Chapter 9: Severing the Cloak of Brotherhood

father!" Yun Qianyue replied."Oh, it’s Prince Rui! Old servant greets you, Your Highness!" Uncle Meng was taken aback and looked at Nan Lingrui closely before turning back to Yun Qianyue. Seeing no un...Chapter 9: Severing the Cloak and Breaking Ties

This familiar voice and tone could only belong to Ye Tianyi.

Yun Qianyue slowly turned her head, and saw Ye Tianyi standing at the entrance of the Seventh Prince's Manor—now more accurately referred to as the Regent's王府門口，不知何時站了夜天逸。她眸光一寒，“夜天逸，你說什麼？”

Ye Tianyi was dressed in a snow-white brocade robe, with only a white cloth tied around his waist; otherwise, he looked exactly like usual. He stared at Yun Qianyue expressionlessly and did not answer her question. After a moment, he shifted his gaze to Yu Zishu, saying solemnly, “Imperial Prince Yu has been accompanying Yue for several days now; it's very tiring work!”

Yu Zishu naturally saw Ye Tianyi too. His eyes fell on him and he smiled faintly, "Seventh Prince is being polite. My relationship with Yun needs no explanation."

Ye Tianyi stared at Yu Zishu for a while; his eyes were unusually calm. Yu Zishu smiled back without changing expression. After some time, Ye Tianyi nodded and seemed to casually glance at Rong Jing, saying, “Since Prince Regent wasn't in the city yesterday, there's a backlog of matters needing attention in court. Now that you've returned, why don't you come with me into the palace to sort them out”

Rong Jing smiled calmly and did not reply, implicitly agreeing.

Ye Tianyi didn't seem to expect a response from Rong Jing; he turned to Yun King and Yun Li next. "Tomorrow is the grand funeral for His Majesty. The Ministry of Rites needs to coordinate with the Astronomical Bureau for all preparations. Uncle Yun and Prince Yun will be quite busy, no doubt. Now that Yue has returned, you two should come into the palace as well to discuss."

"Yes!" said Yun King and Yun Li in unison.

After Ye Tianyi spoke, he looked at no one else but turned back to his carriage, lifted the curtain, and got in. As soon as it fell, the coachman flicked the whip, and the carriage left the Regent's王府.

Yun Qianyue watched coldly as Ye Tianyi's carriage drove away; rage welled up inside her. Was this man determined to force her to draw a sword against him No, perhaps even that wouldn't suffice—he wanted them to fight until death.

The scene was silent and still as everyone stared at where the carriage had gone.

A cold wind blew, lifting a strand of Yun Qianyue's hair. Rong Jing reached out and brushed it behind her ear.

Yun Qianyue looked back at Rong Jing; he smiled at her warmly. "I'll go to the palace with Uncle Yun and Prince Yun as instructed by His Excellency; you don't need to come in, so rest well."

Yun Qianyue said nothing, wearing a solemn expression.

"It's just some talk; is it worth getting upset over" Rong Jing's gentle gaze fell on her as he murmured softly, "Think about Jade Snow Flying Dragon!"

Hearing this, Yun Qianyue's anger subsided abruptly. She glared at Rong Jing and said tartly, "Didn't you say we were going to the palace What are you still doing here"

"Yes, we're going!" Rong Jing put down his hand and smiled warmly before turning to walk towards a black carriage standing nearby. He soon got in; the curtain fell back as Xian Ge flicked the whip and the carriage set off toward the palace.

Everyone watched silently as Rong Jing's carriage left.

Yun King approached and patted Yun Qianyue on the shoulder, whispering to her, "Your mother was traded for your brother by Zishu with Luo Yao; she stayed behind to keep you company. She’s at your Shallow Moon Pavilion now."

Yun Qianyue's eyes lit up as she looked at Yun King and then turned to Yu Zishu.

Yu Zishu was closest to Yun Qianyue; he naturally heard what Yun King said. When he saw her look, he smiled and nodded at her.

