The girl whose foot had been stretched out cleared her throat before stepping forward. There was a smug look on her face, the kind worn by someone who thought they had already won.
"You really don't know your place, do you?" she asked, looking Anning up and down. "You shameless slut. You're nothing but a slave, yet you walk around acting as though you're above everyone else."
The girls standing behind her laughed at her words.
"You should be careful," the girl continued. "People like you don't usually live long. Haven't you figured that out yet? Or are you too busy wondering why Young Miss suddenly left without telling you?"
Anning's fingers curled tightly around the empty air beside her.
The words struck exactly where they were meant to.
For a brief second, she could feel that ache in her chest returning. The humiliation of finding out Wanqing was gone from Lanzhin made her feel sick.
Without a goodbye, without telling her directly that she was dismissed from her duties.
