What to do if you receive the wrong package?

The reception room of the Chu King's residence.

When Xuan Yi and Jiang Si discovered that Shen Mujin, Bai Yanhuai, and the other girls, along with Bai Hongsheng and Lin Mu'an, were missing, they immediately suspected something was wrong. However, after learning from the gatekeeper where they had gone, they were relieved.

However, Xuan Yi couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when he looked at the "gifts" on the table.

"Why are you so slow? Aren't you coming back yet?"

"Don't rush, the Lin residence is quite a distance from here. Ayan gets carsick, so it's understandable that we're going slowly." Jiang Si poured himself a cup of tea and slowly savored it.

On the other side of the living room, Little Red, who was forced to stay there, was feeling rather uneasy.

She was originally planning to visit the Prince's Mansion with Xiaohu when she was suddenly stopped by two men. They gave Xiaohu a task: to go to the Lin Mansion and bring back two people. They even thoughtfully summoned a bodyguard to accompany Xiaohu.

If Xiaohu hadn't previously assured her that these people were trustworthy, she would have truly felt like she'd escaped one danger only to fall into another.

Jiang Si seemed to notice Xiao Hong's unease, glanced at her indifferently, and said nothing more.

But Xuan Yi was not one to stay quiet, and he openly sized up Xiao Hong not far away.

Although she was seated, it was clear she was a tall and slender "girl," slightly hunched over, her body seemingly nothing but bones, giving her a delicate and fragile appearance. Her skin was somewhat pale, and her eyes were deep and bright, as if they held endless stories. Her long black hair was tied up in a messy manner, with a few stray strands hanging down by her ears. Her clothes were also very simple and plain, yet she possessed an indescribable air of detachment.

Xuan Yi, seemingly enjoying the spectacle, asked, "Did you know that Xiao Hu isn't actually called Xiao Hu?"

Xiao Hong was slightly taken aback. She hadn't expected these two to take the initiative to talk to her. She then nodded to indicate that she knew.

Xuan Yi chuckled, a hint of amusement in his eyes: "His real name is Su Xinian. He's no ordinary person; he has a very powerful background."

Xiao Hong's expression didn't change much when she heard the news. "Xiao Hu once told me about his background. I never thought that this skinny little boy I picked up by chance would actually be an important person."

Xuan Yi smiled after hearing this, his tone slightly teasing: "Heh, you're quite good at picking up bargains, you picked up a member of the royal family right away."

"... "

"Since you know Xiaohu's true identity, does Xiaohu know your true identity?" Xuan Yi continued to ask.

"Young master is too kind. I am just an ordinary person, and I don't have any other identity." Xiao Hong smiled slightly, polite but distant.

"Is that so?" Xuan Yi deliberately drew out his words, glanced at Jiang Si who was watching the commotion without saying a word, and shouted loudly, "Old Jiang, what do you think?"

"What I think is not important; what matters is what Young Master Su thinks," Jiang Si said without looking up.

"Well said." Xuan Yi even clapped his hands and continued looking at Xiao Hong, saying, "Tell me, if Xiao Hu knew that his Xiao Hong sister had become Xiao Hong brother, what would he think?"

Xiao Hong frowned slightly, seemingly dissatisfied with Xuan Yi's words. Moreover, he never expected that he would be exposed so quickly in front of these two.

A wave of panic washed over him; he knew he had to find an excuse to explain himself as soon as possible. Xiao Hong quickly composed herself and said calmly, "If you two gentlemen would be lenient, Xiao Hu would never know about this."

"Forever?" Xuan Yi seemed to have heard a funny joke. "You actually dare to guarantee forever?"

“Yes, forever.” Xiao Hong lowered his eyes, making his expression unreadable. “Rest assured, gentlemen, I mean what I say. I will leave Xiao Hu’s side in a couple of days, and I will never see him again in this life. Therefore, I will only ever be his little sister Xiao Hong.”

Upon hearing Xiao Hong's answer, Jiang Si couldn't help but turn to look at him, asking in confusion, "Why are you leaving? Is it because of what we just said?"

Xiao Hong shook her head, her words becoming more earnest. "Although your questions are difficult to answer, I know that you two gentlemen have no ill intentions. The decision to leave Xiao Hu is one I had already made beforehand. I brought Xiao Hu from Xuanzhou to Zhongjing hoping that he could return to his original life. He is a good boy and should not suffer with me."

Upon hearing Xiao Hong's answer, Xuan Yi looked at her with a hint of appreciation, then asked a completely unrelated question: "Is your name really Xiao Hong?"

