Do you find Chapter 18 helpful?

Liu Yiyi's "caring" actions did not stop because of Tang Xiaoning's "interception," but instead intensified.

She even figured out Li Minghua's daily routine in the mansion, and could always "coincidentally" appear at a certain corner, courtyard, corridor, or training ground.

And then, incidentally, offer that perfectly timed and irresistible "gift".

This persistence made the string of "irritability" in Tang Xiaoning's heart tauter day by day.

The sun was shining brightly that afternoon.

Li Minghua is instructing Tang Xiaoning on a simple self-defense footwork technique.

Tang Xiaoning's mind was clearly not entirely on her footwork; her gaze kept drifting towards the courtyard gate, and her footwork became increasingly erratic.

With a twist of her body, she tripped over her own foot with her left, and fell to the side with a scream!

"Watch out!" Li Minghua reacted extremely quickly, shouting in a low voice. He moved like lightning, stretching out his long arm and firmly catching Tang Xiaoning's waist, pulling her back from the ground.

The girl's soft, fragrant body crashed into his arms. The impact made Li Minghua's strong arm muscles tense instantly, and he instinctively used his other hand to support Tang Xiaoning's elbow to steady her.

The distance between the two suddenly closed, so close that Tang Xiaoning could see the fine beads of sweat on Li Minghua's forehead.

Li Minghua's warm breath brushed against her forehead.

“You…” Li Minghua looked down at her, a hint of helplessness in his voice, “You need to concentrate on your footwork.”

Her voice was low and steady, but the hand around Tang Xiaoning's waist did not immediately let go, probably only letting go after confirming that she was really standing firmly.

Just then, the light and shadow at the doorway dimmed.

"Miss Tang, you must be tired from practicing your skills?" Liu Yiyi walked in with small, delicate steps, carrying a red lacquered tray.

She still wore a perfectly sweet smile, as if she hadn't seen the thrilling yet intimate scene just now.

Her gaze swept seemingly unintentionally over Li Minghua's hand supporting Tang Xiaoning's waist, then she quickly lowered her eyelashes.

"This is plum juice that Yiyi chilled with freshly drawn well water. It's the best for quenching thirst, promoting saliva production, and relieving fatigue." Her voice was gentle and had a refreshing quality.

As she spoke, she placed one of the ordinary bowls of plum juice on the stone table next to Tang Xiaoning.

Then, as if holding some precious treasure, she carefully placed the other bowl in front of Li Minghua.

Each bowl is thoughtfully garnished with a small, vibrant green mint leaf, which seems to exude a refreshing coolness.

“Heroine,” Liu Yiyi looked up at Li Minghua, her eyes full of eagerness, “I specially added more dried plums and less rock sugar to this bowl, knowing that you have always disliked things that are too sweet.”

Her tone carried a hint of secret boasting and intimacy, as if this were a little secret between her and Li Minghua.

Tang Xiaoning's gaze swept back and forth between the bowl of bland plum juice in front of her and Li Minghua's "special version".

The mint leaves on the rim of the bowl, the deeper color of the soup, and Liu Yiyi's "I understand you" expression were like adding fuel to the fire. An unnamed anger shot straight to the top of her head, burning her cheeks.

Almost out of spite, she suddenly picked up the bowl of cold plum juice in front of her, tilted her head back, and gulped it down in several large mouthfuls.

The cool, sweet and sour liquid slid down my throat, but it did nothing to extinguish the anger in my heart.

Her actions were tinged with venting; she slammed the empty bowl onto the stone table with a light but firm thud, the force causing the bowl to wobble and a few drops of dark red liquid at the bottom to splash onto the table.

"Hmm, it does quench your thirst." Tang Xiaoning casually wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, staring at Liu Yiyi with a forced smile.

Her voice was drawn out, each word like an ice pick coated in honey: "Miss Liu is so thoughtful and considerate."

Her gaze landed meaningfully on Li Minghua's bowl of special soup, a sarcastic smile playing on her lips:

"You even know Minghua's little habit of not liking sweets so well, and you remember it so accurately... Anyone who didn't know better would think you had an all-knowing tapeworm inside her belly!"

Her words were sharp and merciless.

Liu Yiyi's face instantly drained of color from the sharp sarcasm, turning as pale as paper.

She instinctively gripped the edge of the tray, her knuckles turning white from the force.

She glanced at Li Minghua quickly, as if seeking help, but saw that Li Minghua was just silently looking down at the bowl of soup in front of her, showing no intention of helping her out of the predicament.

A layer of aggrieved tears quickly welled up in her eyes. She bit her lower lip, her voice weak and barely audible, trembling slightly:

“Miss Tang, you flatter me… I wouldn’t dare to presume. I just… just wanted to do my best to repay the heroine’s kindness and do what little I could…”

Her voice grew softer and softer, even tinged with an embarrassed sob.

Li Minghua truly felt extremely uneasy at that moment.

She really doesn't like things that are too sweet, and this bowl of plum juice, which was deliberately treated differently and given too much "special care," not only didn't make her feel comforted, but instead made her feel uncomfortable all over.

It even... felt like being roasted over a fire.

Tang Xiaoning's undisguised anger and Liu Yiyi's tearful appearance put her in a dilemma.

She could feel Tang Xiaoning's burning gaze fixed on her, as if waiting to see how she would react.

Finally, in a suffocating silence, Li Minghua merely raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Liu Yiyi's pale face, his tone almost flat: "Thank you."

The two words were as dry and astringent as withered leaves blown by the autumn wind.

