When the Zai Zai and Zhong Ganping took their leave and went back to the street, finding a money house to deposit the one hundred and seventy taels of silver, Su Xi felt a surge of excitement—like she had earned the money herself and was opening a bank account!

Now that she had accumulated 23 points, she asked the system to unlock two more modules for her.

One was the long street of the capital—she had long wanted to see the bustling grandeur of the imperial city.

As for the other, Su Xi hadn’t decided yet. To avoid wasting the unlock opportunity, she temporarily saved it for later.

Thus, she watched as the Zai Zai walked into the money house, exchanged most of his silver for silver notes to deposit, and kept only a small amount of loose silver, which he tucked into his pouch.

When he came out, the servant Wu was still following behind him, reluctant to part.

The Zai Zai, who had always been alone, now had a thin, stick-like little figure trailing after him—it really did look like a master and his servant.

Su Xi was feeling happy for him when she suddenly saw on the screen—the little Zai Zai in a black cloak turned around, his expression indifferent, and said to the servant Wu, “Don’t follow me. You can go.”

Su Xi: What the—so heartless!

Servant Wu was about to cry, almost kneeling again. “Benefactor, I have nowhere to go! Please, let me stay by your side!”

The Zai Zai frowned slightly at his plea.

After a brief moment of thought, he gave the man some small silver and told him to guard the courtyard outside the outer city, as well as the farmland beyond the capital.

The little servant Wu suddenly seemed to have found a home, sniffling as he thanked the Zai Zai profusely, and finally left with purpose—to guard the farmland for him.

Only then did the Zai Zai press down the brim of his hat and start walking back.

By now, dusk had fallen over the long street. The setting sun slowly sank beyond the vermilion walls and green tiles. Countless little figures passed by, and the Zai Zai’s small shadow was stretched long by the evening light.

His black clothes were nearly blending into his gray shadow.

The street around him bustled—men selling candied treats, paper paintings, steaming pastries—but the Zai Zai seemed unable to melt into that liveliness.

He appeared to have no interest in looking around either; his gaze stayed straight ahead as he strode quickly toward the end of the street.

Su Xi had thought that since the Zai Zai had grown up alone in Prince Ning’s residence, he would be delighted to have someone accompany him.

…But the Zai Zai seemed not to need servant Wu—or anyone else—by his side.

In other words, in his heart, only she was the one who could stir his anticipation and attachment.

That singular devotion made Su Xi uncertain whether to feel happy or uneasy.

Happy, because the Zai Zai who eagerly waited for her to log in every day was adorable.

Uneasy, because if he kept having no friends—what would she do with him then…

───♡───

When Lu Huan returned to Prince Ning’s residence from the money house, he saw servants leading imperial physicians in a rush toward Lu Wenxiu’s courtyard. The young miracle doctor could not be found, so naturally, they could only seek imperial physicians instead.

These imperial physicians had already come several times, yet the medicine they prescribed only made Lu Wenxiu’s condition worsen—vomiting and fever again and again…

That day by the stream, after Lu Wenxiu was pulled from the water by him, servants had immediately crowded around to wipe off the droplets. If Lu Wenxiu had even a bit of a sturdy constitution—if he had truly practiced martial arts for years—then after being treated this long, there should have been signs of recovery.

But alas, Lu Wenxiu was a useless weakling, strong in appearance and hollow within. Even the way he walked was unsteady, let alone having the strength to recover after falling into an icy stream.

Lu Huan had already removed his black cloak and was dressed in his usual plain clothes. Night had fallen, and as the servants hurried past him, no one noticed anything amiss.

Under the eaves of the woodshed, a rabbit lantern swayed in the wind, the candlelight within flickering as if waiting for him to return home. From afar, still within the bamboo grove, Lu Huan saw that small cluster of light—and a quiet warmth rippled through his heart.

The house had always been pitch-dark before. But ever since that person had given him this rabbit lantern, every day before he went out, he would carefully trim the wick and light it.

…That way, when he came home at dusk, there would be a light waiting for him.

He returned to the woodshed courtyard and strode into the room. The very first thing he did, of course, was look at the wooden carvings on the desk. Over the past few days, he had carved a few small trinkets to gift that person—and, as expected, every single one had been accepted.

Though that person still hadn’t left even half a word behind, their exchanges back and forth at least reassured Lu Huan of one thing—

That person was still here. They hadn’t suddenly disappeared.

Tonight was the same: the little trinket he’d carved last night had been taken.

So, that person had come again last night.

In the candlelight, as Lu Huan looked at the empty corner of the desk where the carving had been, a soft glow spread across his clean, pale face, and even his cold eyes seemed to gentle.

…But the next moment, something came to his mind, and that faint gleam in his eyes vanished at once.

