Jingrong carried her to the bed and carefully placed her injured hand inside the quilt.

But when he grasped Ji Yunshu’s slender wrist, his chest unconsciously ached faintly once again.

That kind of pain, wave after wave, hurt so much that it felt as if something would tear him apart in that instant.

His brows furrowed tightly, and it took quite a while before he could suppress that pain.

Why was this happening?

Why did his heart ache like this every time he faced this woman?

This was a pain he had never experienced before!

Even when suffering the most severe injuries, he had never felt this way.

He breathed slightly heavily, his unfathomably deep eyes looking at Ji Yunshu lying on the bed. Looking at the woman’s exquisite face, he felt she was both strange and familiar, as if he had indeed seen her somewhere, but in the blink of an eye, he couldn’t remember anything again.

It all seemed so illusory!

Without realizing it, he couldn’t help but reach out his hand, bit by bit, to touch Ji Yunshu’s cold cheek.

But the moment his fingertips made contact, he withdrew them again.

He rose and retreated… until his body bumped into the table behind him before stopping.

He was afraid!

Afraid that he would truly develop feelings for this woman!

Love was poison!

He told himself this over and over in his heart.

Until that feeling gradually dissipated bit by bit in his heart.

He withdrew his gaze and prepared to leave, but inadvertently stepped on something on the ground. Looking down, he saw it was the bundle Ji Yunshu had packed—a long cloth bag that seemed to contain something. He picked it up and discovered there was a painting inside. He was about to take it out to look at it when footsteps sounded from outside, and a figure appeared at the door.

“Miss Ji, are you there?”

It was a young maid.

Jingrong quickly put down the painting and then jumped out the window and left…

The maid outside knocked on the door for a while without receiving a response. She worried whether something had happened inside.

After all, a murder had occurred at the estate, and everyone up and down was extremely tense.

“Miss Ji?”

The maid was concerned, so she called over two servants to break the door open directly. They saw Ji Yunshu lying on the bed. The maid hurried to the bedside and saw that Miss Ji, who had been wearing a veil earlier, had actually removed it. That beautiful face appeared before them—though not some earth-shattering beauty, she was still like a celestial being, so beautiful and untainted by worldly dust, clear and pure, as lovely and endearing as a woman in a painting.

They say women are like the moon reflected in water, but Ji Yunshu was more like a flower reflected in a mirror.

Magnificently beautiful!

This beauty stunned the maid for a moment before she remembered her urgent matter and quickly called out softly several times.

She reached out and gently shook Ji Yunshu.

Ji Yunshu had not fainted deeply. After being awakened, she sat up from the bed and looked at the young maid and two servants before her.

Jingrong was long gone…

She wasn’t heartbroken and didn’t chase after him. Instead, she sat quietly, as if she had anticipated all of this long ago.

Yes!

How could Jingrong leave with her?

She had been too naive, thought things too simply!

She thought she could move him, persuade him.

But it turned out…

She smiled bitterly.

Her eyes, brimming with tears, looked at her injured hand.

In the end… she still couldn’t keep him!

But because she had anticipated this, there was no talk of disappointment.

However, she would still continue to wait!

Continue to search!

“Miss, are you all right?”

She held back her tears and shook her head. “I’m fine.”

“You really frightened this servant just now.”

“You may leave.”

“This servant has already brought you food. You haven’t eaten anything all day—you should at least eat something.”

She nodded slightly.

Afterward, after the maid and servants left, she rose from the bed and looked at the painting placed on the table. She held the painting and walked to the window. A cold wind swept in from outside the window, scraping across her face like a knife.

She allowed the cold wind to blow continuously, raising her eyes to look at the lonely moon in the deep night.

“Jingrong.”

She thought carefully—what urgent matter did Jingrong have to attend to?

An urgent matter?

The Wen brothers?

Her eyes suddenly widened.

“Could it be…”

She had a sudden realization!

She immediately grabbed the veil she had set aside and put it on, then rushed out of her room, running quickly out of the courtyard.

Because of Li Shiyan’s matter, Zhu Yao had been worrying back and forth in her room all along.

