Bao Ning came out of the bathroom behind the screen, wiping her hair with a towel.

She changed into a light blue silk nightgown and walked out barefoot. The floor was paved with smooth bricks, leaving wet footprints wherever she walked. Ah Huang also ran over, swaying in the water.

"Why aren't you wearing shoes?" Pei Yuan walked towards her, his face normal, and smiled as he picked her up and put her on the bed.

Bao Ning said, "It's wet, it's uncomfortable."

"Don't do that next time, the ground is cold and it's not good for your body." Pei Yuan had also taken off most of his clothes, leaving only a pair of white underwear, hanging loosely on his waist, revealing his lean waistline.

Bao Ning looked at the concave part of his spine, extending downwards, blocked by the waistband of his pants. Pei Yuan is thin but strong, with tight muscles, smooth lines, and very beautiful.

Baoning looked at it and suddenly remembered Gongsun Zhu and Lu Yun he had seen at that time. They were making a lot of noise while they were doing that. Baoning shivered and felt that his eyes and ears were uncomfortable.

But when he looked at Pei Yuan again, he slowly blushed again.

"Have you dried your hair?" Pei Yuan glanced at Baoning, took the cloth in her hand, wiped two handfuls on her feet, and then tucked her legs into the quilt.

Pei Yuan curled up the corners of his lips and flicked her forehead with his index finger: "What are you thinking about? Why are you so absent-minded?"

"Nothing." Bao Ning naturally couldn't tell him what she was thinking. She pointed in the direction of the bathroom and said, "There is hot water. Go take a shower. You are covered in sweat and dust."

Pei Yuan said, "No hurry."

Bao Ning then realized that something was wrong with Pei Yuan. She only took a shower, and Pei Yuan seemed to have become a different person. He was still smiling, but Bao Ning could feel that he was heavy-hearted and not in a happy mood. He was gloomy, like a piece of charcoal that was about to go out. He looked cold, but with a little wind, he would burn immediately.

"What happened?" Bao Ning's first reaction was their actions tonight, and she asked him tentatively.

Pei Yuan shook his head. Bao Ning said "Oh" and then remembered something: "Gong Sun Zhu, has Gong Sun Zhu been arrested? Do you want to go and see?"

Pei Yuan said: "Wei Meng is interrogating him. I'm not needed."

He answered one question after another, and his glib look disappeared.

Bao Ning's heart gradually sank. She had a feeling that Pei Yuan was hiding something from her, but this man was like a dead duck. If he refused to say anything, she would not be able to get anything out of him.

Baoning sighed, put on her shoes and went downstairs: "Go take a shower, I'll find you some clothes."

Pei Yuan's voice came from behind, as if it was very casual: "Did you meet anyone else tonight?"

"I met a lot of people." Baoning looked back at him, holding a brand new nightgown in her hand, shaking it out, and muttering, "I met my aunt, the mistress, Miss Qiu Liu..."

Baoning suddenly remembered what Qiu Lingjun did to her. Pei Yuan already knew everything, and he should be dealing with it. Baoning was not worried that Pei Yuan would be soft-hearted to Qiu Lingjun, but Qiu Lingjun was the daughter of General Qiu, and would be the future second prince's wife, so it didn't seem good to make too much trouble.

After thinking about it, Baoning decided to ignore it. She is a hands-off person who doesn't like to worry about things. Let Pei Yuan do whatever he wants. Bao Ning trusts him to do a good job.

Bao Ning came over with clothes in her arms and put them one by one on the clothes rack behind the screen: "Why do you suddenly think of asking these questions?"

"Just asking casually." Pei Yuan walked to Bao Ning in his slippers, put his arms around her from behind, rested his chin on Bao Ning's hair, and said in a low and slow voice, "Ning Ning, I'm a petty person. You must not hide things from me."

"You are really a little strange today." Bao Ning looked at him doubtfully, and seeing Pei Yuan's deep eyes, she tiptoed and rubbed his face with a smile, "Go take a shower quickly. I bought you a new soap with pine scent a few days ago. I'm sure you like it."

Pei Yuan kissed the corner of her lips lightly and responded.

Baoning left the bathroom.

