Feng Jiu’er looked up at Xiao Yingtao and placed the prawn meat she had just picked up into her bowl.

“I’m giving you my favorite thing to eat. Give me a smile — would you?”

Xiao Yingtao looked at Feng Jiu’er and let out a silent sigh.

“I never said I was in a bad mood.”

She set down the unpeeled prawn still in her hand, picked up the prawn meat from her bowl, and placed it in her mouth, chewing slowly.

Qiao Mu reached out and rubbed Xiao Yingtao’s head.

“Don’t blame Elder Sister for not helping you settle the score — with Keyan in his current state, I’m not in a position to act either.”

“Come on, eat a little more. The wound inside needs to heal quickly too.”

Qiao Mu picked up a piece of braised meat and placed it into Xiao Yingtao’s bowl.

“I know that, of course.”

Xiao Yingtao glanced at her, then pressed her lips together.

“Actually, there’s one thing I’m worried about. What if Tuoba Keyan recovers his memories and doesn’t tell us? How dangerous would that be?”

“Ever since Jiu’er suspected there might be a mole among us, I’ve been uneasy inside. I just didn’t want you to think I was deliberately targeting him, so I held back from saying too much.”

“And besides…” Xiao Yingtao held her chopsticks, eyes on the dishes on the table, blinking slowly. “I… do seem to genuinely have reason to be suspected of targeting him.”

Xiao Yingtao’s words brought both Qiao Mu and Feng Jiu’er to silence.

After a moment, Qiao Mu looked at Feng Jiu’er and said in a low voice: “Jiu’er, should I try hypnotizing everyone?”

“No.”

Feng Jiu’er shook her head. “Never mind that your hypnosis hasn’t reached full mastery — doing something like that would be deeply wounding to the brothers’ hearts.”

“This may not necessarily be what it seems. Don’t let your imaginations run away with you. We’ve worked hard just to gain the Fort Master’s recognition — let’s eat and drink well, and tomorrow we put in a strong effort.”

“Understood.”

Xiao Yingtao swept away the shadow hanging over her heart and gave a nod.

When she looked at Qiao Mu again, the corners of her lips had lifted slightly.

“Actually, Qiao Mu — aren’t you worried that Jiu’er will suspect you?”

Qiao Mu gave a small frown, then said with a measure of cool disdain: “What is there to worry about? If she truly means to suspect me, I’ll simply leave.”

She looked down at the piece of meat she had picked up and let out a quiet sigh.

“If I hadn’t been talked into following this troublemaker, how comfortable would my life have been among those mountain bandits? I’ve made a terrible bargain.”

With that, Qiao Mu pushed the meat into her mouth.

Feng Jiu’er cast her a sidelong glance and said lightly: “Consider it a free slimming service. You still have complaints? Don’t you think your figure has improved since leaving the mountain stronghold?”

It was only when she looked carefully that Feng Jiu’er noticed Qiao Mu had indeed grown slimmer.

Following her around — eating well one day, going hungry the next — there was really no way to put on weight.

Upon hearing this, Qiao Mu swallowed what was in her mouth, stood up, looked down and patted her own abdomen, then gave her waist a little twist.

“Not bad at all — I really have slimmed down.”

Given the way she was carrying on, she seemed to have completely forgotten Jian Yi was even there.

Watching Qiao Mu’s smug display, Feng Jiu’er felt a quiet flicker of something, though she merely let the corner of her lips curl up ever so slightly.

“And it’s not just your figure that’s improved — your skin is better too. The rouge and powder I gave everyone — have you all been applying it before bed at night?”

“I have been.”

Xiao Yingtao nodded eagerly, leaning forward. “Jiu’er, look — has my skin gotten a bit better?”

Feng Jiu’er looked with genuine attention and gave a nod. “It has. Softer and more radiant than before.”

Qiao Mu settled back into her chair, stretched out both hands, and felt her own face. “And me? Have I gotten softer and more radiant too?”

Seeing Qiao Mu paying such rare attention to her own appearance, both Feng Jiu’er and Xiao Yingtao burst into laughter.

“You have. Following me is never a mistake.”

Feng Jiu’er said with a smile.

“Absolutely true.”

Xiao Yingtao nodded in agreement.

Qiao Mu, however, furrowed her brow, and her voice dropped a shade lower.

