After being reborn, I became the apple of my enemy's eye.

The maids urged her urgently, "Miss, be careful! Please don't hurt yourself."

They didn't care about the letter itself, but they were afraid that the burning letter would cause other consequences, such as injuring the young lady.

Yan Yun broke free from them.

The maids made sure there was nothing dangerous in the room before slowly retreating.

They said they were leaving, but they didn't completely leave. They all stood guard at the door, reminding each other not to let anything happen to the young lady. Everyone had to stay alert, because if something happened to the young lady, they would be in danger too.

A day passed quickly.

The concubine arrived with her entourage. She didn't do anything special; she just showed her face and instructed the maid beside her, "Make the young lady look her best."

Yan Yun noticed with exceptional sensitivity that her complexion looked quite bad, completely bloodless, and even the nanny who usually accompanied her was not with her.

Yan Yun looked up at her.

Upon meeting her gaze, the concubine became somewhat displeased and turned away.

She scolded the maid standing to the side.

"If anything goes wrong, I won't let you off the hook."

The concubine left after she finished speaking.

The maids who stayed inside also took the opportunity of Yan Yun's birthday to say a few auspicious words to him, which could be considered as a way to get closer to him. Today was a good opportunity to receive a reward.

"Many guests have come to the manor today, and we maids all wish you a happy birthday, Miss."

After the maid finished speaking, she saw Yan Yun's worried face and was momentarily speechless. They looked at each other.

Everyone still wore fake smiles; they couldn't possibly say that if the young lady was unhappy, they would also be unhappy—that wouldn't do.

"Miss, let me do your hair and makeup."

After Yan Yun finished dressing up, her face was reflected in the bronze mirror. The maid said, "In two more years, Miss will probably be even more beautiful."

After changing into the new clothes prepared by Zheng Jihua, they were fully dressed up.

Lu Lan walked in from outside the door.

"Cousin Ning'er, are you ready? I'm here to pick you up."

Lu Lan stepped into the house and went straight up to Yan Yun, reaching out to shake his hand.

"Wow, cousin Ning'er, you're like a completely different person. I almost didn't recognize you. You're so beautiful."

She leaned against Yan Yun, as if she had completely forgotten about the unpleasantness that happened yesterday.

She called Yan Yun affectionately, "Ning'er, Ning'er," and the maids nearby all assumed they had a good relationship.

Lu Lan grasped Yan Yun's hand and got up to walk outside.

"I haven't seen such a lively scene in a long time. Thanks to you, cousin Ning'er, let's go out and take a look. Maybe we can run into some of the ladies we're on good terms with."

Zheng Jihua invited not only the important figures to Yan Yun's birthday celebration, but also the women from their household.

Originally, it was supposed to be the concubine who took Yan Yun out, but it turned out that Lu Lan took her out.

Yan Yun couldn't break free from Lu Lan's hand.

The concubine hadn't even gotten ready yet, and Lu Lan had arrived early.

So, Yan Yun was taken away by her.

Lu Lan kept telling Yan Yun not to be afraid, that there were young ladies and ladies she knew among those people, and that they were all very easy to get along with.

Moreover, everyone wanted to see her even more than Yan Yun did.

In the backyard of the courtyard.

The surroundings were bustling with activity.

Yan Yun hesitated when she saw the young ladies and ladies in the pavilion from afar; she was not good at socializing with these people.

Lu Lan, however, was very proactive, as if she knew most of the people, and started talking to them as soon as she met them.

"aunt."

When Lu Lan greeted the woman, her gaze first fell on Yan Yun.

"Is this Zheng Ning'er, the birthday girl today?"

Lu Lan nodded, "Yes, but she can't speak, so please bear with her, Aunt."

The woman's initially inquisitive gaze instantly turned into sympathy and pity.

"Pity."

Lu Lan immediately understood what her aunt meant.

“Aunt, she can understand.”

"Oh."

