She felt being surrounded by something warm, fearing that it would only be temporary, she tried curving her body in a fetal pose to save as much of the warm feeling as she could even though she knew it was useless. Her body feels so heavy that she can't move even an inch.
‘Where am I? I died. I felt it… did someone from the hotel discover me? Did ‘they’ find and revive me at the last minute?’
‘If… I’m still alive, then I need to get out of here or try dying again. It is better than being their puppet!’
Her incapability to move and see heightens her hearing and smelling. She tries to feel her surroundings for any clue to where she is. That’s when she noticed a soft pair of hands touched her arm while gently wiping it and a weeping sound came along with it. She feels it is useless for the other to wipe her arm as the person’s tears are wetting her skin. It took longer for the person sponge bathing her to finish as the person tries to concentrate on taking care of her but fails as they keep on stopping to cry silently.
"Young miss, please wake up and recover soon. Second Master, Madam and First Young Master… Young Miss they are waiting for you. The sadness and fear of losing a young miss is starting to affect Madam’s body… Second Master and First Young Master are also helpless, this slave is also starting to lose hope... Please wake up young miss!"
She can feel the agony and helplessness of the other person. She can imagine a young lady with her eyes already red and swelling from crying. She hears the lady get up and walks away from her until the sound of a door closing reaches her ears.
Thinking for a while, she can assume that she is in a different era based on how the lady calling herself as slave talks. She remembers being called a young miss thus she concludes that the family isn’t struggling with daily life.
‘Second Master… Madam… First Young Master? Who are they? What kind of people are they?’
Feeling comfortable after getting cleaned up, she fell asleep. After a while, a middle aged woman with teary eyes together with the maid earlier approached and sat on the side of her bed. The woman checked the temperature and arrangement of the room before starting to stroke her hair so gently as if the woman is afraid of hurting her.
The woman is wearing a plain light green hanfu with dark-green sash highlighting her thin waist despite being a mother of two. Although she is wearing a simple dress, her movements ooze with elegance and prestige.
“Ying’er… wake up soon, you have been sleeping for almost a year. Your father and I will make sure that you will not be wronged again. If your brother didn't feel, something was wrong and wanted to check on you, it would be too late to save you. Even so, we still let you suffer. We do not know why those people hurt you and who they are. They are still free while you are here and suffering!”
The woman started to sob again and gripped a part of her skirt so tightly that she felt her nails pierce her palm through the cloth while the maid immediately gave the woman a handkerchief to wipe her tears.
“Madam, what happened to the young miss isn’t your fault. Please don’t blame yourself, young miss will be sad if she hears it.”
“Still… It is our fault for not keeping our guard up and trusting the life of my Ying’er to the first branch. I forgot that when something happens to Fan’er they will prioritize their young miss and forget to protect my child!”
“Madam…” the maid can only look after the mother and child helplessly.
The day turns to night with the woman and maid taking care of her while in a separate courtyard, two men, a middle-age man and a young lad are discussing the clues their people found from what happened to their princess months ago.
The servants guarding outside the room can hear a tea cup being smashed on the floor, a suffocating air surrounding the dimly lit room. The young lad wearing a black hanfu with silver sash, his eyes have dark circles indicating he has been sleep deprived for days. Despite the tiredness, his hands clenched so hard that drops of blood can be seen falling and staining the floor. It seems that the mastermind of what happened to her sister has relaxed since it has been so long since the incident happened that the clues are now starting to arise from being deeply buried.
The middle-age man who smashed the tea cup is breathing heavily. The anger to their own clan and shame of being unable to protect his beloved daughter weighs so much that he is breathing with difficulty.
The young man’s anger finally gets the best of him and starts to walk towards the door of the study. He wants to hurt those people, for them to more than what his sister felt during that incident. However, as he is two steps away from the door, a masked man blocked him.
“Father!” The young man shouted with disappointment and anger in his voice towards his father who prevented him from killing those people. He didn’t dare face his father fearing that he would be more disappointed. He wanted to kill and paint those people’s courtyards with their own blood.
As a man who dealt with different types of people, the middle aged man was finally able to control his anger.
“Ming’er, calm down. This is not the right time, killing one or two from their group is the easiest way out for them. It will stain your reputation, a knife that will be placed against your own throat.”
“But…”
“I know you feel that your father is useless. That… I have been feeding white eyed wolves for years and did not know about it until they hurt my own daughter. However, this is not the right time, and you know it too!”
“…” Qi Ming faced his father, seeing the emotions lingering in his father’s eyes. He knows his father is more hurt than him.
“Your sister and mother still need us; Ying’er is alive and recovering soon she will wake up. We need to make sure that once she does, she won't need to face those scumbags.”
