"Snap!"
The plate full of food was smashed on the ground, leaving a mess everywhere.
Nightshade suddenly realized what was happening and knelt down on the broken pieces of the plate scattered on the floor.
Her knees were cut by sharp shards, oozing drops of crimson blood, but she seemed oblivious, kneeling upright and quietly awaiting her master's punishment.
The moment the plate shattered, Qi Yu shielded Gu Baiwei behind her.
At this moment, his dark, lifeless eyes stared at the Night Demon on the ground, his gaze filled with endless coldness.
"Master, I admit my guilt."
Night Demon knelt on the ground with her head down, not daring to look Qi Yu in the eye.
She had just witnessed her master being so intimate with that woman, and was momentarily blinded by jealousy. By the time she came to her senses, the scene was already a mess.
The previously ambiguous atmosphere instantly turned tense.
Gu Baiwei quickly grabbed Qi Yu's hand: "It's just a plate, it's not a big deal, why don't we just let it go?"
Qi Yu did not respond to her, but instead looked down at Ye Mei kneeling on the ground, her voice cold and deep: "What do you think?"
"It was my fault for not performing my duties properly, and I voluntarily accept the punishment."
Nightshade hung her head, her face as pale as paper.
Qi Yu: "In that case, go and accept your punishment yourself."
Nightshade kowtowed respectfully, her hands clenching at her sides: "Yes, Master."
She staggered to her feet, blood still flowing from the cuts on her knees caused by the shards, the blood spreading from her knees to her ankles. Drops of bright red liquid fell onto the ground, their color glaringly red.
Gu Baiwei felt a pang of pity: "She's injured, why don't we let her get bandaged up first?"
After saying that, she walked over and reached out to help Ye Mei, but before her hand could touch her, Ye Mei lowered her head and avoided her.
Gu Baiwei was a little embarrassed: "You're injured, you'd better get it treated first, otherwise it won't be good if it leaves a scar."
"Go and treat your wounds before you receive your punishment."
Qi Yu's tone was stiff, with a hint of impatience, "Since Madam asked you to treat the wound, then go and treat the wound first."
Upon hearing this, Ye Mei secretly glanced at him and respectfully replied, "Thank you, Master."
Qi Yu glanced at her indifferently: "Step down."
Soon, only Qi Yu and Gu Baiwei remained in the pavilion, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
Qi Yu carefully helped Gu Baiwei sit down at the table, looked at her affectionately, and said gently, "Weiwei, I'd like to move into your room tonight, is that alright?"
Gu Baiwei had just taken a sip of water when she suddenly heard this sentence, and she almost spat out the whole mouthful of water onto the food in front of her.
Qi Yu quickly reached out to pat her back, her expression concerned: "Weiwei, are you alright?"
Gu Baiwei: "Cough cough... It's nothing, I just choked by accident."
Seeing that she was indeed alright, Qi Yu breathed a sigh of relief: "Weiwei, what I was just saying..."
"Ahem, well... there are still a lot of things I haven't remembered yet, could you give me a little more time?"
A hurt expression flashed across Qi Yu's face, but she still nodded considerately: "Weiwei, don't worry, I will never force you if you don't agree."
Gu Baiwei lowered her eyes and remained silent.
He was so caring and considerate towards her, yet she rejected him time and time again. She really didn't know how to face him.
A fleeting look of gloom crossed Qi Yu's face. He sighed and stood up: "Weiwei, I know my presence here makes you uncomfortable."
Without waiting for her to speak, he stood up and left, his tone still gentle: "I'm done eating. You can eat slowly. If you need anything, have them come find me."
Only after the footsteps completely disappeared did Gu Baiwei raise her head, her gaze falling on the empty cobblestone path, somewhat lost in thought.
Wasn't she going a bit too far?
Qi Yu was so good to her, so considerate, yet she hurt him again and again.
Gu Baiwei's gaze fell upon the dishes spread across the table: sweet and sour pork ribs, braised eggplant...
It was all her favorite food; it has to be said, Qi Yu was very considerate and attentive to her.
However, as she raised her hand to her chest, she felt that something was not quite right.
She subconsciously resisted Qi Yu's attempts to get close to her.
But why?
After Qi Yu left, she lost her appetite. She ate a little something and then got up and went to her room.
As I passed a courtyard, I heard strange noises coming from inside.
She paused slightly, peering through the half-open gate into the courtyard, where she saw a slender woman with her wrists bound, hanging from a tree.
The woman's face was obscured by her disheveled long hair, making it difficult to see clearly.
All that could be seen were her wrists, red from being strangled, and the shocking whip marks all over her body.
A cool night breeze blew by, lifting the woman's disheveled long hair and revealing a pale and beautiful face—it was Night Enchantress, whom she had just met not long ago.
Nightshade also saw her, her gaze meeting hers coldly for a moment before she quickly looked away with a mocking smile.
For some reason, Gu Baiwei always felt that Ye Mei's gaze towards her seemed to be full of hostility.
But she shouldn't have offended her, right?
She stood there stunned for a moment, then reached out and pushed open the courtyard gate.
The man in black who was carrying out the execution in the courtyard immediately stopped what he was doing and bowed respectfully to her, saying, "Madam."
Gu Baiwei nodded, looked at Ye Mei who was hanging there, and frowned as she asked, "What mistake did she make? Why is she being punished like this?"
The man in black bowed respectfully: "She offended the master and his wife and deserves to be punished."
Gu Baiwei immediately thought of the incident where Ye Mei had spilled the plate in the pavilion earlier.
Unexpectedly, the punishment Qi Yu mentioned at the time turned out to be such a severe penalty.
It was just a dish that was spilled; the punishment is far too harsh.
"It was just a minor mistake, the punishment is enough, put her down."
She frowned and gestured for the man in black to untie Ye Mei.
"But……"
The man in black hesitated. The punishment had only just begun; how could it end so hastily?
These were the rules set by the master, but... the other party was the person the master cared about most, so he dared not disobey.
Just as they were hesitating, Gu Baiwei spoke again with a cold face: "Do I need your master to give the order himself?"
"No, no, I wouldn't dare."
The man in black immediately bowed respectfully, walked over briskly, and released Nightshade from her dangling position.
The moment the rope was untied, Nightshade collapsed to the ground, covered in wounds.
Seeing her disheveled appearance, Gu Baiwei hurriedly stepped forward to help her up, but suddenly met Ye Mei's resentful eyes, and her body instantly froze on the spot.
"Who needs your fake kindness?"
Night Enchantress stared at her coldly, her expression indifferent.
Thinking the other person was holding a grudge against her because of what happened tonight, Gu Baiwei hurriedly explained, "I didn't know the punishment would be so severe. I'll talk to my husband about it later, and this time the punishment will be..."
Before she could finish speaking, Ye Mei coldly interrupted her: "Stop pretending. Isn't this exactly what you wanted to see?"
With a cold face, Ye Mei pushed Gu Baiwei away: "Stop pretending to be kind. Don't think I don't know what you're thinking."
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