Chapter 11: Losing Weight

With the glazed bead around her neck, she felt a sense of great comfort throughout her entire body.

The next morning, Su Jingyao opened her eyes. The glazed bead was truly a wonderful thing; it had allowed her to sleep dreamlessly all night long, right until daybreak.

Remembering what she had to do today, Su Jingyao got up immediately and washed up.

A moment later, Su Jingyao opened her bedroom door.

"Miss," the two maids, Leng Shuang and Han Lu, had been waiting at the door since early morning.

Su Jingyao nodded.

"Would Miss like to have breakfast?" Leng Shuang asked.

Su Jingyao shook her head. "No need to be so early."

Indeed, Su Jingyao estimated it was only the hour of the rabbit (5:00–7:00 AM). After a moment's thought, she said, "I will have breakfast at the hour of the dragon (7:00–9:00 AM)."

Leaving those words behind, Su Jingyao walked quickly outside.

The General's Mansion was vast, and the entire back garden was a place where she could exercise.

After running one lap around the entire back garden, Su Jingyao was panting heavily. However, with the glazed bead on her person, she felt much better; without it, her face might have turned deathly pale by now, rather than just being out of breath.

This body, though fat, was extremely unhealthy.

She had to persevere. She had to lose some weight, no matter what; otherwise, if she went to the academy looking like this, she didn't know how many people would laugh at her!

Throughout the morning, Su Jingyao kept running lap after lap around the garden until her legs trembled and went weak, at which point she finally stopped.

She returned to her room, rested for a while, and then began doing sit-ups. At first, Su Jingyao couldn't get up at all, so she called Leng Shuang over. "Help me hold down my feet."

She managed to force out a few, while Leng Shuang felt rather strange. What was the young mistress trying to do so early in the morning?

"Miss, what is this for?" Leng Shuang was curious. Su Jingyao’s face was more rosy than usual, and Leng Shuang actually thought this version of Su Jingyao looked much better than the pale-faced Su Jingyao of the past!

"Losing weight!" Su Jingyao gritted her teeth, the words squeezed out from between them.

Leng Shuang was shocked; she hadn't expected Su Jingyao to be trying to lose weight!

Since she was a child, Su Jingyao had been round and plump. When she was little, she was fair and chubby, and everyone who saw her loved her. But as she grew older, a young girl growing up like this was completely ruined.

Su Aotian had never asked Su Jingyao to lose weight, so Su Jingyao hadn't cared much either. Although she was occasionally discouraged by others, she would forget about it immediately, so she had never truly made up her mind to lose weight before.

Leng Shuang looked at Su Jingyao’s face, and her heart was faintly touched.

In that instant, the face of the late Madam flashed through her mind—that loving face, which seemed to vaguely merge with the one before her.

"This servant will accompany Miss in losing weight from now on."

"No need, I can do it alone." Sweat poured continuously from Su Jingyao’s forehead, dripping down drop by drop.

A long while later, Su Jingyao collapsed onto her bed, exhausted.

"Miss, this servant will go get hot water for you to bathe," Leng Shuang said, then went out to prepare it.

Su Jingyao did not object; she couldn't stand the foul, sour smell of her own sweat either.

The glazed bead around her neck emitted a faint, brighter glow, and that light seeped directly into Su Jingyao’s body.

Without realizing it, Su Jingyao fell asleep.

It wasn't until Leng Shuang woke her that she stirred, feeling groggy.

After waking up, she prepared to have breakfast.

However, she didn't feel hungry. Even though she had been exhausted and famished, she hadn't expected that after waking up from her nap, she would no longer feel hungry!

"Take it away," Su Jingyao instructed.

"Miss, losing weight is one thing, but you cannot skip your meals," Han Lu, who was nearby, spoke up. Clearly, she had learned from Leng Shuang that the young mistress wanted to lose weight.

"I have my own judgment. Take it away," Su Jingyao said slowly, frowning.

With that, Han Lu lowered her head and cleared the meal from in front of Su Jingyao.