The morning sun had barely risen when Bao'er woke her young miss. Bairan sat in her bed, her eyes refusing to open. She yawned and lay down again.
She drowsily asked, "Bao'er... what time is it?"
Bao'er replied as she folded the curtains aside, "It's already past the morning bell, Miss, why are you lying down again?"
Bairan muttered to herself annoyingly, "I'll never choose midnight meetings again..."
She sat up, annoyingly rubbing her eyes. Her long black hair fell over her shoulders in soft waves; it was slightly messy from sleep, and she tied it casually.
There was a small smile on Bao'er's lips as she moved into the room, preparing water for Bairan's bath. From time to time, she hummed.
After Bairan finished bathing, she sat down. Bao'er carefully tidied her hair.
Seeing her joy, Bairan tilted her head slightly and asked lazily, "What makes our Bao'er so happy today?"
Bao'er's fingers froze, her face instantly turning red. She stammered, "I-I'm not that happy!"
Bairan's eyes sparkled with mischief. She really liked to tease her. She said jokingly, "Humming songs, smiling for no reason, then denying it in such a hurry... you know what that means, hmm?"
Bao'er's voice dropped. She said, "Young Miss... what does that mean?"
Bairan leaned closer to her ear, a sly smile curling on her lips. She said, "It means our Bao'er is in love."
This time it wasn't just Bao'er's face that grew redder; her ears turned red. She shook her head and said hurriedly, "No, it's not like that, Young Miss! How can you say such things so casually?"
Bairan pointed at her while bursting into laughter. She said through her laugh, "Casually? Is that so? Why does your face turn redder? If someone saw you now, they'd mistake you for a basket of red dates!"
Bao'er's eyes widened. She said denyingly, "Young Miss, I... I already said I'm not!"
But Bairan laughed harder, the corners of her eyes turning red. She said while touching Bao'er's face, "You're not? Then why is your face like this? Ah, our Bao'er, even your ears have turned red! If this isn't love, then maybe it's a new disease called heart fever."
Bao'er puffed her cheeks.
She said, half angry, half embarrassed, "Young Miss, please stop teasing me!"
Bairan chuckled, finally willing to let her go.
She said jokingly, "Alright, alright, I'll stop. But the next time you smile like that, don't blame me if I make a random guess."
At that moment, Ruoyu stepped into the room quietly, as Bairan was laughing and teasing Bao'er. Her cheerful voice made her pause for a moment at the doorway. A flicker of anger flashed through her eyes.
Last night, Young Master Lu hadn't looked happy at all when he came to meet her.
He had kept asking why her sister had changed, why she didn't seem to want him anymore. And she had taken all the blame for the accident, saying that she didn't know too. Sister's change began after those two gentlemen rescued her and brought her back.
She had said enough to make Young Master Lu doubt her sister.
Ruoyu adjusted her expression before stepping fully inside; she said with a gentle smile, "Ruolan-Jie, you seem in an excellent mood this morning."
Bairan smiled at her through the mirror and said, "Why wouldn't I be? The morning air is pleasant, and Bao'er's face is redder than peaches."
Bao'er, flustered again, said pleadingly, "Young Miss, please."
Ruoyu curved her eyes and parted her lips to say something when her gaze suddenly fell upon the hanging half-cloud pendant.
For a moment, her entire body went still-her eyes widened slightly, and the color drained from her face.
If Dongpo were there to see this, he might think that the pendant truly has magical power.
Bairan watched her through the mirror but pretended she didn't see.
She turned to Ruoyu, then shifted her gaze toward the pendant, which swayed gently in the morning breeze.
She said casually, "Is that beautiful? I hung it last night for fun."
Ruoyu's hands trembled, but she quickly forced a smile.
"Yes... it's quite beautiful," she said; "It looks like a spatial item."
Bairan raised an eyebrow and said nonchalantly, "Perhaps. I don't know. When they found me, they said this pendant was with me, but it's incomplete. Maybe I lost the other part somewhere, so I don't like it anymore."
When she said she didn't like it anymore, a wave of complicated emotions flashed through Ruoyu's eyes but quickly faded beneath a calm and faint smile. She lowered her head and said gently, "Even if it's incomplete, it still looks precious and beautiful."
Bairan smiled faintly, her tone still light. "You're right, sister. But to me, it's just a small thing that lost its pair."
Ruoyu's eyes darkened for a moment. She nodded quietly, yet in her heart, she could no longer calm down. How could the pendant Young Master Lu brought me from the capital be here? Did she hang it here on purpose? Her sister's mind was hard to guess. She had to make her move soon.
