That day, after losing to Qin Miao for the first time at Chao Lü Yuan, Xing Xiang smashed a section of the antique shelf in Yu Suo Ge.

  "Girl, why be so hot-tempered, it's laughable." The maids in the Rain Fragrance Pavilion were all chased out by Lao Tai Tai, and she herself went forward to comfort the enraged Xiangxiang.

  Yes, after all these years of waiting and longing, I finally made it into the Hou Manor...

  Just thinking about the arrogant appearance of Madame Hou earlier, she couldn't help but feel indignant. She was just a merchant's wife, how much more noble could she be than her? And yet, she dared to scold her directly in front of Master Hou. A person like that, is also worthy of being the mistress of the Hou Manor!

  Xin Xiang bit her back teeth to death, and Ke Dan's fingernails pierced deeply into the embroidered silk handkerchief in her hand, forcibly tearing apart the newly embroidered silk handkerchief...

  What made her most stifled was that he...he actually tolerated that woman humiliating her in public, without a hint of sympathy or consideration. Was this still the same Xie Dalang who had been so indignant and saved himself from the jaws of death back then?

  Qin Xiang deeply buried her head in the embroidered pillow, trying to calm down her disheveled and uncontrollable emotions. Lao Tai Tai watched with a heavy heart, feeling quite melancholic, and could only softly comfort her from the side.

  But soon after, the maid who went to inquire about the news ran in and said a few words, causing Xiang's originally calm thoughts to float up again.

  "Really!" Xiang viciously grabbed Xiao Yatou's hand, perhaps because the force was too great, Xiao Yatou was pinched to the point of pain.

  Xiao Yatou endured the pain and told her in a low voice: "It's true... The young master and his wife had a big fight in the house, their voices were so loud that they could be heard outside the courtyard. Later, I secretly asked a rough maid from Chao Lu Yuan, saying that after the young master came out of the house, he went straight to the study in the front yard, with an iron face and looked very scary."

  The enemy's discomfort is the best medicine to heal the wound. After hearing Xiaoyu's words, Xiangxiang's heart finally felt a little relieved. She casually rewarded Xiaoyu with a handful of silver and sent her away, leaving only Lao Taijun to talk to her.

  Lao Tai Tai saw that her eyebrows and eyes were no longer as ferocious as before, and she let out a sigh of relief. "Now that the young lady has received the protection of the Marquis's household, her days will only get better from now on."

  Qin Xiang heard this and muttered to herself: "Yes, it's up to people to make things happen, no need to rush, no need to rush..."

  She was led into the mansion by Xie Houye with such grandeur, just like a dagger that had been forcefully thrust into the heart of that woman. So, she didn't lose, never had lost.

  Qin Miao... we have a long future ahead of us...

  At nightfall, Qin Miao tidied up and went to bed on her own initiative. However, she saw Xie Yan entering the inner room, which was beyond her expectation.

  He's still coming after they had a falling out and both ended up red-faced. She thought that Xie Xu would definitely stay elsewhere tonight and wouldn't come back.

  He went to the bathroom, and soon the sound of running water came from inside. Qin Miao couldn't sleep anymore. Her originally drowsy eyes now stared blankly at the bed curtains.

  Soon, Xie Yun came out of the clean room, wearing a thin silk nightgown that set off his tall and slender figure perfectly. Although she was still at odds with him, having such a handsome young master made Qin Miao's eyes dart to Xie Yun's body.

  She saw him come out from inside, slowly walking towards the loft bed, his shadow stretched by the candlelight gradually shrinking. She hurriedly felt embarrassed and pretended to be calm, hugging the quilt tightly and closing her eyes.

  The footsteps were getting closer and closer, the scent of soap after bathing was getting stronger and stronger. She tightly grasped the quilt, her fingers curled up unconsciously.

  The footsteps stopped and didn't move forward. After waiting for a very long time, until the footsteps sounded again, but this time they were getting farther and farther away, she half-opened her eyes to look towards the bedside.

  She didn't see the person she wanted to see on the edge, but heard the creaking sound coming from the soft couch outside.

  Xie Xian is resting outside.

  He bent his right leg, with one hand clenched into a fist on his forehead, narrowing his eyes as he replayed today's argument with Qin Miao.

  This was the first time she had lost her temper with herself. In her memory, she was either gentle and soft-spoken or playful and teasing, never so out of control in front of herself. But she wasn't someone who didn't have a temper to begin with; think back to the Moonlit Building years ago, and then think about how strict and severe she was when disciplining others on a daily basis.

  It's just that I'm really not used to her temper. Shouldn't all daughters-in-law be gentle and elegant, adding warmth to the family...

  But today, seeing her look so wronged and oppressed, it's quite like the time I met a small lion during an autumn hunt. The little head was so small, but with a "don't underestimate me" expression, baring its teeth and bristling all over in defense.

  As he thought of this, the corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily, and suddenly he felt someone approaching him from the side. The habit of many years of military campaigns made him subconsciously jump up, and he saw a small figure being frightened with an open mouth, shrinking back slightly.

  Qin Miao coughed awkwardly: "Sorry, scared you." She waved the handkerchief in her hand and said softly: "I saw that you didn't wipe your hair dry just now. It's almost autumn, it's cool at night, and not wiping it dry will give you a headache."

  "Oh." Usually, his little wife had also helped him wipe his hair before. When they got along well, she would often take the initiative to come over and help him tidy up his hair and clothes. It's just that today, after their argument, Xie Yun didn't think she would still be willing to come over.

  Qin Miao saw him respond faintly, and without another word, silently took off his slippers and climbed onto the bed, kneeling behind him to wipe his hair. Xie Yan sat quietly with his legs crossed, carefully savoring the tenderness between his hair.

  Actually, this kind of subtle interaction is also great, maybe this is what they call treating each other with respect.

  He actually didn't quite understand the affairs between men and women, originally a military general by birth, but happened to have a handsome face like a literati, mistakenly thought he was a charming young man. His naturally cold personality, in the eyes of outsiders, became the noble and elegant demeanor that a young master from a prestigious family should have. Sometimes when Xie Wei mentioned her girlfriends' private evaluations of him, it also made him laugh and cry at the same time.

  I don't know if she sees herself in the same way others think of her?

  Qin Miao wiped the floor very carefully, using her hand to feel that it was dry before stopping and going downstairs.

  "It's getting late, you should also get some rest... I'm going in too." She said dejectedly to the air in front of her.

  Just as she thought of dragging her slippers back to the room, she was suddenly and lightly wrapped around her waist. She stiffened on the spot, unable to move at all. It wasn't until the force around her waist deepened, with the person tightly wrapping their arms around her, that she realized the person had leaned in and pressed themselves against her body.

  The scent of his daughter's fragrance, as it did every night, faintly entered his nostrils. His face lingered on her waist, feeling the slender willow waist.

  "Ah!" Her waist seemed to be tied up with vines, and her legs went soft as she fell onto the couch. She involuntarily let out a cry of surprise, but was immediately startled by the sound of breathing in her ear.

  "Let me go!"

  A stern rebuke broke through the chaos in his mind, and his rationality recovered a bit of clarity.

  The person on the body stopped moving, Qin Miao immediately pushed himself out of the heavy shackles and didn't even have time to pull up his own pajamas that had been stripped off, turning his head and rushing into the inner room.

  It wasn't until the door to the inner chamber was heavily closed that Xie Yun came back to his senses from his earlier daze. A drop of sweat fell silently from his forehead to the ground.

  How did I just... how could I have reacted like that? It's not...

  He propped his head up with his hands on his knees and weakly closed his eyes...