After the evening meal, Feng Jiu’er took Qiao Mu with her and entered Zhao Xiaoxiao’s courtyard.

“Miss Feng, Miss Qiao, what brings you both here?” The maid standing guard outside the side chamber hurried forward to greet them.

“Is your young miss in? I’d like to see her,” Feng Jiu’er said.

“The young miss is bathing at the moment. Miss Feng and Miss Qiao are welcome to come inside and wait a little.” The maid answered softly.

“Very well.” Feng Jiu’er nodded.

“This way, please.” The maid gestured with a wave of her hand, turned, and pushed open the door to the middle chamber.

After Feng Jiu’er and Qiao Mu stepped inside, the maid followed them in.

Walking up to the open doorway of the inner room, the maid called out gently, “Young Miss, Miss Feng and Miss Qiao have arrived. They are waiting in the hall for you.”

“Let them in.” Zhao Xiaoxiao’s voice came from within.

“Yes, Young Miss.” The maid nodded, turned to look at Feng Jiu’er and Qiao Mu, and bowed respectfully, gesturing for them to enter.

“Miss Feng, Miss Qiao, our Young Miss invites you inside.”

“Good. You go stand watch outside.” Feng Jiu’er waved her hand and stepped in.

“Yes.” The maid nodded, backed away several steps, then turned and headed out.

As she entered, Feng Jiu’er glanced back at Qiao Mu and raised an eyebrow. “Close the door.”

Qiao Mu turned and pushed the door shut, then followed Feng Jiu’er all the way to the folding screen.

Through the screen, both Feng Jiu’er and Qiao Mu could make out a head peeking above the rim of a wooden bathtub inside.

“Jiu’er, Qiao Mu, is that you?” Zhao Xiaoxiao gripped the edge of the tub, peering out from behind the screen.

“Yes.” Feng Jiu’er nodded in reply. “Take your time. We’re in no hurry.”

“Just a moment — I’ll come out now.” Zhao Xiaoxiao’s voice came through again.

“Alright.” Feng Jiu’er glanced at Qiao Mu. “Let’s go wait over there.”

With that, she turned and moved away. Qiao Mu turned as well and walked back out.

The two sat down at the table in the middle of the room. Before long, Zhao Xiaoxiao came out from within, fully dressed.

She was still holding a towel, running it through her hair.

“Jiu’er, Qiao Mu, it’s so late — is something the matter?” Zhao Xiaoxiao came and sat down at the table.

Tonight, Zhao Xiaoxiao seemed a great deal more gentle than usual.

Especially when Feng Jiu’er recalled the girl she used to know — the one who would grab hold of a handsome man and declare she wanted to marry him — she could well understand how Zhao Yusheng must be feeling.

“Nothing in particular.” Feng Jiu’er shook her head. “I’m sorry. It’s been so many days, and I haven’t come to see you once.”

Feng Jiu’er stood up, walked over, and took Zhao Xiaoxiao’s hand, the two of them moving together to the edge of the bed.

“Lie down. Let me take a look at you.”

“Alright.” Zhao Xiaoxiao lay down.

Qiao Mu sat beside her, gathered her long hair to one side, and began gently toweling it dry.

Feng Jiu’er lifted Zhao Xiaoxiao’s hand and pressed her long fingers to her pulse point.

Zhao Xiaoxiao lay quietly, glancing at Qiao Mu from time to time, then at Feng Jiu’er, without saying a word.

It was only after Feng Jiu’er released her hand that she spoke softly. “Jiu’er, Qiao Mu, you two really don’t need to be so good to me.”

“I’m fine now, aren’t I? Jiu’er, I’ve been well for a long time.”

Feng Jiu’er looked at her and pressed her lips together.

“Physical wounds heal quickly enough. But the ones inside — how are those doing?”

Zhao Xiaoxiao met Feng Jiu’er’s gaze. After a long moment, she managed a faint, somewhat strained smile.

