The next day, Yun Chuji awoke, her body still attuned to the rhythms of her past life. Outside the window, the sky was just beginning to shed its darkness.
She had been in low spirits the previous day and had gone to sleep without unpacking her luggage. Yun Chuji felt quite ashamed. Her mother had often taught her not to be willful and to finish the day’s tasks within the day. She had always done this well in the past, which was why she had been so admired in Qingling County and earned a reputation for being virtuous and obedient. How could she have become so lax now that her mother was not around?
To remind herself, Yun Chuji silently recited the Admonitions for Women. Afterward, feeling refreshed, she placed her clothes into the wardrobe one by one.
As she worked, Yun Chuji thought to herself that this world was filled with ingenious contraptions. The wardrobe doors opened automatically, and it even had a self-organizing function. The clothes were suitable for all four seasons, adjusting their temperature according to the climate. It was, she had to admit, an extremely convenient era. If Qingye and Liu Yu had also come here, they would probably have had all their chores taken from them by these clever devices.
At the thought of Qingye and Liu Yu, Yun Chuji’s heart grew heavy again. She wondered if they, too, had come to this magical world. And if they had, would they be able to adapt?
With a trace of melancholy, Yun Chuji finished unpacking. Since she had brought little with her, the process didn’t take much time, and the sky was still not much brighter.
There were no maids to attend to her, but over the past few days, Yun Chuji had taught herself this world’s routine for washing up. Unlike her own era, which emphasized pomp and ceremony, washing and cleaning in this world was simply for the sake of washing and cleaning—as convenient as all its other utensils.
If only Elder Brother and Mother were here, too. Perhaps they would like these things.
However, when she thought of this world’s peculiar six genders, Yun Chuji regretfully abandoned the wish. This kind of suffering was enough for her to bear alone.
Yesterday, Miss Tang had instructed her to act like her lover when they were at home. Yun Chuji, who had never experienced romance and had never even been allowed to imagine it, had no idea how lovers were supposed to interact. The original owner of this body had little romantic experience either. As for the romance films the original owner had watched—filled with imprisonment, restraint, and violence—even with Yun Chuji’s limited understanding, she knew that this was not how lovers should behave.
And so, Yun Chuji lowered her eyes. The only standard she could refer to was what her mother had taught her about the proper conduct for serving a future husband.
When Tang Jianxi came downstairs, the first thing she saw was Yun Chuji waiting for her by the stairs, her expression meek and submissive. The sight made Tang Jianxi’s heart tremble. Good heavens, this is a person from two thousand years ago! If my antique-loving mother found out, she might just put her on a pedestal!
Just then, the beta housekeeper, Auntie Chen, came over with a smile, endlessly praising the alpha beside her. “Xiao Yun was up bright and early this morning, saying she wanted to make you breakfast. You know, these days, let alone alphas, even few omegas know how to cook.”
Tang Jianxi, an omega who couldn’t cook, felt as if she’d just taken an arrow to the knee.
Listening to Auntie Chen’s praise, a blush crept onto Yun Chuji’s face. She kept her head down, her voice soft. “For Jianxi to eat well, my hard work is only natural.”
That tone of voice made Tang Jianxi’s toes curl. Wasn’t that the same virtuous-omega tone from the family dramas that old alphas loved to watch?
Where on earth did the women of the Great Liang Dynasty learn this stuff!
Toes still curling, Tang Jianxi walked to the dining table with Yun Chuji. Looking at the breakfast prepared with love for her, she relaxed a little. It looked decent enough.
Yun Chuji was from Jiangnan, so the breakfast she made was of Jiangnan cuisine. Of course, Tang Jianxi no longer knew what Jiangnan was; she just saw a plate of green, a plate of white, and a plate of yellow. In terms of color, it passed muster.
But when she picked up her chopsticks and took a bite, Tang Jianxi wanted to claw the green cake out of her mouth—it was bitter!
The white pastry—too sweet!
The yellow congee—it had no flavor at all!
Tang Jianxi glanced at Yun Chuji’s plate and saw that her breakfast was completely different from her own; it was Auntie Chen’s cooking. She immediately suspected that Yun Chuji was deliberately messing with her.
“Why didn’t you make a portion for yourself?”
“I haven’t cooked in a long time and am out of practice. I only had time to make this one portion.”
In reality, the green cake had been cut from a burnt one, the white pastry was the final product after several ruined batches, and the yellow congee had been hastily made at the very end. She truly hadn’t had time to make a larger portion. But Yun Chuji remembered her cooking skills being quite good. When Qingye and the others had tasted her dishes, they often said that whoever married their young miss would be a very lucky man.
“You didn’t taste it?” But the “lucky” Tang Jianxi’s expression did not look like she was enjoying a treat.
“My sense of taste isn’t very sensitive, so tasting it would be useless.” Yun Chuji frowned, sensing something was wrong. “Is it terrible?”
Why would someone with an insensitive palate even try to cook!
But seeing the flour still dusting Yun Chuji’s hair, Tang Jianxi couldn’t bring herself to say the word “terrible.” Just then, Auntie Chen, who had been observing from the side, could watch no longer. She put down the pristine rag in her hand and stepped forward. “Xiao Yun has been busy since six this morning. Don’t be so picky.”
The young miss is still young, Auntie Chen thought. She doesn’t know that you have to coax alphas when they do chores. The more you praise them, the more enthusiastic they become. It might not be delicious now, but it will be in the future, won’t it?
