This is the third day of Su Tiyue's house arrest.

An uninvited guest arrived at Yelan Pavilion.

The weather was overcast and gray that day, but it didn't rain.

Su Tiyue sat on the bench by the window as always. The belt she had prepared to give to Xiao Heye still had a few bamboo leaves left to embroider, but it was almost finished. She estimated that it would be completed in another two or three days.

She couldn't go anywhere these past few days, so she simply took it out and started embroidering.

Xiao Heye was sitting at the marble table behind her, holding a book and reading intently.

After the drugging incident, although the two lived under the same roof, their relationship was no longer the same as before.

Xiao Heye also became much more silent, like the Cold War, but not quite.

Aside from his relentless aggression and demands every night, it seemed there was no other relationship between them.

Su Tiyue lowered her head and carefully embroidered with her fingers. A small section of her slender, fair wrists peeked out from the loose, soft silk sleeves.

There are bruises on my wrist...

Not only her wrists, but also her body was covered with many marks, some deep and some shallow, all left by kisses, bites and kneading.

It wasn't that Xiao Heye was too reckless or didn't know his own strength; it was just that her skin was too delicate, and it would happen if he wasn't careful.

Su Tiyue stared at the bluish patch on her wrist that looked out of place with the rest of her skin and fell into deep thought.

She remembered how Xiao Heye held her wrist tightly last night, and how a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead, dripping onto her collarbone.

...

It was at this moment that Li Xun pushed open the door and entered, interrupting her thoughts.

After entering, he went straight to the desk where Xiao Heye was.

Su Tiyue sat up straight, pricked up her ears, and although she was still embroidering, her mind was already elsewhere.

Li Xun turned around and glanced at Su Tiyue, who had her back to them. Clearly, he didn't want her to hear these words.

Li Xun was a smart man. He knew that Xiao Heye and Su Tiyue's relationship had almost reached a freezing point, and he didn't want the two of them to drift further apart because of all the messy things happening outside.

She had just lifted her foot to walk closer to Xiao Heye when he stopped her.

Xiao Heye raised his head and said in a calm voice, "Speak your mind directly, there's no need to beat around the bush."

Li Xun replied with "Yes," and then said, "Master, Miss Jiang Min is waiting outside, saying she wants to see you."

After he finished speaking, the large room fell into a brief silence.

Su Tiyue stopped what she was doing, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.

...

"Is it her?" Xiao Heye put down the book in his hand and thoughtfully twirled the white jade thumb ring on his thumb.

Xiao Heye could roughly guess Jiang Min's purpose in coming here.

He had intended to refuse, but then he remembered what Jiang Min had said to him before the morning court session that day.

If it weren't for her, Xiao Heye probably wouldn't have known about the situation in Southern Xinjiang so quickly.

Xiao Heye thought for a moment and then replied, "Tell her to wait for me in the side room."

Li Xun nodded: "Yes."

After giving these instructions, Xiao Heye glanced at the person sitting by the window and found that she was still embroidering with her head down.

She seemed unconcerned about their conversation or Jiang Min's arrival.

Looking at it this way, it seems that Xiao Heye has been thinking a lot more.

Xiao Heye withdrew his gaze from her back, his face darkened, and he stood up and walked out without saying a word.

She was left all alone.

*

Inside the west wing.

Jiang Min wore a bright red, high-waisted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), the color of which was vibrant and eye-catching, revealing a large expanse of fair skin on her chest.

She strolled leisurely around the room.

The bookshelf held Xiao Heye's favorite books, along with several vibrant green potted plants. Jiang Min, without any hesitation, reached out to touch anything that piqued her curiosity.

Anyone who didn't know better would think she was the owner of this place.

Taking advantage of the huge favor she had done for Xiao Heye that day, Jiang Min deliberately asked Li Xun when she came in, "How is the Empress Dowager Shu doing lately?"

Li Xun simply said he didn't know, and then ignored her completely.

When Xiao Heye entered, Jiang Min was leaning over, looking at the Helan inkstone on his desk, her ample bosom deliberately exposed.

Seeing Xiao Heye approach, she didn't rush to get up, but asked softly, "Master Xiao, this inkstone is already broken in two, why are you still reluctant to throw it away?"

Xiao Heye kept his eyes down, not looking at Jiang Min at all; his gaze remained fixed on the inkstone.

That was the Helan inkstone that Su Tiyue had broken.

It was a gift from his godfather.

He reached out and snatched the Helan inkstone from Jiang Min's hand: "Miss Jiang, our Yelan Pavilion isn't for this, is it?"

Clearly, Xiao Heye didn't want to say another word about the inkstone to her. He just wanted to get rid of this woman as soon as possible.

Seeing that he was so boring, Jiang Min pouted and casually found a chair to sit down.

She crossed her arms over her chest, looking arrogant and haughty.

Jiang Min asked Xiao Heye, "Whether what I said to Manager Xiao that day was true or false, Manager Xiao should know the answer by now, right?"

"Hmm." He gently placed the inkstone down and sat down opposite her across the desk.

"She treated you like that, and you're not angry at all? I never knew Master Xiao had such a good personality?"

Xiao Heye raised his eyebrows and smiled: "She's in our room right now, behaving very well... What's wrong?"

He emphasized the last "What's wrong?" as if how Xiao Heye should treat Su Tiyue was his own business, and it was none of anyone else's place to interfere.

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