Scheming for Mark Hunter

Tofu Beauty said this, lifted her skirt, and actually knelt down.

The passing villagers immediately crowded over, eager for gossip. Seeing this, Lily didn’t dare let Tofu Beauty actually kneel and kowtow to her—if word got out, she’d be branded as a heartless neighbor. That’s the last thing she needed.

"Tofu Beauty, get up! You’re going to give me a heart attack doing this!" Lily hurriedly pulled her up.

Tofu Beauty wiped her tears: "Lily, does this mean you’ve forgiven me?"

Lily said helplessly, "You knew what you were doing, and you knew how much people would hate it. I’m not that forgiving—just a few apologies and you think it never happened?"

Tofu Beauty replied, "Lily, I know you’re close with Cynthia Wu. Now that something’s happened to her, as a fellow villager I’m worried too. Do you know how Cynthia is doing? Has she woken up yet?"

Lily noticed Tofu Beauty’s concern for Cynthia Wu and thought, Did this woman get hit on the head today or something?

But since Tofu Beauty was showing concern for Cynthia Wu, Lily couldn’t be rude, so she said, "Cynthia hasn’t woken up yet, but her father’s a doctor and is taking good care of her, plus Mark Hunter is helping too. She should recover soon."

"So Cynthia Wu still hasn’t woken up... It’s been four or five days, hasn’t it?" Tofu Beauty lowered her head, fiddled with her hair, and a flash of secret delight appeared in her eyes.

Tofu Beauty had once thought that Su Shimao would climb the social ladder and become the son-in-law of the richest family, so she tried to get close to him. But who could have guessed Su Shimao would marry not a rich merchant’s daughter, but someone from a brothel? Her dream of marrying up collapsed, and she kicked Su Shimao to the curb without a second thought.

Tofu Beauty also had a fling with Zhang Bin, the young master from Qingmiao Academy, but she knew Zhang Bin only fancied her for her looks. With a family as wealthy as the Zhangs, she—a widow—didn’t even qualify to be a concubine, let alone a wife.

Eager to marry while she was still young and attractive, Tofu Beauty didn’t want to spend her life alone. Most villagers in Haizi Village were poor; after her failed attempt to frame Yuanbao, she set her sights on another wealthy villager—Mark Hunter.

Mark Hunter was tall and imposing, had no in-laws to deal with, and his family was well-off—all things that made Tofu Beauty very satisfied. The only problem was: Mark Hunter already had a wife, Cynthia Wu.

Tofu Beauty had planned to seduce Mark Hunter while Cynthia Wu was pregnant, hoping to slip in as a concubine or something. But now, with Cynthia Wu sick and unconscious for days, Tofu Beauty was secretly overjoyed.

If Cynthia Wu died, Mark Hunter would be a widower. She was a widow—wouldn’t they be a perfect match, made in heaven?

"Tofu Beauty, what’s gotten into you?" Lily saw Tofu Beauty suddenly zone out and called her back.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. I’m just worried about Cynthia’s illness." Tofu Beauty awkwardly fiddled with her hair, rummaged through her basket, and said, "Lily, my family’s poor and I don’t have much, but I made this tofu myself. I want to bring it to Cynthia as a token of goodwill, hoping she’ll recover soon. But I’m not close to her family, and now there are only two men at home. It’s not convenient for me to go alone—could you please come with me?"

Lily glanced ahead—Bailu’s shadow was already gone. She thought for a moment; Tofu Beauty was always scheming, who knew what trouble she was brewing now? So she decisively refused, "Cynthia needs rest and can’t see visitors. Your thoughtfulness is enough, but it’s better not to go to her house."

With that, Lily turned on her heel and strode away.

Tofu Beauty glared at Lily’s retreating back, gritting her teeth. "Who does she think she is, acting all high and mighty? I’m going anyway!"