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墨書 Inktalez
"Xing... Miss Xing!"
After experiencing such an event, even her father and elder brother failed to recognize her, yet the shopkeeper, whom she had only met once, was able to identify her. Luofu felt a mix of emotions as she watched Xing Ruyi silently shed tears without uttering a word.
Seeing this, Xing Ruyi did not rush to help Luofu up but instead looked up at the Luo Family. Some servants and maids were still standing at the entrance, their expressions indicating they were merely there to watch the commotion.
"May I take a look at that?"
Xing Ruyi pointed to the Contract of Servitude in Luofu's hand.
Luofu hesitated for a moment before handing the Contract of Servitude to Xing Ruyi.
"Rui'er! It should be someone close to you, right?"
Xing Ruyi asked as she helped Luofu to her feet.
Luofu was not physically hurt; she had just been thrown down hard. Being pampered all her life, it was inevitable that she would be somewhat dazed.
"Can you walk? This place is not suitable for conversation. If you can walk, let’s find another location."
Luofu nodded and glanced at the Ruo Mansion, feeling both angry and upset that her father and brother were deceived by Rui'er’s changed appearance. Beneath these mixed emotions, Luofu felt more concerned. Who knew what intentions Rui'er might have in her heart?
"My lady, you must not be tempted by convenience, thinking you can just pick up a maid casually. This Rui'er has a wicked heart. Our Master and Madam, Young Master Sister treated her so well, yet she plotted against my sister and even dreamed of replacing her—like a crow trying to become a phoenix. She doesn’t even look at her own face; even if she forced herself into my sister's clothes, she would still be just a country chicken."
Hearing the teasing from the servants at the door, Luofu's face flushed red. She opened her mouth to defend herself but realized those people would not listen to her explanation. Thus, she could only look at Xing Ruyi for help and said pitifully, "I am Luofu! I really am the eldest daughter of the Luo Family! I am not Rui'er! I know I am not crazy or foolish, nor have I done anything to turn into my sister's beautiful dream. I am truly my sister—the real eldest daughter of the Luo Family."
"I know!" Xing Ruyi looked into Luofu's eyes. "Sisters and maids may change their appearances, but they cannot change their inherent demeanor. The environment one grows up in shapes how they treat others; even if one tries to mimic that demeanor, they cannot replicate the depth within. Given the circumstances, Miss Luo, it is useless to be anxious now. It would be better to calm your heart and think carefully about how this switcheroo happened."
"I..."
Luofu's mind was in chaos as she looked at Xing Ruyi, unsure of where to begin with this situation.
"There's no need to rush; you can think about it a bit on the way. Right now, you have nowhere else to go, so just come back to Xing with me."
If she still had her old face, there would still be a place for her at the Yun Family Gathering. At worst, she could find her cousin. The last time she sought help at Yamen, she had covered her face to avoid today's predicament. Now, that same method could no longer be used because the Luo Family still had a " Luofu".
With a frustrated sigh, Luofu could only follow Xing Ruyi back to Xing for the time being.
As her mind settled, memories from the past began to awaken in her mind.
Last night, before falling asleep, what had Rui'er done?
Luofu carefully searched through those fragmented images.
Medicine! Luofu suddenly remembered that she had drunk a bowl of soup medicine brought by Rui'er before losing consciousness.
At that time, she felt a chill and seemed to have a slight headache. Rui'er was very concerned about her; it had been cold recently, and she had been busy preparing her dowry without taking care of herself, fearing that she might catch a cold. With New Year's Eve approaching, if she fell ill, not only would her parents and elder brother worry, but even her future husband would likely be concerned as well.
Under Rui'er's care and persuasion, she drank the bowl of soup medicine that was supposed to prevent and treat the Cold Wind. Because the medicine was too bitter and quite difficult to accept, she pinched her nose and forced it down. After drinking the medicine, she also ate some Osmanthus candy, and after that, she couldn't remember anything else.
When she woke up again, it was in the courtyard where the maids lived, and her face had completely transformed into Rui'er's appearance.
"I remember now! I finally remember!" Luofu exclaimed excitedly as she grabbed Xing Ruyi's hand, muttering: "Do you still recall what I said when I went to Xing? At that time, I told you that I felt my face had changed; this face seemed somewhat familiar but I couldn't recall where I had seen it before. Now I finally remember; this face is Rui'er's. How could I forget the appearance of someone I see every day?"
Xing Ruyi remained silent, but in her mind echoed the words the fox had said to her earlier.
