Looking up to meet the man's eyes, Yu Qingwu flinched slightly, feeling a bit guilty and ashamed.

After a moment, she finally raised her head and, feigning composure, addressed him, "Senior Brother Xiao, long time no see."

In that instant, Yu Qingwu felt the hand holding hers tighten slightly.

She knew that Xie Jin Yan was displeased with her speaking even a single word to Xiao Fengyun.

But after all, aside from other relationships, she and Xiao Fengyun were proper senior and junior brother and sister. A normal greeting was still necessary; otherwise, she wouldn't be able to explain it to their master.

What's more, she had humiliated Xiao Fengyun so much in the Crown Prince's residence.

Even though Xiao Fengyun had once deceived her, she had already repaid him for it. There was no need to become mortal enemies. Otherwise, it wouldn't look good in front of their master.

Therefore, Qingwu ignored the warning from the man beside her, straightened her body, maintained her usual calm demeanor, silently looked at Xiao Fengyun as if nothing had ever happened, and gently asked him, "Senior Brother Xiao, do you have something to discuss with Master?"

Hearing this, Xiao Fengyun also adopted a calm demeanor, nodded slightly, and replied to her in a distant and polite manner, "Yes, I have some matters to report to Uncle."

Although his tone was polite and distant, his eyes revealed unwillingness and reluctance.

Such a gaze made Xie Jin Yan, who was standing beside her, feel very irritated. He chuckled softly and, before Yu Qingwu could speak, preemptively said politely for her, "Senior Brother Xiao, Master is still taking his afternoon nap. If you have something to discuss, perhaps you should come back later."

As he spoke, he tightened his grip on Yu Qingwu's hand even more, as if afraid she would break free, the strength as great as a shackle.

Men naturally had greater strength, and his unconscious increase in pressure caused Yu Qingwu a sharp pain.

She frowned, wanting to ask him to let go, but when she raised her eyes to meet Xiao Fengyun's desolate face, she swallowed the words back down.

After all, any conversation between her and Xie Jin Yan at this moment could be interpreted as flirting in Xiao Fengyun's eyes.

Having once loved him, she didn't want to embarrass Xiao Fengyun again.

Therefore, Yu Qingwu didn't say anything more, just nodded slightly to Xiao Fengyun, and then pulled Xie Jin Yan away.

She walked down the steps, and only when she could no longer see Xiao Fengyun's figure upon looking back did Qingwu forcefully break free from the shackles of his large hand. Then, she glared at Xie Jin Yan with dissatisfaction and scolded him, "Xie Jin Yan, you hurt me."

Hearing this, Xie Jin Yan chuckled coldly, squeezed her hand, and smiled sarcastically at her, "Oh, you know how to feel pain? I thought you were mesmerized by an old flame."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Yu Qingwu interrupted him, a hint of annoyance rising in her charming eyes. She lowered her voice and said, "It was my fault towards Senior Brother Xiao to begin with. Even though he once deceived me, he was genuinely sincere to me. When we humiliated him in Kyoto, he didn't say a word against us even after returning to his sect. In the end, he still treated us as his junior siblings, so Your Highness, please don't embarrass Senior Brother Xiao anymore."

Oh, not saying bad things about them counts as treating them well?

Besides, wasn't Xiao Fengyun unwilling to speak? He simply didn't dare to speak.

This woman, she would throw a tantrum if he spoke a single extra word to Qu Shanshan, but she was protecting Xiao Fengyun like this and wouldn't allow him to be angry?

Xie Jin Yan's face darkened, and he sneered, "Yu Qingwu, do you think Xiao Fengyun is truly thinking of us? Is he really afraid of others gossiping? He's clearly afraid of Master!"

"Since Master is determined to betroth you to me, he naturally won't allow others to say much."

"I'm afraid that Xiao Fengyun was reprimanded by Master as soon as he returned to the sect, before he even had a chance to say anything."

"You... Xie Jin Yan, can you not be so petty?" Seeing Xie Jin Yan repeatedly throwing mud at Xiao Fengyun, Yu Qingwu couldn't help but interrupt him with a darkened face and displeasure, "I admit that Senior Brother Xiao impersonating you that day was a bit much, but other than that, he hasn't done anything to wrong you or me. Even if I helped him with laundry and mending, it was because I thought he, as a man, wouldn't know how to do these things, so I just helped him..."

"Then why didn't you help me?"

"You..." Yu Qingwu was speechless.

Why was this Xie Jin Yan so unreasonable?

"Xie Jin Yan, wasn't it that I wasn't willing to help you back then? It was clearly that you didn't like me!" Taking a deep breath, she raised her eyes to glare at him, explaining with a tone of annoyance, "How many times did I help you back then? How did you treat me then? I'm not a masochist. You disliked me so much, why would I bother to come forward?"

"Furthermore, I didn't just help Senior Brother Xiao with mending. Shuangshuang, Hu Die, and the others, who haven't I helped? The junior brothers and sisters below, who haven't I taken care of? Even A Yue, when she first arrived, I took care of her in every way. How did it become that I only took care of Senior Brother Xiao in your mouth?"

Originally, she only wanted to explain a few things, but as she spoke, Yu Qingwu felt increasingly angry and wronged.

Yes, although she had taken great care of Senior Brother Xiao in the past, it wasn't like she was only like that towards Senior Brother Xiao.

It was true that she had spoken to Senior Brother Xiao just now, but she was just greeting him in a normal way, unlike Xie Jin Yan, who exchanged flirtatious glances with Qu Shanshan.

Thinking of this, Yu Qingwu's confidence instantly increased a lot, and she glared at Xie Jin Yan fiercely again, angrily saying, "Besides, I was just greeting Senior Brother Xiao in a very ordinary way just now. It's completely different from Your Highness flirting with others, opening your mouth and closing your mouth with lovey-dovey words, wanting to marry them or something."

After repeatedly rebuking Xie Jin Yan, completely not giving him a chance to reply, Yu Qingwu turned and walked towards the women's dorm.

Xie Jin Yan originally felt that he was in the right, but after being reprimanded by her like this, he couldn't say a word.

He stood blankly outside the gate of the women's dorm for a long time before he came back to his senses.

At this time, Yu Qingwu had already come out from inside with her luggage.

At this moment, some people in the dorm were taking their afternoon nap, while Hu Die, who lived in the same room, had gone outside, so there was no one to see.

Yu Qingwu hurriedly walked forward, and seeing that there was no one around, she forcefully pulled Xie Jin Yan and urged him in a low voice, "Let's go."

"What, are you so afraid of being seen?" Xie Jin Yan glanced at the bundle in her hand, took it casually, and complained with displeasure, "In the end, I'm still someone who can't be seen, am I?"

"Your Highness, I didn't mean that. I just think it's not good to be too sudden. I..."

"Eh, Junior Brother Xie, why are you here again? Do you have something to discuss with me?" Yu Qingwu frowned, and was explaining, when suddenly a familiar female voice came from behind her.

Hearing this, Xie Jin Yan frowned and turned his head slightly.

He saw Qu Shanshan leaning against the door frame of the courtyard gate, glancing lightly at Yu Qingwu beside her, and asked in a strange tone, "Also, Senior Sister Yu, where are you going? Aren't you sleeping in the same room with Hu Die tonight?"