Kill That Transmigrator Woman - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Fuqu (Part 2)

Before long, Madam Cui and Cui Wanwan’s elder brother, Cui Heng, arrived in a hurry.
Father Cui had court duties today and most likely had not yet returned to the mansion.

Fuqu’s hair was a complete mess, her eyes red and swollen. The hair at her temple had been completely yanked out by Cui Wanwan, exposing a patch of pale white scalp.
This maid was usually quite delicate-looking and placed great value on her appearance. Now, looking like this, she must be crying her heart out whenever no one’s watching.

“Wanwan, what happened?”
Madam Cui, who had once been a noble young lady of a prestigious family, still maintained her dignified elegance even in middle age.

Cui Wanwan stood up and walked toward them, giving Fuqu a calm glance.
Fuqu shivered instinctively.

“Mother,” Cui Wanwan called out.

Madam Cui froze for a brief moment. Why did her Wanwan no longer call her A-niang¹?

“Fuqu secretly embezzled from my private coffer—she even took over the dowry I had spent years accumulating. I treated her sincerely all these years, only to have raised an ungrateful white-eyed wolf.”

In her previous life, Cui Wanwan had only learned at the end that she had been betrayed by those closest to her—her trusted maid Fuqu had long since been bought off by Wei Qingyu.
Though Wei Qingyu had not yet appeared in this life, she knew that when the time came, Fuqu would still be bought off and stab her in the back, dealing her a fatal blow, serving as the most crucial tool in slandering and destroying her.

From the moment she was reborn, Cui Wanwan had begun investigating Fuqu.
Right now, Fuqu was just a fourteen-year-old maid, yet already adept at scheming—not only had she been stealing her mistress’s belongings behind her back, but she also harbored delusions of climbing into the bed of the eldest young master, Cui Heng.

“What? Is this true?”
Madam Cui was shocked and turned to slap Fuqu hard across the face.

“Madam, she’s possessed by a demon! She’s not the Second Miss!”

“That I am Cui Wanwan is something my mother does not doubt—why should a mere servant like you presume to speak out of turn?”
Cui Wanwan looked at Fuqu with disdain and continued,
“I know you’re infatuated with my brother, but the ancestral rules of the Cui family clearly state that no descendant of the Cui clan may take a concubine. You can’t be a concubine—could it be that you actually dream of becoming his wife?”

“Now that I’ve exposed your thoughts, and you’ve been caught stealing, you fly into a rage and start slandering me, the dignified Second Miss of the Cui family. Fuqu, don’t you find your tricks both stupid and vile?”

Cui Wanwan’s gaze seemed able to pierce into a person’s heart, leaving no room for secrets.

How foolish.
The woman from the other world hadn’t even appeared yet, and her parents and brother were still the ones who loved and trusted her.
How could they believe the nonsense of a mere maid instead of their own flesh and blood? Impossible.

Fuqu, oh Fuqu—how could you be so sure that just a few words from you would be enough to succeed?

Upon hearing this, Cui Heng looked at Fuqu with disgust. He had always despised servants with impure intentions, and Fuqu happened to hit that exact nerve, making him loathe her all the more.

“Take her away. Lock her in the woodshed.”
Cui Heng raised his hand, signaling the servants to drag Fuqu out.

Fuqu collapsed to the floor, mouth slightly open, but not a single word came out for a long time. She knew there was no more hope.

She had thought the matter too simple. The Second Miss, who had always been easy to manipulate—how had she suddenly become so formidable…

In this world, a servant is just a servant. To challenge authority is no different than trying to climb the heavens.

After Fuqu was dragged away, Madam Cui stepped forward, took Cui Wanwan’s hand, and gently patted it.
“It was A-niang’s oversight, letting someone with such ill intentions stay by your side. I’ll go arrange for a few more simple-minded, honest girls to serve you.”

A mother knows her child best.

Cui Wanwan didn’t need to do anything—just standing there, Madam Cui could already tell this was her own dear daughter. There was no such thing as possession by some demon.

The misunderstanding had come swiftly, and it passed just as quickly.

The Cui family was a scholarly household—beating or killing servants was beneath them.

So, after being locked up without food or water for three days, Fuqu was sold off. Cui Wanwan hadn’t planned to take her life.

Fuqu was wicked, but not to the extent that she deserved death.

At least not yet.

In her past life, Fuqu had helped that woman slander Cui Wanwan deliberately, ruin her reputation. As one of the people she trusted the most, she had stabbed her in the back again and again, setting traps.

It wasn’t that Cui Wanwan had grown soft—it was just that, for a woman, being sold into a brothel meant a life of suffering. That fate in itself was harsh enough.