The fox took the opportunity to carefully observe the Luo Family. However, she feared that even the fox herself did not anticipate the sudden turn of events at the Luo Family, and she was unable to enter Ruo Mansion to see the maid Rui'er mentioned by Luofu.
Moreover, Yin Yuan's words seemed to imply that the occurrences involving Luofu and Rui'er were somehow connected to Pixiu's sudden arrival at the Yun Family Gathering.
Feeling the hands that were gripping her loosen, Xing Ruyi looked up at Luofu, only to see her eyes downcast, appearing lifeless and indifferent.
In Ruo Mansion, Rui'er surveyed everything in the room with satisfaction. The Old Beggar had indeed not deceived her; she had truly become Luofu, the rightful eldest sister of Ruo Mansion.
And her face was no longer plain and unremarkable as it had been since birth. She walked in front of the Copper Mirror and carefully examined her features. Such exquisite features, which she had once envied—envied because they were born of the same mother while she had been born ugly. But now, this face belonged to her, and she began to feel that Master was fair. Just like in this world, where poor people always outnumbered the rich, with the rich being a mere minority.
A trace of malice crossed her eyes in the Copper Mirror. Rui'er looked at the face in the mirror and felt a sense of relief. It was fortunate that she had been clever; otherwise, all the suffering she endured at City God Temple would have been for nothing.
Thinking back, after returning from City God Temple, although she no longer fully believed the Old Beggar's words, she still subconsciously chose to take a gamble. She began to deliberately create opportunities, trying not to let Luofu look into mirrors so that she wouldn't discover anything from the Copper Mirror. At the same time, she also started to mimic Luofu's every move and expression, striving to make herself resemble her as closely as possible. Thanks to the Old Beggar's earlier reminder and her own efforts, she managed not to reveal herself in today's situation.
Luofu—oh no, she should now be called Rui'er. From now on, there would only be one Luofu in this world, and that was her.
Rui'er clenched her hands tightly, a glint of malice flashing in her eyes. She thought that merely driving Rui'er out of Ruo Mansion was not enough; if Luofu also encountered that Old Beggar and if he agreed to her request, then what she had painstakingly obtained today would truly be nothing but a fleeting dream.
With this thought, Rui'er began to feel anxious. After pacing around the room a couple of times, she came up with an excellent idea. Perhaps it was time to contact her family. Her parents who cared only for her brother and her brother who only cared about money were probably hoping for "her" return.
Luofu, didn't you want to get married? Weren't you eagerly looking forward to marrying after the New Year? In light of how you treated me decently before, I will help you one more time. From a young talent to an ugly old man; from a fourth-rank official to a destitute villain—Luofu, I truly want to see your terrified face.
Rui'er let out a sinister laugh from deep within and then quickly walked to the door and forcefully pulled it open.
"Sister!"
The maid standing at the door was startled by this sudden sound and quickly bent down respectfully upon meeting Rui'er's gaze.
"Where are you going, sister?"
"Where is Rui'er? Has she been thrown out?"
"It's rare for you to be kind-hearted and still think about that malicious person!" The speaker kept her head down, so she did not see the expression on Rui'er's face. Especially when she mentioned the words "malicious person," Rui'er looked at her as if she were gazing at the next person to die, but she was always good at hiding her emotions. When the maid raised her head to respond, her expression was already well-crafted to resemble Luo Fu's.
"Has she really been kicked out of the residence? Do you know where she went after leaving the Luo residence?"
"In response to sister, Rui'er is indeed no longer in the residence. Moreover, she was thrown out by someone from here. You should have seen how disheveled she looked at that time. As for where Rui'er has gone now, I do not know; I only heard the servants in the front courtyard discussing that a young lady picked up her contract."
"A young lady! What kind of young lady? Did you see what she looked like? Do you know who that young lady is?"
"Um... I do not know!"
"If you don't know, then hurry up and find out! Rui'er's intentions are different from others; if I don't know her whereabouts, I will always feel uneasy."
Rui'er cast a sidelong glance at the maid. Although the maid was talkative, she was quite clever and immediately ran downstairs. Rui'er stood on the loft, her gaze following the maid's retreating figure, her heart gradually sinking, while the coldness in her eyes seemed to deepen with the bleakness of winter.
The maid quickly returned, her cheeks slightly flushed from running and breathing heavily. Upon seeing Rui'er, she bowed and said, "I found out that the person who took Rui'er away is an outsider, probably with the surname Xing. She runs a rouge shop on the street. The name seems to be... Ruyi Rouge!"
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