The sternness melted from Yun Qianyue's face as she thought of how close Yu Zishu truly was to her. Ye Tianyi was a Night prince with night blood in his veins; why had she ever thought that someone who looked like him wouldn't hurt her Her eyes watered slightly, but she restrained herself and whispered instead, "Zishu, you're so kind!"

"It's natural to be kind to Yun," said Yu Zishu with a warm tone.

Yun Qianyue blinked back tears that threatened to fall. A smile broke through her gloom from the moment before.

"You brat! This kid has never been nice to any girl except you; if not for discovering Xiao Jing's feelings for you, I and your mother were planning on marrying him to you in the future." Yun King finished speaking and saw Yun Qianyue turn back to look at him. He smiled and added, "But it’s good now too. Zishu is so kind—if you two end up together, he’ll have to obey everything you say without a word of complaint! Xiao Jing wouldn’t do that for you; that much I can guarantee.

When Cloud Qianyue heard this, she rolled her eyes and stressed, "I'm very well-behaved!"

"Well-behaved" The Marquis of Cloud顯然不同意,"Every woman in the world is obedient except you."

Just as Cloud Qianyue was about to refute him, the Marquis of Cloud turned and walked towards his carriage. He grabbed her hand and whispered, "Are you sure your mother staying here is to accompany me, not you"

The Marquis of Cloud's eyes flickered, and he smiled, saying, "Father might be very busy in the near future, but you probably won’t be too busy. You should make it clear that you have an attitude like burning the will as on that day; nobody can force you to do anything against your will. Therefore, the time your mother spends with you may be more than I."

Hearing this, Cloud Qianyue snorted and let go of his hand.

The Marquis of Cloud turned around and walked towards his carriage.

This conversation between them lasted only a moment. Apart from Jade Zishu, everyone else was slightly farther away from Cloud Qianyue and didn't hear much, but they all saw her face warming up and the chill in the air softening, making them sigh with relief.

"Li, we are going to the palace!" The Marquis of Cloud called out to Cloud Li as he got into his carriage, before the curtain fell. "Yes, Father!" Cloud Li immediately responded and released Seventh Princess’s hand, saying to Cloud Qianyue, "Little sister, have a good rest! Don't be too upset about things you don’t like; we are here for anything that comes up." He then added: "Including Viscount Jing."

"Mm-hmm!" Cloud Qianyue nodded and smiled at Cloud Li.

“I am going to the palace. Your knees have been frostbitten from watching over the emperor's spirit during this heavy snowfall, while other princes and nobles didn’t even keep vigil for a day. You’ve done enough in terms of filial piety. Since my little sister has returned today, you can stay at home with her instead.” Cloud Li turned to Seventh Princess and said.

“Okay! I won't go to the palace today!” With a smile, Seventh Princess replied to Cloud Li.

Cloud Qianyue thought that originally, Seventh Princess’s knees were frostbitten from keeping vigil for the old emperor. She cast her gaze towards the princess's legs.

Cloud Li did not say anything further and walked toward his carriage.

In no time, two carriages of the Marquis of Cloud and Cloud Li headed to the imperial palace.

Seventh Princess withdrew her視線，看到雲淺月看著她的腿，低聲說：“雖然我不喜歡出身皇家，不喜歡父皇，不喜歡這個姓氏，但畢竟我還是父皇的女兒。如今我儘了孝道，也算是全了父女之情。”

"Mm, sister-in-law did the right thing!" Cloud Qianyue smiled at Seventh Princess and reached out to support her arm. Turning to Rong Feng, she asked: "It looks like you don’t have any issues. Didn't the Regent Prince give you any instructions"

"I also have matters with the Ministry of War but it’s less demanding compared to Viscount Jing's responsibilities. Upon hearing your return, I hurried here straight away. Now that everything seems fine with you, I need to head back and deal with my duties." Rong Feng glanced up and down at Cloud Qianyue. He noticed that her aura turned cold after Night Tianyi’s words but then brightened again upon what the Marquis of Cloud said; he thought it must be something that pleased her very much. Therefore, he didn’t probe further and shook his head.