Cui Wanwan wasn’t someone who liked to endure things. But sometimes… she had no choice.

Slow torment—that’s what made it interesting.

And next… was Ling Xun.

What she wanted wasn’t Ling Xun’s life. After all, he was just one of the many straws that broke the camel’s back.

What Cui Wanwan wanted… was to crush his spirit.

To let Ling Xun taste disappointment again and again. To make all his longing remain just that—longing. A desire that could never be fulfilled, not in this life.

The morning dew sparkled like pearls, clear as jade.

Today, Cui Wanwan had taken great care in dressing up. Wei Qingyu was an ethereal beauty, and it was precisely that rare celestial aura that had bewitched Ling Xun.

So then… what if, before they ever met, Ling Xun encountered someone who looked even more like a heavenly goddess?

When true jade is placed before him, would a mere stone still catch his eye?

———

The young man sat on a crimson lacquered railing, one leg dangling and swinging lazily. A stalk of foxtail grass hung from the corner of his lips. His high ponytail was tied with a finely crafted black crown, adding a touch of nobility to his carefree appearance. From a distance, he looked every bit the unruly and proud youth.

Ever since that day when he had fled in embarrassment, he hadn’t slept well for several nights in a row.

Whenever he closed his eyes to sleep, the girl’s bright, charming smile lingered before him, refusing to fade.

At this age, the young man still didn’t truly understand what love was. But the first stirrings of affection felt like scalding water—burning his heart with restless unease—yet at the same time, like a gentle stream flowing through him, making his heart yearn and drift.

It was from this moment on that the young man finally, belatedly, realized—his little childhood friend was a rare beauty.

“Ling Xun.”
The girl’s crisp, pleasant voice called from nearby.

Ling Xun gave his head a frustrated knock.
“Am I hallucinating now?”
Was it really like those storybooks said—that shallow men, upon seeing a beautiful girl, would be bewitched, losing all sense and reason?

“Are you avoiding me?”
That sweet voice rang out again.

Ling Xun’s body jolted, and he whipped around in shock.

The girl stood smiling gently, dressed in a light moon-white gauzy dress. Her hair was held up by a pale blue jade hairpin, while the rest of her long black hair flowed freely down her back. A breeze swept past, gently lifting the tips into soft waves.

Only one thought remained in Ling Xun’s mind at that moment:
Spring waters reflecting pear blossoms—a glimpse of breathtaking beauty.

“Do I look good?”
Cui Wanwan smiled with pursed lips, her expression demure and gentle.

Ling Xun stared blankly at her for a long while before murmuring,
“Wanwan… why do you look just like a fairy?”

“Dummy.”
Cui Wanwan stepped forward and flicked a finger hard against his forehead.

“Ouch!”
The boy yelped, clutching his head in pain.

“Wow, not bad. Haven’t seen you for a few days and you’ve turned so pretty.”
Ling Xun grinned and slung an arm around Cui Wanwan’s shoulders.
“Come on, buddy. I heard there’s a new storyteller at the teahouse on the east side of town. We haven’t gone out to play in ages.”

They were childhood sweethearts who grew up together. If not for their different genders, they might as well have shared the same pair of trousers growing up.
This bond—they shared something no outsider could rival.

In Ling Xun’s heart, she was a younger sister, a dear friend, his closest companion in this life—just never anything romantic.
At least, not until recently, when he couldn’t stop his thoughts from wandering.

Like right now, standing so close to Wanwan that he could smell the soft fragrance on her body. It was warm and lovely—not overwhelming or sharp—far better than any scented pouch or balm.

Playful by nature, the boy didn’t keep his hands idle on the way to the teahouse. He plucked a sprig of pear blossom and teased the back of the girl’s neck with it, like dangling a toy in front of a cat, making her squirm and giggle from the ticklish sensation.

She hunched her neck like a little no-neck lucky doll—it was absolutely adorable.

Ling Xun burst into hearty laughter at the sight.

Cui Wanwan, not to be outdone, spun around, grabbed a handful of pear blossoms, and stuffed them into the boy’s mouth.
With a mouthful of petals, Ling Xun’s laughter came to an abrupt stop, nearly choking.

“Bleh-bleh-bleh!”
Cui Wanwan stuck out her tongue and pulled down her lower eyelids in a silly face, then bounced away, hopping and skipping.

With a smile tugging at the corners of his lips, the boy mimicked her, grabbing another handful of pear blossoms and chasing after her at an unhurried pace.

The two of them laughed and played, teasing and shoving each other in childish fun.