Chapter 5: Return to Shen Garden

"Someone come quick! Miss Suier fell! Quick!!!"

"Oh dear! You little terror, you've done it now! You've done it now!"

[Ding —]

A clear, drawn-out chime, and Jiang Huashan's scattered gaze slowly sharpened into focus.

The Shen estate was in complete chaos — nannies and household staff scrambling over each other like ants in a kicked nest.

Jiang Huashan couldn't piece together what was happening. She stared around, half-dazed, at the commotion unfolding around her. A woman who looked like a younger version of Zhang Ma was gripping her hand, frantic, her mouth moving nonstop.

What was going on? Hadn't she gone down with that wretched book? Why was she back at Shen Garden? Was this a hallucination?

Zhang Ru saw that she was completely unresponsive and pointed toward the floor below. Jiang Huashan followed her finger and finally noticed the figure crumpled at the bottom of the staircase — the housekeeper and maids clustered around her, faces white with panic.

It was Fu Suier!

Had she failed to resist after all and been thrown back to the day of the confrontation with Fu Suier? What had happened to Fu Suier? Had the Book Spirit controlled her again?

The thought flashed through her mind. She spun around and seized Zhang Ru's hand. "Zhang Ma, hurry, call—"

The words left her mouth and she froze.

Her voice — why did it sound so young?

Not just her voice. Her hands... they were smaller too.

It was then that she noticed everything else that was wrong. Zhang Ma — no, she looked younger, barely past thirty. And the house, the furniture — all of it was different.

"Quick! Carry Miss Suier to the Winter Garden!"

The housekeeper had already called the family doctor. A bodyguard scooped up Fu Suier under the doctor's instructions.

Jiang Huashan stared. Fu Suier was smaller too.

Was it all a dream? Or had she truly gone back to the past?

Zhang Ru had been watching Jiang Huashan the whole time. This Miss Jiang — coddled by the old master, always lawless and arrogant — was now clutching her sleeve with a pair of soft, small hands, trembling. Zhang Ru assumed she was scared. Her heart ached for her, but she also felt a flicker of relief.

If she knew fear, it meant her nature wasn't rotten to the core.

Zhang Ru crouched down and softened her voice. "Miss Jiang, don't worry. Miss Fu will be fine. When she wakes up, go apologize to her, and she'll forgive you."

"Xiao Zhang, what are you doing? Shanshan is still little — if there's something to say, say it properly! You'll scare her being so harsh!"

Jiang Huashan was still in a daze when a force yanked her sideways. The sharp sting in her arm jolted her fully awake.

Pain. She could feel pain. This wasn't a dream?!

She looked down and saw a hand with crystal nail extensions digging into her arm — the grip was hard, the long pointed tips pressing into her flesh.

Jiang Huashan had a vague suspicion of who this was. She hesitated, then slowly raised her head.

Fang Mei hauled her close without so much as a glance at her. Her gaze stayed fixed on Zhang Ru across the way, expression gentle and warm — clearly waiting for a reasonable explanation.

Zhang Ru scrambled to clarify. "Madam, you've misunderstood. I was just worried. I had no intention of being harsh to Miss Jiang."

The smile on Fang Mei's face didn't dim by a single watt. "So I wronged you, then?"

Zhang Ru flinched and quickly shook her head. "Mrs. Jiang, that's not what I meant at all. It's just — Miss Jiang's behavior just now was too extreme. She... she pushed Miss Suier down the stairs. Thank heaven it was only the second floor and the housekeeper caught her, or the consequences would have been unthinkable. I was beside myself with worry and couldn't hold back from scolding Miss Jiang a few words. I meant well."

"..." The warmth in Fang Mei's eyes sharpened to glass. "Xiao Zhang, you can say whatever you please, but you'd better watch your accusations. Shanshan is my daughter — you think I wouldn't know her? She's timid. She'd never dare push anyone. It seems to me someone failed to do her job, and now that something's gone wrong, she wants to pin it on my daughter!"

"Mrs. Jiang!!"

Zhang Ru was stunned. Now she finally understood what people meant by a velvet voice and a viper's heart.

She started forward to argue, but the other maids — desperate to keep the situation from escalating — grabbed her and held her back.

Zhang Ru seethed, helpless. They were servants. Even if Miss Jiang had actually done it, it wasn't her place to say a word. She'd gotten a taste of how nasty Fang Mei could be. She had no choice but to shut up.

But Fang Mei wasn't about to let it drop so easily. She shoved Jiang Huashan forward and pointed at Zhang Ru and the other maids. "Shanshan, tell Mom honestly — did they fail to look after Suier and now they want to frame you?"

Jiang Huashan looked up. Fang Mei's eyes weren't on her — they were busy sending her pointed looks, cueing her to play along. She was silent for a moment. Then, expressionless, she raised her arm and shook off Fang Mei's hand.

"Shanshan, what's wrong?" Fang Mei hadn't expected her daughter — who had always done exactly as she was told — to defy her. She blinked, slow to process it.

Jiang Huashan turned to Zhang Ru. "There's nothing here for you. Go."

Zhang Ru blinked. Was... Miss Jiang sticking up for her?

The other maids exchanged glances, then pulled Zhang Ru along and made a hasty exit from the disaster zone.

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