Chapter 206 -

Chapter 206: Chapter

Dong Li stood right outside the general’s bedroom, holding a tray. He took a deep breath and gently pushed the heavy wooden door open a crack to check on his master.

Inside, the room was dark. Wenzhe was fast asleep on the bed. His face was pale from the fever medicine, but he was breathing slowly and resting peacefully.

Dong Li let out a quiet sigh of relief. Seeing his master finally getting some rest, he carefully pulled the door shut, making sure not to make a single sound. He turned around, planning to leave the hallway, but stopped dead in his tracks.

Standing right in front of him was Xi Qianqian.

She wore a bright, fancy dress. Her arms were crossed as she leaned against a wooden pillar. Her eyes lit up the moment she saw him.

"Dong Li!" Qianqian said, stepping closer with a sweet, eager smile. "Is my brother awake yet? I brought some special medicine for him!"

Dong Li immediately lowered his head. His body went stiff. He stepped back to keep a polite distance, his face completely blank.

"Second Miss," Dong Li said. His voice was polite, but as cold as ice. "The General has just taken his medicine and fallen asleep. He cannot be disturbed."

Qianqian’s smile faded a little, but she did not give up. She took another step toward him, trying to look past his shoulder at the closed door. "Surely he can wake up for a minute! Let me just go inside and leave this by his bed."

"No," Dong Li said flatly. He stood firmly in her way, blocking the door. He did not yell, but his blunt words left no room for arguments. "The doctor said he needs total quiet. I must ask you to leave, Miss Qianqian. I have other duties to attend to."

Before she could complain or try to push past him, Dong Li bowed quickly. He brushed past her and walked away down the dark hallway as fast as his feet could carry him, wanting nothing more than to escape her.

But Xi Qianqian did not take the hint.

Instead of leaving, she grabbed the sides of her heavy, fancy dress and hurried right after him. Her footsteps echoed loudly on the stone floor as she chased him down the dark hallway.

"Dong Li, wait! Why are you walking so fast?" she called out, practically jogging to keep up with his long strides. "Are you ignoring me? I just want to help my brother! You are his personal guard, you should be happy I care so much!"

Dong Li kept his mouth tightly shut. He did not look back. He just walked faster, his face totally blank, hoping she would eventually get tired and leave.

But she did not stop. She followed him through the courtyards and down the paths, talking and talking without taking a single breath. She complained about the cold night air, bragged about the expensive medicine she bought, and scolded him for being so rude to her.

Dong Li ignored every single word. He finally reached the warm, brightly lit kitchen. He walked straight up to a sleepy kitchen maid, bowed his head slightly, and handed over the empty soup bowl and wooden tray.

He turned around to leave the kitchen, planning to slip away into the shadows.

"And another thing!" Qianqian said, stepping right into his path, still babbling away. "You always treat me like I am just some annoying child, but I am the Second Miss of this household and you should—"

Dong Li finally had enough. His patience completely snapped.

Instead of stepping around her or walking away, he stopped dead in his tracks. He stood perfectly still, like a solid wall of stone, his dark eyes staring down at her coldly.

Qianqian was walking too fast and talking too much. She did not expect him to stop so suddenly. She let out a loud gasp as she tried to stop herself, but her feet tangled in her heavy silk skirts.

She tripped over her own fancy shoes and fell hard, pitching forward toward the hard stone floor. She squeezed her eyes shut and threw her hands up, bracing for a painful crash.

But the crash never came.

A strong, firm arm suddenly wrapped around her waist. Dong Li’s quick reflexes kicked in. He caught her right before she hit the ground, holding her securely in mid-air. The kitchen went completely quiet, leaving Qianqian frozen in his grip, staring up at his sharp, serious face with wide eyes.

Dong Li pulled her up easily and set her straight on her feet. The second she was steady, he dropped his arm and took a large step back, putting a safe distance between them.

