Long Feiye and Gu Beiyue were already at the door, but neither Han Yunxi nor Lil Thing noticed as they glared at each other. Abruptly, Han Yunxi straightened up and pointed a finger at the squirrel.
âWell well, Lil Thing. You donât think youâre wrong, do you?â
Lil Thing didnât under what Mama Yunxi was saying, but it more or less guessed that she was blaming it for bullying Fourth Young Miss Ren. It didnât pick on her, not really, when it hadnât even touched her a bit. At most, it was trying to scare the girl. It could yield to Mama Yunxi on a hundred other things, but not this one! It wanted Mama Yunxi to know that it didnât like Fourth Young Miss Ren, much less want her to fantasize about the gentleman.
Lil Thing placed its claws against the table before arching forward to cheep noisily at Han Yunxi.
âI see! Youâve gotten so bold after we just reunited! Are you rebelling?â Han Yunxi demanded.
âCheepâŚ!â Lil Thing cheeped loudly.
âIâll give you one last chance. Admit your wrongs! Will you or wonât you?â Han Yunxi asked, then added, âOtherwise, the consequences will be severe!â
Lil Thing could hear the warning tone in Mama Yunxiâs voice, but it didnât understand any details. It stood up on its hnd legs to look at her doubtfully. Seeing this, Han Yunxi grew doubtful too. Did it get my threats or not?
Han Yunxi thought of something before rolling up her sleeve to reveal the priceless jade crystal bracelet. She fomed one hand into a fist while touching the bracelet with her fingers and fixing Lil Thing with a cold look. Lil Thing stared and stared before its fur stood on end. At last, it understood her threat.
âWhat does she mean by that?â Long Feiye was clueless.
Han Yunxi and Lil Thing whipped their heads over. As soon as Lil Thing saw Long Feiye, it flew to the ceiling rafters and curled up into a furball. After learning the truth about Lustbite energy, Lil Thing feared Long Feiye more than ever. It didnât count the manâs âhugâ as the real thing. For all it knew, theyâd only bumped briefly.
âPrincess is using Your Highnessâs name to warn Lil Thing!â Gu Beiyue smiled as he walked inside.
Long Feiyeâs gaze swept past the ceiling rafters, but he quickly shelved the topic. âHave you finished packing your things.â
âI had Mingxiang organize them for me. I can leave any time, what about Qishao?â Han Yunxi asked.
âNo need to mind him,â Long Feiyeâs attitude was as frigid as ever to avoid leave any traces.
âAre we going right now?â Han Yunxi asked. Scheduling their departure was still different from leaving in real life. She suddenly felt reluctant to leave Gu Beiyue behind.
âMm. If youâre tired, rest a bit. Otherwise, weâll set off,â Long Feiye replied.
Gu Beiyue was standing to the side, looking up at Lil Thing while beckoning it with his hand. Lil Thing would rather throw itself into the gentlemanâs chest. It always used to hide in its arms to avoid Papa Long. But now it couldnât bear to while knowing the gentlemanâs chest still sported scars. They were remnants of his four claw marks.
âWhatâs wrong with Lil Thing?â Gu Beiyue smiled helplessly.
Lil Thing could be dazzled all day simply staring at the gentlemanâs smile. It was so soft and warm and lovely, like spring sunshine upon Earth making all the flowers bloom. Meanwhile, Han Yunxi told them all about Lil Thing bullying Fourth Young Miss Ren.
âWhat do you think is wrong with it?â Han Yunxi asked helplessly.
Long Feiye wasnât interested in the topic one bit. He had already started packing up his desk. Han Yunxi was the only one allowed to pack his things but she was pregnant now, so heâd forbidden her from touching his things. Gu Beiyue had infinite patience towards Lil Thing and smiled as he beckoned to it again.
This is the second time! Lil Thing couldnât resist and leaped down from the ceiling, but chose to land on Gu Beiyueâs shoulder, then ran down his arm to sit in his hand.
Han Yunxi felt helplessly. âGive it a good talk. It has to stay here. If it doesnât learn its lesson, it might end up pestering Fourth Young Miss Ren everyday!â
As Lil Thing had eaten the poison fruits, it also possessed an undying body that could help out Gu Qishao and Gu Beiyue. Just like the past, Gu Beiyue teased Lil Thingâs ears and tail with his index finger. Lil Thing knew that Mama Yunxi had tattled about its wrongs, so it sat there waiting for the gentleman to interrogate it. But he simply continued to smile and tease him as if nothing had happened. Lil Thing was perturbed at fist, but it gradually relaxed before the gentlemanâs warm smile.
Han Yunxi looked at them doubtfully and asked, âGu Beiyue, this is how youâre talking to it?â
Gu Beiyue replied, âLil Thing probably dislikes Fourth Young Miss Ren. Iâll tell someone to keep her visits sparse in the future.â
âFourth Young Miss Ren is your most able assistantâŚâ Han Yunxi reminded him.
