After her ninth miscarriage, she finally let her scumbag husband and her beloved get together.

The day before the ancestral worship ceremony, Cen Shichuan suggested that they go to the temple together to pray for the child.

Xu Wantang stroked her still flat stomach and agreed with happiness in her eyes.

She asked for two amulets, one for the child and one for Cen Shichuan.

Just as she was about to give it to Cen Shichuan, her foot inexplicably slipped, and she tumbled down the steps outside the temple.

Fresh blood stained the blue bricks along the hem of her skirt.

Just then, the Cen family came to add incense, and seeing this scene, no one cared about her.

Everyone is blaming her.

"What a jinx! I've never seen blood stains during the annual ancestral worship!"

"Get her down the mountain right now! She's bad luck!"

"She's pregnant and still so restless, she's really something!"

From then on, Xu Wantang became a sinner in the Cen family, and the Cen family would blame her for this whenever things went wrong.

They even punished her.

She lived a life worse than a servant in the Cen family.

Meanwhile, Cen Shichuan sat not far away, coldly watching everyone criticize her.

When she woke up in the hospital, she only briefly told him that the steps were slippery because they had been splashed with water, and that it was all because she was too careless.

Xu Wantang felt so guilty at that time that she couldn't sleep for nights on end.

Actually... the water was sprinkled on the steps by Cen Shichuan.

He wanted to make Xu Wantang isolated and helpless in the Cen family, so that she could only rely on him and listen to him.

Just then, Xu Wantang was pushed by the maid beside her.

"Everyone has gone into the temple."

"You guys go ahead, I'm just going for a walk."

Whenever Xu Wantang approaches the temple, she is reminded of that scene, and she even experiences a kind of stress response.

She was afraid that Cen Shichuan had set some kind of trap for her.

So she chose to stay away, avoiding the crowd, and went around to the back of the main hall.

Beneath the towering ginkgo tree, koi carp leisurely swim in the wishing well. At the bottom of the well is a jar filled with gleaming coins.

Xu Wantang took out two coins from her pocket, held them in her palm, and slowly closed her eyes.

"May I avoid everything in my dreams."

May all those children find good parents and live a peaceful and prosperous life.

After making a wish.

She threw it towards the bottom of the jar, and the coin fell outside the jar along the edge.

Undeterred, she threw away another one.

It remains the same.

"Seriously, since we've already come all this way to make a wish, can't you make it a little easier?"

"That's so hurtful!"

Xu Wantang was so unwilling to give up that she almost turned the bag inside out, but finally found a coin.

She repeated the wishing gesture, but only said one thing in her heart.

Same as above.

Then, after looking around, he tossed the coin.

With a thud, the coin fell steadily into the jar.

She finally smiled.

But before she could be happy for more than two minutes, Yunyou caught up with her.

"Xu Wantang, the Third Madam is looking for you."

"They're here."

Xu Wantang sighed and turned to leave.

Little did they know, this scene was witnessed by the people drinking tea on the second floor.

Cen Yuan leaned against the window, and heard his friend's voice beside him.

"What are you looking at so intently?"

Cen Yuan closed the window casually: "Nothing? Why are you here so early?"

Ji Yan took a sip of tea and said, "I just want to see if your third sister-in-law is really as beautiful as she is online."

"Too much free time," Cen Yuan said in a deep voice.

"Am I too idle? Or are you too idle? So idle that you meddle in other young couples' business," Ji Yan joked.

"..."

Cen Yuan remained silent.

Ji Yan was startled and almost dropped the cup in her hand.

Why don't you argue back?

"Let's get down to business."

Cen Yuan then got back to the main topic.

Ji Yan stopped joking: "Cen Shichuan has been getting very close to that dancer named Xina recently. She's the one who always wears a mask and creates a gimmick. But the gimmick has been very successful. She's very popular now, and Cen Shichuan is the sugar daddy behind her. He's been promoting her all the way from abroad to China."

