"How dare she!!!! She is just a villainess and she's criticizing me?!!!! If I- the heroine is not here, she wouldn't have a clear identity. She should be grateful that I bestowed her with the role as a villainess. At least it's better that being an insignificant role like maid number 1 or maid number 2!", Mu Jiu Jiu swiped the teacups and teapot from the table. Her eyes red, her long nails broken. Her appearance is differed from usual. Gone was the innocent and kind expression. Wanting nothing but to shout and venting her anger, Mu Jiu Jiu stepped out and walk towards her room. Her head down hiding her face. From behind, her figure seems small and dainty. It was as if her rage was nothing but an illusion.

"Why is she so confident? I've made sure the rumors were spread around the kingdom. If she was not transmigrated then what is she?", Mu Jiu Jiu mumbled. She's biting her thumb until it is leaking droplets of blood.

'In any transmigration dramas, usually the villainess would be someone around the male leads. Shouldn't it be Li Xi Rui? But why is she behaving weirdly? Long Jie? Is Long Jie the male lead? But shouldn't male lead be the most powerful being? He is just the second prince. Beside, shouldn't he like me too? Ah!!!! I don't know anymore!', screaming silently, Mu Jiu Jiu tried to make sense of everything. This wasn't what she had in plan. Her plan was simple, gain a good reputation and become an empress while secretly enjoy a harem life. It shouldn't be that hard!

In the truth, Mu Jiu Jiu is very confused. Transmigration exist only in novels and dramas. She figured as she was an actress, it is most befitting for her to become a heroine in her drama. The heroine in any drama usually would be someone poor, innocent but very persistent. So after she has replaced the original Mu Jiu Jiu, she has aspired to become the heroine in any typical drama. In modern world, she got tired of being a villainess, a malicious person and even someone being ignored at.

While getting close to the crown prince, Mu Jiu Jiu slowly scheming her way to the top. She is constantly saving someone and make sure that everyone saw it. Then, as she chattered away, she will accidentally share a story. This story has similarities between two distinguished figure in the Qi kingdom. A typical story of political engagement between a prince and a cold talented lady. After the prince saved a pitiful lady, he began to learn what true love is. So, for his true love, he wanted to annul the engagement. But the talented lady become very vicious, she started to punish anyone who speaks highly about the pitiful woman and would secretly harm the pitiful woman. Naturally, Mu Jiu Jiu referenced this pitiful woman according to herself, and labeled the talented lady as a villainess. Tired of being a victim, this pitiful woman rises and beat the talented lady in every occasion; just like a phoenix rises from the ashes.

The story Mu Jiu Jiu spun around was just a story with a simple plot and very cliché at that. But for anyone who heard this story, it is a very simple love story where an unlikely person rises to beat an already talented lady and snatching the most wanted position, occupying it alone. It was not possible in their world. An engagement to the royal is not that simple to be broken off and men would surely have several concubines. The story has been very foreign and interesting. From the border to the capital, the story was shared numerous times and every time, the story become more romantic and the talented lady become very vicious. At the same time, Mu Jiu Jiu deliberately showed everyone how close she and Long Qing were.

And just like that, everyone realized that the popular story which has been circling around the kingdom was very similar to Li Xi Rui's, Long Qing's and Mu Jiu Jiu's situation. The public favored Mu Jiu Jiu while they scorned Li Xi Rui.

Li Xi Rui is a lady who looks like a flower but hiding a black heart!

A person with a black heart would look just as ugly as her personality.

Li Xi Rui is an ugly lady who tried to hide her vicious intention towards Mu Jiu Jiu!

A lady with a dark heart and is malicious is called a villainess.

Li Xi Rui is a villainess with an ugly appearance!

Such was the sequence of how the story had changed. By the time Mu Jiu Jiu and Long Qing travel back to the capital, not one person was unaware about the latest rumors. Strangely, the rumor about Li Xi Rui's appearance and her title as a villainess never change. Everywhere, people chanted about the heroine Mu Jiu Jiu and the villainess Li Xi Rui.

Just like the whispering game from her world, Mu Jiu Jiu bet everything in her scheme. This scheme required a lot of participation and the people in this world played right into her hands. With just a simple and intriguing story, Mu Jiu Jiu succeeded in blackening Li Xi Rui's reputation.

In Li Xi Rui's previous life, just like the story, Li Xi Rui become very vicious to anyone that slandered her. How could she stands there doing nothing while being mocked and ridiculed? Since Long Qing wanted to annul the engagement so much, Li Xi Rui refused to give up. Letting the engagement being broken was like smearing mud on herself. She wouldn't want to imagine Long Jie's gloating face when the engagement annulled. Rumor has it, that even the stone faced second prince; Long Jie was very friendly towards Mu Jiu Jiu. He even approved of Long Qing's and Mu Jiu Jiu's relationship. So, she stubbornly held her head high, while slowly being broken inside. Her nightmare begins then... her father, brother, her mother, her maids and servants and finally herself were destroyed. Everything was ruined until she opens her eyes in her second life.

