Chapter 1, Why bother

Chen Rong stared at her, under the moonlight, her eyes were dark and bright, deep like a wolf's

Listening to the footsteps gradually recede, Chen Rong once again extended her sleeve to wipe away the sweat, turned, and walked to the table, kneeling down in front of the bronze mirror to face herself.

Looking at such a smile, Chen Rong appeared very satisfied. She stood up, picked up a horn comb from the table, and slowly began to comb her disheveled long hair

She clearly remembers everything she experienced later, yet her body remains at the age of fifteen

At this moment, the guards also clearly saw the two women. They exchanged glances and stepped back: Chen and Lady Lu have always been at odds with each other. Whenever they are together, it becomes quite lively, and they have grown accustomed to it

As it surged into the midair, under the illumination of the bright red flames, the handsome and imposing face of the young man bore an expression of astonishment that was difficult to conceal

All the madness, all the infatuation, all the obsession, all the hatred and pain, unexpectedly transformed into memories upon waking up from a dream

Lu Mei stepped into the courtyard when she suddenly heard a great commotion coming from the east wing. She turned around abruptly and saw thick smoke billowing from the east, with faint flames flickering.

The water is flowing, the water is flowing

In the sea of flames, Chen Rong did not respond; she merely gazed intently at her lord, laughing maniacally. She tilted her head back, spread her arms wide, her laughter hoarse, resembling both a long song and a great cry. As a surge of fire suddenly wrapped around her, her laughter, tinged with pain, grew louder and more frenzied.

It is another night of the full moon

In the attic, behind the gauze window, candle tears fall gently, and shadows lean against each other

The person in the mirror once again returned her an extremely radiant and brilliant smile

As the guards stepped back, Chen Rong flicked her long sleeves and turned to leave

This sentence, like a sword, pierced Chen Rong's heart with a bloody thrust

In the bronze mirror, the beautiful and youthful girl is gazing back at her with a pair of bottomless black eyes

"Nothing." The two women replied simultaneously.

The petite beauty clicked her tongue and laughed, saying: "After all the scheming, you ended up in a discarded state, Chen's A-Rong. If I were you, I might as well set myself on fire!"

I understand, please step back

She slowly raised her sleeve and wiped the sweat from her face

Chen Rong forced the petite beauty to take a step back

The petite beauty remained silent upon seeing her, and Gege chuckled, saying: "Indeed, I have heard that after the young master married you, he has never approached you. Tsk tsk tsk, what a pity that Chen's A-Rong, known for her exceptional talent and beauty, was disregarded by the young master even until she was cast aside!"

Amidst the sound of "crackling and popping," the eastern attic has collapsed by more than half, with only the western wall still standing, albeit swaying unsteadily. Thick smoke fills the entire courtyard. In the midst of the rolling flames, the woman in a flowing robe, with her long hair cascading down, laughing towards the sky, is none other than Chen Rong

Chen Rong's lips slowly curled up, revealing a set of fine white teeth. She gently said, "It has passed, and it will not appear again in the future, will it?"

Chen Rong faced the panic-stricken beauty, a cold smile appearing on her lips. Unbeknownst to her, she had already forced this beauty against a banyan tree trunk.

The scream tore through the night sky, and in the midst of it, Chen Rong sat up straight, her hand pressed against her chest, gasping for breath.

Upon thinking of this, Lady Lu let out a long sigh and walked towards her courtyard with no interest whatsoever

This year, she, along with all the people of Pingcheng, hurriedly migrated south due to the impending war, returning to their own clan, only to encounter that fateful calamity!

Ah

As Lu Meiren hurriedly ran, she happened to see in the direction of the main hall that her husband and his newly married wife were also running towards the eastern wing room

At this point, Chen Rong swiftly drew back the short sword with a whoosh. Just as the sword was sheathed, a series of hurried footsteps approached, and several guards shouted, "Who is there?" "Are there any assassins?"

The young girl in the bronze mirror is exquisitely beautiful; at this moment, her face is drenched in cold sweat, and her wide-open eyes still reflect lingering terror and madness

She stared at her and said coldly: "Originally, I intended to kill you with this sword. However, upon reflection, you, Lu Meiren, are exceptionally skilled at deception and are usually held in high regard by him. Keeping you around can still provide my sister with some heartache."

After hurriedly drinking a few words, she heard the gentleman asking those around him, "How did the fire start?"

The person in the mirror responded to her with a radiant smile

In the bright lights, the sound of laughter continuously resonates. That laughter is so joyful, so radiant, as if there is no pain in the world, and as if the spring flowers have always been in full bloom

In her unwavering gaze, there was a chilling darkness that instilled fear; the petite beauty instinctively took a few steps back the moment their eyes met

Just as the petite beauty let out a terrified scream, a flash of cold light appeared, and with a sharp "ding—", a short sword pierced through her hair, embedding itself deeply into the tree trunk, penetrating three inches deep

Amidst the venomous words, a waft of fragrance approached, and a petite figure stood beside Chen Rong. Following Chen Rong's gaze, she looked up at the pairs nestled together in the loft, and her lips twitched violently.

