“Master Yue.” Yang Hong knelt and shuffled forward two steps. “Master Yue, I like you. I want to be with you.”

“Master Yue, you are my benefactor. I’ve sworn that no matter what, I will marry you in this lifetime.”

Yang Hong continued forward, grabbing the hem of Yue Jianfei’s robe, lifting her eyes to look at him pitifully.

“Master, let me stay. Even as a concubine, I wouldn’t mind. I only wish to stay and serve you.”

“Master, don’t drive me away. I didn’t do anything to the old master. The medicine he’s been drinking only had snake blood added to it.”

“All the snake blood I chose was good for the body. I absolutely had no intention of harming the old master.”

Seeing that Yue Jianfei wasn’t angry, Yang Hong gripped his robe and stood up.

Just as she was about to lean against Yue Jianfei, he stepped to the side, avoiding her touch.

“Master.” Yang Hong looked at Yue Jianfei with display of warmth, leaning in again.

Yue Jianfei gave a cold snort and stepped back, causing Yang Hong to fall to the ground.

All of this was witnessed by the three women hidden outside the window.

Feng Jiu’er sensed Tang Xiaohua’s tense breathing and reached out, taking her hand.

Tang Xiaohua took a deep breath and didn’t look away, still watching what was happening inside.

“You made my father miss half a year of treatment, and now you still want to clear your own name!”

Yue Jianfei frowned slightly and turned to look at the figures outside the window.

His gaze only swept over Tang Xiaohua before returning to Yang Hong, who was lying on the ground.

“Everything accusing my wife was caused entirely by you, wasn’t it?” Yue Jianfei’s voice was even colder than before.

Yang Hong didn’t know there were people outside. Right now, her eyes held only Yue Jianfei—how could she have any attention left for anyone else?

“Master, I…” Yang Hong didn’t dare get closer, only shedding tears. “All of this happened because I love you too much, Master.”

“I like you, Master. If you’re worried about your wife, I don’t need any status at all. I only ask to stay by your side.”

“Master, you are a person of great importance. Having one more woman by your side—your wife wouldn’t think anything of it.”

“Master.” Yang Hong stood up again.

“Look at me. I’m only seventeen this year. I’m willing to give you the best of myself. As long as you’re willing to let me stay, I’ll do whatever you ask.”

The moment the words fell, Yang Hong reached out and began untying the strings of her robe.

Even though the window was to Yang Hong’s back right, the three people outside could easily guess what she was doing.

Feng Jiu’er and Xiao Yingtao were both excited, excited for the sake of the person standing between them.

As for Tang Xiaohua, she had already become so tense she couldn’t move at all.

Yang Hong moved quickly. After untying the strings, she pulled the robe straight down.

Yue Jianfei clearly hadn’t expected Yang Hong to do this, but at the last critical moment, he still reacted.

He turned around abruptly, avoiding the sight, the chill around his body growing even more intense.

“I, Yue Jianfei, have only one woman in this lifetime, and that is Tang Xiaohua.”

“Whatever you did to my father, I will absolutely get to the bottom of it!”

“Master, I…” Yang Hong wept even more sorrowfully.

She had thought that with her youth and beauty, she would surely be able to outshine Tang Xiaohua.

She never expected that after half a year, she would still be utterly unable to succeed!

Yue Jianfei gave a cold snort and continued in a low voice, “Was poisoning the old master to frame Xiaohua your idea, or Zeng Lanzhi’s idea?”

“Speak!”

The final word “speak” left Yue Jianfei’s mouth with breath chilled to the extreme.

Perhaps he was anxious for his father, perhaps he was also anxious for Tang Xiaohua, but since he wouldn’t say, who could know for whom he was truly angry?

Yang Hong’s body trembled, frightened by Yue Jianfei’s words.

Xiao Tao stood to the side, not even daring to approach.

Finally, just as Yue Jianfei was about to leave again, Yang Hong lowered her voice and said, “It was Zeng Lanzhi.”

“She knew I had designs on you, so she sought me out to cooperate. Her goal was the entire… Yue Family Hall.”

Yue Jianfei frowned slightly and said coldly, “Was this the Second Brother’s idea, or Zeng Lanzhi’s idea?”

Yang Hong lowered her head and said softly, “On this point, I’m also… not very clear, I…”

“Foolish! Utterly foolish! Yue Family Hall is mine and Xiaohua’s enterprise—how dare they have designs on it?”

Yue Jianfei swept his robe and left, carrying anger throughout his body.

“Master, Master.”

Yang Hong lunged forward, but was caught by Xiao Tao’s grip on her robe.

“Miss, don’t chase after him!”

“No!” Yang Hong shook her off forcefully. “Master, I only like you, I mean no harm, Master Yue, I beg you, I beg you to let me stay…”

After Yue Jianfei left, Tang Xiaohua didn’t stay either. She turned and walked outside; Feng Jiu’er and Xiao Yingtao followed along.

The three had just walked into Tang Xiaohua’s courtyard when someone behind them began quickly approaching.

“Xiaohua.” Yue Jianfei called softly.

Tang Xiaohua paused only briefly before continuing forward.

“Xiaohua, it’s me.” Yue Jianfei’s voice came again.

Tang Xiaohua still didn’t stop, continuing forward.

Xiao Yingtao couldn’t help but tug at her. She and Feng Jiu’er both knew that Tang Xiaohua actually wanted very much to stop.

She was simply held back by pride, and could only continue forward.

When Xiao Yingtao casually pulled at her, Tang Xiaohua finally stopped walking.

Feng Jiu’er and Xiao Yingtao, standing on either side of her, exchanged a glance and continued walking.

But in order to gossip about the couple’s affairs, they walked extremely slowly.

“Xiaohua.” Yue Jianfei’s voice came once more.

Tang Xiaohua stopped for only a moment before taking another step.

“Xiaohua.” Yue Jianfei strode forward and took hold of her arm.

Tang Xiaohua took a deep breath, and at the moment she turned around, a short blade had appeared in her hand.

She spun around and pressed the blade against Yue Jianfei’s neck.

Yue Jianfei acted as if he hadn’t seen the blade at all, pulling the person before him close and holding her in his embrace.

Feng Jiu’er and Xiao Yingtao both quickened their steps at the same time, hiding behind two large red pillars in front of the house, one on each side.

Behind the two pillars, half of each of their heads peeked out.

Yue Jianfei’s mind was entirely on Tang Xiaohua, paying no attention to the two people not far away.

“Xiaohua.” He held Tang Xiaohua tightly in his arms, not caring about the blade just a hair’s breadth from his face.

“Are you out of your mind!” Tang Xiaohua pushed hard with one hand against the person embracing her. “If I hadn’t withdrawn the blade quickly, your face would surely have been ruined.”

After Yue Jianfei embraced Tang Xiaohua, his entire bearing settled and calmed.

“Xiaohua, I’m sorry!”

At this moment, he was nothing like the cold and aloof Master Yue from before.

The Yue Jianfei of now had lost some of his icy chill, but carried a touch of childlike mischief.

“Xiaohua! I’m truly sorry! You’ve never been willing to hurt me, yet I hurt you, leaving you distressed for half a year.”