Shen Lan slipped past the main hall, retreating hastily to her bedroom. Only after the door clicked shut behind her did the tension finally drain from her body. She steadied her breathing and walked into the bathroom, her eyes landing on the mirror. Her reflection stared back at her, draped in a loose, conservative black dress. Her hair was pulled into a low ponytail, her face obscured by thick bangs and a pair of heavy, black-rimmed glasses. She was exactly as Lu Yunfan had described her: plain, dull, and utterly uninteresting. A flicker of sorrow crossed Shen Lan's eyes. What girl didn’t want to be beautiful? She, too, yearned to dress up and feel pretty. But it was impossible. The killer who had destroyed her family was still at large. On her deathbed, her mother had gripped her hand, pleading with her again and again to protect herself, to never draw attention. So she had to hide herself away, to live a life of quiet caution, shrinking from any spotlight, daring not to reveal her true self to anyone. Shen Lan leaned toward the mirror, inspecting her disguise. A smudge of dust on her dress, but otherwise... Wait. Her brow furrowed, and she quickly tilted her head. Just below her right ear, the dulling powder on her neck was gone, revealing a small patch of fair, delicate skin. Dotted upon it were several crimson marks. The powder was her own formulation of medicinal herbs, easily washed away with hot water, but it wouldn't normally come off without vigorous rubbing. But in the cave, Xiao Cheng had buried his face in her neck. His lips and nose had nuzzled against her skin, rubbing almost all the powder away in that one spot. Shen Lan frantically pulled a special compact from her handbag to cover the marks, her heart pounding with anxiety. The cave was so dark... he couldn't have seen, could he?! After reapplying the powder, she changed into another black dress. She checked herself in the mirror for a long time, and only when she was certain everything was in order did she take a roundabout path back to the ballroom. The moment she entered, she saw Lu Yunfan. Impeccably dressed in a suit, his features handsome, he was holding a wine glass and mingling with guests alongside his parents. He looked nothing like the dissolute man who had been fooling around with his ex-girlfriend in the back garden. Zhou Xinran stood beside him in a graceful white gown, her face delicate and gentle. They would occasionally share a smile, looking like a picture-perfect couple. Shen Lan’s fists clenched, and she bit down hard on her lower lip. A sharp, bewildering pain pierced her heart. "Quite a sight, isn't it?" a woman's voice suddenly sounded beside her. Shen Lan turned to see Lu Yunfan's sister, Lu Yunqing. She wore a shimmering pink mermaid gown that complemented her rosy complexion and pretty features. But the undisguised malice on her face soured any trace of cuteness. "You see, Shen Lan? My brother and Xinran are the ones who are truly meant for each other." "I suggest you be smart about this and call off the engagement. It'll be more dignified for everyone. Otherwise, when you get thrown out on your ear, you'll be the only one humiliated." Shen Lan didn't respond, her gaze fixed on the couple. They were whispering intimately, one on her tiptoes, the other leaning down—a scene straight out of a romance drama. As if sensing her stare, Lu Yunfan suddenly looked up, his eyes meeting hers by chance. The warmth in his gaze vanished, replaced by a chilling indifference laced with barely concealed impatience and disgust. The look struck Shen Lan like a physical blow, and a tremor ran through her. "I took care of him for four whole years," she murmured to herself. "He promised he would be good to me…" Lu Yunqing scoffed. "Trying to trap a man with a debt of gratitude… Shen Lan, is that the best you can do? If Xinran's family hadn't threatened to disown her to force her abroad back then, you never would have had the chance to look after my brother." "And just look at you. You're worse than our maids. Standing next to my brother, you're nothing but an embarrassment to him, a disgrace to the Lu family…" Lu Yunqing paused, a sly look entering her eyes. "How about this? We'll pay you the market rate for a live-in caretaker. Say, ten thousand a month. Over four years, that's four hundred and eighty thousand. We won't shortchange you. Let's round it up to a clean half a million. Five hundred thousand dollars. Take the money, leave my brother, and never come back. What do you say?" Five hundred thousand? For four precious years of her youth, for sacrificing her entire social life, enduring all his foul moods, spending countless nights researching remedies and perfecting massage techniques? She'd learned to cook, preparing medicinal broths and new dishes every day just so he would eat properly… And they thought half a million dollars could just dismiss all that? Rage and grief welled up inside her. "Let Lu Yunfan say that to my face!" Lu Yunqing sighed. "You know he loves Xinran. All he feels for you is obligation. Has he ever even touched you in these four years? With a face like yours, my brother isn't interested. He can't even bring himself to kiss you. If you insist on marrying him, you'll be doomed to a marriage without intimacy." Shen Lan froze, her mind flooded with the image of Lu Yunfan and Zhou Xinran entwined in the garden. They had been intimate, tangled, sharing a closeness he had never once shown her. Beneath the dulling powder, her face went deathly pale. It felt as if a small knife were slowly carving up her heart, an agony beyond words. Just then, Mrs. Lu approached with Lu Yunfan in tow. She stared at Shen Lan, her voice sharp and unfriendly. "Shen Lan, didn't I tell you to take a jacket to Yunfan in the back garden? Where did you end up taking it?" The back garden? Lu Yunfan tensed, his eyes locking onto her. "You went to the back garden?"