Ji Yan is a lawyer whose cases involve various companies in Beijing.

They're better at getting inside information than anyone else.

Ji Yan continued in her confusion, "Didn't Cen Shichuan really love Xu Chuxue? Why did he go to Xu Wantang and then find a dancer instead?"

"Love?" Cen Yuan's eyes were deep and cold. "Does the Cen family have love?"

Ji Yan immediately understood and nodded, saying, "I'll investigate Xina's background. Be careful, I don't think this ancestral worship ceremony will be peaceful."

"With so many people not wanting me to come back, things are bound to be unsettled," Cen Yuan said calmly.

Ji Yan glanced at Cen Yuan, a smirk playing on her lips. "Oh, right, I found out something else too. I never imagined your little sister-in-law was such a hopeless romantic. She fell for Cen Shichuan at first sight, then became infatuated at second sight, and then her life was ruined at third sight... Ouch, it's burning me! What are you doing?"

Ji Yan shook his hand.

Cen Yuan's expression remained unchanged: "You talk so much. Let me pour you some tea to soothe your throat."

"You, you wouldn't..."

"No, have your tea."

After saying that, Cen Yuan got up and left.

Before leaving, he glanced at Lin Yue at the door and said, "Have someone replace the wishing jar in the pool with a bigger one."

"Hmm? Ah? Oh."

After a moment of confusion, Lin Yue nodded.

Ji Yan pushed open the window and looked down: "He even worries about this?"

Lin Yue gave a forced smile: "I'm starting to worry about this today."

Just then, a figure walked by downstairs.

Ji Yan waved his hand: "Little Jiu'er, long time no see."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jiu maintained a serious expression, wishing he could install wheels to run away.

"Hey, hey, why did you leave?"

"If you keep teasing him, how can he not run away?"

Lin Yue squinted and glanced at Lu Jiu's back.

……

Xu Wantang went to the guest room to see Lin Manzhi, who said she wanted to copy Buddhist scriptures to burn for the ancestors the next day.

Unfortunately, the scriptures are in the library.

So far away, so remote.

With nails that long, Lin Manzhi could barely hold a pen, let alone a lipstick, let alone copy scriptures.

Xu Wantang simply didn't believe it.

It's obvious they're not letting her rest, just giving her something to do.

But Xu Wantang had no choice but to do it, since in her dream she was the target of everyone's criticism here.

For now, it's best to remain obedient and low-key.

……

Library.

Xu Wantang pushed open the door and went inside. There were rows of chairs, which were probably used by monks to read books.

Lin Manzhi usually performs her storytelling on the second floor.

She went up the stairs.

As a result, they had only gone halfway when they heard the sound of the door locking behind them.

She rushed downstairs to open the door, but it was too late.

Apart from the sound of the wind, there wasn't even a footstep outside the door.

The location is so remote that even if you shout, no one will hear you.

Xu Wantang then realized that Lin Manzhi had ulterior motives.

Fortunately, there were lights around her, so she wasn't too scared.

But what exactly does Lin Manzhi want to do?

Just to lock her up?

But she didn't really have much of a presence in the ancestral worship.

Curious, Xu Wantang went upstairs and saw rows of bookshelves and a large table by the window.

Pens, ink, paper, inkstones, ballpoint pens, notebooks, and foreign language books were piled up from the table and moved under the table.

As you approach, you'll see a familiar-looking table lamp on the table.

This seems to be...

What are you doing in my room?

The man, dressed entirely in black and holding a book in his hand, stepped out from the shadows into the light.

He was like an immortal figure in an ancient painting, with a handsome appearance, a straight posture, and a cold and aloof gaze, like a snow-capped peak on a sacred mountain, always exuding an unapproachable aloofness.

It's Cen Yuan.

Xu Wantang stared blankly for a few seconds before snapping out of her daze, stammering, "Second...Second Brother, you live here?"

It’s over.

She seemed to know what Lin Manzhi was planning to do.