Shi Ting said, “Qian Lan has the Marshal’s favor and naturally doesn’t worry about losing it, but this incident has reduced all her previous efforts to ashes. The good reputation she worked so hard to build, and the special regard she earned from the Old Madam — none of that will exist anymore. Shi Yutong has struck at her vital point this time.”

“I don’t think Qian Lan will let this rest. She worked so hard to come to the Shi Family and has won the Marshal’s favor, and she hasn’t yet accomplished what she set out to do. She will never allow herself to fail.”

Shi Ting let out a scornful laugh. “If I were her, there’s only one option left — burn the boats and go all in.”

“Shi Ting, are you hungry?” Yan Qing suddenly changed the subject. “It seems neither of us has eaten dinner.”

With all the commotion over Jing’er, no one had thought about dinner. Now that things had settled down, Yan Qing realized her stomach was completely empty.

“What would you like to eat? I’ll have the kitchen prepare something.”

Yan Qing waggled her finger and leaned her mouth close to Shi Ting’s face. “Do you believe me when I say that I used to sneak over walls all the time to eat, then climb back in without anyone knowing?”

Shi Ting looked surprised. “You — you can climb walls?”

Yan Qing thought back to her university days, when the dormitory rules were fairly strict. After lights-out each night, no one was allowed to leave, but the girls in her dormitory were all devoted food lovers who always craved late-night snacks. So someone would take the lead, others would follow, and they would often slip out and back in while the dormitory supervisor was resting. After doing it so many times, it became second nature, and they were never caught even once.

Yan Qing still often thought fondly of those days and missed the friends who had shared those adventures with her. She wondered how they were all doing now.

As she murmured in his ear, her breath was warm and fragrant, her eyes flickering like a little fox’s. He couldn’t help reaching out to tap the tip of her nose, then glanced down at what she was wearing.

She had on a traditional top-and-trousers outfit — neat and practical.

“Let’s go.” Shi Ting took her hand and strode briskly down the arched bridge.

“Where are we going?” Yan Qing was practically running to keep up with him. “Do you know what time it is?”

“I’m going to let you relive the feeling of climbing over a wall.” As Shi Ting spoke, he had already brought Yan Qing to the base of the rear courtyard wall.

The walls of the Shi Mansion were built very high — it would be impossible for an ordinary person to get over without a ladder. On top of that, guards patrolled the perimeter around the clock, ensuring the safety of everyone inside.

“It’s so high — can we even get up there?” Yan Qing tilted her head back to look at the towering wall. “No, Shi Ting, I can’t climb that.”

“Isn’t that why you have me?” He smiled lightly. “I’ll go up first, then pull you up.”

“You can really climb something that high?” Yan Qing blinked. “Are you going to fly up?”

“Watch.”

Shi Ting stepped back a distance, broke into a quick run, then planted both feet against the wall and walked three great steps straight up the vertical surface. On the final step, he reached out one long arm and grabbed the top of the wall, vaulting up and hooking himself over, settling firmly astride it.

Yan Qing watched him scale the wall with her own eyes and couldn’t help covering her mouth in astonishment. She knew her man was capable, but she hadn’t imagined he was quite this capable — in ancient times, this would have been called lightness kung fu.

Of course, lightness kung fu was an exaggeration, but Shi Ting’s wall-climbing technique was the kind of skill that could be developed through practice.

“Qingqing, come here.” He waved to her from above.

Yan Qing hurried to the base of the wall, but even with him already at the top, she couldn’t reach his outstretched hand.

She thought to herself — surely he wouldn’t expect her to walk up the wall in three steps too. Even if her idol’s poster were plastered all over that wall, she still couldn’t do it.

Shi Ting quickly stripped off his long outer robe and twisted it expertly into a rope, letting one end hang down in front of her.

Yan Qing tested it — the makeshift rope was sturdy. So she gripped it with both hands and walked her feet up the wall, slowly climbing upward. As she climbed, Shi Ting pulled from above, and with their combined efforts that familiar silhouette grew closer and closer, until finally he caught her wrist and hauled her into his arms.

The top of the wall was wide enough that sitting on it didn’t feel cramped at all.

Yan Qing, having finally made it up, let out a sigh of relief. Something struck her as funny, and she burst out laughing in his arms.

“The walls at your Shi Mansion are really something to climb.”

“Liu Yin is over that way — he just passed.” Shi Ting pointed into the distance, where a neat column of guards disappeared into the darkness.

Liu Yin had noticed the commotion the moment it started. When he came to investigate, he saw Shi Ting sitting on top of the wall, and he had no words to describe what he felt in that moment — something roughly equivalent to seeing a ghost.

Their Seventh Young Master, bypassing the front gate to use the wall instead, and looking thoroughly entertained by the whole affair.

Liu Yin could only pretend he hadn’t seen a thing and led his men onward with their patrol.

When it came time to climb down, Yan Qing spent quite a while working up her nerve before she dared to jump, but fortunately Shi Ting caught her securely in his arms without letting her get so much as a fright.