She didn't look at the bowl of soup, nor did she touch it. She leaned back slightly, subtly creating distance between herself and the bowl of "heartfelt sentiment."

This cold thank you and obvious avoidance completely extinguished the last glimmer of hope in Liu Yiyi's eyes.

The tears she had been holding back finally condensed into choked sobs and welled up in her eyes.

She hurriedly lowered her head, trying to hide the tears that were about to spill from her eyes, her slender shoulders trembling slightly.

She silently tidied up the tray and Tang Xiaoning's empty bowl on the table, her movements stiff and slow.

"...I'm sorry to have disturbed Miss and Heroine's rest," Liu Yiyi said softly, her voice thick with a nasal tone.

Holding the tray, she walked back, turning back every few steps. Each time she looked back, her gaze, like a hook, lingered on Li Minghua with a sorrowful yet persistent intensity.

As she passed the corner of the corridor, Xiao Cui was peeking around, but when she met Liu Yiyi's tearful gaze, she quickly shrank back, leaving only a soft sigh that drifted away in the wind.

Only after Liu Yiyi's figure completely disappeared behind the moon gate did the tense and suffocating atmosphere in the courtyard ease slightly.

The sun was still shining brightly, but it carried a hint of autumn chill.

Li Minghua let out a soft sigh, as if she had unloaded an invisible burden.

She then turned her head to look at Tang Xiaoning, who was still sulking beside her.

The girl puffed out her cheeks, pressed her lips into a stubborn line, and stared at the ground as if she wanted to stare a hole through the bluestone slab.

The bowl of icy plum juice she had just drunk was now causing an uncomfortable chill in her stomach.

“…The soup chilled with well water,” Li Minghua suddenly spoke, her voice much gentler than before, carrying a concern she herself was unaware of, “is too cold.”

She paused, her gaze falling on Tang Xiaoning's slightly furrowed brow from drinking too quickly, and added in a low voice, almost as if talking to herself, yet clearly reaching Tang Xiaoning's ears: "...It hurts the stomach."

This abrupt and seemingly unrelated statement made Tang Xiaoning suddenly raise her head and look at Li Minghua with some surprise.

The other person had regained their usual composure, but their gaze remained fixed on the direction where Liu Yiyi had disappeared, and their brows furrowed almost imperceptibly for a moment.

When Li Minghua looked away and turned to look at Tang Xiaoning again, her fingers were gently brushing the edge of the stone table, and where her fingertips were were the few drops of dark red plum juice that had just splashed out.

The action seemed to be merely to confirm that the table was clean, or perhaps to wipe away stains and the unpleasant smell in the air.

Liu Yiyi's mournful gaze finally disappeared completely into the winding corridor of the moon gate, and Tang Xiaoning's tense shoulders instantly relaxed.

The irritability and sourness that had just been quietly soothed by Li Minghua's words "it hurts your stomach" surged up again with even greater intensity.

She immediately leaned forward, almost lying on the stone table, and got very close to Li Minghua, her nose no more than an inch from his chin.

"Yo—" She deliberately dragged out the tone, her voice carrying an extremely strong sense of sarcasm.

Her beautiful peach blossom eyes glanced sideways at Li Minghua, a defiant and sour spark flickering in her gaze:

"Our Lady Li is truly captivating! Look how she's mesmerized Miss Liu—"

She stretched out her finger and exaggeratedly pointed it in the air, "Completely bewildered, you're practically out of your mind! You even treat your taste preferences like imperial edicts and golden rules! This dedication, tsk tsk, is truly touching!"

Each word was like a sugar-coated firecracker, crackling and popping.

Li Minghua's nerves, which had just relaxed because she no longer had to face that bowl of soup, were tightened again by the magnified face in front of her, which was filled with "I'm not happy".

She subconsciously tilted her head back slightly to create some distance from the overly close proximity, glanced helplessly at Tang Xiaoning, and frowned slightly as usual: "Don't talk nonsense."

Her voice was low, carrying a hint of weariness from being wronged.

"What nonsense am I talking about?" Tang Xiaoning's almond-shaped eyes widened, as if she had been stepped on. She sat up straight with a "whoosh," and began counting on her slender fingers, her words coming out in rapid succession:

"Look at this! They bring us food and drinks! They serve us tea and water! They do our laundry and mend our clothes! Now they even give us special treatment for a bowl of sour plum juice!"

She became more and more agitated as she spoke, her fair cheeks flushing slightly with anger and some inexplicable emotion.

"This setup, this spectacle! This isn't about repaying a debt of gratitude; it's clearly..." The word that had been burning on the tip of his tongue for so long, almost uttered, got stuck at the crucial moment.

She opened her mouth, but couldn't bring herself to say it in front of Li Minghua, and her ears started to burn.

"What is it?" Li Minghua looked at her suddenly stammering and blushing face, his eyes revealing genuine confusion.

She genuinely didn't understand where Tang Xiaoning's sudden accusation was directed.

“It’s…it’s malicious!” Tang Xiaoning was provoked by Li Minghua’s purely confused look. She forced out a word with a hint of anger and embarrassment.

She suddenly leaned forward, bracing her hands on the edge of the stone table, almost half her body over the tabletop, her gaze fixed intently on Li Minghua's calm eyes.

Her tone was tense and tentatively probing:

"Hey, Minghua," she lowered her voice, as if she were talking about something confidential, "tell the truth, how does it feel to be served so... so meticulously, so attentively? Don't you... actually feel quite pleased with it?"