"I am okay, you go ahead!" Cloud Qianyue waved him off.

Rong Feng glanced at Jade Zishu who nodded with a smile, then he lightly touched the ground with his toes and left in the direction from which he came.

“Zishu, are you coming to Cloud Manor or going back to Glory Manor” Cloud Qianyue asked Jade Zishu.

Before Jade Zishu could speak, Old Marquis of Cloud scolded her, “Stinky brat! The Crown Prince is already here at the gate; what kind of nonsense are you asking Of course he needs to come in!” After finishing his words, he pointed a walking stick towards Jade Zishu and called out, "Crown Prince, don’t pay attention to this stinky brat. Come with me."

Jade Zishu nodded, smiling, “If the Old Marquis invites me, how could I not follow”

"Then come in then! Go to my courtyard and let this stinky brat go back to her own quarters." Seeing Jade Zishu agreeing, the Old Marquis of Cloud turned around and walked into the courtyard.

Jade Zishu smiled and followed behind him.

"Old geezer!" Murmured Cloud Qianyue. Supporting Seventh Princess’s arm, she said: "Sister-in-law, let's go back home! Since your knees are already frostbitten, why come out here Besides, don’t you know me Nothing happens to anyone without something happening to me."

"Even though that is true, it’s so cold and snowy today. I worry about any misfortune befalling you." As Seventh Princess walked with Cloud Qianyue toward the residence, she continued saying: “Grandfather and Father are okay but my brother has been worried sick; he feels angry at himself for not being able to help since he doesn’t have martial arts skills.”

"My brother is really kind to me!" Yun Qianyue sincerely said.

The Seventh Princess smiled and said, "Your brother thinks that you are good to him. He feels guilty for not being able to help or take care of your affairs. Every day, he talks about his little sister this way and that, making me wonder if he only cares about her."

"My dear sister-in-law, from the tone of your words, it seems like you're jealous of my little sister!" Yun Qianyue looked at her with amusement.

The Seventh Princess blushed and angrily retorted to Yun Qianyue, "You truly are the stinky girl that Grandpa called you!"

Hearing about Lord Yun's old王爺，雲淺月微微哼了一聲，七公主見堵住了她的話頭，也笑了。

當走到淺月閣和西楓苑的岔路口時，雲淺月對七公主道：“嫂嫂，看你氣色不好，這幾天不用想也知道是怎麼過的。明日大殯，還是少不了叩頭，你回去歇著吧！”

七公主似乎的確有些支撐不住，點點頭，“好！”

雲淺月看向七公主的貼身婢女，那婢女立即走過來扶住七公主，她鬆開手，七公主向西楓苑走去，而她則抬步走向淺月閣。淩蓮和伊雪一直跟在雲淺月身後，見這會兒人都散了，二人便上前一步，一左一右地走在雲淺月身邊，齊聲問道：“小姐，這些日子您在哪裡待著？華笙姐姐和我們把京城內外都找遍了也冇找到您的藏身之處。”

"I was at the Western Hills Military Compound," Yun Qianyue replied.

“We did search the military compound!” Ling Lian and Yi Xue looked at her in puzzlement, "Besides, Prince Jing’s people were also looking for you. So were Prince Feng, Little Cold Prince, our lord and prince’s sentries, and also Little Tan Prince and the Regent's people. How is it that none of them found you"

"The place I was hiding in was very secluded; naturally, nobody would find me easily," Yun Qianyue smiled.

The two thought about it and agreed with her, so they no longer asked.

“Is my mother at the Moonlight Pavilion” Yun Qianyue guessed that since her father told her to go back to the pavilion, her mother should be there as well.

"Yes, the mistress is at the Moonlight Pavilion. We were all worried about you, but our lord and the mistress said you wouldn't do anything reckless because you aren’t stupid; besides, with Jade Prince protecting you, you’ll definitely be safe," Ling Lian whispered. "If not, we would’ve gone mad from worry."

