The chilly spring wind was really hard to bear. Tang Youyou tightened her clothes, opened the door, and walked downstairs.
It was really something for her to get up in the middle of the night. If she hadn't been so hungry, she wouldn't have crawled out of the quilt.
She originally thought that Xun Rong was next door and she could ask him to go instead. But then she thought that he might be sound asleep at this moment, and it didn't seem very humane to do so.
Carrying the lit candle, she walked downstairs and was about to go to the back kitchen. Before she reached the entrance to the kitchen, she suddenly heard someone whispering.
At first, she thought she had misheard, but the more she listened, the more familiar the voice seemed.
She stopped and listened carefully, slowly approaching the source of the sound. When she reached the wooden cabinet in the back hall, she found that the sound was coming from behind it.
She hid behind it, slowly poked her head out from behind the wooden cabinet, revealing a pair of bright big eyes.
Tang Youyou saw three people standing not far away. The one facing her direction was Ye Yue.
But the other two had their backs to her, and she couldn't see clearly through the bead curtain.
She pricked up her ears to listen, but could only hear something vaguely. She couldn't hear clearly and could only vaguely judge that they were talking about something like crows, antidotes, and the Western Regions.
What did crows have to do with this? Tang Youyou just found it strange. What on earth were they talking about? Why was it related to small animals?
She tried to get her ears closer, but then she found that they had dispersed. The figures that had just been standing there had now disappeared without a trace.
Who was Ye Yue talking to? Was there anyone else he knew here besides them?
Could it be someone from Rong Xun's side?
Tang Youyou planned to go and find out, and by the way, ask how Rong Xun was doing now. But she didn't seem to have enough courage to know the answer.
She didn't find any food either. Tang Youyou returned to her room empty - handed. Just as she was about to lie back on the bed, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a plate of delicate pastries on the table.
"Was this thing here all along?"
She hadn't noticed it before. After waking up, she had gone downstairs directly and hadn't paid any attention to whether there were pastries on the table.
The pastries were pinkish - white. If you looked closely, you could see the hidden patterns on them. She reached out to pick one up and found that the pastry was still warm.
"Hmm?"
This was very strange. How could it still be warm at this hour? It should have been cold long ago, especially with the cold weather outside. It would probably have cooled down completely in just five minutes.
"Could it be that someone just put it here on purpose?"
She thought that the most likely person was Xun Rong next door. If it were Ye Yue, he would probably be waiting for her to come back to take credit.
She walked out of the room and came to Xun Rong's door. She saw that the door was tightly closed and it was pitch - black inside.
"Should be him, right?"
Tang Youyou thought to herself. Had this person not slept all night? If so, had he also noticed her going out to eavesdrop on others' conversation just now?
She had to ask him properly when he woke up.
She hadn't meant to eavesdrop on purpose. It was just her curiosity getting the better of her. They had to have a conversation at night, and it was just her bad luck to run into them. Whose fault could it be?
After dawn, Tang Youyou waited at the next - door's door early in the morning.
As soon as Xun Rong opened the door, the person who was almost falling asleep against the door panicked and almost fell. Fortunately, the person who opened the door was quick - eyed and quick - handed. He wrapped his arms around her.
At that moment, a strange feeling welled up in her heart. The way he held her was exactly the same as Rong Xun.
Both of them were used to using their left hands to grab her and then rub her waist hard, then relax and use a bit more strength to pull her into their arms.
This was Rong Xun's unique subconscious habit. Was it just a coincidence that this person also used his left hand and even rubbed her waist in the same way, liking to rub it back and forth a couple of times?
She looked into this person's eyes. No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't associate this person with Rong Xun.
Could he be Rong Xun's long - lost brother?
Lying in his arms, she felt a warm feeling, but the smell on his body was completely different from Rong Xun's.
Rong Xun always had a faint fragrance on him, while this person had a sweet and cloying smell that she didn't like.
This really confused her. The two of them were always similar in some aspects, making her almost think that this person was Rong Xun in disguise. But in other ways, they were extremely different.
"Are you okay?"
Xun Rong held her soft body. The familiar touch made him not want to let go, but he had to.
"I'm okay. Thank you."
Tang Youyou quickly distanced herself from him. If this continued, she might go crazy.
"Are you okay? Did you bump into yourself?"
This person gave a silly laugh. With her small frame, how could she bump into him?
"No. What are you doing at the door?"
Tang Youyou laughed awkwardly. "Ah, I was just worried that you might not be used to staying here. You know, the weather is still very cold. You should be careful not to catch a cold at night."
Xun Rong gave her a strange look. "You don't need to worry about me so much. You're wearing thin clothes. Aren't you afraid of getting cold?"
As he said this, he took off his clothes and put them on her.
"Thank you." She lowered her head and looked at the clothes on her body. The words she had wanted to say were now stuck in her throat.
Even if she didn't say it, she felt that this person wouldn't easily betray her.
Although she didn't know where this conclusion came from, Xun Rong just gave her this feeling, that he was very trustworthy.
"Let's go. Go downstairs and have breakfast."
She pretended to be okay, tightened the clothes on her body, and walked downstairs.
The man watching her from behind unconsciously narrowed his eyes. Last night had been really a close call. She had almost heard them.
Fortunately, he had noticed in time, so he hadn't revealed his true self in front of her.
Now wasn't the right time for her to know everything. He could only tell her the whole story after everything was properly handled.
Just wait a little longer.
Last night, Tie Shou had sent a message saying that Lin Sheng, who should have been properly locked up, had suddenly disappeared.
Previously, Lin Sheng had been locked up in Qiling Villa and hadn't been transferred to Wuya Pavilion.
One reason was to keep the location of Wuya Pavilion a secret, and the other was that it was unnecessary.
Although Qiling Villa had now become a ruin, no one knew that although it looked like a large and empty villa on the surface, there was actually an unknown underground prison beneath it.
It was where he kept those who had betrayed Wuya Pavilion. Rong Xun hadn't imposed any inhumane punishments on them. Instead, he had provided them with good food and drink.
But he had restricted their freedom to the greatest extent. Whether it was on their hands or feet, the heavy shackles constantly reminded them that they were like lambs waiting to be slaughtered.