In a flash, she saw a familiar figure pass through the courtyard.

Looking closely, she discovered it was Ji Yunshu!

“Miss Ji?” She chased out from her room.

She saw Ji Yunshu hurriedly leaving the courtyard, as if chasing after something.

Strange!

Where could she be going so late at night?

Cai’er also followed closely out of the room and naturally saw Ji Yunshu as well, murmuring curiously in a low voice, “Wasn’t that Miss Ji just now?”

Zhu Yao thought for a moment and said, “Follow her and see.”

“But there are patrolling people everywhere outside. If we go out like this, I’m afraid it won’t be good.”

Zhu Yao said, “Right now a murder has occurred at the estate, and the killer’s identity is still unknown. What if something happens to Miss Ji running out like this? I must follow and check on her.”

Although Zhu Yao was still worried about Li Shiyan’s matter, Ji Yunshu running out so late was truly somewhat irregular, so she couldn’t worry about all that and quickly chased after her.

As soon as Ji Yunshu left the courtyard, she saw patrolling people everywhere throughout the estate. It should be related to that murder case Shu Tian had told her about earlier!

Not knowing the direction, she immediately grabbed a servant and asked, “Which way is General Wen’s residence?”

The servant was holding a lantern in his hand, searching for someone, when suddenly a veiled woman appeared before him. He was momentarily stunned, then pointed in a direction and said, “General Wen is staying in the East Courtyard.”

Hearing this, Ji Yunshu headed in that direction.

However—

The servant came to his senses and shouted at her retreating figure, “Miss, don’t run around everywhere!”

Just as he finished speaking, when he turned around, Zhu Yao appeared before him and asked, “Where did that young lady just go?”

The servant’s mouth was still open, and he was stunned again. “Ah?”

“That young lady wearing a veil just now—where did she go?”

The servant came to his senses and said, “She asked me… where General Wen is staying. I said in the East Courtyard.” As he spoke, he pointed in the direction again.

Thus, Zhu Yao quickly chased after her with Cai’er, heading toward the courtyard where Wen Che was staying.

Zhu Yao’s heart pounded. Miss Ji, who hadn’t left her room all day, had suddenly run out in such a hurry—this was clearly unusual. She worried whether something had happened. Or… could it be related to Shiyan? Thinking this, she immediately pulled back her wild thoughts. She was just too worried about Shiyan—to actually connect Miss Ji’s matter with Shiyan was truly muddled thinking.

Ji Yunshu ran all the way. When passing through a corridor corner, she suddenly crashed head-on into someone—no, more accurately, crashed into a wheelchair.

Her foot struck the hard base on the side of the wheelchair. The pain caused her body to fall sideways as well, heavily hitting the ground. Her palms scraped painfully, making her brow furrow tightly as she couldn’t help but let out an “ugh.” She was about to raise her eyes to look at the person in the wheelchair when she heard a gentle, inquiring voice beside her ear.

“Miss, are you all right?”

Ugh!

This voice…

Ji Yunshu’s heart suddenly tightened, and her body trembled.

It was Ji Pei!

She hadn’t expected to encounter him at this moment!

But right now… what should she do?

Su Ziluo looked worried as he gazed at the woman crouched beside his wheelchair. The woman was wearing a veil and had her head lowered, so he couldn’t see her appearance clearly. Since it was his wheelchair that had knocked this young lady down, he felt somewhat apologetic. He was about to reach out to help her up, but his hand had barely extended when, without even touching the woman’s arm, her body immediately shifted to one side.

“Miss?” Su Ziluo sensed something unusual, and his brow couldn’t help but furrow slightly as he said, “I unintentionally collided with you. I apologize. May I ask… were you injured?”

Ji Yunshu shook her head gently. She held her breath and forced herself to rise from the ground. With her back to Su Ziluo, she said, “I’m fine.”

After speaking, she immediately left without lingering.

Su Ziluo immediately turned his wheelchair to watch the woman’s departing figure. His gentle and measured face instantly froze, and his deep eyes held a trace of shock and gradually moistened slightly.

That woman’s voice and that figure he would never forget…