The mysteriously vanished Miss Han had returned again. The Han household made no fuss about it, only sending out birthday invitations, inviting the General’s manor to attend the banquet.

Though Huayue was quite curious what exactly had happened that day, as a servant she wouldn’t pry, and simply helped Li Jingyun dress and style his hair, and prepared the birthday gift.

This young master was unusually docile, causing no trouble at all, standing obediently in the inner chamber while she arranged him.

Huayue felt it was strange.

“Young master,” she said softly, “the General has ordered that you personally present the gift to Miss Han.”

“Mm.” Li Jingyun nodded, without resisting or struggling.

Huayue sensed something was off: “Young master has no other thoughts on this?”

“What thoughts could I have.” He spread his arms as she helped him into the outer robe, closing the front, and said with a sideways glance, “It has to be done regardless, no use trying to push it off.”

Such progress overnight? Huayue found it remarkable, and also felt pleased—if he was willing to listen, that saved her a lot of trouble.

Opening the accessory box, Huayue searched and asked, puzzled, “Where did the mandarin duck pendant young master wore that day go?”

Li Jingyun glanced over too, unconcerned: “If it’s gone, it’s gone. It wasn’t anything special anyway, quite vulgar.”

That had been a fine piece of white jade from Baolai Pavilion, carved by a master craftsman—and in his mouth it was still not anything special. Huayue sighed inwardly, truly the case of a wealthy household reeking of wine and meat while treating pearls at the waist as mere hunting trinkets.

Swapping it for a seven-bamboo-ring pendant for him to wear, Huayue was about to turn to tidy other things when her wrist was suddenly caught by his hand.

“You’re to accompany me out today—you can’t be an embarrassment to me.” Looking her empty hairstyle up and down, Li Jingyun grabbed something with disdain and stuck it onto her head.

Huayue was startled, and reaching up out of habit, touched something cool.

A coiled bamboo and jade leaf hairpin, matching the set with his seven-bamboo-ring pendant. Li Jingyun had found it too effeminate and never worn it.

“Hey, don’t take it off, it’s expensive—I’m just lending it to you today to help maintain appearances.” He pulled her hand away, glanced around. “Remember to return it when we get back to the manor.”

Since he put it that way, Huayue let it be and wore it obediently.

Zhuang Shi rarely went out, and the General today also claimed court affairs kept him busy, so only Li Jingyun’s single carriage went to the Han household. However, since Madam Han was on good terms with the Princess Imperial, quite a few people had come to celebrate her beloved daughter’s birthday, and several side gates were crowded with carriages and servants.

Huayue expected they’d have to wait a while before getting in, but who would have thought that the moment their carriage stopped, a little maid ran up and led them to a tightly shut, deserted east side gate.

“My young lady said the Li family’s young master is a dragon and phoenix among men, absolutely not to mingle with the common crowd—this gate, she’ll open it for young master herself.” The little maid’s smile was sweet, and her words even sweeter, as if honey could be squeezed straight from them.

Huayue couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—looks truly were worth something in this day and age. Even with Li Jingyun’s bad temper and standoffishness, Miss Han was still willing to open her heart to him.

She glanced at the man beside her out of habit.

Li Jingyun wasn’t looking at the maid who’d spoken; instead he leaned against the carriage, watching her, his expression focused.

Seeing her look over, he didn’t avoid her gaze either, dark pupils shifting with faint light, meaningfully.

“…” Huayue inexplicably shivered.

The east side gate swung open in response.

“Jingyun, brother.” Han Shuang rushed out like a little butterfly, stopping just in front of him, bowing joyfully. “You’ve come.”

With one glance, Huayue knew she must have spent a long time dressing up today—rouged lips, alluring eyes, floral ornaments adorning her brow, gazing at Li Jingyun with the delight of a young girl in love.

Looking again at Li Jingyun, he really was handsome, with sharply cut sideburns and brows, a tall, straight figure—if he simply stood there without opening his mouth, he’d well deserve the praise of “a fine young man with a rhino-hide sword, a noble steed of good family.”

Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before this young master opened his mouth.

“I’m here to deliver the gift.”

“…” Huayue wished she could give him a smack on the back of the neck.

