she was frowning or smiling, her eyes and brows exuded a thousand charms and a thousand allurees; her vibrant beauty and allure were beyond the power of the photographs to capture even a fraction of her essence. Then, they reached the end of the corridor, where the man in sunglasses gently knocked on the door.

The door opened, and a blinding light shone through, making the astrologer squint. The man in sunglasses bowed respectfully. "Madam, Mr. Xue has arrived."

Book One: The Seven Deadly Sins - Pride: The Ageless Beauty (Part 5)

The astrologer strained to see the source of the light and vaguely made out a graceful figure surrounded by huge spotlights, which now emitted a blinding white light, completely enveloping the woman. The woman gently raised her hand; her shapely, rounded arm appeared even more slender and delicate under the bright lights, her fingers like spring onions. A diamond ring shone on one finger, its rare blue-purple hue dazzling. Her voice had a sickly fragility, trembling slightly.

"No need for your introduction, Jianzhou. Mr. Xue and I are old acquaintances."

Ignoring the astonishment of Yang Jianzhou, the man in sunglasses, Xue Jianchou quickly took off his hat and bowed to her, saying, "Long time no see, Madam Feng, you are still as beautiful as ever."

"You still have such a charming way of speaking, so endearing." Madam Feng covered her mouth with her hand and giggled like a little girl. Seeing such a familiar gesture, the astrologer suddenly felt as if time had reversed, as if the person in front of him was not Madam Feng living in seclusion in the mountains, but Feng Xiaoxiao, who dominated the film industry and was known as the "Eternal Phoenix Tail Butterfly".

Feng Xiaoxiao was destined to be a star from birth. Her original name was Lan Fengdie. From childhood, she exuded a captivating and sensual beauty, drawing everyone's attention. She starred in over seventy films, winning a large following with her stunning beauty, charisma, and superb acting skills. She won numerous Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Actress for films such as *Paris Green Phoenix*, *Love and Longing*, and *The Beautiful Woman*. Her most famous film is *Madame Butterfly*, a masterpiece by Hollywood director Stephen Berg. This film, adapted from Puccini's opera of the same name, held a casting call across Asia, ultimately winning the lead role against many Japanese actresses. It was Feng Xiaoxiao who delivered a nuanced and captivating performance. Due to the film's immense success, many fans affectionately called her "Madame Butterfly."

However, Feng Xiaoxiao's star career was far less glamorous than her private life. Before her fortieth birthday, she had six short-lived marriages. Her husbands came from all walks of life, from incredibly wealthy tycoons to impoverished plumbers, and even the husband of one of her close friends. Despite the criticism, she remained independent and unmoved by others, flitting among men like a butterfly in flight. Many thought she would become an evergreen icon like Elizabeth Taylor, an ageless legend. However, at her thirty-fifth birthday party, she suddenly announced her retirement from acting and walked out the back door of the banquet hall.

She vanished from the limelight. No one ever saw her again. She became an eternal legend in film history. No one could have imagined that Feng Xiaoxiao would spend the rest of her life quietly in this remote, impoverished mountain village.

"Several years have passed since we last met, yet you haven't changed at all," Feng Xiaoxiao seemed to sigh softly. "Do you still remember the solar cycle you calculated for me that year?"

She closed her eyes, lost in memories of the past, murmuring to herself, "...After age six, the transiting Sun entered my career sector and remained there until age thirty-nine, a time of early fame and mid-life success. Around age twenty-nine, it conjunct Saturn, a period of great career achievement—that was the year I filmed 'Madame Butterfly.' Thankfully, after listening to your advice, I was able to decide to fight for the role. Around age thirty-eight, it conjunct Venus, signifying finding true love. Around age thirty-nine, the transiting Sun conjunct Pluto, opposing the Moon, extremely unfavorable—how well said! Back then, back then..."

Her voice was abruptly interrupted by a violent cough, and her slender figure trembled violently in the bright light. At that moment, a short figure silently approached and handed Madam Feng a handkerchief.

“I’m alright now, Xuetai,” she said, grabbing the man’s wrist as she calmed down. “This is my relative, Lan Xuetai. I’m so grateful to her for taking care of me; she’s incredibly thoughtful.”

Despite the lady's praise, Lan Xuetai maintained a stiff expression, her grey dress fitting the overall atmosphere of the mansion. She was a thin woman, around forty or fifty years old, with neurotic eyes. The astrologer noticed that her hands were tightly clenched together, utterly incongruous with her cold demeanor. Madam Feng whispered something to her, and then Lan Xuetai nodded, seeing the astrologer out.

