Transmigration: The Fate of the Villainess

118 The most beautiful and refined Meihua Lady in history! Part I

All in Da Yang knew that the first miss of the Bai family was famous for her beauty in both appearance, manner, and mind. The words ‘beautiful and refined’ were the definition that could best describe her.

With that as common knowledge, Fan Lu tried to copy all of them. However, she did not realize that Miss Bai Yu was more than ‘beautiful and refined’. She had the darker, more cruel side that she had been hiding. It was the same for both the former and current Bai Yu. If you want to be like me, then you have to learn how to be a villainess too, little girl.

Because Fan Lu never expected a young noble lady to create such a violent scene to take over her performance, she lost her composure and could not turn the tide in the end.

The magic plum blossoms from the audience that flew to Bai Yu’s side were considerably more than those to Fan Lu’s. It was a unanimous vote.

Fan Lu’s magic dissipated, but the melody from the current Meihua Lady still continued. Bai Yu paid no mind to her victory; she only wanted to play this song to the end to convey the meaning she wanted. The rhythm gradually slowed and softened, turning into a whisper that reflected the exhaustion after the war.

The audiences, who were going to applaud, were suddenly stunned. The music faded away, replaced by silence. Bai Yu turned up her face and returned the gaze to those who had been staring at her. Her fingers pressed down onto the string as she sang a poem to end her performance.

“I sing for the generals

I sing for the brave

I sing for the fathers

.....

I sing...for the brothers”

There was only the solemn sound of the guqin and the voice that started to tremble. The words from a familiar poem were engraved into the hearts of the listeners. Fear was gone now, and what was left was the remains of the war...

“I sing for hope

I sing for time

I sing for a return

I sing...for families”

As a silent teardrop fell from her eyes, applause exploded in Zhaocaijinbao. It was the victory gained from tears, but not terror...

Bai Yu had completely won.

———————

“It’s overexertion.” Ouyang Wenrou came to help Fan Lu, who was forcing herself to use magic and compete with Bai Yu despite only recently being able to control magic. “It’s probably cumulative fatigue from the previous rounds.”

“She’s still so young.” Bai Yu cast a gentle gaze at the girl who had fallen asleep as soon as she finished her song. Fan Lu was brought to rest in a room on the upper floor of the inn while the medical expert who happened to be on the scene, Ouyang Wenrou, volunteered to examine her. Bai Yu was lucky to have him here; otherwise, everyone would think that she was bullying a child.

“If she continued, her condition might have worsened,” he continued. He had seen through Bai Yu and knew that she did not hold back.

“That’s why I’ve invited Wangye here. If something happens to the royal teacher’s daughter during a magic competition against me, I’m going to be in hot water.”

Bai Yu had actually wanted to be even more aggressive, but this girl had fainted first. Today was her lucky day.

“There’s another round in the afternoon. Will you be alright?” His eyes that looked at her were full of worry and care.

Bai Yu smiled and gave him a small nod to confirm that she would be fine. She did not think much about how Ouyang Wenrou was talking casually with her. She had decided to be friends with him, and it seemed that today he was starting to see her true self, rather than being at arm’s length like when they had first met at the Bai mansion.

“Benwang will be cheering for you.” His smile was warm, just like his gaze.

Bai Yu curtsied to say her thanks. From here on, there would be a competition between her and Bai Hua, yet Ouyang Wenrou said that he was on her side, all with words and eyes that did not reflect a lie.

“Wangye has always been closed to the third sister. Is it alright to take my side like this?”

Ouyang Wenrou arched a brow before he softly chuckled. His light brown eyes glimmered with laughter at the person who was acting childish. “This title suits you more.” He still spoke with that same heart-melting tone.

“If the third sister hears this...”

“Benwang is only observing what benwang sees.”

Is it alright for her to feel happy here?

“Then Wangye should be prepared to console my sister,” she said with a chuckle.

“Apart from teaching and healing people, this seems to have already become benwang’s new duty...” For a brief moment, his gaze dimmed.

Bai Hua herself never realized that her trusting nature and kindness would make a man admire and strive to protect her all this time. It was hard to fault her, as her eyes were always fixed on Ouyang Mingxian. There was no need for an explanation for why someone would not love another person.

“She’s a good person.” Bai Yu pretended not to see his pain.

Ouyang Wenrou nodded.

“Yes, she’s a good person.”

But she would never be his.

———————–

“It’s not fair at all. One round in the morning, another in the afternoon. Your magic is strong, but having to use it so much is still not good!”

“It’s like this every year. What are you complaining about, Xiao Xi?”

“Because it’s not fair. Chang jiejie, our miss is the Meihua Lady, so why does she have to compete for two rounds in one day?”

Bai Yu laughed. She lightly knocked her knuckles against her puppy maid’s forehead. “Have you ever heard of this, Xiao Xi?”

“What is it, miss?”

“It’s hard to become a champion, but even harder to secure it.”

“Cham...” Xiao Xi tilted her head. “What’s that?”

Ah. She got carried away and used a word that did not exist in this world again.

“It is already difficult to become the Meihua Lady, but securing the title is even more difficult.” Xiao Chang acted as an interpreter. “Is this correct, miss?”

“That’s right.”