Yun Qianyue patted their shoulders, saying, "Even if the sky were to collapse, I would still have my composure; don’t worry about such things in the future."

The two nodded.

When they returned to Moonlight Pavilion, everyone there had gathered at the door. U Mother and Ting Xue and Ting Yu led them. Yun Qianyue's attempt to burn the imperial edict in the palace a few days ago had already spread throughout the land; therefore, when they heard that she was back, they rushed forward to inquire about her well-being.

As Yun Qianyue looked at their familiar and delighted faces due to her return, her heart warmed once more. Staying in Heavenly Capital and Cloud Manor wasn’t because she couldn't leave for a better place; it was because there were people here who cared about her and whom she cared about—her grandfather, Rong Jing, and the matters entangled with them, which had both coldness and warmth.

After this commotion, everyone happily went back to their tasks.

Yun Qianyue pushed open the door of her room and saw Jade Qingqing sitting on the bed sewing something. She was so diligent that she seemed like a model wife and mother. After closing the door, Yun Qianyue didn't see her look up, and immediately said with displeasure, "Am I not your daughter"

Jade Qingqing finally looked up at her and smiled, saying, "Of course you're my daughter; so what if you left in a huff There's nothing to worry about."

"I'm not sure whether you're praising me or yourself," Yun Qianyue snorted. She walked over and stood before her, looking at the object she was sewing which seemed like it could be a robe for men; she raised an eyebrow. "You’re sewing clothes Is this my father’s"

“Yes!” Jade Qingqing nodded with a smile as her hands kept busy. “Ever since he learned that your mother can sew, these years he’s developed the habit of not wearing clothes from outside stores or even those made by imperial craftsmen in the palace. I have to make them for him myself.”

"That's quite an annoying habit!" Yun Qianyue grumbled.

Jade Qingqing smiled and said reproachfully, "You of all people don’t know that men enjoy wearing clothes made by their women. Your father is willing to wear anything I make for him regardless of whether it’s good or bad; even when he gets old and blind, if the clothes look ugly, he will still wear them. That's the greatest happiness and fulfillment a mother can have."

Yun Qianyue blinked as she stared at the clothes in Jade Qingqing's hands. The stitches were neat and fine; sewing was like flowing water to her, and looking at her making clothes made her look warm and kind, like spring flowers or autumn moonlight—she looked like a painting come to life. Who wouldn’t want to see such a scene It must have enchanted her father silly. She pursed her lips, "That’s because the clothes you make are good; if they were bad, my dad wouldn't wear them.

Yu Qingqing shook her head, "You now see Mama sewing clothes well, but that's the result of over a decade of practice. Back then, the clothes I sewed weren't too ugly, but they were still inferior to those bought from stores; stitches would even show through, yet your father wore them around town with satisfaction."

"That was just to make you happy back then! He probably wouldn't have had you sew for him anymore if he didn't do that. I bet it upset him!" Yun Qianyue deliberately said, "After marrying you home, he originally planned not to wear them anymore; but seeing your skill improve and surpass even those of skilled seamstresses, he continued wearing them up until now."

"You cheeky girl!" Yu Qingqing poked Yun Qianyue’s forehead with her free hand and scolded her, "You never say anything straightforward!"

Yun Qianyue sat down beside Yu Qingqing without saying another word and watched her sew.

"Prince Jing and your father went to the palace again" asked Yu Qingqing.

"Yes, they did," Yun Qianyue nodded.

Yu Qingqing sighed. "That day Mama was also in the palace. The Seventh Prince has always been stubborn; once he sets his mind on something, even reaching the Yellow River won't change it. He's smart, manipulative, strategic, and has status and identity. With such a determined nature, people like him are truly terrifying."

Yun Qianyue remained silent.

