THE NEGOTIATION

"Wha..a..a..t do you..uu..u want?" fear colouring her words, Xu Ranyan started stuttering almost incoherently, all her bravado drained away.

Staring at the foolish prey under her feet, an eerie smile crept across her face.

"Its not as if I cannot allow you to live. There might be a way but…."

"TELL ME! I'll do anything. Please, I just want to live!" although her words were subservient, Xixi could see calculation hidden behind her tear drenched eyes. This idiot! What an amusing little prey! Toying with her was fun! Hmm… but, what to do with her?

" Seeing as you are currently in my body, you will do as I say. Just as you intended, I want you to pretend to be me but only as per my instructions. You will receive my instruction every day. You will speak like me, walk like me, behave like me, be me! In two weeks if I cannot find a way for us to exchange, you will be sold to the slave market, just as I was in two weeks. And you will meet my Yun. Don't have any unnecessary thoughts because I will be watching. If you make even a single misstep, I will kill and dispose of you. After all, I think Jiu Yun only loves me. Even as you, I can still get him!" she threatened her but there was amusement lurking in her mind as she was sure this idiot would definitely try to pull off some useless stunts.

"Ok ok, I'll do as you say. Till we can become ourselves I will be your slave. But please my only request is that I be allowed to leave once I am myself. I promise I will not even return to Ning Xiao. After all, even he only loved you till his end. As his empress, as his woman he never granted the respect due to me. Without me he would have died on the way to the throne." She murmured to the end, sudden grief colouring her words as she recalled her faithless disloyal husband. Her reddened eyes nevertheless held a glimmer that wasn't there earlier. She was probably plotting something again, mused Xixi but it did not bother her at all. Once the system woke up, she would sort her out. She only had a few hours left.

Suddenly she remembered the most important thing she had come here for.

"Ah yes, Ranyan where is that maid you tried to beat to death today morning before the ceremony. Did you still do it?"

" I cannot remember as I was reincarnated to a point in time after that. But if she had died, she must have been thrown into the mass grave. I have done it many times and this time was probably no different." Surprisingly a tinge of shame could be felt in her tone.

" Why are you suddenly feeling bad for people who you used to think as ants to be squashed under your feet." questioned Xixi in amusement but at heart she became anxious to leave. What if that heroine's body got eaten by some wild dogs! OMG!

" Because I was the ant squashed under your feet. At the time of death, your lover threw me into a mass grave as I had done to hundreds before, but I was still conscious when I was eaten by dogs!" her body started trembling in memory of the pain, of her anguish. It was Karma being ironic, thought Xixi.

"I don't have time to waste on your reminiscences, bloodthirsty as they may seem. I still need to return. Tomorrow morning, I will ensure that someone will give you instruction on your behaviour. In fact, just stay in the courtyard and do not interact with anyone. If your mother or some high ranked maids come here to bully you, just keep quiet and behave as I did before, when you made my life miserable. With your death in our last life, our accounts are clear, but do not pile up anymore debts this time. I will give you one chance. Most importantly do not inform your mother of anything or else.." she coldly warned her, as swiftly turned around to leave.

"What mother, just a selfish old woman who used me for her own greed. Even at death, she abandoned me." Xixi heard her heartbroken whisper from behind. She ignored her self-pity and swiftly left. There was no more time for to waste on this phony villain. The actual heroine was rotting away in a mass grave! She had to go save her before she accidentally died. Wouldn't that be too hilarious! On a side note, her soul would be expunged as well as a consequence, which was not a pleasant prospect.

As she quickly approached the estate wall, she jumped up and was about to get down to the side street when she suddenly stilled. She could feel the fine hairs on her neck rise up and goose bumps spread across her arms. Her head snapped to the side and she stared into the dark shadows draping a nearby oak.

"Since you've been watching me, why not come out rather than hide in the shadows my dear husband. I won't bite, I promise, unless you ask of course" although ambiguous, her words were cold as ice and there was a hint of murderous intent in the air. Her veil fluttered in the night breeze as she waited for the man to come into the light of the moon. How Audacious! He followed her even when she had specifically asked him to let her operate alone for the time being. Surprisingly she had only noticed him just then, which was shocking considering her advanced senses! Suddenly his voice was heard from the darkness, amusement ringing in his tone.

"Haha! You have sharp senses my dear lady, and oooooh, what a piercing gaze! If looks could kill, I would have been shredded into pieces. How terrifying! But care to explain that interesting conversation I just heard, Xu Qingyu."