Bai Qingqing pouted and stopped, reluctantly turning around. "I've already thanked you."

"Is that all? A few casual words of thanks? Your gratitude is so easy to repay."

Bai Qingqing still held a grudge, so she asked dismissively, "What does the Lord mean by that?"

Ning Yan took a step forward and, seeing a subtle flicker of panic in her calm eyes, smiled contentedly. "Aren't you quite skilled at making incense? Even the Princess of Ping's residence praised it, so it must be quite extraordinary."

Mention of the incense made Bai Qingqing angry again. "You're mistaken, Lord. I thought carefully about your words from before and realized they were indeed reasonable. I shouldn't casually give away incense I've made myself. Please return it to me, and I will be forever grateful."

Ning Yan's phoenix eyes slightly lifted, amused by her angry appearance. He pretended to ponder for a moment, then said, "I heard that the incense you make is only given to those close to you. Is that true?"

Bai Qingqing: "!"

She stared wide-eyed, embarrassed. "Did you eavesdrop on my conversation?"

"'Eavesdrop' is not the right word. I don't like it."

Bai Qingqing was speechless. She was so embarrassed now, her toes were clenching inside her embroidered shoes, and her cheeks couldn't help but turn red. But she still tried to explain, "I... I only said that to reject his request. It wasn't meant to imply anything else."

Ning Yan tilted his head, the corner of his mouth curling with interest. "I never said there was any implication. It seems I misunderstood. So, there is something, after all?"

"No!"

Bai Qingqing's face turned a deeper shade of red. Every time she spoke to him, she felt so stifled. She shouldn't have stopped just now!

Ning Yan seemed to find new amusement in her flustered state. Bai Qingqing, so flustered and upset, didn't make him bored or tired; quite the opposite, she was intriguing. Especially with her cheeks flushed, she looked far more vibrant and fresh than the flowers by the roadside, quite a sight to behold.

Bai Qingqing felt she couldn't go on like this. In front of Ning Yan, she seemed like a fool.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to steady, and said seriously, "Lord Ning, though you might not believe it, I’m not the kind of person who would casually give away things I've made..."

"I—"

"Don't interrupt, I haven’t finished!"

Ning Yan was taken aback, even laughing a little. He had never met anyone who dared to speak to him like that. But seeing Bai Qingqing’s delicate tone, he couldn't bring himself to be angry. He simply closed his mouth and let her continue.

Bai Qingqing wasn’t sure where her courage came from. After shouting, her heart was trembling, but now that she had started, she couldn’t back down. "In the past, I didn’t pay enough attention. But the things I gave away were always for women. However, you were right—this isn’t proper. I won’t make the same mistake again. Since you don’t like that box of incense, please return it to me, and let’s just pretend this never happened."

She finished in one breath, feeling truly brave. Before she could even feel smug about it, she saw Ning Yan raise his brow slightly.

"Done?"

"Yes."

Ning Yan laughed. "When did I say I don't like that box of incense?"

Bai Qingqing licked her lips. "But you weren't happy when you received it. Doesn't that mean you don't like it?"

Ning Yan's gaze lingered on her rosy lips for a moment before his dark eyes shifted away. "Can you ask for something back once it's been given?"

It seemed... a little inappropriate.

Bai Qingqing felt somewhat deflated, but then he spoke again. "As for helping you this time, I've already decided how you should repay me."

Bai Qingqing blinked in confusion, her clear, dark eyes wide with expectation. Ning Yan suddenly had the impulse to cover her eyes.

"The incense was indeed nice. This time, I want a different kind."

"Another incense?" Bai Qingqing was puzzled. This person was so difficult to deal with. He didn’t like the gift but then asked for more?

"What kind would you like?"

Ning Yan leaned slightly toward her, his voice slow and deep as he spoke, each word deliberate. "The kind you use, I plan to burn it in my bedding. It should make for a good dream."

Bai Qingqing's blood rushed to her face, her neck and ears flushing a soft pink. Her mouth opened slightly in disbelief, and she froze, shocked by his words.

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Her eyes, filled with anger, shimmered with tears. Her body trembled slightly as she yelled, "You... you’re talking nonsense!"

This was probably the angriest she'd ever been. Ning Yan suddenly burst into laughter, shaking as if he were a mischievous little cub.

Bai Qingqing became even angrier, like a pufferfish ready to explode. She was so furious, she almost wanted to jump up and hit his head!

With a burst of courage, she did something she had never done before in her life—she stomped hard on Ning Yan’s shoe, grinding it angrily before turning and running away.

But after just two steps, Bai Qingqing stopped, biting her lip as she turned around. "If the Prince of Ping's residence causes trouble for you, I can explain it."

Ning Yan's laughter hadn't died down. His phoenix eyes were still filled with amusement, looking unusually affectionate. "What kind of trouble could they cause me?"

"I know your position in the Jinyiwei is not low, but it’s still the Prince of Ping's residence. If they really want to make an issue of it, what can a mere Jinyiwei do? Besides, your reputation is so poor, I doubt anyone will help you."

Ning Yan was stunned. "My reputation is poor?"

Bai Qingqing gave him a look that said, "Don’t you know that yourself?" She then said, "Anyway, thank you for today. If the Wangfu causes trouble later, I won’t stand by and do nothing."

"Well, in that case, it should be like this. Then my reward..."

"No!"

Bai Qingqing lifted her skirt and hurriedly ran off, her footsteps fading. Ning Yan stood in place, poking his tongue against his cheek and forming a small bulge.

