Chapter 161 -

Chapter 161: Chapter

After the tense dinner came to an end, the main hall emptied quickly. Qinqin, Meiling, and little Bai Shu stayed behind to clear the remaining bowls and scrub the long wooden tables. Master Bai left quietly with Madame Chen, while the rest of the household scattered back to their own rooms to escape the freezing draft.

Yimei stood by the doorway, looking down at Zhengyu in his chair.

"Go inside before the cold gets any worse," Yimei said smoothly. "I will be in the kitchen making your herbal decoction."

Zhengyu nodded, his dark eyes lingering on her face for a quiet second before he signaled Liu Feng. The guard carefully turned the chair around and wheeled him back down the dimly lit hallway toward their bedchamber.

With Zhengyu gone, Yimei turned on her heel, preparing to head straight into the kitchen to tend to the fire and herbs.

"Yimei," a quiet, unsteady voice called out behind her.

Yimei stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around.

Bai Rulan stood under the glow of the flickering oil lantern, her hands tightly clutching the sleeves of her cloak. She looked thoroughly shaken, her face still pale from everything that had unfolded across the dinner table.

Yimei tilted her head, her dark eyes completely unbothered . "Yes?"

Rulan took a tentative step forward, her head hanging slightly as she bit her lower lip.

"I..." Rulan began, her voice barely louder than a whisper. She swallowed hard, struggling to find the words. "I am sorry, Yimei. For what I said to you this morning."

Yimei didn’t move an inch, but her usual sharp demeanor softened. She uncrossed her arms and looked at the younger girl.

"I really thought... I thought family meant something to everyone," Rulan murmured, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I thought if we just reasoned with them, Second Uncle would realize his mistake. I didn’t believe anyone in our own bloodline could be so heartless toward a person."

Yimei let out a light, quiet breath. She stepped closer, reaching out to gently pat Rulan’s trembling shoulder.

"You have a good heart, Rulan, and there is nothing wrong with seeing the best in people," Yimei said softly, her voice calm and grounded. "But you have to realize that out here, in a broken world where money and safety are scarce, not everyone operates with the same kindness you do."

Rulan looked up, her eyes wide as she listened intently.

"Being kind is a strength, but being blind to people’s true nature will only get you hurt," Yimei advised gently, her dark eyes steady and warm. "Don’t stop caring, Rulan. Just protect yourself. Protect your heart, and don’t let greedy people take advantage of your gentle spirit."

Rulan closed her eyes, letting out a small breath of relief as tears slipped down her cheeks. She nodded earnestly. "I understand now. I really do. Thank you, Yimei."

"Good," Yimei smiled faintly. "Now go inside before you freeze. I have medicine to brew for Zhengyu."

Without another word, Yimei turned around and walked straight into the warm, quiet kitchen.

She stoked the dying embers of the stove, adding fresh firewood until the dark room lit up with a warm, orange blaze. She measured out Grandmaster Zhang’s herbs carefully, setting the small clay pot over the fire to simmer.

As the aromatic steam began to fill the kitchen, a faint chime echoed inside her mind.

[System Notification: Target "Bai Zhengyu" emotional favorability updated!]

[Favorability Points Gained: +5 (Growing trust and subtle attachment)]

[Current Favorability Points Balance: 40 Points]

Yimei’s lips curved into a small, subtle smile as she leaned back against the kitchen counter. Slow and steady wins the race; step by step, she was securing her place in this household.

Ten minutes later, Yimei carried the steaming bowl of dark herbal medicine back down the quiet corridor.

She pushed open the wooden door to their bedchamber. Zhengyu was sitting up in bed, resting his back against the pillows. His damp hair fell loosely around his shoulders, and he was staring out the small window at the heavy snow falling outside.

When he heard her enter, his dark eyes instantly shifted to her, softening the moment she stepped inside.

"It is done," Yimei said, walking over and placing the hot bowl on the bedside table. "Drink it while it is warm."

Zhengyu looked down at the dark liquid, then up at her calm face. He reached out, his warm fingers brushing against hers as he took the bowl.

"Thank you," Zhengyu said softly, his deep voice carrying a strange, gentle weight. He paused for a moment before looking straight into her eyes. "What you said back in the dining hall... about them trying to sell you instead."

Yimei raised an eyebrow. "What about it?"

Zhengyu’s jaw tightened slightly, his dark eyes blazing with a dangerous, protective heat.

"As long as I am breathing, Yimei," Zhengyu said, his voice dropping into a low, firm vow, "no one in this house or this his village will ever touch a single hair on your head."

Yimei looked at him and laughed.