Yang Jianzhou had been waiting outside. As soon as he saw Lan Xuetai, he immediately went up to her and asked with concern, "Aunt Xue, is Madam alright? Her cough is worse than usual. Is she alright?"

Lan Xuetai shook her head blankly, her gray eyes as sinister as if they contained ice. "I will naturally take care of Madam's health. You only need to prepare for the grand ceremony tonight, that is your duty."

Xue Jianchou returned to his dusty room. He could tell that, perhaps in Feng Xiaoxiao's eyes, the passage of time meant nothing. She still lived in her glamorous, star-studded era, her Glazed Mansion still open its doors, as if welcoming a constant stream of guests, even if they would never actually come. No wonder the mansion's furnishings were luxurious yet dilapidated and old: they had been the epitome of style in their time, but in this era, they were discarded like worn-out shoes, unused for a very, very long time.

There was a knock at the door. Xue Jianchou opened it and was surprised to find Yang Jianzhou there. Before he could react, Yang Jianzhou had already slipped into the room and closed the door. He carefully checked to make sure there was no one else besides himself and the astrologer before sitting down.

“Mr. Xue,” he scratched his head sheepishly, “first of all, I must apologize for my previous rudeness. Of course, I didn’t mean to make things difficult for you, I had no ill intentions towards you… it’s just that Madam’s instructions were so solemn that I took them seriously, fearing you might be a bad person, and wanting to prevent Madam from falling into your clutches…”

"Is this an apology or a provocation?" the astrologer scoffed.

"Oh dear, I'm a clumsy person, I don't know how to speak. Anyway, I was wrong before, I won't do it again next time." Yang Jianzhou was so anxious that sweat was dripping from his nose. "Actually, I never knew that you and your wife knew each other all along."

“Yes,” the astrologer smiled confidently, “I have calculated the transits of the Sun for your wife many times, so we can be considered acquaintances.”

“Then,” Yang Jianzhou asked, “sir, could you tell me how Madam’s fortune will be this year? Will she…will she find…happiness?”

The astrologer remained impassive. He deeply suspected that Yang Jianzhou's seemingly hesitant words implied "finding true love." He had long noticed the subtle nuances in the sunglasses-wearing man's tone towards his wife, but… he subtly reminded him, "You found true love at 35, as indicated in your birth chart. As for this year…"

"How's it going this year?" The other person was practically frantic with worry.

The astrologer sighed; he hadn't calculated his wife's age up to this year. Now, to be honest, he probably wouldn't believe it either: "I don't quite remember how old my wife is."

He glanced at Yang Jianzhou, the meaning of his gaze unmistakable. How old was he? He looked barely thirty, still in the prime of his life, his actions driven more by instinct than reason. His wife, on the other hand, was no longer young… Unless he was only after her accumulated wealth, that was a different story. Women or men who marry rich always hope that rich man is as close to death as possible.

Book One: The Seven Deadly Sins - Pride: The Ageless Beauty (Part Six)

"Madam doesn't age!" Yang Jianzhou blurted out, his face flushed. "From the moment I started working for you, you've always been just as elegant and charming as you are now. Although you're a few years older than me, so what! As long as we truly love each other, the age difference is nothing! Faye Wong married Li Yapeng, and that other female celebrity, Cardi B, even found a younger guy like Justin as her boyfriend!"

"Only a few years old?" The astrologer couldn't help but sneer inwardly, but before he could say it, Yang Jianzhou uttered a sentence that shocked even the well-informed astrologer.

"Anyway, whether your divination results are good or bad, I'm going to marry you tonight!"

When Yan Wuyue returned, Xue Jianchou was standing by the window, deep in thought, with his back to her. She couldn't help but excitedly tell him:

"Hey, do you know why that lady invited us here?"

The astrologer shook his head, momentarily stunned, unaware that she had used the subtle word "we".

"Haha, I knew you didn't know! Thank goodness I'm so clever!" Yan Wuyue jumped up to his side with a smug look on her face, shaking her head and saying, "My wife is getting married! How about that, isn't that exciting?"

"Oh," came the listless reply.

Seeing that the bomb did not explode as expected, she continued, "There's something even more amazing! The person she married was none other than that green-headed fly who always wears big sunglasses!"

