☆ Yuan Muxiao’s Ambition
People with memories of their past lives are often afraid of slipping into unconsciousness, especially when their past life was so tragic. Xiao Banli had been in a coma, lingering in a daze, constantly reliving the dreams of her past life. Red blood, an unborn child, the manipulation of her body, the betrayal of men, and Yuan Muxiao’s rise to power.
In the dream, there was a vast sea of blood. Her chest felt tight. Xiao Banli gasped for air and opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the orange, hazy ceiling. Sweat slid into her temples. A pair of rough hands slowly touched the rough patches on her right cheek. Xiao Banli stared in fear, her eyes wide. In the dim light, she saw a man’s head slowly leaning toward her, locking eyes with her terrified gaze.
“Heh… Xiao Banli, you actually dared to deceive me…” Zhu Yuanbin greedily touched Xiao Banli’s face, laughing coldly in the dark.
Xiao Banli gasped for air, propping herself up, trying to move away from his hand. “Mr. Zhu, I-I didn’t deceive you.”
“You didn’t deceive me?” Zhu Yuanbin’s rough hand rubbed hard against Xiao Banli’s right cheek. Xiao Banli felt the heat spreading across her face, terrified that he might really cause damage. She shrank her neck, desperately trying to avoid him.
Seeing her dodge, Zhu Yuanbin’s gaze darkened. He reached behind her head, his fingers curling, and yanked her head toward him by her hair. Xiao Banli winced in pain, furrowing her brows, struggling to meet his gaze.
“I-I really didn’t deceive you.”
“I used to like you a lot. I was planning to wait for you to finish your training and come back to stay by my side, to help me with things. But after you went to Europe and came back with your face ruined, I thought about sending you to the warehouse, keeping you hidden away so you wouldn’t embarrass yourself. But now you’re deceiving me. You made your face like this all on your own. Xiao Banli, since you didn’t like the Ouyang family, why did you ask me to bring you in? Didn’t you know this is a big cesspool? Once you’re in, you can’t stay pure. Especially with me, do you understand?” Zhu Yuanbin laughed coldly, pulling on Xiao Banli’s hair tighter. Xiao Banli felt as though her scalp was about to tear off, and even her surgically treated thumb throbbed painfully.
“I-I just wanted to be a maid,” Xiao Banli finally managed to say after a long pause.
“I hate being lied to the most,” Zhu Yuanbin said, his gaze growing colder as he couldn’t find the line on Xiao Banli’s right cheek. His eyes seemed as if he wanted to tear her apart on the hospital bed.
Xiao Banli knew this situation couldn’t continue. She forced herself to remain rational for a moment, reaching out to find the bedside bell and weakly pressing it.
“Mr. Zhu, I… I really…”
“Hey, what are you doing? How can you treat a patient like this?” Less than ten seconds later, a nurse opened the door to the ward. Seeing Zhu Yuanbin practically on top of Xiao Banli, with his right hand pulling at the patient’s hair, she hurriedly called out.
Zhu Yuanbin gritted his teeth, releasing Xiao Banli. His cold eyes lingered on her for a moment before he turned, getting off the bed and walking toward the nurse who had spoken, “Please take good care of her.”
The nurse looked at him, confused, “Who are you? She’s the missing maid.”
Zhu Yuanbin sneered, shoved the nurse aside, and pulled open the door to the ward, disappearing behind it.
“Are you alright?” After closing the door, the nurse walked toward Xiao Banli. By now, Xiao Banli had exhausted all her strength. Her thumb was curled, her hair messy, and her eyes were blank yet full of disbelief as she leaned against the bed, gasping heavily.
“Are you okay?” The nurse gently supported Xiao Banli’s shoulder, helping her sit upright, and placed a pillow against her back.
“When… when can I be discharged?” Xiao Banli asked hoarsely.
—
“Banli, why are you in such a hurry to be discharged? The doctor said you need to stay in the hospital for observation,” Yu Yan said as she helped Xiao Banli with her luggage and opened the car door.
Xiao Banli bent down and sat into the car, curling up in the back seat without saying a word.
Yu Yan thought she was in severe pain. After getting into the car, she instructed the driver to start driving. Xiao Banli gazed out of the window at the speeding scenery. She knew the road ahead was filled with thorns, but she didn’t expect it to be full of traps as well.
The small black car drove through the massive gates of the Ouyang estate, heading straight for the main house. Before reaching the lobby, Xiao Banli heard the sounds of laughter and joy coming from inside, causing her to pause.