The woman covered her mouth and looked at Lu Lan, "You too." She looked at Yan Yun and apologized, "I just don't know how to speak properly, Miss Ning'er, please don't take offense."

Lu Lan smiled.

"Aunt, Ning'er won't take it to heart."

More people gathered around.

"This is Miss Zheng?"

"Yes."

Yan Yun wasn't really interested in these questions, because the women surrounding him and scrutinizing him didn't look friendly at all; they were more interested in probing him.

One of the older men tried to exchange a few pleasantries with Zheng Ning'er, but Yan Yun simply turned and walked away.

Lu Lan explained that Yan Yun was not in a position to speak.

"The two have a pretty good relationship."

Most of the women standing to the side remained silent and made no move.

Those people all had an air of knowing everything, as if they knew it all.

Lu Lan lowered her head and whispered to Yan Yun, "Cousin Ning'er, these people are all here to celebrate your birthday. You should smile too."

Yan Yun rolled her eyes at her.

Lu Lan's eyelids twitched.

She said somewhat awkwardly to the people around her, "My cousin only recently came to Yuanjing, and she's a little reserved meeting everyone for the first time."

A woman stepped forward and said to Yan Yun, "This girl, judging from her appearance, will definitely be a beauty that can topple kingdoms. She's already so pretty."

When it comes to compliments about one's appearance, one should only take them half as truth and half as falsehood.

Just as Lu Lan was about to introduce Yan Yun to other people, the nanny came over from behind with her concubine.

The people surrounding Yan Yun and Lu Lan immediately dispersed, with most heading towards the concubine.

Compared to Lu Lan and Yan Yun, who were just in the crowd, these women preferred to talk to the concubine.

"Why is my sister so late?"

The concubine adjusted her hair and looked at the other party, saying, "I apologize for the neglect. You have come from afar, so please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality."

After the concubine arrived, everyone went to her side, completely ignoring Lu Lan and Yan Yun.

Lu Lan was about to speak with the people around her again.

The person said, "Let's talk later."

He also walked towards the direction of the concubine.

Yan Yun, who was standing to the side, noticed that Lu Lan's expression changed immediately.

Yan Yun didn't want to stand there any longer and watch this farce with them.

Because the way she looked at the old woman was as if she were looking for her.

Yan Yun seized the opportunity to slip away, just as Lu Lan was staring intently in the direction of the concubine.

Yan Yun, who was standing to the side, turned around and left immediately.

Most of the people here are women, some about the same height as Yan Yun, and some much taller. Because there are so many people, no one paid any attention to Yan Yun when she left alone.

Yan Yun's birthday was a lively affair.

However, apart from the female relatives and so-called distant relatives, no other men were allowed to enter the inner courtyard at will.

While the maids and servants were busy in the front hall, Yan Yun headed towards the back courtyard.

As we passed the pavilion, we heard someone mention Yan Yun's name again.

"Zheng Jihua spoils his daughter so much that he can send her to Baima Academy. Do you think just anyone can get into that academy?"

"What does that have to do with us?"

The cool female voice didn't care what she said.

The older voice retorted, "Otherwise, why do you think we're here today? I heard his daughter is mute and can't speak, but I didn't expect her to be so ostentatious. Aren't you afraid of being gossiped about behind your back?"

The woman said dismissively, "What do you mean by talking about someone behind their back? Aren't we talking about it right now?"

How can these two continue their conversation like this?

“When you meet her, you must get along well with her. Your father said that this Zheng Jihua is no ordinary merchant. If you befriend his daughter, she will definitely be of use.”

While they were still talking about these things.

Yan Yun walked right past them, deliberately bumping into the older woman, who stared at him.

First, he looked them over.

Seeing Yan Yun dressed so elegantly, he swallowed back the words he was about to say.

She said gently, "Which household do you belong to? Don't you even look where you're going?"

Yan Yun looked up and examined it carefully.

What was she looking at on purpose?

The woman who kept saying she was mute must be the one in front of me.

Yan Yun shoved the woman away.