Chapter 614 - 617: The Irony of Fate

Chapter 614: Chapter 617: The Irony of Fate

’There are so many cat breeds in the world, so why did the system have to turn into a calico?’

’Not only were the colors the same, but even the distribution of the different-colored patches was identical.’

’Is this really just a coincidence?’

Hua Manman couldn’t help but ask.

"Why didn’t you turn into a cat of a different color?"

The little calico cat, unaware of Hua Manman’s thoughts, lifted its head and replied matter-of-factly.

"Because calico cats are rarer. It’s easier to get your attention this way."

Unwilling to give up, Hua Manman pressed, "Are you sure there isn’t any other reason?"

The little calico found her question odd. "What other reason could there be?"

Seeing she couldn’t get a straight answer, Hua Manman had no choice but to give up.

’Forget it.’

’Maybe it really is just a coincidence.’

Just then, Lu Wanqing suddenly cried out, "This is my brother’s..."

She remembered Lu Man’s identity as a woman disguised as a man. She couldn’t call Lu Man "brother" anymore. She paused, then awkwardly corrected herself.

"This is the beaded bracelet my sister always wore!"

Hua Manman picked up the little calico and walked over to Lu Wanqing.

"Where? Let me see."

Lu Wanqing held out a bead made of polished green jade.

"My sister wore a string of green jade Buddha Beads on her wrist all year round.

They were a memento our grandmother left her before she passed away. It’s said they were blessed by an eminent monk and can keep the wearer safe.

Look, there’s even Sanskrit engraved on the bead.

These are words from the Buddhist scriptures.

If we found all the jade pearls, we could probably piece together a complete scripture."

Hua Manman took the Jade Pearl and examined it.

The surface of the Jade Pearl was nicked and scratched, but if you looked closely, you could indeed see the Sanskrit engravings.

"The bracelet must have broken and the Jade Pearls scattered when Lu Man fell down the hillside.

Afterward, people from the Yu Royal Mansion came to search and picked up all the Jade Pearls they could find.

But they still missed this last one."

Hua Manman returned the Jade Pearl to Lu Wanqing.

Lu Wanqing clutched the Jade Pearl tightly, her eyes turning red.

She had never imagined Lu Man was a woman, much less that she would pay for her freedom with her life.

She tilted her head up, gazing at the high slope.

It had also been a rainy day. Lu Man had galloped forward on her horse, a desperate, all-or-nothing dash toward a future of freedom.

However, fate was cruel.

The rain had turned the road to mud. The horse’s hooves slipped, sending it and Lu Man plummeting off the cliff.

She died here, her hopes for the future dashed.

And all the while, Lu Wanqing had been blaming Lu Man for being timid, weak, and unfit for her great responsibilities.

Thinking back on it now, her ignorance seemed laughable.

She knew nothing, yet she’d wallowed in self-pity, blaming everyone and everything as if the whole world owed her.

Lu Wanqing sniffled, a sob creeping into her voice.

"Growing up, our family was always incredibly strict with my sister.

They didn’t just demand she be skilled in both literature and martial arts; they also expected her to be learned and versatile.

Her daily lesson load was three times mine. If she couldn’t finish the assignments her teacher gave her, she would be punished.

Back then, I was so envious of her. I felt like everyone in the family valued her so much.

Unlike me. No one cared whether I did well or poorly in my studies.

One time, I was reading in the study and accidentally knocked over a teacup, soiling an essay my sister had finished writing.

I was scared of getting caught, so I threw her essay away and wrote a new one for her in its place.

I thought I could get away with it, but it turns out I was too naive.

The teacher saw at a glance that the handwriting in the essay was different from my sister’s.

The teacher thought my sister had someone else write her homework for her. He was furious and reported the matter directly to our grandfather.

Grandfather personally took a rattan cane and struck my sister twenty times as punishment.

I was right there, watching. I saw her back was bleeding from the whipping, but she just gritted her teeth and didn’t make a sound.

I was terrified and tearfully confessed the truth.

Grandfather just told me to go to my room and reflect on my actions, and that was it.

He said that since I was a girl, it was no big deal to make a small mistake.

But Lu Man was different. She was the future pillar of the Prince Mansion. The fact that she didn’t even realize her essay had been swapped meant she still deserved to be punished.

That night, my mother got angry with me for the first time. She slapped me hard across the face.

’I was so indignant back then.’

’I was wrong, yes, but I’d already admitted it! Why did Mother have to treat me like that?’

’Was it just because Lu Man was her precious son, and I was just a useless daughter?’

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got, and my jealousy toward Lu Man grew.

"What I never expected was that Lu Man was a girl, just like me.

My jealousy toward her feels like a joke now."

The more Lu Wanqing spoke, the more upset she became. Tears welled up and streamed down her cheeks.

Regret and guilt were like a knife, twisting in her heart with every word.

She clutched the Jade Pearl, sobbing uncontrollably.

"I’m sorry... I’m so sorry..."

She was apologizing for her past prejudice and narrow-mindedness.

But the person she was apologizing to was no longer in this world.

In the end, her voice was swallowed by the sound of the rain.

...

The rain grew heavier.

Hua Manman and Lu Wanqing returned to the Yu Royal Mansion.

Yue Niang immediately served them freshly brewed hot ginger soup.

Hua Manman drank the soup. A warmth spread through her stomach, chasing away much of the chill in her body.

Li Ji looked at the calico cat sitting on Hua Manman’s lap, his long brows furrowing slightly.

Seeing this, Hua Manman hurriedly explained.

"It’s a stray I found outside. I thought it was cute, so I brought it back.

If you don’t like it, I’ll do my best to keep it out of your sight."

But Li Ji said, "It’s not that I don’t like it. It’s just..."

Hua Manman looked at him, confused.

"Just what?"

Li Ji hesitated. "It’s just that it looks a little familiar, like I’ve seen it somewhere before."

Hua Manman was surprised. "You’ve seen it? When?"

Li Ji had an excellent memory. He could remember things clearly even if they had happened many years ago.

But for some reason, he couldn’t recall anything about this calico cat.

He just had a gut feeling that this cat was very familiar.

Li Ji could only turn to his father for help.

"Did I have a cat when I was a child?"

Li Liao denied it without hesitation. "No. Our family has only ever kept horses. We’ve never had any other pets."

Li Ji knew from his Mind Reading Technique that his father was telling the truth.

If it was possible that he himself had forgotten because he was too young, it was impossible for his father to have misremembered.

Li Ji’s brow smoothed out. "I must be mistaken."

He reached out and petted the little calico’s head.

The system knew human nature very well. If it wanted to stay, it had to demonstrate its usefulness.

So it hopped to the floor, flopped down by Li Ji’s feet, and exposed its soft, white belly. Its long tail swayed back and forth as it let out a soft, delicate cry.

MEOW~

’You just want to pet me, don’t you? Go on!’

’I’ll let you pet me to your heart’s content.’