“Now that, you got right,” Feng Jiu’er said, pulling up her bath towel and stepping out of the tub.

“But could you go ask him yourself? I’m really exhausted.”

“Qiao Mu, just let me be—I don’t want to face him with these dark circles.”

Feng Jiu’er sighed helplessly; once drowsiness hit her, there was no fighting it.

If Qiao Mu hadn’t come in just now, she might have ended up falling asleep right in the bathtub.

“He’s coming back?” Qiao Mu turned around, a little excited.

It wasn’t that she missed him—having her own little Bao was more than enough for her—but at least once he returned, she wouldn’t have to worry about this troublesome girl anymore.

Lei Shenbao really was disgusting; Qiao Mu had half a mind to hide Feng Jiu’er away somewhere, so that lecherous man couldn’t even lay eyes on her.

“Mm-hm, didn’t I already say it would happen in the next couple of days?” Feng Jiu’er shot Qiao Mu a sideways glance. “Now get out, and don’t think about peeking.”

“Go on, he already knows. Go find him, and stop bothering me.”

“Who’d want to look at you!” Qiao Mu pursed her lips. “What you’ve got isn’t even as good as what I’ve got.”

“Qiao Mu, you’re asking for it!” Feng Jiu’er grabbed something nearby and flung it at her.

Qiao Mu dodged to the side and left.

If she wanted to look at something, she should look at her own little Bao—woman looking at woman really wasn’t worth much.

Still, this girl Jiu’er really did have remarkably good skin—exposed to sun and rain alike, yet still smooth as a peeled egg. How did she manage that?

Qiao Mu made her way to the courtyard, to the largest room, and without even bothering to knock, pushed the door open and walked straight in.

She passed through the main hall, walking familiarly toward the inner room.

Just as she reached out to push open the bedroom door, it was pulled open from the inside by the person within.

“Little Bao, I…”

Whatever Qiao Mu meant to say was swallowed up entirely by the man who pulled her into his embrace.

Feng Jiang wrapped his arms around Qiao Mu’s waist, pressing his lips to hers, guiding her steadily toward the bed.

Kissed dizzy by the man, Qiao Mu felt her entire body go light and floaty, barely even registering as she was laid down on the bed.

She wrapped her arms tightly around him, clumsily returning his kiss, oblivious to everything else.

The two of them tangled together on the bed for a good while, until Qiao Mu accidentally tore Feng Jiang’s robe.

With a ripping sound, more than half of it tore away.

Feng Jiang released the woman’s sweet lips, burying his face in the curve of her neck.

“Little Qiao, I really want to… spank you.”

To spank is to love—Feng Jiang, not knowing how to express himself, could only say whatever came to mind.

Kissed until her head was spinning, Qiao Mu had even forgotten the real reason she’d come here in the first place.

“What if…” she said, holding his head, rubbing it gently, “what if…”

“No,” Feng Jiang admitted—he was, even by his own admission, hopelessly conservative.

He took a deep breath, lifted his head, and rolled off the woman, lying down and pulling her into his embrace.

“Coming in with such a fierce rush—what was that about?”

Feng Jiang hadn’t forgotten that when the girl pushed open the outer door, she’d used quite a bit of force, and her footsteps coming in had been hurried too.

Qiao Mu blinked, looked up, and handed him the torn strip of cloth in her hand.

Why was her strength so great—surely this wasn’t something a woman should have?

Feng Jiang was an imperial prince; he must have seen countless beautiful women in his time.

Though Qiao Mu never said so, she still felt the pressure of it deep down.

She wished she could be a bit gentler herself, possess the tenderness and reserve a woman ought to have.

Yet it seemed she was still far too impatient.

Of course, if you asked Big Sister Qiao to admit that she’d changed herself for a man, she would absolutely never admit to it, no matter what.

Feng Jiang took the torn cloth from her hand, the corners of his mouth curving up slightly, and lowered his head to press a kiss to her forehead.

“It’s fine, the fabric was just poor quality.”

Qiao Mu blinked her innocent-looking eyes at him, and when she spoke, her voice still carried a faint huskiness.

“You don’t think I’m…” she furrowed her brow, “too strong, do you?”

Feng Jiang caught a hint of fear in Qiao Mu’s eyes and immediately frowned.

“What’s wrong?” Feng Jiang asked gently. “Being strong—what’s wrong with that? Is being strong not a good thing?”

Qiao Mu cleared her throat lightly and shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

She lowered her head, burrowing into the man’s gentle embrace, wanting to bury her entire self against him.

Being this rough with him—did he really not mind it at all?

Still, someone as exceptional as herself—how could she possibly be compared to those princesses and young ladies of noble families?

Otherwise, he would have made his choice long ago, wouldn’t he?

Having reassured herself this way, Qiao Mu’s mood improved considerably.

When she looked up again, those beautiful eyes of hers were still watching him.

“I came over because I wanted to ask—what exactly are you and Jiu’er hiding from me?” Qiao Mu kept her voice deliberately low.

Just as it had been back in Feng Jiu’er’s room, the two of them seemed somewhat upset, yet their volume never rose.

Especially when discussing sensitive topics, their voices were so quiet that even someone hiding on the rooftop wouldn’t have been able to make out a word.

And if someone truly had been hiding on the rooftop or behind the building, given Feng Jiang and Qiao Mu’s level of skill, unless that person possessed extraordinarily powerful martial arts, the two of them would have sensed their presence regardless.

“Me and Jiu’er?” Feng Jiang reached out and smoothed the furrow between Qiao Mu’s brows.

“You mean the matter with Lei Shenbao?”

“Mm-hm.” Qiao Mu nodded, looking a little wronged.

It was one thing for Jiu’er to keep things from her, but for him—given their relationship—to keep it from her too, it left her feeling unhappy.

“I’m sorry,” Feng Jiang said, lowering his head to press a kiss to Qiao Mu’s pouting pink lips.

When he lifted his head again, he didn’t forget to kiss her cheek and forehead as well.

“Jiu’er said she didn’t want to tell you beforehand, out of concern that you might give something away.”

“Am I really that bad at this?” Qiao Mu felt even more wronged.

In the past, she’d never thought much of women who liked to act coquettish.

She had always believed that whatever a man could do, a woman could do just as well, and so she’d thought herself incapable of ever acting coquettish toward a man in this lifetime.

Yet without realizing it, she had already broken that belief herself—Big Sister Qiao simply hadn’t noticed.

Still, when Qiao Mu did act coquettish, there was a uniquely endearing charm to it.

Perhaps this was exactly why Feng Jiang cherished her all the more.

“Don’t be upset anymore, all right?” Feng Jiang held the woman as though cradling the world’s most precious treasure.

He wanted so badly to hold her tightly, to embrace her with all his strength, yet he worried his own strength might be too much and hurt her.

“Jiu’er said it’s not that you and Jian Yi aren’t good actors—it’s that the two of you care too much about her, which is why she didn’t feel comfortable telling you both ahead of time.”

“So I’m the one among the three of us who cares about her the least.”

“Little Qiao, everything I’m telling you is true, don’t be upset.”

“Did she really say that?” Qiao Mu’s brow furrowed.

“Mm.” Feng Jiang nodded in response.

Feng Jiu’er’s actual explanation had certainly not been this.

What she’d actually said was that the reason she’d kept it from Jian Yi and Qiao Mu was because neither of them could act to save their lives—they were both hopelessly one-track-minded.

Feng Jiang, wanting to keep his woman happy, naturally couldn’t say that so bluntly.

Fortunately, the two of them genuinely did care deeply about Jiu’er—that much was true, so he hadn’t exactly told a lie.