The lone eagle dared not utter a word.

Only after Xie Qin's carriage left did Chen Changji emerge from inside, his face somber.

Just as Lone Eagle was about to hold an umbrella for Shen Changji, Shen Changji refused.

"Lord, the rain is very heavy."

"It's alright."

As he spoke, Shen Changji walked alone into the rain, letting the large raindrops pelt his body.

Lone Eagle, holding an umbrella, tried to follow from behind, but was stopped by Shen Chang.

"No need to follow."

Upon hearing this, Lone Eagle hesitated, then could only wait outside.

...

Liu Jiaojiao was very satisfied with Shen Changji's private residence. At least here, she could feel that she was the mistress of this house.

Especially the way the servants looked at her.

She was sensible and didn't insist on sharing a room with Shen Changji.

Where is Shen Lang tonight?

As Liu Jiaojiao removed the hairpin from her head, she looked at Cui'er and asked.

"The general is at the Duke's mansion. He had important matters to attend to, so he returned from the palace and came back to the Duke's mansion," Cui'er said respectfully.

"Okay, you can go now."

Cui'er curtsied and respectfully left.

After the person left, Liu Jiaojiao took out a small item from the box.

She looked at the thing, a smile playing on her lips.

With this, Su Miao will eventually belong to Xie Qin.

As long as Su Miao is Xie Qin's person, then... she and Shen Changji will never have another chance.

Because Shen Changji would not touch his own brothers' people, and Xie Qin would not allow his people to have any dealings with Shen Changji.

Although she couldn't kill that little bitch, it didn't mean... she couldn't completely put an end to Su Miao's thoughts.

If Su Miao hadn't won the hearts of the Duke's family and hadn't been capable of climbing to the position of county princess, she would probably have been crushed... as easily as crushing a grasshopper.

A cold smile played in Liu Jiaojiao's eyes.

She put her things down, lazily turned around, and went to bed.

However, just as she lay down, her hand accidentally touched something icy cold.

Liu Jiaojiao opened her eyes and pushed away the blankets in confusion.

Inside the bedding was my mother's little red garment...

Liu Jiaojiao frowned and immediately stood up.

"Cui'er!"

Hearing the call, Cui'er quickly pushed open the door and came in.

"Miss, what's wrong?"

When I moved in...who helped me pack my things?

"They're all from our own courtyard, but Steward Liu was a little reluctant to part with Miss, so he helped tidy up a bit. What's wrong?"

The room was dimly lit, so Cui'er couldn't see Liu Jiaojiao's expression clearly.

"N-nothing! You can go now."

Upon hearing this, Cui'er gently closed the door.

Liu Jiaojiao looked at the thing in her hand, her expression quite unsettled.

Why... does Butler Liu have his mother's undergarments?

Faced with the strange behavior of Butler Liu today, Liu Jiaojiao felt inexplicably uneasy.

"Impossible... Absolutely impossible..."

Liu Jiaojiao dared not think any further.

...

After Su Miao returned, she changed into a clean set of clothes.

As soon as she opened the box Xie Qin had given her, she saw a bowl of ginger soup inside.

Su Miao smiled slightly, her eyes softening.

The smell of ginger soup seemed somewhat familiar to Su Miao.

She hadn't smelled this scent in a long time...

Very few people would put that particular herb in ginger soup, but Xie Qin was an exception.

Just as Su Miao was about to drink it, Tao'er's voice came from outside the door.

"Miss, the eldest young master has arrived."

Su Miao frowned and put down the ginger soup in her hand.

The rain outside hadn't stopped yet. Su Miao opened the door and saw Shen Changji, soaking wet, standing outside her house.

Su Miao: "..."

His deep, dark eyes stared at Su Miao, as if he wanted to devour her whole.

"Why are you here? And you're soaking wet... Didn't Lone Eagle hold an umbrella for you?" Su Miao couldn't help but glance at Chen Changji a few times.

"The carriage suddenly broke down, and I thought of you here, so I came in to take shelter."

Su Miao: "Don't you have an umbrella?"

A long silence followed; "I left in such a hurry that I didn't bring it with me."

Seeing Shen Changji's appearance, Su Miao didn't want to argue too much, so she let go of his hand and let him in.

Without the slightest hesitation, Shen Changji went straight into Su Miao's room.

As soon as he entered, he saw the box next to him.

Two days ago, when he went out to run some errands, he happened to run into Xie Qin, who had someone make a food box for him.

He thought it was going to be used for something else, but who knew...

Shen Changji raised his hand and drank the bowl of ginger soup in one gulp.

Su Miao's eyes widened instantly. "That's mine!"

Shen Changji put down the empty bowl, turned around and saw Su Miao's anxious look, and felt inexplicably depressed.

"I can have Tao'er prepare it for you!"

"And then? You finished drinking it."

For a moment, Su Miao felt that the silence was incomprehensible.

She was about to say something when she heard a long, silent cough.

"Cough...cough cough!"

Su Miao couldn't help but frown.

Could a single rain shower really make General Shen sick?

But right now, she couldn't care less about anything else; it wouldn't be good if someone died here.

"Go take a bath first, and I'll prepare some ginger soup for you later."

"good."

Su Miao was about to ask Tao'er to lead the way for Shen Changji, but unexpectedly... the man walked straight out.

The direction they were heading was exactly the direction the clean room was facing...

Su Miao rubbed her temples and took several deep breaths.

Shen Changji thought it would be Su Miao bringing him a change of clothes, but the person who came was a servant from the manor.

The servant put the clothes away, blushed, and ran out.

A long silence followed; "..."

When he returned from his bath, Su Miao had already prepared ginger soup.

Shen Changji did not refuse, but he couldn't help but glance at Su Miao a few more times.

Su Miao didn't notice Shen Changji's gaze, but instead peeked out the window.

"Hey, the rain has stopped, you can go now!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Changji's expression darkened even further.

This woman's every movement was so lively and agile in front of Xie Qin, but in front of him...

Shen Changji put down the bowl in his hand, his gaze growing increasingly deep and dark, and his tall figure approached Su Miao.

Su Miao pointed out the window, then turned around and bumped into Chen Changji's arms.

"I'm no longer of any use to you?"

Chen Changji lowered his head and gently stroked her cheek. His gaze moved down from her face. Her nightgown had come undone at some point, revealing her pale pink undergarment.