Qi Huaiyu stood outside the yamen, pacing back and forth, hesitant and uncertain.

Xin Yunzhou jumped down from the carriage and shoved him aside, saying, "If you're not going in, then stop blocking the way and get out!"

"Brother Xin!" Qi Huaiyu exclaimed urgently, "I still feel that reporting to the authorities is inappropriate. Let me reconsider..."

Xin Yunzhou was so angry that he wanted to punch him. Just as he was about to knock him over, A Yong chased after him while shouting.

"Second Young Master! Second Young Master! Third Young Miss is back! The Master wants you to return quickly!"

Xin Yunzhou was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed. He abandoned Qi Huaiyu and ran towards the Xin residence.

"Young master! Young master! Take the carriage back!" Ah Yong chased after him.

Qi Huaiyu stood under the plaque of the government office, slowly narrowed his eyes, and then revealed a mysterious smile.

He straightened his clothes and headed towards the Xin residence.

Hearing that Xin Jiuwei had finally returned home after being missing on the mountain for several days, people who lived nearby, under the guise of concern, all came to see what was going on.

When Qi Huaiyu arrived, even Xue Yingxue was there.

Xin Jiuwei was being looked over from head to toe by her older siblings. Xin Xiyao didn't say anything, only checking the wounds on Xin Jiuwei's body.

"Your hands are all scarred; you must have fallen really hard!" Xin Yunzhou jumped up and down beside her, distressed. "And what are you wearing, little sister? What kind of rags are you wearing? Doesn't it rub? Doesn't it hurt?"

Xin Jiuwei laughed nonchalantly, "It just hurt a little when I fell, but I don't feel anything now. The clothes were given to me by the aunt who saved me, and they're actually very comfortable to wear."

After hearing her words, Xin Yunzhou and Xin Xiyao both breathed a sigh of relief. Those around them understood as well; being saved by the woman seemed to be a good thing.

Qi Huaiyu rushed over with a concerned expression, "Jiuwei, I'm so glad you're alright!"

Xunmo followed behind him, beaming as she took credit for him, "Third Miss, Young Master Qi was frantic these past few days while you were missing. He went up the mountain to look for you every day, and he couldn't eat or sleep properly. He's lost a lot of weight!"

"Why are you saying all this?" Qi Huaiyu scolded him, then looked at Xin Jiuwei with concern. "That day you fell off the carriage, it really scared me. I rushed back to find you, but I was injured. I was so worried..."

As he spoke, he saw Xin's father approaching from afar, and his eyes reddened. Suddenly, he knelt down with a "plop".

"Jiuwei, it's all my fault for being useless and losing you. These past few days, I've been tormented constantly, and it's unbearable! I've made you suffer, so scold me, hit me!"

Everyone was shocked, even Xin Jiuwei was unusually surprised.

In her past life, at the moment of her tragic death, Qi Huaiyu was clearly high and mighty, and arrogant.

Even before he officially rose to prominence in this life, he always presented himself as a refined gentleman with a sense of pride. When had he ever acted like this before?

It was precisely this contrast that caused an uproar among the onlookers.

"It rained so hard that day, how can you blame Young Master Qi for this?" Xue Yingxue said calmly from the side. "Since Miss Xin is alright, why take your anger out on an innocent person?"

Xin Jiuwei smiled and said, "I don't think I've said anything yet."

Young Master Chen also arrived and hurried over to persuade him, "Brother Qi, please get up quickly. We have all seen how anxious you have been these past few days, and we can vouch for you!"

"Miss Xin, this is absolutely true! Young Master Qi is extremely worried!"

The girls nearby started whispering among themselves.

"Young Master Qi is so good to Miss Xin, he's even lost weight from worry."

"Such deep affection is truly touching. Alas, if I were to disappear, my family probably wouldn't care about me at all."

"Yes, if it were someone else, they would be worried about this and that, and wouldn't go all out to search."

"Young Master Qi doesn't care about Miss Xin's reputation, he only cares about her life. Such affection is truly enviable."

The murmurs reached their ears, and Xin Yunzhou immediately became unhappy.

These past few days, it wasn't just Qi Huaiyu searching for someone. Besides, it was he and Uncle Xin who brought the person up, and it was Xin Xiyao who wrote the missing person notice. It was also the siblings and the maids Wang Qing who went out to inquire every day. What had Qi Huaiyu done?

Xin Yunzhou was about to speak when Xin Jiuwei pulled his hand.

Xin Jiuwei looked at Qi Huaiyu with a smile, but did not speak or tell him to get up.

Thus, Qi Huaiyu was caught in a dilemma: whether to get up or not.

But he wasn't stupid, of course. Seeing that Xin Jiuwei didn't move, he affectionately took her hand.

"Jiuwei, are you still angry with me?"

Xin Jiuwei slightly turned her body to avoid his hand.

Qi Huaiyu paused, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes.

“Miss Xin is acting strangely today,” Xue Yingxue suddenly said. “The other day at Lingyin Temple, Miss Xin was searching everywhere for Huaiyu, saying she wanted to apologize to him. Why are you so cold now? Did you encounter something on the mountain and get frightened?”

As soon as she finished speaking, the surroundings suddenly fell silent.

The fact that a noblewoman, who was once pampered and precious, had disappeared alone from the mountain for several days already aroused much speculation.

Xue Yingxue's suggestive words only fueled this speculation among the crowd.

Looking at Xin Jiuwei, she was completely different from her usual smiling self. Wasn't she just like those girls who had been violated and were heartbroken?

Suddenly, their gazes toward Xin Jiuwei were filled with sympathy.

Qi Huaiyu suddenly rebuked Xue Yingxue: "Miss Xue, don't talk nonsense here! Lingyin Temple is on Chongwu Mountain, with high-ranking monks in charge. What could possibly happen to Jiuwei?"

Xue Yingxue was a little displeased by the sudden shout, and frowned as she said:

"Did I say anything? Besides, as far as I know, Master Jueming wasn't on the mountain when we went up. Chongwu Mountain is so big, what can he do? And you've been sending people to Lingyin Temple every day, but you still haven't heard from Miss Xin, have you?"

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