Chapter 18: Tasteless in 18 Colors

Suddenly, an odd sensation in her hand made Mu Hanyan startle. Stretching out her hand, she unfolded her palm to reveal an old and worn compass. The compass was badly damaged, with some spots mottled beyond recognition.

"What is this?" Mu Hanyan looked curiously at the compass in her palm. It had appeared out of nowhere, and she clearly remember not owning such a thing in her past life.

Mu Hanyan examined the compass over and over again, certain that she did not have this object in her previous life. Could it be something she brought back with her through rebirth? Then what was this thing? Looking at the nondescript compass in her hand, she studied it for a long while but discovered nothing extraordinary. Still, considering it might have been something she brought back from her rebirth, she decided to keep it safely.

The next morning, Huayue and Zirong arrived early to report for duty. Both of them could hardly conceal the joy in their eyes—Mu Hanyan understood it was because the medicinal herbs she had given them had been put to good use the day before, and they were pleased with the results. Gratitude filled their gaze when they looked at Mu Hanyan.

Mu Hanyan skipped breakfast at the City Lord’s Mansion and went out with Huayue and Zirong, heading straight to the city’s Jade Building. The Jade Building was not a store for selling jade jewelry; rather, it was a restaurant, the best one in the city, both in terms of the taste of its dishes and its ambiance. Naturally, it was not cheap—money spent on a single breakfast there could cover several days’ expenses for an ordinary household.

Mu Hanyan took a seat at a table by the second-floor window and ordered a set of breakfast items. As she slowly savored the long-missed dumplings, she turned to gaze at the street below. Her mood was quite suppressed. The dream from the previous night still hadn’t left her. Eating at the Jade Building again brought back memories. Once, to evade assassins, she had frantically run through vast forests for three days and nights; another time, she hid at the bottom of a rotten swamp for several hours to avoid those searching for her. Hungry and exhausted, all she longed for after escaping death was a sip of hot porridge and a bite of dumpling. Now that she had them, her state of mind was completely different.

While Mu Hanyan was quietly having her breakfast, someone downstairs caught sight of her. Their eyes lit up upon seeing Mu Hanyan sitting by the window, and they rushed upstairs. Naturally, Mu Hanyan felt the gaze fixed on her and clearly saw who it was.

This person...

A slight hook curved the corner of Mu Hanyan’s mouth. This man was a real playboy, a lascivious one at that, and with utterly no taste. In her naivety during her past life, she had once been tricked by him. But today was the time to reclaim what was owed, with interest.

As for being tricked in her former life, it was a matter Mu Hanyan found somewhat embarrassing to discuss. The playboy, Yuan Tianbo, had once caused a stir in the brothel over a feud with another playboy for the favor of an Oiran. Due to financial constraints, he was short on money and had brazenly charged his expenses to Mu Hanyan’s account. The brothel owner, knowing Mu Hanyan’s reputation as a playboy and aware that he often associated with her, with relations seeming quite close, did not question it. She recorded his debts under Mu Hanyan’s name and later went to the City Lord’s Mansion to collect payment. Mu Rui’an was so furious, his face turned white as he denounced the absurdity. In the end, it was Yue Fanling who stepped forward to resolve the matter.

The so-called association and close relationship amounted to nothing more than the man sticking to Mu Hanyan whenever he saw her, suffocatingly warm in his approach. In reality, it was just his one-sided fervor, creating the impression to onlookers that he and Mu Hanyan were intimate, which was exactly the outcome he wanted—otherwise, how could he have tricked her?