The ghost in the mirror needs a makeover
"Miss Yan, you're awake."
The maid put down the tray on her bedside table while retrieving a water bowl and a cloth that she didn't notice was there.
"Please eat your porridge slowly, Miss. There is also warm water here, you can drink your medicine with it after your meal."
Qing Shan was still in her stunned state but when she saw the maid turning to leave, she abruptly stopped her.
"Wait. Wh-What happened to me?"
She asked reluctantly, her voice hoarse with sleep. The maid faced her with an uneasy expression.
"Replying to miss, you contracted a fever last night after master brought you back from uhm, from your--" The maid fidgeted uncomfortably, unsure as to how she should finish her explanation.
"That's enough. What is the date today?" She asked the flustered maid.
"It's July 18, 20XX miss."
It's true! She was alive again.
What's even better was she returned to five years ago, just after her first and last attempt to escape from Zi Jue's hands.
'Huh. Can this get anymore fantastical? To think that my favourite genre of novel would actually happen to me in real life? Well, it would've been better if I got back before that damned party though. So I could hide from the devil. But whatever, this is good enough. As long as I am alive.'
"Oh right. Where is Zi Jue?" Qing Shan asked the maid after rousing herself from her musings. Though she already had an inkling as to where he is, it didn't hurt to confirm.
"Master left early this morning, miss. He has a business meeting at Country M. But he will be back five days later." the maid answered with a start. Yan Qing Shan was indifferent to Zi Jue. She never asked about his whereabouts or anything about him even if a desperate need arises.
'Maybe the sun has risen in the west today.' The innocent, little maid thought.
"If there is nothing else, I'll be leaving now miss. Please have a good rest. If you need anything just call us."
Qing Shan nodded silently. The maid then promptly left the room leaving her still slightly out of it. She sighed loudly while standing up and proceeded to the bathroom to wash up and refresh herself.
"Ugh! Do I really look like this back then? Oh my goodness, that is no human! I look like a freaking ghost!"
Qing Shan muttered as she looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar countenance in the bathroom mirror. The girl had milky fair skin, unblemished like white jade. This would have been a good thing if not for the limp, and dull black hair framing her small face. Not just that her sallow and pale cheeks resembled her to a pitiful ghost lady. The only redeeming factor was her amber eyes which gleamed bright like fire-lit sun stones. Even her lips which used to be reddish like watered-down vermillion lost its colour. Qing Shan groaned loudly.
Was she this uncaring of her looks back then? This ghost needed a makeover. If this continues she might end up scaring off people in the mansion.
Feeling cooled down after her bath, Qing Shan then sat herself down on the sofa and ate the porridge prepared for her. A hungry stomach would not help her in planning her next course of action.
Although everything still felt surreal, she did not have the time to waste on rebuilding her shattered three views with her rebirth. Every second was precious if she wanted to change the course of her life this time.
The first thing she needed to take care of, is her powerful warden. It was a good thing that Qing Shan went back to a point where everything is still salvageable and not where she had completely become a puppet, and had frustrated the smiling devil to oblivion, which ended up with him forcing her to a literal shotgun wedding, as well as other considerable tortures.
It's apparent that she cannot escape Zi Jue in this lifetime as well. So she will just have to live with it and make the most of their situation. After all, she knew that Zi Jue had done what he did in the past because he wanted to elicit some sort of reaction from her. He did not want a lifeless doll.
Qing Shan knew that she was supposed to hate Zi Jue for all that he did to her in her past life. It was something that people deemed as abuse. However, there was one fact that was only known to her. Zi Jue, in the beginning did every single caring thing, every type of doting one could give to another person. He did it for her. However, Qing Shan paid no heed.
It takes two people to tango. It was Qing Shan, herself, who drove Zi Jue to that whirlpool of madness. And it sent both of them to hell.