Having sent her servant to hire a carriage, Duan Mingxi listened closely, realizing there was more than one person approaching. Unsure of the situation, she decided it was best to stay hidden for now.
Just as she concealed herself, she overheard a familiar voice. “Weiwei, you know my heart is only for you. That day wasn’t a marriage meeting at all. And even if it were, how could I ever consider that girl from the Dingyuan Marquis family? She’s not even worth one of your fingers…”
“You don’t need to explain, Gao Zhan. Since you’ve already been considering someone else, from now on, let’s cut ties. That Miss Duan—I’ve only caught a distant glimpse of her today, but she truly is a beauty. It’s understandable you’d fall for someone else.”
“Her beauty means nothing to me. I didn’t even look at her properly that day. In my heart, you are the most beautiful woman in the world.”
Duan Mingxi froze for a moment before fury overtook her.
She had already decided to let it go—her vendetta of burning the Duke Gao family manor in her past life had been fulfilled. In this life, she only wished for peace, as long as the Gao family didn’t try to scheme against her.
But to overhear such a conversation?
She remembered clearly that Gao Zhan’s true love was Bai Zhiwei from the Duke Zhen household. The Gao and Zhen families had opposing political views, clashing frequently in court.
Because of this, their union was fraught with obstacles, as both families did their utmost to prevent it. In the end, Gao Zhan married Duan Mingxi, while Bai Zhiwei wed Xu Heng, the shizi to the Duke Wei household.
Later, Xu Heng died in battle, leaving Bai Zhiwei a widow. After helping the crown prince ascend the throne, Gao Zhan tried to marry Bai Zhiwei.
Their love story was undoubtedly dramatic. But what was her fault in all this?
When Duan Mingxi thought of this, a wave of anger surged in her chest, and she recalled those ten years spent in Duke Gao’s mansion.
She had been nothing but a joke!
Now, even though the marriage negotiations between the two families hadn’t been made official, these two had already stopped hiding their disdain for her in their words.
What did Bai Zhiwei mean by calling herself a beauty? Wasn’t she mocking Gao Zhan for being swayed by appearances while also sneering at her, implying she was only capable of charming others with her looks?
A burst of rage, accumulated from both her past and present lives, erupted within Duan Mingxi. She stepped out from her hiding spot around the corner and fixed the pair with a cold glare.
Both Gao Zhan and Bai Zhiwei’s expressions immediately changed.
Bai Zhiwei’s hand, clutching her handkerchief, trembled as the veins on the back of her hand stood out. Her face shifted between pale and dark hues, reflecting a mix of embarrassment and panic at being caught, along with anger at being eavesdropped on.
Gao Zhan, noticing Bai Zhiwei’s pale face tinged with alarm, immediately turned on Duan Mingxi in anger. “Why were you eavesdropping on us?”
“Pah!” Duan Mingxi spat harshly. She had wanted to do this in her past life!
“Who was eavesdropping on you? I was walking along minding my own business, only to have some vile people badmouthing me behind my back. What terrible luck to run into such scum as you!”
She first lashed out at Gao Zhan, then turned her gaze to Bai Zhiwei. “Young lady, I have never been involved with the Shizi of the Gao family. I don’t care what your relationship is with him, but don’t go around tarnishing others’ reputations behind their backs.”
“Who are you cursing?” Gao Zhan roared.
“Whoever spreads rumors behind my back, that’s who!” Duan Mingxi glared at him, her brows furrowed with fury. “Despicable people will get their comeuppance; foolish people are beyond saving. Someone as lowly as you—I wouldn’t want you even if you came begging!”
Hearing Duan Mingxi’s cutting words, Bai Zhiwei couldn’t hold back. “Miss Duan, this is just a misunderstanding. Why must you speak so harshly?”
“Oh? And when you were talking about others, did you remember not to be harsh? I’ve never been involved with Gao Zhan, so what’s the purpose of smearing my name? If you two don’t make this clear, I won’t let this go!”
In her past life, Gao Zhan and Bai Zhiwei’s clandestine affair was an open secret. Yet their reputations remained spotless, untarnished by the scandal.
