Fafa: [Master, Luo Xuan is asking you to give the medicine to Xuan Yanyu on the day of the wedding. Do you dare? She says that if you help her complete the wedding with Qi Qingchen, she’ll help you and Xuan Yanyu. Do you believe her? She’s just using you.]

[Does that matter? What matters is that Qi Qingchen successfully marries Luo Xuan!] Yan Yuning raised an eyebrow. Why would Luo Xuan think Xuan Yanyu would drink something she provided?  

Fafa: […Master, are you really going to give Xuan Yanyu the medicine? Scheming against him never ends well. If you listen to Luo Xuan, you might be finished even sooner!]

[You’re so noisy!] Yan Yuning tossed the medicine packet directly into the bamboo basket.  

Picking up a piece of pastry from the plate, she took a satisfied bite and pushed open the door of her room.  

She walked past the pavilion, stuffing the rest of the pastry into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out slightly as she pretended to be in a hurry. With a creak, she forcefully pushed open the door to Xuan Yanyu’s room.  

“Xuan Yan…yu.” Yan Yuning’s gaze swept across the room, landing on an unfamiliar face.  

[Fafa, who is this?]

Fafa: [Ye Jian, Xuan Yanyu’s bodyguard.]

Xuan Yanyu looked up at her, his long fingers lightly tapping the desk.  

“Xuan Yanyu, I know where my sister is.” Yan Yuning stepped forward, grabbed his hand, and pulled him outside.  

Feeling the warmth in his palm, Xuan Yanyu’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, his gaze lingering on her slender fingers as his throat tightened.  

Ye Jian and Ye Chen exchanged a glance and silently followed them.  

Distracted, Xuan Yanyu let Yan Yuning drag him all the way into her room.  

The girl planted one hand on her hip and pointed at the medicine packet she had just thrown into the bamboo basket with the other, her voice filled with feigned anger as she huffed, “Xuan Yanyu, can you believe it? Luo Xuan actually wanted me to drug you! Do I look like that kind of person to you?”  

As her grip loosened, Xuan Yanyu subconsciously frowned.  

Yan Yuning swallowed hard. [Fafa, what does his frown mean?!]  

Fafa: [Master, I don’t know.]

“Xuan Yanyu!” Yan Yuning suddenly leaned in close to him.  

Xuan Yanyu lowered his gaze to look at her, his voice deep and husky. “What did you just say?”  

His breath brushed against her cheek, and Yan Yuning’s eyelashes fluttered as she hastily pulled back, coughing lightly. “I… I said Luo Xuan took my sister away.”  

The man narrowed his eyes. “How would you know that?”  

Yan Yuning rolled her eyes internally and lifted her chin. “Well, she came to deliver the medicine and proposed a deal.”  

Xuan Yanyu’s gaze shifted from her face to the bamboo basket, his lips curling in disdain. “Seeking death.”  

Yan Yuning bit her lip, her breath catching as she stammered, “I… I think we should go along with her plan. She wants to marry Qi Qingchen—why don’t we help her?”  

Fafa: [Master, brilliant! Knowing you can’t afford to offend Xuan Yanyu but not wanting to miss this opportunity, you’re dragging him into it too.]

[…]

“Think about it. My sister follows Qi Qingchen around every day simply because he’s still unmarried. If Qi Qingchen gets married, my sister will be heartbroken and definitely won’t stay by his side anymore. Maybe then she’ll finally notice the people around her.” Yan Yuning hinted meaningfully.  

The man chuckled, his low voice resonating. “Why would you help Luo Xuan? What’s your goal?”  

Yan Yuning paused. “My goal… is just… I don’t want to keep running around anymore. You know, with my sister gone, I don’t dare return to the Prime Minister’s residence alone. Only if my sister gives up on Qi Qingchen will she go back, and then I can return too.”  

As she spoke of returning home, the girl’s eyes sparkled brightly.

Xuan Yanyu’s lips moved slightly as he silently watched her.  

“So, should we help them?” Yan Yuning continued to persuade.  

