In the blink of an eye, the cousin who lived in the back courtyard of the Marquis's estate had grown into a graceful young woman, delicate and slender, with a beauty she could hardly conceal. A number of young masters in the household began to harbor designs on her.
Xu Yangyang was on tenterhooks, afraid her looks would bring disaster. She could only hope the Old Madam would remember their meager bond and find her a husband.
She had dreamed a terrible dream. In it, her eldest cousin forced her to become his concubine; her second cousin deceived her with honeyed words; and her third cousin locked her away in the library, where she suffered miserably. Later, a cousin she'd never met became head of the family and cut off her shackles.
One day, Xu Yangyang saw a ragged boy in the garden. He was said to be the illegitimate son of the late eldest master, who had been living outside the estate. When she looked at him, his face matched that of the family head from her dream.
She secretly followed the boy along the covered walkway. The person ahead sensed her and abruptly turned around. His messy hair partly veiled his face, and his eyes were sinister and malevolent.
Xu Yangyang clenched her hands and called softly,