Interesting. She’s delicate, yes, but still quite loyal. It's a pity though; he really wanted the incense she wore—soft and sweet, it would surely bring a good dream.

A sudden whim to stop by today, and it was worth it.

Ning Yan didn't turn around until Bai Qingqing's figure had disappeared. Then, without a sound, he vanished quietly from the Bai residence.

At Bai Yan's place, the wine glasses clinked, and the atmosphere was lively. Suddenly, Xuan Shu hurried over and whispered something in his ear. Bai Yan's expression changed instantly. "Really? Where is the invitation? Where is the person?"

"I’ve sent someone to search, but no one has seen them. But the invitation is genuine."

Bai Yan sighed deeply after a moment. "Forget it. It seems that person doesn’t want to show themselves, but I never expected them to come to the Bai residence! This is truly unexpected."

If he had known earlier, he would have personally waited at the door, even a single word would have been enough! Such a pity.

...

"Master, you're back... Did you get attacked again?"

Wen Jiang's tone changed several notes, and he immediately went to grab Ning Yan's medical kit, hurriedly trying to tend to him.

Ning Yan sat down carelessly. "Don’t make a fuss. It’s just a small scratch. Ignore it, it’ll heal by itself."

Wen Jiang rolled up his sleeve and found the wound. It wasn’t deep, nor was it life-threatening, so he sighed in relief. Still, he couldn’t help but murmur as he tended to the injury, "At times like this, you shouldn’t be out wandering around. You've only been back to Xuan City for a short while, and you've already been attacked several times. Staying in the yamen is much safer."

Ning Yan smiled. "I’m just meant to be a target. Any news from the other side? Are the people safe?"

"They're safe. With you drawing attention, they’re perfectly secure. Everyone thinks you're in Xuan City, so they naturally believe the people must be there too."

Ning Yan finally closed his eyes and relaxed. "Tell them to be more careful. The people the emperor wants to meet—if there’s even a slight mistake, not even the king of heaven can save them."

Wen Jiang worked quickly to bandage the wound, but his eyes suddenly caught the stains on Ning Yan's shoe. "Master, did your foot get hurt too?"

This couldn’t be. After all these years of following Ning Yan, Wen Jiang knew better than anyone how tough he was—he rarely got hurt. Recently, there had been a few minor injuries that made people think they could get to him if they tried hard enough, but this foot... What was going on?

Ning Yan kept his eyes closed, unmoving, but the corner of his mouth subtly curled up. "A little cat stepped on my foot."

Wen Jiang: "..." What kind of little cat's paw print could be this big?

His heart skipped a beat, and he cautiously asked, "Master, you didn’t break the cat’s neck, did you?"

A cat that could step on Ning Yan’s foot and remain unharmed?

Ning Yan’s mind flashed to Bai Qingqing’s neck—delicate, snow-white, and after a touch of pink, it had an unexpectedly tempting hue. "Her neck is quite nice. I’ll leave it for now."

Wen Jiang didn’t ask further; he couldn’t understand.

After a long pause, Ning Yan opened his eyes. "Send someone to keep an eye on the Prince of Ping's residence."

"Why? Did you sense something unusual?"

Ning Yan rested his chin in his hand and chuckled lightly. "I just don’t like seeing them live so leisurely."

"…Yes."

The Bai family’s flower-viewing banquet was a great success, and the guests left in high spirits.

Bai Qingqing stayed with Bai Yan to see the guests off, scanning the crowd several times.

"Qingqing, are you looking for someone?"

Bai Qingqing quickly shook her head. "I just thought… maybe someone left early? I wonder if there was something wrong with the hospitality."

Bai Yan smiled. "You handled it perfectly this time. I’ve heard many people praising it. How could there be any issue with the reception? But there were indeed a few who left early. The people from the Prince of Ping’s residence had matters to attend to, and there were also a few others who had urgent business. It has nothing to do with you."

Does that mean Ning Yan left early too?

Bai Qingqing had been holding her thoughts for many days and finally couldn’t hold back. "Brother, last time you said Lord Ning was a righteous and sincere man, is that true?"

Bai Yan didn’t expect her to remember that. "Why bring this up again? How could I lie to you? Though I haven’t had much contact with Lord Ning, he is very approachable, straightforward, and honest. He’s a rare and respectable man. I can always judge a person correctly."

Bai Qingqing: "?"

Approachable? Straightforward? She must have met a fake Ning Yan, right?

"But perhaps it’s because he’s unmarried that Lord Ning can be a bit too straightforward at times. But it’s no big deal. In the end, he’s mostly easy to get along with."

Bai Qingqing’s face remained expressionless. With that strange, unbalanced temperament of Ning Yan’s, her brother could even paint him as straightforward? Sigh, her brother really had a kind heart.

Bai Yan had drunk quite a bit, and while the alcohol didn’t affect him much, it still made him feel a little lightheaded. He tried to comfort his sister, who seemed troubled by her dreams. "Let me put it this way. If that dream was real, I think Lord Ning is someone worth trusting. I’ll try to get to know him better. You can rest assured, right?"

Bai Qingqing didn’t say anything, but deep down, she trusted her brother.

Her brother had an uncanny ability to judge people. That’s why the Bai family had always been smooth sailing. When he said someone wasn’t worth getting close to, that person would eventually show their true colors. But if he approved of someone, their character was beyond doubt.

So, maybe she had only seen the superficial facade of Ning Yan and hadn’t glimpsed his true depth?

Bai Qingqing started to doubt herself, but since her brother said so, Ning Yan must have his merits. She just hadn’t discovered them yet.

Yes, that must be it.