Not The Most Beautiful

Early the next morning, while Jason was still sleeping, he heard the sound of a car outside. He pulled back the curtains and saw Cathy's car pulling into the yard. He knew they hadn't returned home the previous night.

However, instead of two people, three alighted from the car.

After Cathy and Royce got out of the car, the back door opened, and another girl stepped out. As she did, Jason was taken aback, not because he didn't recognize her, but because she was stunningly beautiful. Her chestnut hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall, and her bright eyes, full of life, were captivating. Indeed, she was the most beautiful girl Jason had ever seen.

"We have a guest, Annie," Jason said to the curled-up black cat on the couch. Annie was the name he had given to the little black cat, who seemed to like Jason. She sprang up promptly and landed on Jason's shoulder, accompanying him to meet the guests.

As Jason descended the stairs, he saw Cathy, Royce, and the girl walking in. Seeing Jason, Cathy seemed to let out a long sigh of relief, "Mr. Jason, I know... I may cause you some trouble, but... this involves my friend!"

Jason looked at the beautiful girl. Frankly, Cathy was already quite attractive, but compared to this girl, Cathy's beauty seemed to pale. The girl's beauty was radiant, irresistible, and captivating.

She was a masterpiece of God.

Even Cathy thought so when she first saw her. Even Royce, who was so devoted to Cathy, was captivated by her beauty. Cathy didn't blame him; not just men, even women would be mesmerized by her.

"Hi, are you the Jason Cathy mentioned? Hello, I'm Sophia, Sophia Eltal. You're a friend of Cathy's and so am I, so that makes us friends too. Call me Sophia," the girl said, extending her hand to shake Jason's, and winked at Cathy.

Sophia's hand was soft and smooth. Jason nodded, releasing her hand and said, "Sophia, a nice name. Welcome, Sophia." As he spoke, the little black cat on his shoulder jumped onto Sophia's.

Sophia was not startled, in fact, she was pleasantly surprised and began to pet the little black cat on her shoulder. She turned to Jason, "Is this yours? So cute, I like it..."

"Her name is Annie!" Jason sat down after saying this.

"Sit, Sophia!" Cathy gestured for Sophia to sit down, then turned to Jason, "I think... there are some things about Sophia that I need to tell you. Some quite peculiar things."

What peculiar things?

Jason became more intrigued by Sophia. She exuded a quality different from ordinary people, yet she didn't seem to possess any impurity; she was as clear as a spring. Very rarely did such girls exist.

"Go ahead, Cathy, I'm listening!" Jason straightened up, indicating his attention.

"So, Sophia's body has undergone some changes..." Cathy then explained everything that happened at Sophia's party to Jason.

"I swear, everything was normal before she fell into the pool. She was just a silly girl who had drunk too much. But... unexpectedly, when she emerged from the water, she was transformed. It was like... a metamorphosis, oh my God, like a butterfly breaking out of its cocoon."

"Right, that's an apt description. Before, Sophia used to be envious of Cathy's beauty, but now... I think Cathy might be envious of Sophia's beauty. She's a masterpiece of God... If we hadn't seen this transformation with our own eyes, we would never have believed it," Royce added, "It's the transformation everyone dreams of, it's miraculous." To be honest, Royce found it even more magical than when Jason helped Cathy with acupuncture.

"And this..." Sophia herself laughed, showing her cheerful nature. She took out some photos, handed them to Jason, and said, "I took these myself, and some were taken by others. Anyway, they look a bit different now."

Jason took the photos and compared them. The difference was not just a little, but extremely pronounced. It was as if they were two different people. Even Jason couldn't help but be surprised.

Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed Sophia's wrist. Sophia tried to pull away, but before she had a chance, Jason had already seized her wrist. She looked somewhat flustered, but Cathy stopped her.

"Don't move, Sophia, maybe Mr. Jason can help you find out what's going on!" Cathy reassured her, and came over to hold her hand, "Don't be nervous, trust him." Jason was sensing the various vital forces within her, but he found no hints of witchcraft or magic of any sort. The energy within this girl was cleaner than any other ordinary person he had ever encountered.

Slowly shaking his head and releasing her wrist, Jason said, "I'm sorry, Sophia. I don't know what caused this transformation. Perhaps you were under a spell, or some kind of magic affected your body. But now, if such a restriction was lifted, you are showing your true self."

"Was I always this beautiful?" Sophia was thrilled, but then her excitement faded, and she frowned, sighing. "But... I don't know if I'm under some spell now, becoming this beautiful. Maybe one day when I wake up, I'll revert to my old self."

Indeed, it is in a woman's nature to love beauty.

"Of course not, because I now know that there's no spell on you. Rest assured, this is truly what you look like. You are beautiful!" Jason nodded, then he suddenly thought of the robed figure and turned to Cathy.

Cathy, under Jason's gaze, said somewhat confusedly, "Why are you looking at me? I'd definitely help Sophia if I could."

"No, I just want to ask a question," Jason said earnestly. "The witch who had control over you before... What did she use men's blood for?"

Hearing this question, Cathy's brow furrowed in disgust but she nodded anyway, adjusting her emotions and said, "I don't know, probably to maintain her appearance and body."

Jason had heard of witches using men's blood to maintain their beauty. He nodded thoughtfully. It seemed that the witch was very concerned about her body and appearance, and using fresh blood to sustain her life was a typical tactic of witches.

Deep inside the national forest, within that densely wooded area, there was a cabin.

In the middle of the cabin, a man's body was hanging upside down from a fireplace, his throat spurting blood rhythmically. His body was still convulsing, the blood draining into a glass vessel.

Suddenly the door was pushed open, and a beautiful woman rushed in like a gust of wind. She pointed her wand casually, and the body in the fireplace suddenly became a fireball, quickly filling the room with a burnt smell.

The beautiful woman turned around and entered a room on the side.

As if reflecting her mood, dark clouds began to gather quickly over the forest. The air became somewhat oppressive. The woman sat restlessly in front of a mirror in the room.

She was combing her long hair while looking at herself in the mirror.

"Why do I feel restless? Why am I disgusted by my body and appearance? Tell me, mirror, what's going on?" The beautiful woman frowned at the mirror, her face grim.

The mirror remained silent.

"If you don't speak, I will smash you to pieces. Don't provoke me; my patience is limited!" The beautiful woman growled through gritted teeth.

"Because... because your body and face are no longer the most beautiful," the mirror finally said after a moment of silence.