Rebirth: A Cinderella's Counterattack

Chapter 602: Chapter 582: Mo Studio

On Sunday morning, Luo Qianqian got up early. The day before his departure, Jimo Cheng had reminded her to go to bed early, and he didn’t forget to mention how crucial punctuality was for the apprenticeship ceremony, and that there could be no mistakes.

This was why, early in the morning, a multitude of alarms went off, waking her up. After turning off each one, she obediently took a bath to cleanse herself, as a sign of respect, even using the petals that Jia Ning had specifically brought back last night.

Only after bathing and freshening up did Luo Qianqian open the bag brought by Jimo Cheng that she had not unwrapped before. Her mouth began to twitch uncontrollably. So, was she going to learn about the Three Obediences and Four Virtues as an apprentice? This outfit looked like it was imitating the ancients, no matter how you looked at it.

She wore a modified, sleeveless cheongsam of red fabric with crescent patterns, which ended just at the knee. Her lower half was clad in black mid-calf pants, adorned at the cuffs with red frogs that matched the top. The shoes were red satin flats, extremely comfortable.

Yue Tingyu was very informative, styling Luo Qianqian’s hair into twin baozi, and added a pair of red tasseled ornaments to the buns.

Old Master Luo and Yue Tingyu both changed into Tang-style attire, while several of her older brothers were strictly forbidden by Old Master Luo to accompany them. Riding in the car sent by Jimo Cheng, Luo Qianqian somehow felt a rising sense of nervousness.

It was not until she arrived at the Jimo Family residence that Luo Qianqian’s eyes widened in realization that her nervousness was not unfounded. What was with this wall, as tall as a city rampart??? Did the Jimo Family have that many people???

Of course, these were her thoughts before she entered.

Once inside the compound, she realized she had underestimated the scale; the sign that read ’Mo Studio’ alone was as tall as three of her stacked up and then some.

There was even a dedicated parking lot, and suddenly it made sense why Mo Studio was in such a secluded place. Where in the city could accommodate such a huge structure? Everywhere was incredibly valuable space, yet even the low prices here must be exorbitant.

After she alighted from the car, she was taken directly to a rest room. Only Jimo Cheng was there, reading a book and rubbing his temples. Old Master Luo and Yue Tingyu had been taken to engage with Old Master Jimo.

Jimo Cheng was dressed in a white suit, and a pair of glasses lay on the table, as if he had been there for quite a while.

”It’ll be hard on you in a bit.” Jimo Cheng stood up, setting down his book, and poured a cup of tea for Luo Qianqian, ”Have you had breakfast?”

Luo Qianqian shook her head in confusion, ”This is my first time knowing your home is so big.”

”This isn’t the Jimo Family home, this is Mo Studio, a place shared by the Jimo Family and two other families. The place I usually live is just a normal apartment.” Jimo Cheng chuckled, ”Even though it’s called home, this place is more like a clubhouse, but membership here requires status.”

Luo Qianqian nodded, somewhat understanding, took a sip of tea, and then her eyes narrowed in delight, ”This smells so good.”

”Mmm, this is my grandfather’s treasured tea, I stole it out to let you taste.” Jimo Cheng’s smile deepened, ”I’m glad you like it.”

”Wow, wow, wow, then I must drink more, otherwise wouldn’t your effort be wasted?” Luo Qianqian said, reaching again for the cup, which Jimo Cheng then took from her, ”It’s better to drink less, to avoid embarrassment later.”

He then looked at the Jade Token at Luo Qianqian’s waist, and his expression softened, ”If you have an emergency, just signal me.”

Luo Qianqian blinked, ”Does this mean I won’t be able to move freely later?”

Jimo Cheng paused, then laughed bitterly, ”I’m afraid you won’t dare to move freely.”

Luo Qianqian was startled, then remembering her shock upon entering, her mouth twitched slightly, ”You don’t mean to tell me there will be people watching the ceremony?”

Jimo Cheng nodded with a wry smile, ”I’m afraid there will be quite a few.”

The Jimo Family, every individual on the Mo Studio’s roll of honor, would receive this treatment, and unlike the other two families, not only did the Jimo Family have absolute say in Mo Studio, but also each of them would not have more than five disciples recognized under their name.

