Bai Liuyue had just opened her door when she saw Xie Manyu's movements in the corridor looking somewhat furtive.
She said softly,
"Are you doing something sneaky?"
Xie Manyu was startled, her whole body trembling as her heart skipped a beat.
She slowly turned around and quickly walked over to her, complaining,
"Next time, could you give a warning before you speak? Don't you know that startling someone like that can scare a person to death?"
Bai Liuyue curved her lips into a smile and replied,
"It's because you were the one acting all sneaky, like a thief."
Upon hearing this, Xie Manyu immediately raised her head in anger and said, "I am not being sneaky! It's just..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of a lock turning came from Bai Baocheng's room—someone was about to come out.
In her panic, Xie Manyu quickly grabbed Bai Liuyue's hand and pulled her into her own room, gently closing the door before the other person emerged.
"See? Isn't this exactly what a guilty conscience looks like?"
Bai Liuyue stood there with her arms crossed, her eyes carrying a hint of scrutiny.
Xie Manyu, who had hastily hidden in the room, blushed crimson but couldn't explain her earlier actions. She stammered,
"N-no, it's not. I haven't done anything bad."
"I just came upstairs to check on my sister-in-law because I was worried, and then..."
Bai Liuyue: "And then what?"
Xie Manyu pursed her lips, seeming to consider whether she should continue.
She shook her head slightly and suddenly countered with a question:
"By the way, aren't you the Second Young Lady of the Bai family? Why is Bai Baocheng, your cousin, so cold toward you?"
"At dinner today, it seemed like you two didn't exchange a single word."
Not bad, she's quite observant, it seems.
Bai Liuyue curled the corner of her lips and replied evasively,
"In Jinzhong, I rarely left the house, not even stepping beyond the inner courtyard. Even with my cousin, we haven't interacted much, so naturally, we're not very familiar."
Of course, the real reason was undoubtedly the discord between the two branches of the Bai family.
How could the relationship between their children be good?
Xie Manyu nodded, half-convinced.
A flicker of amusement passed through Bai Liuyue's eyes as she said in a light tone,
"So, can you continue now? What were you doing sneaking around in the third-floor corridor?"
"Playing detective?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Manyu's eyes lit up with a touch of excitement.
She even took a proactive step forward and grabbed Bai Liuyue's arm.
"Right? You also think I have the potential to be a detective?"
This was the closest moment the two had shared in over a week of acquaintance.
Bai Liuyue's gaze fell on the wrist being gripped, thinking to herself: These siblings are so similar in their ways, always grabbing people's wrists at the drop of a hat.
Xie Manyu abruptly let go, wearing an awkward smile.
But she still persisted, repeating, "You also think I have the potential to be a detective, right?"
So... this willful young lady from the Northwest Commander's Mansion dreams of being a detective?
In such situations, it's best to stroke her ego.
Bai Liuyue looked at her with a very affirmative and approving gaze, saying,
"Yes, your instincts are sharp, your observation skills remarkable—you definitely have the potential to be a detective."
"I thought so from the very first moment I met you."
Praised, Xie Manyu smiled somewhat bashfully, shyly turning her head slightly as her cheeks flushed pink.
She muttered quietly,
"Although you're not exactly likable, your intuition is pretty accurate."
Bai Liuyue, still curious, inquired,
"So, may I ask, Detective, what did you discover in the corridor just now that had you so engrossed?"
"I only called out to you softly, and you nearly jumped out of your skin."
Xie Manyu immediately retorted, "I did not jump! I was just startled by you."
After saying this, she seemed to fall into thought again, unsure whether to continue sharing her discovery with Bai Liuyue.
After careful consideration...
Since Bai Liuyue could recognize her detective potential, and her words were somewhat pleasing to hear, perhaps she wasn't that bad after all.
Maybe she could tell her.
After a moment of hesitation, Xie Manyu chose to trust her.
She told the truth:
"At dinner just now, my sister-in-law seemed upset ever since she saw her elder brother from her maiden family arrive. I know she's afraid of leaving the Commander's Mansion."
"So I thought I'd come up to comfort her. But before I even reached the third floor, I saw her knock on Bai Baocheng's door..."
"Oh." Bai Liuyue nodded. "It's normal for her to catch up with her brother after not seeing him for so long."
Xie Manyu, however, unusually objected:
"No, it's not. Before entering, my sister-in-law looked left and right, as if afraid of being seen, and she closed the door immediately after going in."
"That behavior is clearly not normal."
Bai Liuyue seemed thoughtful.
But her reply remained perfunctory: "Maybe they had something important to discuss."
Xie Manyu hesitated again.
She lowered her head sheepishly and muttered quietly,
"I really didn't mean to eavesdrop, but seeing my sister-in-law acting so strangely, I just..."
"I leaned against the door and listened for a bit."
As she spoke, she pinched her thumb and forefinger together to illustrate.
"A bit?" Bai Liuyue expressed doubt.
"Alright, alright! I listened for quite a while."
Xie Manyu stamped her foot in frustration and explained,
"I was afraid that if Bai Baocheng was very insistent on taking my sister-in-law away, or if he might scold her... I was just worried."
"Mhm." Bai Liuyue still nodded dismissively, appearing uninterested.
Xie Manyu had been wrestling with whether to tell her, but seeing how little Bai Liuyue seemed to care,
she also grew somewhat angry.
"Hey! Bai Liuyue, aren't you even curious about what they talked about?"
Bai Liuyue picked up a medical book from the desk and began flipping through it on her own, showing little interest in the topic.
"Oh, not really. Besides, even if I asked, you wouldn't tell me."
"Who says? You didn't even ask! How do you know I wouldn't tell you?" Xie Manyu, feeling contrary, quickly stepped forward and closed the book's cover.
She appeared quite domineering and forceful.
Bai Liuyue looked up at her somewhat helplessly.
"You're so close with my cousin. No matter what she does, you'd take her side. Why would you tell me?"
"...Who says? I'm close with my sister-in-law because she's my brother's wife. But if... if she doesn't treat my brother well, then I wouldn't help her harm him either."
Xie Manyu widened her round eyes, looking perfectly clear-headed.
Not easy—this young lady has finally figured it out.
I was really worried Bai Baozhu had brainwashed her into foolishness.
Then again, the daughter of the Northwest Commander couldn't possibly be a naive simpleton.
Bai Liuyue took the opportunity to continue, "Alright, then tell me, what did they talk about in the room?"
Seeing that Bai Liuyue was finally interested in the matter, Xie Manyu couldn't help but show a proud and triumphant expression on her face.
She raised her head haughtily.
"You want to know? Beg me."