[sleepy eiycee: I’ll start referring to Raine as Xuiying from this point.]As days pass by, Raine at least knows that she has indeed transmigrated and is now a young lady named Qi Xiuying. She is now the second lady of a well-known family of merchants in the capital of the Feng empire. Today, her mother Xi Hui is accompanying her while embroidering. She felt loved as she heard her mother talk of their past, although those belong to the original owner of her current body. She started to feel nervous as she heard a series of hurried but steady steps and felt another person enter her room. Hearing no movements from her mother, she realized that it is someone whom their family trusted it was then she felt at ease. “Mother…” a voice of a confident young man reached her ears. Based on how he calls her mother, then he is the brother she hears from her mother’s stories. She cannot relate the young man to someone who is full of mischiefs as his voice sounded confident and mature.“Ming’er, wh
“How is my cousin?” If Xiuying did not feel her maid’s reaction and heard from her new family what happened to the original owner of her body, she will assume that the person who gently asked this question is someone who truly cares for her. She can feel how Xue’s stiffness relaxes a bit as the maid breathes deeply to calm down herself before answering the visitor’s question. “Young Miss is doing well, First Young Miss Qi Fan.” Xue upon hearing the newcomer's question stood up and bowed to the young lady who spoke, as a greeting before answering respectfully like the emotions Xiuying felt from the maid earlier were just an illusion. Xiuying felt the newcomer reach out to her and gently caress her hair as if afraid to hurt Xiuying. The smell coming from the lady makes anyone relax, however she noticed the light scent of Jasmine flowers which is one of scents that can arouse any man who is physically close to the young lady. Hearing the name her maid called the newcomer, Xiuying’s mouth
The months pass by with her family visiting her daily and Qi Fan together with the first and third branch of the Qi clan going in and out of her courtyard every other day. Xiuying continues to try to open her eyes to at least lessen the worries of her new family. Xiuying found strength to open her eyes, seeing the familiar ceiling the fear of knowing she is back to her hell can be seen in her eyes and a chilling feeling penetrates from her skin down to her bones. She hastily tries to jump out of the bed but fails to do so as her body feels heavy like a barbell. As she tries to lift herself up she notices that she is wearing the same simple hospital gown that she hated so much. The gown doesn’t cover her gorgeous body as the fabric drapes around her body so well that it only leaves little to hide it from one’s imagination. Xiuying frantically runs to the corner of the room after trying to open all french styled windows despite knowing that it is locked, her hope lessening by seconds.
Hack...hack...hack… Xiuying coughs as she opens her eyes however she can’t see anything but only feels being hugged by a pair of strong arms and hard chest hinders her eyesight. She tries to get up and remove the arms hugging her but the person wakes up due to her movements. “Ying-er? Daughter?” Qi Chen's hoarse voice reached her ears and it seems he is in pain. “Fa-father?” As her oriole like voice is heard she can feel droplets pour onto her back realizing it isn’t raining but the father she only heard during her coma who is always strong and determined is now crying silently while hugging her more tightly. “I thought we would lose you… I thought I coul
Qi Ming was waiting in the dining hall and seeing his father coming back he immediately got up from his seat before sitting again after Qi Chen went to his seat. “Is Ying-er awake, Father?” Not hearing his father talk, Qi Ming immediately asks as he is still worried about his sister. “Yes, she’ll come here with your mother.” Hearing a sigh from his father after answering he guessed that his mother will be sleeping with his sister again tonight. He subconsciously chuckles, earning a glare from Qi Chen. Qi Ming uncomfortably coughs hiding his embarrassment from being caught. “Physician Li will arrive this afternoon as we requested, Father. Are you still worried about any sequelae that my sister might suffer in the future?”
***Xiuying/ Raine's POV*** I ordered Xue to take the child to the nearest inn and help her clean up. I watch Xue'er preparing the bath with the help of one of inn's servants while the little girl blankly stares at me. I just let her be and sit on the chair near the window and look outside I can't help but recall when I hugged the child earlier after all I was once like her... Headmistress where are we going? an eight year old girl asked as their orphanage's headmistress hastily held her hand and walk through the busy street. The little girl looks back worriedly at the direction where they came from, there are times when she almost stumbles but the headmistress just held her hand and walk. She didn't hear any answer from the headmistress and only hears her choking up her sobs as they walk. When they arrived in front of a big house she stopped and look at the child's face. "Little Raine...our..our orphanage will be closed if we don't do what they want..." "Ummm
It is the day of the family's annual meeting. I have heard from mother that according to the spies planted by father in first uncle's courtyard the old patriach and first uncle plans to announce the change of Long's eldest son's fiance to my cousin Qi Fan. I really don't care about them but since the former Xiuying died because of them I'd gladly and slowly play them. I'm excited as it will be today that father plans to execute our plan to separate our family, they really don't deserve father's efforts in flourishing businesses. Xue and Hua helped me prepare and I just let them choose whatever dress and accessories to wear, it was tiring even though I only need to stand or sit as they help me. They wake me up earlier than the usual just to bath, dress and fixed my hair. I noticed that they even added more rose petals and rose essence than the usual in my bath.
As we walk towards the main hall they passed the garden Xiuying noticed something in the pavilion. She hurriedly whispered something to her father and that she won't attend the banquet, he was about to object and narrowed his eyes as if he see right through her. Xiuyung smiled at him mischievously though Qi Chen didn't know what's going on in her daughter's mind he nodded. Noticing that her daughter went to a different direction, "The banquet will start soon where is she going?" Xi Hui asks her husband. "She'll just catch up don't worry too much." Xi Hui nodded after hearing Qi Chen's reply and the couple started to walk again towards the main hall. Once Xiuying got her father's permission she urge Xue'er to go the kitchen so they could eat and afterwards take a walk in the garden while waiting for meeting to start, She simply don't want to mingle with her cousins and their families. Most of the servants are shocked to see their third young miss enter