“Tsk, look at that pitiful thing, staring with such a lovesick expression—how embarrassing. How can two children of the same mother be so different?”  

Xuan Yanyu couldn’t be bothered to look any longer. He withdrew his gaze, his slender fingers idly toying with a teacup.  

“Perhaps it’s because she wasn’t raised by the Prime Minister’s wife, which is why her temperament is so different,” Yechen chimed in.  

Fafa: [Master, Xuan Yanyu is gossiping about you.]

[???] 

Fafa: [He said you look lovesick and embarrassing!]*l  

[??? Who is he talking about? Saying I’m embarrassing? When was I ever lovesick?] Yan Yuning puffed up her cheeks in anger.  

Fafa: [No idea how he came to that conclusion.]

“Third Prince, Miss Yan, please.” Magistrate Chen’s eyes narrowed into slits as he smiled.  

Yan Yuning took a deep breath and turned to Qi Qingchen beside her, her voice still carrying a trace of lingering irritation. “Ah Chen, let’s go.”  

Qi Qingchen nodded.  

Before long, they arrived at the main hall of the magistrate’s residence.  

Chen Kai had already ordered a lavish feast to be prepared.  

“Third Prince, please forgive this humble fare,” Chen Kai said, pulling out a grand chair, his face plastered with an ingratiating smile.  

Yan Yuning glanced at the table—the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall in the blue-and-white porcelain tureen, the fragrant braised vegetarian “chicken,” the tender chicken wrapped in glutinous rice—and let out a soft gasp.  

[Fafa, and this is ‘humble fare’??]

Fafa: […]

“My lord, I heard we have esteemed guests in the residence?” A delicate, coquettish voice drifted in.  

Yan Yuning looked up to see a woman in red, her eyes and brows brimming with charm. Her dress was tailored to perfection, hugging her slender waist.  

Her steps were small, her hips swaying slightly, every movement oozing seduction.  

Chen Kai’s gaze was filled with undisguised infatuation.  

“My lord,” the woman giggled behind her sleeve.  

Chen Kai swallowed hard. “Third Prince, please pardon my impropriety. This is my concubine, Liu Sisi.”  

Liu Sisi’s eyes flickered as she dipped into a slight curtsy, her voice soft and sweet. “This humble one greets His Highness, the Third Prince.”  

Qi Qingchen raised a hand, his tone clear and gentle. “No need for formalities.”  

Yan Yuning blinked. [Fafa, a concubine gets to dine at the same table as a prince???]

Fafa: [My dear master, remember—this is a novel world.]

Yan Yuning: […]

Qi Qingchen elegantly wiped the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief. “Magistrate Chen, we’ll stop here for today.”  

Chen Kai’s heart skipped a beat. The Third Prince had barely touched the dishes—did he have some grievance against him?  

Hearing they were about to leave, Yan Yuning abandoned all pretense of restraint and hastily stuffed a few more bites into her mouth.  

Fafa: [Master, your image!!!]

[What image? If I have to share a table with Xuan Yanyu later, I’ll miss out on so much food. Might as well eat more now!] She shoveled another few mouthfuls, her cheeks bulging.  

Fafa: […]

“Third Prince, please follow me,” Chen Kai said, his tone dripping with sycophancy.  

Qi Qingchen frowned, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. He turned to Yan Yuning, his expression softening. “Ningning, wait here for a moment.”  

Yan Yuning nodded obediently.  

Liu Sisi’s eyes gleamed with calculation.  

“This young lady, you and the Third Prince…” Her voice carried a probing curiosity.  

Yan Yuning took a bite of a steamed bun, setting down her chopsticks with her fair fingers. “My surname is Yan. As for the Third Prince…”  

“Madam has arrived,” a maid announced.

Yan Yuning turned her head and saw a frail, beautiful woman being supported by a maid as she walked over.  

Liu Sisi curled her lips into a smile and spoke leisurely, “Sister, why have you come? You’re unwell—you should rest in your courtyard. Don’t risk infecting our lord’s esteemed guests.”  