“So my miss has to compete for two rounds in one day to prove your ability and beauty, right?” Xiao Xi finally understood.

“Correct.”

“Then let me help Miss dress a bit more elegantly.”

Bai Yu shook her head. “No need. I can still take advantage of my image like this.”

“But...Owowow.” Xiao Xi, who was going to object, was suddenly pinched by Xiao Chang.

“Xiao Chang, what about the thing I asked you to hold on to?”

Xiao Chang produced a small pouch from her sleeve pocket. “It is here, miss.”

After receiving it, Bai Yu took out the item inside. She gazed at it, lost in thought. This was something she had always carried with her, however, she had asked Xiao Chang to carry it for her while she competed in the morning round. She feared that she might lose control and unintentionally let something out before its appropriate time. She traced her finger along the engraved pattern, feeling the cool surface of the black jade given to her by Ouyang Feilong. She secretly thanked herself for running out that night.

Otherwise, Ouyang Feilong would not have given her this jade.

Otherwise, Yue Nan would not have told her its secret.

Otherwise, today she would come out of her house looking like a ghost.

Red lips curled into a smile. She did not know who exactly to thank, but at least she knew she was going to receive her compensation through this jade, while its owner was stationed at the border, unable to come to see the competition or wish her luck.

———————-

The second round appeared to have a larger audience. Despite the limited seating, there was a considerable number of people who were willing to stand.

Bai Yu had not seen Bai Hua yet. Still, she confidently stepped onto the stage with a smile, maintaining her image as the pure goddess.

The chiming sound of little butterflies colliding with each other was heard by everyone in the hall. It was not because of its loudness, but of the silence that took over the crowd when she appeared. It seemed the audience somehow saw her as the goddess of war. No woman could conjure up swords and swing them with the intent to kill as she did. The performance that morning was both aggressive and sorrowful!

Shortly after, Bai Hua went up to the opposite side of the stage. The figure in a pink dress with lotus embroidery gave a beautiful curtsy to her once. Bai Yu only smiled in return without saying anything else.

Today, Bai Hua was dressed in a light, pastel color that made her beautiful face and peach blossom eyes even more striking. Both her clothes and cosmetics were not too much or too little. Standing here on the stage, she resembled a lotus blooming at sunrise.

The male audience in the hall was entranced by Bai Yu’s gentle beauty and Bai Hua’s soft beauty. It could be said that the Bai family was considered the number one family in the beauty department. At the same time, other women were trying to hide their jealousy behind polite smiles.

Xu Peipei was not among both groups. She nonchalantly sipped her tea while sitting with her back straight, proudly presenting her most prominent feature that she was sure to win any woman.

Xu Luanle appeared seemingly out of nowhere. He quickly threw a thin shawl over her, covering her cleavage. Xu Peipei glared at her brother.

Bai Yu giggled at the small interaction between the siblings. She used her hand to cover her mouth in an attempt to maintain her manner. The men in the front row, who heard the little sound from her, blushed for no apparent reason.

The atmosphere on the other side of the stage was the opposite. Bai Hua kept her head lowered for a while before finally lifting her face and gazing up at the audience seat on the second floor. A small smile appeared on her lips when she saw a tall shadow behind the veil of the twelfth princess’ seat.

She had sensed the magic current since the morning, and so she could guess that the one behind the veil was not the princess as Ouyang Wenrou had claimed. It was his third brother. It was Ouyang Mingxian who had been there from the start!

Bai Yu internally huffed. She took her eyes away from the scene of the star-crossed lover’s secret eye contact. If it had been her from before, she would have looked daggers at her sister until she made her bleed from her gaze. But the current Bai Yu only sighed and felt pity.

Cross-dressing-cough!-Using the title of the twelfth princess to come and take a look at his lover, Ouyang Mingxian was truly a dedicated man!

Instead of feeling pain at that thought, she was strangely calm. It seemed that she had finally recovered from the ‘Loving Ouyang Mingxian’ disease, including the ‘Heartbroken’ disease that resurfaced every time she met Ouyang Wenrou. It was hard, but now she had won over both diseases. The next thing she had to overcome would be the disease that had plagued her for countless lives: ‘Bai Hua’.

Bai Yu took a deep inhale to raise her own spirits. She walked toward the center of the stage and sat down behind her guqin, all without losing control of her impeccable posture.

Bai Hua immediately understood when she saw Bai Yu sitting in the center instead of on one side like in the morning round. The real fight was beginning. The fight would become a ladder for Bai Hua to climb, another step closer to Ouyang Mingxian.

Black-colored magic appeared in the form of ribbons that Bai Hua was used to the most. The only other person Bai Yu had seen wielding magic without a medium was Ouyang Feilong. Indeed, the heroine could achieve even the most difficult ability.

.....

How much True* did you top-up?

——————–

*True top-up or True god: The origin of the word ‘True’ in this context comes from a money card named ‘True Money,’ which was produced by True, a telecommunication company. The card was a popular choice for topping up money in online games. Thus, ‘True god’ means a person who spends a large amount of money on top-up online games to buy equipment that greatly boosts their game character’s status, skill, or special ability. In this novel, Bai Yu calls the heroine ‘a True god,’ referring to how unbelievably her growth is.