He looked down at her. His eyes were flat, cold, and completely annoyed.

"Stop pestering me," Dong Li said sharply, his voice cutting through the quiet room. "You are the Second Miss of this family. Start acting like a proper lady instead of chasing a mere guard around."

His words were incredibly harsh. The entire kitchen went dead silent. The maids and servants froze holding their pots and bowls. Everyone stared at the floor, feeling a deep, stinging embarrassment for the young lady. Qianqian’s face turned bright red, her eyes wide with shock.

Dong Li let out a heavy sigh. He refused to even meet her gaze to see her reaction. Without another word, he turned his back on her and walked straight out of the kitchen, back into the cool night air.

That must have hit the nail on the head, he thought to himself as he walked down the dark path. She will finally leave me alone now.

But he was totally wrong.

Quick, loud footsteps slapped against the stone path right behind him. Before he could even turn around, Qianqian lunged forward and grabbed his sleeve, jerking him to a hard stop.

Dong Li froze. He looked down at her small hand tightly gripping his dark sleeve.

When he looked back up at her face, the annoying, spoiled girl from the kitchen was gone. Qianqian was not whining or complaining anymore. Her face was still red from the embarrassment, but her eyes were completely serious and filled with hurt.

"You know of my feelings," she said, her voice shaking just a little in the cold night air. "You know I like you. Then why do you ignore me like this?"

Dong Li stared at her. His expression did not soften at all. Slowly and firmly, he reached out and pulled his sleeve right out of her hand, stepping back to put a safe distance between them again.

"Because you are the General’s sister, and I am just his guard," Dong Li answered flatly. He did not yell, but his words were sharp and heavy. "We live in two totally different worlds, Miss Qianqian. I do not care about your feelings. My only duty is to keep your brother alive, and my loyalty belongs entirely to him. I have no time to play these childish games with you."

He turned away from her sad eyes, his face set like stone.

"Do not follow me again," he added coldly over his shoulder. Then, he walked away into the dark courtyard, leaving her standing all alone in the freezing wind.

Tears spilled out of Qianqian’s eyes and fell down her cheeks. The freezing wind made her wet face sting. For the first time all night, she had absolutely nothing to say. Her heart broke. She slowly turned around, grabbed her heavy silk skirts, and walked back to her room all alone in the dark.

Dong Li did not look back. He walked straight to the guest quarters, pushing the crying girl completely out of his mind. His only job was to protect his master.

Inside the dark room, the timing was incredibly close.

The back window slid open without a single sound. Yueqing quickly climbed over the wooden frame, her dark cloak still covered in dirt and dry grass from the Cold Palace. She dropped lightly onto the floorboards just as Nine slipped out from under the heavy bed blankets.

Holding her breath, Yueqing froze in the shadows. She had managed to sneak back in right at the exact second Dong Li returned to his watch.

Yueqing froze in her tracks. One foot was still on the windowsill.

The room was pitch black, but a low, rough voice cut through the quiet.

"Where did you go to?"

Yueqing’s heart jumped right into her throat. She slowly turned her head toward the large bed. Wenzhe was not asleep. He was sitting up, leaning heavily against the wooden headboard. His face was still pale from the fever, but his dark eyes were wide open, watching her from the shadows.

Next to the bed, Nine panicked. He quickly rolled off the mattress and slid deep under the bed to hide before Wenzhe could see his face.

Yueqing took a deep breath. She quickly pulled off her dirty cloak and kicked it into a dark corner so Wenzhe would not see the dry grass and dirt from the Cold Palace.

"I just went out for some fresh air," Yueqing lied smoothly, walking slowly toward the bed. "The room was too hot. Why are you awake? You need to rest."

Wenzhe did not look away. He coughed softly and narrowed his tired eyes at her.

"Dong Li was outside the whole time," Wenzhe said slowly, his voice weak but very sharp. "He did not see you leave through the door. So... why are you climbing through the window, Yueqing?"