Chapter 113 -

Chapter 113: Chapter

Yimei changed into a cozy, light blue winter dress lined with soft white fur. She tied her long hair back with a simple ribbon and put on her warm fur cloak. She stepped out into the cold night and walked across the Northern Courtyard toward Zhengyu’s room.

As she reached his door, Liu Feng stepped out from the shadows.

He stood by the doorway with his hand on his sword like usual. But the moment he saw Yimei, his stoic face changed completely. His eyes lit up with instant relief.

Before Yimei could even say a word, Liu Feng bowed quickly and took three fast steps to the side. He opened the heavy wooden door wide for her.

Yimei stopped, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

What is wrong with him today? she thought. Didn’t he try to block me like a brick wall last night when I brought the medicine? Why is he acting like I am his savior now?

She did not know that Liu Feng had spent the last three hours in total misery. Ever since the quiet acupuncture session this morning, Zhengyu had been in a terrible mood. He had not touched his food or his tea, and the whole room felt like a freezer. Liu Feng would rather fight twenty armed men than spend another ten minutes in that silent room.

"Thank you, Young Madame," Liu Feng whispered quickly, keeping his head low.

Yimei gave him a strange look, but she did not ask any questions. She stepped past him into the quiet, warm room.

The heavy door clicked shut behind her.

A single oil lamp burned on the side table, casting long shadows on the walls. Zhengyu sat in his large bed, propped up against two white pillows. A heavy blanket covered his legs, and an unread book lay on his lap. He was staring blindly at the lamp flame, his jaw locked tight and his dark eyes filled with anger.

When he heard silk robes rustling, he did not look up, thinking it was his guard.

"I told you to leave," Zhengyu said, his deep voice cold and bitter. "If you talk about food again, Liu Feng, I will send you to guard the stables."

"Liu Feng is outside freezing his toes off," Yimei’s smooth, clear voice replied softly. "And unless you plan to ride a horse into the ancestral hall tonight, sending your guard away will not help you much."

Zhengyu froze.

His head snapped toward the bed, his dark eyes narrowing into sharp slits as he saw Yimei standing right beside his table, looking down at him with a calm, unbothered face.

Zhengyu stared at her for a long second, his fingers tightening slightly on his book. He tried to keep his usual cold, distant face, but the stiff anger in his body relaxed just a little. He did not yell, and he did not turn his head away like he did last night.

Yimei kept her face calm and icy, treating him with the same smooth distance as before. She did not ask how he felt, nor did she comment on his unread book.

"I am only here to ask you one thing," Yimei said directly, her clear voice cutting through the quiet room. "Were you the one who sent those shadow guards to the pavilion tonight?"

Zhengyu scoffed softly, lifting his thick book up in front of his face to hide his expression. "Do you think it is only your Xiao Jun who has shadow guards working for him?"

Yimei listened, getting the exact confirmation she needed. Her dark eyes flashed with understanding, but she did not smile or show excitement.

"Good to know," Yimei said, her tone cool and flat. "I won’t thank you, since you obviously did it because the pavilion belongs to the Bai estate. You simply didn’t want your business assets getting destroyed by common thugs. Now that I know, I can sleep well tonight."

With that, Yimei turned around on her heel, her silk dress rustling as she prepared to walk straight out the door.

"Where are you going?!" Zhengyu’s sharp voice snapped from the bed.

Yimei stopped near the doorway. She turned her head slightly, looking back at him over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean, where am I going? I asked my question, you gave your answer, so I am leaving."

Zhengyu’s jaw worked, his face flushing with mild embarrassment. He shifted uncomfortably against his white pillows, his eyes darting away from hers as he stammered, "W-Won’t you at least give me my decoction?!"

Yimei frowned, her dark eyes looking straight at his pale face.

"I won’t give any medicine to a fool who hasn’t eaten," Yimei retorted back cleanly, her voice firm and direct.

Before Zhengyu could spit back an angry reply, a soft knock sounded at the door.

Qinqin pushed the wooden door open carefully, holding a tray with a steaming bowl of dark herbal brew and a hot plate of freshly cooked pork dumplings. The delicious smell of meat and warm spices filled the cold room instantly.

Qinqin looked back and forth between her mistress and the First Young Master, stepping forward carefully. "Young Madame, the dumplings and the medicine are hot."

Yimei smoothed down her cloak, looking down at Zhengyu with a cool, unbothered expression. "Eat your dumplings first. Then you get your medicine."

Zhengyu looked at the steaming plate of dumplings, then up at Yimei. His eyes darted away for a second before coming back to her face.

"The family meeting with the Great Uncles will start soon anyway," Zhengyu said, trying to keep a bit of his usual sharp tone, though his voice lacked its usual force. "You will just have to walk back and forth across the cold courtyard. Just sit down and stay here until it is time for us to leave together."

Yimei didn’t budge. She kept her arms folded inside her fur cloak, her face completely unbothered and distant.

"My room is warm, and my maid is there," Yimei replied coolly, her voice flat. "I can wait comfortably in my own quarters without sitting in a freezing ice box."

Zhengyu’s jaw tightened. He held back his temper, shifting uncomfortably against his white pillows. "It makes no sense to walk back in the snow just to come right back out in twenty minutes. Sit down."

"I have no reason to stay here," Yimei said cleanly, turning her body slightly toward the door. "Eat your food before it gets cold."

"Yimei," Zhengyu called out, his voice dropping low, sounding almost urgent. "The Great Uncles are coming from the southeast, and Second Uncle will try to play every dirty trick he has left. We need to go into the ancestral hall together as the First Branch. If you walk in alone from your room, the rest of the family will see the distance between us and use it against us."

Yimei paused, her foot hovering near the threshold. She turned her head slightly, looking at him with a cool, searching gaze.

Zhengyu looked right back at her. He didn’t yell or pull his usual arrogant acts. "I am telling you the truth. Just stay here until the bell rings. It is better for both of us."

Yimei looked at him for a long, quiet moment, measuring his words. After a few seconds, she let out a small, soft breath and uncrossed her arms.

"Fine," Yimei said smoothly, walking over to the rosewood chair near the window. "I will stay until the bell rings. But only for the sake of the First Branch."

Qinqin set the wooden tray down on the small table beside the bed, bowing her head politely before stepping back out of the room to leave them alone.

Zhengyu picked up his wooden chopsticks and began eating the hot pork dumplings, taking neat, quiet bites. Yimei sat gracefully by the window, pulling her small notebook from her sleeve to review her tea pavilion plans, completely focused on her work