"Back then Mama didn’t know why you got along well with the Seventh Prince; secretly observing for some time, I found that you seemed happiest when around him. Thinking you liked him, I didn’t intervene. Only later did we learn Xiao Jing also likes you, but you’ve been avoiding him all along. Your father and I thought you disliked Xiao Jing even more so; thus, we never stopped it." Yu Qingqing sighed again, "Who knew things would turn out like this now Even if we had known, with our nature, we wouldn’t have intervened anyway. After all, we respect your thoughts and wishes; let everything happen naturally. Now there's cause and effect."

Yun Qianyue rubbed her forehead, somewhat gloomily saying, "Can you not mention him Whenever you do, it gives me a headache."

"Okay then! It’s your own business to resolve; if you can’t solve it, there's always Xiao Jing!" Yu Qingqing stopped talking.

Yun Qianyue thought how could something be resolved so easily She and Ye Tianyi had hit a dead end. Even with the entire world watching them, she repeatedly turned her back on him, turning him into a laughingstock, even if no one dared to laugh at him, this was still an insult to his pride and dignity, but he didn't care. What else could he do except force her onto that path Perhaps, even without her, he would have taken that route anyway, for the sake of Rong Jing. She wasn’t in the mood to think about it anymore; she put down her hand and asked Yu Qingqing, "Mama, teach me how to sew clothes!"

Yu Qingqing was surprised for a moment before laughing, "You want to make clothes for Xiao Jing"

Yun Qianyue originally wanted to refute this but swallowed it back and answered with an 'uh-huh.'

"Alright then! Mama will teach you! Xiao Jing’s probably going to be overjoyed!" Yu Qingqing said happily.

Yun Qianyue snorted, "He might even refuse to wear them because they’re not good enough for him. That person is much harder to please than my father; everything must be the best there is. He’s quite particular! Even a prince doesn’t have as high status as this young nobleman."

Yu Qingqing laughed, "My daughter has grown up!" Then she added, "Xiao Jing is indeed hard to satisfy, but it also depends on your skills!"

Yun Qianyue raised an eyebrow and thought secretly that if he didn’t wear what she made for him after she learned sewing just for him, then she wouldn't make another stitch for him. With this idea in mind, she urged, "Hurry up and teach me!"

"You just ran back from outside; aren’t you tired" Yu Qingqing asked Yun Qianyue.

"I’m not tired!" Yun Qianyue shook her head. "These few days I haven't done anything but walked a bit in the morning, so how could I be tired"

"Alright then! Let me teach you now!" Yu Qingqing spread out the clothes and began teaching Yun Qianyue about cutting patterns and sewing techniques.

Yun Qianyue listened carefully. Cutting didn't pose a problem for her; when she once took on the role of a clothing designer for a mission, her natural intelligence allowed her to grasp things quickly, even though she hadn’t delved deeply into it before. Combined with her abilities in drawing and expansive thinking skills, she was far better than most people at this task. The difficulty lay in the sewing techniques. Fortunately, however, she had an eidetic memory; she quickly memorized them after watching once or twice. Then she reached for Yu Qingqing's clothes, "Mama, let me try!"

"No! You have to practice on a spare cloth yourself. I'm almost done with this one and can't afford it to be ruined," Yu Qingqing refused.

Yun Qianyue glared at her, "I might sew even better than you!"

"Like daughter like mother; back then I had to ruin several pieces of cloth before making one piece of clothing. Do you really think I would believe that you can sew well right from the start" Yu Qingqing glanced at Yun Qianyue.

Yun Qianyue rolled her eyes, "Have you never heard of surpassing your teacher"

"You are indeed better than your mother in some aspects, but I don't believe you can do this." Yu Qingqing still shook her head.

Seeing that she was determined not to give it to her, Yun Qianyue shouted out loud, "Ling Lian!"

"Miss!" Ling Lian immediately responded.

"Go to the Rong王府and ask Qing Shang for a piece of cloth made from silk thread; it's the same material that Rong Jing is wearing." Yun Qianyue instructed Ling Lian.

"Yes, I'll go right away!" Ling Lian hurriedly replied.

"Wait, tell Qing Shang not to tell Rong Jing about this," Yun Qianyue added.