He stared silently at that corner of the desk.

Even though he could still be certain that person was around, it had already been eleven days, and he still hadn’t managed to learn much about them.

He still didn’t know why that person appeared beside him, why they continued to accompany him like this.

Didn’t know where they were, what they liked, their background, or what they looked like.

And even less did he know—on which day that person might suddenly stop appearing.

Beyond that… perhaps human hearts are always greedy.

The first time he discovered that person had taken the pearl belt and silver hairpin he’d given, he had been overjoyed. But now, he wanted more than that.

He gave gifts; that person responded with more gifts in return—but never left behind a single word.

And yet he—greedily wished for more communication, even if the other never showed themselves, even if it were only through written notes… that would still be enough.

Otherwise, if things continued like this forever, wouldn’t that person be able to vanish at any moment—as if they had never existed at all—and he would never be able to find them again?

Lu Huan’s thoughts sank deeply, a trace of gloom flickering in his eyes, though he carefully hid it so no one could see.

───♡───

Meanwhile, outside the screen, Su Xi’s attention wasn’t on the Zai Zai at all—it was on a shadow outside the courtyard. At that very moment, she saw a sneaky figure creeping closer toward the woodshed yard. Ever since the old madam had ordered that no one disturb the Zai Zai, no servants had come near. So what was happening now?

Su Xi, afraid that it was another scheme from the Princess Consort of Prince Ning, quickly switched the view to inside the courtyard.

The shadow belonged to a little man dressed in a guard’s uniform, crouching low as he crept along the wall toward the chicken coop.

Su Xi zoomed in to get a closer look—and saw that the sneaky little man was actually Guard C?!

Of course, Su Xi didn’t actually recognize these generic-looking little characters’ faces—especially since this one had a cloth wrapped around his head. The only reason she knew who he was, was because above his head floated the three big characters “Guard C.”

What was he trying to do?

She watched as Guard C hurriedly jumped into the chicken coop, clamped a hen’s beak shut to keep it from making noise, and then tried to slip away. The other chickens, long used to staying there, had lost all sense of alertness and didn’t even cluck.

What the hell—was he stealing a chicken?!

How could this be happening?!

Su Xi had been so busy with the main storyline these past few days that she almost forgot about the side quest involving Guard C and Master D—they still didn’t know that the Zai Zai was the one who had helped them.

Just as she was about to pinch one of the chickens’ behinds to make it squawk and alert the Zai Zai, she saw that the Zai Zai had already stepped out of the house.

Su Xi instantly relaxed—indeed, the Zai Zai was always vigilant.

Then, before Guard C could even climb over the high wall, the Zai Zai grabbed his ankle and, in a few swift movements, slammed the muscular little man to the ground.

Guard C was completely dazed, stars spinning before his eyes.

Only then did the chickens flap their wings and squawk in alarm, scattering into their coop.

Guard C was considered one of the more skilled guards in Prince Ning’s residence. He had thought that even if the chickens got noisy, he’d still be able to escape before the Third Young Master noticed—after all, the Third Young Master’s quarters were quite a distance from the chicken coop!

But who could have expected that the Third Young Master had already sensed movement the moment he arrived and was simply waiting to catch him in the act?

Lu Huan bent down, swiftly tore off the black cloth covering Guard C’s face, and frowned. “It’s you?”

Guard C, having failed to steal the chicken and been caught red-handed, felt not only ashamed but terrified.

If it had been before, it might have been nothing. But now, the old madam held the Third Young Master in high regard. If the young master reported this to her, he would surely be expelled!

Panic seized him, and he immediately knelt down, pleading, “Third Young Master, I was possessed by greed for a moment—please forgive me!”

Worried that someone might overhear through the walls, Lu Huan told him to put the chicken down, brought him into the house, then turned coldly and asked, “Why did you steal?”

Guard C could only confess everything. “Third Young Master, I truly had no choice. Have you heard of the miraculous physician who’s been the talk of the capital lately? Some time ago, my adoptive father fell gravely ill. That divine doctor personally delivered a medicine and left it by my father’s bedside!”

“My father drank the medicine—and his illness was instantly cured! If not for that divine doctor, my father would already be lying in his coffin. Tell me, how could we not repay such immense kindness?”

“But all our savings had long been spent on his sickness, and now the steward is about to drive my father out of the residence. We truly had no means left to repay that doctor, so I, in my foolishness, came up with the idea to steal a chicken…”

Guard C sniffled and rambled on, but all the while, he could see the Third Young Master’s face growing darker and darker.

Lu Huan stood there, fists tightening slightly, the faint strain visible in the bones of his hand. His face, half hidden in candlelight, was shadowed—its expression unreadable.

