Senior Edina stirred and moved around the hard bed before finally opening her eyes. She looked around and realized she was still in the past. Quickly, she grabbed her cane and got ready for the day. It was the fourth day of her living in the past, meaning it was the last Tuesday before Keith Maxim's farewell banquet. The plan for financial independence from Aunt Li Mei was to be executed on that day. For this to be successful, Senior Edina had no choice but to put her faith in Junior Edina.

However, she needed to create an escape plan and a backup in case things went south. Today, she was going to the Shun Mansion, the mansion under Lu Shun's control. Mansions in the sect were allocated to important families. Lu Shun used to live with his parents in Mingfe Mansion, but after becoming an adult four years ago, a mansion was built for him south of Mingfe Mansion. Senior Edina was heading there to check the escape route she had used in her past life. Before her marriage, Lu Shun had helped her escape the sect, but she was ultimately caught because, as a young sheltered lady, she had no idea how to escape Gunghua Province undetected.

Senior Edina moved swiftly through the hallways and corridors, even with the cane. Her walking speed was faster than that of a normal person. It was a testament to Senior Edina’s years of practice, but that’s what baffled her. She was not in her body but in her younger self’s body. The height, weight, and body proportions were totally different, yet she moved as though this was her body from the future. She noted that whatever mysterious force had brought her back through time had made it so her mind was accustomed to her younger self.

Once Senior Edina was near the entrance of Shun Mansion, the guard was about to stop her when he noticed her red hair shining in the dull morning sunlight. Instantly recognizing her, he opened the gate. With a bow, he said, “It’s been a while since you have visited, Young Mistress Edina.” Senior Edina gave a martial arts greeting by joining her fist and hand with a bow, then entered the Shun Mansion without any idle talk.

The reason she was allowed entry so easily was that Edina used to play with Lu Shun and his elder sister, Lu Lan, all the time in the Shun Mansion when her parents were alive. She would visit alone to swing in the courtyard or play other games inside the mansion. However, it had been a year since Junior Edina visited, which is why it took a moment for the entrance guard to recognize her.

Once inside the mansion, she went straight to the library. No one stopped her even though Lu Shun was not present, as it was common for Edina to run around the mansion playing games or reading storybooks in the library. The library was a large, elegant room filled with rows of bookshelves, with sunlight streaming through tall windows, illuminating the wooden furniture and plush reading chairs.

Senior Edina walked up to a bookshelf on the second wall, touched it, and felt the Qi protecting it. She smiled, confirming the exit still existed. This meant that if anything went wrong, Junior Edina had a way out. Without hesitation, she took a romance book from one of the shelves, exited the library, and left the Shun Mansion.

As soon as Senior Edina entered her room the sliding door opened and Xiao Min entered, bothering her to get ready for class.

At the same time, in Mu Mansion, Blazing Dawn Sect

Li Mei was adorned in a luxurious hanfu embroidered with gold thread and delicate floral patterns. She sat across from an old man in his early 50s, sipping tea. He had dark black hair down to his shoulders, fair skin, and a Qi aura of a 5th-grade martial artist. He wore a somewhat luxurious outfit. This was Chen Huan, the head of Jade Grass Commerce, here to meet with Li Mei to discuss the investment deal she was about to propose.

“Mr. Chen, I know our sect has decided to stop investing in your store, but I think your endeavor is worthwhile. As such, Mu Mansion is willing to invest in your store's new business model,” Li Mei said.

Chen Huan, with a smile, replied, “I am happy to hear this, Mistress Li Mei. I will have my staff work hard to ensure this business is fruitful!” He didn't mention the fact that his store was in shambles and how tough it was to make ends meet these days due to the sect's decision to withdraw their investment. A true businessman never reveals his true state in a negotiation.

“I commend you for your dedication. Ah, I just remembered, I heard that Elara picked a dress from your store for my niece when she was with us. Do you happen to have it?” Li Mei asked directly, planning to reveal the dress at the banquet for Keith's farewell so he could bring the event's message to Leon Empire.

“I don't quite know about it, but I will ask my staff upon my return, Mistress Li Mei,” Chen Huan replied. This disappointed Li Mei. It had taken a whole week for her to get a reply from Jade Grass Commerce, and now he was talking about returning and searching for it, which would easily take longer than a week at this rate.

“Send a message using a pigeon carrier, Mr. Chen. I want to gift my niece the dress in four days' time at the banquet, which will be held in the Blazing Sun Mansion. If you get me that dress, I will consider investing in your store,” Li Mei's demeanor changed as she made this demand. She wanted to keep a condition in place to incentivize him to bring the dress on time.

With cold sweat dropping from his forehead but still maintaining a gentle smile, Chen Huan replied, “Of course, there would be conditions to the investment. I understand. I will try my best.”

With that, the meeting ended. As Chen Huan walked out of the Mu Mansion, there was a look of determination in his eyes. His dream of creating a completely new workflow for clothing production was still possible despite the many obstacles. He was determined to find this dress and secure the investment no matter what. However, neither Li Mei nor Chen Huan could have known that the dress didn't exist. It was a completely fabricated lie by Senior Edina, devised to gather information about Jade Grass Commerce. Both Li Mei and Chen Huan would be wasting their time searching for a dress that didn’t exist, all with a deadline of four days.