Yu Yan, who was supporting her, also stopped in confusion. “Banli, what’s wrong?”
Xiao Banli squinted her eyes and asked Yu Yan, “Who’s inside the house?”
Yu Yan was momentarily stunned, then quickly smiled. “Oh, it’s our new maid, called Yuan Muxiao. She said she grew up in the same orphanage as you and is the same age as you. She’s very sweet-tongued and has been making Madam so happy these past few days. She’s quite a funny person.”
Xiao Banli clenched her uninjured hand into a fist, glaring at the open door and the sounds of laughter coming from the hall. For the first time since her rebirth, her mind felt so chaotic.
“What are you standing at the door for? Come in,” Ouyang Que, who had seen the car from the window, noticed the people he sent to fetch them had arrived, but they were standing at the door without entering. He couldn’t help but call out.
“Banli, come on, come on,” Yu Yan said, her shoulder twitching as she heard Ouyang Que’s voice. Ignoring Xiao Banli’s dazed state, she forcibly led her inside.
For a moment, the laughter and chatter in the hall paused, and everyone turned their gaze to Xiao Banli.
Xiao Banli immediately noticed Yuan Muxiao’s sly smile beside Xiao Fen. The cold, sinister face of Zhu Yuanbin flashed briefly in her mind. He would know her face was not really ruined—Yuan Muxiao must be the one who betrayed her.
“Xiao Banli, does your thumb still hurt?” Xiao Fen was in a good mood, her face flushed and her spirits high. She even took the time to ask about the maid she had sent to the hospital after stepping on her with high heels.
Xiao Banli pursed her lips, lowering her head slightly. “Thank you, Madam, for your concern. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Xiao Fen nodded. “Then you should rest for a while. I’ll have someone else take over your work until your hand is better.”
“Thank you, Madam.”
Xiao Banli sat on the bed, watching Yu Yan hum as she hung the clothes from her bag in the wardrobe and took out her toiletries.
She had been in the hospital for three days. The first two days were spent in a coma, surviving on nutrients, but when she woke up on the third night, she encountered Zhu Yuanbin who came to visit her. Or, more likely, it was Zhu Yuanbin who deliberately came to visit. If she hadn’t woken up, Zhu Yuanbin probably would have found the spot on her face where the skin was stitched, and ripped the right side of her skin off.
“These ointments were sent by the young master, and these clothes are from Madam. Just rest for now, and if you need anything, just call me. I’ll help you,” Yu Yan said as she finished tidying up and stood in front of Xiao Banli, her tone carrying a hint of guilt.
Xiao Banli responded with a soft “Mm.” “Please thank the young master and Madam for me, and also, Yu Yan, thank you.”
As soon as Yu Yan left, Yuan Muxiao slipped in. Xiao Banli looked at her warily as she laughed and approached. Yuan Muxiao clicked her tongue as she said,
“Banli, you should have helped me with this from the start. If you didn’t, I had to find my own way. And when I find my own way, someone has to sacrifice for me. Let me think… you’re discharged so quickly, Zhu Yuanbin must have gone to see you, right?”
Xiao Banli narrowed her eyes and remained silent. They just didn’t see eye to eye, she didn’t call Yuan Muxiao to do anything, but Yuan Muxiao wouldn’t let it go. In her previous life, she had learned all too well about Yuan Muxiao’s ambition.
“Stop pretending to be so high and mighty and silent, Banli. Zhu Yuanbin won’t stop here. As your sister, I think I should still remind you,” Yuan Muxiao’s cold, beautiful eyes stayed fixed on the right side of Xiao Banli’s face, which was covered. If that half of her face weren’t hidden, she dared say, with time, Xiao Banli would become the most beautiful woman in the Ouyang family. Therefore, she couldn’t allow this to happen.
“Yuan Muxiao, if you walk too much at night, you’ll encounter ghosts.” Xiao Banli licked her dry lips and smiled.
Yuan Muxiao smiled without speaking, turned on her heels, and left Xiao Banli’s room.
The room quieted, and the flowers and plants in the backyard swayed beautifully. They were all trimmed by Xiao Banli herself, but after three days without tending to them, some weeds had already begun to sprout.
Yuan Muxiao had said before: “Whoever is at the height of their power, I will rely on.”
She believed that with Ouyang Que’s connection to Teiris, he would have a smooth journey, and so she thought of climbing up this beautiful tree, Ouyang Que.
Later that night,
Xiao Banli tossed and turned, unable to sleep. After lying in bed for a while, she got up, walked to the mirror, and saw the pockmarked right side of her face, somewhat ugly.