A greenbottle fly? The image of Yang Jianzhou involuntarily flashed through Xue Jianchou's mind, and he smiled slightly. Yan Wuyue became even more excited, speaking with even greater enthusiasm:

"I heard that Fly has some kind of family connection with Madam... I heard that if Secretary Yang becomes Fly and takes over as the master here, Granny Lan's life won't be easy. I heard that Granny Lan is Madam's niece, and she's been managing the household for Madam all these years. But since Secretary Yang came, Madam has gradually favored him and no longer listens to Granny Lan. Their relationship has never been good, so if Fly becomes the master, I'm afraid he'll kick Granny Lan out!"

She rattled off the whole thing in one breath, without even blinking or taking a breath. What a smooth-talking girl, the astrologer thought with a slight smile. Just then, a servant pushed open the door and came in to tell them that the ceremony was about to begin.

The so-called grand ceremony was actually just a wedding ceremony, despite how mysterious they made it sound. However, being the seventh wedding of the famous actress Feng Xiaoxiao, the owner of the Liuli Mansion, it was indeed arranged with solemnity and elegance. Yang Jianzhou stood under the plaque of the Liuli Mansion, beaming with joy. Upon seeing the astrologer and Yan Wuyue, he hurriedly called out to them:

"Mr. Xue, my wife and I would like to ask you to officiate our wedding."

The astrologer was quite surprised. "Me? But I'm not a pastor, nor do I believe in Christianity."

“What the lady says,” he insisted, “is that you are the most authoritative. And no one else is qualified except you.”

Helpless, Xue Jianchou could only slowly walk into the hall. At this moment, Granny Lan—Lan Xuetai's thin, pointed face appeared. She floated like a ghost to Yang Jianzhou's side, her voice hoarse and strained:

“Mr. Yang, if I were you, I would cancel the marriage immediately.”

"Cancel? I don't understand what you mean," Yang Jianzhou said, his tone unusually cold. "My wife and I are truly in love. No one can stop us, Aunt Xue!"

Lan Xuetai silently left. When she reappeared, it meant the lady had officially entered the scene. This once-famous beauty, a film star, now held flowers and wore a pure white wedding dress. However, the spot where she stood was intensely illuminated by four spotlights from all sides, so bright it was blinding. She seemed to be bathed in the embrace of the lights, her arms outstretched, reveling in this long-lost happiness. Suddenly, she trembled and screamed:

"Snow Moss!"

Blue Snowmoss hurried forward, and the lady held out the back of her hand, whispering impatiently in her ear, "Damn wrinkles! Can't you get them in the shadows?"

“I’m afraid that won’t work,” Lan Xuetai said, glancing at it. “Luckily it’s on my hand, so it’s alright. I can just cover it with embroidered gloves.”

The lady nodded in satisfaction. The Wedding March began to play at the opportune moment, and the groom, still wearing sunglasses, walked into the hall with a beaming smile. Madam Feng smiled too, opening her arms once more to embrace her seventh husband. A halo surrounded her, making her appear like an unapproachable deity, radiant and incomparable. Suddenly, the light behind her dimmed, but the spotlight in front of her remained on her smiling face, illuminating every inch of her skin. What a horrifying scene! What they saw left everyone speechless, rubbing their eyes in disbelief. How cruel, how horrifyingly shocking! Were those wrinkles crawling across Feng Xiaoxiao's face? She looked like a crushed walnut, and even more terrifying, a large crack had split the shell, revealing a toothless, withered mouth that was grinning obsequiously at everyone!

Book One: Pride (The Ageless Beauty) (Part 7)

"Oh my god!" Yang Jianzhou yelled, throwing away his sunglasses abruptly. "Oh my god! What's wrong with these sunglasses?!"

"What's wrong? What happened, Jianzhou?" His withered lips opened and closed, and it was hard to imagine that such gentle words could come from those lips.

If Yang Jianzhou was surprised just now, then when he looked up again and saw everything before him with his own eyes, he was shocked—no, shocked was far from enough to describe his feelings at this moment. He jumped up abruptly. Burning with anger, he couldn't utter a single word, only glaring angrily at the old and ugly woman in front of him.

"What's wrong with you, Jianzhou?" Feng Xiaoxiao had no idea what had happened.

"You old hag!" he gritted his teeth and spat out the vicious words, "You old hag!"

"Old?" Feng Xiaoxiao touched her wrinkled face in alarm. "But I'm not old yet! I just turned sixty-eight!"

"Sixty-eight years old!!!" Yang Jianzhou exclaimed, "But you look like you're eight hundred years old! No wonder you live a secluded life, and every time you see me you turn on several lights and tell me to wear sunglasses! Look at your own appearance!"

