I woke up, groaning, as a white hot pain rushed through my head.
"I cannot believe that girl!" I heard someone exclaim next to me. "To barge into the manor of a young gentleman - now, that is unacceptable!"
"Mm."
"She is a modern-world stalker! We should have kicked her out in the beginning!"
"She is still the prime minister's daughter, Bai Long. You cannot dare to offend her."
"But, Master - !"
"Shh. Look, she is waking."
With difficulty, I opened my eyes as the conversation stopped. Bright, blinding light shot through my corneas, and I lifted a weak arm to block it. My arm felt particularly heavy. When I dared to open my eyes again, I was surprised to see my thin, pale arm dressed in a thick silk sleeve. Not only that, but were my hands always this small?! The fingers were thin and delicate, like jade. I had picked up the hobby of playing the zither a few years ago, and they left my fingers blistered. It had been so long since I had felt such soft hands, ah!
"Miss Fei, are you up?" I looked over at a young, handsome man staring at me with irritation. He was dressed in cream scholar robes, embroidered with elegant bamboos in beige. His features were strong and firm, and his swordlike eyebrows crossed as he stared at me. More than anything, he seemed annoyed. I recognized his voice as him to be the one who was talking about a stalker.
For some reason I was seated on an extremely soft bed in a lavishly decorated room. Behind him sat a god-like man in a flowing white silk robe in front of a vanity. His long dark hair was let loose behind him, but I could accurately tell apart his gender by how sharp his features seemed. At the same time, he was beautiful enough to tear apart a nation! Between his eyebrows, like two strokes of a brush, sat a single painted red dot, which only added to his immortal beauty. He sipped his tea slowly, glancing at me once with the corner of his eyes indifferently. After that, he turned away. He must've been the other man's supposed master.
I sat up, groaning. Dizziness overtook me, and I almost fell again but I felt a swift hand grip my forearm and pull me back into a sitting position. My eyes widened, and I made eye contact with the man who had grabbed me. The beautiful godlike man glanced at me once again and turned away.
"Master!" The other man said, worrying. "Don't bother yourself with her!" He turned to send a sharp glare at me. I crossed my own eyebrows, confused. My head still rocked with pain, and then all of a sudden it was if a train had hit my mind. Memories flooded in like a large drill, sending extreme pain through my head.
This was an old empire of China. My name was Fei Hong, Prime Minister Fei's firstborn daughter to his proper wife. I was a spoiled, arrogant and overbearing young lady, drunk with my father spoiling me and my high status. I treated myself as a child, and not only that, I was in love with Bai Long, the man dressed in robes with bamboo embroidery. He was a well known scholar who practiced swordplay and was a beloved friend of the children of the Imperial family. Admired by the country, he was known for his virtue, strong and fair heart, and made the girls swoon. I had wanted him more than anything, and acted as an annoying and perverted stalker.
Even now, I blushed deep red, feeling embarrassed.
Not only that, he was also a disciple of the mysterious first prince, the oldest son of the Emperor conceived by the Empress. He was famous for being skilled in swordplay and an even more excellent scholar, but those were only rumors that drifted around. Nobody had ever actually seen him work. Looking at him now, I could see how he was regarded as high and lofty above the rest.
I blinked. The last thing I remembered, where I was me, was my younger sister pushing me off a building. I remember Zhang Young's expression, guilty but firm. I felt my heart scar over and grow cold, beating devoid of love. My first love had betrayed me. The pain ached, but as the seconds ticked by, it simply turned my heart harder. I pushed the loving feelings I once had for Zhang Young deep into the back of my heart, and locked it up. Feeling numb, I looked up at Bai Long and the first prince again. They still watched me with wary eyes as I promised myself to never love and give myself away again.
I looked at my jade-like hands again, my eyes now turning calculating. I must have transmigrated into a different world, into the body of a spoilt young girl who had the same name as me.
The first prince looked at me again when I wasn't looking, his eyes growing brighter with interest despite how his face remained emotionless.
I didn't just remembered this girl's life so far. For some reason, I could see her future if I had not appeared in this body. I looked in from third person as the original Fei Hong entered Bai Long's manor and and pestered him until he kicked her out. The first prince, who was having a meeting with Bai Long, didn't even bat an eye at the original Fei Hong. Fei Hong had stormed home, annoyed, and whined at her father for an arranged marriage with Bai Long. Her father had a headache from all of Fei Hong's complaining, and compromised by sending her off to a dinner with the imperial family where Bai Long would be attending. She was sitting in a lower position than him as she was known as an irritating lady, but she continued to yell at him across the table the entire time, tarnishing the Fei name. When the first princess eventually got to flirting with Bai Long, Fei Hong got so enraged, she had slandered the first princess and called Bai Long out as hers. The first princess, who got angrily easily, sentenced Fei Hong to death. Prime Minister Fei begged for forgiveness, but the ruthless princess instead sentenced their entire family to death. Slandering the royal family was a heavy crime.
And, that was how the original Fei Hong would have died at age sixteen.
Oh my lord, I thought. How stupid was this girl?
According to what I knew of the future of the old Fei Hong, original Fei Hong had entered Bai Long's manor, but this time she hit her head and fainted before she could get kicked out. That was when I had appeared.
I stood, although still rather dizzy, and bowed my head to Bai Long immediately. "Fei Hong apologizes for her inappropriate actions," I said gently. "Fei Hong shouldn't have stormed into Lord Bai Long's manor like how she did today."
"Ah... yes..." Bai Long said, looking confused. Although he acted quite rudely to Fei Hong in the past, he was still a gentleman at heart. Now, he was confused with how to treat me. As a pest, or politely, since I was being polite in return?
I had read up upon ancient China as a hobby long ago. Well, I had read up upon everything. Since Q University's studies were too easy for me, I had plenty of free time. I had even brushed up on all my Chinese arts, fantasizing about what it'd be like to live in this era. Who knew I'd actually be here one day? And in the form of a young sixteen year old?
In the real world, I was only twenty-two and ready to start my business life. Yet this would be refreshing as well, re-experiencing youth especially since I had no annoying little sister to limit any possibilities.
As I dusted myself off, I made yet another promise to myself. I would seek peace and not glory, or fame, or riches as that was not who I was, but at the same time, I would not let anybody step over me like how Yu Yuan did.
Satisfied, I bowed towards Bai Long once again and made my way to the door.
"Fei Hong will excuse herself now," I said, ready to leave and read some books back at the Fei manor.
"Ah?" Bai Long looked extremely confused. "You don't want to stay or anything?"
"Does Lord Bai Long want me to?" I teased, laughing inside.
"No!" Bai Long said quickly. "No, it's fine." He still must see me as his annoying shadow. Especially since I had interrupted his personal time with the first prince today. "Have a safe trip back, Miss Fei." He added.
"Thank you, Lord Bai Long. Have a lovely day."
I was about to leave the room, excited about simple things such as riding horses and owning a cherry tree as a melodic voice called out, "Wait!"
I turned, surprised. This time, it was the first prince. We made eye contact for a moment, his eyes impossibly rich and dark. I was mesmerized, before he looked away and beckoned me forward.
"Yes, your highness?" I asked softly.
"Give me your wrist," he commanded.
I lifted up my slender jade arm, confused. He put two of his fingers onto my wrist and looked down, his expression troubled.
"Is there something wrong, Master?" Bai Long said, worried. He sent another glare to me and I smiled sheepishly.
"No, no." The first prince let go of my wrist. I slid my thick silk sleeve over it again. "It's fine. Have a safe trip back, Miss Fei."
"Thank you, your highness." I bowed quickly and made my way out of the room.