The cool night air hit Su Yueqing’s flushed face the second she the door.

Right outside the doors, a small group of servants stood frozen in the shadows. The head maid, three younger maids, and Li Mei were all huddled together, their faces pale with anxiety. They had been standing there the entire time. Because the walls of the courtyard were thick, they hadn’t been able to make out the exact words, but the muffled, furious shouting of the Young Master and Young Madam had been loud enough to terrify them.

The moment Su Yueqing stepped out into the candlelight, the maids quickly stood up straight, bowing their heads in a hurry to act like they hadn’t been eavesdropping.

Li Mei, standing slightly behind the head maid, peeked up through her lashes. Her eyes quickly took in Su Yueqing’s messy, beautiful dark hair and the vibrant crimson robe tightly wrapped around her trembling body.

Before anyone could ask a single question or offer a coat, Su Yueqing stopped. She didn’t look at Li Mei, and she didn’t look at the head maid. She kept her eyes fixed on the dark path ahead, her voice incredibly cold and sharp.

"Don’t follow me."

The simple, heavy command left no room for argument.

The head maid opened her mouth to speak, but the sheer, fierce glare in Su Yueqing’s ink-black eyes made her snap her mouth shut and bow low.

Without wasting another second, Su Yueqing marched right past them, her crimson skirts rustling loudly against the stone pavement as she disappeared into the winding, dark paths of the massive Xi estate, heading to only God knows where.

[Host...] Nine’s mechanical voice finally chimed in, sounding unusually quiet.

[Your core body temperature is beginning to drop. Walking around an ancient estate at midnight wearing only an inner silk robe is highly illogical. Where exactly are we going?]

[I don’t care!]

Su Yueqing snapped back in her mind, her teeth clicking together from a mix of adrenaline and the cold wind.

[I would rather freeze to death under a bush than spend another second looking at that man’s face! Just map out a place where there are no people, Nine. I need some peace and quiet before I actually explode.]

Back inside the bedroom, Wenzhe stood frozen for a few seconds before the cold wind blowing through the open doors snapped him out of his shock. His jaw tightened. He ignored the slight sway in his step from the alcohol and marched straight out into the courtyard.

The moment his tall, dark-robed figure appeared, the maids huddled outside flinched.

"Where did she go?" Wenzhe demanded, his deep voice carrying a terrifying edge.

Li Mei quickly stepped forward, her eyes pooling with watery, innocent tears as she reached a hand out toward his sleeve. "Young Master, please don’t be angry, the Young Madam was just—"

Wenzhe completely ignored her. He didn’t look at Li Mei, nor did he check on her. His furious gaze bypassed her entirely and locked onto the head maid.

The head maid shivered under his glare and quickly bowed, pointing a shaking finger toward the western path. "Young Master... the Young Madam went toward the garden paths. She... she forbade us from following."

"And you idiots actually listened?!" Wenzhe shouted, his voice echoing fiercely through the courtyard, making all the servants jump. "She is wearing nothing but a thin silk robe! Are you all crazy? It is the middle of the night!"

The maids dropped to their knees in terror, bowing their heads over and over. Wenzhe’s chest heaved with anger, his worry for Su Yueqing’s safety completely overriding his own pride.

"Get up and go bring a thick coat! Now!" he barked at one of the younger maids.

The girl scrambled to her feet, running into the inner chamber as fast as her legs could carry her. A few moments later, she rushed back out, holding a heavy, fur-lined cloak. Wenzhe snatched it violently from her hands, turned on his heel, and strode out of the courtyard to hunt for his stubborn wife.

The second Wenzhe disappeared into the dark, the kneeling maids let out a collective breath, standing up and dusting off their skirts.

"Did you see that?" one of the younger maids whispered to another, her eyes wide with excitement. "The Young Master looked absolutely terrified for her. He didn’t care about anything else!"

"Exactly! He didn’t even spare a glance for anyone else," the other whispered back, giggling softly. "They might have been fighting, but he really cares about the Young Madam."

Standing right beside them, Li Mei listened to every word. Her hands hid inside her wide sleeves, clenching into tight, white-knuckled fists. Her fingers turned ice-cold with pure, burning anger. She had intentionally exposed her neck, she had tried to speak to him, and he had treated her like air.

"Shut your mouths!" the head maid suddenly yelled, glaring at the whispering girls. "Are you looking to get beaten? Stop gossiping and go arrange the bedchambers before they both return! Quickly!"

The maids instantly scattered, running into the room to clean up the wet incense and fix the bedsheets, leaving Li Mei standing alone in the dark courtyard, biting her lip so hard it almost bled.

Wenzhe walked through the dark paths of the estate for over ten minutes, the heavy fur-lined cloak clutched tightly in his hand. The night wind was freezing, and the longer he searched, the more his anger turned into pure anxiety.

Where could that stubborn woman have gone in just her inner robes?

Just as he was about to turn toward the pond, he noticed a faint, warm light coming from the small kitchen building near the back of the courtyard.

He stopped, his brow furrowing. It was past midnight. Every single servant in the Xi estate had already gone to bed, and the kitchen fires should have been put out hours ago.

Letting out a heavy, tired sigh, Wenzhe slowly walked toward the building. But as he got closer, his warrior nose picked up a very familiar, very alarming smell. It wasn’t the smell of delicious midnight snacks. It was the smell of something burning.

He pushed the wooden door open, only to be hit directly in the face by a thick wave of gray smoke.

Wenzhe coughed, waving his hand in front of his face as he stepped inside. Through the haze, he finally found his stubborn wife.

Su Yueqing was standing in front of a giant iron pot, coughing violently. Her beautiful, pearl-white face was now covered in messy streaks of black charcoal.

She had her long crimson sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and she was aggressively waving a giant wooden spoon at the stove like she was fighting an enemy soldier.

Wenzhe stood by the doorway, crossing his arms as he stared at the absolute disaster before him.

"Weren’t you banned from entering any kitchen?" Wenzhe asked, his deep voice cutting through her coughing fits.