He pulled a small mirror from his pocket and threw it violently at the woman in front of him. Upon seeing her reflection, the unfortunate bride let out a high-pitched scream and fainted. And the groom? He violently tore open his wedding suit and stomped on it, determined to vent his rage. Yan Wuyue had no time to pay him any attention; her gaze was fixed on the person who had mysteriously disappeared during the farce. Now, that person leaned against the wall, admiring his masterpiece, a smug and malicious smile playing on his lips.

Grandma Lan.

"You turned off the light behind Madam Feng, deliberately embarrassing her," Yan Wuyue asked. "Are you happy now? She can't get married now."

Lan Xuetai glanced at her arrogantly, "Little girl, I advise you to say less about things you don't understand."

"Hmph, what don't I understand?" Yan Wuyue scoffed. "In the end, isn't it all about money? In this way, won't all of Madam Feng's money end up in your hands?"

*Smack*

A resounding slap.

"What do you know!" Lan Xuetai's long-suppressed emotions burst forth. "You know absolutely nothing!"

About thirty years ago, a young girl named Lan Xuetai, along with her fiancé—a young man named Yang Yu—went to stay with her aunt, the movie star Feng Xiaoxiao. At that time, Feng Xiaoxiao had just ended her sixth marriage, and the visit of her niece and future nephew-in-law brought her immense comfort. However, to Lan Xuetai's utter surprise, her fiancé fell in love with her aunt…

That year, Feng Xiaoxiao was just thirty-eight years old, and according to the astrologer, it was the perfect time for her to find true love. So she acted decisively—or rather, her personality had always been so domineering—and entered into a relationship with Yang Yu. For him, she retired from the entertainment industry, and the two went into seclusion together at the Liuli Mansion. Unexpectedly, a year later, Yang Yu died in a car accident. Lan Xuetai, who came to pay her respects, finally forgave them under the tearful gaze of her aunt, and from then on, she stayed with her aunt, continuing to live a peaceful life. However, because Feng Xiaoxiao wanted to reminisce about her early life, she hired a secretary, who happened to also have the surname Yang…

Yan Wuyue's doubts gradually grew, and she felt that Lan Xuetai had even more astonishing news, so she could only listen quietly to what she had to say.

“My aunt took a liking to Yang Jianzhou the moment she saw him. When she talked to me, she mostly talked about him. Sometimes she would fall silent for no reason, and after a while she would say to me, ‘Xuetai, don’t you think Jianzhou looks a lot like someone?’”

"How could I not see it! He and Yang Yu are practically identical!"

“I once asked him privately, and all Jianzhou knew was that he was an orphan who was adopted when he was young… This reminds me of something else.”

Lan Xuetai covered her face with her hands, and it was impossible to tell whether the expression under her hands was joy or sorrow.

“I was pregnant when Yang Yu abandoned me. I wanted to tell him, but he wouldn’t even let me finish before turning around and getting into that woman’s car. Later, I gave birth to the child, a boy…”

"Could it be..." Yan Wuyue felt her heart clench suddenly, "Yang Jianzhou... he's yours..."

"No matter what," Lan Xuetai wiped her face abruptly, "I can't let my son jump into a fire pit! Marry my aunt...!"

“But,” Yan Wuyue thought for a moment, “you could have told the fly… no, Yang Jianzhou earlier! There was no need to wait until the wedding to deliver this blow. Who could bear it!”

Lan Xuetai smiled. She slowly uttered a few words from her thin lips:

"Remind them? I've reminded them countless times, but did they take it seriously? No! They all think I'm after that woman's money. Bah! I wouldn't even take that kind of filthy money if it were given to me for free!"

"That's fine too," she smiled broadly. "Let that woman who thinks she's the most beautiful in the world, at her most beautiful moment, expose her ugliest face and be scolded by the man she loves most... Haha, what could make me happier than this? Nothing! This is truly the greatest joy of my life!"

In that instant, Yan Wuyue truly understood that Lan Xuetai had never forgiven her aunt. She had always hated her, yet she had quietly lurked by her aunt's side, waiting for her youth to fade and her beauty to wither, and then, she would unleash her deadly fangs to deliver the most powerful blow to that once-beautiful woman!

Book One: The Seven Deadly Sins - Pride: The Ageless Beauty (Part 8)

Feng Xiaoxiao lay on the pristine white sheets. Stripped of her dazzling radiance, wrapped in the blankets, she was nothing more than a withered, frail old woman. She stretched out her skeletal arm to the astrologer beside the bed, who silently took it.