No one expected that Ninth's dangerous potential for turning dark could be completely neutralized simply because Chu'he willingly indulged him in making "little treasures"—even going so far as to pin him down and teach him a lesson a few times, leaving him too exhausted to continue any dark tendencies.
After days of fooling around with Ninth, Chu'he had played so fiercely that by the end, whenever she tried to slip under the covers, Ninth would retreat to a corner, legs tightly pressed together, shrinking into himself with wide, nervous crimson eyes fixed on her.
He looked utterly pitiful and helpless—like a delicate victim thoroughly wrecked by a wicked seductress.
Chu'he suddenly felt like a shameless, villainous flower thief. Wrapped in the blanket, she sat on the bed, too embarrassed to crawl in any further.
Night had fallen, the time when nocturnal activities usually began.
With innocent eyes and a pure expression, Chu'he suggested, "How about we just chat under the covers tonight?"
The boy in the corner nodded, seemingly relieved.
So, Chu'he crawled toward him, and he opened his arms, pulling her into an embrace.
There was some truth to balancing work and rest—simply lying together, enjoying the quiet, was surprisingly comforting.
Resting her head on Ninth's chest, Chu'he idly twirled a strand of his white hair around her finger. "Ninth, I feel like I’ve forgotten something."
Ninth lay flat, drowsy, his eyelids heavy as he blinked slowly. "What is it?"
"I don’t know. It just slipped my mind."
Ninth yawned, rolling onto his side to face her. His chin rested atop her head as he mumbled lazily, "If you can’t remember, it must not be important."
Chu'he lifted her gaze. "Not important?"
He nodded. "The most important thing in your heart should be making little treasures with me."
Chu'he giggled, brushing the tip of his hair against his face playfully. "Ninth, you make such a good point!"
[Have you two forgotten about the male lead still locked in the water dungeon?!] The system shrieked in a human-like voice, [He’s about to die!]
Chu'he’s eyes sharpened with sudden clarity.
Right—Song Chunming was still imprisoned!
She bolted upright, tugging at Ninth. "Ninth, get up! We need to free Song Chunming!"
Exhausted from days of exertion, Ninth had finally been granted a reprieve—only to be dragged out of bed to rescue that Song guy. Naturally, he had zero motivation.
"No. I’m sleepy."
He wrapped his arms around Chu'he, pulling her back down and pinning her beneath him.
Chu'he poked his cheek. "Ninth, Brother Fang is still worried sick about his missing junior. He’s a good man—he helped us before. And he’s your sworn brother, remember? He even calls me ‘sister-in-law.’"
Ninth lay motionless atop her, his frown deepening until, finally, he opened his eyes with a resentful glare.
"Damn that stubborn ox."
If Song Chunming weren’t Fang Songhe’s junior, Ninth would’ve happily left him to rot. But alas, Fang Songhe had to be saddled with such a disciple!
Late at night, Fang Songhe wandered the empty streets, still searching for Song Chunming. Suddenly, he sneezed.
The righteous and noble hero assumed it was fatigue from his fruitless search—not the fact that someone had inexplicably blamed him for their troubles.
Another night, another dead end.
Fang Songhe returned to the Chu residence in disappointment, only to run into Bai Lian at the gate.
Her eyes lit up at the sight of him. "Hero Fang, you’re back so late again! You must be exhausted. I just made some soup—it’s still warm. Would you like—"
"Thank you, but I must decline." Fang Songhe recoiled, stepping back hastily. "I still need to find my junior. Excuse me."
Bai Lian called after his retreating figure, "Oh, Song Chunming? Miaomiao and the others found him not long ago. He’s resting in the guest room now."
Fang Songhe froze in surprise before leaping into the air, darting toward the guest quarters in a flash.
Bai Lian watched his broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted silhouette vanish into the night, clutching her handkerchief with admiration. "Truly, a hero renowned in his youth—even his back view is breathtaking."
Glancing at the steaming bowl in her maid’s hands, she wrinkled her nose. "Such a waste. Premium tiger’s whip, nourishing and invigorating—cost me a fortune. And now it’ll just go to that wretched old man."
The maid kept her head down, pretending not to hear.
Fang Songhe rushed to the guest quarters, only to spot Ninth and Chu'he sitting on the steps.
Ninth was shelling pine nuts, and every time he freed a kernel, Chu'he snatched it from his fingers and popped it into her mouth before he could.
Ninth stared at her, aggrieved.
Chu'he met his gaze without remorse.
Sighing, he obediently shelled another, only for her to steal it again.
To an outsider, Ninth seemed meek and bullied—too timid to defend his snacks. But that assumption would be dead wrong.
In truth, he was fiercely possessive of his food. The only reason Chu'he could plunder his treats unscathed was because he allowed it.
Fang Songhe approached swiftly. "Ninth, I heard you found my junior."
Chu'he scrambled to her feet, clearing her throat. "Well, yes. Ninth was the one who rescued Song Chunming."
Ninth stood as well, eyes guileless. "Yep. I brought him back."
Fang Songhe smiled. "Thank you. I’ll go see him now."
Chu'he sidestepped, blocking his path. When Fang Songhe moved to go around, Ninth shifted to block him again.
Fang Songhe frowned. "What’s wrong?"
"We did bring him back, but…" Chu'he pinched her fingers together, forcing an awkward smile. "There’s a tiny complication."
She tugged Ninth’s sleeve.
Ninth, who had just stealthily popped a pine nut into his mouth (finally tasting his hard-earned snack after a long night), mimicked her gesture.
"Yep. A tiny complication."
Fang Songhe’s heart leapt to his throat. "Is my junior in mortal danger?"
Chu'he shook her head. "No, nothing like that."
Ninth echoed, "Nope, nothing like that."
"Then… is he missing limbs?"
Chu'he waved her hands. "No, no, nothing that extreme."
Ninth waved too. "Not that extreme."
If not that, then—Fang Songhe’s voice darkened. "Was he ambushed? Is he comatose, his mind beyond recovery?"