“They say we’re all women of the rivers and lakes. A little thing like this — can I really not get past it? Besides, I’ve thought it through. I’ll accept Keyan. He’s a decent man.”

Feng Jiu’er nodded, then asked gently, “Xiaoxiao, do you mind if I ask — that night, how much do you actually remember?”

Zhao Xiaoxiao hadn’t expected Feng Jiu’er to ask that. She blinked, but composed herself quickly.

“Jiu’er, something like this… how do I even begin to say it?”

“You are Zhao Yusheng’s sister, and you are my sister too. We’re all family here. There’s nothing that can’t be said.” Feng Jiu’er took Zhao Xiaoxiao’s hand in hers.

“Xiaoxiao, trust me. Tell me everything you can remember. Will you do that?”

Zhao Xiaoxiao steadied herself and nodded. “It’s not that I don’t want to talk about it. The truth is, I can’t remember anything at all.”

She bit her lip, stared up at the bed canopy for a long while, then turned her head and met Feng Jiu’er’s eyes.

“Jiu’er, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you for a long time, but I haven’t known how to bring it up.”

“Go ahead. We’re all women here. There’s nothing we can’t say.” Qiao Mu said softly.

Feng Jiu’er looked at Zhao Xiaoxiao as well and nodded. “Ask.”

Zhao Xiaoxiao pressed her lips together, keeping her voice as low as possible. “Jiu’er, they say the first time is supposed to be very painful. Why didn’t I feel any pain at all?”

“Not… any pain at all?” Feng Jiu’er looked at her, her crescent brows drawing together.

“Where was it painful? Wait — where wasn’t it painful?” Qiao Mu frowned and asked.

Both Feng Jiu’er and Zhao Xiaoxiao turned to look at Qiao Mu almost simultaneously, their eyes narrowing.

Qiao Mu looked between the two of them, seeming to catch on to something. She parted her lips and smiled, though it looked a little forced.

“I understand. Carry on.”

Feng Jiu’er shifted her gaze back to Zhao Xiaoxiao, and a thought surfaced in her mind, one that made her frown without quite meaning to.

After a moment, she asked softly, “Beyond finding that strange, is there anything else you haven’t been able to make sense of?”

Zhao Xiaoxiao pressed her lips together and shook her head. “Not really. It’s just strange — why wasn’t it the way I’d always heard it would be?”

“But that night, Keyan and I really did get hit with that kind of drug. I still remember pushing him down myself. What happened after that, I don’t remember.”

“Jiu’er, does that mean I’m different from other people? Or does it mean that Keyan and I never actually…”

“Xiaoxiao.” Feng Jiu’er took Zhao Xiaoxiao’s hand again. “Besides me and Qiao Mu, does anyone else know about this?”

“No one.” Zhao Xiaoxiao shook her head without hesitation. “Something like this — who would I dare tell? Would I tell my older brother? How could he possibly understand?”

“What I mean is, does Keyan know?” Feng Jiu’er asked in a low voice.

When Zhao Xiaoxiao heard Tuoba Keyan’s name, she was visibly still a little ill at ease.

But she recovered quickly and shook her head. “I would never discuss something like that with him.”

“Fair enough.” Feng Jiu’er nodded, her expression thoughtful.

Seeing her like that, Zhao Xiaoxiao immediately grew agitated. “Jiu’er, are you saying that it really is something to do with me? That I’m different from everyone else?”

“No.” Feng Jiu’er shook her head. “Xiaoxiao, let me ask you this — do you actually have feelings for Keyan or not?”

“No.” Zhao Xiaoxiao shook her head firmly. “Jiu’er, you already know perfectly well who I like. It’s Jian Yi.”

“If that night had never happened, I don’t think I would have gotten entangled with Keyan at all.”

“So what you’re saying is, you only went along with Keyan’s behavior because of that one night?” Feng Jiu’er asked, her brows drawn together.

Perhaps she had already known this to be the case, yet it still sat uneasily in her chest. After all, everything that had happened traced its roots back to her.