"Understood!" Ling Lian responded.

Yun Qianyue then turned and said to Yu Qingqing, "Watch me; I guarantee that my work will be better than yours."

"It's your first time using Rong Jing's silk thread to make clothes. Be careful not to brag too much in case you mess it up later," Yu Qingqing looked at Yun Qianyue with a smile.

Yun Qianyue snorted, if it wasn't for her looking so much like her mother, she would have doubted whether this woman was truly her birth mother. Where were any signs of maternal affection It had nothing to do with the kind and loving woman from Yun Qianyue's memory before she turned two years old. She then lay down sideways on the bed and rested her head on Yu Qingqing’s legs.

"Be careful, you might get pricked," Yu Qingqing looked at Yun Qianyue sternly.

With closed eyes, Yun Qianyue said, "If you're willing to sacrifice, go ahead and prick me."

"It's no wonder your grandfather calls you a stinky girl!" Yu Qingqing helplessly watched her. She could only lift the sewing up to avoid pricking Yun Qianyue.

Yun Qianyue didn't say anything more, and mother and daughter continued with their activities – one pretending to sleep while the other kept sewing.

A short time later, Ling Lian returned from Rong王府with not only a piece of cloth but also Qing Shang who was carrying a set of clothes. Seeing Yun Qianyue, Qing Shang's eyes were full of smiles, "Miss Yun Qianyue, I brought my young master’s robe because I feared you might lack a reference pattern."

Yun Qianyue looked at Qing Shang and asked, "How did you know that I wanted to make him clothes"

Covering her mouth with a laugh, Qing Shang replied, "This silk thread is used either for his handkerchiefs or his clothing. You took such a large piece of cloth; it can't possibly be for his handkerchief. Moreover, you forbade me from telling him about this, so obviously it's to make clothes."

Before Yun Qianyue could respond, Yu Qingqing said with a smile, "You're quite smart!"

"Could there be any fools around him" Yun Qianyue retorted at Yu Qingqing and waved her hand at Qing Shang as she warned, “Don’t tell him about this.”

Qing Shang laughed and said, "I won't tell him. I hope my young master will be able to wear the clothes you made tomorrow," then left.

Holding that set of clothes, Yun Qianyue didn’t need to see it since she had memorized every pattern and size Rong Jing wore over time. She didn’t want to make something similar to what he currently wears, so she took out her ink brush and drew several designs on paper before comparing them.

Yu Qingqing saw Yun Qianyue drawing at the table and curiously walked over to look. Afterward, she praised with a smile, "My daughter is indeed smart; perhaps you can do better than your mother’s first attempt."

"Of course!" Yun Qianyue proudly raised her eyebrows and selected what she thought was the best design before taking out scissors to cut the fabric. Yu Qingqing stood by watching and said in a mutter, "Mother is indeed getting old," as Yun Qianyue's first attempt was so precise that it was unbelievable.

"Old" Yun Qianyue retorted at her mother. "Go look in the mirror; if I say you're my sister, no one would believe otherwise."

Hearing this, Yu Qingqing laughed and said with a sigh, "You've grown up; if you marry sooner, your mother can hold your grandchild soon. The outside may not be old, but inside it is."

Yun Qianyue didn't say anything and thought to herself that she could also hold her own grandchildren.

The Jade Imperial Crown Prince arrived at the Qianyue Pavilion from Lord Yun's residence around noon, and after sitting there for a while, he saw the robe in Yun Qianyu’s hand. He examined it carefully and said with a smile, "Qianyu also wants to become an exemplary wife and mother!"

Yun Qianyu blushed. She thought about how she used to buy clothes for Seventh Brother every time before. Now that many years had passed, would he still think of her when he put on his clothes He surely would! But now she was making clothes for others while he—where was the person who used to make clothes for him Her heart ached as she told him, "If you stay in Heaven Saint longer, I’ll make two sets of robes for you. However, First Prince cannot take them without paying me silver."