Zhengyu frowned. "Why are you laughing?" he asked, holding the warm bowl tightly. "Don’t you believe me?"

Yimei wiped a tear from her eye and nodded. "I didn’t say that... but Zhengyu, how will you protect me when you can’t even stand on your own?"

Zhengyu’s jaw tightened. He looked down into the steaming medicine as the cold wind blew outside.

"I won’t stay like this forever," Zhengyu said, looking up at her with sharp eyes. "My legs might not work right now, Yimei, but my mind and hands still do. With Grandmaster Zhang’s medicine, I will stand again."

Yimei stopped laughing and stepped closer to the bed, leaning down near his face.

"Then drink your medicine," she whispered with a smirk. "Because if Second Uncle comes after me tomorrow, I’m not carrying you on my back while I fight him."

Zhengyu let out a quiet sigh and drank the bitter medicine in one go.

After drinking every drop, Zhengyu set the empty bowl on the bedside table. Yimei picked it up, turned around, and walked back out into the quiet corridor.

She took the bowl back to the kitchen, leaving it by the basin to be washed. On her way back to her room, she stopped by Qinqin’s small quarters. Yimei had actually come to bring Qinqin to sleep in her room so the girl wouldn’t be alone after such a terrifying day. She planned on sleeping on the floor beside her while Zhengyu stayed on the bed.

She pushed the wooden door open, expecting to find the maid settling down alone. To her surprise, Bai Meiling, Rulan, and Bai Shu were all inside the room, sitting together on the wide blanket-covered bed.

"What are you girls doing in here?" Yimei asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

The moment Qinqin saw her young miss, her face lit up. She smiled brightly, stepped off the bed, and walked quickly toward Yimei.

"Madame," Qinqin said softly, her eyes full of warmth. "The ladies all said they wanted to sleep with me tonight since they knew I would be alone and scared after everything that happened today."

Yimei looked past Qinqin at the three girls sitting together, sharing extra blankets under the soft glow of a small oil lamp. She tilted her head, looking at Meiling and the others.

"Who gave you the idea to come stay with Qinqin?" Yimei asked.

Meiling and Bai Shu exchanged timid looks before turning their eyes toward Rulan.

Rulan nodded nervously. "We actually wanted to do something good for her, but we didn’t know what to do. Then Brother Zhengyu told us to come spend the night with her instead."

Hearing that, Yimei looked shocked. She had thought that stubborn man barely liked talking to anyone, let alone planning small acts of kindness for the household.

Qinqin noticed the surprised look on her face and used the opportunity to tease her young miss with a sly smile.

"Young Miss," Qinqin whispered giggling, "maybe the Young Master just didn’t want me to invade your privacy. After all, if I’m there, you will insist on sleeping with me on the floor while he is alone on the bed."

The girls burst into soft, muffled giggles at Qinqin’s teasing comment, their light laughter warming up the small, cold room.

Yimei couldn’t help but smile, shaking her head at their antics. "It looks like you all are safe here," she said, her voice carrying a rare, gentle warmth. "I will go back now. Make sure you cover yourselves properly and add enough wood to the stove. The storm outside is going to be heavy tonight, so sleep tight."

"Goodnight, Sister Yimei!" Meiling, Rulan, and Bai Shu called out together, pulling the thick quilts higher around their shoulders.

"Goodnight, Young Miss," Qinqin added with a fond smile.

Yimei stepped back out into the dimly lit hallway and closed the wooden door behind her.

She walked back down the quiet corridor to her own bedchamber.

So the stubborn young master was actually clearing out the room for just the two of them?

A small, amused smirk played on her lips as she pushed open the heavy bedroom door and stepped inside.

Zhengyu was still propped up against the pillows on the bed, his dark, sharp eyes quietly tracking her every move as she shut the door behind her.

Yimei walked over to the edge of the bed, crossing her arms as she looked down at him with an arch eyebrow. "So... Zhengyu you sent your sisters to comfort Qinqin?"

Zhengyu’s expression remained entirely calm, though his jaw gave a tiny, subtle twitch. He looked away toward the small window, his voice as quiet and cool as ever. "The maid was trembling all through dinner. I merely gave my sisters a sensible suggestion so they wouldn’t linger uselessly in the hall."

Yimei leaned in closer, her dark eyes sparkling with wicked amusement. "Are you sure that was the only reason? Qinqin thinks you just wanted to keep me all to yourself tonight."

Zhengyu’s head snapped back toward her.

He didn’t look away this time. Instead, his gaze locked firmly onto her lips before rising back to meet her eyes, his deep voice dropping into a smooth, low murmur.

"And what if she is right?"