The illustrious and noble heir, Gao Shizi, and the renowned talented lady of the capital, Bai Zhiwei, emerged from their actions unscathed in reputation.
Only she, Duan Mingxi, fell into the mire, becoming a pitiful figure for anyone to trample on.
This life, no way!
As Duan Mingxi’s sharp words left her lips, the expressions of the pair across from her shifted instantly.
Gao Zhan sneered. “Duan Mingxi, don’t think that just because you’ve been accepted back into the Dingyuan Marquis household, you can do whatever you want. To me, the Marquis’s household is nothing. Do you really think they can back you up?”
“Oh, how impressive, Gao Shizi! If you’re so capable, why don’t you marry your beloved and stop parading your arrogance here? Only incompetent men bully the weak!”
“Miss Duan, you’ve misunderstood. There’s nothing between Gao Shizi and me,” Bai Zhiwei said, finally understanding that Duan Mingxi was sharp-tongued and not someone easy to deal with.
“I don’t care what you two are. If you dare drag me into your mess and ruin my reputation, don’t blame me for retaliating,” Duan Mingxi said with a cold laugh, her gaze drilling into Bai Zhiwei.
Seeing that Duan Mingxi was about to leave, Gao Zhan reached out to stop her.
Duan Mingxi’s expression darkened as she suddenly shouted, “Help! The shizi of the Gao family is trying to kill me to silence me!”
Gao Zhan’s vision blackened with fury, and he nearly exploded on the spot.
Bai Zhiwei’s face turned ghostly pale as she grabbed her skirts and tried to flee.
But Duan Mingxi had no intention of letting her escape. Hearing approaching footsteps, she pretended to be so frightened that she fainted, conveniently collapsing right onto Bai Zhiwei.
Bai Zhiwei shrieked in shock as the unexpected weight knocked her down, sending both women sprawling to the ground.
“What happened here?”
“What’s going on?”
“Oh, it really is Gao Zhan, the shizi of the Gao family!”
“And two young ladies? Gao Zhan, what are you up to?”
A chorus of voices erupted, making it impossible for Gao Zhan to explain. No matter how many mouths he had, he couldn’t talk his way out of this.
Among the crowd, Duan Mingxi recognized several faces from her past life. The most vocal was Liu Yan, the young heir of Duke Rong household, who happened to be Gao Zhan’s nemesis.
In her previous life, Duan Mingxi had been utterly disgusted by these two people. Now that she had a chance, there was no way she would let them off.
Without missing a beat, she pulled out her handkerchief and started to weep, speaking quickly as she recounted the entire incident. She left no gaps for Gao Zhan or Bai Zhiwei to interrupt or defend themselves.
Even if it meant earning a reputation for being brash, she couldn’t let herself tread the same path as her past life, where these despicable two made her sick to her core.
“You’re spouting nonsense! Duan Mingxi, you’re just bitter because I rejected the marriage proposal without hesitation last time. That’s why you’re dragging Miss Bai into this. How could you be so malicious and ruin someone else’s reputation?”
Duan Mingxi had always known Gao Zhan was despicable, but this truly opened her eyes. For Bai Zhiwei, he was willing to trample her into the dirt!
“Gao Zhan, you’re shameless!” Duan Mingxi’s eyes reddened, and her trembling hands betrayed her fury, though her face appeared deeply aggrieved.
“That last time I met with you was because our families’ elders happened to run into each other at Jinrui Garden. My mother never even mentioned the word ‘matchmaking.’ We just met by chance. How does that amount to matchmaking? By your logic, then everyone I meet today must also be considered a match, right?”
The crowd: …
“You’re like a dung beetle wearing a mask, or a hen climbing onto a rooftop—don’t you ever look in the mirror? With your ability to spew filth, twist facts, and slander others, I wouldn’t dare handle such ‘fortune.’ I’ll leave that for your beloved.”
Turning to glance at Bai Zhiwei, who was feigning unconsciousness to avoid the situation, Duan Mingxi smiled faintly and said, “Congratulations to you both—a perfect match, like jackals and wolves!”
This time, Bai Zhiwei truly fainted.
