She was just about to leave the private room when the wine pavilion assistant pushed open the door, smiling. “Miss, will you be settling the bill, or will that other gentleman pay?”

Earlier he had seen the other guests who had come in with them leave — it seemed the meal was over.

Yan Yunning closed her eyes and steadied her emotions. Hadn’t Qi Qingchen said he would be the host? How had he run off without paying??

She hadn’t even eaten much, and she was supposed to cover the bill for all of them???

And every coin she had on her had been given to Qiuci.

“Miss, Miss?” The assistant called out twice more.

Yan Yunning’s brow creased. “Go to the Third Prince’s estate and ask the Third Prince for it.”

The assistant’s expression darkened. “Miss, you don’t intend to pay? You think you can eat for free? Go ask the Third Prince? What sort of status do you think you have — going to ask the Third Prince for money?”

If the Third Prince had come to dine, he would never leave without paying.

“It isn’t eating for free — go to the Third Prince’s estate……”

Before Yan Yunning could finish, the assistant’s complexion shifted entirely. “Miss, who exactly are you? The Third Prince would dine with you — don’t tell me you’ve set your sights on the Third Prince and deliberately used us to get a meeting with him?”

If that was the case, their wine pavilion would have offended the Third Prince.

“……” Yan Yunning pointed to Yan Zhiyi slumped over the table. “The Chancellor’s legitimate son — Yan Zhiyi, Attending Official Yan. I am his younger sister.”

The assistant looked them both over carefully.

The clothing was not simple, and neither of them carried themselves like ordinary commoners.

“Then don’t go to the Third Prince’s estate — go to the Chancellor’s estate. Find First Miss Yan and have her come to pay.” Yan Yunning pulled her mouth into a flat smile. “If First Miss Yan doesn’t come, my brother and I won’t be leaving. You’re welcome to have someone keep watch over us.”

The assistant hesitated a moment, then nodded. “Alright, Miss. I’ll trust you this once.”

The wooden door swung shut. Yan Yunning walked over to Yan Zhiyi and crouched down in front of him, unable to help venting aloud, “What was Qi Qingchen thinking? Wasn’t he supposed to be treating us to this meal? You got played! He walked off without paying a single coin — I can’t believe Qi Qingchen would actually……”

“Who… who would dare play me?” Yan Zhiyi flung his sleeve out dramatically.

Yan Yunning: “……”

“Ningning… Ningning……” Yan Zhiyi’s finger wandered and poked at the tip of her nose repeatedly.

“Achoo.”

The slightly cool fingertip grazed the tip of her nose, and Yan Yunning couldn’t hold back a sneeze.

Yan Zhiyi made a face of disdain and tugged at Yan Yunning’s sleeve to wipe his hand on it.

Yanked off balance by the jerk, Yan Yunning stumbled: “?”

They waited roughly the time it takes to drink a full cup of tea before Yan Shiyao came rushing in.

“Ningning. Brother.”

Yan Yunning gave a yawn, her voice soft with drowsiness. “Brother is drunk. Find a couple of servants to carry him back to the estate.”

Yan Shiyao stepped forward and couldn’t help asking, “Ningning, what on earth did you all order? How did the bill come to a hundred taels of silver?”

Several months’ worth of her allowance — gone.

“Qi Qingchen is the one who ordered everything. It wasn’t me or Brother.” A beat, then Yan Yunning continued in an unhurried tone: “That money was Qi Qingchen’s to pay. When Brother sobers up tomorrow, have him go and get it back.”

Tomorrow was Qi Qingchen’s celebration banquet — he would want to preserve some face.

“Why would Brother Qi dine with you two?” Yan Shiyao dropped her gaze, her voice thick and subdued.

Without a trace of delicacy, Yan Yunning said plainly, “He was out with his side consort, they ran into us, and he invited Brother to join for a meal. Then he finished eating and left without paying. I never would have thought Qi Qingchen would be so……”

“Ningning.” Yan Shiyao’s eyes reddened. “We’re in public — be more careful. Brother Qi is a prince. Why do you keep forgetting his position? Speaking without restraint like this — if someone were to overhear you, you’d know what that means. You would have to go and offer him an apology.”