"Huh?" Xiao Hong almost didn't react. "Xiao Hong is not my real name, but a name is just a title. Whether it's real or fake doesn't matter."

"Tsk, poor little tiger. The little red he's been longing for so long turns out to be a fake name." Xuan Yi shook his head with some regret. "Then why did you hide your identity? Is it related to your background?"

Xiao Hong hesitated for a moment, then denied it softly: "It's not exactly hiding my identity, it's just that my real name doesn't sound like a girl's name. My surname is He, and my name is He Yao."

"Oh." Xuan Yi nodded casually, not noticing any difference between He Yao and Xiao Hong. "You can decide for yourself, but..."

Before he could finish speaking, he turned to the side and asked, "Old Jiang, want to make a bet?"

"What are you gambling?"

"I'm betting on whether Xiao Hong can successfully leave Xiao Hu's side."

"I bet I can't leave," Jiang Si said without hesitation.

“…” Xuan Yi shrugged helplessly, “Let’s not gamble anymore. We think the same way, it’s pointless.”

He Yao, who was left standing to the side, was dumbfounded as he listened to the conversation between the two. Right in front of him, they said that they couldn't live without each other. Was that really okay?

Hmph, she's going to leave just to show you!

The group chatted idly for a while, and soon they heard footsteps outside, followed by Su Xinian's cheerful shouts from outside the door.

"Young heroes, I have successfully brought the person back!"

Unexpectedly, it wasn't just Gu Yan and his group that entered the living room; Duan Chenke and Jian Yuheng, whom they had met at the door, were also there as well.

"Impressive, Little Tiger, you brought everyone back in one go." Xuan Yi raised an eyebrow at Su Xinian, his tone tinged with admiration.

Su Xinian was a little embarrassed by the praise. He scratched his head and darted over to Xiao Hong's side, asking her all sorts of questions in a low voice.

"Your Highness, you've got it all sorted out so quickly?" Zhou Yuran had wanted to ask Duan Chenke since she saw him at the door, but she was worried about the safety of the journey, so she held back until now.

"Due to a last-minute change of plans, we took over Mengci Nunnery last night," Duan Chenke explained.

"Ah, you left last night? We didn't know." Gu Yan blinked blankly, completely unprepared for this possibility.

"You were sleeping soundly, how could you possibly know!" Xuan Yi chimed in, seizing the opportunity to complain.

"Mumu, Xuanyi is annoyed that you're sleeping like a log!" Gu Yan turned to Shen Mujin and complained, then made a big face at Xuanyi.

"Alright, tell me how it was last night?" Shen Mujin sat down next to Xuan Yi and asked with some curiosity.

"Last night went quite smoothly. We brought back three prisoners for interrogation, rescued the group of girls, and even brought you a little trinket." Xuan Yi said, picking up a wooden box from the table and handing it to Shen Mujin.

The girls' eyes were drawn to the wooden box in Shen Mujin's hand, and Gu Yan urged, "Mumu, open it and see! See what good things our Grand Master Xuan dug up for you from Mengci Nunnery. Did he bring back someone else's wooden fish?"

Shen Mujin was also very curious, and quickly opened the wooden box in front of everyone. Inside the box was a fine white jade hairpin, pure white without any impurities, with delicate and warm texture, radiating a soft glow.

"Wow, Xuan Yi, are you sure you're going to shut down Mengci Nunnery and not a jewelry shop?"

"I didn't expect Xuan Yi to have such good taste! This hairpin is so beautiful. Mu Mu, try it on!"

Several people surrounded Shen Mujin, and Hua Yin even took the initiative to insert the hairpin directly into Shen Mujin's hair. The petals carved on the white jade hairpin bloomed layer by layer among the ink-black hair, and the jade branches intertwined gracefully, like a hairpin flower blooming in Shen Mujin's hair.

"Wait a minute!" Zhou Yuran, with her sharp eyes, seemed to have discovered something. "I think I know why Xuan Yi gave Mu Mu a white jade hairpin."

"Look, Xuan Yi has one in his hair, and now Mu Mu is wearing one too. Wow, it's really enviable."

Shen Mujin blushed slightly as she listened to the teasing from her friends. In fact, she knew the meaning behind Xuan Yi giving her the white jade hairpin the moment she saw it.

However, it was still a little embarrassing to do it in front of so many people.

Xuan Yi noticed Shen Mujin's embarrassment and immediately shielded her behind him, saying to Gu Yan and the others, "Old Jiang also has something for you, go find him quickly."

