Chapter 154 Angelina's Tea Party 23

The teacup was made of white porcelain, its rim adorned with a camellia pattern traced in gold thread. The pale pink tea liquid within looked less like black tea and more like an infusion of some kind of flower petals.

Angelina hadn't steeped it for long; at most, she had given the tea leaves a quick hot bath. The sugar cube still sat at the bottom, unrefined, and the tea-maker's attitude was equally foul.

But, did that matter?

It didn't matter at all.

Lin Xiangjun picked up the tea and drained it in one gulp without a hint of hesitation.

The system notification sounded in her ear:

"Congratulations to player [Perfect Chrysanthemum Thirty-Six Folds] for obtaining and using the special item [Angelina's Black Tea]. You have gained: a permanent 10% increase in Constitution, a permanent 10% increase in Strength, a permanent 10% increase in Strength, and a permanent 10% increase in Pollution Resistance."

"[Angelina's Black Tea: Angelina's favorite tea leaves. When paired with special sugar cubes, you will receive a special enhancement—what kind of tea and sugar could have such miraculous effects? Isn't it written in the name?]"

Before the cloyingly sweet taste of the tea had even faded from her mouth, a series of claps echoed in her ears.

[10. After you drink the 'Complete Tea,' Angelina will applaud you from the bottom of her heart. You must pour all the Rose Sugar (ordinary sugar cubes) from your plate into your empty cup before the applause ends and say: 'Thank you for your hospitality; this sweetness shall accompany me on my journey home.' Otherwise, you will remain to accompany her forever.]

The plate in front of Lin Xiangjun was completely empty. Forget sugar cubes, there wasn't even a single grain of sugar dust.

Angelina wore a malicious smile as she slowly clapped her hands, the spite in her eyes so thick it almost seemed to spill out.

"Oh my, dear Guest, what are you looking for? If there is anything I can do for you, please don't be a stranger~"

Lin Xiangjun didn't even spare her a glance.

Playing this hand? She had guessed it long ago.

She pulled a jar of sugar cubes from her pouch and placed it on the table. Amidst the danger of Angelina's smile suddenly vanishing, she flashed a gentle and obedient grin.

"When did you steal those sugar cubes?" Angelina asked through gritted teeth, her face turning ashen.

Steal?

Lin Xiangjun disagreed with that phrasing.

She had clearly taken them fair and square with her own skill.

However, since the ritual wasn't over yet, she didn't dare answer recklessly, fearing it was Angelina's scheme to trick her into breaking some taboo.

Keeping her hand steady, she suddenly exerted force to tip the entire jar over her teacup, saying loudly:

"Thank you for your hospitality; this sweetness shall accompany me on my journey home."

Clatter—

The sugar cubes tumbled into the cup, filling it to the brim.

The dust had settled. Angelina knew there was no more room for interference; she could only glare viciously at her opponent, wishing this unlucky brat would leave her house immediately.

But her gaze suddenly met Lin Xiangjun's.

The other girl gave her another smile—a strange one, like someone whose belly full of bad ideas had finally found the time to be put to use, an impatient urge to release it all.

Before Angelina could figure out what that strange smile meant, a sharp, cold light suddenly expanded before her eyes—

Angelina's vision took flight. She seemed to hear screams and saw a large spray of blood suddenly erupt. Then her line of sight shifted downward; she blinked and saw the scratches on the old wooden floor.

...What is this?

She blinked again and saw the hem of her own skirt.

Only then did she realize with delayed shock that her head had been cut off and sent flying.

"You... what did you do?!"

Angelina shrieked, her voice harsh and sharp like a diamond scraping against glass:

"You audacious, thieving toad! How dare you lay a hand on me? I'll throw you into the furnace and burn you to ashes!!!"

Her screams blended with those of the other noble ladies, making it hard to hear clearly. Lin Xiangjun picked at her ear and tossed the tea tin aside.

The ritual was over. As long as she walked out the front door, this instance would be completely finished.

[11. Please leave through the main entrance. Whether there are pleas to stay, weeping, or angry roars behind you, you must never look back.]

However, Lin Xiangjun didn't leave.

She had finished Rule 10, but she hadn't left yet, nor had she triggered Rule 11. She was in a transition period between the two stages.

A transition period was good; it was wonderful. A transition period was the perfect time to seek benefits for oneself.

She crouched down, looking at Angelina's head as it continued to curse on the floor, and asked, "Occupying the Marchioness's position for so long, did you think you were the real Marchioness? You played the cuckoo stealing the magpie's nest so well, but did you never think the magpie might have a backup plan?"

Angelina's cursing stopped abruptly.

Lin Xiangjun glanced at the cross-section of the neck. It looked exactly like a normal human's structure, with no lack of bone, muscle, or fat. Only the skin was loose and baggy, as if she were wearing a layer of poorly fitted undergarments.

"Are the Marchioness's face and identity easy to use, Nancy?"

...

Time went back two hours, to when Lin Xiangjun was staying in the Guest room with the butler.

The butler told Lin Xiangjun a story. It wasn't long, and the content wasn't particularly novel.

Nancy and Angelina met at a tea party. The host of the banquet was the Marchioness, and the purpose was to find a daughter-in-law for her son.

Angelina was the second daughter of an Earl. By blood relation, the Marchioness was her paternal aunt.

Both Huzhou and ancient China had the custom of close marriage between cousins. While the banquet was ostensibly to find a match for the son, any discerning person could see that the Marchioness favored Angelina; the banquet was just a formality to make it official.

As it happened, Nancy was exactly the kind of person who wasn't 'discerning.'

The daughter of a Baron from the distant countryside, she came to the city dreaming that the Young Marquess would fall in love with her at first sight. Fantasizing about stories like the Ugly Duckling or Cinderella, she poured twelve-tenths of her energy into this marriage that never belonged to her.

She learned etiquette, dancing, piano, horse riding, music, and embroidery. She was already beautiful, and with the help of beautiful clothes and etiquette, she quickly shed her rural air and blended into the new social circle.

In all fairness, Nancy was indeed very outstanding. She forced herself to catch up to the level of education other girls had received for over a decade in just one year. With that kind of hard work, in modern society, she would have certainly been a top-tier university candidate.

Unfortunately, not everything in the world yields a reward for effort.

She had invested too much time and energy, and her expectations rose day by day.

Consequently, upon learning she had not been chosen, her world suffered a collapse that could be described as world-ending.

Watching her good friend—who in her eyes was no different from herself—walk happily toward a future she could not reach, a twisted and bizarre thought formed in her heart—