As she spoke, she deliberately brushed aside her hair, revealing ambiguous red marks beneath her fair collarbone.  

Yan Yuning cleared her throat. She had just turned twenty when she transmigrated, and coincidentally, the original host in the novel’s setting was also twenty this year.  

Though neither she nor the original host had any experience in such matters… wasn’t this kind of thing embarrassing to show off in front of others???  

Bai Yue coughed lightly. Her face was deathly pale, her brows and eyes carrying the exhaustion of illness. “Miss Yan, don’t be afraid. My illness isn’t contagious.”  

She forced a faint smile.  

Yan Yuning waved her hand. “I’m not scared.”  

With Fafa by her side, what did she have to fear from illness? The only thing she feared was Xuan Yanyu killing her!  

Liu Sisi pinched a handkerchief between her fingers and theatrically covered her nose, her voice shrill. “Miss Yan, you should stay away from this sickly creature.”  

Bai Yue’s already weak body trembled with anger, and she suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.  

“Madam!” The maid, Xiaoyu, gasped in horror, her voice breaking with tears.  

“I’m fine. Where is the lord?” Bai Yue forced her frail body to stand firm.  

She had come today only to see Chen Kai. Normally, with Liu Sisi around, Chen Kai would never meet with her.  

But today, she had heard that esteemed guests had arrived at the residence. Surely, for the sake of his reputation, Chen Kai would see her.  

Her time was running out. If she were gone, how would her daughter survive in this household?  

“The lord is busy and has no time to see you,” Liu Sisi said, twirling a lock of hair around her finger.  

“I’m not in a hurry. I’ll wait here for him.”  

A flash of disgust crossed Liu Sisi’s eyes, her delicate lips curling into a cold smile.  

Yan Yuning watched in astonishment. How was the legitimate wife being suppressed by a concubine?  

Fafa: [Duh, Master, isn’t it obvious? Liu Sisi is favored, while Bai Yue isn’t.]

Yan Yuning: […]

“Miss Yan, may I speak with you alone?” Bai Yue asked nervously.  

Yan Yuning pursed her lips. “Sure.”  

Liu Sisi frowned, her voice saccharine. “Sister, is there something you can’t say here?”  

Bai Yue ignored her, a faint smile on her pale face. “Miss Yan, please.”  

In the rear garden.  

Yan Yuning absentmindedly plucked at a blooming flower.  

“Miss Yan, I beg you.” Bai Yue suddenly knelt before her.  

“Madam!” Yan Yuning exclaimed, reaching out to help her up.  

But Bai Yue remained motionless, stubbornly kneeling, tears glistening in her eyes. “Miss Yan, I know the one who came with you is His Highness, the Third Prince. I beg you—ask him for just one word on my behalf.”  

……  

Back at the inn, Yan Yuning sat at the table, propping her chin in her hands, her face full of conflict.  

[Fafa, how can I help Madame Bai? Is Qi Qingchen the type to meddle in others’ affairs?]

Fafa: [No, but if the female lead asked, he’d definitely agree.]

Yan Yuning slumped onto the table, sighing with her eyes closed. [Fafa, why didn’t I transmigrate as the female lead?!]

Fafa: [Master, what’s so great about the female lead? She still gets taken back to Xuanzhao Kingdom by Xuan Yanyu and gets threatened by him.]

[Still better than me.]

Yan Shiyao passed through the hall and saw Yan Yuning sprawled over the table. She frowned slightly. “Ningning, why are you sleeping here?”  

Then she turned to the man beside her and said softly, “Brother Yu, could you fetch a blanket for her?”  

Hearing the voice, Yan Yuning opened her eyes. “Sister, I wasn’t sleeping. I was just resting my eyes. Are you feeling better?”  

Yan Shiyao gazed at her tenderly, a faint smile on her lips. “I’m fine now. After a few more days of rest, we can set off. Have you been bored staying here?”  

“How could she be bored? Qi Qingchen just took her out for a stroll,” Xuan Yanyu remarked lazily, flicking nonexistent dust from his sleeve.