She didn't take Pei Yuan's abnormal behavior to heart. He was a thoughtful person. Who knows what he would think of suddenly and be happy, and what else he would think of would make him unhappy.

Pei Yuan needed to adjust his emotions by himself. Baoning gave him time and space, as long as Pei Yuan would not do anything to hurt her. Baoning believed in Pei Yuan, he would not hurt her.

It was time for Ah Huang and Ah Mian to go to bed. They liked to rub on the bed and couch, and they had to be clean every day. Baoning wiped their faces and paws, wiped their little butts, brushed their fur with a wet towel, and let them go to sleep. She washed her hands and lay on the bed, fiddling with the bamboo dragonfly she was preparing to make these days.

...

Pei Yuan stood naked behind the screen, scooped up some water, closed his eyes and poured it from his head.

Outside, Baoning was playing with Ah Huang, their laughter was sweet. Pei Yuan couldn't stop thinking about the hairpin and the note inside.

Meng Fan, Pei Yuan chewed on this name silently.

Half a month ago, this man named Meng Fan sent a box with a set of headgear inside, saying it was a compensation gift for Baoning. Pei Yuan recalled Baoning's expression and words at the time. She didn't seem to be very surprised or happy, as if she had received an ordinary gift. Later, he hid the box, and Baoning said nothing, as if nothing had happened.

But, could it be that they have been in contact secretly?

Pei Yuan's fingers turned white as he held the ladle. He tried his best to hold back the bitterness and anger that gushed out from the bottom of his heart.

Pei Yuan told himself that Baoning would never do such a thing, absolutely not.

But the hairpin was so delicate, and Meng Fan had been immersed in carving since he was a child, so he could do it. And the thing about the box written on the note, Pei Yuan had never mentioned it to anyone, and Baoning certainly hadn't either. She liked to be quiet, staying in the yard every day, and not talking to outsiders. The only people who knew about the box were him, Baoning, and Meng Fan.

Even if someone was instigating, how could they point out the details so clearly?

Did Baoning really betray him? Did she really have an affair with an outsider? Has she been pretending and deceiving him?

Pei Yuan's breathing became heavier, and he was about to be driven crazy by this thought.

Pei Yuan wanted to choose to believe it, but he could not keep his mind when it came to Bao Ning.

He was sensitive, suspicious, and stubborn, and he knew it all. Bao Ning was too important, and he wanted to lock her in the house and hide her. He would be jealous and crazy if others took a look at her.

The warm water poured on his skin, burning the fire in his heart even hotter.

Bao Ning's smiling face, the hairpin, and the note appeared in his mind one after another. Pei Yuan pursed his lips tightly, and finally couldn't control his inner anxiety, and raised his hand to smash the ladle in his hand.

The hard wood fell to the ground with a clang!

Baoning was sitting on the bed concentrating on the things in his hands. He was startled by a loud noise from behind the screen.

Thinking that Pei Yuan's leg disease had recurred and he fell, Baoning was anxious to go over: "What's wrong, what happened?"

"I didn't hold the things firmly, don't worry." There was silence inside for a moment, and then Pei Yuan's steady voice was heard.

Baoning stopped and walked back. But the uneasiness in his heart grew. He was too abnormal.

There was a rustling sound behind him, Baoning turned around, Pei Yuan had come out, the water droplets were not wiped off, and they flowed down his arms. He was wearing a pair of white underwear, and the fabric was stuck to his legs.

He walked directly to the table and blew out the light, then went back and led Baoning to the bed: "Stop playing and go to sleep."

"Why don't you wipe it? The quilt is all wet." Baoning followed his steps and forced a smile. "You were quite energetic before taking a shower, how come you are so sleepy all of a sudden? I blew out the light as soon as I said. There are a lot of small items on my bed, and I haven't tidied them up yet..."

Baoning chattered incessantly, trying to diffuse the suddenly awkward atmosphere in the room. Pei Yuan listened to a few words, stood still abruptly, pulled her arm and pulled her in front of him.

The two looked at each other for a while, and Pei Yuan suddenly leaned over and grasped her lips.

Baoning's eyes widened in surprise.

Pei Yuan had kissed her before, but they were all light pecks, not like this time, almost biting her. He held her lower lip with his teeth and sucked hard, then turned her head and tried to swallow her tongue. He was so strong that Baoning felt the root of her tongue was sore, but he still felt it was not enough, so he moved his lips down to suck her collarbone.