As Jimo Kong’s Closed-door Disciple, how could the event be modest?

Luo Qianqian’s face fell, as she looked at the teacup, ”So later, I can’t even go... to the restroom?”

”You probably won’t make it if you go now, but if you want to, you’d better hurry.” As she spoke, she pointed towards a door on one side of the room.

Luo Qianqian helplessly shook her head. She hadn’t eaten or drunk anything, so how could she possibly digest and excrete? What she had eaten the day before had already been dealt with in the morning.

”If I get diarrhea today, that would be a disaster...” Luo Qianqian sighed inwardly. It surely wasn’t possible for her to wear something like a diaper, right? She couldn’t stand that smell.

”That’s why I stayed until dinner last night before leaving,” Jimo Cheng said with a smile, ”After it’s over, I’ll take you to eat something delicious.”

Luo Qianqian frowned, ”I have a feeling that after it’s over, I won’t want to move at all.” She tilted her head and slowly said, looking at the plants behind Jimo Cheng, ”Can I still back out?”

”What do you think?” The voice carried a laugh, without a hint of worry.

Luo Qianqian was just speaking rhetorically. After what had happened yesterday, she understood even more that she couldn’t refuse, not only for the sake of the Luo Family but also for herself.

”Young Master Cheng.” Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Luo Qianqian quickly sat up straight, but she had never been completely relaxed in front of Jimo Cheng anyway. She wouldn’t allow herself to present a bad image in front of him.

”Come in,” Jimo Cheng said with a deep voice.

”Young Master Kong invites you and Miss Luo to the hall.”

”Understood, I’ll be right there.” Jimo Cheng watched the person leave, then handed the teacup to Luo Qianqian, ”Have another sip of water.” Luo Qianqian did as instructed, then stared dumbfounded as Jimo Cheng took off his suit jacket, revealing a snow-white Tang outfit beneath, and then pulled out a stick of lipstick from the suit pocket??? He unscrewed the lipstick and handed it to Luo Qianqian, ”Apply this well, the ceremony will take a while, and I’m afraid your lips might get dry.” His lips had chapped after just one morning last time he returned to the room.

Luo Qianqian, slightly startled, hurriedly took the lipstick and gently applied two coats before giving it back to Jimo Cheng, suddenly feeling a fondness for his thoughtfulness.

Jimo Cheng took the lipstick back, capped it, and tucked it into his suit pocket before saying to Luo Qianqian, ”Let’s go, Jin Yuee.”

At first, hearing ’Jin Yuee’, Luo Qianqian felt a little uncomfortable, but she quickly adjusted and replied obediently, ”Yes, elder brother.”

Upon entering the hall, Luo Qianqian’s expression stiffened. This... was a ceremony for taking in disciples??? Why did it look more crowded than at Grandfather’s birthday party that evening?

That wasn’t entirely the case, as only part of the people were in that banquet hall, with guests present in both the downstairs banquet hall and the upstairs rotating restaurant.

”Jin Nian.” The speaker was a young man who gave Jimo Cheng a fist-palm salute. Naturally, compared to Luo Qianqian and Jimo Cheng, he was slightly older. Dressed in a black Tang outfit, his face bore an expression of utter seriousness.

Jimo Cheng was momentarily taken aback, then nodded and whispered to Luo Qianqian, ”This is Jin Feng, the eldest apprentice brother of the Jin generation.” He then returned the gesture with a fist-palm salute to Jin Feng.

Luo Qianqian was taken aback. What should she do?

Jimo Cheng whispered, ”Your left fist is held inside, the right hand outward facing the public, brought together in front of your chest. It’s the opposite for men and women.”

Luo Qianqian hurriedly followed suit with the fist-palm salute.

”The Old Master is looking for you two,” Jin Feng said before he left.

Luo Qianqian pondered for a while, then realized that he was probably referring to Jimo Kong. She felt quite odd about it. Here were a grandfather and granddaughter, yet the situation had turned them into master and disciple.

And Jimo Cheng seemed totally accustomed to it.

”Let’s go. During the ritual, just perform the courtesy properly, you don’t have to think about anything else,” Jimo Cheng sighed and led Luo Qianqian towards a direction.