She had heard him mention the term "bystander" before, and she thought it meant that she had been acting too exaggeratedly in the past and was now "playing herself." Hadn't that dispelled his idea?

Shen Mianmian opened her mouth, wanting to say—Silly boy, how could I leave? I will always be with you.

But at some point, she stopped telling those lies.

I can't explain it for no reason.

Seeing the woman hesitate to speak, and not wanting to see her blame herself, Bai Qingzhou changed the subject, "What do you think about Jiang Yinjin's matter? Since she's been in the Jiang residence for so long, why did she suddenly come back?"

Chen Mianmian thought for a moment, "Could it be because you came back? After you became the top scholar in the county, you suddenly became the focus of attention. I guess the news about you must be spreading all over the capital. Your whereabouts are not a secret either. They should also know that you are preparing for the exam at Qingfeng Residence."

It's somewhat understandable that his wife would return to her parents' home while the heir apparent is away. However, if the heir apparent returns to the manor and his wife remains at her parents' home, outsiders might start speculating and gossiping, so she has no choice but to return.

Bai Qingzhou slowed his pace, looked down at her, then took her hand and whispered, "Do you know why I've always thought you were an observer?"

Sleepyhead's heart skipped a beat, filled with guilt. "Because... I wasn't enthusiastic enough towards you? This... has something to do with my past experiences, I used to..."

Originally, Shen Mianmian wanted to imitate Liu Xiangning's experience and use an excuse of "miserable background" and "distrust of the world" to explain, but the other party interrupted her.

"Because Jiang Yinjin has done so many things to harm you, yet you still don't hate her. Even the most spineless person can harbor resentment, but you are the only one who doesn't, so there is only one reason to explain it."

Shen Mianmian's heart skipped a beat again. "What...reason?"

Bai Qingzhou looked at her, his clear black and white eyes like moonlight, gentle yet with a probing chill. "You have ulterior motives towards her."

"..."

Chen Mianmian's knees buckled, and she almost knelt down on the spot.

I regret it!

She really regretted it!

She shouldn't have encouraged Fengchu to study. The child was already smart, and now that he has succeeded in the imperial examination, he has gained confidence and become even smarter. How can she still fool him? Isn't she digging her own grave?

Bai Qingzhou stopped, turned to face the woman, held her hand tightly, and said in a deep voice, "What exactly do you want from her? Tell me, what she can do, I can do too. Don't demean yourself like this!"

Looking at the man's sincere face, Shen Mianmian opened her mouth for a long time, but couldn't say anything.

She used to hate that the male and female protagonists in novels didn't have mouths, but she ended up becoming the kind of person she hated the most.

Finally, not knowing how to answer, she simply wrapped her arms around his neck, looked up, and kissed his lips.

...

In the end, the two didn't practice martial arts. Instead, they changed into their training clothes, took a walk around, and kissed while talking. After that, they started talking about love, and then they went back to fight for three hundred rounds.

Shen Mianmian admitted that she was flirting.

There was no other way; as Fengchu's intelligence grew higher and higher, she had to resort to this primitive method to artificially reduce his intelligence.

The next day.

After the prince went out to a banquet, Shen Mianmian was urgently summoned to the main courtyard and led directly to her room by Granny Li.

It's worth noting that this room is not the same as that room.

In the past, when I was asleep, there was nothing urgent to discuss, so we would talk in the hall.

If it were a private matter, she would go to the lady's room, but today, she was led to another room—the former room of the Marquis.

Only after asking did I learn that the Marquis and his wife had been sleeping in separate rooms before. Now, the wife wanted to continue sleeping in separate rooms because she was pregnant, but the Marquis refused, saying that the more pregnant the wife was, the more he would come to take care of her. So he rushed over that very night with his meager belongings.

And so, the Marquis's original room was emptied and used as a place for private conversations.

Upon seeing the arrival of the mistress and servants, Madam Ding instructed Granny Li to close the door.

Afterwards, Ding Shi and Shen Mianmian sat on the soft couch, while Li Mama and Liu Xiangning each pulled a small embroidered stool and sat down beside the soft couch.

Ding looked anxious. "Yinjin is back. What should we do? Should we be wary of her? How?"

Shen Mianmian then remembered, "Oh right, there's still a spy for the young mistress in my courtyard that I haven't caught yet. I need to catch the spy first."

Liu Xiangning volunteered, "Master, leave it to me! I'll take care of it!"

Madam Ding grew anxious. "Xiang Ning, you can't just focus on your master! You have to help me think of a solution too."

"Huh?" Liu Xiangning was stunned.

Chen Mianmian suppressed a laugh, standing on the same side as the madam, united against the common enemy, "That's right, Xiang Ning, you should quickly help the madam think of a solution."

Granny Li chimed in, "That's right, Xiang Ning shouldn't be treated unfairly."

"???" Liu Xiangning thought that once the door was closed, everyone would be on the same side. But after all this time, it turned out that the other three were the ones on the side, and she was the only outsider?

There was nothing she could do; the other person was even more senior than her master, so she could only grit her teeth and think about it.

Surprisingly, she actually had an idea. "Madam, I have a method, but I don't know if it's feasible."

“Tell me,” Ding asked.

Chen Mianmian and Granny Li chimed in, "Yes, tell us!" "Of course, go ahead and say it."

Liu Xiangning felt her scalp tingling from the two people's teasing. "...I'm thinking that the people in the Marquis's mansion might not all be bribed for money. It's possible that it's because of the young mistress's status. After all, the young mistress is the future mistress of the Marquis's mansion. If you curry favor with the young mistress now, you might become the future mistress's confidante in the future."

So we can start by making her fall out of favor. The servants are all opportunists; once they see the young mistress out of favor, none of them dare to fawn over her. Without these lackeys, how much trouble can the young mistress, Chuyu, and Chuxue possibly cause?

Ding exclaimed in surprise, "That makes sense! Xiao Xiangning, you're quite the talent!"

Liu Xiangning was secretly pleased to be praised.

Granny Li also said, "From now on, our Xiangning will definitely be a good manager."

Ding nodded with a smile, "Yes, later you can see what kind of work there is and give it to her and Guanshui, let them practice first."

"Yes, madam."

Liu Xiangning was secretly surprised—the Madam meant... to give her an important position? That's wonderful! She had long envied Li Mama, who could be by the Madam's side and be managed by a respectful maid. She had always dreamed of such a life.

In the future, she can accompany her master while being flattered by the maid?

Shen Mianmian naturally knew Xiang Ning's wish, and seeing that Xiang Ning's wish had come true, she was secretly pleased and happy for her.

However, Granny Li noticed a problem: "But Madam's pregnancy is progressing further. If the young mistress doesn't help, who will manage the household in the future?"

Liu Xiangning exclaimed happily, "Master! My master is amazing!"

Chen Mianmian's smile froze on her face instantly, and she glared angrily at him—you audacious traitor, I'll kick you to death!