Baoning was scared and felt pain, so she twisted and struggled. Pei Yuan refused to let go, hugged her and threw her onto the bed, holding her shoulders with both hands, and his burning breath hit Baoning's ears.

Pei Yuan aimed at the small pink mole on her collarbone and bit it hard. Baoning screamed, and he regretted it, and pecked, licked and kissed her gently to coax her.

"Pei Yuan, what on earth do you want to do..." Baoning was frightened by his sudden madness, and felt pain and panic, with tears welling up in her eyes.

"Love you." Pei Yuan said in a low voice.

He restrained himself and stopped moving, just hugged her tightly, his head buried in her neck.

Bao Ning was still in shock.

She noticed Pei Yuan's fragile mood at the moment, although she didn't know why, after a moment of hesitation, she still hugged his shoulders and whispered to comfort him: "Pei Yuan, what's wrong with you? What happened? Can you tell me?"

Pei Yuan called her name almost with a sigh: "Bao'er..."

Bao Ning's heartstrings moved, and she responded softly.

Pei Yuan said: "I will give you everything, you must not lie to me."

Bao Ning was stunned.

...

The next morning, everything was the same as usual.

Pei Yuan's strange behavior last night disappeared. He was still joking with her, playing with the dog with meat buns, and he didn't look serious at all.

Bao Ning asked him what he meant by what he said last night, whether it was a lie or not. Pei Yuan kept silent, so Bao Ning had to give up.

At noon, Wei Meng came once. Pei Yuan went out, and they talked for a long time at the gate of the courtyard. Bao Ning heard their conversation, which was probably about Gongsun Zhu. The old man was very stubborn. Wei Meng said that he couldn't make him fart even if he was beaten with three sticks. Finally, Wei Meng personally tortured him and almost whipped him half to death. Gongsun Zhu finally confessed.

He said that he would rather die than tell anyone. Because his only grandson is in Pei Xiao's hands, if he really said something wrong, it will be his grandson who will suffer in the end.

As for the antidote for Pei Yuan's red poison, he really doesn't have it on him, and he can't produce it even if he is beaten to death.

This is not good news.

Pei Yuan seemed to have expected it, and didn't say anything. He asked a few questions about Bao Ning's family.

Wei Meng said that Aunt Xu is fine and was not affected by yesterday's twists and turns. Ji Jiaying had her legs burned and suffered a little, but she just needs to take good care of herself and she won't die. Tao gave birth to a little girl in the Prince's Mansion yesterday. She is lively and healthy, but contrary to her long-term expectations, Tao broke down on the spot, threw a tantrum, and was sent back to the Duke's Mansion by Pei Xiao.

Wei Meng finally asked what to do with Qiu Lingjun.

Pei Yuan said calmly: "Lock her up first, starve her for three days, don't give her water, don't let her sleep, ignore General Qiu's pleas. Ask her what she did, let her tell me all the dirty thoughts in her head one by one, I want to see what she wants to do."

Wei Meng took the order and left.

Bao Ning still lived a routine life. She played with her own toys, served the two little ancestors at home, planted two new clusters of flowers under the window, she watered them, and went to talk to Pei Yuan when she got tired of playing.

Everything was normal.

The hairpin was placed at the head of the bed, a very conspicuous position. Pei Yuan glanced at it from time to time, and saw that Bao Ning didn't care about the hairpin at all, and the stone hanging in his heart gradually fell to the ground.

The note said, meet at the south corner gate of the general's mansion tomorrow. Will she go? Pei Yuan thought, Bao Ning will not go.

She seemed to have no idea about it and was not nervous at all. Besides, how could his Bao Ning do such a thing behind his back?

Pei Yuan was glad that he did not get angry at Bao Ning. He was too suspicious. He should have chosen to trust Bao Ning more. She was so good and well-behaved.

So at noon the next day, when Wei Meng came to him again and said that there was something important to discuss with him, Pei Yuan went out with him.

Bao Ning was sitting at the door combing Amian's hair. As soon as Pei Yuan left, Nanny Liu came to report that the seventh girl had arrived.