Shi Ting’s expression was entirely indulgent. He gave her soft, pink cheek a gentle pinch. “Allow me to say it for Madam.”

He stretched out one long arm and drew her into his embrace. “Madam wants to guess that Secretary-General Liu and Political Affairs Director Qin are my people.”

“Is that right?” Yan Qing asked, wide-eyed with curiosity.

“Then I can only say — Madam has guessed correctly on all counts.”

Though he confirmed it, Yan Qing was still astonished. The outside world believed that Secretary-General Liu and Political Affairs Director Qin belonged to Shi Guang’s camp. It had never occurred to anyone that they had long since pledged their loyalty to Shi Ting.

Shi Ting said, “On the surface, Shi Guang’s assignment to Qian Guan Cheng looks like a coveted position. In truth, it has already stirred the General Commander’s suspicions against him. And the Diguonese there are not easy to deal with — there is only one way to reclaim the operating rights from them.”

His gaze grew subtly heavier as he spoke. “And that is to cooperate with them.”

“Cooperate with the Diguonese?”

Shi Ting smoothed a hand over her hair. “I am confident that Shi Guang will gradually come to find it a tempting arrangement.”

Yan Qing seemed to grasp Shi Ting’s intent. Though the General Commander had no open hostility toward the Diguonese, he had no desire to become their subordinate — because he understood perfectly that what the Diguonese truly wanted was this land itself. If Shi Guang were to enter into close dealings with them, would the General Commander still feel comfortable handing power to him?

What Shi Guang had been handed was not a coveted assignment at all, but a scorching hot potato. He would likely not realize this until he arrived at Qian Guan Cheng — for Shi Ting had been careful to keep all appearances smooth and untroubled, with no hint of what lay beneath.

Shi Ting had not wanted to claim the achievement for himself, lest too many contributions drew the General Commander’s suspicion. He preferred to use it instead as bait to lure a greedy fish.

“Just now, Elder Brother and I walked back together.” Shi Ting added. “Elder Brother seemed displeased about Second Brother being sent to Qian Guan Cheng.”

Yan Qing smiled upon hearing this. “Isn’t that precisely what you wanted to see?”

He had dug a trap for Shi Guang, while also quietly stirring friction between Shi Guang and Shi Qian — killing two birds with one stone, while sitting back himself to reap the rewards.

“It seems nothing escapes Madam’s notice.” Shi Ting reached up and flicked her lightly on the nose.

At that moment, Jin Shan entered to report that someone had arrived from the Military Police Division.

Shi Ting rose from the swing. “I need to go to the Division for a while. Don’t wait for me for dinner tonight.”

Yan Qing knew he was overseeing the security preparations for next week’s ball, and gave a nod. “I understand.”

—

Two days later, it was time for the nursing school’s graduation examination. A new cohort of students was about to finish their studies after this exam, and those who passed would receive a certificate — a small document that could, in years to come, bring them a decent income and a respectable livelihood.

Yan Qing hadn’t been to school in a long while. She was officially a first-year student who had been held back, but taking the exam ahead of schedule was permitted by the school — not least because Lord Yan was a member of the school board, and she was also the Young Mistress of the Shi family.

Students like her — married and still attending school — were quite common. Schools at this time imposed few restrictions on women: not only could married women attend, but even women who had already given birth could enroll, which led to a considerable range of ages among the student body.

Yan Qing had intended to take the exam quietly and without drawing attention, but to her surprise, Shi Ting came to see her off in person.

“I’ll come pick you up when you’re done.” Shi Ting gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Do well.”

Yan Qing found herself thinking of when they had first met — they had come in and out of this very place so often because of Jing Lan’s case.

That was only last year, yet the memories remained vivid.

“If I do well, is there a reward?” Yan Qing asked with a bright smile.

“A reward?” Shi Ting tapped his fingers thoughtfully on the steering wheel. “Does Madam want something material, or something… more spiritual in nature?”

Yan Qing: “Hmm?”

“I believe Madam wants for nothing in the way of food or drink — so that leaves only a reward of the spiritual variety.”

Yan Qing: “……”

Why had she opened her mouth and asked?

“All right, off you go.” Shi Ting ruffled her hair. “I believe in you.”

“Stop patting my head — I’m not Second Egg.” Yan Qing gave an indignant huff and moved to get out of the car.

But he reached from behind and caught her wrist, drawing her back into his arms, and kissed her before she could say another word. Only when she was breathless and her face had bloomed a soft pink did he release her, satisfied. “Think of that as interest on the reward.”

After stepping out of the car, Yan Qing had barely gone a few steps when she spotted Yan Qin standing not far away. Yan Qin’s gaze was like two coiled snakes flicking their tongues — as though she wished she could swallow Yan Qing whole.

Yan Qin had noticed Shi Ting’s car pulled up at the roadside early on. Now, seeing Yan Qing’s lips flushed and her eyes bright with a warm, languid light, it was not difficult to imagine what had passed between the two of them in the car.

“How utterly shameless.” Yan Qin said furiously.

Yan Qing had not intended to bother with her. In all her days at the Shi household, she had barely crossed paths with Yan Qin, and in her estimation, someone so dense was simply not worth keeping in mind.

“Does Fifth Sister need something?” Yan Qing raised a brow.

“What were you and Shi Ting doing in that car?”

