Buddhist-style Delicate Beauty

When Jiang Rao had finished tidying up her mood and appearance, preparing to go downstairs for breakfast, she noticed something astonishing. The servants, who usually appeared lethargic, were now buzzing with energy as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

Not only were the hallways and staircases crowded with people swiftly wielding cleaning cloths, but the chefs in the kitchen, who were well-versed in various cuisines from Europe, Asia, and Africa but often only prepared a dish of vegetable leaves drenched in oil and vinegar for her, were equally filled with enthusiasm.

Looking at the vegetables and fresh produce piled up on the cutting boards in the kitchen as if they were being given away for free, Jiang Rao, who generally didn’t pay much attention to external things, couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Why is everyone acting so unusual today?”

Butler Gu smiled and replied, “The young master is coming back to stay tonight.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Rao, who had already planned whether to roast or sauté the large lobster in her mind, suddenly lost her appetite.

As the domineering CEO and the male lead with a Gary Stu-like disposition, the male lead’s identity was set as the eldest son and direct descendant of the Li family, which had been passed down for nine generations. Therefore, in this castle, the only person who could be referred to as the “young master” besides Li Jueyan was Li Jueyan himself.

But this was his home, after all.

She had no intention of intervening in his plan to come home.

Perhaps due to her clear mind in the morning, as she sat at the dining table awaiting breakfast, memories of the scenes from her nightmare last night involuntarily resurfaced in her mind.

That person’s gaze carried a mixture of obsession and stunning adoration as he looked at her.

Using his calloused fingertips, he caressed the side of her face, leaving a trail of kisses from her eyes to her lips.

Just when she thought it would be the same old cliché, “You can’t escape,” he bit down on her earlobe and said, “I* truly adore your face.”

At that moment, Jiang Rao trembled uncontrollably.

It was because she remembered the next line from the male lead, “But your legs…”

“Madam, breakfast is ready. Shall I bring it to you?” 

Though her thoughts were abruptly interrupted, the pain from the bullet piercing her knee surged once again through Jiang Rao’s entire body.

She took a deep breath and nodded.

While having her meal, a bold speculation suddenly arose in her mind.

Was the main reason the male lead was attracted to the original female lead not because of deception, but rather because her pure features beneath the heavy makeup perfectly suited his taste?

If that were the case, could she just ensure her makeup was flawless and pretend to have Jiang Tang’s personality, allowing her to peacefully go with the flow and avoid the overlap between reality and nightmares?

During breakfast, she received a phone call.

On the other end of the phone, sister Wang proposed an idea to her. She suggested that Jiang Rao take advantage of the remaining popularity and quickly return to the entertainment industry by accepting several new projects of the same genre. Perhaps with the goodwill generated by “The Legend of Concubine Yun,” she could break free from her awkward third-tier status and strive for greater success.

Jiang Rao rejected this proposal without much thought.

When it came to acting, the real Jiang Tang’s acting skills, despite being awkward, were truly a thousand times better than hers and the original female lead’s.

Although the contract between the original female lead and the Jiang family included maintaining the image of each other’s entertainment careers when necessary, Mrs. Bai suspended all of Jiang Tang’s work from the moment the contract took effect, fearing that she would be exposed. So accepting acting roles was clearly not included in the definition of “necessary.”

Her body was currently too weak. Yesterday, she wore such low heels, and after standing for a short while, she returned home to find that her feet had swollen.

Therefore, all she wanted was to eat well, dress warmly, avoid causing any trouble, and live the life of a rich lady while diligently exercising and waiting for the one-year deadline.

She didn’t have to worry about being bored. The lives of wealthy people were rich and colorful, and she was easily satisfied. Just engaging in beauty treatments, shopping trips, she felt that even if she did it every day for a year, she wouldn’t get tired of it.

She had no need or interest in acting on behalf of someone else.

Sister Wang was almost driven crazy by this artist who was the most popular yet most unambitious and only wanted to pick at her feet at home. “If you don’t plan to film dramas, what about variety shows? Tomato TV has imported a parent-child variety show, pairing attractive amateur children with celebrities as mother-child or father-child pairs. The production team is interested in contacting me about your participation. Are you interested?”

“…No.”

It sounded interesting, but with her current physical condition, taking care of children would probably exhaust her.

Not wanting this or that, sister Wang slammed the table. “Do you have time today? Let’s meet at a café and have a serious talk.”

The weather outside was unbearably cold, and Jiang Rao had originally planned to respond with another “no.” However, at that moment, her entire body started to ache as if being pricked by needles!

“…Sure.”

They had arranged to meet in the afternoon, and Jiang Rao had instructed the butler to have the car ready early.