Yan Yunning gave a hollow smile. “Understood.”

Yan Shiyao pressed her lips together gently. “Ningning, A’Jie knows that having grown up with our maternal grandparents, you missed learning many customs and rules. A’Jie will teach you slowly.”

“After offering your respects to Brother Qi tomorrow, come back and study proper conduct with A’Jie.”

Yan Yunning: “……”

What exactly could she teach her??

“We can talk about it tomorrow. Let’s head back for now — I’m a bit tired.” The corners of Yan Yunning’s eyes glistened with weary tears.

Yan Shiyao sighed inwardly.

She glanced to the side and directed the maidservant Chunyi to summon two male servants. The servants had barely moved to support Yan Zhiyi when he clutched his money pouch shut and muttered, “Don’t touch my money.”

Yan Yunning’s eye twitched.

Yan Shiyao took hold of Yan Yunning’s hand and explained, “When Brother is drunk, he guards his money very fiercely — no one is allowed near it.”

The reason for this went back to a time when she had gone to a wine pavilion with her brother, seen the beggars at the roadside and felt sorry for them, and while Brother was drunk, slipped away all the money from his person.

She had then forgotten to pay for the meal, and the shop’s assistants gave Brother a thorough beating for it.

Ever since then, whenever Brother was drunk, no one was permitted to touch his money.

Yan Yunning raised an eyebrow but asked no questions.

By the time they returned to the Chancellor’s estate, the hour had passed well into the second half of the seventh watch.

From a distance, Yan Yunning could see light coming from her guest room. She quickened her pace. There was Qiuci, standing outside the door, wearing the expression of someone who had lost all will to live.

“Who’s inside?” Yan Yunning’s brow creased.

“Young Master Xuan.” Qiuci’s heart was suspended in midair. She ventured carefully, “Miss, tonight perhaps you should go and stay with First Miss?”

By the look of things, Young Master Xuan didn’t appear to have any intention of leaving tonight.

Yan Yunning said nothing. Didn’t he tell her to stay away from him? It had barely been a day — had he forgotten???

“Miss?”

Yan Yunning patted her on the shoulder. “Go get some rest.”

“Miss.” Qiuci’s heart sank to the floor.

Yan Yunning waved her off, then pushed open the wooden door.

Inside the guest room, the man was lying on his side on the bed. His outer robe was draped over the clothing rack, and beneath it he wore only a near-translucent sleeping garment — a face of striking elegance, the faint outlines of lean muscle visible through the fabric. Yan Yunning pressed her tongue to her lips, picked up his brocade robe, and tossed it over him. “Get out.”

The man’s long fingers pulled the thin blanket over himself and closed his eyes.

Yan Yunning was laughed into anger. In her guest room, lying on her bed, under her blanket — and he was ignoring her???

She had never, in all her life, encountered anyone like him.

“Get out.” Yan Yunning walked to the bedside, pressed both hands against his eyelids to pry them open, and said, “Xuan Yanyu, didn’t you tell me to stay away from you? Not even a full day has passed, and here you’ve delivered yourself to my door?”

The man lifted her hands away, turned over, and put his back to her.

Yan Yunning drew in a deep breath, marched off in a huff to wash up, and when she was done, didn’t spare the man so much as a glance before bolting out of the room.

Xuan Yanyu pressed his lips together. Where had she gone?

He waited for quite a long stretch, and still Yan Yunning did not return. Xuan Yanyu said not a word, put on his clothes, buried the coldness in his eyes, and strode out of the room in long steps.

On the other side, Ye Chen and Ye Jian stood frozen as they watched Yan Yunning enter Xuan Yanyu’s guest room — and a moment later, the light inside went dark.

“Why is it that His Highness and Second Miss Yan aren’t sleeping in their own rooms but have to swap?” Ye Chen scratched his head.

Ye Jian let out a soft “tsk.” Wasn’t it obvious — His Highness needed an opening, an apology, and Second Miss Yan hadn’t given him one. The two hadn’t made up yet. Second Miss Yan didn’t want to be in the same space as His Highness, so she fled over there.