Xie Yanlai looked at the girl standing by the bedside.

The girl’s clothing wasn’t luxurious, but it was fine quality. Her black hair was like clouds, her white face like jade, with bright expressive eyes and a slight smile at the corners of her mouth.

Somewhat unfamiliar.

He actually couldn’t remember what Chu Zhao looked like anymore.

They had been strangers to begin with, spending only a brief time together on the road, and Chu Zhao had deliberately concealed her appearance.

Yet also very familiar.

Looking at this girl’s smile, what sprang to mind for Xie Yanlai was that A’Fu with tattered clothes and disheveled hair, covered in a layer of dust, emanating strangeness and cunning from inside out.

“What do I have to gloat about?” he said. “With my Third Brother here, who in this world can laugh at our Xie family?”

Chu Zhao sat down on the round stool: “It’s not really something to laugh about anyway. I don’t care.” She looked around. “You have a nice place here.” She looked again at the maids who had retreated to the doorway.

Unable to attend to her, the maids began attending to A’Le instead, serving A’Le tea, offering her snacks, inviting her to sit by the window, and showing her the carved gourd ornaments hanging there.

“You have more maids than a pampered young lady.”

She really didn’t care at all, looking around everywhere instead. Xie Yanlai frowned and suddenly said: “Do you think sitting on the mountain watching tigers fight is easy? Miss A’Fu, your courage and appetite are growing larger and larger. Do you think Xie Yanfang can’t see through your little schemes?”

Chu Zhao looked at him and asked: “What little schemes do I have?”

Because he disliked bright light, his bedroom was very dim. That girl sat upright on the stool, also shrouded in dimness, but there was an inexplicable light in her eyes.

She was smiling!

Xie Yanlai sneered coldly.

Chu Zhao’s voice laughed: “Even Xie Yanfang won’t say—why don’t you tell me?”

She knew everything!

She herself was willing to take risks—why should he meddle? Why should he meddle at all?

Xie Yanlai withdrew his gaze and turned his head inward, his voice cold: “I have nothing to say. It’s none of my business. Miss Chu is all-capable, making a stunning debut, invincible in all directions.”

The girl’s voice didn’t sound again. Footsteps rustled closer. Xie Yanlai alertly turned his head back.

“What are you doing!” he barked.

That girl’s hand had already grabbed the covers to pull them back.

“Looking at your wound,” Chu Zhao said. “Did you use the medicine I gave you? This time I’ve prepared new medicine. Let me see the wound and whether we need to switch it out.”

Xie Yanlai found this somewhat amusing. He pressed down on the covers and looked at her.

“Chu Zhao,” he said in a lowered voice. “Just curry favor with Xie Yanfang. You don’t need to come here and play the good person.”

“Of course I need to,” Chu Zhao said, also looking at him and lowering her voice. “Get better quickly and help me deliver a letter to my father.”

Xie Yanlai had imagined her saying all sorts of things, but he hadn’t expected her to come out with this.

The youth’s phoenix eyes widened.

Surprised, confused, angry, and amused.

“Chu Zhao!” He gritted his teeth, almost cursing. “What are you saying?”

Chu Zhao gestured for him to keep his voice down: “I’m not asking you to help for nothing. Aren’t I treating your wounds?”

Xie Yanlai laughed despite himself: “Without you treating my wounds, I’d die?”

That was true. Chu Zhao said quietly: “To make you heal faster and suffer a bit less. Of course, it still counts as you helping me, but if it weren’t for you, how would I have been caught and brought back?”

Xie Yanlai nearly jumped up from the bed. He propped himself up, but the pain in his wound made him stop again.

“Chu Zhao, you—do you have something wrong with your brain?” he said. Then he thought, he must also have something wrong with him, discussing who was helping whom and for what. He suppressed his annoyance, his expression calm, saying word by word: “You and Xie Yanfang already talk about everything—delivering a letter to your father, you still need to find me? Are you playing me for a fool?”

“Why would I play you for a fool? I’m serious,” Chu Zhao said, her expression also calm, looking at the youth. “Xie Yanfang is different from you.”

Different? Xie Yanlai didn’t speak for a moment, looking at her.

“He couldn’t possibly do such hard labor as delivering letters,” Chu Zhao said.

Xie Yanlai took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The next moment he threw back the covers and jumped down from the bed—

The youth was bare-chested, wrapped in layers of bandages, fierce and frightening looking.

As if he wanted to grab her and tear her to shreds.

