Yan Shiyao kept her head down and said nothing.

Yan Yunning gave Qi Qingchen a look that was difficult to put into words.

Now she finally understood why, when she had flirted with him back then, he had taken her to browse the flower market instead — so this male lead was someone who welcomed all comers…

Fafa interrupted Yan Yunning’s train of thought.【Master, Qi Qingchen probably thinks of Zhaorang as a little sister~】

Yan Yunning: 【…】

She could see that Zhaorang didn’t necessarily think of Qi Qingchen as a big brother.

After Qi Qingchen left, Yan Shiyao could no longer hold back her voice. “Ningning, you keep Zhaorang company and chat with her. I’m going to check if Brother Yu has come back.”

She managed to get those words out between choked sobs, then scurried off at a light trot.

Zhaorang pursed her lips to one side.

After the evening meal, the sky gradually darkened. The moon hung high on the horizon. Zhaorang crept and tiptoed her way to Xuan Yanyu’s chamber door and pushed it open.

The door swung open suddenly. Xuan Yanyu, in the middle of undressing, paused his hands and gathered his robes, covering the exposed skin.

He said with displeasure, “Don’t you know to knock? Where are your manners?”

Zhaorang’s heart clenched. She stole a glance up at Xuan Yanyu, her voice growing smaller and smaller. “Crown Prince Brother, wasn’t I afraid that knocking would be seen by someone?”

“How did you come to be in Qilan?” Xuan Yanyu leaned against the wooden chair, fingers lazily tapping the round table.

Zhaorang pressed her lips together, poured a cup of water, and offered it to Xuan Yanyu.

“Crown Prince Brother, I came to help you.” Zhaorang said sincerely.

Xuan Yanyu gave a soft laugh, lifting his eyelids to look sidelong at her. “This isn’t Xuanzhao. Watch what you call me.”

Zhaorang startled for a moment, then said softly and gently, “Then… Brother?”

Xuan Yanyu narrowed his eyes slightly, his voice low and flat. “Tomorrow, go find Ye Chen and have him send you back.”

“I don’t want to.”

Xuan Yanyu’s well-defined fingers toyed with the teacup, his expression somewhere between a smile and not. “You don’t want to?”

Zhaorang swallowed. “Brother, five days — let me stay five more days and then I’ll return to Xuanzhao. Alright?”

“You leave tomorrow.” Xuan Yanyu swept her with a glance.

“Brother!” Zhaorang fought back tears.

Xuan Yanyu smiled faintly. “Out.”

“I’m going to tell—”

Before she could finish, Xuan Yanyu stood up, a look of admiration crossing his gaze. “Oh? Grown bolder, have you? Learning to tattle now? Will it even do any good?”

Zhaorang’s mouth twitched. She muttered under her breath, “It won’t do any good.”

In Xuanzhao, Crown Prince Brother was the king. It would do no good to tattle to anyone — the more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Zhaorang worked hard to keep her tears from falling; she was afraid of being thrown out.

“Fine, five days then. After five days, have Ye Chen send you back to Xuanzhao.” Xuan Yanyu said mildly.

Zhaorang blinked, still holding tears in her eyes, but the corners of her mouth couldn’t help curling upward. “Zhaorang thanks Crown Prince Brother.”

She should have asked for more days from the start.

The next day, the group sat gathered together at the inn for a meal.

Xuan Yanyu and Yan Shiyao were chatting idly.

Yan Yunning caught a glance of Xuan Yanyu from the corner of her eye. The man was dressed today in a deep crimson brocade robe, the same-colored sash belted at his waist, one hand resting on the arm of the wooden chair. His features were strikingly handsome, his eyes deep and bright, the smile still lingering at the corners of his lips. He truly made one’s heart stir.

It was just that he was inexplicably ignoring her again…

This very morning, when she greeted him, he had pretended not to hear and walked right past her.

Inexplicable!

She hadn’t done anything to offend him!

Was it because she had refused to take care of him? Was he angry about that?

“How is it that Zhaorang isn’t being picky today?” Qi Qingchen said teasingly.

Zhaorang kept her head down and said nothing. Crown Prince Brother hadn’t said a word — how could she dare to be picky?