After hearing Xuan Yi's words, the girls turned their puzzled gazes to Jiang Si, who was drinking tea to the side.

"Ahem." Suddenly being stared at by so many girls, Jiang Si remained expressionless on the surface, but inside he was still a little flustered.

Moreover, Gu Yan's gaze was also present.

Jiang Si first handed the two boxes on the table to Hua Yin and Zhou Yuran.

"Thank you, thank you. I didn't expect that even we would receive one." Hua Yin and Zhou Yuran hurriedly and politely accepted the box, which was truly unexpected.

Then Jiang Si took out a wooden box from beside him and handed it to Gu Yan, saying in a low voice, "I hope you like it."

Gu Yan held the small box with some excitement; wasn't this just like opening a blind box in ancient times?

Although she was eager to see what Hua Bao and Yue Ya had unpacked, sensing Jiang Si's expectant look as she opened it, Gu Yan didn't hesitate and immediately lifted the wooden box.

Inside the wooden box was a finely crafted, small dagger.

Gu Yan was somewhat surprised as he took the dagger out of the box and held it in his hand to feel its weight.

Jiang Si watched Gu Yan's actions, thought for a moment, and then explained, "You once said that Miss Shen and Miss Su each have their own weapon for protection, and you envied them. So, I picked one that suits you, and from now on you don't have to envy others anymore."

Gu Yan never expected that her casual remark back then would be remembered by Jiang Si until now. She felt a warm and throbbing feeling in her heart, and unconsciously tightened her grip on the dagger, giving Jiang Si a bright smile, "Thank you, A Si, I like it very much."

On the other side, Zhou Yuran and Hua Yin, who were huddled together "opening blind boxes," each opened a jade bracelet and a golden hairpin, respectively.

The two of them held the wooden box, looked at each other, and seemed somewhat bewildered.

It's understandable that Mumu and Ayan had someone to give them a ride.

So what's the story behind their gift?

Is the prize primarily for participation?

Shen Mujin seemed to notice Hua Yin and her companion's confusion and asked on their behalf, "Where did you find these gifts? If they belong to Meng Ci'an, shouldn't they be handed over?"

Xuan Yi gave Shen Mujin a reassuring look, then threw something at the King of Chu.

"I have to thank Your Highness, the King of Chu, for this."

The King of Chu took the storeroom key that Xuan Yi threw to him, and shook his head without changing his expression. "Palace Master Xuan, you are too kind. I should thank you both for your generosity. Besides, these things are very suitable for the ladies. I am just offering them as a token of my appreciation."

"What does this mean? This thing belongs to the King of Chu?" Gu Yan whispered in Jiang Si's ear.

"We helped the King of Chu, and he told us to pick whatever we wanted from his storeroom," Jiang Si explained carefully.

"What!" Gu Yan couldn't help but exclaim, then shrank back in embarrassment and muttered softly, "Remember to call me next time something like this happens."

After discussing the gift, Zhou Yuran's gaze was drawn to the only stranger in the room.

She nudged Hua Yin and said, "Look at the girl next to Xiao Hu, isn't she the Little Red Girl that Xiao Hu was talking about?"

"It's pretty much true. Look at Xiaohu's eyes. That's what it means to have someone in your heart and eyes."

"Tsk tsk, a relationship between an older woman and a younger man. But Xiao Hong is quite pretty. It's said that marrying a woman three years older is like finding a gold brick, so Xiao Hu is definitely not at a loss."

While Zhou Yuran and Hua Yin were chatting quietly, the boys involved in the Mengci Temple incident briefly discussed the follow-up matters before Duan Chenke left because he hadn't finished his work.

As soon as Duan Chenke left, Xiao Hong immediately pulled Xiao Hu along and slipped out of the living room. Gu Yan watched Xiao Hong and Xiao Hu's retreating figures and asked with some confusion, "Why did they run away so fast? I wanted to get to know this Miss Xiao Hong."

"Oh? Are you sure you want to get to know Little Red Girl?" Xuan Yi emphasized the words "Little Red Girl".

"Hmm? You don't know Little Red Girl, but do you know her...?" Gu Yan really couldn't be bothered to talk to Xuan Yi. They didn't see eye to eye, so it was better to say less.

Jian Yuheng, who was standing to the side, seemed to have grasped Xuan Yi's point. He smiled slightly and explained gently, "I think what Palace Master Xuan means is that this little girl, Xiao Hong, may not be a real young lady."