“I don’t know what heaven is thinking. A woman like me — with a figure to boast of and looks to match — and not a single person is interested? That’s far too strange.”

“Qiao Mu, for something this obvious, you still need to ask?”

Xiao Yingtao smiled lightly.

“Xiao Yingtao, what do you mean by that?”

Qiao Mu gave Xiao Yingtao a flat look, something dangerous lurking in the depths of her gaze.

Xiao Yingtao met that gaze and immediately shook her hands.

“I’m not saying you’re not beautiful or that your figure isn’t good. The regrettable thing is — we always have an exceptionally stunning beauty by our side.”

“The moment we step out the door, Jiu’er’s radiance swallows everything whole. What man with half a brain would bother to dig the two of us out from under that and take a proper look?”

“Xiao Yingtao, isn’t that comparison a bit extreme?”

Feng Jiu’er raised an eyebrow lightly and shook her head.

“Not at all.”

Xiao Yingtao spoke with her mouth full of meat. “That’s simply how it is.”

Qiao Mu let out a quiet sigh and looked at Xiao Yingtao.

“At the very least, you still have Xing Zizhou. Look — Jiu’er has Jian Yi, you have Xing Zizhou, and as for me, I’m always alone. When you put it that way, it really is embarrassing.”

“Please don’t.”

Feng Jiu’er looked at Qiao Mu with a furrowed brow. “Jian Yi isn’t mine. He belongs to everyone.”

Xiao Yingtao looked at Feng Jiu’er, then looked at Jian Yi, and said softly: “Actually, the more I watch, the more I think Jian Yi and Jiu’er are rather well suited.”

“Of course — Jian Yi is an exceptionally rare and handsome man.”

Qiao Mu raised an eyebrow. “When I save someone in the future, I’ll only pick someone handsome.”

“To think she managed to save someone as handsome as Jian Yi — Jiu’er really struck gold there.”

“Exactly. From now on, when I save someone, I’ll only choose someone good-looking.”

Xiao Yingtao smiled and nodded.

“Have you two said quite enough?”

Feng Jiu’er looked at the two seated across from her, eyes half-narrowed.

Qiao Mu and Xiao Yingtao, however, appeared to have no intention of paying her any heed.

“Jian Yi, you like Jiu’er, don’t you?”

Qiao Mu looked at Jian Yi and raised an eyebrow in question.

“Yes.”

Jian Yi didn’t even pause for thought before giving a nod in reply.

Feng Jiu’er swept a glance at Qiao Mu, then turned her gaze back to Jian Yi.

Before she had any chance to protest, Qiao Mu’s voice rang out again.

“Do you want Elder Sister to help?”

“Please.”

Jian Yi accepted Qiao Mu’s offer without hesitation.

Qiao Mu turned to look at Xiao Yingtao, smiling with undisguised delight.

“Xiao Yingtao, when we have a free moment, we’ll get some medicine — by then, we can cook the raw rice into cooked…” she mused. “Not a bad plan of mine, is it?”

“Not a bad plan, my foot!”

Feng Jiu’er gave a cold snort and cut off the conversation between Qiao Mu and Xiao Yingtao.

Yet unexpectedly, Jian Yi’s face — which had not reddened at all until that moment — flushed distinctly red in the wake of Qiao Mu’s words.

No one could say exactly when it had started, but whenever these three were together, despite having Jian Yi right there beside them, he was frequently overlooked entirely.

Jian Yi didn’t particularly mind. Staying quietly by her side was enough.

Just now, had Qiao Mu not thought to bring him up, the three of them might well have forgotten his presence entirely.

Jian Yi gave a soft cough and placed another piece of peeled prawn into Feng Jiu’er’s bowl. “That is… not a bad plan.”

“Jian Yi, you’re blushing!”

Xiao Yingtao seemed to have caught something and couldn’t help crying out.

Qiao Mu looked, then pressed a hand over her lips and laughed: “Jian Yi, you really are naughty! What exactly are you thinking about?”

With both Qiao Mu and Xiao Yingtao calling him out, Jian Yi’s face turned even redder.

Just as everyone assumed Jian Yi would be too embarrassed to say another word, the great hero Jian Yi said something utterly unexpected — something that caught everyone completely off guard.

“I was thinking… about cooking the raw rice into cooked.”