Although she was Lil Thingâs master, she couldnât let Gu Beiyue spoil it so much!
âItâs fine. She can simply find Vice Academy Head Shen, who can better call the shots,â Gu Beiyue said lightly. âThe Ren Clan will marry her off sooner or later.â
Han Yunxi wasnât very clear on the factions of Medical City, but she could hear the inklings from Gu Beiyueâs words. Fourth Young Miss Ren was a friend worth making, but her Ren Clan was the second most powerful family in Medical City. Thanks to Gu Yuntianâs affair, the Gu Clan fell and it took its place at the top.
âWhatever you say goes,â Han Yunxi gave up. âBut Lil Thing wouldnât dislike someone for no reason, right?â
âThere must be a reason. How about you ask it after it recovers?â Gu Beiyue grinned. âIt didnât hurt Fourth Young Miss Ren, right?â
âNothing as bad as that. It just scared her,â Han Yunxi said honestly.
âThen thatâs good. Iâll keep an eye out so it doesnât run about in the future. Later on, Iâll give her an apology,â Gu Beiyue concluded.
A passerby who overheard might assume Lil Thing was Gu Beiyueâs pet instead of Han Yunxiâs. Lil Thing remained ignorant of their conversation, but it knew the gentleman wasnât angry. Someone as good-tempered as him would rarely get angry, it reasoned.
After Gu Beiyue and Han Yunxi chattered casually for a bit, Chu Xifeng showed up.
âYour Highness, princess, the carriage is waiting out the back. It can leave at any time.â
Long Feiye had finished packing as well. Without wasting words, he simply told Gu Beiyue, âNo need to send us off.â
âThe state of those blood samples change often, so you should hurry back to the study. Donât escort us, just have Xu Donglin report the latest updates,â Han Yunxi added.
âSafe journeys,â Gu Beiyue said simply and respectfully cupped his hands. Silently, he wished, Princess, I hope this subordinate can give you good news before the little master is born.
There were four months left to his birth. If Gu Qishao couldnât be cured before then, he wouldnât have much hope left.
Han Yunxi was clueless to the pains of Gu Beiyueâs heart. She hugged Lil Thing and couldnât help lecturing, âBe good and listen to him. Donât think you can act as you please just because Gu Beiyue spoils you! If I come back to hear someone tattling on you againâŚâ She narrowed her eyes, leaned in close, and muttered, âThen Iâll stuff you into Long Feiyeâs sleeve!â
Lil Thing was completely left in the dark. However, the sight of Han Yunxiâs evil grin made it nod furiously in response.
Gu Beiyue really didnât send them off. Once the group left the doors, he carried Lil Thing with him back to the study. Time was tight!
Meanwhile, nobody mentioned Gu Qishao. Han Yunxi and Long Feiye had already set out for four hours when he caughtup to them on horseback. It was lunchtime now and he was carrying a large bundle of things on his back. One hand held an oversized basket of food. Besides Han Yunxi, even the driver and guards were happy to see him. With Gu Qishao here, they didnât have to eat dry rations or make fires to cook the princess hot food.
Gu Qishao took out a single box from his basket and presented it to Han Yunxi with a smile. âHere!â
Long Feiye took it for her and opened it up to see four dishes and one soup, the ingredients arranged with excellent taste. Both the colors and flavors complemented each other perfectly. Judging from the portions, it was meant for two people and even had matching chopstick pairs.
Han Yunxi wasnât hungry until she saw the fancy lunchbox. Throwing away all pretense, she dug in.
âWhat are you looking at? The other portionâs for you. I came here after I ate my fill,â Gu Qishao said before handing over the basket of food to Chu Xifeng. âSplit these up with the other fellows.â
Chu Xifeng was rather taken aback. Since when has Gu Qishao been so generous? Heâs never brought food for anyone besides the princess before.
âWeâre heading different ways, so this is the only time weâre traveling together! Nothing there will poison you to death!â Gu Qishao chuckled.
âIâm not afraid of your poison,â Chu Xifeng retorted as he accepted the basket.
Long Feiye alternated between eating his lunchbox and staring at Gu Qishaoâs back, his gaze complicated. After lunch, they had a rest break before continuing the trip. As usual, Gu Qishao chose to ride on ahead on horseback. When Han Yunxi fell asleep, Long Feiye silently descended the carriage and took Chu Xifengâs horse to catch up to the man.
Long expecting this, Gu Qishao slowed his pace before he finally stopped.
Long Feiye got straight to the point. âYour arm!â
âItâs not like youâll understand whatâs going on. Donât be so nosy,â Gu Qishao turned towards him with a smile that was asking for a beating.
âDo you believe me when I say this crown prince will cut off your hand?â Long Feiye asked in a heavy tone.
If this was the past, Gu Qishao would still be smug, but nowâŚLong Feiye really had the skills. He glanced back and saw the carriage was still far behind, then rolled up his sleeve to reveal his arm. At the sight, Long Feiye violently sucked in a cold breath.