Chapter 9 Smooth Skin Beneath the Gauze…

Their return to the banquet hall together drew considerable attention.

“Is that your brother?” Cui Zhe asked Jin He. “He does look quite similar, but why did Mira come back with him?”

“Probably ran into each other outside,” Jin He replied, glancing briefly at his brother before looking away.

He simply didn’t want to see Jin Can, but harbored no suspicions about the two of them after all, he was the one who had taken Xia Mi La outside earlier.

Sure enough, shortly after entering, the two went their separate ways.

Zhao Taihe strode over to stand before Xia Mi La.

“That Zhao Taihe,” Cui Zhe commented again, “since when did he become so close with Mira?”

Jin He turned his gaze back toward Xia Mi La.

Zhao Taihe had already reached her by then.

He wore a Red Bow Tie today a flamboyant Double-Layered Bow Tie with a Red Gem pinned at its center, quite ostentatious.

In terms of overall attire, he and Xia Mi La appeared more like a matching pair when standing together.

Zhao Taihe’s hair was longer, usually falling loosely, but today it was tied back at the nape, fully revealing his handsome face.

He approached Xia Mi La, hands in his pockets, and asked lazily, “Where did you go?”

Xia Mi La lifted her head slightly, first looking at his Red Bow Tie, then meeting his eyes. “Did you need something?”

“Indeed,” Zhao Taihe curled his lips. “Wanted to ask about your plans tomorrow. How about going on a date with me?”

He seemed determined to carry through with the joke from that day in the VIP room.

“I’m Jin He’s fiancée,” Xia Mi La stated.

Zhao Taihe shrugged it off. “In our circles, engagements are just formalities. Do you really think you’ll marry and grow old together?”

His words didn’t provoke any reaction from her.

“Zhao Taihe, you seem to be getting carried away lately,” she said, tilting her chin up slightly. “Do you dare involve me in your rivalry with Jin He?”

As the fiancée of the noble-born Jin He, she had always been like a greenhouse flower beautiful, delicate, fragile… Yet recently, she’d gained a certain resilience, making her appear even more magnificent and dignified…

“Well…” Zhao Taihe studied her face and smoothly changed his tone. “Then how about we bypass him…”

“Bypass me what?” Jin He’s voice came from behind unexpectedly.

Zhao Taihe smiled at Xia Mi La, then turned around leisurely.

He and Jin He stood face to face, neither yielding, the atmosphere instantly tense.

“You have a brother now,” Zhao Taihe remarked with a laugh. “Does that mean I can’t casually pick a fight with you anymore?”

His smirk was thoroughly irritating.

“Feel free to try,” Jin He replied coldly. “I wouldn’t mind giving you a few bruises in front of all these people.”

“Save it,” Zhao Taihe chuckled. “If you want to ruin your brother’s banquet, don’t use me as an excuse.”

With that, he winked at Xia Mi La and walked away.

As much as he wanted to fight Jin He, doing so in front of so many people wasn’t a wise choice.

Besides, he’d found something more interesting now.

Watching him leave, Jin He turned back with a stern expression and asked Xia Mi La, “What’s going on between you and that guy?”

“Nothing happened,” Xia Mi La replied. “We just ran into each other by chance while picking out formal dresses that day.”

Jin He understood immediately that guy had worn red today specifically to provoke him.

“So who told you to wear red?” He redirected his anger toward Xia Mi La.

Xia Mi La hung her head without speaking.

Jin He looked at her, thinking of Zhao Taihe’s gaze earlier, and felt another wave of frustration with nowhere to vent.

The dress she wore today was indeed beautiful on her. It carried a dazzling vitality that drew everyone’s attention.

“Don’t wander around tonight,” he finally told her. “I’ll take you home after the banquet ends.”

“Okay.”

After that, Xia Mi La stayed only with Xu Lian Yi, eventually leaving early, and Jin He drove her home.

After returning home, Xia Mi La soaked in the bath, removed her makeup, and did her skincare.

Sitting in front of the mirror, she still replayed the day’s events in her mind.

She couldn’t quite understand how someone with Jin He’s personality became the male lead.

Not gentle, impatient, and not even particularly smart.

Not completely heartless either seemingly leaving some leeway for the female lead… probably why the original female lead couldn’t bring herself to cut ties.

Too bad she wasn’t the original female lead; that tactic wouldn’t work on her.

Just as she picked up a comb to tidy her long hair, Bai You Na stormed in furiously.

Her stepsister’s anger hadn’t subsided. Moreover, she thought that with neither Jin He nor Jin Can around, no one could save Xia Mi La here anymore.

“Hey, Xia Mi La,” she marched straight toward her, “you did that on purpose at the banquet earlier, didn’t you? You bitch, you made me lose face on purpose.”

She approached her and raised her hand to strike.

But Xia Mi La was faster.

Bai You Na didn’t even see her movements clearly when she put down the comb, when she stood up, when she made her move.

By the time she realized it, Xia Mi La had a tight grip on her hair.

The strands pulled at her scalp, hurting so much she grimaced in pain.

“Xia Mi La, are you crazy!?” Bai You Na shrieked. “Aren’t you going to let go?”