Yan Qing laughed. “What I do with my husband is something I need to account for to Fifth Sister? If Fifth Sister is envious, surely your own husband is right there — unless Fifth Sister’s husband spends every night in the concubine’s room and has never once stepped through Fifth Sister’s door?”

Shi Guang’s indifference toward Yan Qin was common knowledge throughout the Shi household. He would sooner spend his nights in the room of the pregnant Qiu Cao than spare Yan Qin so much as a glance. Yan Qin was living the life of a woman whose husband might as well not exist.

“You——” Yan Qin was so furious she couldn’t get the words out.

“Instead of spending her time worrying about me, Fifth Sister might do better to worry about herself. Fifth Sister hasn’t opened a textbook since getting married, has she? If she fails today’s exam, the Second Young Mistress of the Shi family won’t exactly look good either.”

Yan Qing’s words had clearly struck a nerve. Yan Qin clenched her jaw, her glare burning with resentment.

Even after Yan Qing’s figure had disappeared from view, the hatred in Yan Qin’s eyes had not faded.

“Yan Qin.” Shi Yutong and a group of female students came walking over. “What happened? You look so unhappy.”

“It’s that wretch Yan Qing.” Yan Qin seethed. “Making a spectacle of herself with your Seventh Brother in broad daylight, and then cursing me to fail the exam.”

Yan Qin turned to look at Shi Yutong, her eyes shifting with a calculating thought. “I heard that creature she keeps bit your hand. How is it now?”

Shi Yutong thought of the wound on the back of her hand, and then thought of how Shi Ting had defended Yan Qing, and felt a surge of bitter fury. “Nothing but a wretched beast belonging to a wretched woman.”

“Yutong, are you confident about this exam? That wretch was just now holding her head high and laughing at us.”

“She has the nerve to laugh at us — she, a repeat student.” Shi Yutong said, and then her eyes suddenly lit up. “Since we both dislike her so much — let’s just make sure she fails.”

“How?”

Shi Yutong leaned close to Yan Qin’s ear and whispered a few words. Yan Qin immediately smiled in understanding.

Their whispered exchange had not escaped Yan Qing’s eyes. She cast one cool glance toward them, then turned and walked into the school building.

The school took its annual graduation exam very seriously, and the supervising teachers were strict. Anyone caught cheating would have their results voided on the spot.

Not long after Yan Qing had sat down, Shi Yutong entered as well. Shi Yutong was normally seated in the third row, but the moment she came in she swapped places with someone else and took the seat directly in front of Yan Qing.

Yan Qing frowned slightly, but paid it no mind.

When the exam began, the teacher distributed the papers one by one. The questions had been set personally by Dr. Du — Vice Director Du of Shun Cheng First Hospital, who also taught evening classes at the school. Yan Qing had attended his lectures before.

“It’s so hard.” Someone muttered somewhere in the room.

“No talking.” The invigilator shot a sharp look across the room.

The student who had spoken stuck out their tongue but kept their brow furrowed — the questions were genuinely difficult, and passing this exam was clearly no easy feat.

Yan Qing gave the paper a brief scan, then picked up her pen and began answering in silence.

Time passed minute by minute. Outside, the cicadas droned on in their monotonous way, lending the sweltering summer afternoon an even heavier sense of oppression.

Yan Qing had just finished the final question and was reviewing for any mistakes, when Shi Yutong, seated directly in front, turned around and tossed a small crumpled ball of paper onto her desk.

The invigilator had just turned away in that moment and did not see it.

“Teacher, someone is cheating.” Shi Yutong suddenly stood up.

The invigilator frowned and approached. “Who?”

Shi Yutong pointed at Yan Qing’s desk. “Her.”

The invigilator had also noticed the crumpled paper in front of Yan Qing, and picked it up. After reading what was written inside, her expression grew serious. “The rules of this exam are clearly stated — anyone found cheating will have their examination qualification revoked.”

This teacher did not know Yan Qing and took her for an ordinary student.

Yan Qing’s expression remained calm. “Teacher, are you going to conclude that I cheated based solely on that slip of paper?”

“Isn’t that exactly what happened?”

“Teacher, I had already finished my paper. I had no need to cheat.” Yan Qing spread her hands open.

The room stirred with surprise. The exam questions had been difficult, and the fastest student had only completed half the paper — yet she was claiming to have finished the entire thing.

The teacher was clearly taken aback as well, and quickly picked up Yan Qing’s answer sheet to look it over.

“Teacher, even if I were going to cheat, I wouldn’t stoop to something so obvious.” Yan Qing had already caught a glimpse of what was written on the slip. Shi Yutong had been clever enough not to write it herself — Yan Qing couldn’t tell whose handwriting it was, or she could have compared the scripts right then.

“Something so obvious?” The teacher blinked, clearly not following.

Yan Qing nodded. “There are at least three mistakes in the answers on that slip. Quite amateurish.”

“Stop making excuses.” Shi Yutong said loudly. “Cheating is cheating. The teacher caught you in the act.”

“What if someone threw it onto my desk?” Yan Qing’s dark eyes were sharp and unwavering, and the steadiness of that gaze made Shi Yutong’s composure falter.

At that moment, someone walked in through the doorway — it was Vice Director Du, the man who had set the exam questions. He had been making rounds outside and noticed the commotion in the examination room, so he came in to take a look.

—

*Author’s comment: Anyone who sneaks a peek at the exam to help the author is a good person!*