Zhao Ruyu's Choice
In the past, if Zhao Ruyu had been insulted like this by Zhao Rurui, she would not only have retaliated, but would have also cried and acted pitiful, trying to sow discord between Zhao Rurui and Zhao Jing'an.
But now she seemed lost in thought, watching the two leave one by one with a blank expression, before returning to her seat at the zither. However, she didn't play the zither anymore, but instead stared blankly into space.
Fushu was so angry at Zhao Rurui's words that her face turned red. She had been expecting her young lady to retaliate, but seeing Zhao Ruyu's expression, her heart sank.
Here we go again, here we go again, it's always like this.
Ever since the day she came of age, the girl had become very abnormal. She would often space out, and after pausing, she would practice the zither frantically. Her mother always felt that the girl was possessed and wanted to talk to the young master, asking him to invite a Daoist priest to take a look at the girl. But the girl warned her not to go, saying that she was just working on her zither skills and hoped to break through her own limitations.
But the girl was clearly acting strangely; she looked like she was possessed by a ghost.
Zhao Ruyu appeared to be in a daze, but in reality, she was having a mental conversation with the system.
On the day of her coming-of-age ceremony, Zhao Yuanliang and Zhao Jingli also arranged a ceremony for her. However, it was not as grand as Zhao Ruxi's. They simply invited two female elders from the clan to comb her hair and put on her hairpins, and then they had a meal together.
That day, Zhao Ruyu Gao Xing at all; on the contrary, she felt restless and uneasy.
In her past life, Fu Yunlang and she were deeply in love. The Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan couldn't resist her second son's pleas, and knowing that he was useless and many powerful families looked down on him; Zhao Ruyu, after all, was the adopted daughter of the second branch of the Earl of Suiping's Residence's family and the granddaughter of Wei Qiu, a third-rank official, so she was a suitable match in terms of status. Therefore, the Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan relented before her coming-of-age ceremony and agreed to their marriage.
The day after her coming-of-age ceremony, a matchmaker hired by the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence came to propose marriage.
But in this life, Fu Yunlang spent his days following the Fifth Prince around, managing business affairs, and had little time to be affectionate with her.
Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan felt that her second son was becoming more and more capable, and always wanted to find him a daughter-in-law from a noble family. The Zhao Family split up again, and Zhao Ruyu's status dropped from a noble lady to a commoner. The Wei Family was exiled, and Lady Wei was killed. Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan looked down on her even more and still refused to agree to let Fu Yunlang get engaged to her.
Before her coming-of-age ceremony, Fu Yunlang came to see her briefly and gave her a gift, without mentioning marriage at all. Zhao Ruyu knew then that this life was truly completely different from her previous one.
She had considered giving up Fu Yunlang and finding someone better, but looking across the entire capital, while there were many powerful and influential people, there were very few decent men. Even if there were, her status and position were insufficient, and she wouldn't have the opportunity to get to know them, so it would all be in vain.
She was just an adopted daughter from an ordinary family, not particularly beautiful, and her only talent was her slightly better musical skills. Being a student at the Capital Women's Academy might raise the social standing of an ordinary person, but it meant nothing to the powerful and wealthy.
Zhao Rurui's marriage was a cautionary tale. If she hadn't found a way to marry Fu Yunlang, she would have inevitably married a newly promoted but poor scholar. Not only would she have no further contact with the upper class and powerful figures, but she would have had to live a life of frugality and toil. By the time her husband finally achieved success, she would be old, and she would have to watch him bring in one young and beautiful concubine after another, enjoying wealth and luxury.
This is definitely not the life she wanted to live.
Worried about her future and fate, she was not Gao Xing on her coming-of-age ceremony.
Unexpectedly, God gave her such a great gift: a system suddenly appeared in her mind, saying it would help her reach the pinnacle of life.
At first, Zhao Ruyu was very scared, but when she saw the goods in the mall on the screen, she cried tears of joy. That night, she went to the courtyard to burn incense and thank God for his kindness to her.
She and Zhao Ruxi have both been reborn, so what's wrong with having one more supernatural thing now? As long as it can help her achieve a bright future and allow her to enjoy wealth and glory, she can accept any amount of supernatural things.
"Host, look, in less than ten days you've accumulated over two hundred points. Soon you'll be able to buy things in the shop. A happy life and becoming a winner in life is just around the corner. Keep it up, host." A highly tempting voice rang in Zhao Ruyu's mind.
At first, Zhao Ruyu was very scared when she heard this voice, but now she has gradually gotten used to it.
"Could I take one more look at the items in the store? Just one more look, and I'll have the energy to play the piano again," Zhao Ruyu said.
The system immediately unfolded the light screen to show her.
Compared to Zhao Ruxi's system, this system's marketplace is like comparing a deluxe version to a rudimentary one. Zhao Ruxi's system initially had only one item displayed on the entire screen. After selling the Great Strength Pill," there was nothing left; the entire screen was bare except for the points.
Zhao Ruyu's room was filled with a dazzling array of items, all of which were the things that Tongzi had told Zhao Ruxi about.
However, the prices are slightly different.
The cheapest item is the Beauty Pill, priced at 10,000 points, the same as Zhao Ruxi's. However, the Beautiful Voice Pill has risen to 20,000 points; the Agility Pill and Great Strength Pill that Zhao Ruxi took are now priced at 40,000 points in this shop; the Pitch Discrimination Pill and Color Discerning Pill are still priced at 80,000 points; and the Slenderness Pill and Gracefulness Pill are priced at 90,000 points.
Although Zhao Ruyu was a fake heiress, she had grown up in a luxurious household, where she only needed to instruct her maids and servants to ask for anything she needed. She had no idea that one could bargain when buying things. Even if she did, given that she believed the system was a deity, she wouldn't dare to even entertain such a thought.
Haggling is absolutely blasphemous to the gods.
Furthermore, of all the goods, the one she wanted most was the Beauty Pill Beauty Pill. It was currently the cheapest. She could earn six points for playing a single piece of music. Playing twenty pieces a day would earn her one hundred and twenty points. Given time, buying the Beauty Pill and becoming the most beautiful woman in the capital wouldn't be a dream.
Having become the most beautiful woman in the capital, although she would still be affected by the constraints of her social status, it became much easier for her to find a good marriage partner. She no longer had to be hung up on Fu Yunlang.
So, starting from the second day after her coming-of-age ceremony, she took leave from attending the Capital Women's Academy and instead practiced the zither diligently at home.
She had at least won third place in a piano competition, earning six points for each piece she played. With a little more effort, she could buy Beauty Pill. She had just come of age, she wasn't an old maid yet, and she wasn't engaged to Fu Yunlang; there was still time for everything.
With that thought in mind, she pulled herself together and began to play the piano seriously.
Seeing that Zhao Ruyu was focused, and glancing at the sky outside, Fushu thought that the young master should have returned by now.
She tiptoed out of the door and quickly walked towards the front yard.