Who talks like that? Even if he just said today’s a fine day, I’ve come especially to celebrate, that would be fine—not even bothering with the slightest pretense, it sounded downright blunt to the point of being tragic.

The smile on Han Shuang’s face froze too. She looked wronged for a fleeting moment, but quickly smiled again, pulling his arm: “Jingyun, brother, come sit inside—this young lady has specially prepared the pastries you love.”

Li Jingyun followed her a couple of steps, then stopped and turned back: “Huayue.”

“This servant is here.”

“What are you standing around for—you haven’t even had breakfast, and you still want to go hungry out here?”

Huayue was quite amazed—this young master actually cared whether she was hungry? Who was it that had deliberately starved her several meals in a row before?

Answering in the affirmative, she took quick small steps to follow, wanting to trail behind Li Jingyun into the house.

As a result, Li Jingyun looked her over for a moment and walked to her side, frowning: “Are you feeling unwell?”

“Reporting to young master, no.”

“Then why is your lip color so pale—didn’t you sleep well last night?”

Huayue looked at him inexplicably: “Reporting to young master, this servant slept quite well.”

Li Jingyun looked her up and down, his gaze landing on the coiled bamboo and jade leaf hairpin on her head, and suddenly smiled.

Han Shuang followed his gaze, and her expression instantly changed.

Huayue’s eyes twitched, and she stepped back half a pace.

“What are you dodging for?” Li Jingyun looked utterly puzzled, then turned to see Han Shuang’s face gone pale, and seemed to understand. “Could it be Miss Han can’t even tolerate a servant?”

How was she supposed to answer that? Today was Miss Han’s birthday, the star of the occasion should naturally be her—yet this troublesome man was tactlessly making a point about a mere servant.

Han Shuang’s eyes drooped, on the verge of tears, forcing herself to answer, “How could that be—whoever Jingyun, brother, likes, this young lady naturally… naturally likes too.”

The wronged tone was audible even in the trailing syllable.

“Then would you like to invite her in for pastries too?”

“Sure… sure.” She turned to look at Huayue, her gaze somewhat resentful. “Please, come inside.”

Hearing this, Li Jingyun broke into a delighted smile and beckoned to Huayue: “Come, come, come.”

Exactly like calling Wangfu.

Huayue gritted her teeth, clenched her hands, and walked over, lowering her head to say softly, “Young master needn’t concern yourself with this servant.”

Li Jingyun seemed not to hear, and asked softly, head lowered, “What would you like to eat?”

“This servant isn’t hungry.”

“I feel for you—just take it, why hold back?” Li Jingyun raised an eyebrow, glancing around. “Or do you not like it here—should I accompany you to Jing’an Hall instead?”

“…” Huayue could feel Han Shuang’s gaze on her, resentful, piercing.

She felt like a sweet and sour fish in the pan—sugar being sprinkled on top while oil scorched her from below.

“Are you tired of standing, why aren’t you saying anything.” He beckoned to her. “Come sit down quickly, let me have a look at you.”

The sweet and sour fish was already burnt. Huayue, her back to Miss Han, turned to look at him and revealed a ferocious smile.

—Using a borrowed blade to kill, killing two birds with one stone. Young master’s scheme is truly brilliant.

—Not at all, not at all. With ten thousand volumes of military strategy, using tactics comes naturally to me.

Wretch! Huayue gritted her teeth.

Sparks seemed to fly from her eyes; she wished she could pounce on him and bite off a chunk of his flesh—but in Miss Han’s eyes, it looked like something else entirely.

The two before her stood very close, an air of romantic affection between them, glances exchanged tenderly, as if there existed a separate world between them, one with no room for a third party.

Huayue tilted her head up, staring fixedly at Jingyun, unwilling to look away. He wasn’t annoyed—rather, he was smiling, fingers tapping lightly, dark pupils glinting with light, a tenderness and doting in his brow that he himself hadn’t even noticed.

This was a side of him Han Shuang had never seen.

Han Shuang felt stifled. She had waited for Jingyun, brother, for so long, yet from the moment he’d walked through the door, he hadn’t looked at her again.

What was the meaning of this?

As the two before her remained entangled, Han Shuang rose, wanting to scold this servant who didn’t know her place. But just as her lips parted, Li Jingyun’s gaze swept over.

Cold and indifferent, carrying a warning.