Chu Zhao quickly retreated backward and said loudly: “Xie Yanlai, I’m Third Master Xie’s honored guest! Be polite to me!”

The maids at the doorway were startled.

A’Le sprang up from her stool with a whoosh. She didn’t even have time to put down the cricket cage made from a gourd in her hand before rushing over.

Xie Yanlai’s maids also surged forward, separating the two.

“What’s happening?” “How did they start fighting when everything was fine?” “Young Master, you can’t move your wound.” “Miss Chu is a guest.” “Miss Chu, don’t be angry. Our young master’s temper is a bit quick.”

Sweet voices filled the room with persuasion.

Chu Zhao stood behind A’Le, concealing the smile at the corners of her mouth, and took down the small pouch hanging from A’Le’s waist.

“These are medicinal pills for treating wounds. Same as before—take one pill at a time,” she said, reaching out to stuff it into the hands of the nearest maid.

That maid happily accepted it and bowed: “Thank you, Miss Chu.”

Xie Yanlai shouted: “Who told you to accept it?”

That maid lowered her head and shrank back, but the medicine in her hand wasn’t thrown down.

Chu Zhao looked at Xie Yanlai: “What I said is serious. Only you can help me with this matter.”

Xie Yanlai stood by the bed, his expression cold.

The maids blocking between them didn’t retreat further, nor did they disturb their conversation. All fell quiet.

“Others could help me accomplish it,” Chu Zhao said. “But this is different from other matters. It’s just between my father and me.”

Having said this, she said no more, curtsied in respect, turned and left. Although A’Le was reluctant, she followed her young lady in bowing, then hurriedly followed.

The master and servant quickly disappeared from the dim room.

The room was quiet and silent.

“Everyone’s left, and I’m still not the master in your eyes?” Xie Yanlai said.

The youth stood by the bed, his form trembling slightly. Clearly he could no longer hold on.

The maids surged forward, calling out to their young master, supporting him as he lay face-down on the bed. Some poured water, some brought tea, some wrapped bandages, some stuffed medicine into the young master’s mouth—

“Ptui—” Xie Yanlai bit down on the pill and held it against his tongue.

The maid coaxed: “The medicine Miss Chu gave—we just finished it, and she’s brought more. Young Master, open up, ah—”

Xie Yanlai bit the pill and sneered coldly: “You’re really not afraid she’ll poison me to death. Don’t you know she’s in trouble, framed by others? Everywhere rumors say she and I had illicit relations. If she poisons me to death, it would solve everything—”

“Young Master,” a maid said with a smile. “There’s Third Master. Miss Chu said she’s Third Master’s honored guest. How could she harm you?”

Xie Yanlai’s phoenix eyes looked at that maid darkly: “Even beating a dog requires looking at its master, is that it?”

The maid’s expression turned sorrowful: “Young Master, that’s not what this servant meant—”

Xie Yanlai turned his head inward, his voice flat: “Withdraw.”

Young Master Yanlai was very good and indulgent to them, but that was because he didn’t bother arguing with them. If they truly angered him, he would never use that person again.

In this household, they lived comfortably with Young Master Yanlai because they couldn’t leave him, not because Young Master Yanlai couldn’t do without them.

Young Master Yanlai could be comfortable all by himself.

The maids put away their playful smiles, holding their breath and retreating silently.

But one young maid couldn’t help herself and said quietly: “Young Master, Miss Chu is quite nice. She truly cares about you.”

The other maids quickly pulled her out.

Xie Yanlai faced inward, a trace of mockery at the corner of his mouth.

Quite nice—Miss Chu was good, good and formidable.

Knowing full well that Xie Yanfang could see through her schemes, she still dared to come borrow his power.

Having borrowed Xie Yanfang’s strength, she was still wary of Xie Yanfang, not letting him get close to her father.

The letter—of course Xie Yanfang could deliver it, but if Xie Yanfang went to deliver it, it wouldn’t be a matter between Chu Zhao and her father Chu Ling anymore. It would become a matter between Xie Yanfang and Chu Ling.

So she came running to find him instead.

What a Miss Chu—not only prying into the discord between him and his brother, but also daring to exploit it.

Where did she get the confidence that he would be driven by her?

A few healing medicine pills?

Xie Yanlai rolled his tongue and swept up the pill. Compared to last time, this pill was round and smooth, the right size to swallow in one gulp.

He didn’t swallow it directly. He bit down hard, and bitter taste spread through his mouth.