After leaving the room, Mu Yunniang, accompanied by her personal maid, took a carriage overnight to the villa arranged for Chu Heng and Su Yuanyuan.

That's a house in her name, and she sometimes stays there for a while, so it's fairly well-equipped.

Not long after she entered the villa, Situ Nanzhao received the news.

Situ Nanzhao sat in the carriage, his face showing undisguised exhaustion. He lifted the carriage curtain and glanced at the villa in front of him, his eyes revealing his disdain.

Turning to his trusted confidant Li Chong, he asked coldly:

"She came here?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chong nodded quickly: "Yes, young master. Miss Mu came straight here after leaving the Treasure Pavilion, and she should be asleep by now."

Situ Nanzhao stared at the gate of the villa for a while, then thought for a moment and asked again:

"Who has she been in contact with the most lately? Is there anything unusual?"

Li Chong dared not hide the truth, and after thinking for a moment, he quickly replied:

"Miss Mu is not unusual. If there is anything special, it is that she has been in more contact with that lady recently. Otherwise, she is the same as before."

Situ Nanzhao was clearly dissatisfied with the answer, and his tone was tinged with annoyance:

"What I mean is, has she been in contact with any men?"

"ah?"

Li Chong clearly hadn't expected Situ Nanzhao to ask this. A look of surprise flashed across his face, but he quickly concealed it after meeting Situ Nanzhao's gaze.

He thought to himself: When people are about to leave, you act all high and mighty and don't leave them behind, but now that they're gone, why are you making things difficult for me?

No matter what he was thinking, he didn't dare show it at the moment. He lowered his head, thought for a moment, and then tentatively replied:

"Speaking of men, there seems to be one, who is currently living in this villa."

"What?"

Upon hearing this, Situ Nanzhao raised his voice slightly, then immediately realized he had lost his composure.

He quickly composed himself and asked in a deep voice:

"What kind of man? How old is he? What's his background? What's his character like? How far have things progressed in your relationship?"

Li Chong, who had his head down, twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth when he heard the series of questions. Fortunately, he was a professional and did not show any signs of it. Instead, he answered Situ Nanzhao's questions seriously.

"You should have heard of this young master. He is the eldest disciple of the Medicine King Valley's Elder Yao. He should be in his twenties now."

He paused briefly at this point, then added:

"Of good looks, and unmarried."

As for how far their relationship has progressed, I have no idea.

"Click~"

Just as Li Chong finished speaking, he heard a strange noise. He looked up in confusion and saw only the curtain that Situ Nanzhao had thrown down and a piece of the windowsill that was missing.

Li Chong paused for a moment, and after not hearing any instructions from Situ Nanzhao, he braced himself and asked:

"Young master, how about I go and help you take the girl back?"

But after asking the question for a while, he still hadn't received a reply from Situ Nanzhao. Just as he was about to say a few more words of advice, Situ Nanzhao's voice came from inside the carriage:

"Let's go back first."

"But young master..."

Li Chong wanted to persuade him further, but Situ Nanzhao interrupted him:

"How could I, a man of my word, go back on my word? If she has someone she loves, do you think I can tie her down?"

Situ Nanzhao said this with a hint of gritted teeth.

He originally thought Mu Yunniang was just throwing a tantrum and being petulant, but he never expected that she would actually leave without a moment's hesitation.

It really caught him completely off guard.

God knows he regretted it the moment he said it, but it was too late to take it back.

Upon hearing this, Li Chong swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

I thought to myself: As long as you don't regret it later, that's fine.

Then they got into the carriage and, following Situ Nanzhao's instructions, drove it back to Duobao Pavilion.

When Yan Xiao woke up, she learned from Wu Jian where Mu Yunniang had gone as soon as she stepped outside.

It wasn't that Wu Jian was paying attention intentionally, but rather that Mu Yunniang had a servant deliver a message to Yan Xiao before she left, informing her of her current whereabouts.

Although she didn't say it explicitly, Yan Xiao could tell from her words that Mu Yunniang had thought it through and made her choice.

Yan Xiao was somewhat surprised that Mu Yunniang could end her relationship with Situ Nanzhao so decisively. She originally thought that Mu Yunniang would hesitate for a long time, and even be prepared for the possibility that she would maintain the status quo for the rest of her life.

After all, girls born and raised in this world often have an education and upbringing that makes it difficult for them to have a clear sense of self. Most of them drift along with the tide and tie their lives to men.

Mu Yunniang's actions this time made Yan Xiao think of her even more highly.

But now that Mu Yunniang has moved out, it seems a bit inappropriate for her, Mu Yunniang's partner, to continue living here.

Just as Yan Xiao was thinking this, a servant came to report that Situ Nanzhao wanted her to go to the reception room in the front courtyard because someone was looking for her.

Yan Xiao was a little puzzled, wondering who would come looking for her at this time. She nodded and led Wu Jian to the reception room in the front yard with the servant.

As soon as Yan Xiao arrived at the reception room, she immediately saw Situ Nanzhao with two big dark circles under his eyes.

She raised an eyebrow slightly, having some guesses in her mind, but deliberately spoke in an apologetic tone with a hint of teasing:

"Didn't you get enough rest last night, Mr. Qian? It's really my fault. I knew you were tired from your journey, but I still talked with you until so late."

Now that you're in this state, anyone who didn't know better would think some kind of monster had drained all your life force.

Upon hearing this, Situ Nanzhao's expression froze for a moment.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Yan Xiao's words seemed to be mocking him. However, upon closer inspection, Yan Xiao didn't seem to have any ill intentions and appeared very sincere. This made him even more upset than before.

But he still had to answer:

"Madam is too kind. I was just busy with some matters and forgot to rest. I'll make up for it later."

After saying this, fearing that Yanxiao might say something else that would upset him, he quickly changed the subject before Yanxiao could answer, looking in one direction and saying:

"This young master Xiao is here to see Madam; Madam should recognize him."

If you two have something to discuss, I can excuse myself, and I assure you no one will eavesdrop. You can rest assured.

Yan Xiao turned her head upon hearing this and met a pair of curious eyes. She recognized the owner of those eyes; it was Xiao Rui, Wei Wuxiu's personal bodyguard and the man who had brought her her first pot of gold.

To be honest, she hadn't seen this person since arriving in Jiangbei City, so seeing him again was quite unexpected.

"Xiao Rui? You were looking for me?"

Xiao Rui only snapped out of his daze when she asked him the question, but he found it hard to connect the person in front of him with the stern-faced doctor who was obsessed with money.

Although Yan Xiao had concealed her makeup, she was still a pretty girl from a modest family. Xiao Rui was somewhat prepared, but the sudden sight of her was still quite a shock.