Amidst the urgent sounds of shouting and running, Lu Meiren's heart skipped a beat. She did not even bother to put on her outer garment and hurriedly ran towards the eastern wing—where Chen Rong's courtyard was located. Given that woman's fierce and ruthless character, it was possible that she had indeed taken her words to heart and set herself ablaze.

However, all the hatred in her eyes turned to delight upon seeing the stunned Chen Rong. A soft, delicate laugh rang out again, "Oh, isn't that your cousin? When you went to great lengths to push her out and forced your husband to marry you, you surely never expected that what is not yours will ultimately not belong to you. Your cousin has returned one day and taken back what rightfully belongs to her, hasn't she?"

In the copper mirror, she has a face that belongs to a girl of fourteen or fifteen, still not fully developed, with a youthful radiance that shines through her freshness

A flurry of hurried and chaotic footsteps came from the corridor, and a gentle and concerned voice emerged from behind the door, "A-Rong, did you have another nightmare?"

"It is the lady, no, it is Chen who drove us away, setting the fire herself."

Lu Meiren gazed at her departing figure, and for some reason, she suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold. She shivered, and at that moment, she couldn't help but think: a proud person like Chen, who is infatuated with such a heartless man, is indeed pitiable

With a sudden exclamation, Chen Rong, who had been in a daze, abruptly turned around

Three people arrived at the eastern wing simultaneously

The laughter grew fainter, gradually fading into nothingness

Chen Rong turned her back, took a deep breath, and replied: "There is nothing to report now"

She is still herself, nothing has changed. The only thing that has changed is time; the heavens played a joke on her, bringing her to a moment when nothing had happened.

Shut up

The petite beauty was taken aback, retreating while urgently exclaiming, "What do you want to do?"

The young master was clearly taken aback, and he hurriedly turned his head to look at Chen Rong in the sea of flames. A cold voice echoed in the night sky, "Chen Rong, why do you go to such lengths?"

However, it is no longer a delusion. Chen Rong smiled at the bronze mirror, gently caressing her face, and said softly: "In the past, you were stubborn and committed many foolish acts. Since the heavens have granted you a chance to start anew, then in this new game, it shall be you who holds the pieces and surrounds the opponent. Chen Rong, do you agree?"

Suddenly, she heard the commanding voice of her lord beside her, "Save him, save him—"

Chen Rong stood dazed under the banyan tree, motionless as she gazed at the two people closely entwined together, her lips having unconsciously pressed tightly together.

Lu Meiren rushed forward a few steps, suddenly raised her head, and her face turned as white as snow

After catching her breath for a moment, she got out of bed and, by the light of the oil lamp, looked at the bronze mirror on the table

Ah

The charming and beautiful woman spoke one sentence after another, her words sharp and venomous. However, no matter how much she mocked and ridiculed, the old rival who had been opposing her for many years remained silent. At this moment, the once fierce and malicious Chen Rong seemed to transform into another person. She merely stared blankly at the figures embracing each other behind the gauze window, motionless, her face ashen.

A soft and delicate voice suddenly came from behind her, "Is it you? Did the gentleman not abandon you? Why are you still here? Ah, I see, I see, in your desperate pleas, the gentleman agreed to keep you for a few nights.

Just as I stepped through the gate, suddenly, a burst of frenzied laughter echoed, a laughter that was hoarse and exhausted, filled with boundless pain, hatred, and regret

Chen Rong let out a deep drink, this drink was extremely cold, filled with a chilling aura. The petite beauty shivered, and indeed, she promptly closed her lips tightly in response

Lu Meiren's complexion was ashen, and she staggered backward a step! At that moment, an indescribable sense of pity and sorrow engulfed her

A woman's head emerged from behind the door, and she carefully gazed at Chen Rong's back, softly reassuring her: "There are my kin in the south, so you need not worry, A Rong"

Lady Lu stared in shock at the cold back of her lord, and in that moment, a bone-chilling coldness enveloped her. She hurriedly turned to look at Chen Rong, only to see her laughing even more forcefully. Yet as the laughter continued, Lady Lu clearly saw two streams of tears sliding down Chen Rong's face like pearls, dripping into the fire and turning to ashes! She saw even more clearly that Chen Rong, with tears streaming down her face, gradually transformed her frenzied laughter into a mocking chuckle. Amidst the painful laughter, Lady Lu heard Chen Rong cry out again and again: "Why must it be! Why must it be! Why must it be..."

She has returned to the past

She truly set herself on fire

The petite beauty let out a shrill scream

Upon witnessing this, the gentleman furrowed his brow, waved his hand, and coldly declared: "Since she wishes to die, let us grant her that wish." With that, he flicked his long sleeves and, without a care, turned to leave, abandoning the woman who was gradually being consumed by the raging flames behind him