Chapter 81: A Nameless Flame

Words : 816 Updated : Sep 26th, 2025

Yan Wuxu asked without intending to pry, but Su Ziceng was stopped in her tracks by the question, uncertain how to explain. Telling any normal person about her rebirth would surely make them think she was mentally unstable. She pretended not to hear and took out a few outfits for Yan Wuxu to try on, including a pastel-colored evening gown, which would certainly suit Yan Wuxu very well. While Yan Wuxu was still changing clothes in the inner room, Su Ziceng sat in the outer room waiting. Was her transformation really that noticeable? Su Ziceng looked at the photo of her sixteen-year-old self on the nightstand; her smile and demeanor were once arrogant and unapproachable. Even Yan Wuxu, who had only known her for a few months, could see her difference. Could Hang Yishao and Chang’s mother and daughter, or even Su Qingzhang, whom she had known for many years, fail to notice it? Before her rebirth, Su Ziceng was as ostentatious as fireworks during celebrations, always wanting to leave a vivid impression on everyone’s heart. Now, all she wanted was to quietly survive. During the wait, Su Ziceng’s gaze fell back on the nightstand. Her nightstand was made of peach wood, and on top of it were textbooks she had brought back from school a few days before. At a casual glance, Su Ziceng noticed that the placement of her textbooks was off; it seemed as if someone had gone through them. She clearly remembered that she had a classroom note sandwiched inside her French textbook, but now, that note had vanished. Someone had gone through her things. Aside from regular cleaning, the servants were not allowed to randomly sift through her room. She cautiously scanned her room once more. The empty boxes of new products she had brought back from Sister Mu a few days earlier all showed signs of being tampered with. Following the displeasure, a strong sense of unease swiftly ensued. Because of this sudden discovery, Su Ziceng felt restless and unsettled. The household, including the chauffeur and the butler, had undergone a series of changes, and even the preparation of dinner required Chang Mei’s approval. Had she begun to sabotage earlier and more quickly than before? What was accelerating Chang Mei’s actions? "That’s not right," a voice in Su Ziceng’s heart questioned. "Maybe she has been doing it all along; it’s just that you were naive like a greenhorn back then, readily accepting her commands without question." She was both relieved and worried about her own early awakening. Relieved that she had perceived it early, yet anxious about how to reclaim authority from Chang Mei’s grasp. "Ziceng," Yan Wuxu emerged from the inner room with a delighted expression, looking completely revitalized from head to toe, prompting Su Ziceng, even as the same gender, to praise her openly. "Cinnamon pink, it suits you very well," Su Ziceng genuinely complimented, having developed a keen sense of fashion and coordination under Sister Mu’s guidance, as had Yan Wuxu. The soft pink dressed Yan Wuxu’s petite frame more elegantly. A rose gauze shawl half-concealed her chest, with a slender waist that could be spanned by the hands, and a pair of matching strappy heels elongated her straight legs. "Just sweep your hair up and pair it with a diamond necklace, and you will be flawless," Su Ziceng said while offering to help Yan Wuxu with a new hairstyle. Just as Su Ziceng was about to style Yan Wuxu’s hair, revealing her ears, Chang Mei’s voice inquired from outside the door, "Ziceng, your father asked me to check on how the preparations for tomorrow’s opening banquet are coming along." Su Qingzhang was out tonight, and Chang Mei returned home alone. Hearing that Su Ziceng had brought a friend over, and recalling Su Qingzhang’s previous loss of composure, she found an excuse to come up and snoop. One doesn’t slap a smiling face, and as Chang Mei asked politely, Su Ziceng also did not dare to overtly snub Chang Mei in front of Yan Wuxu. Moreover, with Chang Mei in the shadows and herself exposed, she had to be extra cautious; polite pretenses were vital. "You’ve come at the right time; why don’t you help me see how Wuxu looks in this outfit? Does it suit tomorrow’s event?" Su Ziceng put on a rare pleasant face, to which Chang Mei responded, but internally she was still attentive to Su Ziceng’s expressions. At one glance, Chang Mei was a bit stunned. Su Ziceng was someone she had watched grow up; after starting high school, Su Ziceng began emulating others, wearing heavy makeup that hid her naturally gentle features. Since she had never shown Chang Mei any kindness, Chang Mei barely paid her any heed. But today, although her hospitality was feigned, when Su Ziceng spoke, she did so with a smile, and her demeanor was particularly lively.

Chapter 81: A Nameless Flame

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