cold clothes

Leng Yi surveyed her bedroom, which would be her future residence for the foreseeable future. It wasn't large, but it was neatly furnished and contained two beds. This was a bad sign, indicating that she would be under surveillance even at night, making it difficult to meet with her mole at Fengxiang Tower.

In that case, the worst-case scenario would be that he would choose to protect himself and be unable to help Fengxianglou in any way.

Zhao Yin had previously asked her to find out the generals of the Wang family faction within six months, but two months have passed and there has been no progress. Besides, does Zhao Yin really need her to gather information? After all, two months have passed and Zhao Yin has not contacted her at all. She had been sleepless the night Zhao Qun entered the palace, fearing that Zhao Yin would come looking for her, but the result told her that her worries were in vain.

Sitting on the bed, the tension in my clothes eased, and once I relaxed, fatigue inevitably overwhelmed my body.

Her eyelids were getting heavier and heavier... No, it wasn't night yet, and the Wang family might still cause her trouble. She couldn't sleep... she couldn't sleep...

Even though Leng Yi struggled to resist, her head grew heavier and heavier until she finally succumbed to complete darkness.

When Leng Yi woke up again, she found it was already night, and she was lying in bed.

Realizing this, Leng Yi sat up in bed. The first thing that caught her eye was the light from the only oil lamp on the table, and Xiao Lian's beautiful and mature face.

When Xiaolian saw that she was awake, she gave her a slightly concerned smile and said, "Miss Ningbi, you're finally awake. It's already past 7 PM."

Leng Yi immediately sensed something was amiss. Xiao Lian was supposed to be just an ordinary maid, so how could she suddenly possess such a profound air, unless—

"Hehe, you've already figured it out, Miss Ningbi?" Xiaolian smiled brightly, walked to the bedside of Lengyi and sat down, and said softly in a breathy voice, "I'm one of our own, one of our own, Miss Ningbi can completely trust me."

Leng Yi had so many questions she wanted to ask that she couldn't speak.

“There’s something I’ve wanted to say ever since I met Miss Ningbi,” Xiaolian said, carefully examining Lengyi and uttering soft exclamations. “You’re so beautiful. Your eyes are so beautiful, and they’re even more stunning up close.”

"Uh, um, thank you for the compliment."

"Tsk tsk, so bland, you must be tired of hearing this, right?"

"Uh, um."

"Did the young master praise you like that before?"

Leng Yi suddenly didn't understand, "Huh? The young master you're talking about is..."

"It is Young Master Xie Yin."

Xie Yin? Ah... just like Zhao Yin, that's his name.

Did he ever praise her like that? Just because of Xiaolian's words, Lengyi couldn't help but search for her memories with Zhao Yin. Scene after scene, like pebbles on a clear beach, gradually became clear and moistened Lengyi's heart.

Leng Yi felt embarrassed. "Why did you ask that?"

"Hehe, because we all know that the young master is in love with you. Oh, right, I haven't told you yet, I am the young master's subordinate. Besides me, there is also Xie Ai, who is now called Wang Ai, as an inside agent in the Prince's mansion."

We all know that the young master is in love with you.

Leng Yi was suddenly hit.

"Why...who exactly are you...?"

"Miss Ningbi may not know, but we are actually loyal bodyguards who have always followed the young master and have been silently protecting him. You could say we've watched him grow up. So we secretly gossip about the young master, even though he's always known about it."

Xiaolian suddenly looked smug, as if she was about to reveal someone's secret. "Let me tell you something, you'll definitely be interested. Actually, the young master is always talking about you, sending people to protect you, and he wants to know every little detail about you. When he argues with you, he drowns his sorrows in alcohol and even sheds tears secretly. He's so pathetic. Miss, please don't tell the young master that I told you about this."

Xiaolian spoke with great joy and excitement, talking incessantly about everything concerning Zhao Yin.

Leng Yi's heart felt like it was being punched repeatedly.

What is this person saying? What is this person trying to express?

Xiaolian saw that Lengyi's face was full of shock, but she was still smug. Gradually, she realized that Lengyi did not seem to have any joy at all. Instead, she revealed disgust and even hatred.

Oh dear, did she say something wrong?

"Miss Ningbi, did you quarrel with the young master?" Xiaolian asked tentatively.

It couldn't be simply summarized as an argument. Leng Yi bit her lip and said with a complicated expression, "No."

"This seems to be quite the opposite."

"Hmph." Leng Yi couldn't help but smile, her eyes and lips full of sarcasm.

Leng Yi thought Xiao Lian must be out of her mind. Didn't Xiao Lian know that she entered the Wang family as Zhao Qun's woman? Yet, upon meeting her, she immediately talked about how much Zhao Yin liked her. Leng Yi was speechless and could only laugh.

When Xiaolian saw Lengyi's cold and contemptuous gaze, she thought to herself, "It's all over." At the same time, she added, "She's beautiful even when she's angry. No wonder the young master likes her."

"Miss Ningbi, please don't be angry..." Xiaolian was flustered and scrambling. "If the young master has made you angry, you can tell me. Maybe it's a misunderstanding?"

"Misunderstanding?" Leng Yi's smile became even more sarcastic. "There's no misunderstanding between us, I just find him disgusting."

Xiaolian was stunned.

Lengyi could tell that Xiaolian couldn't accept her evaluation of Zhao Yin. Xiaolian was like Zhao Yin's family member, and her words revealed her protection and concern for Zhao Yin. The reason she was able to have such an enthusiastic conversation with her was because of Zhao Yin.

She had initially thought that the informant at Fengxianglou was "one of her own," but now it seemed that he was just Zhao Yin's man and not her partner.

Xiaolian, being a well-trained assassin, quickly regained her composure. It was clear that her young master and Miss Ningbi's relationship was not progressing well. "Young master," she thought, "you'd better pray for good fortune."

"Let's not talk about that. By the way, Miss has been sleeping for so long without eating anything, she must be hungry. I've prepared some porridge for her, please drink it quickly or it will get cold." Xiaolian quickly changed the subject.

"I called Zhao Yin disgusting, and you didn't even argue with me," Leng Yi said coldly, scrutinizing Xiao Lian. Strange people, Zhao Yin's subordinates are all stranger than the last; they seem to follow their master's example, after all, Zhao Yin is a madman.

"Look at what you're saying. How can we subordinates possibly get a word in edgewise when Miss is scolding Young Master? You can scold him as much as you like." The Young Master will be even happier if you can vent your anger.

“I’m not some kind of prostitute. I’m Zhao Yin’s subordinate, just like you. I’m his tool.”

"This..." Xiaolian looked extremely embarrassed and stammered, "Anyway, a few days ago the young master sent a message asking me to protect Miss Wang at the Wang family. In any case, your rank is much higher than mine."

Zhao Yin sent a message to have someone protect her... Leng Yi's heart clenched suddenly, as if she had been punched again.

Enough, she didn't want to hear those words anymore, it was really enough—what did it matter if Zhao Yin loved her? His love only caused her pain now, and it was all for nothing.

She clearly knew it.