From cannon fodder villain to beloved heroine

Hongmei's lips curled into a smug smile, a smile as alluring yet deadly as a poppy blooming at midnight.

She glanced sideways at Yan Ruyu, her eyes gleaming with the smugness of a successful scheme, as if to say, "Little brat, you're still too green to mess with me!"

Like a victorious general, she swaggered toward Mama Hua and exaggeratedly described Yan Ruyu's "crime" of "stealing".

Upon hearing this, Hua's mother's fat face trembled with anger, and her face, thickly covered in makeup, instantly contorted into a grimace, resembling a volcano about to erupt.

"What? Such a thing actually happened!" she shrieked, her voice so high it almost lifted the roof off. Her shrewd eyes were now filled with rage, as if she wanted to devour Yan Ruyu alive.

"You little brat, Yu Yan! I, Mama Hua, have treated you well, yet you dare to do such a despicable thing!"

Upon hearing this, the other geishas began whispering and pointing, surrounding Yan Ruyu like sharks smelling blood. Their accusations were as noisy as cicadas in summer, each one more piercing than the last.

"It's her! She's definitely the one who stole it!" "Such a young age, yet so vicious!" "You can never truly know a person's heart!"

Yan Ruyu coldly looked at the rabble in front of her, a sneer curling at the corner of her lips, her eyes filled with undisguised contempt.

She stood tall, like a plum blossom standing proudly in the cold wind, unyielding and indomitable.

"I didn't steal!" Her voice was firm and resounding, like the beating of a war drum, sending a chill down one's spine.

Her gaze was sharp as she stared directly at Mama Hua: "I, Yan Ruyu, am upright and honest, and would never do such a despicable thing!"

Seeing Yan Ruyu's composure, Hongmei's heart skipped a beat. She forced herself to remain calm and retorted, "Hmph, you're so stubborn! You clearly stole it, yet you still dare to argue!" Her eyes darted away, avoiding Yan Ruyu's gaze. Her guilty look was simply a case of protesting too much.

Just then, a clear voice rang out: "I believe in Sister Yuyan!" Xiao Lü mustered her courage and stepped forward, her eyes resolute. She grabbed Yan Ruyu's hand, ignoring the strange looks from others, and said loudly, "Sister Yuyan isn't that kind of person!"

Upon hearing this, Mother Flower stomped her feet in anger, her fat jiggling wildly, on the verge of exploding.

"Enough!" Yan Ruyu coldly interrupted Mama Hua's angry roar. "Since you say I stole something, then search me! If you can't find anything, shouldn't you apologize to me?" Her tone was resolute and unquestionable, like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, pointing directly at all those who questioned her.

"Fine, I'll see how long you can keep up this act!" Madam Hua sneered, waving her hand. "Search!"

Just as everyone rushed forward to search them, Yan Ruyu suddenly pointed her slender finger toward the back alley, a meaningful smile playing on her lips, her eyes gleaming with wisdom: "No rush. Before we search, shouldn't we ask someone to come first?"

Yan Ruyu's gesture of pointing to the back alley stunned everyone present.

A puzzled look followed the direction of her finger, and a furtive figure was seen trying to slip away.

"Grab him!" Yan Ruyu gave the order, and the geisha house thugs who had been secretly observing rushed forward, captured the man, and dragged him in front of everyone.

This person was a servant in the geisha house, whose daily duties included sweeping the courtyard; he was an inconspicuous person.

At this moment, his face was deathly pale, his whole body was trembling, his eyes were darting around, and he dared not look directly at the crowd.

He was tightly clutching a brocade box in his arms, the very one that Hongmei claimed Yan Ruyu had stolen.

"Speak! Who ordered you to do this?" Yan Ruyu asked sharply, her eyes like knives, piercing straight to the heart.

The servant was terrified, pointing tremblingly at Hongmei: "It was...it was her...Miss Hongmei gave me some silver and told me...to hide this brocade box, and then...and then frame Miss Yuyan..."

The truth is revealed!

Hongmei's face turned deathly pale instantly, as if coated with a thick layer of lime. Her lips trembled, but she couldn't utter a single word.

Her smug smile froze on her face, making her look like a ridiculous clown.

"Hongmei, what else do you have to say?" Madam Hua's eyes widened in anger, her fat jiggling as she pointed at Hongmei's nose and cursed, "How dare you pull such a stunt on my turf! You're asking for it!"

Hongmei was so frightened that she collapsed to the ground, crying and begging for mercy, but no one paid any attention to her.

Madam Hua turned to Yan Ruyu, her face beaming with smiles like blooming chrysanthemums, her earlier anger long since vanished: "Miss Yuyan, I'm so sorry to have wronged you. It was my fault for being so blind and misunderstanding such a good person."

Yan Ruyu smiled slightly, not caring.

As night falls, the geisha house is brightly lit and filled with guests.

Yan Ruyu made a stunning appearance in a red dress.

She didn't imitate anyone's skills, but created her own dance, incorporating elements of modern dance. It was sometimes as gentle as water, sometimes as passionate as fire, and every move was full of charm and power.

The other geishas stared in disbelief, flames of jealousy burning fiercely in their eyes.

They had never seen such a unique dance, such a captivating woman.

Xiao Lü clapped excitedly on the sidelines, cheering for Yan Ruyu's wonderful performance.

The guests were completely captivated and all asked Yan Ruyu to stay with them.

Yan Ruyu quickly became the focus of the geisha house, and her popularity soared.

After the performance, a mysterious messenger came to Yan Ruyu and whispered, "Your skills are indeed extraordinary. My master would like to invite you for a chat."

Yan Ruyu smiled slightly: "Okay."

The male protagonist, Xu, hid in a teahouse opposite the geisha house, gazing at the radiant Yan Ruyu on stage from afar, his deep eyes filled with pride and love.

His lips unconsciously curled up in a smile, as if he possessed the most precious treasure in the world.

He knew that his Yu'er would shine the brightest light no matter where she was.

Yan Ruyu danced gracefully on the stage, and every smile and gesture captivated Xu's heart.

She felt the intense gaze from across the room, and a sweet warmth welled up inside her.

She knew that it was the male lead, Xu, silently protecting her and giving her strength.

The two gazed at each other across the distance, needing no words to feel each other's deep affection.

At that moment, it felt as if the entire world had shrunk down to just the two of them.

After the performance, the mysterious messenger led Yan Ruyu to an elegant private room.

Yan Ruyu observed her surroundings discreetly and cleverly extracted some key information about the mysterious organization from the messenger's words. She was secretly delighted: "Finally, there's progress!"

The mysterious messenger seemed to sense Yan Ruyu's probing. Xiao Lü, upon learning that Yan Ruyu had obtained a clue, excitedly grabbed her hand, as thrilled as a child: "Sister Yuyan, you're amazing! I knew you could do it!"

However, just as Yan Ruyu was feeling excited about her gains, danger was quietly approaching.

In the shadows of the geisha house, several members of a mysterious organization were whispering amongst themselves, their expressions serious and the atmosphere heavy.

“This jade smoke seems a bit unusual; we need to proceed with caution,” one of them said.

Yan Ruyu keenly sensed something amiss. She glanced around discreetly, her mind racing with alarm bells.

Meanwhile, Xu, the male protagonist, felt a sense of unease from afar. He frowned and was filled with worry.