She actually thought she could fish on his own turf?
Kang Zeyan felt equal parts exasperated and annoyed. “If you want to fish, go ahead,” he said with a weary shrug.
Su Mingyu still looked like she had more to say, so he waved a hand to cut her off. “Enough. Don’t argue. As long as you don’t leave the manor or try to run, you can have whatever you want.”
Su Mingyu put on an expression of innocent surprise. “Is that all right? After all, this is your residence, Young Master Kang.”
“My word is law here. Tell the maid if you need anything. I’m not hungry tonight, so I won’t eat.” With that, Kang stood and left, leaving Su Mingyu eating with casual composure.
When his back disappeared down the corridor, Su Mingyu’s lips curved. That was the line she wanted to hear.
She hadn’t been hungry anyway. After a few bites she returned to her room.
Gu Ruobai had been waiting there long before she came back. His face was clouded; the moment she entered she hurried up to him. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.” His voice was low and tight.
Su Mingyu pressed her lips together. She had a pretty good idea. She let a small smile slip and sat beside him. “I did get your permission to go down to dinner, remember. You can’t be mad.”
“Am I really that petty?” Gu looked back at her. “While you were with Kang Zeyan, I searched the whole manor for exits. I couldn’t find any secret passages.”
“You weren’t raised around mechanisms, so you wouldn’t know where to look,” Su said lightly. “I grew up dealing with traps and tricks. Leave it to me.” She yawned languidly. “It’s late. Where are you sleeping tonight? It’s not proper for you to sleep in my room.”
Gu pointed up at the beam. “I’ll sleep above.”
She considered, then nodded. “Be careful. I’m worried Kang Zeyan might come at night.”
Kang’s genteel manner hid a calculating mind. He hadn’t yet brought her the antidote for the Qingming toxin; Su had every reason to suspect he was waiting for the poison to flare so he could knock her down a peg. It suited her plan perfectly — she intended to strip the toxin out of herself once and for all.
She lay back on the bed and called up, “Gu Ruobai…”
He didn’t answer, but she felt his presence high above, watching.
“I might have a Qingming attack tonight,” she warned. “If that happens, don’t reveal yourself.”
Su wasn’t worried for herself so much as for him; Gu could lose his composure if he knew she was being harmed. He was the kind of man who kept his head until it mattered not to him alone. Once she was in danger, he would stop being rational.
“I’ve already found the antidote,” Gu said, reaching as if to hand it down.
She cut him off. “I don’t want it. You can’t expect me to live on antidotes forever.”
It wasn’t a cure — only a bandage. She wanted the toxin gone.
Gu’s face hardened at once. “No. You can’t. It’s too dangerous. I’ve never seen anyone survive a Qingming flare without help.”
Su poked her head out from beneath the canopy and looked up at him, giving him a look meant to reassure. “I’m not anyone else. I’m Su Mingyu.”
Before Gu could argue further they were interrupted by a knock on the door — the same maid as before. “Miss Su, are you asleep?”
“Not yet, almost,” Su called back.
“I’ve come to bring clothing. Please open the door, Miss Su.”
She winked at Gu and opened the door a crack, reaching out a hand. “Just hand it over.”
The maid hesitated. “I—better that I come in. You’re a guest, Miss Su; I shouldn’t—”
Su’s patience thinned. “I’ve already taken off my gown. Why would you need to come in? Just give it to me. If I catch a chill, it’ll be on you.”
The maid, terrified by the rebuke, hurriedly extended the clothes.
“Then rest well, Miss Su. I’ll withdraw,” she said, and left.
Su exhaled once the maid’s retreating figure disappeared. Kang had timed this perfectly to probe whether her Qingming would flare. She tossed the garments into the wardrobe and lay back down. “Sleep.”
That was for Gu. She snuffed the candle and closed her eyes.
But Gu, perched on the beam, could not sleep. He watched the pale figure under the canopy until the shadows made her edges soft. His eyes, already dark, grew darker still. He had wanted her to be his consort and nothing more; he had never planned to contest the succession. Yet someone had reached out for Su Mingyu regardless, and he didn’t know who. The uncertainty gnawed at him.
He kept his gaze on her until he saw her brows knit.
He almost dropped down to check on her, then remembered her warning. He clenched his hands so tightly they ached, forcing himself to stay.
Cold. An ice that bit to the bone. Su curled inward, trying to concentrate her warmth. The faint heat she managed to preserve kept her conscious, but the shivering made her miserable.
She had not expected such cruel measures from antiquated methods, but at least she hadn’t hallucinated. If she had mistaken Kang for Gu in a fevered confusion, it would have been a disaster.
Just as the cold began to blur her thoughts, the door creaked.
Su turned and saw Kang Zeyan standing in the doorway.
She bit her tongue to clear the fog and forced words out. “Young Master Kang… are you here to gloat?”
Kang looked down at her, his slitted eyes narrowing. “After all this time, I thought you’d have succumbed already. Turns out you can resist quite well.”