The mistress who remarried has returned.

Su Yunxi raised her face, scrutinized his features, and asked timidly, "What are you talking about...?"

"Let's talk about all the grievances you've suffered over the years," Qin Huai said gently. "Let's talk about why I didn't let you tell Xue Wenying that the clothes were a gift from me. And let's talk about what you want from me by coming to me at all costs, and how we can work together to achieve your expectations."

Su Yunxi was puzzled. Wasn't it because she was worried that Xue Wenying would get jealous and cause trouble that she forbade her to say it? What was the reason then?

But she has no orders or ulterior motives to do anything to him; she's not tired of living.

"Then you go ahead and get busy...we'll talk when you're done..." Su Yunxi subtly urged him to leave, as she was really anxious to find Lin Enxiao and his presence was hindering her progress.

Seeing that it was getting late, and the banquet was over, it would be too late to make it. There was no point in making a wasted trip today, suffering all this humiliation without gaining anything. It was more than just miserable.

Qin Huai raised his hand and touched the rouge on her lips. "Did you put this on your lips especially for me to taste?"

Su Yunxi didn't know how to answer. She couldn't very well say that she put on makeup specifically to overwhelm Xue Wenying and avoid being bullied by her, could she? If she said the rouge wasn't for him to eat, she wondered if Qin Huai would be offended and pull out a dagger to kill her on the spot. She nodded rather shyly, "Is the rouge color pretty...?"

Qin Huai said sincerely and honestly, "It looks good."

After saying that, she added protectively, "I won't let Lin Enxiao take you away. You won't have a chance to see him. Don't worry."

What?

Will she never have a chance to meet Lin Enxiao?

Are you kidding me?

No!

Su Yunxi's eyes widened. She needed to see Lin Enxiao, otherwise all her efforts would have been in vain. She hadn't been able to save Yan Yixiao, and had even given herself to those old men in the Lin family. She wasn't sick, so why was she rushing to the Lin family to serve them? She stared at Qin Huai with a heavy heart, feeling utterly miserable.

Qin Huai thought she was too shocked to speak because of the news that she was to be married to the Lin family. After all, there were four men in that family. He felt a pang of heartache for what would become of the young girl. He put his hand on her waist with tenderness and said in a deep voice, "I'll make the arrangements."

Could he please not make those arrangements...?

Su Yunxi didn't know what he was planning, but she wanted to make time to see Lin Enxiao before he made those arrangements. So she said very considerately, "Why don't you go see your mother with Miss Xue first? My business isn't urgent. Let's finish her business first and then arrange my business."

Are you jealous?

"..." Su Yunxi looked at Qin Huai silently, but moved her feet and twisted and turned in his arms, looking very uncomfortable.

The tassels of her purse swept across his legs, while the hem of her skirt swayed and bounced against his shoes, tapping his feet repeatedly. Qin Huai's breathing became much heavier.

Qin Huai reached down and pinched the tassel of the purse at her waist, stopping it from swaying and making her heart race. Seeing her silence, he asked, "Are you shy and too embarrassed to speak? You look absolutely adorable today, Xixi..."

Su Yunxi gently removed his hand from her chin. "You should go quickly. There are too many people around; if they see you having any connection with the Crown Prince, it won't be good for you..."

If he doesn't leave soon, she's afraid he'll kill her...

Qin Huai slipped his hands inside her cloak, wrapped his arms around her slender waist, and pulled her closer. His palms were on her waist, and the warmth of his hands soothed her skin through the not-so-thin fabric. Her soft body pressed against his chest, and even through the thick clothing, it seemed so mysterious and alluring because they had never been so close before.

Because Su Yunxi was inexperienced in such matters, she was already very nervous when he held her like this. She vaguely heard him ask, with restraint, "During those years, did you and he live separately?"

Su Yunxi said decisively, "I live in the back alley, and he lives in the front alley. We usually don't see each other, and when we do, it's only because we have to attend certain occasions. Also, we live very far apart, and it's very inconvenient to travel there by carriage..."

"That's really good."

With the restraints around her waist loosened, Su Yunxi knew she had finally gotten away with it and breathed a sigh of relief.

She was finally relieved after watching Qin Huai go to find Xue Wenying.

But after Qin Huai left, she suddenly remembered something: she had forgotten to give him the agarwood she had stayed up all night to make. That was a pity, since he had a terrible headache today, and the incense might be of some use.

The Second Prince had just made things difficult for her, and whatever Qin Huai's motives, he had helped her out. She hoped to give him the spices she had made herself. After today's parting, there might never be another chance to meet.

***

Qin Huai and Xue Wenying met near the front of the banquet. Qin Huai said to Xue Wenying directly, "Wenying, I'll take you to my mother's place, and then I have to leave."

Xue Wenying said dejectedly, "Oh? Aren't you going to stay with me for a bit? Your mother doesn't like me, and I'm worried I'll say something wrong and upset her, and then she'll send me away to some faraway place again..."

"I'm here," Qin Huai said in a deep voice. "She won't do it again. You don't need to worry. I have urgent business to attend to, so I won't stay with you. If anything unexpected happens, just contact me anytime."

"Do you have any urgent business to attend to?" Xue Wenying was genuinely worried about him, so she replied, "Just let me know if you need my brother's help."

"I don't need your brother's help with things at my post," Qin Huai casually brushed it off.

Xue Wenying didn't press him further about what was going on in his post. Qin Huai was like that; he didn't share much about his affairs and wasn't a man who could be controlled. "If that's the case, then you go ahead and do your work. If anything happens to me, I'll let you know."

Qin Huai brought Xue Wenying to his mother's side and explained his purpose directly: "Miss Xue has come to give a gift to my mother to thank her for taking her in recently."

Hearing her son's voice, Madam Qin frowned, her grief over losing her son Qin Jun resurfacing. Despite Qin Huai's repeated visits to her today, she didn't respond to her son's words, but instead took Xue Wenying's hand, saying, "Good child, sit down."

Madam Qin scrutinized Xue Wenying carefully. She herself thought Xixi was a good child, but Qin Huai didn't know her worth and only used her as a tool. Four years ago, he even drove her away. Now that Xixi had remarried into the Eastern Palace, there was nothing more to say. It was clear that Qin Huai, though seemingly alright on the surface, was actually wicked at heart.

She was not satisfied with Xue Wenying; she didn't catch her eye and was quite different from the image of her ideal daughter-in-law. Xue Wenying was a conventional, well-behaved young lady from a wealthy family. She had only chosen Xue Wenying because her father was the prime minister, which would allow for a marriage alliance.