Bairan said to Bao'er, "Go hang down that pendant and give it to my sister."
Ruoyu raised her head in disbelief.
Bao'er blinked in surprise. Her Young Miss said she liked that pendant to swing in front of the window, but she obeyed. She stepped toward the window and carefully unhooked the half-cloud pendant.
Bairan turned slightly, casually saying, "Sister, if you like it, just take it."
Ruoyu's breath caught. For a brief second, hesitation flickered across her face-but she quickly reached out, almost snatching it before Bao'er could fully hand it over.
Bairan watched her movements with deep eyes and the corners of her lips curving into a smile.
Ruoyu lowered her gaze, hiding the nervous tremor in her eyes. She said warmly, "Thank you, Ruolan-jie."
Bairan only nodded casually as if it truly meant nothing.
But through the mirror's reflection, she could see the way Ruoyu's hand trembled slightly while clutching the pendant.
Bairan smiled in her heart, thinking, "Looks like this little Meimei of mine is hiding something. Very suspicious."
Not long after Ruoyu left, the sound of footsteps came from outside. It was Dongyan and Baian, bringing some useful herbs for Bairan's recovery, that Master Pei sent.
Baian sent Bao'er to see what Dongyan had brought, thank him, and ask him how to use them.
In the room, only Bairan and Baian remained. Before Bairan could ask why he had come, a familiar voice came from outside the window.
"Miss Lin," Dongpo said warmly.
Bairan chuckled softly and looked toward the window, teasing, "So the gifts were just an excuse for you to come, hmm? Please come in."
As he stepped inside, she continued with a faint smile, "Master Pei's subordinates-one inside and one outside. It must be something important your master wants me to hear."
Dongpo bowed slightly and replied smiling, "Miss Lin, I came to report some news about Young Master Lu. And yes, you are right, I also carry a message from my master for you."
Bairan gestured for him and Baian to sit. She poured two cups of tea-one for Dongpo and one for herself-and placed a bowl of fruit near Baian, telling him to eat it.
Then she leaned slightly forward and said, "I understand. Now, please first talk about Young Master Lu."
Dongpo nodded. "This morning, Young Master Lu sent his servant to buy something for him. I followed him, and I found out what it was."
He placed two small packages on the table
one red, the other dark green.
Bairan's eyes glinted playfully as she lifted the red one between her fingers. "These... what are they used for?"
Dongpo smiled faintly. "The herb seller said the red one helps someone who can't sleep properly. But if it's mixed with this dark green one, the effect doubles. After one or two hours, the body becomes weak and loses energy - the limbs numb, warmth spreads all over, and restlessness and pain follow."
Bairan raised an eyebrow and let out a quiet laugh. "Oh? Maybe my fiancé has trouble sleeping... or," her tone shifted suddenly, her smile vanished, and she said with a sharp tone, "he's planning to give someone a painful night."
Dongpo froze, unable to blink. He didn't know why, but just the change in her tone made his heart tighten-this young girl could be terrifying when she wanted to be.
Bairan waved her hand lightly, her teasing smile returning. "It's not proper to look at me like that. Aren't you afraid I might tell your master?"
Dongpo quickly lowered his head, flustered. "S-sorry, Miss Lin. I didn't mean it. That was rude of me. Please forgive me."
Baian, sitting beside them, was busy eating fruits one by one, quietly listening to their talk.
Bairan smiled softly at him, then reached for her cup and took a slow sip of tea and gestured for Dongpo to drink his tea and said simply, "It's nothing, don't look so nervous. I was only joking with you."
Then she set the red and green packages side by side on the table, her long lashes lowering as she studied them.
Without raising her eyes, she asked calmly, "What about something to cancel the effect? Like an antidote?"
Dongpo, now more relaxed, answered quickly, "Yes, I asked about that too. The seller said if you inhale the red powder after being affected by both, it will weaken the drug's effect by half. You'll be completely fine within an hour."
Bairan narrowed her eyes. "What if you inhale the dark green powder?"
Dongpo straightened and proudly answered, "I asked that too." He said it's really dangerous-it makes a person lose all strength immediately. If it doesn't treat it in time, it might even kill them.
Bairan asked again, "And the red one is the antidote?"
Dongpo nodded.
Bairan's eyes lit up as she said with a hint of amusement, "This Young Master Lu is quite something-buying something this special. I like it."
Dongpo froze, wondering if she truly liked such drugs instead of being scared.