But this fact was unknown to Mu Jiu Jiu. In her shallowness, Mu Jiu Jiu failed to consider everything carefully. She never thought that reincarnated into a drama happened just in her head. True, she was reincarnated, but her life now is not a drama. Their fates were not just a script she can write and erase as she pleases. The people are not just a role playing by someone. It's very real just as real as her life in her previous life.

Maybe, if she realizes this fact, their fates would be different.

But, that was just if she realizes that fact. As it is now, it was a hopeless sentiment.

***

After being angered by Mu Jiu Jiu, Li Xi Rui and QiQi had left to borrow the kitchen. QiQi had said that sage grass should be able to nourish Long Jie in his comatose state. Li Xi Rui had also wanted to prepare some honey since medicine tend to be very bitter. It should help sweetened the dark concoction. Even though Long Jie would not react to the taste, Li Xi Rui is not willing to let him drink bitter medicine. Wasn't it enough bitterness in life? So one should eat only sweetness. It is a play on words that Li Xi Rui likes very much. Food should alleviate hunger and provide comfort. Something healthy should not only taste bitter. If the taste is more tolerable, naturally one will enjoy it more. That was how much she cares for food. Every time she cooks, a smile would naturally form on her lips. It is no difference this time; tasting the mellow bitterness of the grass and the sweetness of the honey, Li Xi Rui smiles, "QiQi, look at this. If this concoction is ready, let's head back".

"Yes, it should be ready once it turned black like this", approved QiQi. Carefully, she helped Li Xi Rui scoop out the concoction from the clay pot into a small bowl decorated with floral drawing in blue.

At first, when she heard Li Xi Rui wanted to sweetened up the bitter concoction, QiQi had replied, "The sage grass tends to have a fast-acting reaction. If sugar cane was added, it would interfere with the medicinal effect as sugar have a tendency to spike when it is consumed. It would weaken the body of consumer".

"Then we could use honey instead of sugar cane. replied Li Xi Rui.

"It has slower reaction compared to sugar, it should pose no problem", said QiQi. She approved of using honey. QiQi has always learn by the book. She would not carelessly put any medicine with any ingredients just so the one drinking the medicine enjoys the medicine. If it's bitter, then one should just drink it if one wants to be healthy. But seeing Li Xi Rui caring for the master, QiQi also wanted to try being a bit more considerate towards her loved ones.

"QiQi, let's go", Li Xi Rui's soft voice pulled QiQi back to the present. With a small nod, QiQi held the small porcelain bowl and follow along in silence.

On their way back to Li Xi Rui's room, they had passed Mu Jiu Jiu's room, so unconsciously Li Xi Rui's mind wandered towards her. Mu Jiu Jiu had declared egoistically that she will become the future empress. It's not as if Li Xi Rui cared. All along, she never said that she wanted the empress position. That position just come with the engagement to the crown prince. It's like buying something and being gifted something along it.

'If that's how shallow she is; it would be hard for her to scheme something as big as wiping out an entire noble family. I had my doubt about the Phantom sect too', thought Li Xi Rui while taking small steps.

'No, it's possible that she might be someone else's chess piece. How stupid am I!', Li Xi Rui scolded herself. Just because Mu Jiu Jiu gained the greatest benefit in her last life, Li Xi Rui had been sure that Mu Jiu Jiu or the royal family must have been behind it. Wouldn't it be easy for them to pay the Phantom sect to destroy her family? But was it necessary? A complete destruction just because Li Xi Rui refuse to annul her engagement?

'How about the other way around? Mu Jiu Jiu and the royal family was just another chess piece for the phantom sect. She knows that the Phantom sect wanted the orb. If this was all because of the Phantom sect, then it all falls into places. How could I not see that connection before?', Li Xi Rui wanted to beat herself up. If that simple conclusion never crosses her mind, no wonder that she falls prey to the enemy's tune.

So what should she do now? If her speculation is correct, she needed to plan for the future. Her family members are growing and it was even more dangerous since Long Jie wanted to seek revenge from the Phantom sect. But there was a saying that 'if you want to hide at night, stand under the lamp'. If this is true then, the Qilin sect should be able to protect them.

While thinking seriously, a sound could be heard from inside Li Xi Rui's room. Since Long Jie is unconscious, it could be Jie Yi or another shadow guards. But a shadow guard wouldn't carelessly be making noise. Sensing something is wrong, Li Xi Rui quickly hasten her steps and push open the doors to her room.

*PAK* the door bumped on the wall and made a noise.

The scene inside the room shocked her, "What are you doing?! Put him down now!".

P/s:

follow me on twitter @HelloSugarSugar ... if I didn't update, you can contact me there.. Lol

So this is my cat. The quality is a bit bad since this is a screenshot of a video. yes, my mother send me videos of him . along with his kittens of course (I'll upload their pic sometimes later)

This is his normal face lol... Last time someone asked where was his face. Here you can see his face 😹

He enjoyed walking around my house a few times everyday. he hates human food and dislike pills. He can play fetch, give high five and low five. Another favourite of his is lying directly under the air-conditioner.