"What a handsome young man! Come with me for a drink, and you'll get your share of the benefits."

On the street, several thugs were approaching the two young masters, their lewd and wanton laughter disgusting everyone who heard it.

Many people saw it, but few dared to intervene and instead walked around them.

The young master in front mustered his courage and shouted, "How dare you! This is the son of the Prime Minister! How dare you be so rude!"

Several thugs burst into laughter, as if they had heard something amusing. "You're supposed to be the sons of the Prime Minister? I think you're clearly two young women. Get out of my way, you little ladies in the back, come out here."

Upon hearing this, the young master panicked. "Miss, they've figured it out! What should we do?"

The young master behind her was also flustered, but she was clearly much calmer than the one in front. However, for a moment, she didn't know what to do.

Just as the thugs were getting closer, a man in white descended from the sky, pulled back the thug who was about to touch the young master, and punched him in the left eye.

The thug cried out in pain, covering his eyes. Seeing who it was, he waved his hand and shouted fiercely, "Go! Kill him!"

"Ah—" The thugs raised their fists and charged at the man in white. The man sidestepped, turned around, and moved lightly in a few steps, easily avoiding them. Then he turned around and leaped up, kicking the thugs in the head.

The thugs didn't even get a good look at the person before they were kicked away, crashing to the ground, onto stalls, and against walls, howling in pain.

"Great!" The crowd around them all applauded.

Seeing that they couldn't win, the thugs helped each other to their feet, uttered a harsh threat, and then ran away.

The man in white approached the two young men and asked with concern, "Are you two ladies alright?"

"Dong'er thanks you for saving her life, young master."

The two women disguised as men were Qiao Dong and her maid Yu Ya. Qiao Dong stepped forward to thank her for saving his life, but when he looked up, he was stunned.

The man in white was handsome and had a gentle demeanor. His gaze was always polite, but when he saw her, he was stunned, and his smile deepened.

"Miss Dong'er, there's no need for such formalities."

A deep, slightly magnetic voice woke her up. Qiao Dong's throat felt a little sore, but she swallowed and felt a bit better before saying, "It's nothing. May I ask how you are addressed, sir?"

"You may call me Mu Yan, young lady."

Qiao Dong savored the name Mu Yan. She hadn't called it that in a long time, and as she was about to say it, she felt a surge of emotion and wanted to cry. She took a deep breath, smiled, and nodded, "Young Master Mu Yan."

Mu Yan smiled slightly, "Where would you like to go, young lady? I'll escort you there."

"I want to go home, please help me, Young Master Muyan."

"You flatter me, young lady."

The two turned to leave when a clear, girlish voice came from behind, "Fourth Sister, you're leaving just like that?"

Qiao Dong's heart sank, and all her romantic feelings vanished without a trace.

The three turned around and saw a girl in a blue dress and a veil walking calmly toward them.

When Qiao Dong saw that it was Qiao Qiu, even though she harbored a lot of hatred in her heart, she couldn't show it at this moment. She took a deep breath and curtsied to her, "Third Sister."

Yu Ya also bowed, "Third Miss."

Mu Yan sized up Qiao Qiu. He'd heard a hint of a smile, a touch of detachment, and a hint of gentleness in her voice earlier, and he'd wondered what kind of beauty she was. Now, seeing her in person, meeting those star-like eyes, he was truly amazed. Although he hadn't seen her in full, since she was Dong'er's older sister, her appearance must be quite striking.

Qiao Qiu glanced at Mu Yan without any emotion, then looked at Qiao Dong, "Fourth Sister, have you forgotten all the family rules?"

Yu Ya immediately stepped in front of Qiao Dong, looking at Qiao Qiu with hostility. "Third Miss, which family rule did our young lady break? Please don't bully our young lady because she is honest."

Qiao Qiu chuckled lightly, "The sixth rule of the family is to be open and honest. You and your servants came out dressed in men's clothing. Although I don't know what you were doing, it was certainly to cover yourselves up. How can that be considered open and honest? You think you can go back dressed like this? Aren't you afraid of being punished by Grandma? I'm more afraid of Grandma being angry. Come with me."

"Third Miss, you're just nitpicking," Yu Ya said angrily.

Qiao Qiu turned around and said calmly, "If I were one of you, I'd rather dress up as a maid than go out in men's clothing. The difference between men and women is obvious at a glance. Do you really think everyone on the street is blind?"

Yu Ya wanted to say something, but Qiao Dong stopped her and said softly, "Third Sister, I'll go with you."

Mu Yan watched Qiao Qiu's retreating figure with amusement. This girl was really sharp-tongued, but every word she said made sense. He shouldn't interfere in the sisters' affairs, but since he had promised to give them a ride, he had to keep his word. Besides, it was really worrying to see these three young women walking around in women's clothing.

Qiao Dong harbored a deep resentment towards Qiao Qiu. She had returned for revenge and had no intention of having anything to do with Mu Yan again. Now, things had taken an extra step, and who knew what might happen next? In her previous life, it was "thanks" to her that Mu Yan developed feelings for her, and in the end, she herself fell for him, resulting in unrequited love.

Qiao Dong had no idea that Qiao Qiu knew everything, even more than she did.

Mu Yan, the Third Prince of the current dynasty, whose given name is Zhao Yucheng and courtesy name is Mu Yan.

Zhao Yucheng first met Qiao Dong around this time, but he didn't know what she looked like in women's clothing, so he didn't pay much attention. It wasn't until the talent show, when he saw her in women's clothing, that he fell in love at first sight. Qiao Dong, however, always believed that Zhao Yucheng only fell in love with her after spending time with her.

Qiao Dong wanted to avoid this ill-fated relationship so badly, but Qiao Qiu wouldn't let her have her way. Now that she knew about it, she would seize the opportunity and make that 'first glance' come sooner. There were still five days until the talent show, wouldn't it be great if something happened in those five days?

Upon arriving at the clothing store, Qiao Qiu raised an eyebrow, her bright eyes smiling, and led the three inside.

As soon as Qiao Dong entered, she stood to one side, looking like an obedient younger sister who let her older sister make all the decisions.

She did this because she was certain that Qiao Qiu, who was guileless and bullied her, would choose the ugliest outfit for her.

With this mindset, Qiao Dong remained very stable.

Qiao Qiu walked slowly, her eyes scanning the clothes one by one, finally settling on a pale pink dress. The dress was very simple, embroidered only with light blue-green leaves, and didn't look as pretty as the other styles.

She pointed to the item and said, "Boss, take it down."

"Young lady, you have excellent taste! This dress is simple, but beautiful," the shopkeeper said as he picked it up, enthusiastically promoting the garment.

Qiao Qiu impatiently interrupted the boss, "Get me another set of maid's clothes, and give them to them along with this one."

"Yes, yes, yes." The boss was very perceptive and quickly took the clothes and handed them to Qiao Dongyu and Ya, pointing them to the place to change.