The climbing and jumping had been a bit frightening, but the thrill of it — Yan Qing found she loved it.

After spending so long cooped up in the deep inner quarters of a grand household, a person started to feel rusty. A little diversion like this every now and then was wonderfully cheerful.

“It’s this late — where are we going to find food?” Yan Qing walked hand in hand with Shi Ting, drifting aimlessly through the streets.

This era was nothing like the modern world. Outside of the establishments with their bright lights and nightlife, there were no roadside stalls, no late-night food vendors. The streets at this hour were empty and utterly quiet.

“How about noodles?” Shi Ting suggested.

“Are there any noodle shops still open?”

“No.”

Yan Qing laughed. “Then how are we supposed to eat?”

“I have a way.” Shi Ting winked at her. “Closed doors have their own solutions.”

“We’re not climbing another wall, are we?”

“My lady is clever.” Shi Ting glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “Come on.”

Shi Ting led Yan Qing through a series of turns until they reached a commercial street. By now all the shops had long since closed for the night, and darkness lay everywhere around them.

Shi Ting walked up to one of the shops and nimbly scaled the wall to get inside. This wall was only half as high as the one at the Shi Mansion — easy enough to get over.

Yan Qing hadn’t expected to spend the whole evening climbing walls, and while she groaned inwardly, she also felt a surge of excitement, as if she had found again that feeling from her university days.

Once inside the small courtyard, Yan Qing realized it was a noodle shop. The interior door was held shut with nothing more than a wooden bar — clearly the owner knew that a small place like this wasn’t worth a thief’s attention.

But while the owner hadn’t bothered guarding against thieves, he could never have imagined that someone far more brazen than any thief would come waltzing straight in.

“Shi Ting, is this really all right?” Yan Qing looked around. “Taking something without asking is the same as stealing.”

Shi Ting had already found a kerosene lamp and lit it with his lighter.

“The owner is a friend I’ve known for a long time. When we’re out on a case and there’s nowhere to eat in the middle of the night, we come here, start the stove ourselves, make our own noodles, and then leave the money in a set place for him.”

Shi Ting walked to the cupboard and opened it to find some vegetables still stored inside — they looked like they had just been bought yesterday, perfectly fresh.

“The owner must be a very good person.” Yan Qing hadn’t expected Shi Ting to have such a history with this little noodle shop.

“It’s close to the military police headquarters, and the noodles are cheap and convenient. After coming often enough, we got to know each other.” As he spoke, Shi Ting had already taken out the flour.

“Let me help.” Yan Qing washed her hands, rolled up her sleeves, and walked over.

Yan Qing worked the dough while Shi Ting got the stove going. By the time the fire was lit, she had already finished kneading.

Shi Ting wouldn’t let Yan Qing do the next part himself — he personally picked up the rolling pin, rolled the dough flat, and cut it into noodles.

“Shi Ting, the water’s boiling — ready to put the noodles in.”

“Good.” Shi Ting dropped the noodles into the rolling boil, and while Yan Qing minded the pot, he set a small second pot going and made a green bean sauce.

Before long, two steaming bowls of green bean noodles were set on the little table, filling the air with a wonderful aroma.

“All done.” Shi Ting washed his hands and came over. Yan Qing was already eyeing the noodles hungrily.

He was always so busy these days, home less and less often, and it was rare for Yan Qing to eat anything he had made with his own hands. She hadn’t expected that on this quiet evening, she would get to eat a bowl of noodles he had cooked for her.

Whether the noodles were delicious or not hardly mattered — when Yan Qing took her first bite, what she tasted was a deep and tender warmth.

She had meant it as nothing more than a casual offhand remark, and he had taken it to heart.

She knew that whatever she wished for — however far it might seem, however impossible — he would move heaven and earth to make it happen for her.

Whether it was the heat of the noodles or something else entirely, Yan Qing felt her eyes grow misty.

“What’s wrong?” Shi Ting turned to look at her. “If it’s too hot, let it cool down a bit.”

“It is a little hot.” Yan Qing smiled at him. “The steam went straight into my eyes.”

Shi Ting listened, then reached out with his long arm and drew her bowl in front of him. From somewhere he produced a stiff piece of cardboard and began patiently fanning it.

“Better now.” After fanning for a good while, he slid the bowl back in front of her. “Eat.”

Yan Qing ate her noodles, glancing up at him from time to time, while he watched her in turn. They shared a quiet smile, and the warmth in their eyes brightened the moonlight and deepened the sweetness of the night.

When they had finished eating, Yan Qing put the kitchen back in order, and Shi Ting left a silver dollar on the stove.

A single silver dollar would more than cover two bowls of noodles — it could have fed them there for an entire month.

After leaving the noodle shop, neither of them was in any hurry to go back, so they strolled leisurely along the roadside.

“If you want to investigate Qian Lan, there’s actually another angle to pursue.” Shi Ting held her hand and turned to look at her.

Yan Qing, thinking along the same lines, finished his thought for him. “You mean—?”

—