The curtain of rain outside the eaves was hazy, fine and dense like silk. The moment each drop of rain struck the dark tiles, it made a crisp sound.
The air seemed to be filled with the moist scent of green grass.
At that time, someone was walking slowly on the wet ground, holding a cyan paper umbrella.
Wei Jing, standing at the door, looked up and then leaned towards the door and window, saying, “My lord, the young master has arrived.”
The “young master” Wei Jing referred to was the current heir of the Nanping Marquisate—Qi Ji.
As soon as he had spoken, Qi Ji, dressed in a silver-patterned snow robe, stepped onto the stone staircase, prompting Wei Jing to hurriedly call out “Young Master” and then take the umbrella from Qi Ji’s hand.
Qi Ji nodded, his handsome brows and eyes seemed to naturally carry a smile, giving off a gentle and elegant temperament.
When he stepped into the study, he immediately saw Wei Yun sitting behind the desk.
“It seems, Brother Yanchen, you are not in a hurry at all.”
Qi Ji smiled slightly, speaking slowly.
Wei Yun did not look up, seemingly indifferent as he stared at the book in his hand, “If you’re so idle, you might as well listen to your father and start your official career early, following the righteous path.”
Sure enough, upon hearing this, the smile on Qi Ji’s face somewhat faded.
He shook his head and sighed, then suddenly turned to look out the window at the dense curtain of rain, “I came here today with good intentions to remind you, why do you still pick on my sore spot?”
“I heard from my father that the Crown Prince had submitted a petition to His Majesty this morning…”
Qi Ji paused, then turned back to look at Wei Yun, “You could probably guess the content of that petition, right?”
Upon hearing this, Wei Yun’s page-turning hand paused for a moment.
“The Crown Prince has always been at odds with you, and this time, the investigation into Shao Anhe’s corruption case was led by you. If you don’t have solid evidence in your hands, the Crown Prince could take this opportunity to cause trouble and accuse you of framing the loyal and good,” Qi Ji continued.
“When did you…”
Finally, Wei Yun raised his eyes to look at Qi Ji, only to find that he had already stood by the desk at some point, holding a piece of… candy?
He was startled, just about to speak but stopped short.
Qi Ji took a bite, the crisp and sweet taste brightening his eyes, “I didn’t expect you to have such delicious things here.”
“Is there only one piece? Is there more?”
Qi Ji seemed a bit reluctant to let go.
Wei Yun looked at him with a calm and indifferent expression, “The young master dares to eat anything.”
“Why not? Brother Yanchen surely wouldn’t harm me, his life-saver, right?” Qi Ji said with a smile.
“The great kindness of the young master, Wei Yun has never dared to forget.” Wei Yun put down the book in his hand, still looking calmly at Qi Ji.
“Such a reaction, truly uninteresting.”
Qi Ji shook his head, turned around, and was about to leave.
“Mingxu.”
But just as Qi Ji was about to reach the door, he suddenly heard the person behind him call out to him.
It was no longer the shallow and distant “His Highness,” but his courtesy name—Mingxu.
“If you have no interest in a career in officialdom, then you need not concern yourself with the affairs of the court anymore.”
Once a person steps into the vortex, they are no longer in control of their own destiny.
Moreover, that was the imperial court.
“The candy is very good, I’ll take my leave.”
Upon hearing this, a deep smile appeared in Qi Ji’s eyes, but he did not turn back. Instead, he waved his hand and then stepped towards the door to leave.
Watching Qi Ji’s figure disappear at the doorway, Wei Yun retracted his gaze and caught a glimpse of the small piece of parchment paper used to wrap the candy on the desk.
The rain outside the window was getting heavier.
The copper pendant he placed aside emitted a faint golden glow at just the right moment.
But in an instant, Wei Yun saw a bundle of cloth in front of him.
His brows furrowed tightly, and after a long moment, he reached out to unfold the bundle.
It was a knee-length dress, but the sleeves were very short, and the area above the chest was not covered by any fabric, which was also extremely thin.
It was as if he suddenly realized something.
Wei Yun’s face changed slightly, and he immediately threw the dress, which he deemed too revealing, to the side.
What exactly did she want to do?
Wei Yun looked down, staring at the copper pendant, his pupils deep and devoid of any light.
Meanwhile, Xie Tao was standing by the wardrobe, staring blankly at her small bed.
She had just been organizing the clothes that Aunt Fu had sent her. She clearly remembered throwing a dress onto the bed, but now, there was nothing on the bed besides her phone.
So, where did her dress go?
Xie Tao scratched the back of her head. Could she have remembered it wrong?
In the end, she could only tidy up the rest of her clothes and then cooked herself a bowl of noodles for dinner.