"Alright!" The Jade Imperial Crown Prince suddenly chuckled and nodded slowly.

The Jade Imperial Crown Prince left the Yun Residence to go to the Rong王府 (should remain as "Rong王府" since it's a proper noun referring to a specific place or title). After her figure disappeared from the Qianyue Pavilion, Jade Qingqing hit Yun Qianyu’s head and cursed, "You darned brat!"

Yun Qianyu opened her hand and didn’t dare to retaliate since she was her mother. She only glared at her.

This day, Jade Qingqing and Yun Qianyu spent the whole day in their room making clothes. They occasionally chatted, making time pass quickly.

In the evening, Yun Qianyu had made half of a robe. It wasn’t as terrible as Jade Qingqing imagined; although her hands were a little rusty, she still sewed better than most seamstresses. If not carefully inspected, it would be hard to tell. More impressive was her unique style of cutting and sewing, making the clothes in Heaven Saint look even more splendid.

When Yun King returned from the palace at dusk, he came to the Qianyue Pavilion, saw the robe in Yun Qianyu’s hand, praised it, then sighed, “My daughter is really extraordinary!” He happily put on the robe made by Jade Qingqing, which fit him perfectly.

Yun Qianyu rolled her eyes at him several times.

After dinner, when night had already fallen, Yun King and Jade Qingqing left. Naturally, Jade Qingqing couldn’t show her face in public, so she disguised herself as a long-serving attendant following Yun King.

Yun Qianyu stared at the two who had just left for a while before continuing to sew clothes when she saw it was still early.

An unusual wind blew outside, and Linglian, Yixue, and the dark guards of the Qianyue Pavilion appeared simultaneously to stop whoever had come.

Yun Qianyu looked out the window and saw Ye Qingran standing in the middle of the encirclement. Usually, his voice would be heard before he arrived, but this time, he stood there silently for a long while. She frowned, put away the robe she was holding, walked to the bed, and opened the window.

When the window opened, a cold wind blew in, instantly lowering the room’s temperature.

Linglian, Yixue, and the guards looked at her. She waved them off, and they all withdrew.

"Brat!" Ye Qingran looked at Yun Qianyu through the window; his voice was hoarse when he spoke.

Yun Qianyu stared back at him. Although it was dark outside, the aura around him was even darker, and he seemed somewhat haggard. His clothes were creased, indicating that he hadn’t had much rest recently. She looked at him without saying anything.

"Brat, how do I rank in your heart" Ye Qingran stared at Yun Qianyu’s face and asked again.

Yun Qianyu’s eyes flickered slightly but still didn’t speak.

"I doubt you even place me third or fourth. Could it be tenth, or twentieth" Seeing her pursed lips, Ye Qingran lowered his eyelashes and said with a bitter tone: "Or maybe I overestimated myself; I’m insignificant."

Hearing this, Yun Qianyu finally spoke in a mild voice, "Ye Qingran, did you come just to say this I don’t think it’s worth discussing."

"I overestimated both me and you." Ye Qingran seemed not to hear what Yun Qianyu said as he murmured. When she reached out to close the window, he stopped her first. Looking up at her, his eyes showed something stirring within them. He spoke firmly: "Brat, let’s cut ties."

–––Extracurricular Note–––

Recently there have been many things happening—writing stories, family activities, and social circle matters, too numerous to list. Xiangxiang Literature Network gives authors three days off every month, but since I started writing, I haven’t taken a single day off. As long as I can keep going, I won’t ask for leave. Although updates might sometimes be late, I’ll try my best to update if possible. Generally, I update at 8 AM daily, but in case of special situations where I can't finish on time, someone will notify the update time in the comment section. So please understand me; know that I am always trying my best!

At the end of the month when monthly votes reset, beautiful readers, your monthly votes are absolutely unparalleled motivation for me! Kisses!uld dare to attempt such an audacious move at midday, even daring to openly assassinate them on the streets of the capital with a hundred or so secret agents and elite warriors. Her first thought was...