“Wasn’t it you who used to call Qi Qingchen ‘Ah Chen’ every day? Now you’re pushing him into Luo Xuan’s arms—can you really bear it?” The man spoke with a mocking tone.  

Yan Yuning twitched her lips and said leisurely, “Calling him ‘Ah Chen’ doesn’t mean I like him. Why wouldn’t I be able to bear it?”  

Xuan Yanyu snorted. “Who was it that swore she’d marry no one but him?”  

Yan Yuning stiffened awkwardly, her voice soft and low. “I was joking. If I really liked him, why would I push him toward someone else?”  

The corner of Xuan Yanyu’s lips lifted slightly.  

“So, can we?” The girl tugged at his sleeve, her voice sweet and coaxing.  

Xuan Yanyu’s throat moved. “Can you guarantee Luo Xuan won’t hurt A’Yao?”  

“She won’t. Luo Xuan wouldn’t hurt my sister.”  

Xuan Yanyu removed Yan Yuning’s hand and raised his eyes to meet her gaze. “How can you be so sure she won’t hurt A’Yao?”  

Yan Yuning pressed her lips together. Fafa said that in the original plot, she didn’t harm her!!!

How was she supposed to explain that to him?  

After staring at him for a moment, her little brain worked furiously. “Luo Xuan promised me. She said she wouldn’t hurt my sister. You can trust her.”  

“You actually believe her just because she said so? What I want is absolute safety for A’Yao.” With that, the man turned and walked out of the room.  

Fafa: [Master, you told him Luo Xuan took Yan Shiyao. It won’t be long before he rescues her. In the book, Yan Shiyao wasn’t saved until the wedding day. You’ve ruined Luo Xuan’s plan. She’s obsessed with Qi Qingchen—she won’t let you off.]

Fafa: [In the book, when Yan Shiyao ruined her plans, Luo Xuan nearly killed her. But Yan Shiyao had the male lead and the second male lead protecting her. What about you?]

Yan Yuning gulped hard. [What am I supposed to do? Should we run now??]

Fafa: [The village is full of Luo Xuan’s people. Where can you run to??]

Yan Yuning slumped onto the wooden chair in defeat. [Fa Fa, am I really going to die here??]

Fafa: [Master…]

Yan Yuning lowered her eyes and picked up the last few pieces of pastry on the table, nibbling on them slowly.  

The sweet, soft flavor spread in her mouth, and she shook her head. [Ah, who knows if I’ll ever get to eat this again.]

Fafa: […]

“Don’t hurt her.” A weak voice drifted through the door crack.  

Yan Yuning’s eyelid twitched. Without thinking, she stood up and flung the door open.  

The scene outside made her pupils constrict sharply. Xuan Yanyu held a long sword, its blade pressed against Luo Xuan’s neck, a trail of blood sliding down the steel and dripping onto the ground.  

Luo Xuan knelt, not daring to even breathe heavily.  

“Brother Yu, don’t hurt her.”  

“She hurt you.” Xuan Yanyu frowned, his grip on the hilt tightening slightly.  

Luo Xuan let out a muffled groan as the blade bit deeper into her skin. The stinging pain made the corners of her eyes turn red. She licked her lips, her gaze filled with resentment.  

[Fafa, you lied to me? Didn’t you say she wouldn’t hurt my sister?] Yan Yuning’s fingers clenched the wooden door. Seeing the blood staining Yan Shiyao’s hands, her scalp prickled.  

She had just assured Xuan Yanyu that Luo Xuan wouldn’t harm her sister, and now—her sister was injured!  

Fafa: [Master, Yan Shiyao hurt herself! It has nothing to do with Luo Xuan!]

“She didn’t hurt me. I was the one who tried to break out of the hidden room and accidentally cut my hands on the lock.” Yan Shiyao’s eyes were rimmed red.  

Brother Qi still needed Luo Xuan—she couldn’t let anything happen to her.  

Xuan Yanyu’s gaze remained icy. “It’s still her fault. If she hadn’t locked you up, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”