At the registration area, sunlight streamed through the carved wooden window, dappling Jiang Hua in her dazzling red dress. The red, as fiery and vibrant as a raging flame, instantly drew everyone's attention and also seared Chen Xi's heart.
Chen Xi's steps froze involuntarily, a look of disbelief and deep-seated fear flashing in his eyes, as if time had stood still at that moment.
"Red dress..." she murmured softly, her voice barely audible, yet clear enough for Jiang Hua, who was standing right next to her.
This name, like an invisible sword, instantly pierced through her carefully woven disguise and tranquility.
Chen Xi clenched her fists so tightly that her nails almost dug into her palms, trying her best to suppress her emotions. The courage she had accumulated over countless days and nights seemed to be shattered at this moment by the flood of memories.
"Chen Xi, you and Jiang Hua knew each other before?" Chen's mother's voice rang out at the right time, carrying a hint of curiosity and confusion, breaking the delicate atmosphere.
Chen Xi forced a smile, her voice trembling slightly: "Oh, yes, we know each other." Each word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth, difficult and heavy.
She would steal glances at Jiang Hua from time to time, trying to read something from that smiling face, but she only saw a deep, unfathomable look and a hint of barely perceptible provocation.
"Chen Xi and I are very close!" Jiang Hua's words were light and intimate. She unabashedly reached out and wrapped her arms around Chen Xi's neck. The seemingly intimate gesture actually contained a hidden edge.
Chen Xi stood there blankly.
This gentle ring, like an invisible chain, instantly pulled Chen Xi back to the past she desperately wanted to escape.
The sounds of string and wind instruments, which she had wanted to throw away in the past, and the teasing of her patrons, seemed to surge in from all directions at this moment, making Chen Xi almost unable to breathe.
She felt the warmth on her neck, but it felt like being scorched by fire, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.
Chen Xi tried hard to maintain a calm exterior, but her heart was in turmoil.
She understood that it was no coincidence that the woman in red—or rather, Jiang Hua in her current state—chose to appear at this moment. She was reminding herself that no matter where she went, she could not escape that shared memory, nor could she escape Jiang Hua's all-seeing eyes.
She keenly sensed that perhaps, from the very beginning, the woman in red approached her, using her to kill Liu Shang, including secretly sending a message to Aunt Dongling to save her from the mistress of the Liu family and protect the child in her womb.
From beginning to end, it was a complex and interconnected scheme.
But right now, she couldn't care less about who had set this up.
The air around her seemed to freeze. Chen Xi could only grit her teeth and remind herself to stay calm. Now that she had survived to this remote place, and had changed her name for a new beginning, to escape the shadows of the past, she couldn't be easily manipulated again.
Even if that person is wearing red!
Chen Xi took a deep breath, a flash of malice crossing her eyes. She raised her head, trying to make her smile look more natural: "Yes, Jiang Hua, it's been a long time. I didn't expect to meet you here."
“I never imagined that we sisters would share the same interests and both become teachers at Yunxuan Academy!” Jiang Hua smiled sweetly.
"If I'd known you were coming too, I would have asked you to come with me!"
"Yes, it's good that you two girls can keep each other company on the road, so your families can feel more at ease." Chen Ma smiled and handed the two girls scholar's robes.
Upon hearing the word "family," both Chen Xi and Jiang Hua paused, their expressions turning somewhat unpleasant. Chen Xi curled her lips into a cold smile; for the two of them, "family" was probably a rare commodity.
Afterwards, Chen's mother explained the two's accommodations and meals. They listened carefully and walked side-by-side towards their lodgings. Chen Xi didn't want to walk with Jiang Hua, but the other woman's eyes seemed to say, "Try sneaking away, will you?"
Chen Xi remembered that she had noticed Jiang Hua had filled in "tea making and music etiquette" in the subject of instruction, so she said sarcastically, "Tea making and music etiquette are Jiang-jie's specialties."
Jiang Hua smiled slightly and replied, "I only know a little bit about it. In terms of skill, my sister is slightly better."
The two chatted back and forth until they arrived at their accommodation. Chen Xi went into her room and was about to close the door to change her clothes when Jiang Hua suddenly reached out and blocked her from closing the door. She came in, bolted the door, and shoved Chen Xi, forcing her to sit down.
"Red Robe, what... what are you going to do? This is Yunxuan Academy!" Chen Xi said in a trembling voice.
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