“Why so quiet today as well?” Qi Qingchen asked with a smile in his eyes.

Every day at meals, she chattered nonstop. Today she was being remarkably well-behaved.

If only his imperial sisters were this lively — whenever he saw them, they were all perfectly proper and restrained. That was precisely why he had a particular fondness for Zhaorang’s temperament. She was the same sort of person as Ningning — the difference was that Zhaorang loved to act spoiled.

In days that were dull and dreary, one needed someone like Zhaorang to keep one company and lift one’s spirits.

For some reason, Ningning was also being unusually well-behaved today.

Yan Shiyao clenched her teeth.

Yan Yunning took out a pair of chopsticks to use as serving utensils, picked up a dish for Qi Qingchen and placed it in front of him. “Big Brother Qi, eat properly and talk less.”

Couldn’t he see that her older sister’s face had gone red with anger?

Qi Qingchen’s expression faltered.

Xuan Yanyu, with a fire smoldering inside him, cast a cold, dark glance at Yan Yunning.

Sensing the chill, Yan Yunning raised her eyes and met his gaze. The man’s jet-black eyes held not a ripple of emotion; the look he gave her was cold — very cold.

Yan Yunning bit her lip. Why was he so unpredictable?

Just yesterday everything had been fine. She had even thought Xuan Yanyu wouldn’t cut her off like this anymore. But with the look he was giving her today, she was truly frightened — frightened that in the end he would suddenly turn on her and finish her off.

Yan Yunning steadied her emotions, picked up a dish she knew Xuan Yanyu liked, and set it in his bowl with a smile.

From her observations, every time they ate, he always served himself the caviar shrimp twice; everything else he only took one bite of.

Xuan Yanyu lowered his eyes and glanced at the caviar shrimp in his bowl, then rose and said a word to Yan Shiyao before leaving.

She had given Qi Qingchen a serving first, then added one for him as an afterthought — he had no need of that.

Yan Yunning felt utterly stifled inside, the more she thought about it the more vexed she became.

The atmosphere at the table grew somewhat awkward after Xuan Yanyu’s departure.

Zhaorang had seen it happen enough times that it no longer surprised her. In the past, at palace banquets, noble ladies would also disregard Crown Prince Brother’s rules — knowing full well that Crown Prince Brother disliked eating food others had picked for him, they would still put things in his bowl.

Crown Prince Brother would simply instruct the guards to change out his bowl and chopsticks, without giving them even a shred of face. This time he had left on his own — that was actually somewhat unusual.

“Ningning, what’s going on between the two of you?” Yan Shiyao’s brow creased slightly.

Yan Yunning couldn’t make heads or tails of it. “I have no idea what’s gotten into him.”

“He doesn’t like eating food others pick for him. Ningning, it isn’t directed at you — he’s the same with everyone.” Zhaorang said unhurriedly.

Qi Qingchen raised an eyebrow slightly. “How would you know that?”

Zhaorang’s hand paused mid-reach for food, her expression stiffening for several seconds, before she smiled and said at last, “I figured it out from watching.”

Qi Qingchen looked at her, gave a noncommittal hum, and said in a tone that was neither warm nor cold, “You’ve only just met — and you already figured that out? Then what about me? Have you figured out what I—”

“Big Brother Qi.” Yan Shiyao suddenly called out.

“What is it?” Qi Qingchen shifted his gaze from Zhaorang to Yan Shiyao.

Yan Shiyao pressed her lips together lightly. “Big Brother Qi, could you accompany me later to buy some gifts? Ningning mentioned she wants to send a letter to Ahu’s parents, and I thought it would be more proper to bring some gifts along.”

Qi Qingchen nodded, then looked over at Zhaorang, who was happily eating away. He softened his voice and asked, “Is there anything else you’d like to eat? I’ll pick it up for you.”

Zhaorang blinked at him, a sweet smile at the corners of her mouth. “Qi Qingchen, you’re so wonderful. I’m not picky at all — whatever you buy, I’ll love eating.”

“Not picky? Who was it that complained every single day that this didn’t taste good and that didn’t taste good, and made me go buy something different?” Qi Qingchen laughed helplessly.

Zhaorang pouted and stuck out her tongue. “I don’t know. I don’t know who you’re talking about.”