"But you see, Nian Nian and I, though we're twins, we don't look exactly the same. If I go to see the Immortal Master looking like this, wouldn't he…" Si Yang gulped and deliberately paused for a moment. Her entire body started shaking as though she were about to faint.
"Wouldn't he glance at me, see this unsightly look, and just snap my neck in an instant? And, and then... then what if he... ends the entire family, just like that, for daring to cheat him—"
Curses!
"What, what do you mean 'end our family line'?!"
"Are you insane?"
The couple gasped in horror, their faces blank with shock, as they stared at their daughter like she had just predicted the apocalypse.
Were they being cursed?
Is this girl trying to jinx their entire family's existence?
Nonsense, when exactly did they lie? Sure, they had promised to marry off their daughter to that old man, but they did not specify which one!
Besides, they hadn't exactly told the Immortal Master they even had two daughters.
What's the big deal?
Isn't this why they're sending Si Yang, the Si family's oldest daughter, to do just that?
"But... But I was just thinking of the possibilities." Si Yang tremblingly covered her quivering carmine lips as her breathing hitched, showing how fearful she had become.
"W-What should we do if that ever happens, Mom? Dad?! Yang Yang is so afraid of dying!"
Tears brim underneath her long, thick lashes that fluttered madly like the wings of a desperate bee, barely managing to suppress the mocking laughter bubbling up inside her.
She even choked a little—perfectly adding depth to her nervous and horrified act.
"Child, stop spouting nonsense! It's just a wedding, why would you die? Hays! You're not dying, no one is dying. Our family will not incur such an ill fate and will definitely thrive for many more centuries!" Si Tu rambled and pressed on his throbbing temple.
Why did he have such children? One is sickly and the other is too frightful and paranoid. Will his Si family ever reach that moment at the hands of either one of these daughters?
Truly troublesome.
Sure enough, Si Nian, as predictable as ever, practically leaped across the room, taking the initiative without waiting for their equally perturbed parents to react further.
Quickly, she grabbed her sister's hand with that sickeningly shining, starry-eyed excitement—trying to reassure her the best she could.
What Si Nian was afraid of is, if she didn't make a move to appease her sister, she'd end up being the one marrying a hideous toad who wanted to feast on swan meat!
She'd rather be a nun than to stick and spread her legs to an antique gremlin!
Si Yang silently watched as everything unfolded naturally. This was exactly how it had been in her past life.
"Father's right Sister and don't worry about trivial things! It's no big deal, really, just a little surgery. I know a top-tier clinic that can fix your face!" Her brown eyes turned into perfect crescents as she spoke, the voice that tumbled off her thin lips was so sickly sweet it could rot your teeth.
"Once you get rid of that hideous birthmark, your face will be almost on par with Nian Nian's!"
Though, of course, she knew Si Yang would always fall short compared to her flawless beauty, she was equally sure that some vile old man with his head literally lodged between his thighs wouldn't notice the difference as long as the girl in a skirt had two legs and a heartbeat.
Si Nian's eyes gleamed with a venomous, almost unrecognizable malice.
The girl had a flawless, jade-like complexion, and her long wavy auburn hair perfectly accentuated her well-proportioned slender body that most women would undoubtedly envy.
To her, she was a sheltered beauty akin to a glass fairy, an unparalleled vision of perfection second to none destined at birth to be worshipped beside the most handsome and powerful man.
It can't be wrong, after all, a great shaman and monk alike had predicted she'd be a heroine while her sister is merely a cannon fodder that will be her stepping stone to greatness!
How could a wrinkly old toad who somehow grew a pair of wings ever think he deserved to breathe the same air as her much less become her husband in exchange for some measly pill and outrageous title?
Si Nian thought her horrendous sister would be a much better match for him. At least then, her freaky older sister wouldn't die a miserable virgin and she could freely use the connection of being an Immortal's sister-in-law without getting in the murky waters, unscathed!
Outside, the girl's smile was the picture of innocent sweetness, the kind that made everyone around her think she was the picture of perfection. But Si Yang wasn't fooled and saw right through her pretentious mask.
All she could see now was a venomous fox, lounging in a bath of toxic green tea, gleefully sinking her claws into Si Yang's most painful insecurity from her past life.
'Si Nian, you really are the same vile creature, aren't you?' Si Yang couldn't help but smirk begrudgingly.
Back then, this kind sister purposely schemed with the doctor to change her face into a mediocre replica of hers without her knowledge. Not only was she seen as someone toxic and jealous for trying to steal her sister's thunder, but she was also condemned for all the crimes Si Nian put on her plate.
Si Yang almost admired the sheer audacity of how transparent Nian's transformation had been in her eyes. This shamelessness, she had seen far too much that she had also picked up some.
"Really?!" Si Yang gasped, her voice probably a bit too high-pitched to sound genuine, but everyone else was too caught up to notice.
"Then… Can I bother Nian Nian to handle the procedure for me? You know how strict the school is. I can't just disappear without notifying them. I'll apply for leave, but can Mom or Dad come with me—"
"Hmph! Why are you asking us?" Madam Si scornfully interjected.
"Do you have any idea how far the capital is? With how strict your school is, who knows how long your leave will take to get approved!" Madam Si snapped, as if Si Yang had committed some unspeakable crime by even suggesting they accompany her.
"Your father is so busy. If I go with you, your sister will be left alone here. Just take your father's seal, like you always do, and sign whatever needs to be signed."