[Phantom of the Opera] Devil's Beauty

Beth shook her head: "I don't know. After you were kicked out, the Grand Duke banned the term 'female favor'. He dismissed his godmother and never set foot in the small courtyard again. Tess said that he was completely fascinated by Odile. Yes, as long as Odell gives an order, all of us will be kicked out... She also said that anyone who opposes Audelle will end badly, and you are an example."

"Really." Bai Lanzhi was noncommittal, "Let's talk about salary."

Beth looked at Blanche's face and felt that she had really changed.When Bai Lanzhi was pushed into the water, she stood not far away and saw Bai Lanzhi fall into the water, standing up dripping wet, looking around helplessly, as if she hadn't figured out what happened.She was so small and weak back then.The Duke despised her, Odile despised her, and they punished her as easily as crushing a bug.

Now her demeanor, temperament, and even the tone of her speech are very different from before. What happened in the past month?Why can she have such a big change?

Beth is envious and curious about the changes in Blanche, but at the same time she is reluctant to part with the high-end apartment and two maids promised by Audrey. She can only secretly hope that the salary offered by Blanche can redeem her conscience.But it is a pity that Bai Lanzhi's salary is very reasonable, five thousand francs a year.In Paris, only mid-level civil servants can earn such salaries.

And the rent of the apartment that Audrey gave her was as high as [-] francs a year, and Beth herself didn’t want to live the life of a mid-level civil servant. These days, she had figured out the prices in Paris, and she also knew that she was cheated that day— ——The standard room in the best hotel in Paris is only twelve francs a day, and the manager opened his mouth and asked her to take away a diamond necklace.She was so angry that she beat the bed hard, but there was nothing she could do—she had forgotten where the hotel was, let alone found it.

If she could have guessed the value of those diamond necklaces earlier, she might have lived a happier life than Blanche, but who would have thought that something so common in the Duke's manor would be so expensive outside?

Just this time, Beth said to herself, when she got the apartment, she would stay away from the vicious woman Audrey and start a new life.

Thinking of this, her psychological burden was gone immediately, and she asked the question very naturally: "Bai Lanzhi, how much did you invest in that secular women's monastery?"

Bai Lanzhi didn't think much, and replied casually: "Not much, the nunnery was originally funded by Odile, but she only paid half of the rent, and the remaining half was unwilling to pay. The matter almost failed. I just made up the money, plus the servant's salary and daily expenses, it should not exceed [-] francs a year. Of course, the rent is extra, [-] a year."

She still has more than 7 francs left, which is not much, but she can be regarded as a little rich woman who can live comfortably in Paris for several years.But she had no intention of eating and waiting to die, and was seriously and naively thinking about another thing: Eric said that he had defrauded some nobles.Then she advised him to return the money and start a new life with her.After she and Eric get married, she will make a request for cooperation with Mr. OG as a married woman.This can not only avoid suspicion, but also provide a reliable source of income, and provide a stable job for those lonely girls.It's killing three birds with one stone!

She was very happy just thinking about it, and for the first time she was full of hope for the future.

When she had saved enough to rent a small apartment with a garden, she said to Eric:

No matter what your past looks like, I have the courage to start over with you.

-

After Beth passed the news to Audrey, the next day, she packed up her things and went to the secular female convent with Blanche.

She knew that the annual salary of [-] francs was the best that Bai Lanzhi could offer so far.But her goal is far more than that, she wants more, and she also wants to have the same demeanor and temperament as Bai Lanzhi, which is completely different from that of female pets.

So along the way, she imitated Bai Lanzhi's expression, sitting posture, and even the curvature of her fingers to herself.

The carriage stopped in front of the nunnery.The predecessor of this building was an abandoned small monastery, with a magnificent and solemn appearance, two floors, a small garden, a total of more than 100 rooms, not fully occupied.When they entered, a brown-haired mother and daughter were playing on the grass. When they saw them, they stood up cautiously.