Let go?

Xia Mi La smiled.

Not only did she not let go, she tugged Bai You Na’s hair downward even harder. “Hey, you, why are you always shouting in front of me? It’s really annoying.”

Her voice was as soft as always, without much emotion, yet it made Bai You Na inexplicably nervous.

What’s wrong with Xia Mi La? She felt both shocked and furious, her heart pounding wildly. This wasn’t the Xia Mi La she knew.

How dare she lay hands on her! How could she!?

Bai You Na’s anger quickly overpowered her fear. She gripped Xia Mi La’s wrist tightly. “Were you pretending all along? You hypocritical bitch!”

“So you should’ve cherished it when I still treated you like a human,” Xia Mi La retorted, delivering a sharp kick. “Your mouth is too filthy, your manners need improvement. I don’t mind helping Mrs. Jiang teach her daughter better.”

Bai You Na fell to her knees from the kick, her hair still firmly in Xia Mi La’s grasp. The pain brought tears to her eyes.

“Let go already!” Fear now outweighed her anger as she screamed, “I’m going to tell Dad! I’ll definitely tell Dad and let him see your true colors!”

This made Xia Mi La laugh again.

As if hearing a particularly funny joke, she laughed with genuine delight, her laughter ringing pleasantly.

She gave Bai You Na’s head one final push before releasing her, then turned to grab her phone.

Bai You Na fell onto the carpet in fury, nearly driven mad with anger. She scrambled up and sat straight, ready to fight back.

Just as she was about to grab Xia Mi La’s nightgown, she saw her holding the phone right in front of her face.

A surveillance video was playing on the screen.

Within seconds, Bai You Na recognized it the footage from the day her dress was stolen, showing her throwing a tantrum and smashing things in the store.

Ah, right. Without the video reminder, she’d almost forgotten she had also hit someone that day.

In the video, she looked like a madwoman, uncontrollable even by several people as she kicked and punched the store clerk.

That clerk couldn’t even keep her dress safe getting beaten up was the least she deserved!

Damn it, she had it coming… Bai You Na bit her lip hard.

Though she felt no remorse, she knew this video must never reach her father.

Xia Mi La understood exactly what she was thinking.

“In this house, one parent is surnamed Xia, the other Jiang but your surname is Bai. You were always the extra one,” she stared into her eyes. “So, who do you think Dad will believe you or me?”

Bai You Na was well aware of this, which was why she always worked so hard to act obedient and well-behaved in front of Xia Ying Cai.

She absolutely could not let her father see this video!

With that thought, she reached out to snatch Xia Mi La’s phone and delete the footage.

But once again, she grabbed nothing but air.

Xia Mi La was like a cat toying with a mouse, watching her panicked expression with amusement.

Finally, satisfied, she reached out and lightly patted Bai You Na’s cheek twice: “So, from now on, stay out of my way. Got it?”

The gesture wasn’t forceful, but it was deeply humiliating.

Bai You Na swallowed her rage, not daring to say a word.

Leaving Xia Mi La’s room, she still felt dazed. She had actually been lectured by Xia Mi La.

Beaten by her, threatened by her… How could this be happening!

Back in her own room, her mother soon entered.

“Did you go see Xia Mi La?” Jiang Xiu Zhu asked. “Did you teach her a good lesson?”

Bai You Na: “…”

Jiang Xiu Zhu hadn’t even considered the possibility of failure, so she casually moved on.

“And Jin Can,” she continued. “Did you get a chance to introduce yourself to him today?”

Bai You Na: “…”

She remembered the icy glare Jin Can had given her in the lounge.

…Introduce herself, my foot. She didn’t dare.

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Xiu Zhu frowned. “Why do you look so out of it? Are you even listening to me?”

“Ah, I know…” Bai You Na replied impatiently. “Not today… I’ll try harder after school starts.”

Jiang Xiu Zhu nodded in approval. “Right, school’s about to begin. You’ll have more opportunities then.”

“Yes.” Bai You Na rubbed her sore scalp her leg, where she’d been kicked, also throbbed painfully. She nudged her mother toward the door. “Mom, I’m really tired today. Let’s talk tomorrow if there’s anything else.”

“Fine.” Jiang Xiu Zhu had her own makeup to remove and a shower to take, so she left without another word.

Alone in her room, Bai You Na kept rubbing her sore scalp.

In her mind, she cursed Xia Mi La over and over Damn that wretched woman! She went way too hard!

In another bedroom, Xia Mi La sat back down at her vanity.

Looking down, she noticed a few strands of Bai You Na’s hair still wrapped around her fingers.

She frowned, revealing a disgusted expression.

After tossing the hair into the trash can, she got up and went to the bathroom to wash her hands.

While picking up the soap, she couldn’t help but think: in her original life, her background had been similar, yet her relationships with others had never been this terrible.

So it goes simply being kind doesn’t mean others will think well of you.

Blind kindness only makes people see you as easy to manipulate, someone they can trample underfoot.

After washing her hands, she casually tore off the gauze from her arm.

The skin beneath was smooth and fair, without any trace of injury.

She had simply placed a Blood Pack inside the ornament in advance.