Shi Yuanping had calculated every person down to the last detail.
The Grand Madam’s kindness, Madam Liu’s jealousy, the Marquis’s weakness—everything sat obediently on his chessboard.
But Shi Yuanping had miscalculated one thing.
He had miscalculated Shi Huai.
He had assumed that once a seven-year-old child learned the truth of his birth, he would either break down in tears or burn with righteous indignation, then obediently follow the path Shi Yuanping had laid out for him.
What he didn’t know was that inside this seven-year-old body lived the soul of an adult.
Shi Huai had thought everything through over the past few days.
Shi Yuanping wanted him to reclaim the Marquis’s estate. Shi Huai did not want to do it.
It wasn’t because he didn’t hate the old marquis, nor because he sympathized with Madam Liu. It was because he didn’t want to become a pawn on someone else’s chessboard.
Whether that pawn was black or white, a rook or a knight, as long as it was a chess piece, it would never have the right to decide its own fate.
But for now, he couldn’t say no.
He was only seven. He had no means of protecting himself and no capital with which to resist. If he fell out with Shi Yuanping now, he might not even make it out through the gates of the marquis’s estate.
So all he could do was wait—for himself to grow up, to grow stronger, and to gain the right to play the game himself.
“Ding! Current appearance score: 70. Facial symmetry increased by 70%; skin smoothness increased by 65%; iris color intensity increased by 18%. Estimated time needed to reach 80 points—‘eye-catching’: ten months.”
Shi Huai looked at his reflection in the bronze mirror and was quite satisfied.
At almost seven, Shi Huai could no longer be described as merely “delicate and adorable.” His looks had begun to become genuinely striking.
His skin was so fair it seemed to glow—not the sickly pallor of illness, but the warm, lustrous whiteness of fine mutton-fat jade, touched with a faint blush.
The contours of his features were growing sharper. His brows were no longer the faint, barely visible fuzz of a small child’s, but had already taken on a distinct shape, slanting upward toward his temples.
His lashes were long and curved, casting small fan-shaped shadows beneath his eyes.
But the most striking thing was his eyes.
Their color had deepened, changing from the light brown of infancy to an almost ink-black shade, like two perfectly polished pieces of obsidian.
When he looked at someone in silence, he gave them the uncanny sensation that he could see straight through them.
“Ding! The host’s appearance has exceeded the ‘ordinary’ threshold and entered the ‘exceptional’ range. System notice: Every ten-point increase in appearance will unlock one special passive effect.”
“Currently unlocked: Beginner’s Allure. Others’ favorability toward the host increases by 15%.”
Shi Huai froze for a moment. There was such a benefit?
He had always thought the Appearance Booster was just a beauty treatment, something that would turn him from an ugly wretch into an ordinary-looking person.
He had never expected it to come with passive abilities. A fifteen percent increase in favorability was no small number.
“Ding! The next special passive effect will unlock when the appearance score reaches 80. Stay tuned.”
Shi Huai’s mood suddenly brightened. He even found Shi Yuanping somewhat more pleasing to look at.
Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, Shi Huai turned seven.
Quite a few things had happened at the marquis’s estate during that time.
First, Shi Lingyi’s marriage had finally been arranged. Her betrothed was the legitimate eldest son of the Vice Minister of Works.
His surname was Shen, and his name was Shen Zhixing. He was eighteen that year and, from what they heard, a scholar who had already passed the provincial examination.
Madam Liu was delighted with the match. Whenever she met anyone, she would praise the Shen family and go on about how accomplished Shen Zhixing was.
Shi Lingyi, however, remained calm, wearing a proper smile that revealed nothing about whether she was pleased or not.
Then there was Shi Youlan. The little girl had changed quite a bit.
She no longer rolled her eyes at Shi Huai, nor did she call him a bastard anymore.
Although she still refused to call him her younger brother, whenever they happened to meet in the garden, she would stop and exchange a few words with him.
Sometimes she would ask, “What did you eat today?”
Other times she would point out, “The ink stain on your clothes hasn’t been washed out properly.”
Her tone was still as superior as ever, but Shi Huai could tell that she was making an effort to draw closer to him.
Once, Shi Huai ran into Shi Youlan in the garden and said with a bright smile, “Second Sister, your new clothes are beautiful today.”
Shi Youlan’s face flushed scarlet. She lowered her head and glanced at the pale-yellow jacket she was wearing.
Her voice was as soft as a mosquito’s buzz. “Really? My mother had it made for me.”
“Really. It suits your complexion especially well.” Shi Huai’s tone was so sincere that it didn’t sound like flattery at all.
Shi Youlan’s face grew even redder. She turned and ran, not looking back once.
The maid behind her couldn’t help laughing. Shi Youlan shot her a glare over her shoulder, and the maid hurriedly covered her mouth.
Qinghe, standing nearby, was dumbfounded. “Young Master, when did you learn how to charm girls?”
Shi Huai tilted his head, his face the picture of innocence. “I didn’t charm her. I was telling the truth. Second Sister really did look good in that outfit.”
Qinghe opened and closed her mouth, wanting to say something, but unable to find anything wrong with his explanation. In the end, she could only shake her head and lead Shi Huai back to Shou’an Hall.
In the autumn of the year Shi Huai turned seven, Master Meng told him that he could take the county examination.
“Young Master’s learning has already surpassed mine,” Master Meng said, stroking his beard, his face filled with pride and relief. “There’s nothing more I can teach you. If you wish to continue your studies, you’ll need to find a better teacher.”
When Shi Yuanzhi heard this, he revealed a rare, genuine smile.
“Good, good. I’ll send someone to find one. We’ll hire the best teacher in the capital, no matter the cost.”
Madam Liu sat to the side, the smile on her face looking as if it had been pasted on with glue, so stiff it seemed ready to crack.
Shi Lingyi, on the other hand, remained perfectly composed. She lifted her teacup and took a sip before saying coolly, “Congratulations, little brother.”
“Thank you, Eldest Sister.” Shi Huai gave her a proper bow.
Shi Lingyi’s smile was flawless, but Shi Huai noticed that her fingers had gone slightly white around the teacup.
On the day of the county examination, Qinghe woke Shi Huai before dawn and dressed him in a new outfit, one Shi Yuanzhi had specially ordered for him.
The moon-white robe and ink-black sash made him look like a slender, upright sapling.
“Young Master, you look so handsome today.”
After tying his sash, Qinghe took two steps back to admire him. Her eyes suddenly reddened. “The Grand Madam must be very happy if she’s watching from heaven.”
Shi Huai reached out and patted her cheek, just as she had patted his when he was little. “Qinghe, don’t cry. I’ll be back as soon as the examination is over.”
Qinghe sniffed and forced back her tears before taking his hand and leading him outside.
The carriage was already waiting at the gate. In an unprecedented gesture, Shi Yuanzhi was standing outside to see him off.
Although his expression remained as indifferent and aloof as ever, the fact that he had personally come out to send Shi Huai off was already a tremendous improvement.
“Do your best. Don’t bring shame to the marquis’s estate.” After saying this, Shi Yuanzhi turned around and went back to the main courtyard.
The carriage swayed along until it reached the examination hall. The entrance was already packed with people.
There were parents who had come to see their children off, vendors selling snacks, and several examinees dressed in similar blue robes. Their ages ranged from teenagers to men well into their thirties and forties.
When Shi Huai jumped down from the carriage, the area around him suddenly fell silent for a moment.
Every eye turned toward him in unison.
A seven-year-old child taking the county-level examination was already enough to attract attention. What was more, the child looked...
How should I put it? He was almost too beautiful.
