She used to adore him, to be infatuated with him, unable to hide her fervent love.
Had she gone crazy to commit suicide this time?
"Young Master, it's getting late, and tonight is Madam's birthday banquet," Nanny Petty reminded.
"Take her to clean up," Bo Yeyuan commanded coldly with a glance at Li Qiyu's attire, warning, "This birthday banquet is very important, don't make any mistakes."
Li Qiyu was taken back to the living room she had woken up in earlier, with its walnut wall panels carved with winged totems, and Baroque crystal lamps emitting a mysterious dim light.
Several servants attended to her as she bathed, and she also managed to indirectly find out about her background.
She was the Young Lady chosen by the patriarch of the Bo family. Since birth, she had been branded with the Bo family's mark and was taught to be a proper and gentle wife with no sense of self. Two years ago, at the age of twenty, Li Qiyu married into the Bo family and led a cautious and precarious life.
Two years into the marriage, Mr. Bo hadn't touched her... She had always longed for a child that was theirs alone, but that was a pipe dream. Disheartened, she had staged a "pretended suicide."
"Pretended suicide?" Li Qiyu lay in the swan-shaped bathtub, frowning dissatisfiedly. Why should even her suicide be described as her own scheme?
"On the night of the Bo family gambling ship's opening, you jumped into the sea in front of so many people, and were rescued immediately. A person who truly wanted to die would find a secluded place... You even gave a suicide note to the Master, deliberately blowing things out of proportion. Was it not in the hope that he would give you backing through pressure?"
Li Qiyu pondered thoughtfully; she had forgotten everything from the past.
"What about my family?"
"Not very sure, the Young Master does not agree with you going back often."
"Why not?"
"Once you're married here, you're part of the Bo family. It's not good to go back home too frequently and become the subject of gossip."
The servants spoke dismissively, their words not lacking in contempt for her.
After bathing, Li Qiyu stood in the dazzlingly luxurious fitting room, gazing at herself in the mirror.
Her features were delicate, her skin was as porcelain white as a doll's.
Though she stood only at 1.68 meters, her proportions were excellent, with long hands and feet, giving her the figure one typically finds in international models.
Her elegant features were, however, very haggard, her pale face covered with heavy makeup.
Li Qiyu pinched the waves of her outdated hairstyle, making her look like... a middle-aged woman past her prime. The very epitome of dowdiness!
To not dress up such a beautiful face was a waste.
"I want to change my hairstyle," Li Qiyu said, impatiently blowing a strand of outdated bangs from her forehead.
"Young Lady, you cannot easily change your personal image... What you wear, including your hairstyle, and everything you do, represents the image of the Bo family," the servant insisted.
"Enough talk, I am the Master, don't tell me what to do," Li Qiyu said, her face turning fierce as she pulled open an opulent dressing cabinet and took out a straightening iron.
The servants looked at each other, sensing her change in attitude.
Her long hair straightened smoothly, and her bangs curled slightly, giving her an instantly youthful and innocent look, making her appear ten years younger.
Li Qiyu stared at her reflection in the mirror, satisfied, a playful smile lifting the corners of her mouth. Truly a beauty!
"Young Lady, this is against the rules. The Bo family has family rules that the Young Lady must be dignified and virtuous, graceful and proper..."
Li Qiyu rolled her eyes. Was she supposed to look like she had been through the wringer just because she was married? Even though she was only 22 years old? They might as well carve "married" and "matron" on her face!