「The next day, just as the sky began to lighten.」

Inside Tingyu Pavilion, about three miles from the Xiao Family’s estate.

A gentle breeze blew, causing the wind chimes hanging under the eaves to sway, creating a crisp, tinkling sound.

The courtyard was much quieter now than when it rained.

But Chen Yunfan, it seemed, was spared from the torment of these gentle sounds.

Ever since the members of the Cui Family arrived, they had taken up residence in Tingyu Pavilion’s rear courtyard.

He had no choice but to move to the middle courtyard with Chun Ying and the others.

Though Chen Yunfan was less than thrilled, he remembered his lessons in etiquette and decided to fulfill his duties as a host.

He didn’t want his mother, Cui Yu, to find out and think he was bullying Cui Qingwu.

But even so, he still couldn’t sleep in.

Just then, Chun Ying saw the pale light of dawn spreading in the east. She hesitated for a moment before entering the room and gently shaking the soundly sleeping Chen Yunfan.

"Young Master, Young Master, wake up."

"Huh?"

Chen Yunfan groggily opened his eyes. When he saw it was Chun Ying, he rolled over to go back to sleep and muttered,

"I ran all over the place collecting the summer harvest tax yesterday. My legs are about to break."

"Be a dear and let me get some proper sleep."

"Young Master, something’s happened."

Seeing Chun Ying’s serious tone, Chen Yunfan reluctantly sat up.

He scratched his messy hair, yawned, and asked, "Alright, spit it out. What happened?"

"Ning Yu just reported that last night, he saw Miss Cui being carried back by her maid. It looked like she was injured."

Chen Yunfan stopped mid-yawn and stared at her blankly. "Really?"

Chun Ying nodded. "It’s absolutely true."

To her surprise, Chen Yunfan burst out laughing. "That’s great!"

"She laughed at my expense just the day before yesterday, and I was still fuming about it. This is the perfect chance for me to return the favor."

Chun Ying: "..."

Even though she’d been with Chen Yunfan for years, she still couldn’t quite grasp his temperament.

It was true for how he treated Young Master Yi, and it was true for how he treated Miss Cui, the woman he was engaged to.

While she was lost in thought, Chen Yunfan had already thrown on a long robe. He didn’t even bother to put his shoes on properly, instead just stepping into them like slippers as he walked out the door.

"Don’t just stand there gawking. Hurry up and come with me to have a look."

"If you make me late for the show, watch out. I’ll have you punished."

"Yes, right away..."

Chen Yunfan excitedly led Chun Ying straight to the rear courtyard.

As he walked, he rubbed the corners of his eyes, muttering about how sleepy he was.

Chun Ying sighed and said in a low voice, "Young Master, your Martial Arts..."

Chen Yunfan stopped in his tracks and huffed. "I’ve been faking it for so long, I almost forgot I even have a cultivation."

As he spoke, he circulated his True Essence once through his body and was instantly refreshed and invigorated.

His spirits soared.

Then he quickened his pace, heading straight for the rear courtyard.

However, just as they reached the veranda, before they could even go in, they were stopped by the maids guarding the entrance.

"Young Master Yunfan, our Miss has not yet finished her morning preparations. It is inconvenient for you to enter."

Chen Yunfan looked left and right and couldn’t help but chuckle.

He pointed at the ground beneath his feet. "Look closely. This is Tingyu Pavilion. This is *my* house."

The two maids glanced at each other, then sidestepped again to block his path, bowing as they spoke:

"Our apologies, Young Master. Our Miss is not available to receive guests at the moment."

The corner of Chen Yunfan’s mouth twitched. He cut to the chase. "I heard your miss was injured. I came to have a look."

"Injured?"

"Young Master Yunfan, who did you hear that from? My miss just woke up. She isn’t injured at all."

"She’s not?"

Chen Yunfan looked suspiciously at Chun Ying. When he saw her shake her head slightly, he understood.

’So Cui Qingwu is worried I’ll laugh at her and has decided to pretend she’s fine, huh?’

"In that case, go and announce me. Just say that I... hmm... am inviting her to have breakfast with me."

Hearing this, the two maids hesitated for a moment before one of them agreed and trotted off toward the room.

Not long after, she returned, bowed, and said, "Young Master Yunfan, our Miss invites you in."

Chen Yunfan raised an eyebrow. ’So Cui Qingwu isn’t injured?’

But on second thought, Chun Ying had been with him for years and had never lied to him. She wouldn’t start now.

Thinking this, Chen Yunfan clasped his hands behind his back. "Lead the way."

Chun Ying, however, did not follow them in. Watching the group walk away, she couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

After a moment’s thought, she summoned Ning Yu.

"Last night, was Miss Cui really carried back?"

"Absolutely."

Ning Yu paused, then added, "I also saw bloodstains on her."

Chun Ying didn’t doubt him and muttered, "Then why would she let the Young Master in now? Isn’t she afraid of being exposed?"

While the two of them were puzzled, Chen Yunfan had already entered the room—which was originally his—and immediately spotted Cui Qingwu sitting at her dressing table.

Chen Yunfan paused, looking her up and down.

At the moment, Cui Qingwu’s long, glossy black hair was slightly disheveled, and her face looked a bit wan and pale, as if from a poor night’s sleep.

But she certainly didn’t look injured.

Glancing around, Chen Yunfan noticed an empty bowl on the table. His nose twitched slightly, and a smile crept onto his lips.

Just then, Huan’er finished combing Cui Qingwu’s long hair and securing it with a phoenix hairpin. Cui Qingwu stood up, looked at him, and asked with a smile,

"Yunfan, you’re up so early today?"

Chen Yunfan smiled and nodded. "I heard you were injured, so I came to see for myself."

"Feeling better?"

Cui Qingwu’s smile froze. Her eyes flickered to the empty bowl on the table, and she understood.

Before she could speak, Huan’er, who was beside her, quickly went over to clear the bowl away and hurried out of the room.

Chen Yunfan watched her go, then casually sat down at the table. "So, tell me, who injured you?"

Seeing that she hadn’t managed to fool him, Cui Qingwu couldn’t help but feel a flicker of annoyance.

It was directed at the person who had injured her last night, but also at Huan’er.

A moment of silence.

Cui Qingwu let out a breath and met his mocking gaze. "It was probably the same person who knocked you unconscious before."