Chapter 15: How Long Has It Been Since He Last Removed His Mask?

"My purpose, I believe your subordinates have already mentioned it to you. We can collaborate on a project together." Yun Qiange gathered her thoughts and shifted the conversation to work matters.

Murong Xi shook his folding fan and said, "Please, go ahead, Miss." Having just seen the woman’s designs—styles of clothing he had never encountered before but could only marvel at—he was curious to hear what she had to say.

"With your investment, we will open another shop and split the profits fifty-fifty. We will create a unique brand. This clothing belongs to a kind of Bohemian style—sometimes exquisite, sometimes unrestrained, sometimes fresh, and sometimes noble. It embodies a spirit of wild imagination and breaking free from constraints, a celebration of freedom. I believe Young Master Rongxi would be very interested."

After half an hour of negotiation, they finally agreed that Murong Xi would fund the new store while Yun Qiange would develop the brand. Yun Qiange glared fiercely at the sly, calculating man who smiled like a fox; the split was sixty-four, with him taking sixty percent and her forty—he would not budge an inch. Such a crafty businessman!

The only consolation was that Murong Xi would prepay her a 500,000 design fee. A tiger fallen to the plains is bullied by dogs; if she weren’t short on money, she would never sell her work so cheaply!

The more she thought of this fox, the angrier she became. She was always someone who never let offenses go unpunished. If he made her uncomfortable, she wouldn’t let him off easy. Shaking her head, she looked at his face and said, "You dare go out looking like that? At least wear a mask like I do."

Murong Xi appraised her from head to toe. His narrow, fox-like eyes shimmered with light as he suddenly grinned, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth, his mischievous nature unmistakable. "Wearing a mask too often causes infection. Infection itches; itching makes you want to scratch; scratching causes bleeding; bleeding leads to scabs. If you’re careless, the scabs itch again and you scratch them until they fester..."

"Stop! Enough," she interrupted, already feeling itchy just hearing it. "See you tomorrow. I’m leaving." With that, she fled as if escaping.

The man’s fingers tapped lightly on the table, his expression shifting unpredictably. After a moment, he stood and tore off the human-skin mask from his face. This mask had been crafted by the Elder with a Thousand Hands, so it caused no allergic reactions or infections.

But after wearing it for so long, his complexion was somewhat pale. He had a face of unparalleled handsomeness—perfectly fair and smooth like jade, with sharply defined features. His nose was high and proud; beneath his sword-like starry eyes were a pair of narrow, aloof orbs. His lips, neither too thick nor too thin, seemed to invite a taste. His handsome face was crowned with a jade headpiece tied high.

Dressed in a pure white, noble flowing robe emblazoned with moon motifs, and holding a golden fan, his graceful figure appeared exceptionally elegant and peerlessly handsome. Anyone who saw him would undoubtedly exclaim: what a charming young gentleman.

His translucent jade-like fingertips caressed his cheek. How many years had it been since he last removed the mask?

Returning to the princess’s residence, Yun Qiange carefully questioned Xiangcao and learned that one year ago, Murong Xi had been inspecting a branch store when a sudden fire broke out. He had escaped with his life, but his face was horribly disfigured.

"Princess, your painting is ruined," Dieyi nudged the absent-minded Yun Qiange.

"Huh? My painting?" Yun Qiange’s face fell. She blamed herself for daydreaming again, as her brush had left a long streak across the canvas. She put down her brush and decided to go outside for a walk—she needed inspiration anyway.