The mother was hunchbacked, with cracked chilblains on her hands, and she was wearing clean and warm new clothes, which made her complexion a little yellow.She took the little girl behind her and asked in a low voice and vigilantly, "Who are you looking for?"

Blanche smiled slightly and was about to answer when another carriage stopped in front of the gate of the convent. The driver helped a woman in red and green down and said softly, "Five francs, madam. Thank you for your patronage."

The woman waved her hand annoyedly: "You are indispensable!" She ignored the gatekeeper's obstruction, swaggered into the monastery, and screamed, "Where is the steward? Where is the steward! Who allowed you to open this monastery?" Yes! I want to divest, I am an investor!"

She looked up for a moment, and saw Bai Lanzhi and her group on the side of the grass, and immediately rushed over to this side, taking the newspaper handed over by the servant as she walked, and yelling aggressively: "It was agreed that it was Odile who funded the newspaper." The secular female convent has now become Blanche? Isn’t this a scam to put money into it? Don’t think I don’t know what Blanche is. Blanche is the duke’s mistress, a prostitute who earns money from her body "Female! A prostitute adopts a group of orphans and widows, how can she feel good? You listen to me, don't live here, let's all go!"

When Beth heard this, her face flushed with anger, and she wished she could rush up and slap the woman.Like Bai Lanzhi, she didn't understand the disadvantages of being a female pet before, but after getting in touch with people, she discovered that female pets are like animals - mistresses with more flexible minds can even have cholera. Being kept in captivity in the backyard is not even as good as a mistress.

She wanted to refute, but didn't know where to refute.The other party has already degraded her as a prostitute, so why should I tell her that the Duke has a weird habit, he only likes to meet talented women, and they are kicked out before they become talented female favourites.Not to mention how absurd the content was, even she herself wanted to laugh when she heard it, and with this woman's character, she probably wouldn't listen to her finish.

Beth can only pin her hopes on Blanche.Before she knew it, Blanche had become the benchmark for her actions, but she didn't realize it herself.

Faced with this scene, Bai Lanzhi was quite calm. Since hearing Eric say that he is a fugitive pursued by the whole country, she can face everything calmly, unless Eric still hides some big secret from her.

She stood on tiptoe, brushed shoulders with the woman, and easily snatched the newspaper from her hand, only to see a line of headlines in bold: The "female version" of the poorhouse costs nearly 10000 francs a year. What kind of power supports her to "do good deeds" ?

The reporter seemed to be afraid that the people who were too poor would not be able to understand the gold content in the title, and gave a series of examples: For many of us, 1 franc is a day's living expenses, and 1 francs can eat a luxurious dinner.You know, the annual salary of a messenger is about 2 francs, and the annual salary of a doctor is only about 1 francs, and Bai Lanzhi squandered 1000 francs, who is supporting her to do good deeds, and what is her purpose? ?

In the eyes of ordinary people, some women who are from humble backgrounds but can get in touch with the upper class are called "social butterflies".It is not uncommon for such women to depend on powerful men and spend extravagantly.But Blanche is different. While promoting women's rights, she spends money like a courtesan in an attempt to beautify herself.Her behavior angered some low-income workers.Those laborers do the heaviest and heaviest work every day, but their daily wages are only twenty sous.What can Blanche do?Is she stronger than them?Can they suffer more than them?Why spend ten thousand francs like that?

After reading it, Bai Lanzhi crumpled up the newspaper and threw it on the ground.Just as the woman was about to start scolding, she stepped forward and bowed to the woman: "Hello, lady. I am the Bai Lanzhi you mentioned."

The woman was stunned. The Bai Lanzhi she imagined was a coquettish woman with heavy makeup and bare shoulders and thighs, but the girl in front of her was beautiful and refined, with a very outstanding temperament. Her hair and eyelashes were light gold that was close to snow white. Only when she smiled slightly could she catch the flashing beauty of her brows.

