"Qin Si? You're back in the capital?"
Bai Shengyi stared intensely at the crescent moon cat in Qin Si's hand, a greedy desire evident in her gaze.
"I apologize, I returned a step too late," Qin Si said, stroking the crescent moon cat as if oblivious to Bai Shengyi's longing. He explained, "I originally intended to release Duke Sun and let him return on his own, but I worried he might cause more trouble, so I kept him with me. Upon returning, some matters at the academy delayed me further. I didn't expect to cause you so much trouble. I'm sorry."
If Duke Sun had returned to the capital, perhaps the Grand Princess wouldn't have used Bai Sicheng as bait to kill Bai Shengyi. Qin Si felt immense guilt, believing he hadn't considered things properly. His good intentions had backfired. He was even greatly relieved that his elder sister was a cripple who failed to form her core; otherwise... the thought of Bai Shengyi being harmed or killed was unbearable.
Bai Shengyi was entirely focused on the crescent moon cat and didn't sense Qin Si's complex emotions. Staring at the cat's soft, clean fur, she said without looking up, "It's not your fault. Someone wanted to harm me, and if it wasn't Duke Sun, they would have used other means."
"Duke Sun has now been imprisoned. The Grand Princess, upon learning the truth of Princess Mingyu's death, was overwhelmed and took all the blame. Duke Sun might be released," Qin Si glanced at Bai Shengyi.
Bai Shengyi scoffed, her little fangs baring a cold glint that startled the crescent moon cat into a series of rapid meows. "Isn't that good? It gives Qin Zhao and Bai Murong something to do."
"Oh dear, did you hurt the kitten!" Bai Shengyi finally found her opportunity and snatched the crescent moon cat into her arms.
"Meow~ Wow, your fur is so beautiful, so soft~" Bai Shengyi felt completely healed, her soul elevated! What was Bai Murong? What was Duke Sun? Let them all go! Nothing was more important than fluffy things.
Bai Shengyi petted the cat from head to tail, completely ignoring the person standing beside her. "You're so well-behaved." Looking into the cat's eyes, Bai Shengyi found it so adorable her heart trembled, and she unconsciously gave "Crescent" a firm stroke.
"Meow!" Someone is being perverted! Someone save meow! The crescent moon cat let out a shrill cry, utterly helpless.
"What's wrong with it?" Bai Shengyi was startled by the cry. She hadn't done anything, so why was the cat crying so miserably?
"This is a male beast. The crescent on its body is only allowed to be touched by a female beast during mating season." Qin Si frowned, and as if recalling something, his aura became extremely low. He took the cat back, his slender fingers covering the "crescent." He stroked it slowly and forcefully, as if trying to flatten the fur into dough. The crescent moon cat bared its teeth in pain but trembled, not daring to make a sound. Meow, this is so hard, this person is even scarier than that woman, meow!
"Then I can touch its other places, right?" Bai Shengyi reached out, but Qin Si turned his wrist, and the crescent moon cat instantly changed direction, leaving her grasping at empty air.
"Qin Si?" Bai Shengyi forced a smile. "Can't I just touch it?"
"This is my cat," Qin Si snorted. "I don't think so." Why pet a cat? If he had time to pet a cat, he'd rather talk to me. Do I have so little presence!
Bai Shengyi said ingratiatingly, "Considering we've gone through life and death together, just let me touch it. It's so obedient." The crescent moon cat curled into a ball, closed its eyes, and thought, Meow don't listen, meow don't see, it has nothing to do with meow.
Qin Si pursed his lips tightly. "No!"
Bai Shengyi became angry. "Is it that serious? I'm not stealing your cat, I just want to touch it. You already have a big tiger, and you still want a little kitten. Don't you think you're too greedy!"
"I don't think so." Qin Si tossed the crescent moon cat into his wide sleeve, unmoved.
Bai Shengyi: So annoying! Why is this man becoming more and more of a scoundrel! Angrily, she turned to leave. Qin Si fell silent for a moment, then followed.
"Is your throat better?"
Bai Shengyi didn't want to talk.
Qin Si asked again, "When do you plan to return to the academy? Will you go back to the Bai family? Duke Rong has been looking for you, and many people want to meet you, but the Bai family has refused. Everyone thought Duke Rong was hiding you..."
"You're so annoying! I don't want to... listen..." Her voice trailed off in annoyance, and Bai Shengyi looked coldly at the crescent moon cat held before her eyes. She could clearly see every strand of the cat's grayish-brown fur, smooth and shiny, looking incredibly soft. Her anger immediately subsided by half. "...What are you doing now?"
"Forget it, I'll give it to you." Qin Si said helplessly, his voice carrying a hint of compromise, but he insisted, "I'm giving it to you because you genuinely like it. Do you want it or not? If not, I'll take it back?"
Bai Shengyi quickly cupped the cat in her palms. "Of course, I want it! How can you take back something you give to others!" Her anger vanished completely. Stroking the cat's fur, she felt happy and was willing to answer his previous questions properly.
"My throat is still a little hoarse, but it's getting better. I'll train here for a few more days before returning to the academy. I won't go back to the Bai family, it's boring." Qin Si listened quietly as Bai Shengyi answered, unaware of how gentle his gaze had become.
"Were you wronged at the Bai family?" Qin Si asked softly. Standing in the light, with the wind blowing through the trees, the rustling leaves created dappled light. It stripped away his flippancy, making him appear much more steady and reliable.
Bai Shengyi stood there, silent for a moment. "It wasn't exactly being wronged. I was the one who generated unwarranted expectations." For some reason, she couldn't feel any defensiveness towards Qin Si. Perhaps it was his help in the jungle, his broad back in the Mustard Seed Layer, the warmth she felt shielded behind him in the Underworld Valley, that made her subconsciously feel Qin Si was trustworthy.
"I always thought that even if Duke Rong and Bai Sicheng sided with Bai Murong, as adults, they would have a correct sense of right and wrong. Bai Murong should have received due punishment for her mistakes, but clearly, I was overthinking it. They still chose to forgive." Bai Shengyi looked towards the distant mountains, her gaze distant and calm, her tone casual as she spoke of these matters. "But it doesn't matter. My future is infinitely bright. What is the Duke Rong's mansion to me?" Bai Shengyi smiled lightly, confident and proud. "I will meet more people and experience more things in the future. I might even become a supreme expert, going further than any of them."
Qin Si felt that Bai Shengyi at this moment shone like a star, so brilliant he couldn't look away. A faint smile in his eyes, he agreed, "Yes, you are right. So, future Supreme Expert, I have a small trial here. Do you want to go?" Unknowingly, when facing Bai Shengyi, he had changed his self-address to "I." This was his heartfelt respect for Bai Shengyi, indicating he now placed Bai Shengyi on an equal footing in their conversations, even though Bai Shengyi's strength was far inferior to his at present.