"Granted, Miss Ah Lian is indeed beautiful, but time has not been kind to her. I used to find her attractive, but now, seeing Miss Hanxiang for the first time, I realize what a heavenly beauty truly looks like. What’s more, she’s still so young!" A man gave a lewd laugh.
"Once you make a comparison, Ah Lian is certainly losing. After all, she’s no longer young, how can she compete with the youthful and tender Hanxiang? After spending so long in this world of decadence, she has lost all the innocence and brilliance she once had. I’m glad I made the right gamble."
"Hehe, I just heard that some fool staked a hundred liang on Ah Lian! The poor chap must be regretting it terribly now!"
The hall burst into a clamor once again. Hanxiang had just finished her performance. There was a palpable sense of an already decided outcome, as if there was no need for further competition. The crowd became raucous, their initial mood of calmly enjoying the performance had vanished.
Blushing with shyness, Hanxiang stepped down from the stage, feeling even more victorious inside. Sold to the Wanhua Tower at the age of six, by sixteen, she has endured ten years of strenuous training just for this moment of glory. For a decade, she has witnessed Ah Lian’s boundless fame, from her immediate success nine years ago to her long-standing dominance. In the capital city, even women of well-established reputation could not rival her beauty.
How many people have spent a fortune for her! How many have gone crazy for her!
Now, the limelight finally falls on her.
With a triumphant smile at the corner of her lips, Hanxiang asked in a slightly mocking tone, "Where’s Sister Ah Lian? Isn’t she ready to get onstage yet? If she drags any longer, I fear the guests outside might not want to wait."
The little maid serving her hurriedly replied, "Miss Ah Lian should be coming out soon."
As they were speaking, Ah Lian emerged from a room with several maids. She wore a fiery red long skirt that accented her looks with a bolder appeal, a far cry from her previously clear and clean appearance. At first glance, Ah Lian presented a surprising sight, particularly intriguing due to the sudden shift in her style.
Ah Lian raised her flirtatious eyes, adding even more charm underneath her glamorous makeup. This tender yet voluptuous temperament was something a young and immature girl like Hanxiang could not possess. This was the kind of charm exclusive to mature women, and Ah Lian had a knack for making it just right.
Beautiful yet not ostentatious, her coquettish eyes were like silk, overshadowing even Hanxiang, appearing pure and only sixteen.
Hanxiang treaded the old path of innocent and otherworldly beauty that Ah Lian used to follow. This fairy-like attire was not something she had never worn, but men have always been this fickle, only focusing on the new players and ignoring the cries of the old. They gawked at Hanxiang at this moment, drooling over her, forgetting how mesmerizing Ah Lian used to be and how they used to praise her as a celestial beauty.
Even this name, Ah Lian, was chosen to cater to these men’s tastes. She didn’t like this name at all. Lian? What was pitiable about her? With just a flick of her finger, she attracted loads of people to spend money for her. With a flirtatious glance, she could make these men willingly fall at her feet. Even the well-known maidens of the capital city couldn’t snatch the title of "City’s Number One Belle" from her in the past nine years.
She was pitiable? Surely not!
But she had no choice. The madam told her, "These men like weak women. So you chose Lian as a name to evoke their pity. The more they pity you, the more they like you.
But what was the end result? As time passed, even with her outstanding beauty, her glory spanned just nine short years. Once the glory faded, another woman took her place and continued to play the role.
This time, however, she wished to gamble again! Driven into a corner, whether she could rise again depended on this battle!
Ah Lian arched her eyebrows and smiled, "It’s rare for you to care about me so much. With such leisure, wouldn’t it be better to worry about yourself? I heard tonight is your debut. It would be quite a disgrace if the price for your night is not high enough."
Hanxiang felt an uneasy premonition at the sight of Ah Lian’s makeup and her eyes became more wary when she looked at her. "You needn’t worry about me."
"Of course I don’t worry," Ah Lian smirked, turning up a coquettish smile, then turned and left to ascend the stage.
Hanxiang’s face paled. She immediately turned around and pulled the always caring madam, "Mother! Look at Ah Lian! She dared to curse me!"
However, the madam stared at Ah Lian, dumbstruck. Ah Lian was her protege, and she was confident that she knew these girls like the back of her hand. The madam knew about Ah Lian’s beauty all too well, but it was the first time she noticed that Ah Lian could be this stunning.
She suddenly realized that the chess piece that she had resigned to abandon could still shine brilliantly.
The madam hastily walked from backstage to the front, fearing that she would miss Ah Lian’s performance. This beauty contest might take a turn after all!
"Next up is Miss Ah Lian!"
As the page announced the performer, the crowd in the hall didn’t settle down but were instead still engrossed in discussing Hanxiang’s celestial beauty just now. They clearly lacked the enthusiasm they once had for a face they had been watching for nine long years.
Or rather, this fervor had now shifted onto Hanxiang.
But as Ah Lian appeared on stage, clad in red and holding a fan half-covering her face, the whole hall collectively gasped.
"This, this, this is Miss Ah Lian?!"
Although Ah Lian was half-covered by her fan, only revealing pairs of seductive eyes, a glance from her seemed to have the power to mesmerize and captivate, making everyone’s breath hitch.
"Ah Lian will be giving a dance performance for everyone today, called ’The Drunken Imperial Concubine.’" Ah Lian smirked, her alluring eyes reflecting her smile, making them even more enchanting. Her voice was soft and seductive. Despite only being a short sentence, it felt like it was gripping at one’s heart.
The people in the hall seemed stunned, falling into eerily silence. They silently stared at this woman on stage who appeared starkly different from her previous self. After a moment of silence, the hall erupted into cheers, "Bravo!"
It was Ah Lian, but she was no longer the Ah Lian they knew.
"Is this really Ah Lian!? Did I see it wrong!? Look at her aura, it’s completely different from before. If not for her preintroduction, I would have thought she was some new girl!"
"Tsk, tsk, indeed Ah Lian is remarkable, those coquettish eyes, oh my, they are indeed a torment! Her entire face is yet to be revealed. I can’t imagine how stunning she would be then!"
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