Now Tang Jianxi was completely at a loss for words. She bravely picked up another piece of the cake, barely chewed it, and quickly swallowed. “No, it’s delicious. I just meant you really should have tried it. You missed out on something wonderful.”
Satisfied, Auntie Chen returned to her observation post.
Yun Chuji, however, was a little confused. When the master of the house was speaking, could a servant interrupt?
No matter how close she was to Qingye and the others, they had always maintained the boundary between master and servant. Here, it seemed no such boundary existed.
“Mm, as long as it’s good. I’ll make it for you again tomorrow.”
But that was ultimately another family’s affair. In the end, she was just someone living under another’s roof. Yun Chuji quickly let the matter go.
Hearing Yun Chuji’s words, Tang Jianxi was so startled her chopsticks trembled. Her usually ethereal, beautiful face took on a pitiful look. “There’s no need. It’s too much trouble.”
“It’s fine. No trouble at all.”
Yun Chuji mouthed the word “lovers.”
That did it. Tang Jianxi gave up.
Whatever, she thought. An antique is cooking for me. How novel is that?
The great Miss Tang, raised on the finest delicacies, tearfully swallowed another mouthful of congee.
After finishing the torturous meal, Tang Jianxi decided that when she got to the office, she would have Xiao He buy her something delicious to purify her soul. As she picked up her bag, ready to leave, she saw Yun Chuji also heading for the door. There was very little information about ancient times preserved on the star-net. Tang Jianxi had looked some up before bed last night but hadn’t learned much, though she gathered it was a world very different from her own.
And, well, in terms of gender, it must have been completely different.
Not to mention technology and culture. That era had apparently still practiced slavery.
So, Tang Jianxi really didn’t understand. As far as she knew, aside from the trip from the hotel and the one home with her last night, Yun Chuji had barely left the house these past few days.
How had she suddenly seemed to adapt to this world?
Tang Jianxi walked over. Still haunted by the events of the previous night, she didn’t dare get too close, asking from over a meter away, “Where are you going?”
Yun Chuji glanced at her briefly before quickly looking away. Her tone was still indifferent. “To study.”
“Ahem.” Tang Jianxi gave an awkward cough and offered a tactful apology. “I won’t speak to you like that again.”
By then, Yun Chuji had already opened the door and was walking out without stopping. “It has nothing to do with you, Miss Tang. I am the one who wants to study.”
“Oh.”
Tang Jianxi looked up to find that she was already far away.
Tsk, why is she walking so fast?
Tang Jianxi jogged to catch up. She was in her work clothes today, a form-fitting black women’s suit that beautifully outlined her curvaceous figure but was hardly suitable for running. Thankfully, Yun Chuji heard her footsteps and stopped, sparing her from having to maintain that posture for too long. Yun Chuji turned her head and asked, “Is there anything else, Miss Tang?”
“Let me give you a car. It’ll be more convenient.”
Yun Chuji flatly refused. “There’s no need, Miss Tang. That is not in our contract.”
After last night, Yun Chuji had learned her second lesson since leaving the sheltered life of the inner chambers: anything given by others could be taken back at any time. Her first lesson had been that life and death were uncertain, and that sometimes, living was not necessarily better than dying.
Yun Chuji did not want to experience that kind of humiliation a second time.
Tang Jianxi, still unaware that the person before her had created the exact distance she had wished for, continued to persuade her. “It’s fine. My family has plenty of cars. They’re just sitting idle anyway.”
Is that so?
Yun Chuji lowered her head and smiled. Though the original owner of this body looked similar to her, she was quite a bit taller—and thus quite a bit taller than the omega Tang Jianxi. As a result, Tang Jianxi had a very clear view of that self-deprecating smile.
Her heart immediately sank.
“There is no need, Miss Tang. Between you and me, I hope the only thing I ever owe you is my life.”
Tang Jianxi’s heart grew a little cold.
That was followed by annoyance.
In her twenty-plus years, no one had ever spoken to her so coldly. Even in the business world, no matter what sordid thoughts people harbored behind her back, they always maintained a friendly facade. When had she ever been slighted like this?
Tang Jianxi’s tone also grew cold. “Then suit yourself.”
With that, she opened her optical computer and summoned her car.
A minute later, Yun Chuji watched the blue hovercar speed away into the distance and belatedly realized that she seemed to have been willful again.
She furrowed her brow, feeling deeply conflicted.
They still had to live together for a year.
What was she to do?
She raised a hand to cover her eyes and sighed. Being alive was truly difficult.
Just then, a sound reached her ears, and a red hover sports car stopped in front of her.
It was the same model as Tang Jianxi’s.
Tang Jianxi’s cold voice came from the car’s speaker. “I don’t care if you want it or not. I’m giving it to you anyway.”
Very domineering. Very Miss Tang.
Yun Chuji couldn’t help but look in the direction Tang Jianxi had just gone. A smile slowly blossomed on her tense face.
She thought that she should apologize to Miss Tang when she got back. After all, she was the one who had overstepped. Miss Tang had done nothing wrong; she was just a good person who enjoyed helping others. It was she who had placed too many expectations on her.
Meanwhile, Miss Tang Jianxi, having completed this maneuver, sat in the back seat of her car, her aura on full display as usual. She looked like a natural gem, elevated above the mundane, exuding a quality that made people praise her from the bottom of their hearts yet not dare to approach.
The gem turned her face to the side, avoiding a sudden gust of wind, and muttered, “Why am I getting into a huff with an antique? Honestly.”
