Xiao Yu could only clamp her mouth and close her eyes, trying to calm herself down. Behaving like a lunatic wouldn't help her brother at all. After opening her eyes, the once crazed eyes changed into tranquil ones. It wasn't that she actually became calmer, but she needed to think of a way carefully about how to save her brother.

"I will behave." She could only agree with Liu Li's term. Her brother's safety was more important.

"Good! Any important news that I should know about?" Liu Li asked with a glint in her eyes. She felt that Yao Ling was a sore to her eyes. She smirked to herself; she already set her eyes to someone and she would get him with all cost necessary. Yao Ling previously had lowly status just like her, but why did she the one who got all the good things? If Yao Ling could, then she also could do the same!

"Nothing important happened. Today Young Mistress is sick and she stays inside her room all day," Xiao Yu lied. She didn't know what her young mistress was up to, but she wouldn't tell Liu Li about it. She still had her conscience. Even though she might harm her younger brother, but she remembered how kind her young mistress toward her.

"How about yesterday? Why didn't she go straight to 'Fu Rong'?"

"Young Mistress just wanted to buy snacks and she helped poor people there," Xiao Yu answered truthfully. There was nothing wrong yesterday, so she didn't mind telling her the truth.

"Poor people?" Xiao Yu furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Yes, just a little beggar girl." Xiao Yu answered in a soft voice.

"Why did she help her?" Liu Li asked, feeling uncertain.

Xiao Yu was dumbfounded with Liu Li's logic. Why couldn't her young mistress help other people who needed it? She wanted to roll her eyes, but she was afraid that she would make her agitated. "Er--- because Young Mistress is kind?" She could only mutter this question.

"Gah! In this world, n.o.body is that kind."

"But… she really only gave them money," Xiao Yu explained. Although she knew that Yao Ling had another plan, but she didn't reveal any of it.

"Hmph! Pretentious people!" Liu Li insulted Yao Ling's character in disdain.

"…" Xiao Yu was completely speechless. It seemed like Liu Li was really deranged and had twisted logic. She decided to stay silent as not to rattle the crazy woman in front of her.

"Good! You didn't feed me with lies. I already knew that your young mistress was staying in her room all the time," Liu Li laughed. "Continue your act and be good, okay?" Liu Li patted Xiao Yu's hand mockingly and made the later grit her teeth in anger.

After that Liu Li turned around, she was accidentally facing Xiu and he could finally perfectly see her expression. Her previous deranged expression switched into a serene one in the blink of an eye and she left Xiao Yu there leisurely. Xiu was surprised with her amazing act, but it made his s.h.i.+ver in a bad way.

Xiao Yu was alarmed by what Liu Li had just said. She wasn't the only spy in her young mistress' courtyard. She didn't know how to warn her young mistress. If only… she wasn't one of them. She felt the guilt gnawing inside her heart and she couldn't help but cry. The tears that she had tried to hold back were flowing like a river. She cried until there was no tears left and both of her eyes were red and swollen.

Xiu wanted to hug and comfort her, but he couldn't. He could only hold back and let her cry a river. Xiu felt sympathetic with her condition.

Xiao Yu wiped her eyes and touched her cheek where Liu Li slapped her. She could feel that her cheek was also swollen. How can she get back and serve her young mistress in this condition? She was pretty sure her young mistress would ask why her face was swollen.

She squatted down and hugged her knee; her gaze was blank, staring at nothing. What should she do? She wanted to save her younger brother, but she didn't have the heart to betray her young mistress. Xiao Yu sighed and finally stood up, feeling defeated. She would feed Liu Li with lies as long as she could. She probably should tell the truth to her young mistress, but was her young mistress able to save her younger brother? She wasn't really sure.

When Xiao Yu finally left, Xiu followed her steps stealthily. He didn't go near her. Xiu just wanted to make sure she would go back safely and didn't choose to kill herself. When she went back to her own room, he continued following her and staying near her room.

When Xiao Yu finally went out of her room, he could see that she did something to her face and her face didn't look so swollen anymore. After knowing that she would be fine, Xiu left her behind.

Tomorrow… he has to find a way to tell Yao Ying the truth and also try to save Xiao Yu's younger brother.

***

Yao Ling woke up, after hearing the bustling sound beside her. She yawned and stretched her body lazily just like a little cat. She opened her eyes slowly and saw Yao Ying was already inside their bedroom. Yao Ling opened the transparent red curtain that attached to her bed, trying to look inside the room clearly. She got up and her hair was alluringly falling down just like a fairy, making Yao Ying gulp in a trance.

She only wore her inner see-through garment that accentuated her body's contour. Yao Ling looked so ravis.h.i.+ng. Her sleepy demeanor also made her look seductive in her own way. Yao Ying just stared at her in a trance. She looked so beautiful.

'd.a.m.n! Seventy-four days to go.' Yao Ying thought to himself. He felt like crying while counting the day he could freely eat his wife.

He tried to cover his obvious 'tent' by turning around. He closed his eyes, trying to calm his appet.i.te by counting sheep inside his head. At least, it effectively extinguished his raging fire and make his hardness softened once again.

She looked at him lazily and asked, "What are you doing?" She was curious why Yao Ying said nothing to her – even a greeting didn't come out of his mouth. He instead turned around and didn't move at all.

Yao Ling went behind him and touched his back. It made Yao Ying's body jolt in surprise and he even dodged her touch. "What is it? Why did you dodge my touch?" Yao Ling felt hurt with his response.

Yao Ying didn't know how to explain himself. 'Wife ah~ This husband is in dire need to touch you, but this husband can't do that. Even your touch can ignite the raging fire inside of me, so I can only dodge ah~' He felt sympathetic with Yao Ling's hurt expression, but who would pity his 'little Yao Ying'? He whined to himself but didn't dare to say it out loud.

He turned around and said, "Nothing. You just surprised me. That's all."

"Oh…" Yao Ling still looked unconvinced but she let the matter drop. "Since when that you've arrived?"

"Not too long ago. Just an incense stick of time."

"Why so late?" Yao Ling glanced at the dark sky and knew it was past his usual coming home time.

"I managed 'Qin Fu' orders and delivered them myself, just to prevent any mishap. I waited until the matriarch saw the embroidery and satisfied with it, then went home," Yao Ying explained.

"Did you meet Qin Xiu Ai?" Yao Ling asked in jealousy.

Yao Ying raised both of his hands and surrendered. "Of course not! This husband didn't dare to disobey my lovely wife," he grinned wolfishly, teasing his jealous wife.

Yao Ling smiled in satisfaction. "Good!"

She felt a bit guilty though because it was supposed to be her job, but Yao Ying also knew that she had to fake her sickness. Yao Ling explained everything that had happened that day and how she coaxed Ning jie to work at 'Fu Rong'. Yao Ying nodded, feeling satisfied with the result.