Ye Jingyu couldn't describe his current mood, only feeling a numbness in his chest.
When he first met this little thing, he really disliked her. She was willful, short-tempered, proud, and...
"Brother Yu~" A soft voice called from his embrace.
Ye Jingyu's mind went blank.
After a long time, so long that his legs had gone numb from sitting, Ye Jingyu finally came back to his senses.
He pulled her out of his arms, wanting her to call him again, but Su Yunmo had already fallen asleep at some point.
Whether it was from drinking or crying, her face was flushed red. Her breathing was uneven from crying so hard, her little nose twitching like a rabbit's.
For the first time, Ye Jingyu observed her so closely and seriously.
Her eyelashes were long, like dense little brushes. Her face was soft, more tender than a peeled egg.
He unconsciously swallowed, then extended a finger to poke her cheek. The delicate touch made him freeze, then he suddenly snapped back to reality and abruptly withdrew his hand.
The occasional hint of childishness on the young man's face was fiercely suppressed.
What was he doing!
This was not something he would do!
Quickly put away these inexplicable thoughts!!
Ye Jingyu gritted his teeth, forcing himself, closing his eyes and trying to calm the strange feelings in his heart.
Su Yunmo slept soundly, unaware of the twists and turns of Ye Jingyu's thoughts.
When she woke up, it was the afternoon of the next day.
The room she saw was unfamiliar, not her dorm, but it wasn't entirely strange.
Was this Ye Jingyu's bedroom?
Ziyuan was guarding by the bedside. Seeing her wake up, she handed her hot water.
Su Yunmo rinsed her mouth and drank half a cup of water. After wiping her face, she fully regained her senses.
That wine was too potent, definitely not suitable for children. She hadn't lost emotional control like this in a long time.
"Are you alright, Master?" Ziyuan looked at her inquisitively.
Master never did anything like drowning her sorrows in alcohol. Did something happen yesterday?
Su Yunmo shook her head, not answering her, and only said, "You weren't here yesterday. Are there any new developments with the Zhao family?"
Zhao Fengchen was dealt with; the main event was next.
"Evidence of Zhao Xuntian's abuse of power and using public office to suppress dissent has been fully gathered. We just need the right moment."
A faint light flashed in Su Yunmo's eyes.
They needed someone influential enough to speak before His Majesty. Otherwise, with His Majesty's favor towards him, mere evidence wouldn't be enough to bring him down.
"Also..." Ziyuan's expression was solemn, hesitating to speak. "Master, there's something I need to tell you."
Perhaps this wasn't the best time to say it, but the matter was too important not to. The sooner Master knew, the less danger there would be.
Su Yunmo threw the wet towel back into the basin. "Speak."
"Bloodstain captured someone from Prince Cheng during a mission. That person was also involved in the Marquis's mansion fire."
Ziyuan paused for a moment, observing her emotions. "The wine the eldest young master gave you was drugged."
This was a premeditated assassination, and everyone was involved.
Su Yunmo's hand, tying her belt, paused. She curved her lips sarcastically. "As expected."
In fact, she had suspected it for a long time but didn't want to admit it. Her tolerance for alcohol had always been good, yet that night, one cup was enough to make her drunk.
She didn't pay much attention to ordinary sleeping drugs, but she let her guard down with the wine Lin Chenxi offered.
"One drugged the wine, one set the fire, and one handled the aftermath. They coordinated quite well. To think they went to such lengths, they think too highly of me."
Su Yunmo continued to tie her belt.
Her calm reaction surprised Ziyuan a little.
She knew her Master always kept things to herself. She had expected that even if she didn't show much sadness, she would at least be angry.
She heard that Master drank the wine after meeting Lin Chenxi yesterday. Did something happen between them?
"If you're awake, go to class. This is an academy, not a hotel," Ye Jingyu said, entering from outside.
Su Yunmo yawned and jumped off the bed. "Hey, how about we cooperate?"
Even if he wasn't favored, the Emperor should still believe what a prince said to some extent.
Ye Jingyu pursed his lips, frowning slightly.
Su Yunmo continued, "I know you're at odds with Ye Jingcheng, and you know I have a feud with him. Although I can't tell you why, more people mean more help."
Their previous cooperation had been very smooth, and Su Yunmo believed he wouldn't refuse.
Ye Jingyu looked at her for a long time, wanting to speak but stopping, before finally saying in a deep voice, "How much do you remember about what happened last night?"
"Is it related to what I'm talking about now?" Su Yunmo frowned, trying to recall. She only vaguely remembered complaining to this person and then crying a lot.
Although it was embarrassing, she was a child now, so it was nothing.
"Thank you for taking care of me last night. But since we're cooperating, it's not a big deal for you to take care of your partner, right?" Su Yunmo shrugged.
"Partner?" Ye Jingyu murmured the four words, his expression growing increasingly displeased.
Su Yunmo suddenly felt the urge to jump into a river again.
She asked confusedly, "Why are you getting angry for no reason?"
Ye Jingyu clenched his fist, then opened it and clenched it again. After repeating this several times, he turned and strode towards the bed with a dark expression.
Seeing that he seemed about to act, Ziyuan instinctively moved to stop him, but Ye Jingyu dodged her.
The young man grabbed the little figure on the bed, turned to the door, and threw her out.
Su Yunmo, still disoriented, landed on her backside and gritted her teeth. "Fine if you don't want to cooperate, but why throw me out!"
Ziyuan quickly went out to help her up.
Ye Jingyu threw out her shoes, along with a single word: "Scram!"
Uncaring little white-eyed wolf!
Su Yunmo was stunned by the scolding, her cheeks puffing out. "This is utterly inexplicable!"
Fine, whether he cooperated or not, what was the big deal!
Ziyuan helped her up and put on her shoes.
Su Yunmo stuck out one smooth little foot, cursing angrily, and finally put on her shoes and stomped away.
Inside, Ye Jingyu stood by the window, watching her angry retreating back. His face was so dark it looked like it could drip water.
He also knew that he couldn't reason with a child, especially since she was drunk last night. It was normal for her not to remember what she said or did.
But he just couldn't control his anger!
Qian Xue entered from outside, looking at her master with a complicated expression. She had seen everything that had just happened.
Master had a difficult childhood, and his personality was bound to be a bit extreme. When the young lady first appeared by Master's side, she was very happy.
But now, it seemed, perhaps they were all happy too soon.
"Master, I've found out what you asked me to investigate last time." Qian Xue stepped forward and handed him a piece of paper.
There was only one sentence on it, a prophecy.
"A mortal calamity descends from the heavens, the Glazed Lock opens, the two become one, death and resurrection."
Ye Jingyu frowned deeply.
Qian Xue took a deep breath.
"The Glazed Lock in Su Yunmo's hand is indeed an heirloom. Wu Qian took it out of the Wu family before its downfall and kept it with her. The other Glazed Lock is on the Marquis's legitimate daughter, Lin Niange."
"After extensive investigation, I have confirmed that after Lin Niange's death, the Glazed Lock went missing. At the same time, a month later, Su Yunmo's personality changed drastically on the day she returned to the capital."
Although such a thing was hard to believe, given the many doubts surrounding the young lady, this was the only explanation.
Master and the young lady... it was a fated entanglement.