Mo Sheng stood atop the high-rise building, overlooking everything, her eyes burning with desire.

A woman dressed in black and wearing a straw hat stood behind him.

"When are you going back to the Prince of Anyang's residence?" he asked with a solemn expression.

Murong Kui sneered: "Are you so eager for me to go back?"

He glanced at her briefly: "Didn't you want to take back what's rightfully yours? As long as you return to the Prince of Anyang's residence, I'll take her away!"

She smiled and said without revealing her true intentions, "Grand Preceptor, don't worry, it'll be soon!"

"What are you waiting for?" he asked, looking puzzled.

"Wait for a reasonable time to appear!"

The wind blew and swirled up the withered yellow leaves on the ground, making them flutter wildly as if they had broken free of their restraints.

My worries weighed on me like heavy stones, making it hard to breathe.

I sat at the foot of the bamboo house, propping my chin up with my hand, when suddenly I felt a burning gaze fixed on me.

He instinctively stood up and blurted out, "Ye Lisheng!"

With a "crack!" sound, the person crushed the dry leaves beneath their feet.

I chased after the sound, but found nothing but crushed leaves.

I laughed at myself, "What are you thinking? He doesn't even know you're here!"

"Okra!" Yu Shaoqing called out to me from afar. I responded and hurriedly ran towards him.

Lazy Sheep peeked out of the haystack and licked its paws with its pink tongue.

A clean, fair hand gently stroked its head: "Has she forgotten you?" The tone was full of helplessness.

Tuanzi meowed a few times in agreement.

Then he said gently, "Don't worry, we'll take her home soon!"

I was taking a nap when I was disturbed by the noise from downstairs at Xinghua Tower. Just as I was about to turn over and go back to sleep, there was a knock on my door.

"Young Master Liuyue!"

"Young Master Liuyue!"

I let out a groan and, with utter desperation, opened the door.

"What's wrong?"

The servant looked anxious: "Young Master Liuyue, please go and see! Someone has come to Xinghua Tower to cause trouble!"

I declined, saying, "After all, I'm an outsider. It would be best if Mom handled this herself!"

"My mother has long considered you one of her own. She went out on errands and told us to come to you, Young Master Liuyue, if we encounter any problems!"

It was a great honor to receive such honest advice, and I smiled inwardly, but my face still showed reluctance: "Alright! Since Mom trusts me so much, I'll go and take a look!"

Before even reaching the bottom of the stairs, one could hear the shouts of the crowd.

A woman dressed as a man brandished a long whip, angrily scattering the crowd.

Seeing that she was about to hurt someone, I quickly stopped her, saying, "Please, sir, have mercy!"

"It's you!"

We said in unison

"Aren't you the young master that brother saved that day and night?"

"My name is Liu Yue. May I ask your name, young lady?"

"Bai Juanjuan!" she said heartily.

Bai Juanjuan, General Bai's daughter—I immediately remembered her; she was the woman Consort Mo mentioned who grew up alongside Ye Lisheng.

"May I ask what brings you here, young lady?" I asked, pointing to her men's clothing.

"It's nothing! Just came to check!"

At this moment, someone in the crowd, seemingly unafraid of death, laughed and said, "What's so interesting? A woman shouldn't be ashamed!"

"you!"

With eyes like those of an enraged lion, he raised his long whip and lashed out at the man.

A pitiful scream rang out, and the man clutched the spot where he had been hit, his face contorted in pain.

"Fine! I came to Xinghualou for leisure, but I never expected this to happen. Do you think we'll dare to come again?"

These words immediately sparked public outrage: "Yes! That's right!"

"This is all a misunderstanding, please calm down!"

"A misunderstanding? Everyone saw it with their own eyes!"

"Yes! Yes!"

"You must give us an explanation, otherwise who will dare to come here again!"

"Who gave you permission to make fun of me!" Bai Juanjuan retorted.

"We didn't ask you to dress up as a man and visit brothels! Or does the girl have some special fetish?"

"You..." Bai Juanjuan's face flushed red with anger, and she was about to strike with the whip when I stopped her.

"My friend, it's true that this girl was wrong to hurt someone, but you shouldn't have taken the initiative to sue her!"

"There is no rule in Xinghualou that forbids women from entering!"

Upon hearing this, the man was speechless. Seeing that he was about to be ridiculed, he threw a tantrum and said, "I don't care, she hit me, she has to give me an explanation!"

At that moment, a deep, murderous voice rang out: "What kind of explanation do you want? I'll give you whatever you want!"

A purple figure appeared at the entrance, bathed in the glow of the sunset, looking just like a celestial being descended from heaven.

The moment the Ice Prince arrived, everyone involuntarily trembled.

The man lowered his head, not daring to speak again.

"Brother Ye, you've finally arrived!"

Their intimate behavior made me feel uncomfortable, and I unconsciously lowered my head and subtly retreated behind others.

At this moment, Bai Juanjuan called out, "Young Master Liuyue!"

Being suddenly called out surprised me: "Ah!"

"Thank you for helping me out of that situation. Would you do me the honor of having dinner with me?"

"Ah! This..."

The thought of having dinner at the same table as Ye Lisheng fills me with an inexplicable, invisible pressure.

He hurriedly declined, saying, "Thank you for your kind offer, but I won't go!"

Seeing my repeated refusals, Ye Lisheng spoke up: "Young master, are you unwilling to do me the honor?"

An invisible chill made me gasp; if I refused again, I feared he would slap me to death.

I chuckled dryly and said, "It's an honor, an honor indeed!"

He and Bai Juanjuan chatted and laughed the whole way, while I, like an outsider, couldn't get a word in edgewise.

"Brother Ye, look!" she said, pointing to the jewelry stall.

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