After a moment of silence, he slowly asked, “That person… also helped you?”

For some reason, a heavy, indescribable gloom welled up in his heart.

If that person wasn’t toying with him, but had simply acted out of kindness—then it was only natural that they would help others as well.

To that person, whether helping him or this guard before him, it was all the same—a passing gesture of sympathy toward a pitiful, wandering beast. Perhaps, in that person’s eyes, he and this guard were no different at all—

Besides, since he had already benefited from that person’s kindness, he had no right to demand exclusivity…

And yet, at the instant he learned that the person had secretly left medicine by this guard’s bedside—his heart darkened completely. Even the act of quietly leaving the medicine was identical. Could it be that this person had also cared for the guard’s father in the same way?!

The thought pricked sharply in his chest.

An unfamiliar emotion surged within him—one he could not name.

Possessiveness?

The word suddenly surfaced in his mind—Possessiveness.

Lu Huan’s eyelids twitched.

───♡───

Outside the screen, Su Xi was righteously scolding Guard C. The Zai Zai had given him money each time, told him to take care of his foster father—how could he still be so ungrateful as to come steal a chicken?!

Meanwhile, the Zai Zai stood with his hands behind his back, listening to Guard C’s babbling with a calm, bun-like face that was clearly dark with anger.

…Above his head, a thought bubble slowly appeared—inside it, a gloomy black cloud.

Su Xi: …………

It seemed he wasn’t just a little angry, turns out the Zai Zai was this stingy? Not even one chicken could go missing.

“Yes, thanks to that divine doctor, my foster father was able to recover!” Guard C still hadn’t realized what the Third Young Master was actually thinking. He only thought the young master was furious about the attempted theft.

Feeling the cold stare pressing on him from above, a chill ran down his back, and he spoke faster and faster: “Third Young Master, please don’t tell anyone about this! I’ll help you sell even more eggs from now on!”

But the Third Young Master asked instead, “And that person who helped you—now that you’ve lost your chicken, how do you plan to repay them?”

Guard C replied, “Whatever that person asks, I’ll do it. Be a beast of burden, give my life in service—even marry myself off if I must!”

The instant those words left his mouth, Su Xi saw the Zai Zai’s cold gaze fix on Guard C. Though his face remained expressionless, his chest suddenly heaved, and the dark cloud over his head multiplied—one became three!

They lined up neatly in a row—gloomy, oppressive, a storm about to break!

Su Xi: ……

“Enough. Go,” the Zai Zai said, clenching his fists, his face like frost, as if he no longer wished to waste another word on Guard C.

Just then, Guard C’s eyes caught sight of the paper on the Third Young Master’s desk—there was writing on it. He froze.

Wait! The handwriting on the Third Young Master’s paper was identical to that of the note left by the mysterious benefactor that day!

Realization struck like lightning—could it be that he had been trying to steal from the very man who had saved his and his foster father’s lives?!

He was utterly horrified.

His face turned ashen. With a thud, he dropped to his knees and pulled from his chest the prescription note he had treasured for so long.

His voice trembled. “Third Young Master, I was wrong! It was you who helped me and my foster father, how could we be so ungrateful!”

He practically wanted to slap himself.

Lu Huan frowned and looked down at the note in his hand—

The handwriting was indeed his. Yet he had never written it, nor had he had the leisure to send medicine anywhere.

But then—

A thought struck him.

So, that person hadn’t been sending medicine to the guard and his father at all—

They had been doing it in his name, to win over Guard C and Master D’s loyalty!

That must be why they had left the medicine and even forged his handwriting.

That person always acted with purpose. Of course—Master D was known to be skilled at farming, he had heard as much before. So it was because of this?

In other words—

That person had done it all for him.

“…”

Lu Huan’s voice softened noticeably. He lowered his gaze to Guard C and said, “Get up. The chicken is yours.”

Guard C: …???

Outside the screen, Su Xi could only watch as the Zai Zai’s mood flipped faster than turning a page.

Just moments ago, the three dark clouds hovering above his head vanished all at once—

and were replaced by a tiny sun.

That little sun sat motionless atop his head, glowing softly like a light bulb—a bit gleeful, a bit proud, and just a little smug.

Guard C cautiously lifted his head. He felt that the Third Young Master didn’t seem nearly as angry as before. In fact, maybe it was just his imagination, but he could’ve sworn that he saw the corner of the young master’s mouth curve up for an instant. The look in his eyes even carried a faint sense of “I have something you don’t.”

Guard C couldn’t help but ask, “Third Young Master, are you… happy?”

Su Xi saw the Zai Zai reply calmly, “No, I am not happy.”

But right then, the single sun above his head turned into two.

Guard C: …

Su Xi: ………………