Cui Jinbai fled the Bu residence, clenching his fists, unable to calm his pounding heart, his face pale with distress.

He… he had developed feelings for another man!

This realization filled him with self-loathing and disgust.

He had only been using each other with Bu Shulin—Bu Shulin used him to avoid marrying the princess, while he used Bu Shulin to evade his family’s marriage arrangements.

He had lost his mother in childhood, and his father, being an upright man, observed three years of mourning before accepting the family’s arrangement to marry the legitimate daughter of a minor official as his second wife.

His stepmother was exceptionally attentive and eager to please him in the first two years. He had once believed his family would remain this warm forever until his stepmother’s first son was born. Everything changed then—her gaze toward him grew increasingly distant and cold. Though he found it difficult to adjust, he considered it natural, thinking that if he could be a good elder brother, the family could at least maintain a facade of happiness.

But he never imagined that his stepmother, who had once genuinely cared for him, would be heartless enough to try to get rid of him.

From then on, he understood that there was a conflict of interest between him and his stepmother. Traditionally, the legitimate eldest son was the family’s pillar, entitled to seven-tenths of the father’s estate and connections—all of which his stepmother wanted to secure for her son.

When he reached marriageable age, his stepmother schemed to marry her niece to him. However, her family’s status was too low—she had only managed to marry into the Cui family as a second wife because his father valued her humble origins, believing she wouldn’t feel slighted or develop ambitious designs.

She constantly spread rumors outside, sabotaging matches with noble ladies arranged by the clan. Eventually, he simply watched her schemes unfold, no longer wanting to marry and engage in power struggles with her. As the second son, he could afford to delay marriage, and as long as he remained unmarried, his brother, four years his junior, couldn’t marry either.

Later, she began frequently inviting her female relatives to stay at the residence. Then Bu Shulin became attached to him, and once word spread, those who had previously schemed to encounter him now fled in terror, departing within days.

This incident implicated his stepmother’s siblings, giving him an inexplicable sense of satisfaction. His stepmother seized this leverage to push for an early marriage arrangement, but when her legitimate nieces refused, she dared suggest to his father about betrothing him to her family’s illegitimate daughter, earning a severe reprimand from his father.

He didn’t mind remaining unmarried for life, so he was content to play along with Bu Shulin, at least enjoying watching his stepmother and father become distressed over it, releasing his pent-up frustrations.

But he had never imagined he would develop feelings for another man.

Bu Shulin was unaware of Cui Jinbai’s inner turmoil and pain. After he left, she continued making a fuss for a while before exhaustion pulled her into sleep.

“Youyou, Cui Stone is avoiding me!” Bu Shulin had no memory of her drunken behavior, and these past two days when she tried to find Cui Jinbai as usual, she discovered he was different from before, making it impossible to corner him.

Once or twice might be a coincidence, but after several times, Bu Shulin noticed the pattern.

Shen Xihe kept her head down, reading her book, pretending not to hear.

“Youyou…” Bu Shulin drew out the sound in a meandering way, asking with furrowed brows, “Why do you think Cui Stone is avoiding me?”

Shen Xihe still didn’t respond, turning a page to continue reading.

“Youyou!” Bu Shulin held her hand above the book page, blocking Shen Xihe’s view, “Tell me quickly, I’m so troubled.”

“Yes, you are troublesome.” Shen Xihe brushed away her hand and gently closed the book, setting it aside.

Bu Shulin’s shoulders slumped as she looked at Shen Xihe unhappily.

Shen Xihe poured a cup of warm Pingzhong leaf tea, moistened her lips before setting down the cup, and said: “He’s avoiding you because he doesn’t want to marry you. Why are you distressed?”

Bu Shulin stared at Shen Xihe in bewilderment: “When someone usually friendly suddenly ignores you, why wouldn’t you be distressed? If one day I ignored you, wouldn’t you be troubled?”

“If I were at fault, I would know it; if I weren’t at fault, I wouldn’t accommodate such behavior.” Shen Xihe was just such an unsentimental person.

If she did wrong, she would naturally apologize. But if she hadn’t erred and the other person chose to be difficult, she wasn’t one to accommodate others or humble herself.

It wasn’t arrogance—it was simply her nature.

She wouldn’t make unreasonable demands, wouldn’t require others to comfort or accommodate her, and naturally wouldn’t accommodate or comfort those being unreasonable.

After hearing this, Bu Shulin said uncertainly: “I don’t think I did anything wrong…”

Her lack of confidence made Shen Xihe give her a meaningful look.

Already lacking confidence, Bu Shulin grew more uncertain: “Did I offend him somehow when I was drunk that day?”

“I wouldn’t know.” But Shen Xihe was concerned about something else, “Why did you suddenly set up a drinking contest at the flower house?”

“I was just following your ma—” Bu Shulin, used to speaking without filters, almost blurted it out, but remembering Shen Xihe’s temperament, she caught herself and changed course, “The Crown Prince had me set a trap for Mu Nuha, knowing he would be brought to the flower house by Ning Qifan that day.”

“Why would he do this?” It couldn’t be just for a drinking contest.

Bu Shulin rubbed her nose uncomfortably before saying: “His Highness gave me some medicine, saying that if a man drinks it with alcohol, he won’t be able to function as a man anymore…”

Shen Xihe was startled. She had guessed that once Xiao Huayong learned of this matter, he would be angry and wouldn’t let it go easily. After all, she and Xiao Huayong had discussed marriage, and even if Xiao Huayong had no romantic feelings for her, he wouldn’t tolerate another man plotting against her.

Moreover, since Xiao Huayong had romantic feelings for her, he would be even less likely to let it pass, yet she hadn’t expected Xiao Huayong would…

After pondering for a moment, Shen Xihe suddenly smiled: “This can be used to our advantage.”

Shen Xihe’s cryptic statement left Bu Shulin bewildered. Seeing Shen Xihe get up to leave, she hurried after her: “Where are you going?”

“To the kitchen to make some food, to exchange for medicine with His Highness,” Shen Xihe said as she walked.

Bu Shulin’s eyes brightened at this: “Why don’t you make extra, Youyou? I can take some to apologize to Cui Stone?”

Shen Xihe stopped walking, her eyes gleaming with amusement: “You want to use food I made to apologize to Master Cui?”

“I’ll say you made it, I won’t take credit,” Bu Shulin misunderstood Shen Xihe’s meaning and quickly assured her, “But I’ll say I went through great trouble to get it, that others can’t get it, to show how precious it is and how sincere I am.”

Shen Xihe couldn’t help covering her mouth to laugh: “If you don’t want him to be even colder toward you or more annoyed with you, you’d better find something else for your apology.”

Shen Xihe thought that if Cui Jinbai learned Bu Shulin had gone through great trouble to get food from her to share with him, he would likely never want to see Bu Shulin again in this lifetime.