Seeing her like this, Nan Xun still offered a few heartfelt words of comfort.
"It's alright, it's all in the past. Everyone has their youthful days," Nan Xun waved his hand, then grew more serious. "But you haven’t told anyone else about these things, have you?"
Jiu Yue shook her head, her gaze sharp. "The more you say, the more mistakes you make. I haven’t dared mention it to anyone."
Now that she’d lost her memory, she couldn’t even distinguish friend from foe. Revealing anything would be like a werewolf outing itself.
Nan Xun nodded in approval. "Good, at least you still have some brains. Don’t forget what I told you before—those nobles in the capital are all secretly hoping for each other’s downfall. Now that you’re under the Regent Prince’s command, if you expose your past ties to Prince Ping, you might end up dead any day."
Jiu Yue’s expression turned grave.
Being an assassin was indeed a high-risk profession.
Sometimes, you even had to eliminate your former superior to gain your current one’s trust.
Brutal. Absolutely brutal.
Jiu Yue shook her head and didn’t elaborate further. She still needed more time to piece together her past. Just as she was about to stand up, there was a rustling sound from the courtyard wall.
Nan Xun glanced over, idly spinning his teacup. "Did you bring someone with you?"
Jiu Yue gave him a cautious look, suddenly unsure. "...Are you someone who can’t be seen?"
Nan Xun: "?"
"Wait, no, that’s not what I meant," Jiu Yue quickly corrected herself. "I just thought, since you’re usually out and about, you wouldn’t mind being seen, right?"
Nan Xun: "..."
Nan Xun sighed, staring at her. "Of course I can be seen. Have you considered that maybe it’s you who shouldn’t be seen?"
Jiu Yue: "?"
Nan Xun shook his head and poured another cup of tea. "Since you’ve brought someone, it’d be rude not to invite them in for a drink."
Jiu Yue let out an "Oh" and obediently stepped outside, only to find Qiu Dongfang looking utterly defeated.
Upon closer inspection, his robe was soaked.
Jiu Yue: "..."
A bad feeling crept up on her. She silently turned to the puppy, whose innocent button eyes stared right back.
Qiu Dongfang spoke first. "Your dog."
The humiliation on his face said it all.
Jiu Yue hurriedly ushered him inside, apologizing sincerely. "I’m really sorry. I didn’t think this through. I’ll make sure to train it properly from now on... Uh, how about some tea?"
Nan Xun looked up to see a disgruntled man and Jiu Yue, holding the puppy, apologizing profusely.
After catching a few words of the exchange, Nan Xun: "..."
Even Nan Xun was speechless.
He’d originally planned to test whether this guy was friend or foe, but now, thanks to a certain accident, the poor man was in no mood for tea.
Nan Xun gave Jiu Yue a sidelong glance, silently impressed by her current state of cluelessness.
She’d never been this soft-hearted before.
In the end, no tea was drunk. After a brief introduction, Nan Xun saw them out, casually inviting them to visit again sometime.
Jiu Yue shot him a suspicious look but suddenly felt something slip into her palm.
Her expression didn’t change as she waved goodbye and left, puppy in tow.
Despite his mood, Qiu Dongfang hadn’t missed their interaction. Once they were out of the alley, he asked casually, "You seemed surprised earlier. Is your friend not usually hospitable?"
Jiu Yue smiled. "No, he prefers quiet... But I think tonight, he felt he didn’t host properly, so he wanted to make it up next time."
Qiu Dongfang rubbed his chin. "He looked familiar, though."
Jiu Yue tilted her head. "Of course he does! He’s the storyteller at Ruyi Pavilion. We passed by there earlier."
Qiu Dongfang’s eyes lit up. "No wonder... Seeing him made me think of a certain phrase."
Jiu Yue: "?"
Qiu Dongfang said, "Stay tuned for the next installment."
Jiu Yue: "..."
She couldn’t help but laugh.
The night had been embarrassing, but now Qiu Dongfang chuckled along. The two of them returned to the manor, arms full of packages... only to freeze at the sight before them.
In the corridor, Sima Qing sat in his wheelchair, glancing sideways at them with a smile. "Back so soon? I thought I’d need a grand procession to fetch you."
Qiu Dongfang immediately wiped the grin off his face.
Jiu Yue stopped laughing too.
She checked the time and couldn’t resist pointing out, "Your Highness, you only gave us half a day off. It hasn’t even been that long yet."
Qiu Dongfang winced internally.
How could she say that out loud?
Sima Qing: "?"
Sima Qing asked, "Are you the prince, or am I?"
Jiu Yue looked up. "Obviously you are."
If she were the prince, would she be the one getting snarked at right now?
Sima Qing stared at her for a long moment before motioning for his attendant to wheel him away. "Get your ass to the study."
Qiu Dongfang shot her a sympathetic look before scurrying off to change. Jiu Yue grumbled inwardly but followed Sima Qing into the study.
The entire way, Sima Qing reminded himself to stay calm and not let Jiu Yue get to him. Just as he’d finally composed himself, he turned around to see her holding a dog.
Sima Qing looked up. "Why did you bring a dog back?"
Jiu Yue blinked, offering a sweet smile. "Your Highness, I want to keep it."
Sima Qing scoffed. "Don’t tell me you plan to bring this mutt on missions or when guarding me?"
Jiu Yue looked shocked. "Of course not! I’ll keep it in my room. It won’t run around or make a mess."
Sima Qing: "Do dogs understand human speech?"
Jiu Yue: "How do you know they don’t?"
Sima Qing: "..."
Talking to her was a trap. One wrong step, and you’d fall right into her nonsense.
Sima Qing’s expression darkened. "No. My manor wasn’t built for you to raise pets."
Jiu Yue: "...No room for negotiation?"
Sima Qing gave her a sidelong glance. "None."
Jiu Yue: "..."
She turned to leave. "Give me half an hour to pack. Tomorrow, I’ll disappear with the dog."
Honestly, she still had Prince Ping to deal with anyway. Staying in the Regent Prince’s manor was purely optional.
If he couldn’t tolerate a dog today, he’d turn on her tomorrow! Jiu Yue could tell—Sima Qing had been side-eyeing her for ages!
And it wasn’t just him. Aside from Qiu Dongfang, everyone here seemed to have it out for her.
She’d originally treated this place like an immersive murder mystery game, but now there was workplace bullying too? Screw that!
If it weren’t for the fact that she was new here and didn’t want to wander aimlessly—plus, the Regent Prince’s benefits were decent—she’d have spat in Sima Qing’s face and quit on the spot!
Jiu Yue’s mood soured instantly. When she stormed out of the study, the door slammed behind her with a deafening crash.
Sima Qing: "......?"
From the shadows, Mo Jin emerged cautiously. "Your Highness, what now? She seems serious about leaving."
Outside, Qiu Dongfang rushed in, confused. "Your Highness, what happened? Jiu Yue’s packing her things... Uh, why’s the door broken?"
Fu Yu rushed in a step late, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably. "Your Highness, Prince Ping, Jiu Yue is coming with her blade!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Mo Jin and Qiu Dongfang swiftly moved to shield Sima Qing. Moments later, the other half of the study door was kicked to splinters.
Jiu Yue stormed in with a scowl, slamming her heavy cleaver onto the table. "Pay up. Two days' work—ten taels of silver. I quit!"
The three men: "..."
Sima Qing: "..."
