CHAPTER 480: CHAPTER 480: CHANGE

Ruan Hongzhuang came out of the room and saw Taozi, already dressed and sitting on the sofa flipping through a magazine, which surprised her a bit.

"Why are you up so early today?"

On weekdays she needed someone to wake her up, but today is a day off, and she actually got up early. It’s like the sun rose from the west.

Instinctively, she glanced toward the balcony and saw Shen Siyuan sitting there, motionlessly watching the just-risen morning sun.

"I’m up for exercise, I’m working hard too," Taozi said, lifting her head.

"Huh? Why do you seem a bit different?" both of them said in unison.

"What’s different?" they echoed again.

Then they laughed at the synchronicity.

Originally intending to go wash up, Ruan Hongzhuang took a seat instead and carefully examined Taozi.

"What... what are you looking at?" Taozi asked, a bit guilty.

Ruan Hongzhuang directly pinched Taozi’s fair and tender face.

"You’re a bit different. Are you hiding something from me?" Ruan Hongzhuang asked seriously, staring at Taozi.

"No... no, I’m not." Taozi guiltily looked away, not daring to meet her eyes.

Then, seemingly remembering something, she turned to Ruan Hongzhuang and said, "You’re the one who seems different."

"How am I different?" Ruan Hongzhuang asked, spreading her arms.

Taozi scrutinized Ruan Hongzhuang, frowning, looking her up and down carefully.

Then she smacked her palm and said, "You seem to have become more... more..."

"More what?" Ruan Hongzhuang asked curiously.

Taozi glanced at Shen Siyuan on the balcony, then leaned in and whispered in Ruan Hongzhuang’s ear: "More attractive."

"What are you talking about?"

Ruan Hongzhuang got annoyed by the teasing, reaching out to pinch Taozi’s cheeks and tugged them apart.

"I was wrong, I misspoke," Taozi hurriedly pleaded for mercy.

"I meant you became more alluring, more beautiful, more attractive."

Hearing this, Ruan Hongzhuang paused slightly, knowing the reason was definitely due to the "Heavenly Maiden’s Skill."

So she let go, curious to ask, "How did you notice?"

"With my eyes," Taozi said, rubbing her sore cheeks with a tone of complaint.

But as soon as she spoke, noticing Ruan Hongzhuang’s off expression, she quickly added, "Because of your eyes, and your... your posture..."

Without a mirror, Ruan Hongzhuang couldn’t see her own eyes, but mentioning posture, she looked down. Was there something different about it? She didn’t notice anything.

"Your eyes are as if they have hooks, with a mesmerizing flow that seems to capture one’s soul. And your sitting posture always gives a... a very seductive feeling..."

Taozi tried to find the words to describe it.

Seeing the envy in Ruan Hongzhuang’s eyes, even as a woman, she was attracted, her gaze irresistibly falling on her, unable to stop herself from looking. If a man saw this, it would be disastrous!

"Seductive is just right, beauty is inborn,"

Ruan Hongzhuang, having understood the reason, couldn’t be bothered to bicker with her, and turned away to wash up.

Taozi watched her departing figure, initially dismissive, but then couldn’t help scrutinizing her again, because she noticed Ruan Hongzhuang seemed to walk more attractively, especially with the sway of her hips, evoking a desire to interpret those movements with words.

Once out of Ruan Hongzhuang’s sight, Taozi retracted her gaze, muttering to herself, "There’s definitely something strange."

Then she turned her gaze to the balcony, sure that the changes in Ruan Hongzhuang were related to Shen Siyuan.

"So biased."

Taozi grumbled, then lowered her head and resumed flipping through the magazine.

Meanwhile, Ruan Hongzhuang reached the bathroom, her eyes inadvertently sweeping over the laundry basket beside her, seeing a set of damp pajamas on top which left her momentarily stunned.

These were Taozi’s pajamas, unmistakable to her. But early in the morning, how did she end up with them wet?

She picked them up to have a look, then turned to the inner bathroom, a sense of realization dawning on her.

Preparing to put the pajamas down, she noticed another familiar set of clothes below, after all, she had held onto them throughout the night.

"Tsk~"

Ruan Hongzhuang seemed to grasp something, disdainfully tossing the clothes back in. These would be washed by Mao Sanmei later. She resumed her washing.

But the more she washed, the angrier she got, muttering to herself, "These two rascals..."

So she quickly finished washing up, heading to the living room, seeing Taozi still on the sofa with the magazine, and she went over to drag her up.

"Wh-what are you doing..."

Seeing Ruan Hongzhuang’s stern expression, Taozi grew a bit alarmed.

Ruan Hongzhuang moved close to Taozi, examining her closely, even peeking at her neck and below, but found no marks.

Taozi, a bit embarrassed by Ruan Hongzhuang’s scrutiny, blushed as she felt her mind go fuzzy. Her body seemed out of control, leaning forward to kiss Ruan Hongzhuang’s red lips.

Not only that, she even wanted to extend her tongue. Ruan Hongzhuang, caught off guard by this sudden move, was startled.

Realizing, she quickly pushed Taozi away, sternly questioning, "What are you doing?"

"I... I..."

Taozi too, panicked, not knowing how to explain. She had just felt a moment of confusion and instinctively kissed her. Now clear-headed, she was both ashamed and angry, her cheeks burning with embarrassment, wishing there were a gap in the floor to hide in.

Just then, a soft laugh sounded from beside them.

The two of them turned to see Shen Siyuan watching them from the balcony.

Ruan Hongzhuang hurriedly withdrew her hand from Taozi’s shoulder, while Taozi shrank her head as if trying to hide it in her chest.

"It’s not what you think," Ruan Hongzhuang hastily explained.

"I didn’t say anything," Shen Siyuan laughed.

"I’m afraid you’ll overthink," Ruan Hongzhuang said.

"I... I didn’t know what happened just now, just... just felt a bit dizzy," Taozi also quickly explained, her voice almost tearful.

"What’s with the crying? It’s not your fault. If anyone’s to blame, it’s Ruan Ruan for being too enchanting today," Shen Siyuan said.

With his words, Ruan Hongzhuang seemed to understand as well.

Earlier, upset, she hadn’t bothered to take a good look at herself in the mirror.

"It’s because of..." Ruan Hongzhuang tentatively asked.

Shen Siyuan nodded, "You just learned it, so you don’t yet know how to tone yourself down, hence unconsciously arousing others’ desires," Shen Siyuan said, approaching them.

"But... does it work on women too?" Ruan Hongzhuang asked, a bit surprised.

"Naturally, this isn’t just a skill to seduce men. As long as there is desire, they will be drawn to you."

Shen Siyuan brushed his fingertip across her cheek, stopping on her red lips.

Ruan Hongzhuang was already stunningly beautiful. Now, as vibrant as a blooming rose, she gave off a breathtaking allure that made it impossible to look away.

"If that’s truly the case, how am I supposed to go out?" Ruan Hongzhuang said, mildly troubled.

"Wear a mask, and it’s just temporary. As you become more proficient, you can freely alter your aura, morphing endlessly, so you won’t be overly magnetic," Shen Siyuan explained.

Hearing this, Ruan Hongzhuang breathed a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Taozi was thoroughly confused, looking from Shen Siyuan to Ruan Hongzhuang. But when she gazed too long at Ruan Hongzhuang, her cheeks began to blush, and her eyes glazed over once more.