Zidai quietly cleaned up the bowl and turned around to see Bai Yan. She bowed to him and then stepped aside.

Bai Yan sat down next to Bai Qingqing, gently touching her hand with a frown. “Why is your hand so cold? Are you feeling unwell? If you are, you must tell me. Don’t hold it in.”

Bai Qingqing shook her head. “I’m fine, it’s just... maybe I was a little frightened.”

“Who wouldn’t be scared? Who could stay calm after seeing something like that? How could that person...”

Bai Yan paused, glancing carefully at Bai Qingqing, choosing his words. “I heard from Yaoyao that you know a Lord Ning. It’s not Ning Zhao, but...”

“He’s called Ning Yan.”

The usually composed Bai Yan couldn’t help but gasp. “Is it really him? Has he... I mean, did he do anything to you?”

Seeing Bai Qingqing’s confused look, Bai Yan finally relaxed. It seemed like nothing had happened.

“Qingqing, you may not fully understand, but this Lord Ning Yan is the Commander of the Jinyi Wei, directly under the Emperor’s command. He... I’ve heard that he is incredibly cold-hearted, unpredictable, and the Emperor has given him great power. He can execute without asking permission from the court officials first. He’s a dangerous person.”

Bai Yan wasn’t sure how to explain Ning Yan’s dangerous nature to his sister. “Though rumors might exaggerate, his power over life and death is real. He doesn’t need a reason to kill. Someone like him... I’m worried about you getting involved with him.”

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Bai Qingqing smiled faintly at her brother’s careful concern. “Don’t worry, big brother. I know my limits. My acquaintance with him was purely by chance.”

She had mistaken the person! Bai Qingqing didn’t want to talk about such an embarrassing matter.

“Besides, he’s never revealed his true identity to me. I think it’s just a superficial acquaintance.”

“That’s good, that’s good.”

Bai Yan let out a long sigh. “Big brother’s been holding it in, wanting to ask but too afraid to. You don’t know—though everyone shudders when his name is mentioned, there are plenty of people who want to befriend him. I’m just worried that you might be taking this risk because of that dream you had. It’s good that it didn’t happen, though.”

Bai Qingqing dared not speak, afraid of giving herself away. In the beginning, that was indeed her plan.

But now, knowing Ning Yan’s identity, he was not someone the Bai family could afford to approach. Moreover, Bai Qingqing would not make excuses for him. Although he hadn’t shown any particularly vicious side to her, as her brother said, his control over life and death was real.

At this point, whenever she closed her eyes, the image of Ning Yan holding a blood-dripping knife and smiling eerily would flash before her.

“Big brother, why did Ning Yan make a move in our house? And on father’s old friend, too—was he investigating something? But it was so bloody. What did father say about it?”

Bai Yan was somewhat surprised. “Why are you suddenly so concerned about these things?”

“I want to know.”

Since that was the case, Bai Yan spoke plainly. “That man is indeed one of father’s old acquaintances. He lost half his life when Ning Yan severed his forearm and he bled out. At first, father was furious, but in the end, he only had someone fetch a doctor.”

“Why? Is father afraid Ning Yan will take revenge? I don’t believe that. Father’s not the type to be scared.”

Bai Yan looked at her with a sigh. “You’re just too clever. Father treats him like an old friend, but that man may not feel the same. Ning Yan was indeed here on business, but it seems he happened to run into that man trying to enter father’s study, carrying something on him. If Ning Yan hadn’t acted, it might’ve gone unnoticed, quietly slipping by.”