The next day, when Xie Tao was on her way to the school building, she ran into Shi Cheng.
Shi Cheng even gave her a bottle of yogurt.
“Xie Tao, this is my favorite flavor,” Shi Cheng said to her with a smile, showing her white, neat teeth.
“Thank you.”
Xie Tao, flattered and a bit startled, took it from her, and then, under Shi Cheng’s urging, inserted the straw into the yogurt lid.
But she had barely taken a small sip when she felt someone bump her elbow from behind. She lost her grip, and the yogurt fell to the ground.
She instinctively turned her head and saw a short-haired girl looking at her with slightly lowered eyelids, a look of nonchalance mixed with a hint of provocation, “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”
Xie Tao was usually very patient, but she found herself clenching her fists tightly at the sight of the short-haired girl.
The short-haired girl laughed and walked past her, her steps light and breezy.
“Is Zhao Yixuan out of her mind?” Shi Cheng whispered in complaint nearby.
“Don’t provoke her, Xie Tao. She’s Song Shimin and Xu Hui’s lackey, and she’s pretty good at fighting,” Shi Cheng continued to warn her.
But as Xie Tao watched Zhao Yixuan’s retreating figure, her lips tightened.
During Chinese class, the homeroom teacher Liu Meiyu was explaining the content of a classical Chinese text. Xie Tao was beginning to feel sleepy, but suddenly, a pain at the back of her head jolted her awake.
When she turned around, she saw Zhao Yixuan holding a strand of her hair.
Caught under Xie Tao’s gaze, Zhao Yixuan silently laughed, loosened her fingers, and stopped pulling her hair. Instead, she propped her head with one hand and flipped a page of the book on her desk with the other.
Although it was just some childish pranks, Xie Tao could still feel her unprovoked malice.
Especially after class, when Xie Tao was cornered by Zhao Yixuan in the girls’ bathroom, she was sure she was being targeted.
“Transfer student,” Zhao Yixuan said, arms crossed, blocking her way. “I have something to ask you.”
Xie Tao stared at her, silent.
The bell rang, and the bathroom was empty except for the two of them.
“Speak up, are you mute?” Zhao Yixuan clicked her tongue and poked her shoulder.
“What do you want to know?”
Xie Tao tried her best to appear calm.
“What’s your relationship with Zheng Hejia?”
Zhao Yixuan scrutinized the girl before her.
Her features were clear and delicate, her stature not too tall, appearing somewhat fragile—a typical southern girl.
Gentle as water, but equally… easy to bully.
Recalling her own face that, no matter how much she tried, never got any whiter, Zhao Yixuan felt a surge of jealousy looking at the fair and almost flawless face of the girl in front of her.
“Why should I tell you?”
Xie Tao didn’t understand why she would bring up Zheng Hejia.
Upon hearing her words, Zhao Yixuan couldn’t help but laugh, but then her expression quickly turned solemn. “You really are quite annoying.”
Zhao Yixuan had already grasped her collar, and Xie Tao could see those eyes filled with malice.
At that moment, the sound of high heels clacking approached, sounding as if there were two people.
Xie Tao thought she also heard the voice of the class teacher, Liu Meiyu, and someone else talking.
Getting closer and closer.
Suddenly, Zhao Yixuan let go of Xie Tao’s collar and, the instant Liu Meiyu and another female teacher walked in, clutched her stomach.
“What are you two doing? Don’t you know the bell for class has rung?” Liu Meiyu, seeing the two standing inside, immediately frowned, her voice dropping several degrees colder.
“Oh, Teacher Liu, I just had a bout of diarrhea…” Zhao Yixuan covered her stomach, feigning discomfort with exaggerated facial expressions, and walked past Liu Meiyu.
When Xie Tao walked out, standing in the corridor facing the slightly cool breeze, she realized her palms were all sweaty.
The corridor was quiet, not a soul in sight, only the overlapping sounds of reading from several classrooms.
Zhao Yixuan reeked of a strong smell of smoke.
Even when Xie Tao had just walked into the women’s restroom, Zhao Yixuan had just thrown away the cigarette in her hand.
Xie Tao suddenly remembered the round scars she saw on Zhou Xinyue’s wrist when she visited her before.
There were quite a few.
Perhaps… there should be even more?
She hadn’t thought much of it at the time.
But now, she suddenly realized that the scars were about the size of a cigarette in diameter.
Was it what she thought?
If it was…
If it really was…
Then what kind of unimaginable torment did Zhou Xinyue endure?
Standing in the quiet corridor, with the wind gently blowing across her cheeks, carrying a cool temperature.
Xie Tao stood there, stunned, her eyes reddening.