This woman is a neighbor of Anna Adelaide. She is of ordinary background and is the child of a merchant, but married a rich husband and is a standard full-time wife.She only went to private school to learn how to maintain a graceful posture and manners.Her husband told her that she didn't have to worry about outside affairs, she just needed to take care of the house.She thought it made sense, so she walked around the house every day, cleaning the house spotlessly.Later, her husband found her boring and went to live with his mistress. She hated the term "full-time wife" and made friends with Anna.Anna told her that women should have their own thoughts and careers, and should not hang around their husbands all day long.She felt that what Anna said was more correct, and invested in this female hermitage.

Unexpectedly, the patron behind the secular female monastery turned out to be Bai Lanzhi!She invested money in a monastery run by a mistress?Just thinking about it makes me faint.

Seeing Bai Lanzhi's posture, the woman thought she was going to refuse to refund the money, and was about to raise her chin to put on an unfriendly gesture, when she heard Bai Lanzhi ask: "How much money did you invest, I will return it to you. After finishing speaking, she said to the mother and daughter on the grass in a gentle voice: "You can leave as you like, come and go freely. I just want to help you, not imprison you."

The woman immediately reported the number, and then urged the mother and daughter: "What are you doing here? Pack up your things and leave quickly. Do you know what a mistress is? A mistress is a maggot that destroys other people's families! If you eat maggots, stay away!" Maggots, don't you feel sick?"

Beth finally couldn't help but refuted: "Madam, please be careful with your words, we didn't destroy other people's families!"

The mother hugged the little girl, a little dazed: "We...we have nowhere to go."

The little girl hid behind her mother, clutching her clothes: "There are beds, quilts, and food and drink here... I even ate chicken yesterday. Mom, I don't want to leave..."

Bai Lanzhi suggested: "Madam, if you can provide them with a stable place to live, ensure that they eat well, sleep well, and have a reliable job in the future, I think they will be very happy to leave with you."

The woman's face was ugly, and she blurted out: "Make sure they eat and drink well, and find jobs for them? They are not my relatives, so why should I treat them so well?" After she finished speaking, Bai Lanzhi realized the meaning of what she said. , to have given these orphans and widows such treatment, while her face turned purple with embarrassment, at the same time, she felt that Bai Lanzhi was uneasy and kind, and that she was so kind to these strangers who had nothing to do with her, she must be planning some bad idea .

After receiving the check, the woman got into the carriage and returned to the city in despair.She originally wanted to make a big fuss and make Bai Lanzhi lose face, but the price of making Bai Lanzhi lose face is to help those women and children, so she dare not continue to make trouble, for fear that those women and children will really haunt her and want her Hand over a new residence.

Opening the curtain of the car, the woman looked resentfully at the secular nunnery, thinking, you will be ruined in a few days, what a good thing a mistress can be.

After the women left, Blanche gave up the idea of ​​introducing Beth to the convent.If they have doubts about the status of female pets, the efficiency of learning will be greatly reduced, and the meaning of teaching will naturally disappear.She recalled the newspapers of the past two days, and felt a little strange, as if someone was deliberately leading the public opinion to attack her.In her memory, there is only one person who can use this method.Since the other party refuses to let her go, don't blame her for repaying him in the same way.

Back in the small theater, she closed her eyes, carefully searched for the people she had met and known in the past month, and finally locked on Viscount Garnier, and was about to ask Daroga about the address of Viscount Garnier, when she saw the small theater Everyone looked at her with strange expressions.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she looked at the newspaper, and sure enough, the damn Mr. OG actually published a statement!

It's okay if this statement is not published, but once it is published, all her plans will be disrupted!

The secular women's convent in the eastern suburbs of Paris is my personal donation, and Miss Blanche is only an agent.If you have any objection, please write to us.Address: 8 Avenue des Champs-Elysées, 66th arrondissement, Paris.

Og

When Bai Lanzhi saw it, her eyes turned red and she was so wronged that she almost cried.

How can there be such a person, now everyone will think that their relationship is ambiguous!

She rents a small garden apartment to pursue Eric's dream...

shattered.

The author has something to say: Blanche: ... I'm dirty.