C5 The Child's Taunts

Gu Mingfeng cast a sidelong glance at Lin Qingwan and declared with certainty, "You'll be moving into my Ming Garden."

Shen Qingwan's brow furrowed at the mention of Ming Garden, a name that sounded more suited for the deceased. "I'd rather go back to my old place."

"It's grandfather's command."

Without leaving room for argument, Gu Mingfeng led her into his villa.

Shen Qingwan's new quarters were adjacent to Gu Mingfeng's room, closer to the Guihai Sea. Opening the window, she was greeted by the sight of tumultuous waves crashing ashore.

Distracted for a moment, she rang up the household's internal line, "I need a few sets of simple clothes delivered."

Post-call, she stepped into the bathroom. The bandage on her forehead covered a minor injury, insignificant to her, but the overpowering smell of rouge was intolerable. It was really the outlandish clothes that made her skin crawl.

The shower washed away the layers of makeup, revealing her radiant, stunning face beneath.

The phone was answered by a servant at Ming Garden who grumbled discontentedly, "Why did Second Master bring this eyesore here? It's bad luck. Who does she think she is? Just a wild child taken in by the old man, and now she expects us to bring her clothes?"

"If she's asked for clothes, just send them," interjected a fashionably dressed girl at the doorway, pointing to a bedroom. "There's a big teddy bear in there, a gift from my second brother. She likes unconventional attire, right? Strip the bear's costume and give it to her."

The girl who had appeared in the living room was none other than the Gu family's Fifth Lady, Gu Na.

Her parents, lacking influence, were on the fringes of the Gu family. But Gu Na was clever, aligning herself with Gu Mingfeng as her patron.

Nearly everyone feared Gu Mingfeng's disfigured visage, and she was no exception. Yet, to secure her place in the Gu family, she swallowed her revulsion and made frequent visits to Ming Garden, even claiming a bedroom for herself.

Her efforts paid off, earning Old Master Gu's affection. He saw her as a sensible child and showed her favor.

But there was a nagging thorn in Gu Na's side: Lin Qingwan. In her eyes, the old man's affection for her paled in comparison to his fondness for Lin Qingwan, the adopted Ninth Lady who seemed to overshadow even her, the Fifth Lady.

Upon hearing Gu Na's words, the servants eagerly chimed in with flattery. "The Fifth Lady is right; that eyesore looks revolting no matter what she wears. Perhaps dressing her in a big bear's outfit might actually improve her appearance."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go and change her into it," Gu Na said with a sly smile.

The servants quickly removed the bear fur coat from Gu Na's room, laughing heartily when they discovered the attached tail, and then headed to Lin Qingwan's room.

Gu Na didn't immediately follow. She thought it was the perfect time to summon Gu Mingfeng so he could witness Lin Qingwan's repulsive and foolish behavior. Ideally, she would have Lin Qingwan expelled from the Underworld Garden on the spot.

Without even knocking, the servants barged into Lin Qingwan's room, where she had just emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a voluminous snow-white bathrobe.

The sight of Lin Qingwan stopped them in their tracks. Her skin was as white as snow, her features stunning, and her gaze icy and piercing. She radiated an air of nobility and grace that made them feel deeply inferior.

"You're that ugly..." one maid began, but quickly corrected herself, "You couldn't possibly be the Ninth Lady, could you?"

Lin Qingwan's cold gaze settled on her. "Where are the clothes I asked for?"

The maid, clutching the big bear's fluffy coat, suddenly found herself too intimidated to hand it over.

Lin Qingwan's icy stare swept over the garment in the maid's hands, sending a wave of chill through the room.

The maid involuntarily stepped back, overwhelmed by the surreal realization that the Ninth Lady, once thought weak and mad, seemed capable of deciding her fate in an instant.

The maid who had retreated bumped into someone at the door. Turning around, she saw Gu Na standing there, with Gu Mingfeng by her side.

Gu Na had intended for Gu Mingfeng to witness a farce, but to her astonishment, Lin Qingwan, free of her heavy makeup, was breathtakingly beautiful.

A lotus emerges from clear water, such beauty!

Everyone was stunned by Lin Qingwan's looks, except for Gu Mingfeng, who remained unimpressed and slightly annoyed. He addressed Lin Qingwan, "Aren't you going to change? Or are you trying to make a spectacle of yourself?"

Lin Qingwan's eyes fell on the maid, swiftly taking the oversized bear coat from her grasp. Her lips curled into a frosty smirk as she said, "I requested a few articles of clothing, and this is what they've come up with for me!"