At the appointed time, she wore a black ankle-length down jacket that tightly wrapped her body and a pair of white snow boots with furry cuffs, concealing her ankles completely.

However, looking at her meticulous makeup and the standard fiery red lips, butler Gu couldn’t help but ask, “Do you need earmuffs and a mask?”

No matter how you look at it, this outfit should be complemented with fluffy earmuffs and a thick mask.

Jiang Rao felt that she probably needed them.

But she couldn’t allow her carefully done makeup to be ruined, so she politely declined butler Gu’s well-intentioned offer.

When she arrived at the café, sister Wang was already waiting for her at a booth.

As soon as she saw Jiang Rao, the expression on the other person’s face was not as warm and cheerful as it was yesterday.

Just as Jiang Rao had taken her seat, she heard the other party say, “Are you planning to retire from the entertainment industry?”

“No, I just want to take another six months to rest and recuperate.”

After half a year, when the real owner returns, she will be able to perfectly replace her and use her somewhat inexperienced but passable acting skills to make a comeback on the screen.

“By the time six months are up, not only will the wild vegetables have gone cold, but you’ll be cold too! Don’t you know how competitive this industry is?”

“Our family has resources.”

Not only did the real Jiang Tang have resources from her family, but the male lead also had a bunch of resources in his entertainment company, which was more like a toy for him.

At this point, sister Wang held her breath. She knew how stubborn the person in front of her was, and continuing the discussion would only be a waste of time.

She took out an envelope from her bag and threw it in front of Jiang Rao. “Let’s not talk about that for now. Why did you use my shopping account to buy this?”

Jiang Rao, “…???”

She opened the envelope and glanced inside. As soon as she saw the paper ticket with ‘Mayflower Cruise Ticket’ written on it, Jiang Rao’s heart suddenly started pounding.

Faced with this million-word old-fashioned CEO novel, Jiang Rao had skimmed through it, reading ten lines at a time, so she couldn’t recall too many details.

But she still remembered the scene and manner of the female lead’s first escape.

If she wasn’t mistaken, this ticket was the beginning of the female lead’s escape route! It was also the beginning of her path of abuse!

Looking at the date written on the ticket as 2.13, Jiang Rao raised her head and asked, “What’s the date today?”

“It’s February 11th.”

Jiang Rao, “!!!”

She might really be cold.

When Jiang Rao went out, her makeup was exquisite, and she appeared calm.

On the return journey, Jiang Rao’s makeup was equally exquisite, but there was a hint of melancholy on her face.

The escape process of the original female lead, designed by the author in the novel “The CEO’s Beloved”, was comparable to the arduous journey of Tang Seng on his way to obtain the sacred Buddhist scriptures from the Western Paradise, facing eighty-one formidable challenges. If she were to simply take the boat ticket and flee, it would undoubtedly be a suicide mission, with no distinction from becoming a runaway wife.

However, if she didn’t appear at the plot location where the female lead was supposed to be, she would be painfully killed.

So far, she could only think of one solution.

——To inform the male lead of her whereabouts in advance.

But she was not familiar with the male lead at all. He tormented her physically and mentally every night, and yesterday he even shot her, breaking her leg.

She had no desire to interact with him, nor did she want his gaze to linger on her face for more than half a second.

Moreover, the real Jiang Tang was undoubtedly extremely arrogant. It was impossible for her to disclose her movements in advance to anyone.

If she were to tell him, he might suspect her identity.

Her thoughts seemed to be trapped in a dead end.

As she pondered over solutions for a long time, a sudden thought emerged in her mind—a feeling of “love whoever, love however.” She believed that everything would work out in the end, and that fate would take its course. She even entertained the idea of an early death and rebirth, thinking that it wouldn’t be a big deal to embrace such an outcome.

Upon arriving home, she locked herself in her room.

It wasn’t until around nine o’clock that her door was knocked. “Madam, the young master is back. Please come down for dinner.”

“I’m asleep.”

 “You haven’t eaten yet.”

“I’m not hungry.”

There was silence outside the door for a moment.

Just as she thought that the person outside had already left, she sat up and was about to take a peek through the peephole and wash off the makeup on her face, when suddenly there was a loud ‘bang‘ next to the door.

Dust flew up from the corner of the wall.

As she looked towards the door, her gaze met a pair of cold eyes.

The owner of those eyes was a man, with the surname Li— Li Jueyan himself.

He looked at the woman before him, delicate as a rose, with her immaculate makeup. The corners of his icy lips slightly curved upwards, but the smile did not reach his eyes. “Sleeping with your makeup on, hmm?”