Qin Yining nodded to Huzi. “How is your young master feeling?”

Huzi grinned and said, “Miss Potato has divine needle skills – Young Master is much better now.”

“You’re the potato!” Bingtang jumped up in anger. “Little cat, I’m warning you – I’m already in a foul mood today, so if you call me potato again, I’ll get really angry with you!”

“Hey! But you’re still calling me little cat.” Huzi stuck his tongue out at Bingtang. “What can you do to me even if you get angry, little potato!”

Bingtang’s apple-round face turned red with anger, her big eyes glaring fiercely at Huzi as she pulled out a silver acupuncture needle to poke him with.

Huzi felt thoroughly comfortable being glared at by her, laughed even more cheerfully, and hopped around dodging while letting Bingtang chase him.

Qin Yining exchanged glances with Song Lan and Qiu Lu, then smiled. “You all wait outside for me.”

“Yes.” Song Lan and Qiu Lu bowed and withdrew.

Qin Yining entered the room and walked slowly toward the inner chamber. Passing through the floor screen, she saw Yao Zhixi lazily reclining against the window-side luohan bed reading a book.

Sunlight streamed through the paper windows from behind him, outlining his tall figure with a faint golden halo. Both his ink-black hair and the black sable fur collar were dusted with starlight, lending several degrees of gentleness to his sharply defined, rugged features.

The scene before her gave her a sense of peaceful years – a feeling she had never experienced before.

Qin Yining couldn’t help but smile, her voice taking on a warm, amused tone.

“Young Master Yao.”

Hearing her voice, the corners of Pang Xiao’s mouth couldn’t help but turn upward, though he stubbornly maintained his book-reading posture, not lifting his head as he said lazily, “What a rare guest indeed. I thought you’d already forgotten about me.”

That tone sounded sour no matter how you heard it.

Qin Yining said apologetically, “I’ve been constantly concerned about your injuries, but there were matters at home and I couldn’t find time to come out. Fortunately, Bingtang tells me about your condition every day, and knowing that Young Master’s situation is improving puts my mind at ease.”

Pang Xiao snorted and looked up to glance at her sideways. “You certainly have pretty words.”

He sat lazily cross-legged, and when he looked at people with his chin raised, his phoenix eyes seemed to hold light. Only now did Qin Yining notice that this person actually had very long eyelashes and quite handsome brows and eyes.

Seeing him like this, Qin Yining was inexplicably reminded of the magnificent lead stallion among the wild horses that had once saved her.

The same handsomeness, the same wild nature. Obviously having the most irritable temperament – would rather die than let anyone ride if forced – but when she accompanied him out of gratitude, actively cutting grass to feed him, actively serving his baths, that fiery-tempered lead stallion actually allowed her to ride him.

So dealing with this type of temperament, whether wild horses or wild Young Master Yao, could only be done by stroking with the grain?

Thinking of this, Qin Yining’s smile became even warmer as she sincerely bowed. “I’ve been neglectful of you recently – that’s my fault. It’s truly because there were matters at home…”

After thinking a moment, she continued, “You also know about my family’s situation. State Uncle Cao’s eldest daughter became my father’s concubine, and the household’s prevailing winds have changed. My mother’s temperament doesn’t please the Old Madam, so these past days have been quite difficult. Not being able to visit you was truly neglectful. I hope Young Master Yao, in his great magnanimity, won’t blame this young lady.”

Her willingness to tell him about family matters meant she no longer considered him an outsider.

Though Pang Xiao had plenty of ways to learn about the Qin family’s affairs, hearing these words from Qin Yining’s own mouth, even if she only mentioned them in passing, still made Pang Xiao’s mood brighten.

Pang Xiao snorted again, already showing amusement in the corners of his eyes and brows as he proudly raised his chin. “Fine, since you’re so sincere in admitting your fault, this young master, in his great magnanimity, will reluctantly not hold it against you.”

Qin Yining beamed with joy. “Then I thank you very much.”

“What are you smiling about? It’s ugly.” Looking at her smiling face, Pang Xiao felt a tingling sensation along his spine that nearly numbed his brain. His neck and ear tips reddened as he forcefully kept a cold expression and looked away. “The other day you said you’d be responsible for me, that you’d serve me for life, even called me ‘dada,’ yet you wouldn’t acknowledge me. I thought you were ungrateful and didn’t plan to repay the favor!”

Qin Yining’s face turned bright red.

“Dada” was an intimate term women used for men in lovers’ or spouses’ private conversations. Qin Yining had only heard it occasionally when listening to storytelling in the marketplace. Last time he had deliberately tricked her into calling him “Yao Dada,” which sounded like “dada.”

Remembering his impropriety, Qin Yining expended great effort to avoid attacking her lifesaver.

By now, Huzi had finished teasing Bingtang and came over grinning with a tea bowl. “Fourth Miss, please have some tea.”

Qin Yining sat down in the round-backed chair with thick cushions placed nearby, only lowering her head to sip tea, refusing to acknowledge him anymore.

But Pang Xiao propped up his chin and, taking advantage of Qin Yining not looking at him, began shamelessly admiring the beauty.

After not seeing her for many days, she was still so radiant. In plain, simple attire, without powder or rouge, wearing no gold or jade, her entire person was clean and pure like a pool of spring water. Her quiet tea-drinking appearance was beautiful as a painting, and she was as well-behaved as a little white rabbit, making one want to feed her carrots and vegetables.

Pang Xiao naturally knew of Qin Yining’s intelligence and capabilities.

But in his eyes, Qin Yining’s fierceness was like a little white rabbit scratching when provoked – completely harmless.

How strange indeed. Previously when he saw little rabbits, he only thought about whether to roast or braise them. Now he wanted to raise one, hold it in his arms to tug at its rabbit ears, then vigorously rub the little white rabbit’s round, chubby little bottom.

Pang Xiao’s gaze fell on Qin Yining’s somewhat thin, not yet fully developed figure.

Tsk tsk, this rabbit was too thin – needed more carrots.

“Young Master Yao!” Qin Yining felt uncomfortable under his stare and finally couldn’t bear it, setting down her tea bowl to glare at him angrily.

But she was born too beautiful, and wasn’t truly angry or murderous, so those bright, watery eyes had no intimidating presence at all.

Pang Xiao was amused by her soft, well-behaved appearance and nearly burst out laughing, almost unable to resist touching her face.

“Fine, fine, I’ll stop teasing you.” If he really made her angry, it wouldn’t be easy to coax her later. “Actually, I heard you’re going to accompany your father to the peace talks. That Minister of War from Great Zhou isn’t any good. If you don’t want to go, I can help you.”

When the peace talks were mentioned, though Qin Yining’s expression didn’t change, Pang Xiao immediately sensed her emotions becoming somewhat downcast.

Perhaps facing an outsider, knowing her behavior wouldn’t affect the other person’s emotions or life and death, Qin Yining unconsciously dropped her mask of forced composure.

“You help me? How could you help? Make His Majesty change his mind? Or have Great Zhou change the official presiding over the peace talks? Young Master Yao, I know your background isn’t ordinary, but neither of these things are within your or my power to influence. In my position, I can’t flee, can’t hide, can only comply and accept fate.”

Pang Xiao raised his eyebrows. “If you really go, you’ll have to call that Lord Lian ‘good dada’ in the future. From what I know, Lord Lian’s temperament won’t be like mine – just taking verbal advantage of you.”

Qin Yining glared at him. “So you do know that broken mouth of yours is always taking advantage of people!”