Cecilia Adler couldn't bring herself to say it, nor did she want to. She clutched the corner of her clothes and remained silent.
May Sutton's expression soured. She cursed, "Someone else's child is just impossible to raise. We give you good food and drink all day, and you can't even be bothered to greet anyone."
"Mom, Cecilia is just shy because she's new here and is afraid to greet people. I'll take her for a walk, let her get familiar with the surroundings, and help ease her tension," Vivian Lee said as she pulled Cecilia Adler outside.
May Sutton was furious. 'That damned girl, siding with an outsider and ruining my plans.'
She had it all planned out before she even arrived. She'd find a chance to take Cecilia Adler to that good-for-nothing Felix Flynn's home, lock the two of them in a room, then come back and gather people to catch them in the act. This would ruin Cecilia Adler's reputation, leaving her no choice but to marry him.
.....
After they had walked a short distance, Vivian Lee said, "Cecilia, I just remembered I have plans with a friend. Why don't you go wait for me in the park up ahead? It's nice and warm, you can get some sun."
"Okay." Cecilia Adler agreed. But halfway there, she felt something was off. 'Vivian Lee always prided herself on her education and good character, on being punctual and reliable with her friends. How could she only remember an appointment after she had just offered to show me around?'
'Was she trying to get rid of me on purpose?'
She quietly followed her.
She saw Vivian Lee walk up to the gate of a large courtyard complex.
Vivian carefully smoothed her clothes and hair, her voice tinged with excitement as she called out, "Is Second Brother Flynn home?"
The so-called scoundrel was named Felix Flynn. He was lazy, greedy, and dirt-poor. At twenty-six, he was still single. He had a habit of staring at women until his eyes glazed over, so the neighborhood girls and young wives all went out of their way to avoid him. This was the first time a woman had ever come to his door, and she even called him "Brother." He figured Vivian Lee must be into him.
He was absolutely ecstatic. "I was wondering which celestial beauty had graced my door," he said with a slick, oily tone. "Turns out it's you, Vivian."
Vivian Lee thought to herself, 'The saying "clothes make the man" is absolutely true.'
'Right now, Felix Flynn is unremarkable, even a bit of a clown. But in the future, once he's in a tailored suit with a luxury watch on his wrist, just standing there will be enough to make him a heartthrob for countless girls and young women.'
Imagining his future success, she couldn't help but blush. "Second Brother Flynn, you're such a flatterer," she said shyly. "There's no celestial beauty here."
Hearing her response, Felix Flynn couldn't suppress a happy grin. "You are! Why don't you come in and sit for a bit?"
Vivian Lee hesitated. 'I want to marry him, but not by destroying my own reputation.'
'But if I miss this chance to get close to him, I'll have to wait until the Lunar New Year.'
'In my past life, it was on this very day that my mother tricked Cecilia Adler into the Flynn family's house and had her trapped inside.'
'Cecilia Adler, terrified, started banging on the door. To outsiders who didn't know any better, it sounded like Felix Flynn was taking advantage of her.'
'My father, feeling that Cecilia Adler had brought shame upon the family, made the decision to marry her off to Felix Flynn.'
'After Cecilia Adler married into the Flynn family, Felix Flynn miraculously changed his lazy, wandering ways and became hardworking and capable. Not long after, word got out that he'd made a thousand yuan on the black market.'
'He started dressing Cecilia Adler up just like a city woman.'
'Even when Cecilia Adler later turned out to be unable to have children, he couldn't bring himself to mistreat her. He continued to cherish and pamper her.'
'Cecilia Adler was already beautiful to begin with, and being showered with money by her husband, she grew even more stunning and elegant.'
'Meanwhile, I was tormented by Ian Quincy until I was just a shadow of my former self.'
At this thought, her desire overcame her reservations. "Well… maybe we could go sit at a teahouse nearby?"
Felix Flynn, sensing he had a chance, eagerly replied, "You bet!"
Hiding in a secluded spot, Cecilia Adler was utterly dumbfounded.
'She couldn't understand why a respectable young woman like Vivian Lee would strike up a conversation with a man who looked like a complete hoodlum.'
'If it were me, I wouldn't just refuse to talk to him—if he got within three feet of me, I'd beat him half to death.'
Filled with suspicion, Cecilia Adler left.
In the three months since her own father had coaxed her into moving to the city, she had managed to find the location of the black market. The goods there were far more varied than in the regular markets, and the prices were fair and low.
She planned to use this time to buy some flour from someone from her hometown, make fried dough twists, and then sell them there.
There was a dedicated lookout at the entrance to the black market. Seeing Cecilia Adler's unfamiliar face, he became very alert. "Miss, that's a private courtyard up ahead. You can't go any further."
Cecilia Adler nervously took out the proof of entry she carried with her. "Hello, sir. I have a letter."
'She had spent two yuan on this letter. She'd hesitated for a long time before buying it, afraid they wouldn't honor it the next time she came.'
Fortunately, after the young lookout glanced at it, he said, "Go on in."